《The Wife ESCAPED!》


 CHAPTER ONE

    The morning was bright and fresh, happy and cheery. Everyone or rather, almost everyone was up and about. Women were getting into their domestic duties; men, their family obligations; and young people, their chores.


    The women could be seen sweeping all around their littlepounds while their husbands prepared to set out for the day¡¯s work of checking traps, collectingtex from rubber trees, lumbering or even early morning hunting or fishing. This was not a sleepymunity. Many of the men may bete risers, but most of the women had woken up long before daylight to prepare breakfast.


    Yes, the sun was smiling affably and it seemed like every other normal day, but not everyone was feeling in sync with the weather. Newly-wed fourteen year old Caro was feeling apprehensive at the very least.


    Today was the day appointed for her to officially assume the position of a wife in her middle aged husband¡¯s house. Right now, she was still in her father¡¯s house, pacing from wall to wall, experiencing the greatest moment of anxiety in her young life. She had a very important n in mind and that n must be executed before the next day. Why the rush, you ask? The key ingredient needed for the sess of the n had been promised her by a close friend and she wanted to receive it before she would leave for her new husband¡¯s house. Without that ingredient, her n¡­ in fact, there would be no n at all. Her friend, Tina, had sworn on her life that she would deliver the item at the first sign of daybreak, but it was an hour past that time and still, Tina was missing in action.


    Caro bit down hard on her finger as she regretted putting all her hopes on Tina¡¯s punctuality. She was one who never failed to have suitable alternatives, but this time, she could shamelessly say that there was no alternative to be found. She had to rely on Tina or nothing. But being disappointed like this? Haba!


    As time went on, the speed of her pacing increased and she could hear herself praying. Very soon, she would be shipped off to the despicable creature she had been forced to marry and this chance would forever be lost. But wait¡­ what was that? She came to a halt, her heart pounding like a jackhammer as she listened to what she thought was Tina greeting her mother outside. Speak of the devil¡­ Tina walked in with a smiling face.


    ¡°So you are even smiling after keeping me waiting here for hours,¡± Caro fumed.


    ¡°Eh eh eh, don¡¯t talk to me like that o,¡± Tina shot back, trying hard not to break into a grin. ¡°You should be thanking me foring. If I didn¡¯te now, you¡¯ll end up as one old cow with¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, bring the thing here,¡± her friend hissed.


    Tina came forward and produced from the folds of her wrapper a little stic bottle. Looking furtively around to ensure that they were alone, she carefully opened the bottle as Caro waited impatiently.


    ¡°Use small o, only small,¡± she admonished as her friend took pinch after pinch of the powdery substance inside the bottle, stashing it into a little nylon.


    ¡°Tina, are you sure this thing will work very well?¡±


    ¡°Taste it na, you¡¯ll see what will happen. Ah ah. Do you want to take everything? It¡¯s my mother¡¯s own o.¡±


    ¡°I know na,¡± Caro nodded as she tied the half-filled nylon and secured it in the pocket of her frock. ¡°I just hope it will work.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it must work. My mother used to use it for my father when she wants to go out and it used to work everytime.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Then in that case, this my new husband will enjoy,¡± Caro chuckled, pping her hands merrily.


    ¡°So how much will you pay me?¡±, Tina asked as she tucked the bottle back into her wrapper.


    ¡°Abeg,e and be going,¡± Caro said, hurrying her towards the door. ¡°I have to get ready. You and money eh¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯s money your enemies will use to kill you.¡±


    ¡°God forbid! So I will do this big thing for you and you will not give me anything abi? Okay na, we shall see.¡±


    ¡°Please, please,e and be going back to your father¡¯s house. Thank you. I will reward you in my next life.¡±


    After she had seen Tina out by way of her hands, Caro came back into the room and offered a short prayer of thanks to God. She checked the substance she had received, ensured its security and began preparations to leave for her new home.


    ***


    Caro had been here for over ten hours now. She wasn¡¯t feeling fear or apprehension of any kind now that she was finally in her husband¡¯s house. But she was anxious, very anxious (the eager, desirous kind). When such anxiety came, restlessness usually tagged along. Caro couldn¡¯t sit still, she moved like a wandering spirit all around thepound, ignoring the unfriendly stares from her stepchildren and trying her best to keep out of the way of the older wives or ¡®mates¡¯ as they were called. She was biding her time and waiting for a perfect opportunity.


    Most of the men in themunity had their wives in different ces, but not Caro¡¯s brand new husband. Nicknamed ¡®Iron Fire¡¯, he was notorious and scary enough to have all his wives under the same roof with him and he was heartless enough not to care whenever they fought or quarreled. Right now, his focus was on his new wife. Tonight, he would break her in, into the world of matrimony as he understood it, little knowing that Caro herself had ns of her own.


    Cooking had begun. It was evident from the smoke emanating from the outdoor kitchen and the children running on quick errands to buy ingredients that were not avable in the kitchen. Caro kept her distance, but maintained a keen watch on the proceedings. Everything depended on timing. One second off track and the whole n would go to ruin. Wife number three was the one cooking; she was still yet to find out what name each wife was generally called, but being fellow vigers, she knew enough to be sure that Wife three was a very rude and unfriendly personality. That was why she was scouting the kitchen from afar.


    Half an hour¡­ an hour¡­ an hour and half, and it seemed the food was getting ready to be served. There was increased activity around the kitchen and Wife Three was cursing and ordering the children about, not forgetting to throw a wicked nce at Caro followed by an angry spit to drive home her hatred for the new wife. But Caro was far from bothered; all she needed was space and time.


    Jumping to her feet, she hurried over to her husband¡¯s room. The door was closed and no living soul with anything short of two heads could go into that room without prior permission from the lord of the house, but Caro was ready to use to her advantage her position as new wife. Without knocking, she slowly opened the door and immediately heard a roar that could make anyone melt into thin air. After she had identified herself, the roaring voice changed to a weingughter. He invited her toe in and take a seat beside him. Evidently, he was still intoxicated by the acquisition of a young wife, but that intoxication would die after she would have be like the other wives and he would then need to add to the harem.


    She knelt down to greet him, but he was all impatience for her to sit close to him. She sat lightly beside him and acted as shy as she could while he beamed at her like a man surveying a much coveted prize. Before she could say Jack, he lifted her up and sat her on his knee. She blushed further and he smiled wider.


    ¡°Caro, Caro,¡± he praised, patting her affectionately, especially her lower back.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±, she responded, smiling shyly and pulling off the innocent girl act satisfactorily.


    ¡°Chunky chunky,¡± he grinned and tickled her, reveling in the freshness and yet, virgin hardness of her body.


    From the corner of her eye, she could see him lick his lips as he stared hungrily at her and she felt it was the right time to state her reason foring in order to prevent an undesirable urrence.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Sir, I think your food is almost ready, should I go and bring it?¡±, she asked in her best innocent voice.


    ¡°Chai!¡±, he eximed in joy. ¡°You don¡¯t need to learn too much, you are a naturally good wife. Oya, go and bring the food, let us eat it together.¡±


    She got down from his knee and hurried out, receiving a pat on her backside as she went.

 CHAPTER TWO

    Like the proverb goes, ¡®a child that is sent by his father uses his foot to kick the door open¡¯. It was with that same authority and audacity that Caro marched into the general kitchen to the shock and annoyance of Wife three. But before the woman could open her mouth to say anything, Caro delivered her shot.


    ¡°Chief wants his food. He said I should bring it now.¡±


    Though she was not literate, Wife three got the message loud and clear. Abandoning her earlier intention to attack the new wife, she immediately intensified efforts to get the food ready, grumbling inaudibly all the while. Night had fallen and Chief was not one to be patient concerning food or sex. If he had sent a messenger, then trouble was not very far away. As she hurried to serve up the food, she cursed and kicked at the children assisting her since she was unable to direct her annoyance at who it was really meant for: the new wife.


    It was with a severe frown that Wife Three handed Caro the tray containing the food meant for Chief. Caro snatched it out of her hands and hurried away, followed closely by loads of curses from the older woman. That was the most she could do: curse at her back. It would be both physical and marital suicide if she were to do it to her face because Caro, who was Wife Six, might just report her to Chief (which, by the way, was not a formal title but a self-given one). But it wouldn¡¯t take long, just a few years and she would have her revenge, when the girl woulde to join the ranks of worn-out wives.


    Treading lightly on tiptoes, Caro hurried down the passageway, careful not to attract undue attention to her presence. After checking the length and breadth of the passageway to see that she was alone, she lowered the food tray to the ground and reached for her frock pocket. This was the moment she had been nning for! Now it was here and her heart was pounding heavily.


    She searched around in her frock pocket for the little nylon, but she could not find it. She was now beginning to have a sinking feeling in the left part of her chest. The miserable future awaiting her as a result of failure shed before her eyes as she intensified her search for¡­ oh there it was! It had been hiding in the far corner of her pocket. With trembling hands, she untied it and sprinkled a more than necessary quantity on the food. She was all for getting the maximum result. By the way, if Tina¡¯snky father required very little, then her bulky, muscr and pot-bellied husband would require much more. It was dark so there was no need for careful mixing to hide the alien particles and by the way, she would be there to distract him.


    ¡°Caro, Caro,¡± he praised as she set the tray down before him. ¡°Come and sit down with me let us eat together.¡±


    She obeyed and sat down beside him, dutifully caressing his arms and back as he opened the tes to see the mountainous food that had been made for him.


    ¡°Ogbolor, my favourite soup,¡± he said, smiling toothily at her, and she responded in kind.


    Without praying and barely washing his hands, to the infinite disgust of Caro, he took arge lump of eba, dabbled it in the soup, attached a piece of meat to it and sent it into his mouth.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± he murmured as he chewed. ¡°Who cook this food?¡±, he asked with his mouth full.


    ¡°Wife th¡­ errr¡­ that tall ck emm¡­ woman,¡± Caro stuttered.


    ¡°The one with big head and wide nose?¡±, he asked as he prepared the next lump for dabbling.


    ¡°No. This one is very ck, with small nose and big ears a¡­¡±


    ¡°That one is Mama Michael¡­ or is it she that born Aaron? Anyway, forget that expired cargo. Aaah, open your mouth.¡±


    Having no choice, Caro opened her mouth as wide as possible and he deposited a small lump which he had properly dabbled in the soup.


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡± he eyed her with a smile which she quickly returned as they¡­ he reveled in the love y.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    But little did he know that when he wasn¡¯t looking, the lump of eba in her mouth was spat into a ready cloth contrived for that purpose.


    As he hauled lump after lump into his own mouth, she watched him with hate-filled eyes. So, such an ugly, crude beast was the kind of man that her father wanted her to spend her life with? And her mother, knowing this, could not for once, since she had known her, raise an objection to her father¡¯s decision. Well, they would all see.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ this¡­ food¡­ gr¡­ grooo¡­¡± Chief was falling into a trance-like state. Yes, the substance Caro had added to his food was beginning take effect. His eyes were half closed, his hands hanging limp by his sides, his mouth slightly open and his body rocking slowly back and forth like a reed. In fact, he was gradually but surely falling into a deep sleep.


    Holding him by the shoulders, she gently lowered him to the bed and then gave him a sound p as a parting gift. He moaned, but did not stir. His eyes were fully closed and he was beginning to snore. He would wake up the next day, perhapste in the afternoon, if those who were after his property did not take him for dead and bury him as quickly as possible.


    Mission Completed! Caro sighed in relief. Now, there would be no one to stop her ore after her. Opening therge window in his room, she climbed up onto the ledge with little difficulty and jumped out of the building. Gathering the hem of her frock at her knees, she fled into the dark night.

 CHAPTER THREE

    Caro had run for about an hour through the light bushes behind Chief¡¯s house. So far, she had not found the way very smooth. There were creeping nts, fallen trees and hollows in the ground, but after every fall, she would get up and continue the journey without looking back. Her goal was to get out of anyone¡¯s reach before daybreak and passing through the bushes was the shortest cut to her very first destination: the local town hall.


