I ran with my feet at my head, she was calling me and I know it better be food.

"Ngoo!, Ngozika!, Ngozichukwuka!" She screamed.

"Yes mommy!." I arrived. "Mommy you called." I said as I arrived my eyes glued to the pot of rice still boiling, I had checked and it was almost done a few minutes ago, she then came in, and I believe she's calling me to come take my food.

"Yes I did, like five times, is it that you don't hear well or, talk let us know now, let me see what your father and I can do o." I rolled my eyes and gave a small smile, Mom was always capping.

"Mommy dey play." I thought to my self, FYI, my parents and a few other people are speaking Igbo, but I'll leave it as English in most parts... Most!.

"Anyway pass that bowl of water."

"Which one mom?." She eyed me up and down.

"The one on my head, olodo."I looked around well and finally found it sitting on the counter by her left hand side, I rose an eyebrow, did what was requested of me and shifted aside through the walls to finally cry like a widow whose husband's death was the beginning of all her life's problems. Rice wey don almost done, she go pour am water, chai I don die. I said with my hands on my head, stamping my feet on the ground, my back still backed to the wall, soon my father was passing by and saw me, peeped into the kitchen and shook his head with a frown.

"She put in more water when the rice was almost done?." I answered on the positive, and he sat down with me on the bare floor and cried... Well he pretended to which always made me laugh, his own little way of cheering me up, soon we were rolling on the ground laughing, we laughed our hearts and before we knew it, mommy came to call us.

"Bia bulu nni ngina Nna i." I rose up with the speed of light and saw already dished out plates of rice, veggie stew and chicken, I gently took dad's first outside to the dining room then came for mom's then mine finally, all on trays, I know, I was washing up this entire pile of plates when we're done eating, but I didn't mind, we were three and the meal was delicious, classic mom.

Damn, sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier, I am Ngozichukwuka Patricia Ibezie from Ogbeozoma village, and those of course were my parents Onyemaechi Augustine Ibezie and my lovely young sexy mama... Cringe right?, I know, she's "Nkiruka Patricia Ibezie, we lived in the village and our life was simple and lovely, I had my family and everything I needed, but we had one problem, everyone else had money to send their kids to school and they did but not mom and dad and I wondered why, I was the only daughter and child and I still didn't understand why they couldn't send one child to school, still I never let it bother me, I learnt how to speak English from being around my educated friends, you know what I always say, you are who you're with, and my parents could speak a little though but not all that fluently.

After breakfast on this beautiful Sunday morning, I did the dishes and went out to play football with friends, good to know in my county there wasn't a gender bias and that was good too cos girl could I play ball too. I met with Chidera my girlfriend, and we ran to hug each other like we had not met in years... We talked like damn yesterday night.

"Eiiiiih, Ngozi, how are you?." She asked as she dusted my clothes from dust I could even see.

"I'm fine o my sister, how was church?." I asked, but my focus was on the ball.

"It was fine o, eeeeeehennnn," Chidera said slapping my arm and waving dramatically whilst talking. "It was that pastor again that preached, the one that likes looking at us in the children section and licking his lips, we're planning to..." Chidera was still talking when a player scored an awesome outside eighteen goal and I gently pushed her aside to join in celebration and also protest so I could join in but Chidera was in the least pleased.

"I know I like ball o but have I ever ignored you for any reason?, and you have mind to walk out on me pushing me self because of ball." She shouted at me and tears began to roll down her eyes and she clenched her fists in anger and walked away.

"Well this ball is ruined for me today, gotta go make the love of my life happy again.". I murmured to my self."

"Please go o, it's very important, odi mkpa." A friend of ours, Nkechi said to me as I walked off, I suddenly turned and saw seated next to Nkechi... HIM!, damn that gaze could cut right through me, I wouldn't have noticed him had I not done a double take, I ignored him and walked off, I knew why he was staring.

When I got to her house, the door was barely locked, I just walked in and locked it behind me, her parents were by far richer than mine, their house was like from the movies, with the fancy squeaky doors, a car, a garage, a house help and everything, when I went in I headed straight to her room and saw her sobbing.

