HOME MADE (Short Story)

The story is centred on two girls, both in secondary school. Or at least they are supposed to be. The girls are half sisters, having the same father. The first girl, Simi’s mother dies when she was 2 years old and her father remarried a year later. One year after this, Kike is born. All is well with the family for the next 14 years until the father suddenly dies after a severe stroke. Kike’s mum feels no obligation to continue caring for Simi and it is only because an iron clad will was left by her late husband and the intervention of the husband’s family that Simi is not sent out of the house on one pretext or the other. Feeling vindictive, Mama Kike takes it out on Simi by turning her into little more than a maid and stopping her schooling on the pretext that there is no money for education and she is needed to care for the younger ones who are still in primary school, since she will be resuming work full time at her bank where she worked before she was married in order to make ends meet.

Somehow, the scheme works and Simi finds herself dropping out of school through no choice of hers. Kike is extremely upset and after two years, Kike finds herself in SS2, the class Simi stopped and there’s no talk of her resuming school. Kike and Simi hatch on a scheme to ‘share’ Kike’s education. The plan is for Kike to teach Simi everything she learns everyday and for Simi to do every test or assignment Kike does. In this way, it is hoped that when the time comes Simi will be able to secretly take the WAEC and JAMB exams with Kike. After that, Simi would look for a job and put herself through the university with Kike’s help. This scheme works successfully for the entire year into their SS3 without anyone’s knowledge. There are a few close calls with Mama Kike nearly catching them, but her work at the bank ensures that she has little knowledge of activities at home, save that Simi is watching over her younger ones and taking care of the home.

One day, Kike and Simi get into an argument over a particular question which had been raised in class that day on the planets of the solar system. Simi insists that there are eight planets now and no longer nine planets since Pluto is no longer classified as a planet. Kike disagrees, insisting that the teacher would have said if it were so. The argument goes on for a long time and eventually Simi tells Kike to challenge the teacher about not being up to date.

Kike does this the next day and the teacher is at first outraged at the temerity of the sassy young pup, but being the diligent teacher she is, she investigates and finds out that there are really only 8 planets now. Intrigued, she asks Kike how she found out and Kike end up telling her all about Simi. The teacher insists on meeting Simi and this leads to Simi coming under the radar of not only the teachers and the Principal, but the school board. Simi is found to be an exceptionally brilliant student and after repeated testing, the question arises on why such an obviously bright girl is not in school.

The school decides to offer Simi a scholarship with opportunities of applying for scholarships for tertiary education, but all this comes after a showdown with Mama Kike at her home. Simi is championed by the principal of the school, a British man with age old ideals on education, child rights and playing fair. Mama Kike is surprised to find Kike in Simi’s corner and Kike finally overcomes her parental fear to tell her mother what she thinks of her for treating Simi so badly all these years. Mama Kike is doubly surprised to find her younger children all taking Simi’s side, the reasoning being that Simi has been more of a mother to them than herself and the attachments have grown beyond her expectation and control. The Principal reprimands Mama Kike on her behaviour and admonishes her to take a better interest in Simi’s education. Having made his opinions known, he leaves the household, confident and expecting improvement all round.

Highly embarrassed, Mama Kike reacts by losing her temper and throwing Simi out of the house. Kike puts her foot down and threatens to leave with Simi and eventually a compromise is reached. Simi can stay long enough to find one of her mother or father’s relatives that would be willing to take her in.

That night, Kike and Simi spend hours deliberating on their next course of action. The thought of moving in with barely known relatives is not at all agreeable. Eventually Kike hatches a plan which both find capital if they can pull it off.

The next morning, Kike and Simi go to the Principal’s office and after explaining the circumstances at home, request that Simi’s scholarship program include accommodation in the boarding school. The Principal agrees but unknown to them, resolves to pay the boarding fees out of his own pocket.

Back home, Simi announces to Mama Kike that arrangements have been made and she would be leaving the house the following week. Mama Kike refuses to ask for details and only expresses satisfaction at being rid of Simi at last.

So now we have Kike and Simi at the same school, one a day student and one in the boarding house. The friendship between the two girls deepens to a level few achieve in their lifetime. The temptation is great to go into details of adventures of Simi in the boarding school and how she was able to share her new exciting world with Kike, but the writer restrains herself (just barely!). Suffice it to say that the good, bad and ugly sides of boarding house life, the seniors, the punishments, the ‘bush babies’, ghosts, cutting grass, fetching water, washing toilets, social nights, ‘flying fence’ into town, boys, inter-house competitions, midnight snacks and so much more are all things Kike experiences just as well as if she was a ‘boarder’ herself. Kike in turn faithfully turns up every Visiting Day with goodies and fanfare (never mind that they see each other everyday in class) to ensure that Simi is not left feeling sad that there are no relatives to come visiting.

The girls get to the final term of SS3 and are preparing for their JAMB and WAEC exams when they get word that Mama Kike as suffered a stroke. Both girls rush to her side immediately, Simi afraid to approach the bed, lest she agitate Mama Kike by her presence. She waits in the hospital lounge while Kike speaks to her mum. Mama Kike, fearful of her near death experience has quite repented of her ways and asks Kike to locate Simi so she can ask for forgiveness. Kike brings Simi in and there is a tearful interlude of hugging, kissing, forgiveness and love enough to heal a million ills. Mama Kike learns of the great friendship of the two girls and a promise is made that day to live each day in the love that is truly perfect and is greater than all things.

The End