    She arrived there tired and breathless, dirty and bruised from her many falls, but her senses were intact. It was almost pitch dark, but she knew every inch of themunity, having hawked to every nook and cranny practically all her life. The town hall would be her hotel for most part of the night, so she set about doing a little recon of the ce.


    She walked around the solitary building and found no one hanging around and perceived no smell of cigarette or ¡®Mary Jane¡¯. Then she stepped in cautiously so as not to wake others who had already taken up residence there for the night. The ce was always locked, but a small window at one side served as entry point for night upants.


    Caro would not go through that window. That was a risk too big to take: being boxed on all sides. She would stay outside instead. Walking into the corridor that was partly fenced with arge balustrade, she sat down on the floor, her back to the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest, extended her frock to cover her ankles and tucked it tightly between her legs. Sitting as she was, wedged between the low balustrade and the wall of the main hall, with an exit point just a few feet away, she went to sleep,rgely protected from mosquitoes by her long-sleeved frock.


    ***


    At 4am prompt, Caro opened her eyes. She had not been awakened by anyone or anything other than habit. All her life, she had been raised to wake up at exactly that time in order to do housework and then, hawk kerosene and other items before going off to school.


    She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, stretched herself and yawned. She got to her feet and stretched again, ready to wake her siblings so they would join her to sweep the kitchen, wash the tes, and begin fetching water before their mother would start distributing the early morning blows and knocks. But oh!¡­ it hit her like a shock wave and she almost staggered from the sudden realization. She wasn¡¯t at home, was she? She looked beside her and none of her siblings were there. She wasn¡¯t even running from home, she was running from her husband¡¯s home. Then there was no time to lose!


    It was still dark, very dark. Caro hurried out of the townhall and at a brisk run,menced her journey ¨C the second phase of it. She knew that soon, it would be wake up time for Chief, but if he didn¡¯t stir, none of his wives or children would dare to disturb him. And if in a few hours, he still wasn¡¯t up and about, there would be some grumbling, but it would be noon before anyone would risk his/her hide to go knock on that door and by that time, Caro would be in Lagos or almost there at any rate.


    She ran fast, not going through the bush this time, but through the open town. Her way was clear because those living after the town hall were mostly reclusive farmers who paid little attention to anything even if they were to see the Devil himself riding through the town on a war steed.


    In less than an hour, Caro could sight the only motorpark in the themunity, but she had another pit stop to make. Veering away from the course that led to the park, she took the bush path leading to her temporary destination. She could feel the dew and cobwebs clinging to her as she brushed the nts aside, walking carefully to avoid stepping on unwanted creatures that the ce was notorious for.


    In a few minutes, she saw what she was looking for: a smallke totally surrounded by dense bushes. Looking quickly around, she went to the water¡¯s edge and pulled off one of her slippers to disturb the calm water. The surface at first and then deeper. After that warning to the unknown and probably dangerous creatures lurking underwater, she proceeded to wash herself. She could have loved a good swim, but not only was she short of time, but she had also heard rumors of the presence of alligtors andrge snakes in theke. So, limiting herself to scooping up the water with her hands, she washed her face, arms, neck, hair and legs before taking a quick pee.


    Feeling ready, she dusted off her clothes the twigs, cobwebs and brambles before setting off for the road again. She was just in time. Thest early morning bus heading for Lagos was just about to leave. She caught it ahead of a fat woman who had spent crucial seconds trying to find out if she was the daughter of Mama Caro.


    ***


    Caro arrived in Lagos in thete afternoon and she was exhausted by the long journey, the switching of vehicles and the horrible seating arrangement in the bus. She had almost been squeezed to death between two adult women and had to gain some space by asionally using her elbows on their ribs. They did notin, but their res told of their dislike for her strategy. But she cared less.


    The thought of Lagos had been the thought of something grand and beautiful, but now that she was here, Caro was nothing short of disappointed. The dirt, the traffic gridlock, the crowd of constantly moving people and the noisy touts told a very different story from those she had been told. In fact, she was heading to meet the storyteller and she would ask her why she had deceived her and everyone else in the vige, but that would be after she must have managed to extricate the hem of her frock from whatever was holding on to it as she tried to exit the bus.


    ¡°Please wait o!¡±, she shouted frantically, but the driver was already moving ahead, the vehicle slowly picking up speed. The conductor himself was much unconcerned about her plight, instead he was more focused on wooing new passengers. She was lucky that none of her legs had touched the ground yet or she would be dragged on the ground as the vehicle moved.


    With one hand on the side of the bus, she roughly jerked her frock away from the sharp part of the iron seat that it had hooked on to, tearing off a little part of the material in the process. But that was a small price to pay for not missing her bus stop. With a calcted jump, she exited the moving vehicle and managed to hit the ground running.


    ¡°Useless idiots,¡± she cursed, after she had caught her breath, as she inspected the torn part of her dress. Then she lifted it up, fished into the pocket of the little shorts she wore underneath and pulled out the small white paper stored there. She had earlier memorized its contents, but the happenings of thest few minutes were enough to make one forget even his/her name.


    Caro was sure that she was at the right bus stop. There was the street¡¯s name up there on a pole ¨C the only good thing she had seen of Lagos so far. But being at the bus stop was still another problem on its own.


    The entire ce was one big noisy market. There was an untarred dirt road that led to God knew where, but from her point of view at the bus stop, she could see that the road was not only far from straight, but it also had some branches which people were constantly taking. Joining the throng would be nothing short of madness. She was not in any way familiar with this environment and she could easily get lost. She had to ask for help. But perhaps she needed a little something to spur her on?


    She heard the angry st of a danfo horn and she jumped out of the way just in time as the driver maneuvered his rickety contraption of a vehicle into a temporary parking spot, throwing curses at her as he went. His conductor had already jumped down and was shouting the locations his bus would reach and go through. Before she could fully recover herposure, she received a sharp push from a middle-aged man whose path she had been blocking. In fact, she was still blocking the path of many other people. The solution was to keep moving and keep her eyes and ears open.


    At first, she stood still to allow people pass before moving on, but after several pushes from the back and sides, she finally learned to move like everyone else in the throng. When she eventually reached the roasted ntain seller a few metres away, she had spent about half an hour, a journey that would take any other person in the area only a few seconds. But in that half hour, she had learnt what would have taken some people at least a day to learn. She was from a crazy environment herself, the biggest difference was in the poption and the density, but adjusting was not going to be much of a problem.


    ¡°Good afternoon, ma,¡± she greeted the woman selling the roasted ntain, groundnuts and a few other items like soft drinks in a cooler.


    ¡°Kil¡¯efe {*what do you want*}?¡±, the woman asked, vigorously fanning the hot coals she was using for her roasting.


    ¡°Eh?¡±, Caro blurted in totalck ofprehension.


    ¡°What you wan buy?¡±, the woman repeated in broken English.


    ¡°Oh. I don¡¯t want to buy anything. I just want to find out where this ce is.¡± Caro hurriedly unfolded her little white paper containing the address of her mother¡¯s cousin preparatory to showing it to the woman. But the ntain seller, seeing that the girl had no intention whatsoever to buy anything from her, promptly hissed and turned away.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Tunde!¡±, she called at the top of her lungs. ¡°Tunde!¡±, she called again. And still, no response. ¡°Lo pe egbon e wa {*go call your elder brother*},¡± she said to a little chubby cbash-bellied child seated on the ground beside her. ¡°Sare sare {*hurry hurry*}.¡±


    Caro watched as the child darted off on the errand, hoping that the woman had some intention of helping her, but the look she received when the woman finally looked her way left her in no doubt that she had to try somewhere else. Tunde was obviously being called for a reason that had nothing to do with her situation.

 CHAPTER FOUR

    The heat from the zing sun was quite at it its peak when Caro finally arrived at her final destination. The sweat was dripping down her body and her once precious but now useless paper was almost in shreds due to it being passed from one rough hand to another. But there was not much reason for worry. Aunty Rosa would be hosting her in a few minutes and she would get a bath, food and some much needed rest. Her legs were so tired!


    At thepound she had been directed to, as being the residence of her aunty, she found three gum-munching older girls seated on two benches outside and d only in short jean skirts and bras. Caro could hardly fault them. She knew all too well what the heat could push one into doing.


    As she approached them, two of the girls gave her a once-over with a practised eye. She chose the only girl who didn¡¯t stop looking and walked up to her.


    ¡°Sista, good afternoon,¡± she greeted and was replied with a little nod as the girl¡¯s mouth continued chewing the gum as if the health of her teeth depended on it. She didn¡¯t looking harsh or angry, rather she looked curious. This gave Caro the confidence she needed to make her enquiry.


    ¡°Please, I am looking for somebody¡­ Aunty Rosa. I was told she lives here.¡±


    ¡°Rosa?¡±, the girl asked, surprised at the Aunty part. ¡°That¡¯s her area na,¡± she said, after Caro nodded in response, pointing to a door opposite.


    ¡°Oh thank you, sista. But is she at home?¡±


    ¡°She is at home na. It looks as if she¡¯s even working.¡±


    Caro did not understand what she meant by ¡®she¡¯s even working¡¯, but not wanting to push her already unbelievable luck too far, she thanked the girl again and crossed over to the door that she had pointed out to her.


    Caro gave a sharp rap on the closed door and received an instant response.


    ¡°Who is that?¡±, was the semi-angry shout from inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s me o, Aunty,¡± Caro called back. ¡°Caro¡­ Caro from the vige.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±, was the surprised response. ¡°What do you want here?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­¡± She stopped to listen to what was being said in the room:


    ¡°Please,e and be going. These family people have brought their problems. I don¡¯t like it when people interrupt my business like this.¡±


    Then, hardly secondster, a man in police uniform opened the door and came out of the room, tightening his belt as he walked. He gave only a passing nce at Caro before hurrying off, but Caro kept her eyes on his retreating figure. She was so focused on him and wondering what he had been doing in her Aunty¡¯s apartment that she did not notice Rosa watching her from the open doorway. She was d in only a tiny pair of bum shorts and a bra. One hand on her waist and another on the door frame, she regarded her cousin¡¯s daughter with little love.


    ¡°So Caro, what happened? What did youe to do in Lagos? Did youe alone?¡±


    Caro, shocked by the sudden sound of a voice and taken aback by her Aunty¡¯s attire, stuttered helplessly, ¡°Goo¡­ good afternoon, Aunty.¡±


    ¡°I know it is afternoon. Don¡¯t remind me. Answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ I came alone,¡± Caro replied, already sensing that she was not wee. ¡°I just¡­ I just want to change environment to¡­ you know¡­ further the hustle.¡±


    ¡°What hustle is that? Kerosene hawking hustle? Or is there something else you know?¡±


    ¡°Ah Aunty, even if I don¡¯t know anything, I¡¯m a fast learner. If I join you to do your business, before you know it, I have even¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, shut up there!¡±, Rosa cut her off. ¡°What business do you think I¡¯m doing, eh?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ I don¡¯t know yet, but if you can teach me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, look here. I don¡¯t run a lodge or a charity organization here, or even a vocational training centre, so nobody should just walk here and¡­ and.. and¡­ by the way, are you sure you did not run from home? Where are your things?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­,¡± Caro was about to weave and deliver a suitable lie, but Rosa did not let her finish the process.


    ¡°Look here. Hope you remember the road through which you came here? Take that same road and go back to the vige. Lagos is not for children. How old are you that you¡¯re talking of hustling? Do you even know how to spell the word?¡±


    ¡°H.. U.. S¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, shut up there! Idiot. Now, turn 360. Let me see your back right now. I will call your mother and t¡­¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But Aunty,¡± Caro wailed in panic, ¡°that time when you came to the vige, you told us that anybody that wants toe to Lagos, you will help the person get a job and¡­¡±


    ¡°That was then. Things have changed. The economy is bad, so go back home, you hear? Go back home and manage what you have in the vige. Lagos is not for children. I am going inside now, if Ie out and still see you here¡­ only God will save you.¡±


    With that, she turned and went back into her room. Caro stood there dejected, rejected and disappointed. She had not anticipated such a huge blow-off and as a result, had not prepared for it. For once in her life, she waspletely taken unawares, stranded and helpless in a strangend.