"Well that's not very pretty of you." I said as I approached her, she ignored me and turned around on the bed backing me, I simply knew she was just happy I came, but she wanted to hand play it cool, good thing I was sly. "C'mon, you're getting yourself wet with all this tears, you're wasting pretty tears because of something silly I did again." I made to touch her and wipe it off from behind, but she shook it off. "Babe, I'm sorry, it won't happen again, I won't ever choose football or anything else or worst any one else over you." She hissed and lay down on the bed covering her entire self with a wrapper, I knew she was trying to smile but wanted to fight it. She removed her wrapper, cleaned her tears, but they were still dripping had, damn I had hurt her.

"Me crying for you or what you said?, lies, when I was leaving I hit my leg on a stone and that's why I'm crying, me cry for you?, lie lie." I smiled as she said that hands folded looking sideways not trying to look me in the eyes.

"Oya Chidera..."

"Okwo mmua oya?."

"Sorry, Chidera, I'm very sorry for ignoring you it won't happen again I promise."

"Again with this your whining, no dey try whine me this girl, you say this all the time"

"Oya see, I'll do twenty frog jumps, so you know I'm serious." She hissed, and I began, I looked at her, and she was trying to smile but was fighting it. "Girl, I see you trying to smile."

She then finally let out the laugh she had been holding in a long time and threw her arms around me and I hugged her back. Chidera Mildred Mbakwe, my best friend, the love of my life, my cry baby, nwa mommy, we were like two opposite sides of a coin but yet, God made us one, I could never stand seeing her cry or sad, that's why I almost made one guy lose his teeth, he had broken her heart when she caught him kissing another girl in the school backyard, and when I confronted him he further insulted my parents, so that was it, I knocked out his two middle teeth and shoved it into his mouth after he had spat them out, a few weeks after the incident he left the county, I wonder why. Soon, our perfect little lives was perfect again, I wonder why he had never reported me, I was sure ready to face my punishment, it was Chidera who always taught me all she knew and never criticized the seeming poverty of my parents, born a year after each other, she was older by age, mentally, character and other intellectual stuff, I was older socially, sadly, she never really had eyes for anyone again and mostly stayed by herself except hanging with me, and I'm almost never attentive, infact I think I have a low attention span, I loved this bitch, and clearly she loved my real bitchy ass back and hard too, two peas in a pod, I hugged her tightly and kissed her cheeks and forehead. "I love you psycho." I said to myself.

"I am... I am." She said laughing hard. "I love you girl." She said finally tightening the grip of the hug.

"Yeah me too." I said with a smile. She came out of the hug.

"This is what happened last week, and you did this, trying to whine me and you're at it again."

"Chidera, I know, but we all make mistakes normally... But... Oya wait, see." I knelt down, "I promise I won't do it again, pinky promise?." She looked at me with a huge frown which slowly turned to a smile, She slowly brought out her finger and crossed it against mine.

"So school tomorrow na?." I asked trying to hide the fact that I was not happy but one who knew you well, knew you well.

"Girl chill out, you see school?, education?, you'll be educated till the level you want, through Jesus Christ who lives and reigns forever."

"Amen." I said still not feeling good, she decided to cheer me up.

"Let's head on to the parlor and watch some Netflix and also chill ok?." She tapped on my shoulder repeatedly and tried lifting me up a bit, I was way heavier than her, and she couldn't really get me up, so I simply pushed my self up.

She came behind me as I stood up and moved away a little from the bed, she tapped on my ass and grabbed it and put her hands round my shoulders so I could carry her to the parlor. "Your chariot awaits you, my lady, the people's princess, Lady Diana Frances Spencer." I said and she hopped on laughing it up all the way, her laugh did always make my laugh to laugh... Inside joke... she tapped on my ass harder and we left the room laughing hysterically.

"Babes, wake up, it's morning o." Chidera said to me as she tapped on me.

"Mummy naaa, today is Saturday o." I murmured nonsensically. Chidera hissed and slapped me hard on the butt, I began to laugh and she looked at me annoyed, I loved messing with her, same went for her.

"C'mon wake up from there lazy bone." She said still frowning. "For your information, today is Monday, we're on lockdown because the federal government of Nigeria doesn't want to hand us Biafra, and Anambra state, the future capital of the new country resisted and declared a mondayly lockdown till our requests are met.

