When past becomes present

Chapter one continued

“I’m fine, Mum. You know?”

“I’m good. Why haven’t you called for a very long time?”

“Sorry, Mum. I was just too busy.”

“Busy kwa? Chibuike. I know you’re taking your final-year examinations, but you should try to call me at least once a week before you give me a heart attack.”

“Sorry, Mum. I’ll be trying my best to call you.”

“That reminds me. How is your examination going?”

“Going well, ma.”

“Chibuike, do fast and become the medical doctor I’ve always wanted you to become.”

“Okay, ma. Don’t worry yourself. The examinations will soon end, and I’ll come back to Nigeria and bring you over here.”

“Be fast oo. I don’t know what this Nigeria is turning into.”

“Okay, ma.”

“Bye. Take care.”

“Bye,” I finally said and terminated the call.

The woman, who seemed to have been eavesdropping on my call, finally said,

“Chibuike. What a nice name. So why don’t you tell your mother that you were expelled from the university?”

“I think that’s what is best for her. She is in her old age, and if I tell her, she may get too worried and have a heart attack or something.”

“Well, I think you should figure out a way to tell her,” the woman said conclusively and began eating.

“I’ll be upstairs in case you need me,” I finally said and went upstairs with my food into my room.

I ate as fast as possible, so by the time I was done eating, the woman was barely halfway through hers. I waited in my room until I heard the woman calling out my name. I quickly descended the stairs and was in the dining room within the blink of an eye.

The woman then said to me, “I’m off to work. Remember what I told you about the kids, and come and open the gate for me.”

“Okay, ma,” I said and followed her outside, trying to remember what the woman told me about the kids on my first day.

The first thing she told me was to make sure I bathed the kids every morning before their breakfast, though they didn’t normally allow me to. She also told me that the kids could be deceitful and cunning sometimes, so I should pay close attention to their actions. Lastly, she told me that the kids could turn into menaces sometimes, so I should handle their menaces with care. I made sure that I remembered what she told me. I opened the big gate and watched her as she drove away with her latest “Tesla” vehicle. As soon as I closed the gate, I glanced at my phone and saw that the time was 7:22 a.m.

The woman was the owner of “Atlantic LTD” company and was quite renowned for her good profit-yielding work. As early as 7:20, she had to leave in order to get to her workplace before 7:30 a.m. Her company opened by 8:00 a.m. from Monday to Friday and by 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays, and today was Friday.

When I got back into the house, I woke the triplets up and wanted to bathe them. As normal, they disagreed with me and went downstairs to the dining room to eat. They had to come back to me when they saw that the dining table was empty.

“Where is our food?” John began.

“If you want to eat, you’ll have to let me bathe you,” I said sharply.

After much argument, they finally let me bathe them, after which I gave them their food. I warned them to finish so I could wash the dishes. I then unlocked my phone and used the net for a few minutes until I heard the sound of the kids outside.

This meant that they must have been done with breakfast and had gone outside to play. I stuck my head out the window to confirm. I saw them playing “tag” in their playground, which meant they were done eating.

I examined them for some moments and admired the manner in which they played. My gaze slowly shifted from them to the wide range of the horizon, which was shortened by the thick, dark clouds that would soon pour out their water onto the earth.

My gaze then shifted to the woman’s compound, and I admired the beauty of it. She had built a superb mansion on a 10-plot land, which had different sections. I admired her garden, which housed different trees and ornamentals. I also equally admired the basketball court, which was surely of standard measurement.

Merely looking at the court increased my urge to play in it, as I was good at basketball. I guessed that the woman also enjoyed playing basketball because that would probably be the reason why she built a court herself.

I admired the woman’s parking lot, from the parking section to the long driveway built with smooth German flooring to create mild friction between the car and the floor. I examined the driveway, which led to the gate.

As I raised my head, my eyes met the big black gate, which was imported directly from England. The woman must have built the gate to prevent John, who was used to sleepwalking, from straying outside the premises.