Last updated on December 30th, 2023 at 04:03 pm
I didn’t really like Christmas, I enjoyed the holiday but disliked the part when people would come to visit. You’d barely get any rest and a day that’s supposed to be fun would just be a lot of fake smiling and resisting the urge to snap at the visitors.
Since I returned to my parents’ house they had been acting like lovebirds and were keen on showing me that everything was now fine. This did not stop annoying me. Elizabeth told me to just accept and stop resisting the fact that they were now together. But it felt fickle. It took them getting messy and involving me before they could find their balance. At this point, it felt like I was doing too much considering that everyone seemed to have moved on.
I checked my phone for the umpteenth time to see if Tochi had sent me a message but he hadn’t. We chatted two nights ago and after my last message, he had not replied. He said he had been busy since he got home, but I did not know what exactly it was that kept him busy. Whenever we chatted, he was really sweet but then he’d just go off without an explanation. I did not want to act in a way that I won’t be proud of so I just kept quiet.
***
It was New Year’s Eve. My dad was already calling friends to assist with my internship placement. I wanted the new year to be really different for me. I wanted to pursue my goals, do better at school, and try new adventures. One thing that made me really happy was my parents’ endless support for me. They supported every single thing I attempted. I used to think it was because I was an only child but with the information I now had, it felt different.
This new year, I had to also let go of the grudge I had towards my parents. As much as possible they tried to be good parents to me. Elizabeth even said they were probably trying to fix up because they felt it was the only way to make it up to me. It all did not make any sense, but holding a grudge felt like I was punishing myself.
***
Happy New Year, Angel! Tochi’s message came in. I wanted to hiss, instead I smiled. No one was going to make me start the new year hissing. It’d been nine days since he chatted with me and he read my message without replying. One thing that was certain was our friendship or whatever we had was ending. It did not match my plans for the new year. Thankfully, we would only be in school for a while before we left to start our internship. I should be able to avoid him for that period.
We were at home but we joined the church’s online service. I’m glad we did not go to church physically because the roads were usually very busy. Last year, we spent the whole service on the road because of the traffic. Mummy did not let the matter rest as she kept making snide remarks at my dad. Now, they both sat beside each other holding hands and praying fervently.
I knelt down and closed my eyes, backing them. “God, make this year the best. Make this boy and these feelings go away. Make me happy. Open the way for me.”
***
“Angela baby, wake up.” My dad was shaking my shoulder slightly. I had obviously slept off while praying. I hoped that the little prayers I offered were heard. I got up and sat on the chair.
“Let’s go inside, baby.” My dad said. He was so gentle with me. I got up and hugged him. They were really good parents to me. It was probably good that they were now back together. Maybe it’d work out perfectly this time. He hugged me back, patting my back.
“Let’s go inside, baby. Go and sleep. We will talk tomorrow.” He said as he led me to my room. I did not wake up until it was 9 am. Actually, the aroma of food woke me up. Then, I heard a loud laughter. Zabby? I heard the laughter again and then my dad’s voice. Definitely Zabby. I got up and went into the bathroom.
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