"Oooooooh." I tossed round and round." "Mummy naaaaaaaa." I waved my hand like I was in sleep walking mode.

"Ewu!, c'mon wake up from my couch jare, so you were not hearing all I was saying?, anyways?, the Biafran agitators need to get word to Xi Jiping of China and Vladimir Vladimorovich Putin of Russia." She looked at me, frowned that I paid her no attention and she pushed me frantically and I rose up slowly. "Oooooh na," I added.

"Seriously Ngozika, this play is not giving o abeg."

"Oya no vex, wetin dey pop?, wetin dey chill?, wetin dey play?."

"Uhmm, wetin dey shele?, wake up abeg, let's clean up, my parents are on their way back and we need to keep this joint in order." She said looking concerned and clearly making to arrange stuff.

In as much as I was lazy, this wasn't my house so I gats work, that was an unwritten rule for everyone. I stood up and began to help out, dude, the house was massive. "Omoh, this your house big o, e wide."

"That's why I'm happy you're here so you can help out."

"So na me you dey use as slave abi?." I said with a smile.

"Abeg do dey work joor, na the only reason why I hate living here sef." She said, hissed, scratched an itchy part of her head aggressively, then slowly scratched against it again with her index finger and continued sweeping, an hour later we were done and got to doing the dishes, soon we were done and she sat down to her phone while I sat in front of the television switching through varieties of channels. Almost like clock work, her phone rang and she took one look at it. "Mummy is calling for you." She picked it and immediately my mom demanded I come home immediately without even asking to speak with me. "But ma she's right..." She hung up. "Here..."

"Well girl, I guess I'm going home early." I said giving her a tap on her laps and rose up. "Make I go baff." I said and smiled turning to her, "Are you coming?." She smiled and followed me immediately. "I swear my body is scratching me o." She said, she loved bathing with me and always found a reason to do so, in her bathroom I had my personal sponge and other bathing items, so did she in my house too, in my bathroom rather. We simultaneously had sleepovers at each other's place week by week, this week, it was a late one but no bothered, it was her turn.

Soon we were done bathing and after a few minutes we were finally ready, she excorted me out. "I wonder why mummy is calling you like this and by this time, this is unlike her abi?." Chidera said.

"Abi, it's unlike her, I hope all is well sha." I said, as we left the gate of her compound, we were on the road and a boy came to approach Chidera.

"Excuse me fine girl, please where can I get fuel abeg?." She stopped looking at him all dreamingly and stuff but I gently pushed her and jolted her back to reality.

"Abeg my bro, it's down there, that road." I answered for her and pointed down the right path and the boy... Cute boy, was soon on his way. We continued walking but Chidera was now surprisingly quiet. "That boy is lucky."

"Who?, what?." She asked in confusion.

"The boy that's gonna be our new boyfriend." I said nodging her by the shoulder and laughed.

"Who?, that boy?, nooooo, the boy no fine sef." I smiled and gave a small nod.

"Akiko, I know you, you like him and he'll soon be your boyfriend because you're never afraid to make the first move, that's why I love you."

"Nkoyeli, dey play my fan, ezigbo nkoyeli k' nakoyeli, ezigbo rubbish, abeg we don reach joor, hope say una cook food." She said diverting the question.

"I pray soooo." I replied turning the door handle so we could head inside, as we entered we were caught by surprise when dad came out from nowhere and lifted us both in the air and rolled us around on his shoulders, he dropped us on mom who was also still laughing, and we were soon all laughing... for no reason in particular.

"Mr. Ibezie, what's the occasion?." Chidera asked Dad, he didn't reply but put on some music and began to dance. She turned to mom and asked. "Mrs. Ibezie, what's the occasion?."

"That's mommy to you, don't be too modest, this is your home too, anyways, I don't know sef." She said and sat upright waiting for her husband to get his cool back, she kept on laughing on his cool dance "skills."

Soon dad got his cool and sat down wiping off the sweat on his face, he danced hard, I sat down for this, Chidera sat next to mom, the way she sat so close to mom if someone were to enter, they would think she was mom's actual daughter and I was the cute family friend, Dad soon dropped the EP.