    Going back to the vige was a huge no-no. Staying where she was for one extra second was an even bigger no-no. Apart from whatever she nned toe back with, Rosa had already promised to call her mother ¨C perhaps she was even doing it right now. Caro knew she had to put as much distance as she could between herself and this area before her family woulde in search. But the big question was, where would she go?

 CHAPTER FIVE

    ¡°Hi Pops,¡± Timmy hailed as he swaggered into therge parlour shirtless and wearing a sagging pair of jean trousers.


    His father watched him with a half sneer as he swaggered over to a sofa and jumped on it, a bottle of soft drink in one hand and a sandwich in the other.


    ¡°Young man,e here,¡± his father called and pointed to a spot in front of him. Timmy took his time getting up and swaggered his way to the spot his father had indicated. The middle aged real estate mogul pushed his sses down his nose and stared his son up and down.


    ¡°What¡¯s haipops?¡±


    Timmy shrugged carelessly and took arge bite of his sandwich before answering. ¡°Exactly what it means, Pops,¡± he said with his mouth full.


    ¡°So it was a sin for me to send you to America with my hard-earned money and youe back here to speak rubbish to¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, Pops. What are you saying? Just chill, man. Chill.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± his father sighed. ¡°We will all chill. Just go and call your mother for me.¡±


    ¡°¡®Kay, Pops.¡± And he swaggered out of the parlour to go hunt down his Mom.


    Few minutester, Mrs. Elendu walked in. ¡°Chief, you called me?¡±


    ¡°Reba, sit down,¡± her husband said, pointing to a spot beside him on the sofa he was upying.


    When she had seated herself, she turned to face him. ¡°What is it, Chief? You look worried.¡±


    ¡°How won¡¯t I be worried, eh Reba? How won¡¯t I be worried when my son¡­ my only son is behaving like a madman that recently escaped from a psychiatric hospital?¡±


    ¡°God forbid! Ch¡­¡±


    ¡°What is God forbidding? Don¡¯t you see the way he behaves?¡±


    ¡°But that does not call for such words na. Please be careful, Chief. Like you said, he¡¯s your only son. God knows I¡¯m too old to produce another one.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe I should start thinking of getting someone else who can still produce one or more.¡±


    ¡°Ah ah, Chief! What kind of statement is that? If it¡¯s a joke, please stop it.¡±


    ¡°My dear, it¡¯s not a joke o. This is a very serious matter. I sent this son of yours to America, so he can live in a better country and have good education, but instead he went to acquire madness.¡±


    ¡°Chief, ¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t Chief me!¡±, he shouted, mming his walking stick on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t you notice his behavior? What are you doing about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been talking to him and trying¡­¡±


    ¡°Trying? I¡¯m not interested in trying! Go and look for a powerful dibia to extract that craze from his head immediately before he ends up naked in the marketce.¡±


    ¡°But Chief, it has note to that na.¡±


    ¡°Yes! It hase to that. In fact, it hase to more than that!¡±


    ¡°Please wait. Just calm down. I have a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°What suggestion?¡±, he asked in a harsh tone, turning sharply to her.


    ¡°You remember your friend, Donatus, who¡­¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡±


    ¡°Let us send Timothy there as an apprentice. Between Dona¡¯s busy lifestyle and the toughness of Lagos, he will change in a few months.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that Dona can cure this kind of madness?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will work, Chief. The problem is that he does not have any work to do to¡­¡±


    ¡°And whose fault is that?¡±, he demanded, turning angry using eyes on her.


    ¡°Ehh Chief, let us leave the me ownership for another day. Like I was saying, when he has enough work on his hands, he will behave. He will even learn some things there that will improve his life. Instead of looking for job, you can open a business for him when he finishes at Dona¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. We will try it. For his sake, I hope it will work, otherwise one day I will beat him until he would not be able to recognize me as his father.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will work,¡± she assured again, shing him a winning smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will be okay.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Chief Chief,¡± she hailed patronizingly. ¡°The most handsome Chief in the world. The most sophisticated Chief in the Universe. Smile small na.¡±


    He hissed and turned his face away.


    ¡°Okay o,¡± she sighed as she got to her feet. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to smile, it seems you are angry. That means you¡¯ll not be hungry for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°It looks as if you have saved enough transport fare that will take you to your father¡¯s house,¡± Chief fired back instantly.


    ¡°No o. I will sell all your properties and use the money to pay for my transport. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll leave one shirt and two trousers for you. At least, that was the only property you had when I agreed to marry you.¡±


    He red at her with all the anger he could muster and then got up and walked away without saying a word.


    ***


    ¡°Timmy!¡±, Reba called for the fourth time in thirty seconds. She could hear her husband¡¯s angry murmurs, but she chose to ignore them, and called her son for the fifth time.


    ¡°Timmy!¡±


    ¡°Yo, Momma. Wadup?¡±, a shirtless Timmy hailed as he made his way down the stairs with the waistline of his trousers halfway down his buttocks. The three older people watched; one in disgust, one in exasperation and the other in curiosity as the young man swaggered his way down the stairs.


    ¡°Where have you been? I¡¯ve been calling your name for how many hours now.¡±


    ¡°For real? Well, I gotta tell ya, you should get an award for patience.¡±


    ¡°Timothy, co¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the dude?¡±, Timmy interrupted, nodding towards the visitor as he swaggered over to a sofa.


    ¡°He¡¯s not a dood,¡± Reba rified. ¡°His name is Do¡­ Uncle Donatus. He¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Donuts? Damn, dude! What a yummy name you got!¡±


    ¡°Donatus, Timmy. Do.. na.. toos.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s your father¡¯s friend. He¡¯s here to take you to Lagos.¡±


    ¡°Lagos? For what?¡±


    ¡°On holiday and sightseeing. Thest time you went to Lagos, you were very little. It¡¯s even more beautiful now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Ain¡¯t that something! But what about the old man, he¡¯s got no problems with this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude, Timmy,¡± Reba scolded. ¡°Your father is right here. Don¡¯t talk about him like he¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Yo Pops,¡± Timmy hailed his furious-looking father, smiling and winking at him.


    ¡°Like I was saying,¡± Reba quickly put in, not sure how long her husband¡¯s temper would remain chained, ¡°Uncle Donatus is here to take you to Lagos, so go and get dressed. I¡¯ve already packed what you¡¯ll need.¡±


    ¡°What! Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Timmy. He¡¯s in a hurry to get back to Lagos as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Mama. Rush-rush ain¡¯t my style, ya know,¡± he grumbled as he got to his feet reluctantly.


    ¡°Yes, I know. But this is a rare opportunity. You can¡¯t find anyone else like Donatus who¡¯s capable of showing you around all the beautiful ces in Lagos.¡±


    ¡°Okay. But it¡¯s just for you, Mama. Rush-rush ain¡¯t my style but I¡¯ll do anything for you. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my dear. Just go and get dressed.¡±


    ***


    It was like a wake keeping as they all awaited the return of Timothy. Everyone was silent, but Reba could see that her husband was fighting hard to bottle up his anger. She would have loved to encourage him, but that might just be the ember that would spur the gasoline into explosive action. Timmy was the direct cause of all this tension and she hoped his father would be able to hold it together until after he leaves. But Timmy himself was not helping matters.


    At the moment, he was dancing down the stairs with a headset, baggy shirt, sagging trousers and tennis shoes.


    ¡°Yo, Mama! I¡¯m ready to hit Lagos! Just check me out. How do I look?¡±


    He pranced about, made several poses and ended with a dab right in front of his disgusted father.


    ¡°What do you think, huh?¡±


    ¡°Very nice, Timmy,¡± Reba smiled, quickly grabbing his arm and pulling him to her side before he would end up triggering an explosion. Then she led him out of the house into the parking space. Donatus got up and followed them while Chief Elendu took up the rear.


    ¡°I¡¯ma be a superstar, Mama. I¡¯ma buy you a chopper and a Rolls Royce for the old man. Yo, Donuts, what¡¯d you like me to buy for you? I¡¯ma buy a za for Dora and a fucking stiletto for Trace!¡±


    ¡°Hey Timmy, listen to me,¡± Reba drew his attention as they reached Donatus¡¯ car. ¡°For your own good, be respectful to your father¡¯s friend. Anything he tells you to do, do it. Don¡¯t argue! If you behave well, umm¡­ you know, everything will be alright.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Mama. I¡¯ll do anything for you.¡±


    To her surprise, he kissed her on both cheeks and ran over to his father with open arms.


    ¡°Gonna miss you, Poppykins!¡±


    But before he could get near enough for a hug, Chief raised his walking stick, prepared to club him over the head with it. Timmy got the signal in time and came to a halt. He smiled and then winked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it, Pops.¡±


    ¡°Only when you¡¯re sane or I¡¯ll beat you to death,¡± Chief retorted in Igbo.


    ¡°What¡¯s he say, Mama?¡±


    ¡°He wishes you a safe journey and happy sightseeing,¡± Reba quickly said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from danger zone.


    Donatus had taken his ce in the driver seat of his car and she opened the (front) passenger side and pushed Timmy inside. When she had closed the door and received another set of kisses, Chief walked to the window of the driver side.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Dona, listen to me,¡± he said to his friend in Igbo. ¡°Don¡¯t spare him. Forget that he¡¯s my son. If he gives you trouble, beat him mercilessly¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah Chief!¡±, Reba eximed.


    ¡°Mechonu there!¡±, he ordered, effectively silencing her. After fixing her with an angry re, he turned to his friend again and continued in Igbo, ¡°Like I was saying, if he gives you trouble, beat him till he faints. I¡¯ll pay for the hospital bills. Safe journey, my friend.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Thank you, Chief.¡± Dona nodded his goodbye to the couple and drove off with his charge who was still chattering various versions of goodbye to his waving mother and ring father.

 CHAPTER SIX

    Roaming aimlessly on the streets of Lagos, Caro deliberately got lost. She just had to keep walking; it was the only way she could think clearly. There was no need to know exactly where she was at the moment. Rosa¡¯s ce was the only ce she had nned toe to in Lagos and now that she wasn¡¯t wee there, she did not only need to put enough distance between Rosa and herself, she also had to find somewhere to retreat to for the night¡­ somewhere quite safe.


    If she was back home, it would have been very easy, but this was apletely strangend. She knew nowhere and from the attitude of the people so far, there was no guarantee that she would even get any sort of help. She was not very much used to staying without food for most of the day, so the question of food was not her biggest issue for now, but she knew for sure that it woulde upter, especially in thete night. She had gone to bed hungry in many enough asions to know exactly how horrible it felt.


    Evening was slowly giving way to the early stage of night and the vehicr traffic and human activity were showing no signs of decreasing, rather they were increasing at an rming rate ¨C certainly something that Caro had never expected. But she adjusted quickly.


    Just before nightfall, she came up with a n and a schedule to go along with it. Food first, shelter next. She had very little money in her possession and she had no wish to spend any of it, at least not until it was absolutely necessary. But how would she get food?


    She looked around her at the busy, noisy road and she could see a lot of roadside vendors. She also saw a number of idle evil-looking boys who had their eyes on her young body, but she ignored them and focused on the vendors. She needed food to stay alive and only living people faced danger. Food first, safetyter. But it seemed she was in the wrong ce. There was no way she would get food here. The women were constantly alert and always had their eyes on their wares. Some of them even had their children with them which meant extra pairs of sharp eyes. She would have to try the inner streets instead.


    ***


    It took Caro almost half an hour walking the tiny inner roads in search of a suitable ce before she finally found a little kiosk manned by only one woman and not fenced with a wire mesh. The woman only had her wares stacked on arge wooden table with a small kerosenemp to provide illumination.


    Sighting her quarry, Caro switched to action mode immediately. She came to a halt. Using the strings attached to it, she tied her frock tightly around her, not to the back as was normal, but to the front, making sure to keep the upper part as baggy as possible. Then she began the short journey to the woman¡¯s kiosk.


    One quick look around informed her that the surroundings werepletely deserted. Perhaps the people living in the area had all gone into their houses or they had gone to the main road to sell their ¡®market¡¯. Whichever it was, it was a good thing and she was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. This was a golden opportunity and she was fully prepared to seize it with both hands.


