FED UP [LIV]

(continued...)

                Their mother left the parlour. At the door, she turned and told Mabel, “We have not canceled the pregnancy test tomorrow. Even though I think it is the incident with Segun and the others that triggered the stress and made you feel the way you are feeling now, we need to be medically sure you are not carrying a baby.”

  “Ok mum,” Mabel replied.

“Let me come and help you,” Cynthia said to her mother.

  “No,” her mother replied. “Keep your sister company.”

  “I will be fine,” Mabel said. “Let me just try and sleep.”

  “Ok,” Cynthia said and stood up.

  “Don’t bother yourself,” their mother insisted. “I can handle it myself. Moreover, you are still on drugs and you don’t need to strain your back.”

  “Ok.”

                Cynthia sat back down. Their mother went into the kitchen. Mabel adjusted herself on the couch.

  “Has the dizziness reduced?” Cynthia asked Mabel.

  “Yes it has,” Mabel replied.

  “Thank God.”

  “What about you? Are you feeling the back pain now?”

  “Not really. But it comes up whenever I lift something heavy or bend forward for a long time.”

  “Stop doing them till you are very fine na.”

  “No matter how I try not to, I still have to do them one way or the other. We don’t have a house help and I can’t leave everything for mummy to do.”

  “You are right.”

Mabel reached out her hand and fingered Cynthia’s hair.

  “You washed your hair well,” she said

  “Yes,” Cynthia said. “Chidinma helped me do it.”

  “So the ajibo-forming girl can even wash hair like this?”

  “Don’t mind that girl. There is nothing she doesn’t know how to do. It’s just that her desire to ‘belong’ is preventing her from using her gifts.”

  “Most salons can’t do it as good as this o.”

  “She would have made my hair also, just that I was tired and it was getting late.”

  “Hmm. She has to start using her gifts o.”

  “She said she doesn’t want to suffer.”

  “Hmm.”

  “She said she might come again tomorrow and then do something temporary on my hair so I will manage until I am strong enough to go to the salon and sit for a long time.”

  “That’s nice of her.”

  “I just hope one guy will not call her and offer to take her out tomorrow. She doesn’t miss those kinds of offers.”

  “Well, if she doesn’t come to do it, then I will.”

  “Ok thanks.”

  “You are welcome.”

  “Let me check whether mummy needs help with anything.”

  “Ok.”

                Cynthia got up and went into the kitchen. She soon came back.

  “She doesn’t need help with anything,” she said to Mabel.

  “Ok,” Mabel replied and closed her eyes.

Cynthia sat on the shorter couch opposite Mabel. After a short while of silence, she asked Mabel, “What do you plan to do about this whole thing?”

  “Which thing?” Mabel asked, opening her eyes and looking at Cynthia.

  “The dizziness, the heartbreak, and so on.”

  “I will start with seeing Dr Obinna tomorrow as mummy insisted.”

  “Ok. I just pray it is not what we are thinking.”

Mabel lowered her voice and said,  “I am really scared.”

  “I know,” Cynthia said. “We don’t need Mabel junior now. Not like I won’t be happy to meet my niece or nephew.”

  “I understand. Not with the same pattern as mummy had us.”

  “She will be heartbroken if it happens.”

  “Very very.”

  “Whatever be the case, you will overcome it. You are a stronger woman.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You will still see Pastor’s wife tomorrow right?”

  “Yes. That reminds me, I need to call her to confirm. Help me get my phone.”

  “Don’t you think it is too late to call her now?” Cynthia asked as she got the phone from the center table.

  “Ok. I will just send her an SMS.”

                Cynthia handed over the phone to Mabel and sat back down. Mabel checked her phone log and saw some missed calls from Coker and from an unsaved number. There was also an SMS from Coker. She read it. He just wanted to know how she was doing. She replied the SMS and went on to send her pastor’s wife an SMS. Then she put on her data.

  “Maybe I need to Google the symptoms of pregnancy,” Mabel whispered to Cynthia, looking at the kitchen door to know if her mother was standing there unknown to them.

  “You think it is a good idea?” Cynthia answered. “It will just make you edgy and worried.”

  “Abi.”

  “Why not leave it till you see Dr Obinna tomorrow and let the lab confirm for you whether you are or not.”

  “Ok.”

  “What you can do is find out ‘what you can do when your boyfriend breaks your heart.”

  “On the internet?” Mabel asked laughing.

  “Yes na. There is nothing you will not see in the internet o.”

  “Hmm. But they are just the opinions of people, not to be trusted.”

  “Exactly. But it will give you an idea, especially when you see how other people handled their own issues.”

  “I am not checking that one joor.”

                Mabel’s phone rang. She checked who was calling. It was her pastor’s wife. She answered and they exchanged pleasantries, asking after each other’s family. Her pastor’s wife confirmed the appointment with her the following day by 3 pm. She tried to get information from Mabel on what the matter was but Mabel insisted on telling her when they meet. When they were done talking, she hung up.

  “I didn’t know she would still be available on phone by this time,” Cynthia said.

  “It is not that late yet na,” Mabel said. “By the way, she is a shepherd of flocks like us. So she needs to always be available for us.”

  “She is a nice person. She always calls back.”

  “Yes. Maybe because of how close we are to her.”

  “And how useful we are in the church.”

  “Yes.”

Cynthia yawned and asked, “What did you come back with? I am hungry.”

  “Check the nylon bag. I think there is juice there.”

Cynthia rummaged through the nylon bag containing the things Coker had bought for Mabel. She brought out the fruit juice.

  “Did you get these things yourself?” Cynthia asked her.

  “Why do you ask?” Mabel replied.

  “This is not your type of juice, so I don’t think you bought it by yourself.”

  “Are you interested or not?”

  “Hmm. Mabel Mabel.”

  “What?”

  “Is this peace offering from Segun?”

  “God forbid. You think I will accept anything from him?”

  “Are you seeing someone else?”

  “Cynthia!”

  “Sorry. Something just tells me you did not buy them yourself.”

                As Cynthia’s hands went through the nylon bag, she felt a paper. She reached in and brought it out. It was a complimentary-card-sized paper with a write-up.

  “Which one is this?” she said.

  “What’s that?” Mabel asked, looking up from her phone.

  “A note.”

  “What does it say?”

  “It says, ‘I am really worried about you. Please take good care of yourself. I care.’”

  “What?” Mabel said and sat up. “You are joking right.”

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

FED UP [LIII]

(continued...)

