PROUD FAMILY

Sneaking out of Mr Greystone's mansion wasn't as easy as I had hoped it would be. Despite carrying only three medium sized bags and hiding under different staircases, I had almost been caught twice.

I had almost reached the gates when I heard a car coming. I quickly ran to hide in a corner. When the coast was clear, I snuck out of the mansion when the guards there weren't looking. And just like Beatrice said, there was a car waiting just around the corner of the street. I made my way to it and was greeted by a really muscular buffy guy that was almost the same height as me.

"Miss. I am the driver taking you to the airport." He said cryptically with his sunglasses on. I looked at him suspiciously at first before saying.

"Alright." He helped me keep my luggage at the rear of the car. Immediately I got into the car, he drove off. It wasn't up to a minute when I heard my phone ring. For a second, I thought it was Mr Greystone. Maybe his guards have noticed me missing and informed me. A lot of fake scenarios formed in my head. But when I looked down at my phone, I saw that it was a video call from my elder brother, Anthony.

After contemplating for a few seconds to pick the call, I did. The next thing I saw was my brother's big head on my screen. He moved away a bit to reduce the size of his head.

"Hello, brother." I greeted him calmly. What I was not expecting was for him to respond calmly.

"Amanda!" He cheered up like both of us were best friends. "Amanda, my sister, how are you doing?" He asked me. For the first time for as long as I can remember, he has never asked this question. Not even while I was away in school for years for my Bachelor's degree.

"I'm fine o. What about you?" I awkwardly responded. I didn't know how to respond to my brother being nice to me all of a sudden.

"I am fine o. We are all fine." As he said those words, I heard my mother's voice in the background.

"Anthony, is that Amanda?" I heard her voice before I saw her. Suddenly, her face was the main thing I was seeing all the screen. She had taken the phone from my brother to speak with me.

"Amanda, my daughter, how are you?" She asked me with proud smiles on her face. Strangely, she had dismissed the fact that I had sneaked out to travel. Conveniently, she forgot that she had tried to stop me from traveling, thinking it was either a scam or a trap.

"I am doing well." I said. She seemed satisfied with my reply.

"Yes o. You are doing well o. You are my daughter and I have always known you were going to succeed. Are you in...in America now?" She asked.

Before i could respond, my brother said from behind. "Mama, look at the fine fine buildings behind her. Look at  the car she is in. Look at how she is shining, she is definitely in America."

"My God has shamed my enemies! Anthony, what did I say?" My mother yelled out in happiness and my brother joined her to say.

"Yes o. Our God has shamed our enemies. As Amanda is there, soon, she will helpe get a visa to travel there. Before you know it, she will carry you, papa and Amara too. Is God not wonderful?" They said with so much happiness that I didn't have the heart to tell them I was coming back to Nigeria. The car they were seeing was the car taking me back. How would I explain that coming to America wasn't the way I thought it would be.

"Amanda, my daughter. You have made us very proud. I knew you were destined for great things that was why I made sure you enrolled to be a doctor, a... What do you call it?" She asked.

"A psychiatrist." I answered and the proud smile that was stuck on my face warmed my heart.

"Yes! All these big English grammar sef..." She laughed. "That is why I sent you to school. So you will learn what we couldn't learn during our time."

"Thank goodness you traveled o. I am sure you are getting paid well there than here." My brother said.

"Yes." As I responded, I thought of it. I really will be getting well paid as Mr Greystone's therapist. According to the contract, it was about Fifty thousand dollars a month, six hundred thousand dollars a year plus health insurance, accomodations and a whole lot. Come to think of it, a monthly salary here was enough to make my family back home, really rich. My parents wouldn't have to work anymore for survival. They would be doing it as an excuse to socialize with people instead. Not that my family was poor, in fact, my dad owned an entire shopping plaza in Lagos island. We were obviously not poor but, I could easily change the status of my family and my career greatly. Not to mention the connections I would gain from just working here.

"The Lord has done it!" My mother was extremely happy. Just then I heard my father's voice.

"Is that Amanda you're talking to?" I heard him ask in the background. My mother replied. "Yes o. It's our daughter in overseas o."

"Give me the phone, let me talk to her." He said and soon, it was his face I was seeing. "Chimamanda! Chimamanda! How many times did I call you?" He began speaking with a strict tone.

"Daddy, two times." Whenever my parents used my full name, it meant I was in trouble.

"You traveled without telling any of us. Is that right? What if you ended up in some complications on your way, who will you call? Is it not we your family that will help you?" He asked and truthfully, he was right. I shouldn't have left the way I did but they gave me no choice. They had almost ruined the opportunity at the time.

"Daddy, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." I apologized. It was pointless arguing with my father when he was right.

"Better, apologize to your mother too." He demanded.

"Mummy, I am sorry." I apologized but my mother's response shocked me.

"It's okay. As long as you are safe and well. I too, shouldn't have discouraged you that way but you understand, I was only after your well-being." The words she said had me pause. Was that really my mother or a clone pretending to be my mother? Even my father could not hide the shocked expression on his face. My mum wasn't the type to admit she did anything wrong.

"Amanda, how is everything over there?" My father asked. He was the first to ask a question like that.

"Everything is fine o." I lied as I didn't want to make them worry.

"That is good. May the Almighty keep on protecting and guiding you, in Jesus name." He prayed and I responded with an "Amen."

For minutes, we all talked and soon, Amara, my younger sister joined the conversation. Their pride in me change my mind. I no longer wanted to travel back to Nigeria. At that moment, I decided that I was going to stay and do my job as a therapist, earn my money, and free myself from the contract marriage.

"Please, take me back to Mr Greystone's mansion." I told the driver but he paid no heed. He acted like he was deaf. "Turn the car. I want to go back!" I yelled this time but he didn't even budge. It was obvious that he was purposely ignoring me. Soon, he stopped the car. He had somehow parked it on a lonely driveway. It was then I noticed something that scared the shit out of me. We were no where close to an airport or civilization.