    ¡°Na you dey sell?¡±, she asked as she reached where the woman was seated behind the kiosk. She was old enough to be her mother, but the few hours she had spent so far in Lagos had taught her that being polite was more a hindrance than anything else.


    ¡°Wetin you wan buy?¡±, the woman demanded in return, quickly getting to her feet.


    ¡°You get bread?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She was already reaching to grab a small loaf for her customer, but Caro quickly rushed to pick one for herself. The resulting sh caused the nearbymp to fall off its perch and roll off the table, hitting the ground with a tter.


    ¡°Chai!¡±, the woman eximed as she dove for it to prevent the spige of her precious kerosene.


    ¡°Ah! Sorry o,¡± Caro apologized, half-bending as if to help the woman pick up themp. But the woman already had the situation under control, so she straightened back up.


    The bread seller had managed to salvage some of the kerosene and proceeded to re-light themp with a sour expression on her naturally sour face.


    ¡°Abeg no vex,¡± Caro said in an effort to pacify her. But the woman said nothing. After cing hermp back on its still unstable perch, she focused on Caro with an expectant look and Caro got the message immediately.


    ¡°How much for this your bread?¡±, she asked.


    ¡°Thirty naira.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Thirty wetin? Ah. E small o. You no get big one?¡±, Caro said, turning a loaf over in her hand with a critical look on her face.


    ¡°No,¡± was the not-so-happy reply.


    ¡°But where I go fit see big one buy?¡±


    ¡°I no know,¡± the woman snapped, sitting back down on her chair with an angry huff and grumbling inaudibly.


    ¡°Okay o,¡± Caro sighed and dropped the loaf. ¡°No vex.¡±


    She left the bread seller and walked down the street for a few yards before making a sharp turn and swiftly making her way back to the busy main road. Only when she had crossed all twones to the other side of the road did she breathe a deep sigh of relief.


    Whew. Missionpleted! The first phase, that is. Right now, she was like an African leopard in an African jungle. The prey was in hand, what was left was to find a safe tree to enjoy it, away from the greedy eyes of other dangerous hunters or scavengers.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

 CHAPTER SEVEN

    Caro moved slowly as she surveyed the dark surroundings. She was in search of suitable shelter, but she knew it would not be an easy task in such a heavily popted ce. Every few metres, there were two or more street boys seated, standing, smoking or talking in low tones. She could feel eyes on her and she knew that she was in for one hell of a night, but still, shelter had to be found. It was much safer than being exposed out on the streets.


    She must have walked for about a kilometer when she saw light bushes up ahead. Something about the bush spoke to her and she had the feeling that it was hiding exactly what she was looking for. She inspected it from outside, but there was nothing to suggest in the dark night that there was a structure anywhere in it.


    After a moment of indecision, she took a bold step into the bushes and created a path for herself as she went, little knowing that other leopards were on her trail.


    Caro navigated through the bushes with nothing but the fear of snakes on her mind. She had almost hit the wall when she noticed the upleted bungalow. It looked like a grand church in the middle of Hell and she was more than happy to see it. She was all for rushing in, but her mind brought her to a halt in time. What if it was upied¡­ and by the wrong creatures? How upleted it was would determine who or what would take refuge in it, so she went around it on a short recon.


    One look through one of the low windows showed her that the interior was devoid of any form of development. It was a bare, barren ce. There could be no better guest house!


    Making her way to the front, she let herself in and chose a corner for herself. She loosened the strings of her frock, making her dinner fall to the ground. Then she picked it up and sat down. She sighed and leaned back, feeling weary from all her adventures of the day. Her legs had worked and overworked and they could use a long night¡¯s rest. She stretched them out in front of her, hoping there were no ants around. Then she tore open the nylon the bread was tied in. The little thing was just a little more than her fist, but it would have to do for the night.


    She said the Lord¡¯s Prayer as she had learned it from her favourite teacher, Miss Andrews and threw in the Catholic crossing for good measure before proceeding tounch her assault.


    As she tore and munched and swallowed, she couldn¡¯t help but notice the difference between the bread at home and the one here in Lagos. If this piece of dried foam was what they called bread, then she almost wasn¡¯t sorry for stealing it!


    In a few minutes, she had finished her meal, but satisfied she certainly was not. That was no new thing to her, anyway. Sleeping with an empty stomach was an experience she was familiar with, especially on those evenings in the vige when she would fight off boys who wanted to bully or molest her. In the process, she would lose some or even all of the money she had made from sales and as a result, her mother would give her the beating of the century and send her to bed without food.


    She may at some point have felt anger, disgust, disappointment at being a girl, but one thing she never felt was regret for standing up to boys. Since she didn¡¯t have the privilege of being a boy, she would always do her best to prove to the boys that she could be more than a boy.


    Caro did not know when she fell asleep, but she was startled awake by a shuffling sound. It was light enough not to disturb even the lightest of sleepers, but from experiences of night robbery and constant noise from a mother that hardly ever slept, Caro was much more than a light sleeper. She slept with both eyes closed, but with all other sense organs open and alert. A loud innocent wind would not wake her, but the fall of a malicious feather would have her on her feet in a sh ¨C just like she was now.


    She could hear voices, low whispers. Her eyes darted to the only possible weapon in the ce: a long nk resting on the wall opposite. The moon was up and bright and the light shone through the window behind her.


    Quietly, she pulled off her footwear, then crawled to the wall opposite and took possession of the nk just as two young men stole into her abode. It was lucky that the nk was situated in a rtively dark part of the room and she stood there watching them as they, with their backs to her, tiptoed to her erstwhile corner.


    ¡°Where the girl na?¡±, one of them whispered.


    ¡°How I wan take know?¡±, his friend retorted.


    ¡°But na her slippers be this. Where shee go?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she don run.¡±


    ¡°Run go where? If we no see this girl today eh, I go change am for you o. Na you say make we wait till she sleep otherwise we for done hammer am finish since.¡±


    ¡°Rx. She go¡­¡± But he couldn¡¯tplete the statement.


    Like lightning, something came out of nowhere and hit his partner on the head, sending him to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He didn¡¯t bother to investigate. For all he knew, there were evil ghosts residing here! Choosing the window nearest to him, he flew out of the building and ran for all he was worth without looking back!Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Caro looked at the limp body of her formerly potential attacker and breathed a sigh of relief. Her pulse was still pounding, but she was d of her all-round sess in averting the impending danger. They had wanted to ¡®hammer¡¯ her, but she had hammered them instead; one of them at least.


    She could see the part of his skull her nk had smashed in. She didn¡¯t need a doctor to tell her that his chances of survival were as good as 0 out of 100. He would no longer be a threat to her or anyone else. No more hammering of girls, to be sure.


    With a yawn and a sigh, she set down her hero of a nk andy down on it, determined to sleep till daybreak.

 CHAPTER EIGHT

    The day after they left Abuja, Donatus and his charge arrived in Lagos. Due to the long journey, they had spent the previous night in a hotel and finished the journey by morning.


    ¡°¡®This your ce?¡±, Timmy asked as they drove through the gate into Donatus¡¯pound in Lagos. But his father¡¯s friend gave no reply. He simply parked in front of the small but beautiful buildings and alighted from the car.


    ¡°Somethin¡¯ cute ain¡¯t it?¡±, Tim said as he also stepped out of the car. ¡°Never imagined you¡¯d be holed up in a ce like this, Donuts.¡±


    ¡°Wee Oga,¡± a young man rushed to meet them followed closely by two others, one of whom had opened the gate. They took Donatus¡¯ bag from him, but they didn¡¯t dare suggest that he part with hisrge purse.


    ¡°Mba mba mba! Let him carry his own bag,¡± he ordered, shaking his head vigorously in disapproval, as one of the boys wanted to help Timmy with his bag.


    Timmy looked surprised for a second, but finally shrugged and slung his bag over his shoulder.


    ¡°Yo Donuts,¡± he called as Donatus began to walk toward the bigger of the two houses. ¡°Who¡¯s gon¡¯ pick up ma things in the trunk?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have hands?¡±, Donatus shot back. ¡°And look here, don¡¯t you ever, from this day onward, call me donut again. If you can¡¯t call me Uncle Donatus, call me Oga Dona. Or sir. Or even Uncle. Onyeberibe.¡±


    Timmy watched in surprise as he walked off angrily. When Donatus was finally out of sight, he turned to the boys who were now staring at him as if he was a new species of insect just discovered by a scientist.


    ¡°Yo, what¡¯re you guys staring at? Go pick up the damn things from the trunk.¡±


    With hisses and shake of heads, they all turned around and walked away.


    ¡°Hey, where you guys going?¡±, Timmy called after them. But none of them paid any attention to him. He put his hands on his waist and shook his head ruefully. ¡°Gotta head back to Abhooja, man. Fucking donut heads out here.¡±


    ***


    As he puffed, sweated and strained under box after box of his possessions, Timmy wondered what amount of sightseeing could possibly make up for all this suffering. He had called his mother and she had told him to be patient and that everything would turn out alright. He¡¯d do anything for her, so he would stick with it for two days, but if the suffering continued, he¡¯d have no choice but to return to Abuja immediately.


    As he dropped thest of the boxes in the sitting room, Donatus walked in from his room, d in only a singlet and trousers.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡±, he asked in surprise, referring to Timmy¡¯s boxes.


    ¡°My things, man. Mom packed the damn Universe,¡± Timmy grumbled as he stretched his tired bones.


    ¡°What are they doing here? Don¡¯t you know where the Boys Quarter is? My friend, take them to the Boys Quarter! Onyeara.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±, Timmy shouted. ¡°Boys Quarters? Damn! This is the height of it. Hey, see here, Donuts¡­¡±


    Like lightning, Donatus¡¯ palm flew through the air and struck Timmy hard on the cheek before he couldplete his statement. The p sent the boy to the ground and he promptly burst into tears.


    ¡°Fuck you, man!¡±, he shouted as he cried. ¡°How dare you hit me? I¡¯m gonna have your head! When Pops hears about this, you gon¡¯ spend the rest of your miserable life in jail!¡±


    ¡°Wait for me,¡± Donatus said and rushed back into his rooms. He returned immediately with a long, wicked-looking koboko and made for Timmy like fire following a trail of gasoline.


    Timmy knew he was in trouble and he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran outside, cursing as he ran. Donatus ran after him, but stopped at the doorway, from where he could see the Boys Quarters.


    ¡°Henry! Chukwuka! Chidi!¡±


    Immediately, the three boys jumped out of the Quarters and rushed over to their boss.


    ¡°Come,e here,¡± he ordered, leading them into his sitting room. ¡°Throw this rubbish out. Throw them¡­ throw everything outside. Nonsense!¡±


    Fuming, he picked up his phone and dialed a number as the boys unceremoniously threw out all of Timmy¡¯s boxes from the sitting room into the packing area.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have your balls, you Donuts! And y¡¯all are gon¡¯ join ¡®im in prison. I promise you that! You hear me? You¡¯ll rot in jail, all o¡¯ you!¡±


    When the boys had done their work, they all three retreated to their residence, leaving only their boss and histest apprentice.


    ¡°You, Timothy or whatever you call yourself,¡± Donatus fumed, pointing angrily at Timmy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will see pepper in this house. Jail, abi? Don¡¯t worry, we shall see. We shall see.¡±


    And then he walked into his house, his phone on his ear and mmed the door shut behind him.


    After he was gone, Timmy went over to the flowers at the side of the house and slumped to a sitting position on the ground.


    ¡°Fuck you, Mom! Fuck you, Pops! You guys sent me to get beat by this filthy donut. You got a lotta making up to do, you know. This guy¡¯s gotta die in jail, nothing else!¡±


    Then he pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed his mother, crying as he did so. The operator informed him that the line was unavable at the moment and that he should try againter. He paused his crying to listen to the message. Then he dialed his father and restarted the crying immediately, but the operator told him the line was switched off.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±, he shouted, throwing the phone away in anger. He fumed for a few seconds and then went over to pick it up. The screen was cracked, but he still had a good view. He dialed his mother again, but this time it was dered switched off. His father again, but the same story. Then he dialed his eldest sister.