"After having worked for Sir. Vic's Wood Kreation in Asaba for good fifteen years, I decided that instead of wasting time sitting on the couch in the village, definitely doing nothing cos farming is not much in my perspective, I should go to the city to pursue a career with the knowledges I've racked up over the years." I didn't understand all he said but all I cared was that we were on our way to the big city, Onitsha. I ran to dad laughing and jumping on him, I hugged him tight, I kissed him head and neck, I was so happy, I looked at mom and Chidera, they weren't happy, they looked at one another and my mom shook her head, Chidera followed suit. Dad saw too and tried to reason with them as I sat on his laps.

"My love, what's up?, what's going?, are you not happy for me?."

"It's not like I am not happy for you, but I find life easier in the village, we have been in the city for a good number of years dear, let's spend our last days in the village." Dad raised an eyebrow towards her.

"Nkiruka, I am fifty three and quarter years old, you're thirty nine and half years old, there are so many opportunities in the big city, this is Onitsha we're talking about, second most industrious city in the country after Lagos and closely next is underrated Kano, in Onitsha you'll make big money and the most important, our child is uneducated at the age of fifteen, it's a crime, right there, she'll go to school, please Nkiruka, think of money, think of your daughter, abeg, abeg, abeg think of a better future." Dad begged.

"What if none of us wants to move." Mom asked.

"I want to move o." I chipped in with joy.

"C'mon shut up your mouth!." Mom ordered and Dad smiled. "Don't you ever talk back when I'm talking to your father." She turned to Chidera. "Nne please take your sister outside and please talk some sense into her because she is clearly seriously losing it." She said to Chidera who nodded and dragged me outside as I made to speak.

"Onyemaechi..."

"Look Ngozi, do you really want to go?."

"Of course I do, I wanna learn, I want new opportunities, look, this is a once in a life time opportunity."

"What about me?, what about our friendship?, Our relationship..."

"Whooooaaaa there girlfriend, you're getting a little bit ahead of your self right there, what the fuck is this zesty ass shit you're trying to do?." I asked and she laughed, she took my hands and drew me closer.

"Ngozi, I really don't want you to go..."

"Chidera please try to understand..."

"No you try to understand, I know you never really cared about me, I know I'm probably a pest in your life..., I'll do anything you want just please don't go." She was already shedding hot tears and I made to wipe them off but she wouldn't let go.

"Chidera stop!, enough with this madness!, your attitude makes no sense right now, what's wrong with you?, you can't just simply be happy for a friend?, you go to school, I don't, your father got all these riches, your mom basically sleeps in Barbados and Ibiza every other weekend, my parents farm for a living, you're better than me in all ramifications of life right now but you won't allow me better myself, look Chidera, right now, you're acting like an obsessed psycho, look this girl, you're either with me or against, nothing in between and you know more than anyone else that I hate my opposition."

She stared at me, tears streaming down her eyes, she looked at me murderously, if looks could kill, I'd be dead. "One nil, you have played me this counter attack okwia?, no pressure, you choose Onitsha over our friendship?, a totally unknown place?, you'll see who will win at the end, what you should know Ngozichukwuka, Chukwudera doesn't lose." I smiled, I thought she was joking but when I realized she wasn't, I shook my head, she wasn't joking, when she's calling one's full name or her full name, or worst when she's rhyming, something she hardly ever does, she definitely means business.

"I know you're very stubborn, I won't argue with you but later than sooner, when you realize how important this opportunity is for my family, you'll finally acknowledge that you were wrong and we'll love again, what I really love about your bitch ass is that you always later realize how wrong you were and you then render apology." I looked at her, held her hand. "I'll wait for you..." She eyed me up, aggressively let go of her self, hissed loudly and walked away, I slowly shook my head after her.

I got inside to behold my father sitting close to my mother, he was pleading, his hands across her neck, mom was shaking with anger. "Ngozi." She called out to me. "You want to follow your father and leave me here abi?."

"Mom, that's not the issue, please..." I tried to speak but mom objected.

