c 2015 by Shalom David
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RAINDROPS ON PETALS
Diary of a teenage girl
By Shalom M. David

Disclaimer
This is purely a work of fiction, any resemblance of character or events from the novel to any human whether living or dead bears no real similarities and is just purely coincidence.

Chapter 1
The Beginning of The Life 12th February 2012

Today I've decided to start my personal diary. It was the only thing I could do at this time of my life when everything around me seems to be falling apart, like Okonkwo’s world in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Sometimes I think my existence is just a mistake, that I should never have been born, that I should have come out as a still born child on the 8th of January 1994. What’s the use of living when no one loves you, when everybody sees you as an inconsequential object?

Today I pen down my life, I can’t start from the day I was born because it’s just a scrap of rubbish and ingredients. This point I am writing from is really where my life begins because today I feel like a chick that just hatched and started observing its sorroundings. We;come to my world Petals, that’s what I’m going to call you, Petals.

I’ll call you Petals because you are the best thing to happen to me, yes you are inanimate, but since I don’t know what it’s like to have a real friend I will have to treat you like one. For starters my name is Simi. I'm female. I love writing and reading. I haven't told anyone this secret ever, but here it is now... I LOVE ATTENTION. I know you will think it's not a big deal but for someone like me who looks so timid, naïve and gentle, it's very strange to understand my desire for attention. You see, anyone who sees me for the first time will think I've got no big dreams and care only for ending up married to an average guy and have lots of kids. Sorry to burst your bubble but I don't want to settle for that. Deep down in me I have this urge to do something great that people will appreciate, I want to be in the spotlights, I want to be reknown. I want my family to be proud of me. I want to be able to walk with shoulders high and feel on top of the world.

This diary is an attempt to boost my self esteem, have company and relieve myself from the sicky little badger called loneliness. Now you will get to know me from my own "point of view". People think I’m a spoilt brat. My mates in High school avoided me like SARS. Backyard snob- I know that’s what they actually called me then, if you have read Chimamanda’s Purple Hibiscus you would be familiar with the phrase, I’m sure if Kambili kept a diary, she would sound like me.

I am 18 years old, the only child of my dad and the only spoilt kid in my whole extended family. Alright, maybe I am going too far with this spoilt kid thing- I mean how much does my dad really have? The truth is since I am an only child my parents had no option but to spoil me. My mum is late, she died when I was 9 and I have been living with my dad for long until of course he had to remarry.

He got married to the most wonderful, kind hearted, beautiful and intelligent woman on the planet, I wish I could lie but reverse is the case, I was just being sarcastic. She is the meanest, hot tempered and unkind person I know- that is the truth.

Now back to me; I am brilliant, okay I may show off on this diary a lot. I am pretty, well not that pretty, I am 5ft tall, extremely gentle and I am a fresher in Benue State University, Nigeria.

These are the bad things about me; I can’t do domestic chores, which makes my mean step mum more meaner to me. I fantasize about love so much and I do not have good social skills, thanks to my dad who kept me isolated for long during my early years, my only companions were books and cartoons. I never stayed in a boarding school though my school was partly boarding and partly day.

My dad is a horticulturist, he owns a nice garden where he plants and sells ornamental plants, I love flowers, my best flower is the rose flower.
I was admitted to study English in the university, though my dad is from Plateau, he insited I school in Benue State because one of his friends said they have good facilities and are secured. I’m scared of going to Benue to school, scared of a new environment, I know nothing may never change, probably it will just become worse.

Enough for tonight Petals, see you tomorrow.

*following

MAKE I SIT 4 FRONT

Unhappy 13th February 2012
Today was one of my male cousin’s birthday. He lives in his family house at State Locust Jos, though he is a student in Unijos who stays on Campus, his name is Wizy. He turned 18 today and Uncle Davou organized a party for him. Wizy is a plump and cheerful boy, I prefer him to my other cousins who totally ignore me or pretend they are not aware of my existence. Yet I was so disappointed that even Wizy today had joined the band wagon of people who ignored me. What exactly did I do Petals? What is my fault?

I remember there was a time Dad took me to stay in their home when I was in JSS3, the four of my cousins used to tease me because I could not cook and garden. Wizy too used to join them in the teasing but at a point he began to defend me whenever they spoke ill of me.
“Is it Simi’s fault that she can’t weed, the place they stay is full of rocks and stones and she has never been to boarding school, leave Simi alone, Nelly.” He would say to his immediate younger brother.

“Na wao”, Hadassah, his younger sister who was queen of teasing would remark, “This one that Simi now has an advocate we won’t hear word in this house”.