                She lowered her voice and asked Mabel, “Are you pregnant?”

                Mabel and Cynthia were taken aback by the question. They kept quiet for a while, looking from one person to the other. It was Mabel who broke the silence.

  “It cannot be,” Mabel said, her voice showing she was not so sure. “I can’t be pregnant.”

  “How sure are you?” Cynthia asked her.

  “I am always careful. I can’t take the risk of getting pregnant before marriage.”

  “Well, you can’t trust these family planning methods.”

  “I took proper precautions each time I had sex with Segun.”

  “Hmmm, ok oo.”

                Cynthia did not know what else to say or ask. Their mother just sat and looked at the floor, shaking her head. The thought of the possibility of being pregnant went through Mabel’s mind. She remembered few times when Segun had insisted that they do away with family planning methods and her heart skipped a beat. Cynthia just looked from Mabel to her mother, trying to figure out what they were thinking and what else to say.

  “I am not pregnant,” Mabel finally said with mock confidence.

  “You will have to see Dr Obinna tomorrow to find out whether you are pregnant or not,” their mother said.

  “I will go with you also to collect my test result,” Cynthia said.

  “No,” Mabel insisted, shaking her head. “I will not see him. I am not pregnant. This feeling will just go away.”

  “You must see him,” their mother insisted.

                Their mother was sounding angry.

  “It may not be pregnancy,” Cynthia said, trying to diffuse the tension. “I think it is stress and the incident that happened today.”

                Mabel’s leg was close to Cynthia so she marched Cynthia.

  “What incident?” their mother asked.

                Cynthia looked at Mabel, giving her signal to tell their mother.

  “Why do you always think you can handle your problems alone?” their mother asked Mabel. “What am I here for if I can’t help you?”

  “Mum it’s not like that,” Mabel said

  “What is it like?”

  “You are carrying much already. I don’t have to heap little issues I can handle on you.”

  “What does that mean?”

                Mabel kept quiet.

  “I don’t need Cynthia convincing you to tell me what you are going through,” their mother continued. “I am your mother for crying out loud. If I had met Segun before you became serious with him, I might have had a contrary opinion and advised you properly, but you only told me when it looked like you were going to get married. Why do you hide things from me?”

  “Am sorry mum,” Mabel said, swallowing a lump in her throat.

  “I am not angry. I just feel you should bring me closer and let me know whatever is going on in your life, and on time.”

  “But you suffer Blood Pressure issues. I don’t want to make you worried.”

  “Don’t bother about my health. I am fine. When I have issues, I let you know, don’t I? ”

  “You do.”

  “Then why all these?”

  “Am sorry mum,” Mabel pleaded again.

                Their mother got up to leave the parlour.

  “Where are you going?” Mabel asked her, a bit jittery.

  “Let me go and prepare something we will eat this night,” she replied.

  “I thought you were leaving us in anger,” Mabel said and heaved a sigh of relief.

  “Why will I do that? A mother’s anger never gets to the bone.”

  “You don’t want to know the incident that happened today?” Cynthia asked her.

                Mabel kicked Cynthia mildly.

  “Mabel will tell me when she wants to,” their mother said and left for the kitchen.

  “Why were you marching me?” Cynthia asked Mabel when her mother was out of earshot.

  “Nothing,” Mabel said.

  “So what exactly happened today?”

                Mabel looked towards the kitchen to make sure her mother was not eavesdropping and then said, “I saw Segun today.”

                Their mother came out from the kitchen to the parlour.

  “You saw who?” she asked. “Where? When?”

  “Mummy how did you hear what Mabel said?” Cynthia asked.

  “Wait till you become a mother. You will hear whatever you want to hear from wherever you are.”

She turned to Mabel and gave her sign to start talking.

  “That was before the dizziness started,” Mabel said.

  “What happen?” their mother asked. “He came to see you or you went to see him?”

  “There was no way I could have gone to see him.”

  “Then how did you meet?”

  “It was Magi who arranged the meeting in a Fast-Food restaurant. I was not aware of what she had planned.”

  “Continue. I want details.”

                Mabel told them the whole story from when Coker came to see her to their going to meet Margret at the Fast-food restaurant and everything that happened there. She left out the part where Kemi sent her a threatening SMS.

  “No wonder you wanted to faint,” their mother said when she was done. “Did they touch you?”

  “No one can dare that.”

  “Imagine such nonsense!”

  “Kemi even had the guts to come there and do nonsense,” Cynthia said. “That girl does not have shame o. So what did Segun do about her?”

  “I have told you everything in details na,” Mabel told her. “You want me to start from the beginning?”

  “Sorry, I was thinking of what to do to Segun when you said that part.”

  “I really need to rest. Remembering the incident has upset my system now.”

  “Don’t worry my dear,” her mother said, holding her shoulder. “You will get over this.”

  “Thanks mum,” Mabel replied, resting her head on her mum’s hand.

  “Let us just keep our fingers crossed and watch events unfold. Don’t let it get to you ok.”

  “I will try.”

                Their mother adjusted the wrapper across her chest.

  “I am still thinking of what to cook now,” she said and then asked Mabel, “What will you like to eat?”

  “I don’t feel like eating anything,” Mabel said.

  “You need to eat something.”

  “Maybe something light.”

  “Yam and vegetable is the only thing that comes to mind now.”

  “We ate yam in the morning.”

  “It does not matter. This one will be with vegetable.

  “But I don’t have strength to chew yam now.”

  “It is too late to cook soup or anything else now.”

  “I will just eat the fruits.”

  “Fruit is not food. I will cook the yam like that. You can just eat the vegetable part.”

  “Ok.”

                Their mother turned to leave.

  “You did not ask me what I want to eat,” Cynthia said, pretending to be sulking.

                They laughed.

  “Baby baby,” Mabel called her.

                Their mother left the parlour. At the door, she turned and told Mabel, “We have not canceled the pregnancy test tomorrow. Even though I think it is the incident with Segun and the others that triggered the stress and made you feel the way you are feeling now, we need to be medically sure you are not carrying a baby.”

  “Ok mum,” Mabel replied.

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

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FED UP





THE UNCLE NEXT DOOR




AGAINST THE TIDE

FED UP [LII]

(continued...)

                Cynthia carried Mabel’s stuff and entered the house. Their mother held Mabel’s hands as they entered together. As soon as they were in the parlour, Mabel collapsed into the cushion.

  “Cynthia get water,” their mother said, faning Mabel with the edge of her wrapper.

