Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite - 14

It came upon her suddenly, as it always did. Her limbs felt heavy, her mind cloudy; she wanted to get out of bed, but her want did not translate to action. One hour passed, and then two. She spent it examining her memory, decoding smiles, words and gestures from her father. Had she always meant nothing to him? What would she do with her life? She stared at the circular patterns on the ceiling. Her room had originally belonged to Grand-Aunty Fikayo, and she wondered how often her relative had lain on her back and lost herself in the swirls etched above her.

There was a quiet knock, and even though she didn’t respond, the door slowly opened. Ebun popped her head in.

‘Have you eaten today?’

‘I’ll eat later.’

‘It’s almost four p.m.’ Shit. Four more hours had gone by. ‘You need to eat. In fact, you need to get up,’ Ebun said, entering the room.

‘Get up and do what?’

‘Anything, Mo.’ Mo didn’t move and she heard Ebun’s frustrated sigh. She was about to stress that she was fine, they needn’t worry. She would get over this, she always did. ‘Okay, let’s … let’s go develop your photos. I was planning to head out to get some things from the supermarket. We can stop by that Kodak store. You haven’t developed your pics in a while.’

If she didn’t agree to this hastily put-together plan, Ebun might tell Tolu; or even worse, the mothers. So Mo forced herself to sit up and give her a weak smile. Her feet touched the ground and the coolness of the terrazzo tiles soothed something moonless in her soul. Sango shifted as she stood. She had forgotten he was there with her. She would have to remember to take him for a walk.

‘Wash your face before we go,’ Ebun instructed. Mo considered reminding her cousin that she was but fifteen, not the big aunty she considered herself to be, but it still took too much energy to speak.

The man behind the counter at the Kodak store smiled a little too widely as he looked Ebun up and down. No surprise there. Ebun was becoming more confident; she had a no-nonsense air about her that made people want to sidle up to her. She sought to please no one, so naturally, everyone around her was trying to gain her approval. And then there were her looks – she had the signature Falodun lips, her mother’s doe eyes and her father’s sharp cheekbones. As Monife looked at the various cameras in the store, the man fondled the film in his hands and stalled.

‘How long will it take?’ Ebun asked him.

‘I finish from this place at six.’

‘Okay.’

‘I can take you somewhere nice …’

‘I am not interested. I just want to know how long it will take you to develop our pictures.’

Monife was tempted to point out to the man that Ebun was underage, but there was no need. Her cousin was handling herself.

‘Ah ah na. I just want to be your friend.’

‘Does your wife know you are looking for friends?’ The man glanced down at his wedding band, and then shrugged. ‘I have a big heart.’

‘Uncle, just develop the film.’

‘Nawa o! I am not that old na. Call me—’

‘I don’t plan on calling you anything. We will come back in an hour.’

Despite her blunt treatment of him, or perhaps because of it, the photos were ready when they returned. They each took half and flicked through them as they sat in the car. Mo came across the photo she had taken of the golden boy on the football field. His face was half turned towards the lens and he was smiling. He was a Greek god.

‘We are not going to turn into them, are we?’

She raised her head. Her cousin was holding a photograph of their mothers. She had caught them in a moment where both their masks had slipped. Aunty Kemi had no make-up on, and her hand was on her older sister’s shoulder. Bunmi was gripping the hand tightly. She looked defeated. They both did. Mo squeezed her cousin’s free hand.

‘No. Of course not. We will meet the loves of our life and live happily ever after.’

‘Doesn’t the curse mean that that’s virtually impossible?’

‘Fuck the curse.’