It was almost time for the holidays, Christmas holidays to be exact every person around my age looked forward to this break so much that I felt odd for not having the same enthusiasm as them. Not that I didn’t like Christmas, I really did I wasn’t just the type to be hyper about it, I liked the harmattan breeze, I liked the carols, I liked extra special food on that day too, Christmas felt like peace from within and outside, it was a time of laughter and love , I would always tell myself God is so good from January to December he has kept us thus far He truly deserves a birthday so we can celebrate him too. This was my last year in high school or should I say secondary school, I was excited because I looked forward to going to the university so much. It was just another Saturday evening at (E.I.S)Excel International school Lagos, were we used to this time to talk to our parents  while waiting  on a quite queue , my friends and I were talking In whispers about how we couldn’t wait for the exams to be over so we can go for the holidays, everyone had plans and places they would want to visit as for me my mum always had new places for us to visit and explore together so I looked forward to it , Emma my closest friend or can I call her my best ? I’ve known her the longest, since I we were 5 our friendship was just a continued one from our fathers. She went in and spoke to her dad and came out crying profusely like something bad happened Emma was a very dramatic person so I didn’t bother rushing to ask her, plus I was next to go in I had to talk with my dad before coming back to attend to her. My father and I had a weird relationship I knew he loved me and he knew I cared about him to, I’ll use cared because after he and my mum separated I stopped loving him I just cared about him because he was my father, and his new wife wasn’t the best I found it hard referring to her as my step mother, she knew her boundaries when it came to me she knew when to infer and not to cause a volcano eruption from my mother will be expected if she ever made me cry my mother already warned her. My mother was the last person any one would want to cross paths with, one time they had a clash and it didn’t end well my mother would always tell her she left my father not because she couldn’t handle her but because she didn’t want to share him.

     When I got hold of the phone, my father called my full names Simisola Wealth Egbuson, I just said good evening chief that was what I grew up calling him. There was total silence for at least 2 minutes, I guess he was trying to ease the tension before he spoke that was just his pattern, he asked me how my exams were and how I was finding my new class my honest answer was “very well chief” I knew he didn’t like brief answers but oh well I learnt that from him he spoke further “elaborate” I simply said “tasking as it should be, the higher you go the tougher it becomes but definitely I will scale through” he asked me if I needed assistance with any subjects I said no because honestly I didn’t and I couldn’t come to terms with any extra lessons where the teacher would take away my sleeping hours no!. I had 2 papers left but the were gapped so I had a week to round it off, I told him this. “Simi, we are going to be traveling together this Christmas” my heart froze, I went numb it felt like deja vu because he once pranked me like this but he sounded too serious this time , I don’t think I was even breathing anymore I fainted while sitting I am sure , he had to call my name 3 times to be sure I was still there I swear a tear dropped, that  meant I was not going be with my mum I always looked forward to this holiday because this was the only holiday I had to spend with her all year, and I was not going to get any other holiday till my graduation, my heart was racing I didn’t even know why this was happening I couldn’t stand my fathers other children they were loud, annoying and not the best people to actually live with, I had to many questions I had to ask him and staying silent wasn’t going to answer them. The only thing I could voice out was “why” this was his time to go mute, I patiently sat waiting to hear his reason. He said “something’s are not understood best over the phone” he didn’t give me a reason and insisted  I would get one when I was home he promised me and assured me it was going to be an amazing holiday. When my parents divorced that particular holiday he promised me that every weekend I was going to be with my mum and he kept his word my dad rarely promised but when he did he kept it. I left the call room not in the exact mood I planned, every Christmas was a new adventure with my mum so I always looked forward to it, the last thing I wanted was to be seen crying or anyone noticing my change in mood I walked straight to my overly dramatic best friend to find out what was wrong with just to find her still wailing, I took a deep sigh and rested my arm on her shoulder she obviously felt me and then jumped over and hugged me so tight all she said was daddy isn’t coming home for Christmas. Emma was an undeniably a daddy’s girl, her father worked abroad but he never missed any holiday and most times when  he couldn’t come her, she would go to visit him. She lost her mother at 7 and since then her father has been the mother and father, he refused to get a wife after her mother, he did a perfect job raising her well he got a promotion when we left junior high school and he only accepted the job because she was in boarding school and the pay is huge enough to fly her or himself whenever he wants to see her , her not seeing him wasn’t exactly what she needed at this time because after Christmas holidays we only get to see them during graduation. I felt her pain so much because in a way this was my situation too, she wasn’t been dramatic after all when she finally calmed down she asked me if I was excited ,this was my time to get emotional I wasn’t going to cry but this is the point were I spoke slowly and one could barely hear me I explained after this she told me if I wasn’t excited that we were spending Christmas together, I was even confused, spending Christmas together? What do you mean throw more light, she told me her father said she would be spending Christmas with my family, I was used to spending one week breaks with her but a whole 4 weeks, this was new at least something to cheer me up after all. Emma was a very good friend more like a sister, even if I was going to be stuck with my father and his wife I would have someone to my side. I’m sure my dad didn’t mention it because of how tensed our phone call got, I just wanted to go home and find out what went down. We had had a long day, we just had our dinner and went to bed our dormitory was unusually quite that night, maybe everyone’s phone call day went as sour as mine did my fathers words kept ringing in my head and I fell asleep with that.

   Vacation!!, the day every student anticipated we were so jolly after all the announcements during the final assembly, it was a normal thing for our school to play carols as we were leaving but he did something different this year he played Alone by Burna Boy, I liked Burna Boy so much not only because his songs were a master piece but also  my mum usually played this song first when she came to pick me from school or any outing we had , she would cross her hands on her chest and say Wakanda Forever, my mum was so full of life and was always happy  listening to this song was bringing nostalgia I stood in the assembly hall till the song was done playing.