 CHAPTER NINE

    ¡°Mama!¡±, Dora called as she marched into therge parlour of her parents¡¯ house.


    ¡°Papa! Who¡¯s at home?¡±, she shouted again as she heard no response.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that shouting like a mad person in my house?¡±, Reba asked as she came down the stairs.


    ¡°Mama, what¡¯s this I¡¯m hearing?¡±, she asked as she marched over to meet her mother.


    ¡°Is that your new style of greeting?¡±


    ¡°Good Morning, Mama. Where¡¯s Timmy?¡±


    ¡°Timmy has gone to Lagos. Why do you ask?¡±, she sighed as she took her seat on a sofa, but her eldest daughter remained standing.


    ¡°He called me yesterday, saying that he¡¯s being maltreated and beaten wherever it is that you sent¡­¡±


    ¡°And so?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±, Dora was shell shocked. ¡°Mama, I¡¯m talking of Timmy o. Your son, your only son¡­ my brother.¡±


    ¡°And I said, ¡®And so?''¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Wh¡­ I don¡¯t understand. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what? Did you ask him what he did to earn the p he received?¡±


    ¡°But Mama, no matter what he did, he¡¯s still your son na. You can¡¯t send him to another person¡¯s house to be maltreated!¡±


    ¡°Will you shut up! Were you the one that impregnated me with the sperm that formed him? Chor chor chor chor chor chor chor, you run your mouth like a grinding machine without knowing what¡¯s going on. Timothy was insulting a man old enough to be his uncle, calling him names and threatening to send him to jail for life. The man called me immediately. I was even hearing the shouts of your stupid brother in the background.¡±


    ¡°Ehh..,¡± Dora hesitated, scratching her hair and shifting from one foot to the other. ¡°But Mama, you¡­¡±


    ¡°But nothing! We were the ones that sent him there to learn a real way of life. Since he doesn¡¯t have any fear for us, he will see somebody that will make him fear. It is for his own good. If he grows up like this, you¡¯ll regret ever having such a brother. He¡¯s my son. I want to protect him, but I also want him to be useful to the society. You cannot love him more than I who gave birth to him. So, as you marched in here, what did you intend to do? Fight me?¡±


    ¡°Ah no o, Mama. I just¡­ em¡­ since it¡¯s just a misunderstanding, I¡¯m very sorry. It will never happen again.¡±


    ¡°It better not. So how¡¯s your husband?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, ma. In fact, I have to go and pick him up right now. He¡¯s waiting for¡­¡±


    ¡°So you left your husband waiting and came all the way here for such a stupid reason?¡±


    ¡°Ah Mama, it¡¯s the power of a sister¡¯s love na. Anyway, I called you and Papa several times, but your lines were switched off. Let me be going, Mama. Take care. Greet Papa for me. And please, don¡¯t tell him why I came.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Reba smiled in understanding. ¡°Your secret is safe with me.¡±


    *****


    Timmy was just dozing off when his phone rang. He jerked to ¡®alert and awake¡¯ mode and squinted at the screen. Dora! Oh, Donuts was in trouble. The police must already be on their way.


    ¡°Hello sis, h¡­¡±


    ¡°Timmy, don¡¯t talk. Just listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Listening,¡± Timmy replied, thinking she was going to walk him through the escape procedures she must have gotten from the police chief.


    ¡°Mom has told me everything. You sent me to make a big fool of myself. I was lucky that Dad did not meet me, I would have fallen into hot soup. Like I said, Mom has told me everything. You need to calm down and be polite, Timmy. Just be patient. I¡¯m sure that, if you behave well, the man will not maltreat you. Just do what he says, it¡¯s for your own good. I love you, Timmy. Please be a good boy. Bye.¡±


    And the connection was cut off. Timmy stared open-mouthed at the phone as if it wasn¡¯t his. Why on earth was everyone turning against him? What did he do to deserve all this? As he was about to burst into real tears, he suddenly remembered hisst option: Tracy! She was the firecracker of the family. The fearless and defiant one. If anyone could help him, it was Trace.


    He speed-dialed her and breathed a huge sigh of relief as it began to ring. She picked up on the third ring.


    ¡°Hello,¡± a sharp voice greeted his ears.


    ¡°Yo, Trace. How you doing? I¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Timmy Cool, your brother. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh Timmy. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t fine, sis.¡±


    ¡°Why? What happened?¡±


    Then he proceeded to narrate his ordeal of thest 48 hours. But he had hardly gone halfway through his story when his elder sister interrupted him.


    ¡°Look look look, Timmy. I don¡¯t have time to solve anybody¡¯s problems now. Do you know what I¡¯m passing through here in school? Who¡¯ll solve my own problems? I don¡¯t even me you sef. Since you¡¯re thest born and the only son, and you did not even school in Nigeria sef, you can never understand my problems. Ever since that wicked father of yours banned me from pocket money for two months, life has not been easy for me. If you know how much I¡¯m owing for only hair and shoes, you¡¯ll pity me and you¡¯ll never bother me for anything. Just try to solve your problems by yourself. If they beat you, beat them back and it will bnce. Bye bye.¡±


    The connection ended and this time, Timmy threw the phone away and started kicking about like a little child whose toy had been taken from him.


    ¡°Oga Americana, you don make your call finish?¡±, asked one of the boys, Henry, as he walked up to see Timmy putting up a show fit for the theatre. ¡°Which one you dey dance like lizard wey fall inside hot oil? Anyway, Oga say make you join us go carry load from warehouse.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°Come, you think say here na America? Oga say make you follow us. You¡­e¡­ follow¡­ join us¡­ carry¡­ load¡­ from warehouse¡­ to store. You hear?¡±, he shouted as if he was talking to a half deaf simpleton.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh fuck fuck fuck,¡± Timmy moaned, bursting into fresh tears. ¡°Just see what ma own family¡¯s doing to me! Oh God, where are you?¡±


    ¡°Jehovah,¡± Henry blurted, staring at the crying boy in wonder. ¡°From where dem for bring this one? No be Yaba Left this one suppose dey? (to Timmy) Hey, look here, we dey go o. You bettere now or we go leave you go. If Oga meet you here eh, you are on your own o.¡±


    And then he walked off to join his colleagues with Timmying behind him in a peculiar style of reluctance.

 CHAPTER TEN

    Caro¡¯s movements were slow, deliberate and determined as she beat down the tall grasses in her path to make way for her to reach the main road. The path she had taken the previous night may have been better, but she feared that the second of the two boys who hade to ¡®hammer¡¯ her the previous night would be waiting on the road with a gang. She was now cutting out another path that would lead to a farther part of the road. She would have loved to sleep at the upleted building till the morning was bright, but nightmares inspired by the deadbody lying close to her drove her to her feet and forced her to continue her exodus to a Canaan she knew not.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    When she hit the main road, her next objective was finding the nearest water body before daylight. It was a difficult task. She was a stranger here and since her arrival in Lagos, she had not set eyes on any natural body of water whatsoever. How and where she was to begin her search, she had no idea. She simply walked along the road away from the area of the upleted building, keeping an eye out for a sign, any sign that might indicate the presence of a stream,ke, river¡­ in fact, any moving water.


    As she walked, she could not help but feel the disadvantage of not having a watch. If only she was a boy, it would have been natural for her to wear watches. Her younger brother had a watch, bought for him by a visiting uncle and she would never forget how he checked and announced the time at every single opportunity. Eventually, he became the clock of the house, there being no other timepiece around except their neighbor¡¯s spider-resident archaic clock.


    They hardly had much to do with time anyway; her parents had lived and taught their children to live a life of routine and their very souls marked the time on their behalf. Their bodies were in sync with the clock of nature and they read as urate a time from their surroundings as others did from clocks or watches.


    As these memories floated around her mind, she couldn¡¯t help but miss home. Home being her siblings, of course. She would never forgive her parents for selling her to Iron Fire like a bar of homemade soap. She wished she could have said goodbye to them (her siblings). She had to admit that she had been selfish when making her ns for escape, but it was necessary. If she had done any less, she would not have seeded and that¡­ wait! Was that the sound of falling water?


    Like a bloodhound on a strong scent, Caro followed the sound away from the road and found herself near a high-walledpound. The falling water was from an over-flowing tank beside thepound.


    She was about to thank her stars when she saw someone¡­ a woman with some buckets, trying all she could to get them full with water as fast as possible. As she ced an empty bucket under the scattered flow, she turned her head and sighted Caro. She kept her eyes on her, staring at her with an expression that Caro could not see due to the darkness. The lights on thepound¡¯s fence were turned away from their direction. Caro knew that standing where she was was suspicious, so she simply continued moving, toward the woman.


    As she approached, she could see that she was not really a woman, but a girl like her albeit older. With a confident stride, Caro walked past her as if her destination was up ahead.


    ¡°Aunty,¡± the girl called. Caro turned. ¡°Abeg you fit help me?¡±


    Caro was quite surprised that she wasn¡¯t addressed in Yoruba which was what seemed to be the firstnguage of everyone in Lagos. She had tried to learn thenguage from her few Yoruba friends back at school, but she found it hard because she hated the sound of it. Recovering from her surprise, she went back to the girl and gave her a helping hand with the bucket.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said when it had been bnced on her head. Caro watched her walk off into the darkness. She had left two of her buckets behind, one of which was already getting full. She would surelye back for itter, but before then¡­


    Caro snatched the bucket¡¯s handle and rushed into the nearest bush. Doing things in bushes was one thing she was not a stranger to.


    Plucking severalrge ntain leaves, she ttened the grasses around her andid them on the ground. Then she took off all her clothes, making sure to check that the little money she had left was intact, and rolled them into a tight bundle (ensuring that her underwear was in the inner core) andid it on the leaves. She then proceeded to put a little distance between herself and the bundle to avoid getting it wet and then began one of the fastest baths of her life.


    She had had faster ones before. There was a time when she was in elementary school and she had woken upte and as a result had to finish bathing in record time before her mother would flog the living daylight out of her. She ended up going to school with soap on her head.


    As Caro bathed, her eyes were all but everywhere. She was not only afraid of getting caught by the owner of the bucket, but also by any attacker or even thepound¡¯s security guard. She threw the water onto her body using both hands, (another thing she wasn¡¯t a stranger to), focusing on washing her armpits and private part. It was easy since she had no hairs in those areas. She had not even started menstruating yet, but she looked like a grown woman except in height.


    She wasn¡¯t short for her age: 14. But she was short for the age she seemed to be: 18, 19.


    After her bath, she quickly shrugged into her clothes, again checking her money and thanking her stars that the bath had gone smoothly and uninterrupted. She picked the bucket, took it back to its position under the tank and with onest look around, smoothened her dress and made her way back to the road.

 CHAPTER ELEVEN

    Caro had walked till it was daybreak, keeping the same course until she came to another busy, market-like bus stop. She didn¡¯t linger and she didn¡¯t care for the name of the ce. She could hear the bus conductors shouting the names of various unfamiliar locations, but her mind did not register any of that. All she thought of was how to get something to eat, preferably without stealing.


    She had remembered to wash her mouth with the water she had stolen earlier, so hopefully, her breath was not very foul because she just might need to do some civilized begging ¨C the kind that got you more than some small change.


    She went on past the busy bus stop and made her way deeper and deeper into quieter and more civilized area. This was the kind of ce where she could hope to find some help. She veered off the road and branched into inner streets.


    The environment was neat, but not high-brow. She could see houses, mostly bungalows and shops. Everywhere was calm and she unconsciously changed her stride and demeanor to match the civility of her surroundings. She was now moving like a city-bred damsel looking for somewhere or something in particr.


    She was d that her footwear was extra hard otherwise she would have been barefoot by now. But speaking of footwear, she could see loads of them disyed outside a store just ahead of her.


    The owner seemed to be just opening up for business and she was still bringing out a lot of women¡¯s shoes and fancy slippers and arranging them in front of the shop. Caro could not help but wish that she had money enough to afford one of those slippers. She must have been staring too long in that direction because she could see the woman watching her from the corner of her eye. Making a spur-of-the-moment decision, Caro headed for the shop.