                Cynthia got drinking water.

  “Mabel get up and drink water,” her mother said.

  “Am coming,” she said.

Their mother poured some of the water on her palm and wiped Mabel’s face with it.

  “Mummy you will clean her makeup,” Cynthia said.

  “Who cares about makeup when they are not feeling fine?” their mother asked, still wiping Mabel’s face. “Get up get up.”

Their mother practically dragged Mabel to sit up. Mabel sat up, drank the water and lay back down on the cushion.

  “What is wrong with you?” Cynthia asked her.

  “I was in my house this afternoon and suddenly started feeling dizzy.”

  “Just like that?” her mother asked her inquisitively. “Nothing happened before that?”

  “I will tell you later. I am having headache and feeling dizzy now. I just need to lie down and rest.”

  “Let me get something for you to take for the headache.”

                Her mother went into her room and came out with two tablets of analgesics and gave her to drink.

  “You know I hate drugs,” Mabel lamented.

  “You need this to stop the headache,” their mother said. “Then I will get something that will stop the dizziness.”

  “Are you bringing more drugs?”

  “No. Just something to cancel out stress in your system and replenish you quickly.”

  “I just need to sleep. That’s all.”

  “You will but not yet. If you sleep now without canceling the stress in your system, you will not sleep well and you will wake up feeling worse.”

  “Ok.”

  “Meanwhile take this drug.”

                Mabel sat up reluctantly, took the drugs and sunk back into the seat.

  “Lie down well na,” Cynthia told her.

                Mabel shifted herself and lay well on the long couch. Cynthia helped her lift her legs and keep on the couch. When their mother saw that Mabel had taken the drugs and had lain down, she went into the room and came out with some money.

  “Where are you going?” Cynthia asked her.

   “Let me buy malt and milk for Mabel,” she said

  “Give me the money let me go and buy it for her.”

  “No, stay with her. Remember you are also on drugs.”

  “Tell Chuka to buy it,” Mabel teased Cynthia and smiled.

  “It is true sef,” their mother said.

  “You people are not serious,” Cynthia said.

                Their mother shifted the curtain and made to shout Chuka’s name.

  “Mummy stop it na,” Cynthia begged her.

  “What is wrong with him getting it na?” their mother asked.

  “I don’t want him to get close.”

                Their mother laughed and left to buy the items herself.

  “How are you feeling?” Mabel asked Cynthia.

  “Better than yesterday,” Cynthia replied. “The drugs are working.”

  “Good to know.”

  “What did you say happened before you started feeling dizzy?”

  “I don’t want to remember it now.”

  “Does it have to do with Segun?”

                Mabel nodded.

  “Segun again?” Cynthia said. “Did he touch you?”

  “Never,” Mabel said.

  “So what happened?”

  “Wait till mummy gets the malt and milk. I should feel better after taking it. Then I will tell you.”

                Cynthia looked through the window to know if her mother was coming back. She saw Chuka outside. As he turned his sight towards her, she hurriedly closed the curtain.

  “I think this guy is stalking me,” she said.

  “Who?” Mabel asked her.

  “Chuka.”

  “I know he likes you. But whether he is stalking you, I don’t think so.”

                The door opened.

  “Please don’t tell mummy anything,” Mabel told Cynthia in a hushed tone.

                Cynthia nodded.

                Their mother quickly mixed the malt and milk in a cup and brought to Mabel.

  “This thing is too much na,” Mabel complained when she sat up and took the cup.

  “You need to finish it,” her mother said.

  “If you take up to half and you are tired, I can help you finish it,” Cynthia said.

  “You will like it.”

                Mabel gulped the mixture malt and milk.

  “Why not take it small small,” Cynthia said.

  “I don’t want to get tired of it soon,” Mabel replied.

                When Mabel drank a little more than half the cup, she handed the cup over to Cynthia.

  “Take more,” her mother said.

  “No. If I do, I will throw up. I am feeling like throwing up.”

Their mother looked at Mabel without blinking her eye till Mabel became uncomfortable.

  “Mummy what is it?”

                Her mother kept quiet.

  “Mummy what’s the matter? Cynthia asked her, still holding the cup.

  “My mind is telling me something but I hope it is not true,” their mother finally said.

  “What?” Mabel asked.

                She lowered her voice and asked Mabel, “Are you pregnant?”

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

FED UP [LI]

(continued...)

                As they got close to Mabel’s mother’s place, her phone beeped. She checked it. It was a text message from an unknown number. At first she didn’t want to read it but on second thought, she opened it. She read the first line and then skimmed to the end. It was a long text message from Kemi.

  “Kemi just sent me an SMS,” she announced.

  “What did she say?” Coker asked her.

  “I have not read through it but it doesn’t look nice.”

  “You can delete it without reading it, so you don’t read what will make you feel worse than you already feel.”

  “No, I need to know what she said.”

  “Ok. Read it out so I can hear.”

                Mabel told Coker’s brother where to park as he got to their compound. As he did so, she read the SMS. Kemi started by calling Mabel all sorts of names. She told Mabel that Segun was her man and nothing she ever did would make him leave her, that she (Mabel) was Segun’s vomit which he would never go back to. Then Kemi made mention of her sex life. Mabel stopped reading and sighed.

  “That girl is crazy,” Coker’s brother said. “She is way out of her mind.”

  “Skip that and go to the end of the text message,” Coker said.

                Mabel stared at the phone without saying a word.

  “Mabel,” Coker called her. “Read the end na.”

  “I can’t continue,” she said and sniffed.

                She gave him the phone to continue reading out. He took it and finished reading the message. Kemi ended with a threat to teach Mabel a lesson for embarrassing her.

  “She is bluffing,” Coker said angrily and handed the phone back to Mabel.

  “Don’t take it lightly,” his brother said. “I don’t think she is bluffing, after what I witnessed today.”

  “She is not my match in anything,” Mabel said. “She can bring it on.”

  “Forward this message to my phone,” Coker told her.

  “I will do that now.”

  “Also forward it to Maggi.”

  “Ok.”

                Mabel forwarded the message to Coker and Margret. Coker’s phone beeped.

  “I have received it,” he said, checking his phone to confirm. “I will handle it from my side while Margret handles it from hers. As far as I am concerned, the meeting today had nothing to do with you. So the threat is uncalled for.”

  “I did not even touch her today,” Mabel said. “It was Margret.”

 “Forward the message to Segun,” Coker’s brother said to him.

