Damian King 1 year ago

@damian-king 15 min read View comments 1 #short-stories

Pride

COMING OUT SOON...My name is Bibiana. My friends love calling me Bibi. That sounds cool and romantic.

I'm just a young girl from a family of 5. My parents and my two siblings; one elder brother and a younger sister. Even though we were siblings, I still feel those two annoying beings are not my family. Especially my elder brother, who always acts like he owns the house. Commanding us whenever our parents are not at home. Sometimes he would force me to do the house chores mum specifically asked him to do. And he would threaten to eat my food if I didn't do as he said. Still trying to handle big brother's headache, my 9-year-old younger sister, Katrina, will come with her witchcraft to torment me.

Katrina: Aunty Bibiana, I want to poo.

Me: what? Don't you know where the toilet is?

Katrina: It's locked

Me: go and meet Brother Joel.

Katrina: he will beat me o.

Me: ehhe. So I won't beat you abi.

Katrina: my tummy is paining me o.

This girl almost made me sell her out one day because of her too much worrying. Mum won't stop supporting my big brother. To her, everything he does or says is always right, but anything I, Bibi, do or say is bad. And that's why I love my dad so much. He doesn't joke with the girls. One day my brother wanted to show he was in charge by eating two spoons from my breakfast. I cried so loud till my cry woke Dad up. He was so angry because he was trying to rest. He had a very busy night the previous day.

Dad: (came to the dining table) ohhh, Bibiana, what is it?

Me: (crying) brother Joel ate all my food.

Joel: aahh. Dad… It's a lie o

Dad: shut up. Will she be against you? Why did you eat her food?

Me: he even slaps me.

Joel: Jesus….Bibiana.

Dad took his food and gave it to me to eat. That day, I felt like I'd made it in life. I've always wanted my brother's food. I think mum does partial when dishing our food. His food, to mine, is always like eight ratios 2. Can you imagine? I ate to my satisfaction. He went to the room to cry.

Well, that was some years back. Katrina was still in the womb then. I was the only daughter and also the last born. But Katrina took everything from me. I guess that contributed to why everything she does annoys me. I don't even like going out with my brother. He is ready to turn someone into his slave. "Bibiana comes here," "Go there," "Carry this…carry that," "Back me and breastfeed me"…… that's what is remaining for him to say. And the day he will say that I'll unbutton my shirt and show him my breast. Maybe that would make him understand I'm no longer a child. At least I'm 15 plus.

Most people don't believe me when I tell them my age. I'm the type you would call oversize. I was bigger in size than a usual 15 years old girl. I so much love my body size and type. I had my dad's stature, tall and huge. Sometimes, people think I'm older than my big brother. Plus, the way I behave. I have an adult mind. I may be 15, but I know what a 20-year-old lady knows. I know fashion, trends, and the latest happenings.

I remember when my brother's friends came to our house, and they were talking about some celebrities. It was obvious that my brother knew nothing about what they were saying, but I did. So I joined in the conversation. My brother was so peppered, eh. He wished he could shoot me with his eyes. One of his friends then said, "Joel, your big sister knows things you don't even know."That one got him angry. He used the remote he was holding to chase me inside the room.

"Joel, what is it?" his friends asked.

Joel: I'll soon break that girl's head.

"Why nau"

Joel: she no get respect.

"Your senior sister?"

Joel: which mumu senior sister? That's my junior sister o

"Eeehhh…. How come?"

Joel: how come what?

"Where were you when God gave her tallness?"

Joel: what do you mean?

"Nothing o"

Joel: talk now

"Nothing, nah. Suppose you are a lawyer, eh. And you are brief on your first case, eh. What does it mean?

Joel: I don't understand.

"Hia, briefcase ni o…. your sister is looking bigger."

Joel: (sigh) and so?

I stayed in my room till dad was back. I could be very stubborn sometimes. As the biggest and tallest in my primary school then, when any girl offended me either by disobeying me or playing with a guy I asked them not to play with, she would serve a private punishment after school or bring money the next day to redeem herself. I was the queen of that kingdom. Some boys even offer to do my assignments for me just for them to be my friends. My only problem is my brother. In fact, my queenship needs outside the door. Inside, I'm a slave in my father's house. I'm still planning the day I'll beat him up. After all, I'm bigger in size….I know I can handle him. My worst days in the house are whenever my dad travels. Katrina cannot even wash one spoon without complaining of being tired. The day my dad traveled to the federal capital for one business like that, I experienced hell.

Joel: Bibiana, the kitchen is messed up.

Me: but mum said you should clean it up.

Joel: you are commanding me?

Me: hia. I don't have the strength o.

Joel: if I open and close my eyes and you're not in the kitchen, eh

I started laughing at what he said. "Open and close."

Joel: Why are you laughing? I'm talking; you are laughing.

Me: I've heard you. I'll clean it up.

There were other chores to do in the house, but he wouldn't assist. I went to clean the kitchen and wash the dishes and pots. He was in the room drinking tea and bread with sardine. After I finished cleaning the kitchen, I went to the sitting to rest…..

Joel: Why are you sitting down?

Me: I don't understand.

Joel: Have you washed mummy and daddy's toilet?

Me: I just finished cleaning the kitchen.

Joel: and so?

Me: what have you done since morning? Abeg, leave me.

We were still arguing when Katrina came out from the kitchen with palm oil all over her clothes, and it was a white polo.

Me: Katrina, what have you done?