    The shopowner saw hering and raised her head to look directly at her. She didn¡¯t know what to make of the girl, but she looked like someone in need of directions.


    ¡°Good Morning, ma,¡± Caro greeted as she reached the shop.


    ¡°Good Morning. What can I do for you?¡±, the shop owner  asked.


    Caro was a bit taken aback by the woman¡¯smand of good English. She had expected a torrent of Yoruba or pidgin English.


    ¡°Em¡­ I was wondering if you need any kind of help with your shop. Like a salesgirl or something like that.¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡±, the woman asked, eyeing her up and down.


    ¡°Sixteen,¡± Caro replied, without blinking.


    ¡°Have you done such a job before?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Not really, ma. But I assure you, I¡¯m a fast learner. I used to manage my neighbors¡¯ shops when they were away and they were always the happier for it.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She could not ever remember hearing a sixteen year old product of the current educational system speak in such a manner.


    ¡°Who taught you how to speak like that?¡±


    ¡°Miss Daniels¡­ a teacher in my school.¡±


    ¡°Where do you live?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ ehh¡­ actually, I used to live with my uncle.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened?¡±


    ¡°He died a week ago,¡± Caro replied quietly, looking down at her feet ¨C the image of a mourning niece.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m so sorry about that. What about your parents? Are they alive?¡±


    Caro shook her head in response.


    ¡°Oh poor child. Come,e. Come and sit down.¡±


    She offered Caro a chair and the glib liar mouthed her thanks, still keeping her mourning expression fixed on her face.


    ¡°So how do you survive now?¡±, the woman questioned in genuine concern.


    ¡°After my uncle died, his wife threw me out of the house¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Some women are wicked! What about your other family members? Where do they live?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any of them.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±, the woman ejacted like someone whose heart was already breaking, and Caro pitied her. If only she knew that the entire story was fabricated.


    ¡°So,¡± the woman said after thinking silently for a while, ¡°didn¡¯t your uncle leave a will? What¡¯s your name, by the way?¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t. My name¡¯s Caro.¡±


    ¡°Carol. Short for what? Caroline or Carolyn?¡±


    ¡°Carolina.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yes. Carolina. A beautiful name. So you can read and write, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you have nowhere to stay?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The woman sighed and then shook her head. ¡°The world is wicked! So you¡¯ve been moving around like this for the past one week?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Caro replied and suddenly burst into tears.


    ¡°Oh, poor child. Don¡¯t cry, my dear. Don¡¯t cry. Everything will be okay,¡± the woman consoled, hugging her and allowing her to sob on her shoulder.


    Everything till this point had been faked, but when the woman said ¡®the world is wicked!¡¯, the full realization of what her parents had done to her (selling her off without her consent to a man older than her father) really hit home. The world was really wicked. The people who were supposed to care for her ended up selling her off like a ve.


    She remembered the night her father came back home and simply told her that she would have to be married to ¡®Iron Fire¡¯. It had taken her a full hour to ovee the shock and when she finally did, she fell to nning her way out of ending up as a wife of that beast of a man. She had been so focused on nning and implementing that she had never really had the time to cry¡­ until now.


    After she had exhausted her tears, the woman got her a bottle of Coca C from her little fridge and urged her to make herself at home while she arranged things around the shop. Caro sat meekly like a dove, sipping from the bottle and stealing sly nces at her surroundings.


    It pained her that she had to lie to the woman, but she had no other choice. For all she knew, the woman might be an advocate for child marriage or the ¡®obey your parents at all times¡¯ philosophy. For now, the lie would suffice and if the woman made up her mind to assist her long-term, maybe she would get the chance to find out more about her and perhaps trust her enough to tell her the truth. But already, she was feeling impatient. She was not one to not know where she stood at any given time. Was the woman willing to ept her or not? She had to know¡­ now.


    When she was done with the Coca C, she held the empty bottle in both hands and counted from one to ten. Then she stood up. The woman was still busy putting in order her warehouse of a shop.


    ¡°Thank you very much, ma. I¡¯m very grateful for everything. I think I have to be going now before the sun gets too hot.¡±


    ¡°Go where?¡±, the woman half-shouted in surprise. ¡°I thought you had nowhere to go?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but if I start early, I¡¯ll be able to find an upleted building t¡­¡±


    ¡°Upleted what?! Sit down there! What do you take me for? A demon, like your uncle¡¯s wife?¡±


    ¡°Ah. No o, ma. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up there. Now, listen and listen good. I¡¯ll employ you as my sales girl. We¡¯ll discuss your sryter, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, ma. I¡¯ll take anything you gi¡­¡±


    ¡°I said, shut up! Now, what was I saying¡­ Yes. Em¡­ I can¡¯t really take you home, my husband will not be very happy with that, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I can sleep in the shop. I swear, I¡¯ll not steal anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re testing me, Carolina. If I hear your voice again, I¡¯ll prove to you that I¡¯m the daughter of a soldier and the wife of a policeman.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, ma.¡±


    ¡°Now, as I was saying¡­ since you can¡¯t stay with me, you¡¯ll have to stay with my niece¡­ myte sister¡¯s daughter. She might give you some trouble at first, but if you¡¯re as tough as I think you are, you would befortable with each other in no time. So are we clear? Any questions?¡±


    ¡°No ma.¡±


    ¡°Good. Soe and help me carry these boxes.¡±

 CHAPTER TWELVE

    Timmy had spent quite a few days in Donatus¡¯ house and so far, it had been work, work, work and more work. He had lost some weight already, but he was just beginning to resign himself to the strange life he now found himself.


    He was not eating as much as he used to, moping as much as he used to and visiting friends as much as he used to. Under Oga Dona¡¯s territory, there was no room for frivolous activities. Except on weekends, if he wasn¡¯t at the shop selling, he would be at warehouse loading or at the house bncing the books with the other boys in the evenings.


    Speaking of the other boys, they were surprised that he was learning fast, but they still did not consider him fully weaned enough to be in their clique.


    On this particr afternoon, he was sat beside them watching as they yed Whot on a bench. They had not invited him and he wondered why. So far, he had been working hard to blend in, but he still had not been epted.


    ¡°Yo, why¡¯d you guys leave me out?¡±, he suddenly asked in his usual direct manner. They looked at one another with a puzzled expression on their faces.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Americana, wetin you dey talk?¡±, Henry asked him.


    ¡°I mean¡­ I wanna y, you know.¡±


    ¡°You sabi y?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Why not? I¡¯m sabee¡­ a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oya shuffle shuffle, make we y real game.¡±


    ¡°Come Americana,¡± Chidi sneered. ¡°Your mate no dey here o. We go beat you anyhow.¡±


    ¡°Americana, you wan put money?¡±, Henry asked, with sudden inspiration.


    ¡°Sure! I got 50 bucks here,¡± he said providing a $50 bill from his wallet.


    ¡°Chidi, na dors be that o,¡± Chukwuka said, his eyes sparkling.


    ¡°Abegi, na fake. Dors for where. Who dash this one Ghana money not to talk of dors.¡±


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s real. Here, check it out,¡± Timmy smiled, handing it over to them.


    ¡°I tell you say na dors be this, you dey argue.¡±


    ¡°Make we give Oga, him go know whether na real or na fake,¡± Chidi suggested.


    ¡°Eh? No try am o,¡± Henry whispered. ¡°If this money reach Oga hand, e don go be that o.¡±


    ¡°So whatcha say, guys?¡±


    ¡°Wetin you talk? Wachaseh?¡±, Chukwuka demanded.


    ¡°¡®What you say¡¯ nai him talk,¡± Henry rified. ¡°Abi no be so, Americana?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, man. You got that right.¡±


    ¡°Come, look here,¡± Chidi called. ¡°If you wan y this game, you have to speak the kind English that we sabi, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯m gonna try to speak like a Nageerian.¡±


    ¡°Naijirian.¡±


    ¡°Okay man. Naijeeriyan.¡±


    ¡°Abeg leave this guy before him go bite him tongue,¡± Henry hissed, already shuffling the cards and doling them out.


    ¡°Hmmm!¡±, Chidi coughed, struggling hard not to smile after looking at the cards he¡¯d been dealt.


    ¡°Wetin happen?¡±, Henry asked, ring at him.


    ¡°Nothing o. It is well.¡±


    ¡°Even inside the well,¡± Chukwuka countered.


    ¡°Na you go dey inside well,¡± Chidi shot back.


    ¡°Na your father you dey talk about,¡± Chukwuka returned.


    ¡°You dey krace?¡±, Chidi shouted, standing up and towering over his colleague. ¡°Who give you the right to insult my father like that?¡±


    ¡°No be you start am?¡±, Henry asked, hissing. ¡°Abeg sidown, let us y this game.¡±


    ¡°I no y any nonsense game with idiots,¡± Chidi retorted. He red at every one of them in turn and finally threw the cards away in no specific direction before turning his back on the entire scene. But little did he know that one of the cards had actually hit Henry on the face.


    ¡°You dey mad?!¡±, Henry roared, charging after him. Before Chidi could turn around to see what was going on, he received the heavy st of a backhanded p from behind. Quickly recovering himself, heunched his own counter-attack in the form of a punch to Henry¡¯s nose which sent that fellow reeling backwards and falling on the bench that was being used for their game.


    The other boys, Timmy and Chukwuka had by now gotten to their feet and were trying their best to keep thebatants from each other to prevent further trouble. While Timmy calmed Chidi, Chukwuka was busy trying to assuage a furious Henry.


    ¡°Guy, leave am. E don do. Just forgive am.¡±


    But it was like a Cruijff turn ¨C sharp and unexpected. Just when the mediators were thinking that everything was in control was when it happened.


    Suddenly breaking free from Chukwuka, Henry grabbed the bench and flung it, aiming squarely for Chidi¡¯s head, but his opponent was alert and ducked just in time. Timmy, who was standing with him and whose back was facing the other two boys, ended up receiving the heavy missile on the back of his head. And he fell down, unconscious.


    ***


    Chukwuka and Chidi sat together in silence watching a very ill-at-ease Henry pace back and forth. It had been several hours since Timmy was taken to the hospital. After the bench hit the wrong target, Chukwuka had wasted no time in running to fetch their boss who had been enjoying his siesta. He had been furious at first, but hearing of the incident, he dove for his car keys immediately.


    Half-dressed and with his indoor slippers on, he rushed down to the Boys Quarters, checked Timmy¡¯s vital signs and asked the boys to get him into his car. He jumped into the driver seat and off he went, straight to the hospital. None of the boys had possessed the courage to ask to ride with him and here they were ¨C two huddled together like near-retirement cops on ate night stake-out while the third was alternating between biting his fingers and praying for divine mercy while pacing back and forth as if he was in a pacingpetition.


    ¡°This one wey you dey waka go back go front like Chief Priest inside shrine, how e wan take help you?¡±, Chukwuka asked. But Henry ignored him and continued his pacing with even more vigor.


    ¡°No be Oga motor be that?¡±, Chidi suddenly asked, straining his ear to hear the horn better. The other two also stopped in their tracks to listen.


    ¡°Na him o,¡± Chukwuka announced as the horn sounded again. All three took off at the same time, but Henry who was running as if his life depended on it easily overtook them.


    Reaching the gate, he unlocked it and opened it to its full width. Never in his life had he been more serious and eager about opening a gate.


    Donatus was still some metres away and had been horning at other road users, but all three of his boys stood at the gate anxiously awaiting his arrival.


    When he drove into thepound, they were all eager to see the expression on his face. Their ¡®Wee, Sah¡¯ had gone unanswered and they all knew that anything could have happened and could still happen. If anybody was known for punishing a group over the offense of one, it was Oga Dona.


    As he parked his car, they all rushed to the driver side. But the other two did not dare try to take Henry¡¯s ce at the front.


    Donatus took his time in alighting from the car and when he finally did, all three bowed low and greeted, Henry bowing the lowest. They watched as their boss locked his car and tested the door to make sure it was really locked. They all wanted to speak, but some could not find the words while some were waiting for him to turn around. Eventually, he turned to face them.