  “No ooo,” Mabel said. “It will look as though I am afraid of her.”

  “Let’s not get Segun involved yet,” Coker said.

  “But he is the center of all this,” Coker’s brother said.

  “No,” Mabel said. “Kemi is.”

                Mabel swallowed a lump in her throat. Her emotion was a mixture of anger and heart break. Almost immediately, Margret called her on phone and she picked. Margret was heard shouting angrily as she promised to take care of Kemi for good. When she was done ranting, she hung up.

  “I have to be going,” Mabel announced.

                By then, dusk was fast approaching.

  “Yes please so you can rest,” Coker said.

                Mabel opened the car door and stepped out. She felt dizzy and held the door of the car. Coker rushed and helped her stand upright.

  “You really need to rest,” he said.

  “And also see a doctor or therapist,” his brother added.

                Coker walked beside her as she went into the compound. His brother got her stuff and went behind them. Mabel tried her best to look normal as she waved and exchanged pleasantries with the neighbours she saw. At the door of her mother’s apartment, she met her mother standing with her phone in her hand.

  “I was about calling you now,” her mother said. “Where have you been?”

                Mabel just greeted her and shook her head in a bid to shake off the dizziness. Her mother noticed that all was not well and rushed to her side. Coker and his brother greeted her. She responded and asked them what the matter was.

  “She is feeling dizzy,” Coker said.

  “Since when?”

  “Not quite long ago.”

  “Did anything happen?”

                Coker looked at Mabel who gave him an eye-signal not to say anything.

  “Co...what’s that your name again?” their mother asked

  “Coker ma,” Coker replied.

  “Can you tell me what happened to my daughter?”

  “Nothing serious. She will tell you later. Right now, she just needs rest.”

  “If anything happens to my daughter...” she began sounding emotional.

  “It has not come to that ma. She just needs to rest. It is accumulated emotional and physical stress that’s now telling on her.”

                Cynthia came out to the door and met them.

  “What is going on?” she asked.

  “Your sister is not feeling well,” her mother said.

  “I am fine,” Mabel said.

                Cynthia greeted Coker and his brother.

  “Come inside na,” she said to Mabel. “You are looking weak. You really need to rest.”

                Mabel collected her purse and phone from Coker. Cynthia collected Mabel’s stuff that Coker’s brother was carrying.

  “Thank you so much for everything,” Mabel told Coker.

  “Anytime,” Coker replied.

  “Thank you also,” she told Coker’s brother.

  “It’s my pleasure,” he replied.

  “I will handle the matter,” Coker said to her as she turned to enter the house.

  “Handle which matter?” Mabel’s mum asked Coker.

  “Nothing,” Coker said and retreated sharply, his brother following immediately.

  “Hmm. Children of nowadays and secrecy. God pass all of you.”

                Cynthia carried Mabel’s stuff and entered the house. Their mother held Mabel’s hands as they entered together. As soon as they were in the parlour, Mabel collapsed into the cushion.

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

FED UP [L]

(continued...)

Mabel went through her phone call log and saw all the missed calls. Cynthia and her mum had called her severally. Cynthia also sent her text messages asking her where she was and why she was not picking up. She dialed Cynthia’s number. It rang once and Cynthia picked.

  “Where are you?” Cynthia asked her.

  “On my way,” Mabel replied.

  “You have not been picking my call. Even mummy called and you didn’t pick. Is there a problem?”

  “I will gist you when I come.”

  “Ok. How soon will you be here?”

  “In fifteen minutes.”

  “Ok.”

                Mabel hung up. About a minute later, her mother called her.

  “Why is mummy calling me?” Mabel asked herself. “Is she not with Cynthia?”

Mabel allowed her phone to ring and stop, and then she dialed her mother. Her mother answered, sounding worried about her. She reassured her mother that she was fine and she was on her way to the house. Then she hung up.

  “You have a lovely family who care about each other,” Coker’s brother said.

  “Thank you,” Mabel said.

  “I will love to meet them.”

                Mabel kept quiet. Coker’s brother looked at her through the rear view mirror but she looked away. He cleared his throat and continued driving.

  “Mabel,” Coker called.

                Mabel did not respond. He called her again, turning around to see why she was not responding.

  “Yea?” she answered.

  “Do you still feel dizzy?” he asked.

  “Slightly.”

  “I couldn’t help but notice something in your apartment.”

  “What is that?”

  “You still have stuff that belong to Segun.”

  “You mean stuff he bought for me.”

  “Yes.”

  “They are still there.”

  “Why are you still keeping them?”

  “I can’t throw them away.”

  “Why?”

  “They are things I need. I bought more things for him, and he still has them.”

  “Oh really.”

  “The wrist chain he was wearing today was the one I gave to him.”

  “Ok. But since you know he has moved on, why not remove those things and get new ones. They will keep bringing back old memories and reminders of him.”

  “Ok. I will. When I return back to my house fully.”

  “If you need help with buying new ones, let me know,” Coker’s brother interjected.

  “Don’t worry,” Mabel replied him. “I can take care of myself. Thanks anyways.”

                They were silent for a while. They drove past a shopping mall and Coker asked Mabel if she wanted to buy anything she might need in the house.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Mabel said. “You have done enough already.”

  “I don’t think I have.”

  “You changed your plans for today just because of me. Who does that?”

  “If you say so.”

  “I could do with cold bottled water though. I don’t know whether there will be light at home.”

  “Ok. We have already passed the shopping mall. We will stop at the one we see.”

                They didn’t drive long before they saw a supermarket. Coker’s brother drove into the parking lot and parked. Mabel made to open the door and come out but Coker stopped her.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “To get the water,” she replied.

  “Don’t worry, I will get it for you.”

  “Ok thanks.”

                Mabel relaxed. Coker went into the supermarket to get the bottled water. While he was away, his brother kept stealing glances at Mabel through the rear view mirror. He seemed to be observing her mood in order to know what to say. Mabel knew he was trying to say something but she kept quiet, looking out of the window. Then she looked at the rear mirror and their eyes met.

  “Is there a problem?” she asked him.

  “No,” he replied. “Not at all.”

  “You are tensed up.”

  “Me? I am not.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Ok, truth be told, I am thinking of what to say.”

  “Ok na.”

                Mabel shook her head and smiled. Coker’s brother saw her do that and felt stupid. He tried to say something but stopped when he saw Coker coming.

  “What did you say?” Mabel asked him.

