A Hazel Haven

Chapter 10

With a deft hand, Uche raked a comb through the thick of her tousled hair, tilting her head forward then to the sides. Curls, tamed by the pillow into folds that undulated, sprang up with each stroke and once again reverted back to defining the haircut.

Uche was standing in front of a waist length mirror nailed to the wall between a pair of bunk beds, snappily dressed in a stripped short-sleeve button up shirt that stopped mid thigh, skinny jean, and backless hollow out sneakers.

A far younger version of her mother stared back. Except for the eyes, the resemblance was so striking that sometimes she flinched whenever she caught sight of her reflection.

Rest in peace, mum, and maybe in your next life, you wouldn't make the same mistake you did in this one. You deserved better.

Behind her, the roommates alternatively bantered, laughed and twittered. The smell of new lingered on her clothes even after being washed and she got a whiff every time her head dipped close enough.

If it were up to Uche, her usual overly casual wears would have sufficed, but Michael had insisted on being much more presentable since she'd encounter the girl's father for the first time today--not to mention they'd be house hunting as well; hence the attempt at giving a good impression.

As ordered by her stepbrother, expenses covered from a buoyant account, Uche had gone 'shopping', roamed the market from the early hours of the morning until she'd found something stylishly simple yet fitting to her limited fashion sense(few clothes agreed with her, majority made her skin crawl these days).

"Isn't this a rare sight?" Anita, a wiry girl with coloured hair and a gaped tooth, remarked teasingly. Certain the comment was directed at her, Uche glanced over a shoulder to see Anita's amused smile as she unencumbered herself of three big bags filled with food items. It was a Saturday, and, as usual, she had gone to the market in preparation for the coming week. "New clothes, new shoes... i think it's the first time I've seen you use that mirror. Am i missing something here?"

"Do I sense a date?" Bridget asked sleepily. She had been roused awake when Precious, her meddlesome bunkmate, flopped on her bed causing the bunk to quiver. Bridget rolled onto her back and wiped at her face, which shone with a layer of oil.

Uche finished with her hair by patting the lower sides into place and reached for the perfume on Anita's bed through the iron railing. She spritzed under her arms and neck, a rosy fragrance pervading the air.

"We were thinking just the same thing," Obehi chirruped, giggling. "But she has refused to say, as always." The vivacious girl was sitting on her bed atop the bunk, her legs dangled from the edge, swinging lazily.

Rarely did they engage her in any talk-maybe because of the perpetual frown on her face, her aloofness, the fact that she was older than most of them, but Uche was inclined to think all three attributed to the cold shoulder she got on most days. Whatever the reason, Uche was glad for the distance.

"What makes you think it has something to do with a guy?" Uche asked no one in particular, assessing her face in the mirror. To make the eye bags less visible, she had made use of a cold spoon and concealer. Her lips were the darkest shade of red. Her tweezed brows from the day before were not so perfect for they arched differently, but who would notice the little flaw?

"Oh, I don't know." It was Anita who responded. She was sitting on her bed, leaning over to partition what she'd bought one bag after another. "Maybe it's because you've never put in so much effort before."

"Why else do we doll up?" Precious asked, eyes pinned to her phone. "It just has to be a guy."

"So you can't dress up just to look good?" Obehi asked, frowning.