A/N. This is my very first story on Wattpad. And it's not edited so my mistakes be pardoned since It was typed hurriedly on my phone. I hope you like it.😊😊
*****

Anowa

My mornings begin the same, as usual. A cockcrow from our red and black streaked rooster who loves noise and therefore stands on top of the corn barn every dawn to wake everyone up for kilometers.

Whenever my eyes flutter open, it takes some minutes to remember where I am. My dreams are world's apart from my reality! Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so. As explained by our towns resident school teacher Sir Charles after he had allowed me read a book from his own private collection,dreams are the product of our minds which continue to work even after we fall asleep. So if we're thinking about how it would be if you were a princess, sleeping on a bed so soft it feels like clouds, your mind continues that thought while you sleep.

Then when you awake still in your rags and tattered mat of a bed, you begin to hate your life!...wait what was I even talking about?... Oh right, mornings. Sorry, I can't stop once I'm in gear. Where was I?... Eyes flutter open, contemplate my life, next, my mother bellows

"Anowaaaa! Wake up you lazy bones! "

Seriously, every morning. Humph! But I do admire my mother, how she's able to wake before cockcrow to wake me up at cockcrow.

Amazing!

After I succeed in being fully awake, I roll my mat, say a prayer, wash my face, start chewing my neem tree chewing stick...so bitter...then start my chores. My chores include the usual, sweeping, cleaning, preparing breakfast for the family, etcetera. Do I get any help you ask? That would have been if I had any sisters. But I only have one lousy, lazy, brother who is barely at home for days at a time. He didn't come home last night. Surprise, surprise me!
He has failed in his responsibility as man of the house since our father died a year ago. My poor mother has not been able to grieve properly for her loving and responsible husband who treated her as an equal instead of a slave, as other men in my village do to their wives. The thought of marriage here gives me the shivers... At least the princess in my dreams gets to choose who she will get to spend her life with, a prince or a very very very very very very wealthy and respectable man who would take her on trips around the world, a few times over...hmmm, I sigh.

"Anowaaaa! Herh Anowa won't you sweep the room. What are you standing there doing? " my mother shouted at me.

She was standing at the door way of our small two room Hut. She was holding a bucket of maize in both hands with a frown on her face. That's another reason why I love my mother, her ability to multitask!

I quickly picked up the broom I'm supposed to be sweeping with and continued with my chores while she hovered and shouted herself hoarse about how I'm such a lazy, unhelpful little brat who won't just get married and make her proud. With all this talk of marriage, you might wonder how old I am. 19. Girls my age already have their firstborns in their bellies.
I was able to finish all my chores before sunrise, but then comes the difficult part.

"Anowa! The water is finished in the barrel." my mother called from the corn mill just when I was about to sneak out of the house and run to school. See, my mother is one of those people who sees school as a complete waste of time and money. My stupid brother only helped reinforce that idea by failing and becoming useless after my mum had worked her fingers to the bone to afford materials needed. So you can only imagine her reaction when I told her why I cannot go to the river at the moment.

"Eh! What did you say?! Put that thing down!..." that 'thing' being my books which I had tied together with raffia rope.
"But, mother, I would be late... Again... " I moaned. She immediately jumped off the stool, causing it to turn over. She looked me in the eye. "If you don't fetch enough water to fill those barrels this minute, I don't care how old you are I would give you the beating of your life! "

I love my mother, don't get me wrong but right now I wish she'd just choke on her own spit and die a horrible death!!

*****

I'm on my way to school now. I'm so late! But of course the morning isn't over yet!

Here I am, hurrying down the red, dusty rood when I spot HER. That's not all, she's walking with HIM! Nowhere to hide, not that I'd ran away from her. My ex-best friend and the man I LOVE...or should I say used to.

Aku Sika is not that tall, or pretty. In fact if you ask me she looks like a toad in a dress! Unfortunately, everyone else thinks differently. They all think her pettite-ness is cute, fair skinned and a long thin nose which fits perfectly with her heart shaped face, big eyes and small lips. And with her figure-eight shape she's just shy of perfect... the witch!
And of course, Yaw Barimah.
He's tall, dark and handsome. Need I say more. His name says it all, Barimah means ... (clears throat)... Man, manly, masculine,... Virile...(clears throat, again )...Sigh!

Until I found out he was daft-er than a yam! He and Aku belong to each other, like come on, having a big... big... (clears throat ) and looking like a fallen angel is not everything you know! (Sniff sniff) It's not right?

Right?

Perhaps if I ignore them, they will not talk to me...

"Hey Anowa! "

But of course, Aku is an accomplished bully so that won't happen. She shouts to make sure I can't feign hearing impairment. I gave her the look. She was my best friend for fifteen of my nineteen years so she knows what that look meant

"Get your conniving self out of my sight before I descend on you like the plague "!.

I continued walking."You still go around with that...thing? You still go to school at this age?! I can't believe it! " she screamed, causing other pedestrians to turn and look at me, the weird girl still in school when all her mates had already settled down with a bun in the oven already.

I can't believe this, the witch so daft she couldn't reach class five and had to drop out is thought of as better than me! She continues to rub salt in my wounds.

"Well, I have news for you. I'm with child. Isn't that great? A mini Barimah who would call ME mother! " She was smirking as she said it, rubbing her stomach lovingly. Damn but this girl knows how to push my buttons. She's living all my fantasies I confided in her about my crush... with my crush!

I'm crushed.

My gaze moved onto the so called Barimah. He just stood there being uncomfortable. "Congratulations. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late for school. " I said as I passed them, Aku's screeching laugh my only companion. I'm too deflated to react. I carried my 'thing', as Aku referred my makeshift bag, on my head as I hurried in my steps. My mind is made up. I have to leave this town for my sanity and peace of mind. I can't stay here anymore.

*****

You'd think that's enough trouble for one morning. You would be wrong.
It started to rain! Yes, it did And I was already more than halfway to school so I had to continue.

I saw the car speeding towards me, but I had no time to think fast. It was either the muddy puddle or the car's fender. I like cars, though I rarely ever get to see them. The car about to ram my rain soaked self was one I had never seen before, Not that I saw much with the rain getting into my eyes.

I had to jump into the puddle to save my life. The car slowed down beside me, and I was standing in the puddle with a bag of wet books on my head... I must look a sight!

The window rolled down smoothly like so and I was hit by a draft of cold air and the oh so aromatic new car smell. But what really caught my attention was the face it revealed! Wow!

****

Here goes the first chapter. I hope you like it.

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