"No Ngozichukwuka, I'm not annoyed, please I don't want to be a wedge holding this family back, you both want that big city life?, please be my guest, I wish y'all success but I only ask, do not forget me in your success o, your mother."

"Ah mommy, I would never!, I acknowledge you as my tribal chief..."

"C'mon zuzulu mechipugi onu ebaaa, you and who is wrestling here?." She smiled, sadly though, She turned to dad and gave him a hearty french kiss which he responded to, I scoffed and they quickly readjusted. "Onyemaechi, you have my permission, but please do not forget me o." Dad looked at her, fingers intertwined, he seemed to be looking into her soul, he nodded and smiled.

"But honey, if I may ask, what are going to be doing in the village?."

"Don't worry di'm oma, I'm simply going to be enjoying the village life you know I have always loved to."

Dad looked at her and frowned a bit, "Ok o, nne, don't worry, I'll come get you when I succeed, I'll make it, not just for me and my legacy but for us my sugar biscuits."

"Don't o, biko, don't come and disturb my village peace." She hissed. Dad turned to me.

"Ngozika, please go and prepare, we leave at first light tomorrow Tuesday, let me go and see maazi Onwa, let me see if I can sell him some coco yams and things I have harvested from the farm the other day." He said as he walked out.

"Ok sir." I said going to my room with joy, I turned back looked at mom and saw she was kinda happy. Why?, I asked my self.

"Bia this man, hope you don't sell my land portion o." Dad turned and smiled.

"Yes my queen, I won't." Mom hissed like Chidera had a few moments ago and he laughed, I quickly exited the living room hoping and praying Chidera will see reasons with me, she was after all, the love of my life...

And with that we were on our way to the big city, Onitsha here we come...

Wish I could say it was as easy as that, but no, packing up and making preparations and mom kept giving me death stares, I played it safe, hanging around dad most times, I always heard, when you're on the road to achieving greatness, your friends tend to ignore you and your loved ones most times think you're psycho, those who don't mean well for you think you're all out wasting your own time, the universe seems to set your once loved ones against you, but I wasn't gonna be worried the road ahead was gonna be plagued with thorns but amma get the rose soon.

The fact that when these people can no longer control you, having you at their finger tips in the name of friendship or family, love and what not... Emotional junky hullabaloo, they tend to begin to hate you, despise you and stuff, you get to hear things like...

"Ngozika Bia nwa m." When I arrived mom put her palm on my shoulder and brought me nearer. "You see my daughter, the bible in Exodus 20:12, it says honor thy mother and thy father, Ephesians 6:2 also acknowledges and emphasizes on the fact that it's the only commandment with a promise, but when you simply honor thy father and not thy mother kwanu, then you know that you're only being half obedient and God will give you half blessings, see my child you need to be..." Daddy passes by and shakes his head and mom readjusts, she straightens up and tries to focus on the TV. Daddy turns and smiles.

"Nkiruka, leave the girl alone biko kwanu, ah!." He said and left, I made to follow cos mo? Was seriously giving me the creeps, where the fuck was she headed to with all these?, but she began to exclaim.

"Once again, you want to leave me to follow your father, no problem ooo nwa, after all the breast milk for two to three years, I carried you in my belly for nine to ten months..."

"It's called womb mummy."

"Uhoh, you're also now talking back, I now realize how useless I have become in your life okwia?, nsogbu adiro, go, go, go and be with your father." I stood there confused to a fault.

"Sorry mom, did I do anything wrong?." She looked at me a while, closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Get out, get out, just get out." I still stood and soon a slipper came arrowing towards me which I narrowly ducked. "Asim ngi zuzulu si ebea puo, You're correcting me, it's not like you went to school or anything, mmu na nna i je akwukwo don't know anything abi?, okwia?." she said about to send another one and I make a run for it. "Ngwa, come get me my slipper before I deal with you, I come back to come get her stuff, I delicately throw it, maintaining a safe distance and making sure it lands with respect, then I run away, I get to my room and recollect mother's words, I don't take much meaning to it and, I decide to take some siesta, we leave tomorrow morning being Wednesday so I just wanted to waste the day sleeping, not like there was any friend to play along with or have a proper conversation with, Onitsha here I come, away from this crazy life, damn.