Sunshine Dollup : Diary Of A Single Sister IV

Sunday

Sunshine Dollup

My alarm woke me up at 5am as usual.  What day is it today? I tried to recall. Monday? I wondered. I rolled to the other side of the bed so I could turn it off and stayed on that side; stretching.  I remembered last night, and then I knew it was Sunday not Monday. Meaning I had more time to sleep.  Church was going to begin at 8am. Usually I left home at half past 7. That meant, I had more time to sleep.

I lay on my side and closed my eyes. Thankfully, I drifted off to sleep again.  I was awoken by the beeping of my phone, before I could pick  itup, the call ended. It was exactly 7 am. I checked my missed calls and Bambi my younger sister had called me twice. Audrey had called six times and Gladys two times. Audrey! I checked my messages before calling everyone back  except Audrey. Bambi didn't pick up but  had sent a text on whatsapp earlier, stating why she had tried reaching me. 'Hi Ella
                    Was hoping I could talk with you  
                    for a while.
                     I'm working this morning, so will        call you back later
                     Miss you big sis xxxx

Bambi is my mum's last but one  child. She was away in Kiev studying medicine. She got along better with her immediate older sister but  told me,  how Dafflyne hardly picked her calls  these days with the excuse that, she was tending to her babies. These days, she called me often and any time she wanted to talk  despite the time difference.   I loved talking to her though.

Gladys didn't pick her call either. Just when I had been trying to call her back, Audrey sent a text.      'Hope to see you this afternoon.
             Please don't disappoint me Ella.'
Whats with this Audrey girl. Did I agree to go to the beach? Not that I remember.  So why this text . 'Will see...' I texted back.
     'Oh Ella,
       Don't do that please
       I promise
       You aren't gonna regret coming with me.'
I read the text and smiled. 'Drey, will get in touch in the afternoon.'   Had to get ready for church.  Drey had a way of getting what she wanted and I was not going to go over that with her again this early morning.

Church was awesome as always.  Another marriage was announced.  It was going to be in three weeks.  The church applauded as the would be couple was introduced.  Such a young girl, I thought.  I was happy for her though.  She was one of the girls who I was barely friends with but, who I liked from a distance. I gave her a ride after church a few times.  I think she mentioned to me the other day that she had just graduated from University. Okay, she's lucky I thought.

I did not have a chance to feel bad. I had gotten used to the weddings at church. Except that, when I attended those ceremonies and got back home,  I felt weird, like there was something wrong with me. Sometimes,  I felt like changing churches.  I had been attending the same church since age fourteen.  I was not only a big sister to most of the girls but virtually grew up in that same church.  I only kept going because my Pastors did a good job of encouraging me and also because I got  a chance to be with my family. Once a while, I missed Sunday service if I was out of town or deliberately.  I felt too depressed to go to church sometimes. There was this one thing that I wanted God to do for me and that thing ended up depressing me.

On the other hand, I moved out of home seven months ago. I had wanted to stay till I got married but since that was not happening, I decided to just move. My mum talked me out of it several times.  I think she envisaged the lonely nights and days ahead but, my mind had been made up. I left four months after my sister Dafflyne had her twins.  

Two of my younger sisters: Dafflyne and keziah were married.  keziah had  been married  for eight years and had three children: two boys and a girl. Dafflyne had been married for four years and had  twins eleven months ago.

Dafflyne's marriage had caused a huge disaggrement in my family. Mum thought she needed to wait till I was married before getting married.  Dafflyne thought same too but two years on she was eager to have it done. Her boyfriend had left her because she wouldn't marry him and she feared losing this one too, who was currently her husband.  It often ensued in an argument between her and mum. Dafflyne would stay days without talking to any of us. When we called her phone, it went to answering machine. She called me one night to say, she really loved me and was praying for me to get married but to let her go ahead with her marriage if I loved her too.

In the end, I told mum to let her go ahead. She did and was happy till she began to worry that she could not make babies. She finally did after four years and even had twins as compensation.  Dafflyne was a twin but her twin brother had died at birth.

My younger sister: Aya was twenty four and was in her final year in law school. Mum said she was blessed to have us, as children. Anytime we closed from church,  we would all gather around Keziah's car, to talk as a family.  keziah still attended our church and most of the time, she came to church in a bigger car because of her three children. Mummy still helped her with her children most of the time.  Dafflyne lived in Pretoria with her family where she and her husband were both Lecturing. She had never moved home after earning her doctorate in   Canada. She had gotten married to a kenyan and had moved first to Tanzania and now to South Africa. So it was just Aya, Keziah and I who were around currently.

'Lets go home and have lunch. I already made some peanut butter soup and rice balls. Your favorite K.' Mummy said, when we all gathered around keziah's car. Keziah gazed at me and then I gazed at Aya and we all started laughing.  'Mu-mm-y' said Aya,  still laughing.My mum has a funny way of asking people over to her house by enticing them with food and forcing it on them. Like she was trying to say, Keziah's favourite food was rice balls and peanut butter soup.

Most of the time,  I spent my Sunday afternoons with my  family ; sisters, Mum, nephews, niece and brother inlaw.  The only times I didn't was when I was out of town or didn't go to church. Our afternoons were spent eating out  at the buffet at The Sun Hotel or going to Mum's place to eat. It was a time I really cherished; family meant the world to me. My sisters were all I had. Dad died when Aya was five. We grew up without him but Mum had not gotten married again.  She had just made her children her priority and had vowed to make sure we were comfortable. She was thankful that we had been doing well so far.

Sometimes,  I felt I was her only source of unhappiness. She just got super  perturbed about my being single, it was beginning to bother me. We could not turn Mum's offer down so we just agreed to meet at her house. Keziah's children wanted to be in the same car with their Grandma though Aya and Mum didn't come to church with a car. Aya said the car was at the mechanics.  So Mum went in Keziah's car and Aya in my car. Keziah's husband was out of town.

Mummy's House

I promised to post two more. So here we go with the last but one.
Again, this is just a novel taster....