  “I said Coker is coming.”

                He turned on the ignition, Coker entered and he drove off. Coker handed the take-away bag to Mabel. It contained bottles of cold water, juice, some apples and biscuits.

  “Ah ah,” Mabel exclaimed when she got the take away nylon. “Why did you stress yourself?”

  “It is nothing,” Coker said. “I am still trying to redeem myself for what my friend did to you.”

  “Bros bros,” his brother called him. “You no remain anything for me to do.”

  “Wetin you wan do? Your oyibo madam no dey?”

  “Bros leave matter. Difference dey.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Mabel told him.

  “You are welcome,” he replied.

  “You have truly redeemed yourself.”

  “Now you know that all men are not the same.”

  “If I hear. Only time will tell.”

                As they got close to Mabel’s mother’s place, her phone beeped. She checked it. It was a text message from an unknown number. At first she didn’t want to read it but on second thought, she opened it. It was lengthy text message from Kemi.

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

FED UP [XLIX]

(continued...)

                At the base of the staircase, Mabel felt a stronger wave of dizziness hit her and fell into Coker’s waiting arms. Coker staggered a bit but held her strong.

  “Mabel, are you okay?” he asked her.

                She blinked her eye repeatedly as she tried to remain conscious. Coker blew air on her face, trying to stop her from fainting. After a while, she stood up straight but with her hand around Coker’s shoulder.

  “I don’t understand this kind of dizziness,” she said, shaking her head in a bid to shake it off.

  “You are physically and emotionally stressed,” Coker said. “You might need to see a doctor o?”

  “No. I will be fine. When I get to my mother’s place, I will rest. That’s just what I need now.”

                She turned to leave the building.

  “What about your phone?” Coker asked.

  “I forgot,” she said. “Let me get it.”

                Mabel made to climb the stairs but Coker stopped her.

  “Do you want to faint?” he asked. “Give me your keys let me get the phone for you.”

  “Ok.”

                Mabel then realized she was not with the keys.

  “I think I left it in your car,” she said.

  “This is serious o,” Coker said, worried. “Where do I find it in the car?”

  “I don’t know where exactly. I just know I brought it out from my handbag. Check the back seat where I sat.”

  “Ok, sit here let me go and get it.”

                He helped her sit down on the first step.

  “Please hurry up,” she said, leaning her head on the rail. “I don’t want people seeing me like this.”

  “Ok,” Coker said and left her. He did not walk fast to avoid attracting attention. He got to the car, searched the back seat but did not see the key. He then checked the floor and saw it. He took it back to Mabel.

  “Is this it?” he asked her.

  “Yes,” Mabel replied.

                Mabel told him how to open the door.

  “Where exactly should I look for the phone and the purse?” he asked.

  “I don’t know exactly where. Maybe I should just manage and go with you.”

  “No please. I don’t want to take that risk.”

  “Ok. Just search everywhere; my room and kitchen precisely.”

                Coker went upstairs. Some minutes after he was gone, Risi came back from buying something and met Mabel sitting on the step.

  “Aunty are you ok?” she asked, touching Mabel’s shoulder.

  “I am ok my dear,” Mabel said.

  “But you are looking sick. What are you even doing here?”

  “I just feel a bit dizzy, that’s all.”

  “Like someone that wants to faint?”

  “No,” Mabel said, forcing a smile. “Like someone who is tired.”

  “Let me tell my mummy.”

  “Don’t bother her. I will be fine.”

                Risi left her and went upstairs to their flat. In no time, her mother ran down carrying a bowl of water. The sound of her running feet made Mabel turn back immediately.

  “Mabel are you ok?” Mama Risi said as she got close, ready to pour the water.

  “I am ok,” Mabel replied, looking surprised.  “What is the water for?”

  “Risi said you fainted. I wanted to pour it on you.””

  “As you can see, I am ok ma”

  “Ah ah.”

                Mama Risi turned to Risi who was standing behind her.

  “Why did you make me run like this?” she asked her daughter. “I will just pour you this water.”

  “Don’t pour her please,” Mabel intervened.

Risi went backward out of harm’s way and spoke her mind.

  “Mummy, Aunty Mabel is sick but she doesn’t want to tell you. If she did not faint, why is she sitting on the step like this?”

  “It is true,” Mama Risi said and turned to Mabel. “What are you doing here? I though you said you forgot something? Where is that young man you were with?”

  “Which one should I answer first?” Mabel asked, smiling.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I just feel dizzy. That’s all.”

  “You should have told me since, so we will know what to do about it.”

  “I don’t want to bother you. When I get to my mum’s place, I will take care of myself.”

  “Is there any particular problem? I noticed that you have not been yourself since weekend and you have not been going to work.”

  “I think I stressed myself too much. I just took some days off.”

  “Sure?” Mama Risi asked, unconvinced.

  “Yes.”

  “You need to take things easy,” 

  “I am trying.”

  “You need to take a lot of water, fruits and rest.”

                Just then, Coker came downstairs with her phone and purse.

  “What happened?” he asked, looking from Mabel to Mama Risi who was still carrying the bowl of water.

  “My daughter told me that Mabel fainted,” Mama Risi said.

  “Is that true? Did that happen after I left?”

  “Not at all,” Mabel replied.

  “OK. Thank God. We need to go before it gets late.”

  “Did you see the phone and the purse?”

  “Yes I did.”

  “Ok.”

                He helped Mabel get to her feet. He wanted to hold her as they walked but she told him she could go herself.

  “I don’t want any attention,” Mabel said.

  “Ok,” Coker said. “By the way, you missed several calls from your sister and your mother,” he told Mabel as they walked to the car.

  “When we get to the car, I will return the calls.”

                Mama Risi walked behind them, still carrying her bowl of water. When they got to the car, Coker opened the back seat door and Mabel sat in. His brother came to Mabel and asked if she was ok.

  “I am fine thank you,” she replied.

  “Drive,” Coker told his brother.

  “I want to sit behind with her and make sure she is fine,” Coker’s brother said.

  “I said I am fine o,” Mabel said again, smiling.

  “Ok if you say so.”

                He went to the driver’s seat.

  “Why don’t you want to drive?” Mabel asked Coker. “Are you ok?”

  “I am also feeling dizzy,” Coker replied.

                Mabel burst into laughter and he joined in. That helped ease the tension.

  “Mama Risi you can go back now,” Mabel told Mama Risi. “I will call you when I get to my mum’s place.”

