About ten minutes later, Cynthia
came back in, sweating.
“Why are you
sweating?” her mother asked her with shock on her face.
Cynthia
seemed taken aback by the question and stood for some seconds without saying a
word.
“Did you hear me?”
her mother asked again.
“I heard you mummy,”
Cynthia replied. “Why are you asking?”
“You went to see
Chuka alone in his house this night and you come back sweating. What did you
do?”
Cynthia
burst into laughter and sat down beside her mother.
“It is not funny.”
her mother said. “Did you do it?”
“Do what?” Cynthia
asked, still laughing.
“I am not joking.
Did he touch you?”
“He did not.”
“Then why are you
sweating like this?”
“The weather is hot
na. Even you are sweating.”
“Yes but this kind
of sweat you are sweating, I don’t understand at all.”
“Mummy don’t worry
about me. Nothing happened. When I got there, he was even sleeping. He managed
to open the door for me. After staying for a while, he asked me to go so you
will not burn him alive while looking for me.”
“Thank God he knows
what I can do.”
“Mummy sef. If I
want to do it, will it be under this circumstance, with someone I don’t know
whether I love and who cannot take care of me?”
“Don’t mind me my
dear,” her mother said, rubbing her shoulder. “I am just being protective.
That’s how mothers are.”
“It’s ok mum,”
Cynthia said. “I understand.”
“Go and check what
Mabel is doing so we can pray and go to sleep.”
“Ok.”
Cynthia
went into the room and met Mabel asleep. She nudged her until she stirred.
“Are you not praying
this night?” She asked Mabel.
“Mmm?” Mabel asked,
sleepy.
“You want to sleep
without praying. Come to the parlour let us pray.”
“Ooohm I am very
tired. Put me in your prayer.”
“No. Come let us
go.”
Cynthia
held her by the hand and pulled her up.
“Be going,” Mabel
said and sighed. “I am coming behind you.”
Cynthia
went to the parlour.
“Mabel was sleeping,”
she told her mother. “But I woke her up.”
“Where is she?”
“She is coming.”
“Ok,”
Mabel
came out to the parlour and collapsed into a chair, tired.
“I see you are really
tired,” her mother said to her.
“Very very,” Mabel
replied.
“If I had known you
were tired like this, I wouldn’t have bothered you. We would have just put you
in prayer.”
“I told Cynthia o.”
“You always drag me
up na,” Cynthia said.
Mabel smiled and said, “Yeye pikin.”
“You can go back to
bed and allow us to pray instead,” her mother said.
“It’s fine,” Mabel
said. “I am out already.”
Her mother switched off the radio
and they prayed. She did not drag it as long as she usually did. When they were
done, Mabel and Cynthia went to bed. Their mother listened to radio for a
while, then she made sure the doors and windows were locked, and went into her
own room to sleep.
The
next morning, they woke up and did their normal routines, then their mother
left for work. She made sure to remind them of the prayer pastor put them on
before leaving.
“We are on it mum,”
Mabel said.
“Ok.”
Mabel also prepared for work.
“You will stay alone
in the house today,” she said to Cynthia as she wore her makeup.
“No,” Cynthia said. “I
have some things to do in school today.”
“Are you sure you
are fit for school stress?”
“I am fine.”
“Ok. What time are
you leaving?”
“Around 11:00.”
“Ok. Can you help me
go to my house and check how things are before going to school?”
“So that whoever is
looking for you will now jam me abi?”
They
laughed.
“I knew you would
say that,” Mabel said. “Fear fear.”
“You are the
original fear fear,” Cynthia said, laughing. “Why did you run from your house
na?”
“Me…Run…is not
possible o.”
“So what will you do
about it?”
“I won’t be free to go
there today, unless I will have to sleep there.”
“No you are not sleeping
there o.”
“That means I will
not go there today. I will go tomorrow. I will just call Mama Risi and ask her
to check for me.”
“Does she have a
spare key?”
“No. She doesn’t
need to enter my apartment. She knows whatever goes on in the compound.”
“Ok.”
When
Mabel was done with dressing up, she got up to leave.
“What about your
medicine?” Cynthia asked her.
“I forgot,” Mabel
said checking her timepiece. “I can’t take them now. I am running late.”
“You need to take
them o.”
“Remember we are
fasting too.”
“We are on drugs na.
Mummy said she will fast on our behalf until we are done with our medicine. God
understands.”
“Even at that, I can’t
waste one more minute here. I need to run.”
“Just a slice of
bread with butter spread will do.”
“Don’t worry about
me. I will eat when I get to the office and then take the medicine.
She put
her medicine pack in her hand bag and confirmed that she hadn’t forgotten
anything. Then she left for the office while Cynthia lay on the bed and waited
till it was time for her to dress up and go to school.
At the
office, Mabel did her work with as much efficiency as she could muster. Her
well-wishing colleagues were glad that she was back and they did not hesitate
to let her know from time to time.
“Thank you,” she
would always say. “I am glad to be back also.”
During
the work hour, she got calls from Coker and Oge. They exchanged pleasantries
and she continued with her work. Cynthia chatted
her up from time to time to know how work was going. She would reply when
she was less busy and return back to work.
When it
was about closing hour, something happened that made her resumption of work
with as much fervency as she did seem like a mistake.
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
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