Nigerian Girl

CHAPTER SIX: Screwing up again

Continuation:

"Are you going somewhere?" Chidindu asked.

"Not that it's any of your business but I'm going out with Nenye."

"What about me?" I added.

"Um... Zaram there's been a few changes in our original plan," Nenye said.

"What changes?" I frowned at her. The look on her face was very suspicious.

"We've decided that you're going to stay here while we go to the get-together."

"Nenye," I said cautiously and looked at Vicky who gave me a fake smile.

This was unbelievable. They were planning on leaving me after I practically got dragged to this place.

"Listen we're saving you from all the boredom you were bound to face, it's not like you know anyone that's going to be there."

"But I know you guys."

"I'm not going to babysit you just because you know me," Vicky put in and I scowled at her.

"What if mom finds out," I said to Nenye.

"She won't find out unless someone tells her so you better keep your mouth shut," She drew the last words out at me like I was a toddler.

I looked at her in wonder. Was she really fine with lying to our mother so freely?

"Nenye-" I tried to protest but she cut me short and said.

"Chizaram just stay here, you can watch TV when you're bored and when you're hungry he can whip out something for you."

"Actually I can't cook," Chidindu interjected.

"Even better she can teach you how to cook, my sister is a very good cook you know," Nenye said to him and flagged Vicky, both of them started to take their leave.

"Bye children, have fun," Vicky called out in a cloying voice. Nenye blew me a kiss and shut the door behind them leaving us alone.

Great. Just great.

The whole room became really awkward. He had just caught me eavesdropping on him and his dad and now he was stuck with me for who knows how long.

I decided to clear the air first by apologizing to him.

"I'm sorry for listening in on your... conversation with you dad, I didn't mean to," I stated sheepishly and looked away.

"It's cool, even though Chinua Achebe said that, 'One of the truest tests for integrity is it's blunt refusal to be compromised.'"

"Oh," I said and nodded at him.

Did this boy just quote Chinua Achebe for me?

"How does integrity fit in?" I asked.

"If you look at it from my angle it should mean that I shouldn't let myself be compromised."

"By your father or anyone," I finished for him.

"Yes, exactly," He said. He looked genuinely surprised that I had agreed with him.

I gave him a sympathetic look. Most parents force their children to become what they deem as respectable and profitable. What they don't know is that the world is changing, what may have seemed lucrative in the past can not remain the same forever.

"Well, sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling in place," I said, quoting the only line I knew from Chinua Achebe. My dad used to say it a lot especially whenever something bad was taking place at the time.