THEY NEVER LEAVE THE ROOF

It was one of those chill mornings, those ones that the bedsheet-turned duvet clings extra to your skin, the whining of the fan's wheels sends shivers to your dry back, the pillow welcomes your heavy head and your eyes roll in comfort.

Aunty EK woke me up, 'ta ta ta' her wet palm tapped my leg- she had mixed the hot water for me to bath - 'Aunty I'm praying, I'm praying' - I adjusted and swam my head on the pillow clashing torrents of soft waves again. 'wake up and go for devotion my friend'. the tap became hotter, the water had dried off her palms.

'Good morning Jesus, Good Morning Lord' I take a blurry look at everybody in the parlor - Ofa falling asleep on the wall, Juma clapping and straining her voice, Odek moving around trying to start up on breakfast, I sang their song with them, boring song.

It was time for prayer, so I sat up - and cleaned my blurry eye very very well, I don't want Uncle Umo to come to school today so this prayer must move me so it can move God. I stand up, abandoning the lazy bedsheet - men have come to pray.

I tight my eyes, they hurt but I tight them even more, I start to pray 'God please abeg, I mean sorry, please -please God let Uncle Umo not come today, God please - I don't know three times table - I start to tight my eyes so that tears will come out so that God will see o, see that I am crying o - I open one eye and see the others praying ferociously, Aunty EK was praying that she will marry - she sat on the floor - her head tie akimbo and her legs the same, Ofa was crying for a new phone - her last phone logged her out of her Facebook account and they said somebody hacked it so now she prayed even harder for the new tecno Y6, Juma was there crying for new barbie, what a waste of prayer - I pray louder so that God knows the urgency of my own, my own was now - school was in some hours, I kneel this time to show seriousness and I pray harder.

'In Jesusssssssssssss name, we have prayed'

'AMEN' yes, it thundered.

'In Jesus MAITY name we have brought our petition'

'AMEN' we thundered

I get up, greet those that deserve to be greeted, and go to greet mommy and daddy.

I opened their door and saw it.

Mommy slept with her head facing the headband, Daddy slept with his head on the other side. I studied them.

I close the door slowly and run through the dark hallway so that something will not catch me.

I opened the parlor door and I saw it.

I saw my prayer for Uncle Imo not to come, it was sitting on the chair.

Aunty EK's prayer to marry was squashed under the carpet,

Ofa's new phone prayer was hanging on the fan.

They started coming out: the prayer to pass jamb was on the step leading to the dining table, the prayer for happiness was inside the bread bag that somebody did not tie, my prayer that I prayed last month for Abang to like me back was on the dining chair - I reached for that one and threw it up but it got stuck on the cobweb, it never left the roof.

I match to my room, carry my book, and prepare to face Uncle Imo.