  “Ok my dear,” Mama Risi said. “Please take care of yourself.”

  “I will.”

                Risi waved at Mabel as she went back in with her mother who was still clutching her bowl of water. Mabel waved back. Coker sat in, put on his seat belt and his brother drove off. Mabel sunk into her seat and sighed. 

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

FED UP [XLVIII]

(...continued...)

They laughed, entered their separate cars and drove off. Coker allowed Margret drive off first before he drove off. As Coker drove off, Mabel’s countenance gradually changed as the weight of the drama fell on Mabel and she felt tears forming in her eyes. She sniffed and brought out her hanky to mop the tears in her eyes so they won’t roll down her cheek.

Coker looked at her from the rear view mirror and asked, “Mabel are you ok?”

  “I am fine,” Mabel said.

  “But you are crying,”

  “Don’t worry, I will get over it.”

  “Please do. He doesn’t own your life.”

  “No he doesn’t. I am just fed up with all the drama. I wish time will speed up and heal the wound faster.”

  “It’s a process during which you go through all manner of emotions. It will pass.”

  “Yea.”

  “Just make sure to stay away from reminders just like what happened today.”

  “I wish I had a clue what the meeting was all about.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “Wipe those tears dear,” Coker’s brother said. “You deserve much more than this.”

  “Thank you,” Mabel said.

  “Do you need my hanky?”

  “I have mine, don’t worry.”

                Coker gave his brother a side-eye look and he faced his front.

                Mabel was quiet most of the journey, only replying whenever Coker asked her a question or his brother made a comment that she just had to respond to. She was just lost in thought. It was Coker who brought her back to reality when he told her they had gotten to her house.

  “Oh ok,” she said.

                Coker looked at her and shook his head. He drove into the compound and parked well.

  “I will wait for you to get the things you need,” he told her as she alighted. “So I will take you to your mum’s place.”

  “Ok I will not waste time,” Mabel said.

                She greeted those she saw in the compound without waiting to converse, and then went upstairs to her apartment.

  “That girl is going through stuff,” Coker’s brother said when she was out of the car.

  “A lot,” Coker agreed. “But she is a strong woman.”

  “I wonder how that Segun of a guy had the heart to leave such a lovely girl like this.”

  “I still think Kemi has something over him.”

  “Maybe, or he is not seeing what I am seeing. A very beautiful girl with the right shape.”

  “In addition to that, she is very homely, efficient in her work place, and doesn’t mess around. She is just a wife material.”

  “So what then is the matter?”

  “She has to sort things out by herself. We can only do the much we can to help.”

  “Maybe I should apply.”

  “As what?”

  “As Segun’s replacement. She needs someone to comfort her.”

  “Please let her be. She is still hurting. The wound in her heart is still fresh.”

  “But she needs a man…”

  “She doesn’t. Right now, she needs God and her family.”

  “Kai, I wish I could help.”

   “You might get the chance to do so, with time. I know you really like her.”

  “Bro, since the first time I saw her.”

                They were quiet as they waited for Mabel.

                Mabel got to her room, washed her face and hurriedly applied light makeup. She confirmed that everything she needed was packed and ready to be carried, checked the switches to make sure they were off. Then she locked the door and went downstairs. She stopped at Mama Risi’s door and knocked. It was her son who answered the door. He greeted her.

  “Thank you,” she replied. “Where is your mother?”

  “She is in the kitchen,” he replied. “Let me call her.”

  “Don’t bother calling her. Just let her know I have gone to my mum’s place.”

  “Ok.”

                She went downstairs. When she was close to the car, she heard Mama Risi calling her from a window in her apartment. She turned and greeted her.

  “Are you leaving?” Mama Risi asked her.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I will come back tomorrow.”

  “OK. My regards to everyone at home.”

  “They will hear.”

                Coker turned on his ignition and reversed the car. When he was done, his brother opened the back seat door and Mabel entered.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “You are welcome.”

                Coker drove out. When the car was about entering the road, Mabel suddenly started looking for something inside the bag she was carrying.

  “What is it?” Coker asked as he pulled over.

  “I can’t find my phone,” Mabel replied.

  “Where is the purse you had with you some minutes ago?”

  “Oh, I think I forgot it in my room.”

  “Mabel are you sure you are ok?”

  “Yes I am. Let me go and get it.”

                Coker reversed back into the compound and parked. Mabel opened the car and came out to go get the purse where her phone was. A wave of dizziness hit her, she staggered.

  “Mabel!” Coker shouted and rushed out of the car to help her, with his brother following behind.

  “What happened?” Coker’s brother asked her.

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “I just felt dizzy.”

  “And you said you are fine,” Coker said.

  “Don’t bother about me. It is nothing.”

  “You need to let go from your heart.”

  “You are too nice to carry such emotional loads,” Coker’s brother added.

  “I said I am fine. Don’t worry about me. Let me go get the purse and my phone, then we can leave.”

  “I will go with you,” Coker offered.

  “Ok.”

  “Please stay with the car,” Coker said to his brother.

  “Ok,” his brother replied.

                Coker went with Mabel. He made sure to walk close to her in case she felt dizzy again. Mama Risi looked from her window and saw Mabel coming back in and asked her if there was any problem.

  “I forgot something,” Mabel replied.

  “Ok,” she replied and closed her curtain.

                At the base of the staircase, Mabel felt a stronger wave of dizziness and fell into Coker’s waiting arms.

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

FED UP [XLVII]

(continued...)

                Some minutes later, Kemi and Segun walked out of the door.

  “Can we get out of here now?” Mabel asked.

  “We may still jam them at the car park,” Coker said.

  “And part two will start,” Margret added.

  “So we will sit here forever?” Mabel asked, a bit impatient.

  “No,” Coker said. “Few minutes more.”

  “Should I go and check when they leave?” Coker’s brother asked.

  “It’s not necessary,” Coker said. “Few more minutes and we are out of here.”

  “And if we jam them and she tries any nonsense,” Margret said. “I will show her how terrible I can be.”

  “I have had enough drama for today,” Mabel said. “I just want to go home and lie down.”

They sat and waited.

After some minutes, Coker looked at his watch and said, “We can now leave.”

                They gathered their bags and things and got up to leave. As they got to the door, they heard the sound of a collision between two vehicles outside, then a car speeding off.

  “What was that?” Margret asked rushing out.

  “Don’t rush out like that,” Coker told her. “You don’t know what is going on outside there. You could get hurt.”

  “I just want to make sure nobody hit my car.”

