All that is skin-deep

3. Rudiment

“This lazy thing.” Miss Akinyi mumbled towering over Petra’s sleeping frame.

The girl made sure she fully occupied her bed that was for certain. Her limbs were spread wide across the mattress, half the sheets were dangling off the bed and a pillow laid at her feet almost falling too.

How could she sleep so—messy.

It should have been humanly impossible as the girl was already messy awake. How could something so peaceful look horrifying.

“Wake up!”

She grabbed the pillow at her feet and hit her head with it using all her strength—cruel but Petra woke her a lot worse.

Her jumping on the bed would be damage and that was, is, Petra’s waking up technique for her mother.

Petra’s mouth instantly closed as her body shot up. For a few seconds it was fuzzy and confusing, rubbing her head she finally caught sight of the woman.

“Mama!” she threw her other pillow at her furiously.

“You are going to be late!”

“No I won’t, I have time!” Petra shouted throwing herself back on the soft mattress—just a couple more minutes.

“Check the time.”

She didn’t, she wasn’t up for that at all. Covering her face she made herself comfortable—only a matter of seconds before sleep took over.

It did not go as planned as the sheets came off. Glaring at her mother she was about to complain but the alarm clock practically in her face, made her purse her lips as she read the time.

“7:40—Oh s**t!”

Instantly she jumped out.

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier mama! I have twenty minutes to shower and walk to campus!” the girl hissed messily tossing her beddings back on the bed.

“I’m going to be down in the pastry shop opening up!” her mother happily rejoiced tossing the pillow to the mountain of beddings.

Before she closed the door she saw her daughter literally struggling to get undress. The thing that made her giggle was that it was only a oversized shirt, it took her daughter down—falling to her butt.

“f*****g fantastic!” Petra hissed feelings the pain through her body.

§

Descending from the stairwell she popped her head first into the pastry shop.

“Mama—” words failed her as she saw her mother seated at one of the tables enjoying a cup of tea.

There was nothing at all wrong with that but a person would expect her to be running around getting things ready, because? People would walk in any moment.

Yet her mother had her usual head wrap, it was purple this time around. Mom jeans and black coloured blouse, ready for the day but she was seated enjoying tea.

“Why are drinking tea instead of you know, opening up the shop?” she questioned walking up to her mother.

Miss Akinyi smiled then continued slurping loudly ignoring her, her eyes were fixed outside the glass, mesmerised by something—an empty street at that.

Petra pulled her phone out her jacket, maybe she saw the time wrong. “Mama, it’s . . .” confused she blinked serval times—she did see it wrong. “7:00 o’clock?” she whispered confused.

Her gaze fell on her mother again as she chose to ignore her phone at the moment.

“You woke me up at 7:40, my alarm said that—is my phone not working?”

Opening the settings in her phone she double checked, it was moving—she needed another clock to compare with, maybe she could just hurry back to her room and check her alarm.

“Well get going.” her mother spoke placing her empty cup down.

But the devilish grin on her face had her glaring at her birth giver instead. “You messed with my alarm! Why mama?”

“You should thank me mpendwa. Now you have a full hour to walk to school.”

“It is four blocks away mama, it won’t even take me thirty minutes!” Petra whined stomping her feet on the floor.

“Well you are always late!”

“Yeah, so?” she asked raising her eye brow.

“It stresses you, you run to university.”

She only shrugged. “And I could use the cardio plus I never enter class late, always 5 minutes before the lecture gets in.” she proudly spoke.

Her mother pondered. “Maybe you can meet someone while you take the scroll. Enjoy nature!”

She scoffed. Pointing out the window she tilted her head—which nature was this woman blabbering about. “With this weather and no tree insight for at least miles?”

“Learn to see the positive.”

“I’ll sleep in class?” the girl smiled.

Shaking her head, Miss Akinyi stood making her way to the counter and grabbed the white bag.

“No, you can eat your breakfast in peace.” she spoke handing her the breakfast.

“True.”

Petra wasted no time, instantly she peeped in. Sweet good pastries were what she had—grabing one cupcake she moaned loving the flavour.

While she munched her breakfast the door swung open.

The boy they had all missed around the place.

His red hair rested above shoulder—a bit longer than a week before and his facial hair had grown back giving him that red beard—barely though.

Yes he was naturally a red head.

“Hey Frank! Feeling any better?” Petra asked licking the icing off her lips.

“Hey Petronella, much and you?”

With a nod she smiled as she watched her mother embrace the boy in a hug.

“Alright. I’ll be going now bye!” she waved. “Bye mama!”

“Have a great day binti!”