“Husband and wife” Nelly would tease.

Yes, I admit Wizy was my major problem today. He is the nicest of all my cousins from Uncle Davou’s side, he's got great emotional intelligence, and he acts very matured. I'm a year older than he is but I admire him for all these virtues. He is one of those type of guys who would never raise their hand on their wives and that to me is so so important. I know he's not so handsome and cool like his younger brother Nelly who is a fashion freak, but Wizy is the best of them. Yet today he made me feel as if I wasn't wanted. I couldn’t care less for what the others did but I just wanted to be close to Wizy. Ever since I left their house after my JSS3 holidays, I have not been able to get Wizy off my head.

Thank you all who are following.

Unhappy continued

Wizy was the first guy to commend me for my brilliance, apart from Dad, it felt so good hearing him say that, it was like ice melting on my skin in the Sahara dessert, I longed to hear him say those words again. Does Wizy like me? I asked myself, I wanted to be sure. not because we could do anything about it but because it would have helped my ego.

I noticed he would smile mischievously whenever his mum or sister called us husband and wife, he would first raise his black eyebrows, then his brown eyes would tilt like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, then lastly his lips would part to form a beautiful crescent moon. How I loved to watch him smile that way. Also when I did anything silly in the house he would be really concerned even if others thought it was amusing.

His words still ring in my brain as I write, "You are brilliant Simi, I admire for that". Phew...

There goes my dad bragging to Uncle Davou's wife that I made the JAMB cut-off mark and my step mum Clara looking uncomfortable over the discussion. Clara is barren by the way, yep. She has been married to Dad 8years now, maybe it's my Mum's spirit that is tying her womb for being unkind to me.

Following........

Anticipating 14th February 2015

Hi Diary, I'm in the bus trying to go to Makurdi. Session in school has started, I have to go and do my registration. I forgot to mention to you that I got the admission on merit, my JAMB and Post JAMB scores were high. Dad has so bragged about it that everyone is fed up. My High School proprietor wrote me a congratulatory message and told me to make the school proud. He is very enthusiastic about his intelligent students and thinks I am a promising kid, Diary do you think I deserve the commendation? Let’s wait and see.

Uncle Davou called to wish me journey mercies and warn me to be focused and study hard, “Don’t follow boys and join bad company”, his stern voice rang. Why was he emphasizing the negative aspect of my gaining admission? Do they think I can’t handle a little independence? Dad told me Uncle Davou contributed 35% of my registration fees, that explains why he was talking to me like the Captain in Sound of Music.
I will be staying in Dad’s friend’s house. The man is married with three grown up kids like me. Dad said as soon as I am done with my registration, orientation and stuff, that I will be given an accommodation in the hostels. I would very much love to stay in the hostels, everyone says it’s loads of fun.

Guess who is accompanying me on my journey so I don’t get lost when I arrive? Clara! My dad is going paranoid and he is totally embarrassing me. God why did you make me an only child? Loneliness, envy and hatred is all I get as a result of it. Why didn’t Mum conceive again after having me? I have asked Dad that question ten thousand times but he refuses to give me a straight answer. Prince Arthur, I really feel your pain. How I wish there was a Morgana in the picture so that I will share my dad’s attention with her, I wouldn’t care if she was a witch, just kidding though.
*********************************************************************
It’s 4p.m, I'm now in Makurdi. I arrived 30 minutes ago precisely. I'm at Mr Obande’s house now. Mrs Obande cooked pounded yam with Egusi soup, it tastes great. Mr Obande has one daughter and two sons; the two sons are younger and might be my age mates, but the girl looks older, from the way she is ordering her siblings and the little house help around I can tell she is probably a final year student. I hate to be a pessimist but I don’t think these kids are going to like me. Enough about the Obandes.

Back to me now, let me tell you why I really started this diary, I have been reading online diaries a lot and there is this girl’s diary that captured my heart, she writes so smooth and her stories are so marvelous. Her name is Kinky, I follow all her updates on diaryland website, it is a website where anonymous people from all over the world can start and keep a diary. It’s fun but I don’t think I can venture into online diaries for now. But this girl Kinky, I love her die (as my mates will put it). She is my diary hero. Till tomorrow Diary, don't let the bugs bite.

llaykorn, nimat158 and aduragbemisteve thanks for following, love you guys, I have updated another chapter

thumbs up

lol, captain indeed. At least he didn't use whistle on you

aduragbemisteve:
lol, captain indeed. At least he didn't use whistle on you

Haha, on Simi you mean.

Shalomdee:

Haha, on Simi you mean.

ohoh, pardon me. Thats how intoxicating writing in first person can be