Kola
Kanyin successfully obtained some information from Yvonne.
Meanwhile, I lied to Deb about having no classes today so she can join me in staking out Yvonne's house. We're running out of time and with only a few days left before we are kicked out, I'm doing everything I can to find Mom. We're at the house on the street after Lake Omuri. Yvonne lives closer to Iroko than we expected. No wonder she rules the school. She's probably the first to arrive every morning.
"You ring it."
"Why can't you ring it?"
"Deborah, what if Yvonne doesn't have classes today as well? And for some reason, she answers the door," I explain.
We're at the doorstep of a two-story building coated in white and brown. There's a garage on our left and a nicely trimmed lawn behind us. It doesn't look like somewhere the queen of mean should be living, but I've learned to never judge a book by its cover.
"Fine, I'll ring it, but only because I'm the adult here," she states with pride before pressing the bell next to the door.
The person inside takes a few seconds to come to the door, and by the time it opens, Deb and I are facing a middle-aged woman who looks older than Deb by the state of her patterned dress and sluggish gait.
"Hello," Deb greets, waving at the dark skin woman.
"Hello, how can I help you?" she asks, her gaze flitting from Deb in front of her to me standing awkwardly behind Deb.
"Are you Yvonne's aunt?" Deb asks, supporting her question with her signature gapped smile.
The woman nods.
"Yes, I am. Are you from her school? Did she scar someone for life again?" The woman asks, her tone rising into worry as she finishes.
What has Yvonne gotten herself into that has made this woman assume the worst?
"None of that at all. We're not from Iroko. We actually came to speak to you," Deb assures her.
The woman's raised brows descend into a relaxed demeanor as she awaits our next words.
I step forward. "You might not know me, but I'm guessing you know my Mom. I'm Kola...Kola Damini," I say carefully.
The woman's eyes flicker close a couple of times as she processes her thoughts. She suddenly staggers inside like she's struggling to stand straight.
After a few seconds her eyes fall on us.
"We do not speak to Damini's in this household," she simply says before slamming the door in our faces.
"Wait, what was that?" Deb asks, recovering from the shock of the door slam.
"Why does her family hate us so much?" I ask myself, but Deb's pained glance indicates I said it out loud.
"It's fine. Let's go," I tell her, crossing the lawn. When I don't hear the sound of grass crunching behind me, I turn to find Deb still at the door peering through the small glass shapes at the top.
"What do you think you're doing?" I whisper harshly once I return to her.
"Not giving up, you guys can't lose the manor," she mumbles, still peering through the small glass.
YOU ARE READING
The Soles Of Damini Manor
FantasyFifteen-year-old Kola Damini thought his greatest worries were surviving crowded spaces and bickering with his diva of an older sister Kanyin-until his Mom mysteriously vanished without a trace. Like every other strange family, his workaholic Dad wh...
