Sinner

"Olayinka, I asked you a question! You had better answer me now." Her mother's tone, was a bit threatening.

Joan cleared her throat, "Last night was the first and only time." She replied, avoiding her mother's eyes.

She was only feeling guilty, because severally her mother had insinuated she and Steve's relationship was beyond platonic, and she had vehemently denied it.

"First and only time, yet you were so comfortably naked in his arms..."

"Mummy..."

"Don't mummy me! I trained you to be better than this. How can you be behaving like a child without home training? How can you be acting like someone who was raised on the streets?" Her mother snapped at her angrily.

And then she came closer to the edge of her seat, and lowered her voice, as though she didn't want anyone else to hear what they were talking about.

"You are a Christian. Your body is the temple of God. How can you be fornicating, and having premarital sex? I raised you in Church, I raised you to be a godly child. We held family devotions right here, in this parlor Everyday since you were a child, until you left this house. Even now that you have left, we still doing family devotions everyday, and we pray for you during those devotions.

How could you have forgotten everything you learnt?" Her mother asked, her brows pulled together in a frown.

Joan felt like rolling her eyes, but then, her home training won't allow it. If only her mother knew that even those supposed holier than though unit leaders in church fornicate, she won't be preaching so much. The sooner she realized that the world was no longer as it was in their time the better for them both. Sex wasn't a big deal anymore, so what was with the many sermon. It's not as if her mother had married her father a virgin, anyway.

Her only offense was in sleeping with Steve, and in not being careful to have allowed her mother see them that way. Or was her mother going to say she didn't know she had been having sex with her ex fiance, Mike?

"I will be more careful next time." Joan said apologetically.

"Next time?" Her mother asked like she didn't understand what she had just heard.

"I mean, I'm an adult so it is only natural that such things happen mummy, but you won't see it... Ouch! Mummy what was that for na?" Joan yelled when her mother hit her on her back.

"I'm saying stop fornicating! You are there telling me, you will be careful next time. What nonsense are you talking about being an adult? So because you're an adult you're bigger than God?" Her mother asked angrily as she hit her again.

"Mummy stop hitting me na! What is all this?" Joan asked angrily as she ran away from where her mother was.

"This your generation is too comfortable with going to hell, and it's clear you want to go to hell too, at least God will know I tried my best." Her mother said with a shake of her head.

"What is going on?" Her father asked as he descended the stairs, making Joan hurry back to where her mother was seated.

"Did you tell him?" She asked her mother in a hushed tone. Of course the fear of a Nigerian father's wrath, is the beginning of wisdom. She didn't want to imagine the eyes her father would use to look at her, or what he would say if he heard she had slept with Steve.

Bisi eyed her daughter disapprovingly before turning to her husband, "Nothing. I invited her over so we can talk about her marriage." She said making Joan look from her mother to her father, and then back again.

"What marriage?"

"Are you having problems with your memory? The marriage between you and Steve of course." Her mother snapped at her.

"What? Wasn't that supposed to be a prank? Dad? Are you in on it too?" Joan asked, looking at her father in disbelief.

"Why would I leave my house that early in the morning just to prank you? Do I look like I don't have better things to do with my time?" Her mother asked angrily.

"Wait! You mean you are serious? Like you all decided that I and Steve should get married? And nobody dimmed it fit to consult either of us first?" Joan asked incredulously, struggling to control her fast rising temper.

Her father said nothing, but just walked over to his favorite couch, and sat down on it before looking at her, "It is in the best interest of both families that you both get married. You're best friends anyway." Her father said dismissively, as though that explained everything.

"And I'm supposed to just go along with it? Just because you all decided it is in the best interest of the family? What about what's best for me?" Joan asked angrily, as she faced her father now.

"Yes. Unless you would rather marry Steve's younger sister. You are my only child, and as such you have to marry..."

"What is this? Did I just travel back in time to the seventies? We are all educated for crying out loud!" Joan interrupted, making her mother glare at her.

"Watch your words." Her mother warned. She had been sympathizing with her daughter's plight previously, until she had seen her sleeping in Steve's arms. Now as far as she was concerned, Joan was going to marry Steve. If he was good enough to be her best friend, and for sex, then he was definitely going to be good enough to be her husband.

"I'm not doing this! No! I'm not getting married to Steve, no matter what any of you say. I refuse to do it!" Joan exclaimed as she picked up her purse and headed for the door.

"We are not done talking yet! Come back here Olayinka!" Her mother yelled at her, as she followed her.

"Let her go. She will come around sooner or later. There is no need to worry."

"Are you sure? You know how your daughter can be sometimes?"

"Don't worry yourself, she will soon succumb."

Her father assured her mother as he turned on the television and busied himself with a football match. His daughter had inherited his stubborness no doubt, but she couldn't be more stubborn than he was.