Growing Yams in London by Sophia Acheampong Read Free Book Online

. is it OK for me to go to Bharti’s house on Sunday?’
    ‘Yes, of course it is,’ Dad replied. ‘Is that what’s been worrying you?’
    Blimey I can’t lie again, can I?
    ‘Well, sort of . . .’ I said.
    ‘You really are a strange girl sometimes!’ Dad said, flicking my braids before leaving my room.
    I gave him a huge grin as I grabbed my phone to tell Bharti.
    Tanisha better be right about all of this lying or I’m a dead girl.

 
Chapter 6
Nelson and Stuff

    Bharti picked Monday of all days to be ill. That left me with no one at school to talk to about my date. Mel was totally preoccupied with practising for the latest netball
try-outs during every break we had. Plus, because of Tanisha’s weird ‘trust no one’ rule, I had texted her every hour just to let her know I was safe, so she’d already got
my date details on Sunday night.
    My phone rang as I walked home.
    ‘Hello?’
    ‘It’s me. When are you going to get home?’ Bharti asked.
    ‘Calm down. I’m two doors away.’
    ‘Calm down? You tell me via text you had a “nice” time and leave it at that? Girl, that was over twelve hours ago! I want details, so hurry up!’
    ‘Well, if you’d been in school . . .’ I said as I opened my front door.
    ‘Shut up and get on MSN!’ said Bharti, ending the call.
    Talk about rude! She can wait till I’ve had a bit of tea and toast, I thought. I headed for the kitchen. Within ten minutes the house phone rang.
    ‘Have you even switched on your PC?’
    ‘Well . . .’
    ‘Ohmigod, you made tea and toast, didn’t you?’ Bharti said in an accusing tone.
    ‘Well . . .’ I said, taking a bite of warm toast coated in melted butter and strawberry jam. I couldn’t help it. It was like a ritual: get home, make some tea and toast.
    ‘Makeeda, you know if my parents catch me on the phone they’ll kill me and make it look like an accident!’ Bharti screamed.
    ‘Yeah, yeah, sorry – two minutes tops!’ I told her.
    During the summer, Bharti had managed to hike up her family’s phone bill by nearly a hundred pounds in a month. She had got bored and called her pen pals, Linda in Australia and Rachel in
Chicago, and her cousin Priyanka in India. As a punishment, her parents cut her pocket money and confiscated her mobile phone for a month and even now she wasn’t allowed to use their house
phone unsupervised.
    I switched on my PC and as soon as I logged on to MSN, she popped up!
    PartyBharti:
Where have U been?
Makdiva:
Sorry!
PartyBharti:
Come on then, spill.
Makdiva:
Well, he has this really cool house. It’s kind of. What?
    I stopped as I could see Bharti was already writing to me.
    PartyBharti:
If I wanted to know about interior design, I’d watch flipping
MTV Cribs
!
Makdiva:
OK, OK.
PartyBharti:
What did you wear? I hope it wasn’t that nasty, grey, hooded sweatshirt you claim is from America!
Makdiva:
It IS from America! No, I didn’t wear that. Give me some credit.
PartyBharti:
I don’t think so – I’ve seen some of the stuff in your wardrobe! Now tell me what you wore, because I know you didn’t take any of my style
     advice.
Makdiva:
My black jeans, and black top.
PartyBharti:
Whaaaaaaaaaat? Are you crazy? That would have made you look like you were going to a funeral! I hope this guy isn’t a Piscean cos they’re very sensitive to auras
     and colours.
Makdiva:
LOL! I wore black jeans, my pink V-neck jumper and my funky scarf from Camden Market.
PartyBharti:
Phew! I got stressed there. What about earrings?
Makdiva:
Obviously the ones from Accessorize!
PartyBharti:
I hope you mean the pink ones and not the crystal chandelier ones that should only be worn at parties?
Makdiva:
Yeah!
PartyBharti:
That’s all right then. What about shoes?
Makdiva:
Ohmigod, what is this – the fashion police interrogation special or something?
PartyBharti:
Just tell me!
Makdiva:
Trainers.
PartyBharti:
Would it have hurt you to wear shoes?
Makdiva:
U know I can’t walk in heels! Imagine if I’d