Becoming an Israeli

Sometimes I want to believe life is an illusion

Pain is an illusion and happiness, a mindset.

I gazed through the window admiring the rain drops which clung on to the glass. The streets of Okpanam in Delta State where the orphanage was situated was quiet and humid as the heavy storm which had went on for two hours was finally coming to an end, darkness settled on this side of the earth, it was well past seven in the evening

"Jemma!!!" Bertha called out loudly from the hallway

"What is it?" I shouted back a response, receiving silence. Lillian stared at me expectantly above the book she was engrossed in earning a shrug from me. Lily's a book addict, I am too but her's is on another level

Few moments later the door clicked open and Bertha walked in with a white plastic bag and sat on the rug in the middle of the room and set the bag down

"You okay? Jem" Bertha cast a worried glance my way

"Yeah, thanks" I threw my legs down my bed and went to join her on the rug "what's that ?" In less than five seconds Lillian joined us

"Sister Martina brought these back from her trip, every room has already taken theirs, I brought ours up" Bertha shuffled with the bag and brought out a plastic plate of jollof rice with fried chicken and another plate containing Ice cream which has already started melting

"You called me before tho?" I eyed Lillian who was already chewing a spoon of rice

"Quit looking at me like that" Lillian spoke and moved to take another spoon

"Yeah, nothing serious" Bertha replied me "and Lily, we're subtracting those two spoons from your ration" Bertha picked up and spoon and dug in too and I wasted no time in doing same

Five minutes later we were all spread out on our beds which sat on horizontal file in the room with the headrest resting on the wall with vanities beside the beds with lamps on them and drawers in them. At one edge of the room was the wardrobe where we three owned a portion.

Notre Dame Orphanage home for girls was an orphanage home owned by Catholic Church community run by Nuns. I came here when I was a baby, I was abandoned by the gate, ew cliche! But yeah, by the gate at the early ours of the morning without an ounce of property not even a locket just like in the movies, I have no origin, I just popped out of thin air.

Lillian came when she was six, her mom died and her dad became alcoholic which made the children service save her from her dad and left her in the hands of the nun while Bertha's parents and brother all died in an accident when she was just two years leaving her alone on earth, sure she had scars from the accident but good thing is she survived.

All of us at the orphanage had a sad story and different backgrounds but at the orphanage it was like we were related biologically.

"No way!" Lily exclaimed out of the blues

"What!?" I and Bertha immediately reacted

"Why?!!!" Lily closed her book and rolled over dramatically putting the back of her palm on her forehead

"Why what?" I sat up

"You still well so?" (You sure you're still okay?)

Bertha spoke immediately in our national, Nigeria Vernacular known as pidgin

"Marcus killed Kate, but they were soulmates" Lily lamented

"Um sorry for the loss?" Bertha sympathized pathetically

"She'll come back to life"

Lily head snapped in my direction "you've read it?"

I looked up from my phone and met Lily's gaze steadily

"No"

"How'd you know?"

"Cause I'm Batman" I replied in a gruff voice imitating the legendary superhero and Lily gave me the one finger salute making Bertha burst in a fit of laughter

"I swear her hopes had risen beyond measurable limits" Bertha said in between laughter "Just read on Lily" Bertha lay back down with her hands under her head as she stared at the ceiling. I sat back and went back to the word game I was playing on my phone.

And after that we all fell back in silence and now the rain I thought had already subsided, started heavier than the last time with thunder rumbling and lightening flashing. On this kind of nights I wonder how different my life would've been if I had parents.

Sister Maryanne, the one who found me by the gate opened the door and peeked in, looked around and stepped in. Here we addressed the nuns as Sisters.

"You girls aren't asleep, why?" Sister Maryanne sat on Bertha's bed and folded her hands on her laps with her rosary hanging down her belt

"Nothing, Sister" Lily closed her book and I kept the phone Bertha sat up. We all did this in respect, no matter how close we and the nuns were the respect wasn't negotiable.

"You okay, Bertha?" Sis Mary eyed the turtle necked long sleeve Bertha wore but said nothing about it cause we all were aware she was deeply insecure about her scars and bringing it up would amount a very ugly conversation.

"Yes sister" Bertha smiled with a hint of sadness making Sister Maryanne engulf her immediately in a hug whispering soothing words to her making Bertha tear up a little. I hated seeing my sister like this. Bertha and Lillian were my twins even if we're not related. We'd been together for most of our lives.

After a few minutes, Sis Maryanne released Bertha and tucked her in regardless of the fact that we were already sixteen years and counting and one by one we three were hugged and tucked in. The nuns cared for everyone here as they did for toddlers, that's the fuel we all use to hold on to life and see the best in the worst of it all.

"We love you girls, okay? God loves you more. Goodnight" she turned off the light and left the room closing the door behind her.

I'm sure the other nuns were in other rooms having their own moments with the other girls.

"Tomorrow we go harder girls" I spoke up in the midst of the darkness and thunderstorms

"Forever?" Bertha sniffed

"Till we die!"Lily affirmed

"Till we die" I whispered and was whisked into a heavy sleep