Chapter 003 Stingy

Song Recommendation: Run Through Walls by The Script

"Ah! Nigeria!"

Delia slapped her forehead, "This country will not kill me".

Yusuf, Beatrice, and Eboh gave her a bored look at her tantrums.

Yusuf rolled his eyes as Delia added, "I can't believe pizza is at least four thousand!! Like for what! Will it fly in my stomach?"

Delia continued to draw her eyes on the pizza palace menu, letting her selfish stingy mind run her mouth.

"Like, why will I pay four thousand for something I'll eat once! Are these people mad! What's even in the pizza apart from pancake and stew!?"

They laughed, "Delia, stop being stingy, you're not even the one paying", Beatrice laughed.

"Exactly!" Delia looked up at them, "That's the more reason it's paining me! Imagine! Eboh!" She turned to Eboh who smiled at her.

"Babes, instead of buying this pizza, why not give me the four thousand to invest in a business?" Delia held out a serious look.

Eboh laughed, "With 4k? Business!? Shut up, my friend, you're just being a local woman now!"

"If local means having four thousand instead of one slice of pizza, I accept!" Delia dropped the menu.

The waitress then approached their table. "What would you all like this afternoon?"

Delia posted out a fake polite smile as Eboh responded, "Medium-sized chicken and a beef pizza please". With a subtle bow, the woman walked away to the back.

Delia's brows dropped in disappointment, "Eboh, you know I can make you pizza with less than 2k, right?"

"Really? How?" Yusuf crooked his head in confusion.

"First, I'll buy four packs of none yeasted bread for the four of us, which is 400N. Sachet tomato paste for 100N, suya meat for 200N, pepper and toppings for 200N. In total that is 900N. My profit will be 3100N! Like are you seeing things from my point of view!?"

They busted into light laughter, not wanting to grab the attention of other customers.

"I swear to God, you are so stingy!" Eboh laughed.

"You will die of stinginess one day", Yusuf added.

"It's not stinginess, it's called being economical! The economy is hard!"

They laughed, shaking their head at Delia's amazing sense of management and pizza recipe.

After their highly overrated pizza treat, as Delia thinks, they make their way to the bus stop. To accompany Delia to find a transport vehicle home, given that she stayed at her parents' house and not at the hostel like them.

"Oga, I don't agree!". Delia folded arms, scowling. The bike man stared at her with an exhausted look.

"Delia, just pay the man 150N and go now! We've been here for almost thirty minutes!" Beatrice held her temple as the hot rays of the sun showed no mercy.

"No! He has to agree to my price before I go! He's being too expensive!"

Delia was determined to pay her price which was less than the original transport fare.

"But babe, it's just 10N difference na!" Yusuf weaned. "What is the difference between 150 and 140?"

"Ten! Ten. Beautiful. Naira! That's the difference!"

"Babe abeg (Babe, I beg)", Eboh sighed, taking a glance at her watch. "Just manage for today".

It amazed her friends that money was never Delia's problem. She had more than enough money for both her needs and wants — yet she was always adamant to being extremely economical with everything. Everything!

One would think she couldn't even afford her own school fees.

"He needs to know the economy is hard on both of us! 140. Last. Take or take", Delia crossed her arms.

With the sun being hot enough and the drama being long enough, the grown man on the motorbike nodded like an obedient child.

"Climb", he gestured. Delia's lips stretched into a wide smile. "Better!" She mounted the bike, adjusting herself on the seat.

"See y'all later!" She waved her squad.

"May God punish you!" Eboh cursed. Delia could see the pain in their eyes; the pain of how they would gather the momentum needed to walk back to campus, under the hot afternoon sun.

"It will not be well with you!" Beatrice cried.

"Sorry, my dear", Delia grinned. The bike man started the engine and rode off.

"This girl is mad, I swear", Yusuf exhaled, watching the bike ride off in a distance.

"Is it today you know!?" Beatrice and Eboh recited.

• • •

"Del! Del!"

Thirteen years old Juliet ran into the kitchen as Delia walked in through the back door.

"Julie!" She hugged her little sister.

"I missed you!" Juliet added, stepping away from Delia.

"Really?" Delia cocked her head in disbelief.

She and her younger sister loved each other; very much- but they weren't the type to say things like 'I miss you' or 'I love you' so often.

"Yes na!" Juliet pushed out a brighter smile.

Delia dropped her brows in boredom, "Abi? What do you want?"

"Ah-ah? I can not show my darling sister love again?"

"Even Satan is disappointed with that lie. Now what do you want?" She crossed her arms.

"Did you buy me cookies and juice?"

"No wander! I knew you can never tell me you miss me for free", Delia shook her head.

"Of course I can", Juliet lied with a smile.

"So, did you!?" Her eyes popped with hope.

"Nope! Did you give me money?" Delia grinned.

Juliet instantly kissed her teeth, "Wastage of hug and 'I miss you'", she scorned.

Juliet turned and walked back into the living room.

"Thief!" Delia laughed.

Walking into the living room, she spotted her oldest brother. Jacob Alan, who's eyes were glued to his phone. His structure was tall, buff, and fit. A man whom many girls in the neighborhood chased.

"Good afternoon, brother", Delia walked up to him, standing next to the couch he was seated on. With Jacob not moving his eyes from his phone, he hummed.

"Any test script?" Jacob asked curtly.

"Yep. One", Delia pushed out her hand, handing her sheet to Jacob.

Still not looking away from the screen of his phone, he collected the sheet, briskly skimming through.

"48/50? Why?" He finally looked up at her.

"I misspelled the words of the last two questions", Delia scratched the back of her neck with an awkward smile.

Handing the sheet back, Jacob mouthed, "Go and learn your corrections after dinner".

Without another word, Delia nodded and walked into her bedroom.

She threw her bag to the side, plummeting unto her bed. "Ah! The school will not kill me", she mumbled. She turned around, facing the ceiling with a serene expression.

Being the middle child of her family, she had always worked very hard from a young age; both physically and academically, which made everyone around her proud.

Graduating from secondary school at the age of fourteen and being seventeen half way through University; it was hard not too. But out of everyone in her family, the only people she still couldn't impress were her father and elder brother.

Jacob became harder on her when she had entered University; especially after their parents traveled for work overseas.

Delia laid still with her eyes shut, scolding herself mentally, for her failure to get a perfect mark in her recent test.

She heard a thud in her ceiling. Her eyes snapped open.

Staring deeply at the ceiling, another thud echoed from her closet. She looked at the closet door then back. She heard child-like foot steps in the ceiling.

She exhaled, "Not today guys", she mumbled, relaxing herself on the bed.

Taking a glance at her phone, she noted the time. 4:00 pm.

"This is why I like Fridays", she turned on the bed, preparing herself for an early evening slumber.