Popping His Cherry

We're not in Ghana anymore(1)

*Zalia*

I looked at my new room, I had just finished unpacking, all my things were here yet it didn't feel like home.

I missed my grandmother, my friends, the hot, humid weather I even missed the annoying mosquitoes that used to bite me when I went for an evening stroll.

I still can't believe my mom could do this to me. Uproot me from the only life I knew and send me to a whole new continent!

She took me away from the only thing connecting me to my father,and for what?

Love?

How could she love a man she knew for only six months. At first it was okay, she smiled more and laughed often, she stopped being the shell of the woman she once was. She was living again and I was happy for her.

Then one day she announced she was getting married.

She had not even introduced him to her own daughter before!

I was fuming, I tried my best to get her to change her mind, to see reason but she didn't.

Then she dropped the other bombshell we were moving to New York,USA. We lived in Ghana, West Africa for crying out loud!

And all because of him.

I still remember the day she told me, clear as a mirror.

I was sitting outside under the orange tree that my father and I planted when I was small. The tree had become huge and seemed to grow larger everyday. It brought me a little bit of comfort. To know something we did together still existed even though he was gone.

I still can't believe he's gone.

I heard the noise of the door being opened and shut, my mom came to sit by me without saying anything.

Together we looked at the tree grow and blossom, till my mom broke the silence.

"I've met someone, he makes me feel happy, I can smile and laugh again.

I know you've noticed the change in me, everyone has."

I didn't know what to say, it had been 8 years since my dad's death, I was only 7 when he died in a car accident. I didn't expect my mom to remain single forever.

As long as he made her happy and treated her well I was okay with it.

"It's okay mom, dad would have wanted you to be happy."

"There's on more thing, he's asked me to marry him.

And I said yes."

I turned sharply to look at her.

"Mom you've only known him for a few months, how can you do that!

I've never even met him, no one has!

What if he doesn't like children?

He could be a pervert!"

I panicked , saying whatever came into my head.

"Zalia!

He's a good man believe me, he can't wait to meet you and he wants to get to know you.

I would never marry someone who I didn't trust to take care of you.

You're the most important thing to me."

"There's just one important thing you must know.

After the wedding we're moving in with him...

He lives in New York."

She finished softly dropping the news on me.

"New York, USA?

There's no way I'm leaving home, you can leave me with Grandma and Aunt Asibi, since I'm not important to you anymore."

My refusal to move was ignored. Two weeks later my mom married Reid Wilson, and we moved to New York.

Here I was, in my huge room with a bathroom, walk in closet and a library. I would give it all up to be back home in my small cluttered room.

I'm the envy of all my friends, yet I'm so unhappy.

Dad, I miss you so much.

Tomorrow I start high school, I can already tell it's going to be hell.

I'll be the new girl.

Not just the new girl.

The fat new girl with a strange accent.

I look outside and see the leaves falling, its only autumn and I'm already freezing, I'll probably die from pneumonia in the winter.

Maybe that will get Mom to take notice of me.

I look around my big room in upstate New York once again.

We're not in Ghana anymore.