    ¡°Wee, Sah,¡± Chukwuka bowed and greeted for the third time in thest seven minutes and then proceeded to scratch his head and shift from one foot to the other. ¡°Em¡­ Oga, how¡­ em.. how is th¡­ the boy?¡±


    The rest stood with bated breath as they awaited the response. Even the speaker was not feeling very safe. The response may not be in words, it may be in the form of a walking sticknding on heads. Henry, on the other hand, was sure that if his boss were to say certain words, he would fall down and die. All their hearts were pounding wildly as they looked to Donatus, expecting every minute to hear the worst news they would ever hear in a long time.


    ¡°You are all lucky that he¡¯s alive,¡± Donatus hissed.


    ¡°Hey! Heavenly Father¡­ all praise be to you,¡± Henry shouted, falling on his knees and raising both hands to the sky.


    ¡°And you, this idiot,¡± Donatus spat, turning to the kneeling apprentice. ¡°You are more than lucky that Timothy begged me not to inform his parents otherwise you would have been on your way to Kirikiri Maximum Prison by now. If he had died, (chuckling bitterly) by now I would have finished making the call to your parents to inform them of where the firing squad would be taking ce. Fooool.¡±


    With that, he made his way to his house, closely followed by thanks, well-wishes and prayers from a very grateful Henry who seemed to have suspended his praises to the Heavenly Father for the meantime.


    ¡°Mffeeeew,¡± Chidi hissed and Chukwuka giggled as they watched their colleague on his hands and knees calling on choice heavenly blessings to engulf his boss in all the earthly and heavenlynguages he could muster. But Henry did not mind. After exhausting his store of blessings, he resumed giving praises to the heavenly father. As far as he was concerned, nothing was too much to celebrate this moment. He knew just how much trouble he had escaped. After all he had done, he would not be sent away in disgrace, beaten to aa or sent to prison. In fact, it was nothing short of a miracle. When Timmy returns, he would dly be at his beck and call forever.

 CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    No one was happier than Henry when few days after the bench incident, Donatus announced that he was going to bring Timmy from the hospital. He alone had been the one visiting the boy, taking food and other things to him, but now, the other boys would get to see their colleague again.


    Apart from the fear of a sudden rpse that might result in his death, they were all relieved that he wasing back. They missed him badly. In his absence, there had been no one to be the butt of their jokes and no one to entertain and confuse them with a strange style of speaking.


    All three of them prepared themselves mentally for the wee of their friend and colleague, but only Henry took it farther by dressing for the asion. When Chukwuka asked if he was going to attend a church service, he simply ignored him and walked away, singing a Christian song of praise to God.


    ¡°The guy is now a holy man,¡± Chidi chuckled in mockery.


    ¡°See you see the biggest trouble of your life and you just escape like that. If na you, you no go holy?¡±, Chukwuka asked.


    ¡°Anyway, there is God,¡± Chidi sighed and went his way.


    An hourter, all three came together and rushed for the gate when they heard the horn of their boss¡¯ car. They opened the gate without wrangling and bowed and weed him into thepound.


    When he parked his car, they were already standing beside it, ready for the next round of bowing and weing. They still were not sure if Donatus would let them go unpunished for what happened to Timmy. The man in question stepped out of the car and they delivered theirpliments, not all three though. Only Chukwuka and Chidi were at the driver side. Henry¡¯s loyalty had switched sides and he was at the passenger side, weing Timmy and helping him out of the car as if his legs were the ones hit by the bench.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, man. I can walk,¡± Timmy said as his feet touched the ground. But Henry would not hear of it.


    ¡°Small small, small small,¡± he admonished, holding Timmy¡¯s hand and leading him towards the Boys Quarters as if he was an aged man.


    The other boys were watching him with mockery written boldly on their faces, but Henry did not care. He led Timmy, who had resigned himself to the status quo, all the way into the Boys Quarters, got him a chair to sit on and rushed off to go fix something for him to eat.


    When Henry came back with the food: a te of hot jollof rice, Timmy was chatting amiably with Chidi and Chukwuka. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell them to let the boy rest, but he managed to swallow the words before they could escape from his mouth. He brought a stool, ced it in front of Timmy and ced the te on it.


    ¡°Houseboy Industries Limited,¡± Chidi mocked, and subsequently faked a cough. But Henry was deaf to his taunt. He was totally focused on getting water for his new boss.


    ¡°Afamako Group of Companies,¡± Chidi taunted again as Henry rushed in with a jug and a ss. Henry still did not reply. He got a pillow and ced it at the back of the chair as a headrest for Timmy¡¯s bandaged head.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you join me?¡±, Timmy said as he took his first spoonful, eliciting a cough of disapproval from Henry.


    ¡°We are not hungry,¡± Chidi and Chukwuka chorused, making Henry a little rxed.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, guys,¡± Timmy urged between mouthfuls. ¡°Go get your spoons.¡±


    ¡°Okay na,¡± Chidi said and went off with the speed of light to go fetch a spoon. Chukwuka quickly followed him and Henry made sure they noticed his venom-filled re. But they acted as if they hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°Americana Americana. Na you sure pass,¡± Chukwuka hailed as he returned, spoon in hand, and established himself on Timmy¡¯s left. Chidi quickly took up his position on the other side, digging into the rice even before he was seated.


    ¡°Yo Harry, ain¡¯t you joining the feast?¡±, Timmy called to the ring Henry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already eaten. (in an unpleasant tone) Chukwuka, na your turn to open shop today, sheybi¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Chukwuka hissed, shoveling food faster into his mouth and attracting a re from Chidi. Onerge spoonful and he dropped his spoon into the te and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.


    ¡°Greedy idiot,¡± Chidi murmured, but Chukwuka ignored him.


    ¡°Americana, I fit drink w¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure. Help yourself.¡±


    Chukwuka grabbed the ss, filled it with water and emptied it in a few gulps. Burping loudly, he made his way to the door.


    ¡°Thank you o, Americana,¡± he called over his shoulder. ¡°Make I dey go open shop.¡±


    ¡°See youter, man.¡±


    Chukwuka bounced out of the room, sighing loudly and advertising apany as he went.


    ¡°Henry O. Henry Servant Company Nigeria Limited. We offer all kind of houseboy and servant services including cooking, helping you to sit down, helping you to waka and other work that you did not send us. Visit us today or call us on 080555444000.¡±


    ***Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    The day being a weekday, it had meant a lot of work for everyone except Timmy who was allowed to stay back home and rest. As a result, he spent most of the day alone. He yed as many mobile games as he could until he was out of batteries and then he slept.


    By the time he woke up, the rare electric power supply was on and he quickly charged his phone. He felt like talking to someone, but there was no one to talk to. Everyone seemed to have deserted him. His friends, when they heard of his current situation and hisck of funds and freedom, had stopped calling him. His family he had vowed never to contact, but also, none of them contacted him.


    He knew that his parents got regr updates from Donatus and he wished it would continue. He didn¡¯t want to speak to any one of his family members ever again, especially his mother, after their joint betrayal and abandonment of his unfortunate self. He would do everything humanly possible; he would work hard to seed and show them that he could live without them.


    It was night when the boys returned, but Henry was the first toe into the dark Boys Quarters. When he had finally managed to turn on the lights, he found Timmy sprawled on the lone sofa in the room.


    ¡°What happen, Americana?¡±, he asked in panic, rushing to his side.


    ¡°Nothing, man. Just a lil¡¯ bored.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Henry said, relieved.


    ¡°Eh Americana,¡± he said after a few seconds of silence. ¡°Hope you¡¯re not still vexing for me about what happen that day because you know, it¡¯s an ident.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, man. Leave the past in the past. Know what?¡±, he asked, suddenly jumping to a sitting position and startling Henry in the process. ¡°Where¡¯re the other guys?¡±


    ¡°They areing. Why are you asking?¡±


    ¡°Get the cards, man. I still got my fifty bucks here.¡±


    Henry stared at him, undecided. It was on the tip of his tongue to offer an objection, but when he saw Timmy pull out the dor bill from his pocket, he changed his mind and quickly went to fetch the Whot cards. Who knew what could happen before the arrival of the others.

 CHAPTER FOURTEEN

    Caro had worked for about a week in the employ of Madam Beryl (the kind woman who had agreed to employ her as a sales girl in her shop) and she had met and was still living with Hannah, Beryl¡¯s niece who was only a few years older than her but hadpletely alienated her, hardly ever talking to her except when utterly necessary.


    Caro believed the girl felt that they were in different sses of society and she couldn¡¯t agree more. She was the partying type, moving with high-ss friends and hardly having time for her studies while Caro was more the workaholic, always nning and strategizing for the future.


    By chance, Caro had also met one of Beryl¡¯s sisters when she dropped by (on her way to a meeting) to see Beryl. During the short visit, Beryl had somehow found the time to introduce Caro and sing praises of her diligence and hard work. And that was how Caro got herself a gift of 10, 000 naira. She was shocked beyond words, but by the time she found her voice, the woman was already in her car and driving off, so she had to transfer her thanks and prayer for abundant blessings to ¡®Madam¡¯ who waved her off with a smile.


    After six days of enjoyable and appreciated work at the shop, one person Caro had not yet seen was Beryl¡¯s husband and little did she know that she would meet him very soon.


    It was a normal evening like every other evening in the area when the atmosphere was still and sounds were clearer. Caro had been left alone in the shop by her madam and was counting down to close of business at 6pm.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    There were usually few or no customers at this time of the day and if Beryl was any less kind than she was, Caro would have locked the shop and gone home to rest. But Beryl was someone that she hade to respect and adore. She would do everything humanly possible to see to the prosperity of her business, even if it meant sitting for hours with nothing to do ¨C something a restless soul like Caro could never hope to tolerate, under normal circumstances. But what did she know? Wasn¡¯t that a customer walking into the shop?


    She could see a tall, dark man amble confidently into the shop as if he was its owner. Thest thing Caro needed to end the day at work was a confrontation, so she would go out of her way to raise her tolerance bar a little higher.


    ¡°Good Evening, sir,¡± Caro greeted the man, even before she got a full view of his face. But as he turned to look at her, what she saw made her almost gasp in surprise. She had seen this face before! And it wasn¡¯t difficult to remember where.


    This was the same man¡­ the policeman she had seen leaving Aunty Rosa¡¯s room when she visited that wicked rtive of hers. But the important question was, did he recognize her? If he did, then she had better be looking to hit the road again because if he were to tell Rosa that she was here, she¡¯d be as good as being back in Iron Fire¡¯s house and this time, they¡¯d make sure that she would never be able to escape.


    ¡°Good evening,¡± the man¡¯s brusque response shot her out of her reverie and she quickly switched to business mode. She had been so upied with her thoughts that she hadn¡¯t noticed him look her up and down.


    ¡°Em¡­ what can we do for you, sir? Do you need a beautiful shoe for your wife. We have¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know who my wife is?¡±, the man suddenly asked, bloated with pride. ¡°My wife is the owner of this shop.¡±


    Caro¡¯s mouth fell, but fortunately, nothing came out of it because what was actually going through her mind was ¡®I¡¯m finished¡¯. She hadpletely forgotten to tell Beryl her true story and now, she would surely find out for herself.


    What mostly pained Caro wasn¡¯t the possibility of being thrown out or sent back home, but the disappointment that Beryl would feel. The one thing she could not bear to think of was that amazing woman regretting what she had done for her. But perhaps there could be some chance that the man did not recognize her? If such a chance really did exist, then she certainly should not destroy it by acting in a way that would give him a reason to rack his brain to ce her face.


    ¡°So where is she¡­ your madam?¡±, he demanded in his loud, crude voice.


    ¡°Sh¡­ she went to¡­ somewhere. I don¡¯t know where.¡±


    Caro was not really sure that she did not know where Beryl had gone, but the events and thoughts of thest few minutes had wiped some things off her memory. But now, for the first time, she noticed the man running his eyes over her body and she felt very ufortable. She shifted from one foot to the other and the action made him change focus to her face.


    ¡°Ehen. Ehh¡­ you say your madam is not around?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    He quickly looked around the shop and then focused back on Caro. He ran his eyes over her one more time and then licked his lips, sending Caro¡¯s difortometer running for the red region. He walked past her deeper into the store, looked around and then turned to face her.