My father sent his driver to pick I and Emma, we hugged our other friends and wished our classmates a happy holiday, the drive from our school to my house was roughly 35 minutes the drive along the highway was absolutely amazing the town was decorated for Christmas it was so beautiful, almost all the roadside sellers sold Christmas caps , lights, toys etc. We finally arrived at my house, home at last. The first person I met was my fathers wife she came to receive us from the car acting happy and concerned, her and Emma got along, who wouldn’t Emma was so sweet and loved by everyone who came across her. My relationship with my step mother wasn’t bad it wasn’t just special we hugged and we went in, my father wasn’t home of course Emma’s Aunty already brought everything she would need for her stay here, we showered and went down to eat lunch. I called my mums line but it left me on voice message so many times so I tried calling my dad but he also didn’t pick I tried not to panic my dad was naturally busy. Emma and I whiled away time by watching movies and playing games.My dad finally came home and immediately I went to him, Emma was asleep then. I knocked on his office door before opening it, I didn’t even wait for a response before going in he was in there with my step mother it seemed like they were having a heated conversation if I wasn’t the one that opened the door that person would have received serious scolding , so I just said I’ll come back afterwards but his wife being her she said she’ll give us space. I sat down and greeted my dad we spoke about school and he told me, my mum had to travel out of the country for work and she would be back next year and he didn’t want to distract me in school by telling me this, in my head I’m like you don’t know the sleep less nights I’ve had, he further added that the nature of the job was one where we can’t call only her could do that this is the part that didn’t make sense but I wasn’t ready to argue with him, I would ask her all the questions myself ,I only listened when I was done on my way out he said our trip is in two days be ready. Two days came like a snap of the finger, maybe cause a great part of me wanted to see how this was all going to be. 

    We arrived at the airport at exactly 12pm our flight was by 2pm but my dad was a very organized person so we were going to get there earlier . 45 minutes later there was an announcement that no more flights were available the were all cancelled, we were all confused, I kept trying to reach my mum because maybe this was a sign that I’ll just travel over instead of traveling with them still no avail. This was when my step mother called the driver to come pick us up and get the cars ready we were going to travel by road, according to her she had to be there today,  our trip was to Osun, she hailed from Osun and from her calculations it was just a four hour drive from Lagos I didn’t like this idea I only hoped that my dad would protest to this, her children kept screaming daddy yes let’s go,  oh! how much I didn’t like these children. Our trip started at exactly 1;30pm, prayers were said by my father, we used two cars so that we could all have  enough space. Our car contained the officer who drove ,my step mum Emma and I and one of my step sibling while the other was the officer a driver and two of my fathers sons from his wife. The driver chose the perfect songs for a road trip, we had snacks and drinks, this so actually getting interesting until my step sister started urinating like she had bladder issues she would ask them to stop every time she took a drink, I was fed up at this point but we had 2 more hours to go on this  dusty road ,the sun was shining and the river was  glistening in the distance. As we made a round bend I caught a glimpse of a beautiful hill that was clouded above with moist , this city had so much beauty , I took out my phone and took pictures. we were at Ibadan at this point, Ibadan is known to be one of the oldest states in Nigeria. My step sister farted in the car and when her mum asked she said I was the one,  this was when I actually lost it and then I started shouting at her, I always tried to be the bigger person but not this time. I know I was holding in so much and then I just let it out when her mum tried to intervene I told her, Mrs step wife  don’t involve yourself in this you couldn’t be a loyal friend to my mother you stole her husband and think God won’t use your child to punish you, the same bad behavior you have she is going to have twice of it, I couldn’t even believe myself I didn’t expect to say. My step mum and my mother were actually friends until my mother discovered she had a child for my dad when I was 14 and the girl was only two years younger than I was. That was when my mother filed for a divorce. No one could believe I could ever raise my voice at an elder let alone myself but here I was shouting and screaming. My step mother just started laughing and nodding her head. After I was done ranting the car was so quite until my step mother said have you ever asked yourself why your mum is always on a wig and never braids her hair I didn’t even answer this was her moment, your mother has being living with cancer for the past 7 years and this year is probably going to be her last, she’s currently in the hospital abroad now fighting for her miserable life if she survives it, the reason you don’t go for other  holidays  to her is because she goes for treatment and Christmas holidays are the only ones  she doesn’t ,I went numb I started recollecting all all the drugs I see her taking, how she doesn’t eat certain things and I know my mother won’t let the court give her 3 weeks with her child for a year she would have fought my father till death, it made sense why she won’t pick video  calls during most holidays, how the first thing she asks me whenever we talk or see her is hope you prayed for me today, my family was very secretive about everything I only knew what I was being told, looking at my mum one wouldn’t even know she had cancer she was tall, dark skinned with pointed nose and beautiful curves. It all seemed like a lie because she never reduced in size. At this time I was thinking and crying because so much I didn’t want to believe but she made so much sense fixing the puzzle together made sense now. I felt cheated, I didn’t deserve to find out from a stranger, the last thing my step mum said was after your mother dies I’m changing your fathers next of kin to my daughters name, that wasn’t my problem at this time. My heart was pounding I couldn’t even talk my lips were trembling Emma keep saying calm down. When I finally spoke I told her to I needed to be with my mum this minute, before she could speak I opened the car door and jumped out I don’t know what I was thinking or doing but I needed to leave. Next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital bed my dad and Emma siting beside me.