A Day at the Dentist

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

I lie numb on the chair.

Eyes towards the window on the ceiling wondering, “Who put a window up there?”

Also, being thankful for the wonderful idea.

The clouds were moving unusually fast today.

The weather forecast mentioned that it was going to get windy in the afternoon, and it did.

The dentist and the nurse moved their hands meticulously inside my mouth. I had just one job to do..

I had to lie still with my mouth wide open.

I lay there without flinching, trusting them with their tools inside my mouth.

A swab of cotton goes in, a piercing needle, and a voice above me says, “I am sorry, I know that hurt. Are you okay?”

She must have seen my fingers digging into my thighs. I nod with my mouth wide open and try to relax my hands.

There was an on-going battle inside my mouth while my entire body lay still.

Soon, the drilling and vibrations began.

The dust from the enamel of my tooth blew into the air and onto my face. The nurse wiped my face with a tissue.

A dim light constantly above my head, I lie on the seat with the shades on. 

I hear sounds of a girl crying in pain and wonder what treatment she must be going through? I watch nurses walk in and walk out from the corner of my eye. 

A faint sound of music in the air from the radio, the songs which played I no longer remember. 

A cute guy wearing glasses and headphones sat at the reception area playing games on the Switch, waiting for his wife.

I try to focus on all the things around me so I could take my mind off from the things happening inside my mouth.

A mould of clay goes in, a spray of water, some suction and I feel a bitter tingling sensation on my tongue.

The process repeats and goes on for hours.

Now and then, I hear the dentist say,

“You are a trooper honey.

You are doing good.”

I guess I’m winning the war.

Then again,

There is nothing much for me to do.

As the battle continues,

I lie numb with my mouth open

Looking up at the sky through the window.

blur bristle brush clean
Photo by George Becker on Pexels.com
PS: The cute guy, my husband *_*

 

My Sister, the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 1 Comment

Crime|Dramedy|Unsettling|Family

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My Sister, the Serial Killer, is a story of two sisters, Korede and Ayoola. Ayoola kills and Korede protects. This pretty much sums up the entire story.

What makes it interesting to read is the unique narration by Oyinkan Braithwaite, where a dark theme is narrated with a comic element. Though a short novel, you cannot help but get involved with the characters.

Korede, the elder sister is a nurse by profession. She is reliable, hard-working, and fiercely protective of her younger sister. At the same time she is also resentful of her sister’s flawless beauty.

Ayoola is a carefree, happy-go-lucky soul who always gets what she wants and she is used to men falling in love with her beauty almost instantly. She is extremely close to her sister and shares all her secrets with Korede, including the murders of her boyfriends.

Every time, Ayoola kills a man, she summons her sister by saying, “Korede, I killed him.” As always, Korede goes running to save Ayoola and tries her best to clean up her mess. But, what happens when Korede’s long love interest, Tade, falls for Ayoola’s beauty too? Will she save her sister or Tade?

My Sister, the Serial Killer, is Oyinkan Braithwaite’s debut novel. It is a dark comic fictional story which is easy to read and the story flows really well. At first, you feel the storyline does not progress beyond Ayoola’s beauty, how she is the favorite child, and Korede though being smart always feels worthless. But soon, the story picks up pace, a lot more characters come into the picture and the story evolves.

When Korede finds out that, “More than three murders makes you a serial killer”, she is clearly frightened and worried for her sister. Ayoola’s merry disposition after committing the crimes makes it all the more weird. Introducing another character in the story, Muhtar – a coma patient, who is Korede’s only source of comfort and companion with whom she shares all her secrets and thoughts.

My Sister, the Serial Killer, deals with crime, loyalty, love, an abusive father, and gender roles. This tale also has undertones of self-worth, dependency and frustration with Korede always feeling that she is a step behind Ayoola. It is about family-ties, where both the sisters feed off each other and are equally guilty of their crimes. Ayoola for committing them and Korede for hiding them. Like the author herself says, “They are two sides of the same coin.” This book is a quick, fun, and interesting read.