                They cautiously got outside and saw some people gathered outside the fast-food restaurant. They went close and saw a car that had been hit.

  “Thank God it is not my car,” Margret said.

They asked one man what had happened.

  “A man and a woman entered their car in a hurry and while driving off, they hit that car,” he said. “The stupid man that hit this car just sped off.”

  “What type of car were they in?” Margret asked.

                He described the car. The description fitted Segun’s car.

  “O My God,” Margret said. “I hope Segun is ok.”

  “AS if you know who they are?” Coker said, pulling her aside.

They went to a corner, away from listening ears.

  “Do you want to pay for what your cousin just did?” Mabel asked her. “Why did you react like you know them?”

  “I forgot o,” Margret said.

  “If they find out you know who did it,” Coker said. “You will either produce him or pay for the damages caused.”

  “I wonder why he sped off like that,” Margret said, a bit worried.

  “He is broke,” Coker’s brother said. “He couldn’t have been able to pay for the damage he may have caused.”

                They looked at him and he looked away.

  “Don’t talk about your fellow man like that o,” Coker told him.

  “Especially when his cousin sister is around,” Margret added. “And his ex”

  “Please don’t call me that,” Mabel told her.

  “Sorry,” Margret apologized.

  “It’s ok.”

  “I need to call him to know how he is,” Margret said.

                She dialed Segun’s number. It rang twice but he did not pick.

  “I hope he is fine,” she said. “This is all my fault. If I had known, I wouldn’t have organized this meeting.”

  “You didn’t know it will turn out like this,” Coker said. “Try calling him again.”

                She tried again but the call was ‘busied’

  “He is now rejecting my call,” Margret said sadly.

  “He may not be the one busying your call,” Mabel said. “He is driving, most likely in top speed. So it must be that witch who is holding his phone.”

  “Even if she is the one with his phone, she will not reject the call if he wants to pick it.”

  “Let me try with my line that he does not know,” Coker said.

                He dialed Segun’s number and Kemi picked. He asked to speak to Segun. She asked to know who it was. He told her who he was and she cut the call. He held the phone for a while, shocked.

  “She actually cut the call on me,” he said.

  “After what just happened to her,” Coker’s brother said. “She could do worse.”

  “That girl has to leave my brother,” Margret said.

  “I think Segun is okay,” Coker said. “I was hearing the noise of moving vehicles in the background.”

  “Please come and take me home,” Mabel said. “My sister must be tired of waiting for me.”

  “Ok,” Coker said.

They left the scene and went towards their cars. Margret went to hers while Mabel and the rest went to Coker’s car.

  “I will call you later,” Margret told Mabel.

  “Just chat me up,” Mabel replied. “After what happened today, I might not be in the mood to pick calls.”

  “Where are you going to now?”

  “I will pick my things from my house and then go to my mother’s place.”

  “How will you go?”

  “Don’t worry I will drive her to wherever she wants,” Coker said.

  “OK Thank you, but keep her away from your brother.”

                They laughed, entered their separate cars and drove off.

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

FED UP [xLvi]

(continued...)

While they were still talking back and forth, Kemi walked through the door. She looked around in search. When she saw Segun, she didn’t waste time in walking briskly towards the table where he was. Mabel saw her and braced herself. Margret pinched her again.

  “Stop doing that,” Mabel told Margret. “You will wound me.”

  “Who invited her here?” Margret asked Segun.

  “I did,” Segun replied. “I told her where I was.”

  “Why?”

  “We were supposed to meet like thirty minutes ago but you changed my plans.”

                Kemi came close and touched Segun’s shoulder passionately with her right hand, stroking his hair and ear with the left hand.

  “Baby you kept me waiting,” she said with such a voice as to make Mabel jealous.

  “So sorry honey,” Segun replied and touched her right hand.

  “What’s going on here?”

  “Who invited you here?” Margret asked her.

  “My boo did,” she replied with attitude. “What is happening here?”

  “Can’t you see I am chatting with my brother? Can you please excuse us.”

  “And what is she doing here?” Kemi asked, pointing at Mabel.

                Mabel moved her chair backwards to get up but Margret held her down by her thigh. All the pinching, tapping and nudging were going on under the table so only the two of them knew what was going on.

  “You are a fool,” Mabel said to Kemi. Then she turned to Margret and said, “I can’t take this anymore.” She turned to Coker and said, “Let’s leave.”

                Coker gave her a sign to calm down. He sat still, waiting to know what would happen next.

  “If Segun has chosen this one that entered,” Coker’s brother whispered to him. “Then it is over between him and Mabel. Maybe I could then stand a chance.”

  “Shhh,” Coker told him. “Will you keep quiet.”

                There was silence for some seconds. Segun just looked on without saying a word.

  “Baby let us go,” Kemi told him.

                Segun looked at Margret as though he was waiting for her permission. She just sat there eyeing Kemi.

  “Are you waiting for her permission?” Kemi said, pointing at Margret.

  “Honey,” Segun said to Kemi. “Wait for me in my car. I will soon join you.”

  “You want to go back to this gold digger you left?”

Mabel let go of the ice cream plate she was carrying and it landed on kemi’s face and overturned on her body.

  “O My Gosh!” Kemi said and moved towards Mabel. Before she could do anything, Margret got up and slapped her. The sound of the slap reverberated through the eatery. Everyone turned to watch the action. Margret pulled Mabel behind her and stood directly in front of Kemi. Kemi was in a rage. She wanted to fight but Segun got up and held her back.

  “All of you are witches,” she said angrily.

                Margret slapped her again.

  “Will you stop doing that!”Segun said to Margret.

                Kemi tried to force herself out of Segun’s grip but he held her strong.

  “Oohm baby leave me alone let me teach them a lesson,” Kemi told him.

                Margret made to slap her a third time but Segun held her hand.

  “I said it is enough,” he said angrily.

  “Let me go,” Margret said as Segun still held her hand.

                Coker and his brother came close and made sure there was a separation.

  “This is a public place,” Coker said. “You can’t be creating such scenes here.”

  “Let’s leave,” Segun said to Kemi as he pulled her away.

  “Take this slut and husband snatcher away from here,” Margret said as they retreated.

                At the door, one of the female waiters offered to help clean Kemi up.

  “We don’t have time for that,” Segun said.

  “I need to clean this mess,” Kemi said and followed the lady to a secluded room. Segun stood there for a while and went after them.

