The keke
driver turned speedily and drove off in the opposite direction.
“Oga, where you dey go?” Mabel shouted.
“I dey go where you say you wan go na,” the keke man replied.
“Why you dey follow this road?”
“Serious hold up dey the other road. I wan follow short cut take cut am
off.”
“Oga no carry me loss o.”
“You dey fear?”
“Fear wetin.”
“Like say you no sabi this area well. This road wey I dey follow so, you
go see where we go come out from.”
“Oga abeg no use me play o”
“Madam relax. I get your age mate for house. I no fit do
you bad thing. Na normal road be this wey I dey go. Na because say you no sabi
this area well.”
“Ok oo.”
True to his word,
the Keke man went through some inner
link roads and eventually came out to the part of the road that Mabel was
conversant with.
“Madam you don sabi where we dey now?” he asked Mabel.
“Yes sir,” Mabel replied.
“I tell you make you no fear.”
“No mind me. You know say person suppose open eye. Things dey happen for
this town.”
“No wahala sha. Na true you talk. Na so they just dey kidnap people
anyhow.”
They got to a
fruit sales spot and Mabel pleaded with him to stop a while so she can buy
fruits.
“Madam do quick o,” the keke driver said. “You know say area rugged. Make
dem no come here carry me.”
“Na you come dey fear now,”
Mabel said laughing.
“Abeg o. Na election period we
dey.”
“No wahala. Infact drive go
close make I dey inside here buy wetin I want.”
The keke man
drove close to the fruit spot. The seller began protesting asking the keke
driver to move and not block her ‘market’ but when she realized Mabel wanted to
buy from her, she became polite and asked Mabel what she needed. Mabel did not
step out of the keke. She pointed at
the fruits she wanted.
“Hope they are fresh?” she
asked the seller.
“Yes o,” the seller said. “Very
fresh.”
“Package them well then.”
She packaged them, and gave to Mabel who paid her. When
she was done, the keke driver drove off. He dropped Mabel at her mother’s house
and she paid him. There was light when she entered the compound.
“Thank God,” she said to
herself. “At least I can charge my phone.”
She met some
neighbours as she went towards her house. She just waved at some and stood
briefly to exchange pleasantries with others. One of the people she met was
Chuka.
“Welcome o,” he said to her.
“Thank you,” she replied. “Your
babe is sick o.”
“You mean Cynthia?” Chuka
asked.
“Yes na. How many babes do you
have?”
“I am just surprised that you
call her ‘my babe’ when she doesn’t even have my time.”
“Ok na.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She will tell you herself.”
“When did this one start na?”
“Today o.”
“Kai. Cynthi m no suppose suffer at all.”
Mabel laughed.
“Can I see her now?” He asked.
“She might be asleep now,”
Mabel replied. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Can’t I just check on her
now? I am worried.”
“No need to be worried. She is
getting better.”
“Ok if you say so. Tomorrow
then”
“Has it been long they brought light?”
“It has been off and on.”
“Ok.”
Mabel turned to
go.
“If NEPA takes light,” Chuka said. “You can call me to come and put on
your generator for you.”
“Ok thank you,” Mabel replied
and moved on.
Mabel got to her mother’s
apartment and knocked. Her mother told her to open the door, that it was not
locked. She went in and met Cynthia and her mum in the sitting room watching a
home movie.
“You people did not lock the
door?” Mabel asked.
“It hasn’t been long I came
back from buying airtime,” her mother replied.
Mabel greeted her.
“Welcome my dear,” her mother
replied. “What kept you so long?”
“I left my supervisor’s house
late,” Mabel replied. “Then I stopped to get fruits.”
“Welcome,” Cynthia said,
managing to sit up. “How is Mrs Biodun?”
“She is fine. How are you?”
“I am feeling the pains o.”
“Hope you are not observing
bad posture?”
“Not at all.”
“I got the drugs. You will
start them this night after eating.”
“Ok.”
Mabel dropped the
drug pack and her hand bag on the center table.
“Take the yoghurt and fruits,”
she said and handed the other nylon bag to Cynthia.
Cynthia took it
happily and looked through the content.
“You bought two bottles of
yoghurt?” she asked.
“Yes,” Mabel said. “Actually,
no. Mrs Biodun gave them to you.”
“God bless her. You will take
one then.”
“No. I took one already. I am
watching my weight.”
“Then give me one,” their
mother said and stretched her hand.
“Yoghurt is for young people,”
Cynthia told her. “Not for elderly people.”
“Says who?”
Cynthia gave her one bottle.
“It is not cold,” their mother
said.
“Mine too,” Cynthia said.
“Let me put them in the fridge
for some minutes,” Mabel said.
“Ok. Take the fruits also.”
She took the
yoghurts and fruits and kept in the refrigerator.
“Ehe, Chuka said I should
greet you,” she said to Cynthia.
“Where did you see him?” Cynthia
asked, laughing.
“On my way back.”
“Did you tell him I am sick?”
“Yes o.”
“Why na?”
“Is he not your…?” Mabel
coughed. “So he should know.”
“I don’t know when you will
stop teasing me,” Cynthia said laughing. “He is just our neighbor.”
“But he is from a comfortable
family.”
“Story. Comfortable indeed.
Lemme finish school first before I now know whether to consider him or not.”
“That boy likes Cynthia,”
their mother joined in the teasing. “And the way Cynthia is shy around him, I
think she also likes him.”
They laughed.
“Oooohm you people should stop
it na,” Cynthia said, still laughing.
“Just make sure he doesn’t
score goal without following due process,” their mother continued.
They burst into
laughter again.
“He even wanted to come and
see you now,” Mabel said. “The guy is worried.”
“What did you tell him?”
Cynthia asked with a little frown.
“I told him to come when NEPA
takes light and mummy is sleeping.”
“It is you he will see.”
They laughed.
(...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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