Married, Not Dating

CHAPTER ONE

My name is Cassy, I am the only child of my parents. I turned Sixteen last month, two days before the end of my term examination. I had waited so eagerly for that day to come. When I was fourteen,I read a book titled "Something over Sixteen" why the book had that title I don't really know because well I didn't really get it but this made me realise that at Sixteen, one is no longer a child but an adult well not a full blown adult who stays alone and fend for them self but an adult who can take some decisions concerning their life.

For as long as I can remember, I had always hated to be called a child. Why? Because to me being called a child means one is stupid and can not do the right thing with out being told, this made me stop being interested in children's stuff at a very young age, Instead, I found myself drawn to grown up things, I wanted to grow up so fast. I felt more comfortable relating with people who are many times my age. The people around me thought it was because of my size but no it was definitely not because of how I looked or how big I was.

I am what people call a plus sized lady. You could call me Chubby or plump but never ever call me fat. I started wearing bras as early as Nine and at fourteen, I was already at a size 16. A lot of people made me feel bad about how I actually looked and at one time I started to think about it, I went on extreme diet at age 15 and before I knew, I was reached to the hospital for passing out due to ulcer so I learnt not to let what people say about me get to me.

My father would say,

"Cassy, don't be deceived by your size, you are still a child, at least my child if I can say and you should act as one because once your childhood is gone you are going to regret it forever".

To this,I would counter that I was not a child but an adult trapped in the body of a child. He would shake his head and give my mother a long state, which I could obviously understand why but then she never really said anything.

Being called a 'young adult' sounded more like a fair compromise between being called a child, as my father would insist, and being an adult as I would insist.

My mother was the head nurse at the hospital she worked at and my father was, well so many things and more, At the time I was born he was something like a secretary at a publication company, and at the time I was in primary school, he was working in a public Relations agency. He then went on to work for an international organisation that helps poor people in Africa.

And when I asked him what exactly was his job over there at the organisation, he said it was still some kind of public relations.

Although we are Nigerians, I have never being to that country, I was born and brought up in London and I would someday like to visit, but then who would I be visiting over there? Maybe an excursion would do.

The very day I clocked Sixteen, I was in school and even if I was at home, I knew better than to expect any parties.

My father believed that the only thing worth celebrating was major achievement and I bet that was the Nigerian part of him speaking as that was what I was told by some of my friends who came from Nigeria.

In his eyes, a birthday was not an achievement at all. My mother said she agrees with him, I know she was only saying that just to not be at the opposite side of her dear husband and I understand. Because For this, I have very strong evidence in the form of some old photographs I had seen of her standing all dressed up behind birthday cakes;But to be fair, that was before she met and married Mr Edward.

Whatever the case, birthday were not a regular thing in our home, My father never remembers birthdays, including his own. But my mummy however, Would never ever forget.she even remembers the birthday of children in our extended family, but there would be no parties. The most similar thing to any form of celebration were the slightly more elaborate dinner. This is not to suggest that my parents were some boring people Not at all.

My father was actually very funny that my mummy would often joke that he should consider getting another career in comedy. Birthday parties just wasn't our thing.

When I was about entering Junior high school, my parents thought it would be better I attended a boarding school, this was because they most have thought I was lonely;I was lonely some time but not most of the times..

When I finally left the house for school, everything changed, my father who never remembered birthdays, would never not fail to send me greeting cards on my birthday. I turned twelve when I was in grade 1 of Junior high. The birthday cards was handed over to me by my school principal himself after the morning assembly at the school hall; he was some sort of a Friend to my daddy, I could never understand why they became close but my father could have asked him to spy on me, but then again my father isn't one to do so based of the kind of relationship we had.