  “Go with her and lick the ice cream on her body,” Mabel shouted after them. “Nonsense.”

                Margret laughed and lifted her hand to give Mabel a ‘hi-5’. Mabel was not in the mood.

  “You embarrassed me, you know that,” Mabel said to Margret, eyeing her.

  “I am sorry it turned out this way,” Margret said. “I was only trying to help.”

  “The story Kemi will spread this time is that I am so desperate to have Segun back that I made you organize a meeting and even fought her in public over him.”

  “Don’t bother about any story. We know what really happened. It was all my fault.”

Mabel cleaned her hands with a serviette and picked her handbag.

  “It is obvious now that Segun has moved on,” Coker said.

  “I have always known that,” Mabel said. “It is Margret who has not.”

  “Now I know,” Margret said. “I wonder what he saw in that girl that he did not see in you.”

  “More curves I guess,” Mabel said.

  “Curves without character is rubbish,” Coker’s brother said. “The difference is clear between the two of you. I just watched your reaction all through. You are beautiful, nice and with good character and public carriage. You are it.”

                Mabel just looked at him, not knowing what to say.

  “Just blush and say ‘thank you’.” he said.

  “Let her be,” Coker said to him.

  “Sorry,” he said and gulped the remainder of his drink.

  “Thank you,” Mabel told him.

                He almost choked with the drink in his mouth. He smiled.

  “Can we leave now?”Mabel said. “I have my sister to go check up on.”

  “Wait till Segun and his slut leave,” Margret said. “I don’t want to have to slap somebody again.”

                They sat for a while. The people there kept stealing glances at them.

  “Everybody is looking at us,” Mabel said.

  “That means we will not come here again,” Margret replied.

                They laughed.

                Some minutes later, Kemi and Segun walked out of the door. 

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac

FED UP [XLv]

(continued...)

                Coker looked where Mabel was pointing. He saw Segun seated with Margret, pressing his Tab. He was backing them so he did not see Mabel.

  “What should I do?” Mabel asked Coker, visibly shaken.

  “Are you ready to face him?” he asked.

  “Honestly I don’t know if I am.”

                Mabel turned around and made to leave but Coker stood in her way.

  “You are going nowhere,” he said.

  “I don’t want to see him,” Mabel said.

  “Margret is the one who asked you to come. Go and see her.”

  “It is definitely a set up. She arranged this meeting. ”

  “Yes I think she set this up but we are here already. Go through with it, pretending it is a coincidence.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t want to create a scene here.”

  “That will not happen.”

                Mabel went on with Coker and his brother towards the order counter which was close to the table where Margret and Segun sat. As she got close, she pretended she just saw Margret suddenly and called her name.

  “Maggi what are you doing here?” she said, feigning surprise.

  “Mabeeel,” Margret called, also feigning surprise.

Segun looked up and was taken aback when he saw Mabel. His Tab almost fell off his hand. He did not know whether to stand up or to remain sited. He looked at Margret for an explanation of what was going on. Mabel went towards Margret and they hugged.

  “What is this all about?” Mabel asked Margret, whispering into her ears.

  “Please sit,” Margret said and drew out a seat for her.

  “Let me get what I came for.”

                Mabel made to move towards the counter.

  “I will get it for you,” Coker said. “What will you want to take?”

  “Ice cream will do.”

                Segun was visibly uncomfortable.

  “Did you arrange this?” he asked Margret.

  “No I did not,” Margret said. “It is a coincidence.”

                Mabel wanted to talk against it being a coincidence but Margret pinched her on the back and she kept quiet, looking at her. Coker shook Segun and went to get the ice cream for Mabel while his brother bought two bottles of drink. He gave the ice cream to Mabel who was still standing, and then went to sit on a different table with his brother.

  “Where are you going?” Mabel asked him.

  “To sit down till you are ready to leave,” Coker said.

  “I don’t plan sitting down.” She turned to Margret and said, “I see you are ok. Now let me go and attend to more pressing needs.”

  “Please don’t spoil this moment na,” Margret pleaded with her in whisper.

                Mabel insisted on leaving but Margret kept insisting she stayed. After a while of pleading, Mabel sat as far away from Segun as she could. Segun looked at her, their eyes met and she looked away.

  “Now I know why you have been going to the restroom every minute,” Segun said to Margret. “You invited her here to embarrass me.”

  “I did not,” Margret said.

  “Why then did you bring me here without any tangible reason? I was supposed to leave like fifteen minutes ago but you kept me here. Now she walks in and you say it is a coincidence.”

Mabel eyed him angrily and hissed loudly, desiring to spew vocal venom on him but Margret kept pinching and nudging her leg which was under the table. So she just kept her cool. Segun kept talking about how he didn’t want to be there. At a point, Mabel could not take it anymore.

  “Is this what you brought me here for?” she asked Margret.

  “Ehe the truth is now coming out,” Segun said. “You brought her here. I said it that you arranged this meeting.”

  “Oluwasegun will you behave yourself,” Margret told him, her voice a bit raised. “I just met her and asked her to stay, hoping you will have something meaningful to say.”

  “Whatever needs to be said has been said since na.”

  “You have obviously been bewitched.”

  “No. I saw a better option and took it.”

  “So that’s what you have to say?”

  “I have moved on. Is it not clear? She should do the same.”

                Mabel let loose and verbally washed him. He just sat there and took them. People around saw what was going on and just went on with their business. Margret nudged and pinched her till she was tired. When Mabel was done talking, she hissed loudly again.

  “Are you done?” Segun asked her sarcastically.

  “I am not,” she said. “I will tell you more.”

  “It is enough,” Margret said. “I think it was a bad idea making you sit down. This was not what I expected.”

  “People break up and make up,” Coker said from his table. “Life goes on.”

  “Coker I thought we have talked about this before,” Segun said, turning to Coker.

  “You are yet to give any tangible reason why you left her.”

  “Honestly, Mabel is a nice person but I have moved on with my life.”

  “Is it something she did?”

  “No. It is a personal decision. Why is it difficult to understand?”

  “I have since moved on,” Mabel blurted. “I don’t know why Margret made me stay here. If I knew you were here, I wouldn’t have come in the first place.”

  “Suit yourselves. I need to be somewhere now.”

                Segun made to stand.

  “You don’t leave until I say so,” Margret told him.

  “As what na?” he asked.

  “Just try me.”

 “Thank God we are just cousins. You are not my big sister.”

                While they were still talking back and forth, Kemi walked through the door.

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac