C2 CHAPTER TWO
Elo's Pov
"Mama!, Mama!, Mama!,." I kept on shouting, running into the house.
"Elo, na wetin (Elo, what is it), why you dey shout anyhow(Why are you shouting?), dey disturb the whole compound (disturbing everybody)." My mum asked, walking into the sitting room, where I was, panting so hard.
"Mama, you will not believe what I'm about to tell you." I yelled out, with all smiles.
"Oya, tell me na (Okay, tell me) and stop keeping your weak mother in suspense." My mum says and I roll my eyes.
"Mama, you're not weak. Anyway, you know the school called me this morning and asked me to come."
"Yes, so.." my mum says, already agitated to hear what I have to say.
"Well, as you are looking at me right now, I'm already an undergraduate. Mama! The Governor of this our state just awarded me a scholarship to school in one of the biggest university in America!!." I informed her, jumping around the sitting room.
"Jesus, this one pass good news ooo. You mean that, you my daughter is going to school in A-mer-rica." She stressed the word America, and instead of just one r.. it became two r.
"Yes mama."
"Ehh. 🎶Come and see ooo...
Come see...🎶
🎶Come and see what the Lord has done🎶,
🎶Come and see what the Lord has done🎶,
🎶My sister's, come and see ooo🎶
🎶Come and see🎶
🎶Come and see what the Lord has done🎶
🎶 Come and see what the Lord has done🎶." My mum sings, dancing around the sitting room and I joined her.
"Ah, my pikin(child), you no wetin go happen (do you know what would happen). I go hurry, go that small market for road(I would hurry and go to the market), and buy Banga(soup) My daughter for this scholarship wey you just get so (the scholarship you just got), I'll cook you correct Banga soup, infact i dey carry the last money wey dey my hand go buy meat and correct water fish(I'm using the last money that I have, to cook the soup), then you go chop am with correct starch (then you will eat it, with starch (a Nigeria food)."
"Mama, hurry up, cause as you just dey, describe all the things so ehn, (mummy please hurry up and start cooking), my stomach don dey dance for joy(my stomach is dancing for joy). Infact I'm already imagining myself licking the bowl plate clean."
"Oya let me come and be going(let me start going), chai. My pikin(child) don win scholarship oo(has gotten scholarship)." My mum yells, happily walking away.
"Mama, lower your voice na (mummy stop yelling), abi you wan make all the whole people for Delta State know say... (Do you want everyone to know) I don win scholarship(that I have gotten scholarship) Wetin na(what is it)." I complained frowning at her.
"Enh, make dey hear na, Make everybody for the whole of Delta, infact the whole world no say my pikin don get scholarship, say my pikin dey go America and very soon she go soon start to dey speak. Yeah men, shit men, is me men (let them hear. Let everyone know, that my daughter has gotten scholarship)."
"Mama please stop, and is not good that you are shouting. Do you want wan make all this our winch winch neighbours, come spoil show for me. Na so dey go just go their winch kingdom, then before you no, one useless human being go just lock my destiny for inside bottle, ordinary bottle."
"Ah, na true you talk my pikin, eh, no worry I no go shout again. Oya make I dey go market." My mum says, and walked out of the house. Wow, I can't believe that by this time next week I'll be in the United State of America. God you're so wonderful.
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"Elo, as you're going to America to school, don't forget who you are ooo, and where you're coming from oo." My father advice, holding unto one of his ear.
"Yes papa. I've heard you."
"Don't say, you've heard and then you'll now go over there and keep bad friends, beware of all those oyibo children oo, those children are spoilt they have no home training and if you must keep friends then it should be a Nigerian or an African person, all those white people are bad news. Elo you dey hear me so."
"Yes, I've heard you."
"Hmm, that one is your business, anyway if you ever need money, you can call us, me and your mother would know how to run around and get something for you, you hear."
"Yes sir."
"Ehn, my pikin I don come, oya carry all this things with you, so you won't go hungry." My mother says coming into the sitting room, with a goat in her hand and a sack bag.
"Mama, why are you holding a goat."
"Erm, I want you to carry to America, and then when you get there, you cut it and put them in a fridge, that way you no go ever run dry of meat."
"Jesus 🙆. Mama, na for where you wan make I put goat, for inside plane na, even if space go dey, so you go except me, make I carry goat dey go airport."
"Help me and ask your mother, I don't blame her. It's the fact that she didn't go to school, that I blame." My father says eyeing my mum.
"That one na concern you." My mum replies him, hissing.
"Papa, mama, I'm going." I said standing up from the chair, I'm sitting on and pick up my luggage.
"So you no go carry the goat."
"No."
"But I never pay for the goat, na. Okay what of the food stuff in the sack, I even put the remaining Banga soup for you." My mum grumbles.
"Mama, first of all, I did not send you to go and collect goat for credit, secondly, I don't want the Banga soup or any thing in that sack."
"Ehm, okay na but come first let me pray for you." Ooh God, wish kind of thing is this na, ooh. I frowned really hard and went to kneel down in front of my mum.
"Mama please finish the prayer quick quick ooo."
"Ehn, don't worry, I'll finish fast, na just short prayer. In Jesus name."
"Amen."
"Baba God, I thank you. I thank you well well for wetin you do for my pikin. Baba, I praise you, I praise you well well. Baba, as my pikin dey go school so, I want make you guide am, I wan make you keep her from evil spirit, make all those bad eyes no go see am ooo, I also wan make you seprate her from all those useless boys wey dey her school, and from bad friends. Baba God, I want make you help am for her studies, make she no go there go follow bad friends, make she always remember where she come from, baba make you protect her, well well. Baba as she dey go America so, make she meet her helper, baba God make you locate her to her helper. In Jesus name(amen). My pikin as you day go American so, you go make me and your father proud, in Jesus name (amen). My pikin (one eye open, checking my wrist watch, Jesus, 6:55, my flight is 8:30, and with all this hold up in the way, when am I going to reach the airport, oh God) you'll pass all your exams, in Jesus name, (amen) Baba any....."
"Amen." I yelled, standing up quietly, and take my bag in my hand.
"Papa, abeg when mama finish with her prayers, tell her that I'm gone." I whisper in my father's ear, and mouthed good bye to my siblings, my elder brother stood up quietly from where his seating and helped me with my other bag and together we walked out of the house quietly.
"Ah, Elo, you don dey go, bring something back if you dey come oo." Mama Osaro my neighbour, shouts and me and my brother quickly stopped a bike, and I climb on it not wanting my mum to come and meet me.
"Elo bye-bye, make sure you call us oo." My brother says and I replied with an okay and then asked the bike man to drive.
"ELO!!!!!!!" I heard my mum voice behind me and I told the bike man not to stop.
"Aunty Elo!! Bye bye." A lot of kids shouts running behind the bike. Trust my mum to not hid to my warning and still announced to the whole of iyede village, that I'm going.(chuckle).
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I relax my back on the plane seat, I can't believe I'm actually going to America, wow this is a dream come true.
A hostess comes to the front and told instructs the passengers about safety, and what to do if the plane ever crash, then she asked us to put on our seats belt and I did as told, after the lady left the pilot announced the plane will be taking off. When the plane takes off, I started having this sick feeling in me, and before I knew I was shouting on top of my voice, the air hostess has to come helped me relax and it was so hard for me to relax, I felt like the plane would crash any minute. After about hours of screaming the plane finally touched down in America, I climb the plane stairs and breathe in the America air. Welcome to America Elo.
