Have you ever had the thought of being independent at a young age?
Well, all I've ever wanted was to be able to live on my own, probably at the age of seventeen. I guess the movies I had seen resulted in these imaginations, but at nineteen, I was still living with my family, and during this time, everything else sucked for me. I had become a grumpy girl, and this resulted in a lot of arguments between me and my mom. Many times, my siblings would complain, and we'd argue as well.
One of these days, my mom came into my room without knocking, which seems to be very normal in most African homes, but I was irritated with all of it.
"Mum, could you at least knock before you come in?" I said as I glared at her.
She stood for a while, probably trying to process what I had said and maybe hold back from lashing out. "You've been at home all day, and it's dinnertime. Why don't you come down with me?" Mom replied
"I'm good. You can leave now." I said and got busy with my phone and ignored her presence, and this got on her nerves. She flared up and jerked me so hard that my phone almost fell off my hands.
"I've had enough of this silly attitude of yours, and you'll come down with me at once." Mom said
"I don't want to, and I don't have to. Can't I have my privacy in peace?" I said. I wanted her out of the room already, but all I did was make her even more angry.
"Lily, I see you've grown too big, and I'm going to remind you of your manners. Now, get down from that bed immediately." She said it with a harsh tone as I hurriedly left the room with her out of fear that things might take an ugly turn for me.
Honestly, eating dinner together was becoming boring for me. I just wanted to be able to do what I wanted, when I wanted it, and however I wanted it done. But here, it wasn't possible, and it didn't seem to me like it would ever be possible, but I was determined. I had lost my appetite to eat, so I just played with my cutlery, and at that moment, my eyes met my dad's, but he looked away from me, and I sighed in relief.
"I'll love for you to stay back after dinner for a chat, Lily. If you don't mind." My dad requested that, in African homes, it's no longer a surprise when parents ask for favors. Most times, it was their way of trapping you, so hearing my dad ask for a chat if I wouldn't mind sounded tricky to me, so I agreed to stay back.
When we were done eating and my mom and siblings had retired to their various rooms, he sat across from me with a grim smile.
"Would you like to see a movie?" He asked
"No, I'll pass." I answered as he nodded and stretched his leg.
"How about a snack?" He asked again. I felt like he was taunting me, and from the look of things, he was enjoying it. Once again, I declined.
"I've seen that you've grown the habit of staying in your room all day; you don't communicate with your siblings anymore, and you're wasting away. Do you perhaps have a reason for that?" Dad continued
As I heard his question, it suddenly struck me that it was the perfect opportunity to lay my burden on him. So, I sat up and pulled a long, sad face with the intention of getting his pity, at least.
"Dad, I don't think it's nice that I'm still living with you all. Don't you think it'll be nice if I lived alone?" I responded
There was a look of shock on his face, but it diminished as fast as it came.
"Why would you want to live alone? You're only nineteen. You still need to live with your parents and learn some things." Dad said
"Dad, there's nothing more to learn. I'm grown, and I can take care of myself." I responded
"So living alone would make you happy. Is that it?" Dad and I nodded in agreement repeatedly.
"Alright. Figure out a place you would like to stay and get rid of the gloomy attitude. It isn't good for your cute face." Dad said, and my joy knew no bounds.
Finally, I would be independent, just like I've always wanted. I hugged and thanked him profusely, and all he did was smile and rub my hair. That night, I had the best sleep that I hadn't had in a long time. The idea of having an apartment to myself was fascinating. I could imagine eating whatever and whenever I wanted.
The feeling was surreal, and I slept with a smiley face. The next few weeks were peaceful at home. I did all my chores without being told, and for the first time in a long time, I got along with my siblings and even had some conversations with my mom.
Source
One morning, I woke up, and an unusual silence hit me. I came down from my room and met an empty house. Fear knotted my stomach as I walked towards the paper that lay on top of the dining table. It was a note from my dad. 'Lily, we'll be gone for a while, but I doubt you'll have issues coping with the house. After all, you'll be living on your own soon. Take care till we return.' I picked up my phone and dialed my mom's number immediately.
"Hi mom, what's going on?" I asked after she picked up.
"Nothing is going on. Just do well to take care of yourself." Mom replied
"And how am I supposed to do that?" I asked
"You'll figure it out pretty soon." I heard Dad's voice in the background.
And with that, the call ended, and my quavering hands dropped the phone. It suddenly dawned on me that I couldn't stay alone in the house even for that day, so I called my closest friend, asking if I could stay at her place.
"Could I come around and stay for some time?" I asked her over the phone.
"I'm so sorry, but I and my parents have a little trip to make today. We might be back next week." She responded
"Okay. Have fun and take care." I replied
That day, I slept all through, and I couldn't even get myself to eat anything.
"If I can't stay alone for one day, how will I cope when I eventually move out?" I asked myself, and in the end, I realized that I had been a fool to dream of living alone at such a young age, especially in an African home.
I rushed to call my dad and beg that they return home.
"I hope you have learned your lesson," he asked.
"Yes dad." I responded
After a few days, which was hell for me, they came back home, and I hugged every single one of them. Indeed, I was a fool for dreaming about living alone at such a young age.
Thanks for the reading