Katrina: (scared)

Joel: Why do you have oil on your cloth?

Katrina: I…I… I… wanted to climb

I knew she had done something terrible…I rushed to the kitchen to see for myself. Lo and behold, she just messed up everything I did in the kitchen. Palm oil was everywhere; the kitchen tiles were looking reddish.

Me: aaahhhhhhh, Katrina!!!

I was so mad that morning. My blood was boiling at a high temperature. All I could imagine was breaking my head and bones. I rushed out to go meet her. My brother protected her.

Me: Katrina, I'll beat the nonsense out of you.

Katrina: aunty Bibi, I'm sorry.

Me: don't even Bibi me o. if you know what's good for you…go and start mopping that kitchen.

Joel: you want her to go and mop the kitchen?

Me: will you do it for her?

Joel: don't even disturb her.

I left the kitchen till mum came back that day. She didn't even blame Katrina for what she did. Instead, she turned everything on me…

Mum: eeehh…Bibiana, you allowed your sister to mess the kitchen up

Me: allow? How? I don't understand. I received unexpected slap from her.

Mum: you are asking me how?

Me: (angry)

Mum: now go and clean that kitchen before you break your head.

Mum made me clean the kitchen over and over until there was no stain anywhere. After cleaning, I still washed the mopping stick, the buckets I used, and even Katrina's cloth.

Honestly, I cried like I was a baby. I never stopped asking myself, "are you sure this woman is my mum?" I missed dad so much. The day dad came back, I downloaded everything to him from top to bottom. I added my own extra stories.

Me: Uhm, Dad, I've suffered o.

Dad: what happened?

Me: Dad, when you were not around. Brother Joel was just beating me like I was a toy. Sending me on errands every 2 seconds. He didn't even allow me to sleep in the afternoon. Dad, you know afternoon sleep helps keep the brain active…. But he won't allow me. He even used your cup to give the dogs water yesterday. Dad, as I'm talking now, I'm in pain. All my joints are paining me. As expected, he doesn't want to hear any explanations from any other person, not even from mum.

He called my brother….

Dad: Joel, come here.

Joel: yes, dad

Dad: go on your knees

Joel: ah, Dad, what did I do?

Dad: I said, go on your knees now and stretch your hands.

Joel: but dad, what did I do?

It was as if our parents were using us to play the game. When Dad punishes Joel, mum cannot stop him. When she punishes me and Dad intervenes, there is always war in their room. I started using my period as an excuse not to do anything in the house.

Mum: Bibiana, wash your dad's clothes before I return today.

Me: with the washing machine?

Mum: if you try it, eh… I'll break your head.

Me: mum, I can't wash Daddy's jeans, nau. I will run to my dad in his room…

Me: Dad, I'm seeing my period o and mum wants me to wash all the clothes in the house.

Dad: your period again? I thought it was last week.

Me: it's this week o. that last week own was just a preparation. He has no choice but to call Joel.

I'll be in the sitting room watching movies and still be eating junk.

Dad: Bibiana, what are you eating?

Me: Dad, bread, and chocolate with groundnut.

Dad: I hope your period is not hurting you so bad?

Me: hmm, what will I do? I'm managing it. God is good.

He will just smile and leave. My Brother and I always quarrel every single day. I know I'll beat him one day. He is just four years older. I remember the day we almost broke the TV screen in the sitting room. He asked me to do something before going to school that morning, but I was already in the uniform. And I didn't want to get my uniform stained. I left it and went to the school when I got back from school in the afternoon, very tired and hungry.

He insisted I do the chores first before eating my lunch. And I was very tired. I knew that day was the D-day. The day I planned, I was going to beat him. Very stupid of me, though. I'm 15 years old, fighting 19 years old. O wrong nau. I went to the kitchen to dish food for myself. He badged in and flogged me with his phone charger. The Shaolin spirit in me got activated. I grabbed the flour in a plastic plate mum was supposed to use to make bread when she was back and poured it on his body. He looked like a ghost…. I almost burst into a laugh. He got angry and whooped my ass that afternoon. Since then, I have stopped imagining myself beating my elder brother in a fight. It's not just possible. The way I imagined it was, I would grab him the way D'rock grabs the boss in his films. My brother was really strong. The sweet part was that I still ate the food without doing the chores.

But no matter how will fight or quarrel…. We don't keep grudges for long. After fighting him that afternoon, I still went to him to teach me my mathematics assignment.

Me: Bro Joel, are you inside?

Joel: get out.

Me: come and teach me my assignment o.

Joel: don't disturb me.

Me: you are feeling like a mosquito

Joel: what did you say?

Me: I said, help me o.

He opened his door and let me in. he did the assignment for me….. But I noticed his solving and explanation were so different from what the teachers did. The assignment was on Modular Arithmetic.

Question: simplify 8(mod 3).

He did what he did… I couldn't argue it because I had no idea what to do. So I accepted the answer. The next day, I got the worst embarrassment of my life in school. A whole queen of the kingdom failed her assignment woefully. The way our mathematics teacher announced my failure made me hate my brother so much.

Teacher: some people are just big for nothing o. their brain is like ice cream. How can someone solve 8(mod3) using a quadratic equation? Are they related?

The class: Noooooooooooooo

The answer is supposed to be 2(mod3), but he solved rubbish intentionally. To save me from the shame, I had to lie. I told the teacher that my neighbor mistakenly solved her assignment in my own book. When I got back home, he started laughing because he knew what he had done.