Mabel reached for her phone and
checked. She saw 21 missed calls and a text message from Segun. She quickly sat
up.
“What does Segun
still want from me?” she asked.
“The calls are from
him?” Cynthia asked.
“Yes. He also sent
an SMS.”
“Read the SMS and find
out why he tried calling you.”
Mabel
opened the SMS and hissed.
“What is it?”Cynthia
asked.
“It is not from
Segun,” Mabel replied.
“But that is his
number.”
“Yes.”
“Who is it from
then?”
“His woman.”
“Kemi?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“She is warning me. She
said she noticed that I have been trying to get back to Segun, that I should
not even try it, that Segun belongs to her alone and there is nothing anybody
can do about it.”
“Who told her you
are planning to get back to Segun?”
“I don’t know. Let
me finish reading it.”
Mabel
read through the SMS and closed the SMS inbox.
“She said she saw
the message Segun sent to me yesterday,” Mabel said.
“That witch reads
his messages?” Cynthia asked.
“That one is their
business.”
“Will you tell Coker
and Margret?”
“No o. Must I bother
them every time?”
“It is not bother o.
They need to know what happens per time.”
“This is not a
threat at all. I can handle it myself.”
“Reply the message
then.”
“No. She may show it
to Segun and have evidence against me.”
“Ok o.”
Their
mother entered the room. Mabel greeted her.
“How are you?” she
asked Mabel. “You didn’t want to wake up?”
“I am fine. I was
very tired.”
“Ok.”
“You are already
dressed for work?”
“Yes.”
“I am running late
already.”
“Did you have
breakfast?”
“Our fasting starts
today na. Have you forgotten?”
“And hunger has
already started o,” Cynthia said.
“Hunger or not,”
Mabel said. “I am doing this fast o.”
“See what you will
do,” their mother said. “Don’t worry about today. You can start tomorrow. I
will fast for all of us.”
“No, I will fast
small today and then when I feel better, I will extend the time.”
“Ok.”
Their
mother told them that she was leaving.
“We did not pray
today,” Mabel said. “Why?”
“I tried waking you
up but you refused to wake,” Cynthia told her. “We prayed without you.”
“Ok o.”
“Are you going out
today?” their mother asked them.
“I don’t think so,”
Mabel said.
They
saw their mother off to the door and went back to the room. Mabel lay back on
the bed.
“I thought you said you
were going to work today?” Cynthia said.
“It is true sef,”
Mabel replied and yawned. “Kai, e no easy o.”
“If you don’t feel
up to it, don’t bother yourself na.”
“I need to go o, before
they declare vacancy and give my job to someone else.”
“But Mrs Biodun said
you can take the rest of the week off.”
“Yes o. But in
public service work, they need result. If one person is absent, it affects the
output or it mounts pressure on the other workers who will try to fill in. If
it continues, they look for someone to replace the absent person.”
Cynthia checked the time and said,
“But it is late for work.”
“I will still go,”
Mabel replied and sat up on the bed. “It is better late than absent.”
“Ok. See what I
think you should do. Call Mrs Biodun and ask her whether you can still come
today or if she can permit you to come tomorrow.”
“No. I will send her
an SMS telling her that I am on my way to work but there was an issue I had to
handle this morning, hence the reason why I am coming late.”
“That’s better. Do
it immediately.”
Mabel
sent the SMS to Mrs Biodun. Almost immediately, Mrs Biodun replied and told her
she could take the rest of the week off if she needed to.
“You see,” Cynthia
told her. “Just take the week off as she has said.”
“It is risky o,”
Mabel said. “I will go.”
“What will you tell
your colleagues about what happened?”
“What they already
know.”
“Won’t it remind you
of what you are trying to forget?”
“No.”
“Remember you are
still feeling dizzy.”
Mabel
burst into laughter.
“I can see that you
don’t want me to go to work today,” she told Cynthia
“Yes o,” Cynthia
said, also laughing. “Please don’t go.”
“You will not understand. I have already missed
three days. You know how I suffered to get this job. I can’t just lose it like
that.”
“Ok. So I will stay
here alone.”
“You will be fine.
Unless you want to come with me.”
“And do what there?”
“Nevermind. You can
watch movies here, or go make your hair.”
“Is true sef. Let me
call Chidinma and see if she can come over and make my hair.”
She
dialed Chidinma as Mabel got up to get set for work.
“She said she is
busy at home,” Cynthia said when she hung up. “Unless I will come over.”
“Will it be
convenient for you?” Mabel asked her.
“I can’t stay here
alone. I have to go.”
“Ok.”
Mabel
got her bathing kit and went to the bathroom.
“What are you
wearing?” Cynthia asked her. “Will you get to your house first?”
“No,” she answered.
“I will choose from the clothes I brought day before yesterday.”
“Ok.”
Mabel told her the particular
cloth to bring out for her. Cynthia did.
“It is a bit rumpled
o,” she told Mabel.
“Is it not
manageable?” Mabel asked her.
“No o.”
“Let me come out.”
Mabel
finished up and came out. She checked the cloth.
“It is not bad na,”
she said laughing. “You really want me to skip work today.”
Cynthia
smiled.
Mabel
got ready for work while Cynthia also got ready to go to see Chidinma.
“Do you need massage?”
Mabel asked her.
“Mummy already did
it for me,” Cynthia replied.
“Thank God.”
“You are dodging
it.”
“That thing is not
easy at all.”
When
they were done dressing, Cynthia asked Mabel, “So are you going to the office,
fasting?”
“I think I will
close my own now and eat something,” Mabel replied. “I don’t want to go there
and start feeling dizzy.”
“Ok, me too.”
Mabel went to a corner in their
room and prayed. Then they ate flakes and tea and carried their bags. Mabel
gave Cynthia some money for her transport.
“Thank you,” Cynthia
said. “I hope you have the one you will use?”
“Don’t worry about
me,” Mabel replied.
They locked the door, hid the key
and walked to the express road, not too far from the house. Cynthia entered the
bus going in the direction of Chidinma’s place while Mabel stood and waited for
the one going in the direction of her office. Soon, a cab going her direction stopped
and she entered. She sat in the front seat. As the cab moved, someone tapped
her from behind.
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
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