    ¡°Are you the only one here?¡±


    Caro took her time before answering, ¡°Yes.¡±


    He seemed pleased with that as he nodded his head in satisfaction and looked around again. Then he went to a dark corner which was out of the line of sight of the door and windows.


    ¡°Oya, close the door,¡± he ordered.


    Caro stood for a while, wondering what to do. If she obeyed him, what would happen next? If she didn¡¯t, she could lose her job. Not that her job was already any safer, but hope was always thest to die. The situation could still be salvaged and she had to promote that cause by being as nice as possible.


    ¡°Very good,¡± the man nodded as Caro pushed the door close.


    ¡°Oya,e here.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±, Caro asked in disbelief. ¡°Come there for what exactly?¡±


    ¡°I said,e here! Or are you deaf?¡±


    She took a few wary steps toward him and stopped a few feet in front of him.


    ¡°I said,e here. Come close. Come near me.¡±


    She took one more step, reducing the gap between them, all the while watching him warily. Then suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her arm ¨C an action she never expected. But she was far from caught napping.


    Immediately, she pulled back with all the force she could muster and broke free from his grasp, and quickly put as much space between them as possible.


    ¡°See this girl o!¡±, the man said in disbelief. His voice, Caro could notice, was much lower now, as if he was trying to avoid being overheard. ¡°I said,e here. Juste like that. I swear, I will not do you anything. Juste, let me show you something.¡±


    ¡°Show me which thing?¡±, Caro asked with a sneer.


    ¡°The thing I wan show you is here. Juste. You know I can catch you if I want to catch you, so stop all this nonsense ande here. Don¡¯t waste my time, I have somewhere to go. Come!¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t touch me again.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I will not touch you. Juste.¡±


    Despite her insides screaming ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡±, Caro again took several wary steps toward him. When she was close enough, she stretched her neck and tried to see where he had been pointing at.


    ¡°What is there?¡±, she asked, doing her best to keep enough distance between them. The man moved forward and she quickly jumped back.


    ¡°Which type of nonsense is this na?¡±, he demanded angrily. ¡°I said,e near here, let me show you the thing. Don¡¯t waste my time o, this girl! Come.¡±


    Caro came yet again and this time, he gave her enough space, so she could move without fear.


    ¡°Just look down there, you will see the thing.¡±


    Caro moved forward and peered down at the dark area.


    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing an¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t get a chance toplete her statement. Her madam¡¯s husband swiftly pounced on her, mping his hand over her mouth and forcing her down on her knees with his entire body weight. Caro tried to squeal and struggle, but she was held so tight that both actions carried no weight.


    She tried to move her hands, but they were pinned down by God knew what. Her legs were also locked to the ground. She was close to tears, but just as she heard the sound of a buckle being fumbled with, some sense flowed into her brain.


    Taking as much breath as hisrge hand over her lower face could allow, she willed herself to remain calm. As young as she was, she¡¯d been in simr situations before and experiece had taught her that panic and sess were enemies.


    Slowly, she rxed her body and stopped all forms of struggling. Beryl¡¯s husband, sensing her surrender, had also rxed and was taking his time doing whatever he was doing. Suddenly, she felt his rough hand on her skin as he swept up her gown. But she remained calm. Timing was key.


    Already, his hold on her was rxing, though not as much as she wanted. It was when she felt him begin to tug at her underpants did his hand on her mouth rx considerably and she could feel the folds in his palm get softer.


    Taking one deep breath, she suddenly dropped her lower lip and teeth, making them fall outside his palm. And then she bit down very hard on the soft end of the palm.


    ¡°Chai!¡±, he gasped in pain and quickly abandoned her underwear, bringing the other hand to support the captured one, but Caro had expected this. Her teeth still in the flesh of his palm, she jerked her head out of the reach of his other hand and promptly fell on her side, stretching one of her legs in the process and making him lose his bnce and fall halfway on her and halfway on the ground.


    He now had both his hands scratching at her face, trying hard to extract her teeth from his palm, but Caro had other ns. Swiftly turning on her back, she seeded in getting him off her, but their positions were now reversed. He had grabbed her around her midriff and was now on his back under her with her teeth still lodged in his palm.


    To make matters worse, she was thrashing her head from side to side, causing him more pain and forcing him to bring his other hand again to work on her tight jaws. That was a big win for Caro. With nothing holding down her body, she threw up both legs and sommersaulted off him, letting go of his palm in the process.


    As soon as she gained her footing, Caro ran straight for the door and jerked it open, flooding sunlight into the eyes of her attacker who had also gotten to his feet. While he was upied with recovering and shading his eyes from the sunlight, she extracted a very long rod that her madam used to hang shoes on high ces. Armed with the new weapon, she swung with all her might in the general direction of her attacker and connected loudly and painfully with his skull.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±, he howled in pain, but as Caro raised the weapon for another blow, he dodged out of her reach and darted through the door.


    Dropping her weapon, she slumped to the ground and sighed deeply, but suddenly, she heard a sound. Scooping up her weapon again, she rushed outside, only to see nothing but a lizard scampering up the metal outer door. Her Madam¡¯s husband was nowhere in sight, but still, she could not afford to sit around and wait for another attack. She had had enough for one day.


    cing the rod within easy reach, she went about packing the shoes on disy outside into the store as fast as she could. When she was done, she went over to the scene of the just concluded struggle and worked fast to clear away any sign of abnormality.


    She had to make everything look natural and normal just in case that beast of a man would feel enough shame and not tell his wife anything about the incident. But honestly, she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she would never get to work here anymore after today.

 CHAPTER FIFTEEN

    The next day, Caro resumed work at the shop having spent quite some time and effort to mask the bruises on her neck and lower face. Hannah had seen her as she worked on her face, but the older girl had not even spared her a second nce not to mention asking her what had happened. Not that Caro cared, but it made her wonder if she would have even done anything to help her if she was at the shop when the incident urred. If Caro were to give her opinion, she had 100% belief that Hannah would have sat down and watched it happen. But Madam Beryl is a good woman, what did she do to deserve having such animals around her?


    When Caro started work that morning, it was very easy to notice that Beryl¡¯s general demeanor and attitude towards her had changed considerably. But rather than ¡®cold and harsh¡¯ that she had expected, Beryl was instead quiet and sad. She never acted angry or problematic. When Caro tested her with questions of where she should put certain things, the answer always ended with ¡®dear¡¯. It was either ¡®Put it there, my dear.¡¯ or ¡®Drop it on the table, dear.¡¯


    Caro endured this behavior until afternoon. As the atmosphere got hotter, her patience kept evaporating until she could take it no more. She marched to Beryl and requested an audience with her.


    ¡°What is it, my dear? What do you want to talk to me about?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to know, ma, whether I¡¯ve done anything to offend or disappoint you. If I have, please let me know, so I¡¯ll apologize.¡±


    She bit her tongue before she could add ¡®or leave, if you can¡¯t forgive me.¡¯


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Beryl sighed. ¡°Sit down, Carolina.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Caro sat down and braced herself for the bad news that she knew was inevitable.


    ¡°What¡¯s your full name? I never remembered to ask.¡±


    ¡°Carolina Elizabeth Benson.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a native name?¡±


    ¡°No, Ma. My father believed it was a source of bad luck.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So how old were you when he died?¡±


    ¡°Eleven.¡±


    ¡°So you spent how many years¡­ five years with your uncle?¡±


    ¡°No, three¡­ No¡­ I mean, yes.. five.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Carolina.¡±


    ¡°Ma?¡±


    ¡°I want you to listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma. I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°What I want to tell you will shock you, but you have to forgive me. My hands are tied. In life, certain things¡­ like marriagees first before many other things.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Caro nodded, fighting hard to keep back the tears. Even though she had expected this, it still wasn¡¯t easy to hear it, especially in the manner Beryl was delivering it.


    ¡°My husband has asked me to let you go. I don¡¯t really know why, but he says he doesn¡¯t like and trust you. I don¡¯t want to do it, but¡­ I have children, Carol, I do. Two boys, and they are only 5 and 8. I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Okay, ma.¡±, Caro cut her short, trying hard to be strong for both of them. ¡°I understand you perfectly and I also wouldn¡¯t want you to put your marriage at risk because of me. You have done a lot already and I¡¯m more than grateful. I pray God will bless you and your children and give you¡­ give you everything you want in life in Jesus name.¡±


    She had wanted to say ¡®give you a better husband in Jesus name¡¯, but had changed her mind just in time.


    ¡°Amen. Thank you very much, Carol. I don¡¯t deserve any of your prayers, but I hope God will have mercy on me and not make my children pay for this sin I have made up my mind tomit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, ma,¡± Carol replied, getting up to her feet. ¡°God can only bless people like you and nothing else. Thank you very much for everything.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t go yet,¡± Beryl stopped her as she was about to leave. ¡°My husband does not know you live with Hannah, so you can continue to stay there, at least for the meantime. Who knows, I may be able to find something better for you. Take this and manage it.¡±


    Caro looked at the money the kind woman was offering her and she almost lost control of the barrier that was holding back her tears.


    ¡°No, ma,¡± she croaked. ¡°Thank you very much, but I have enough sav¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Beryl insisted, grabbing her arm and forcing the money into her hand. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard for me for about a week now and the least I can do is to pay you what I owe you. This is only five thousand, it¡¯s what I can afford for now, but you¡¯ll surely hear from meter.¡±


    Caro allowed her to fold her fingers over the money and as she watched her do it, some tears escaped her tight barrier. She quickly dried them with the back of her hand and looked at Beryl squarely.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone like you before,¡± she blurted.


    ¡°And neither have I seen anyone like you too, Carol.¡±


    Caro turned her eyes downward and stayed silent for a while. When she raised them, they were full of tears that were fighting for the chance to flow.


    ¡°God will bless you, Madam Beryl. Your generation will never know hardship and all the bad people in your life will die!¡±


    With that, she turned around and left the store for home.


    ***


    When Caro arrived at the apartment, she found it locked, which was nothing unusual. She simply went to where the key was usually hidden, but to her surprise, it wasn¡¯t there! She checked again, and came up with nothing. Why would Hannah, despite her foul behavior, decide to lock her out of the apartment all of a sudden? Or had she simply forgotten?


    She went to the locked door and checked all around it, but there was still no sign of a key. Just then, she saw a neighbor walk past and she quickly called her attention.


    ¡°Aunty, abeg no vex, you know where Hannah go?¡±


    ¡°That one? I no know o. I just see one man weye carry amot.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what exactly put it in her mind to think of such a thing, but she did not hesitate to put it into words.


    ¡°Aunty, abeg you fit describe the man for me?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ e tall small but e no too tall like that. E ck we sha and grab small.¡±


    ¡°Him get tribal mark for face, abi?¡±


    ¡°Eh, yes. Two two like this,¡± the woman said, demonstrating on her own face. ¡°I no even know which tribe get that mark sef.¡±


    ¡°Okay, ma. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± the woman said and walked away, not caring to ask questions of her own. Perhaps she knew all she needed to know?


    Taking onest look at the house where she had spent thest few days, Caro bid it a silent farewell, along with all the money she had managed to save and the few belongings she had gotten from Beryl. The only property she had now in the entire world was the clothes on her back and the five thousand in her pocket.


    She was smart enough to know that Hannah¡¯s sudden disappearance and the absence of the key in its usual ce was no coincidence. From the neighbor¡¯s description, unless clones existed, the man who she said hade to take Hannah was Beryl¡¯s husband. It seems he knew where she lived all this while and had certainly used his influence to punish her, but he was a big fool if he thought that he could break her. She was on the road just a little over a week ago with absolutely nothing in hand or stomach and now, she would return to it with a full stomach and five thousand naira richer. She would not go back to Beryl and further worsen things for that poor woman. If her beast of a husband wanted Caro gone, Caro would go. And Caro went.

 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

    ¡°Americana, abeg I wan rush go do something,¡± Chidi said to Timmy who was his assistant on shop duty that day.


    ¡°Okay, man. I got your back.¡±


    ¡°Ehen, thank you. Ehh¡­ just make sure say everything dey alright o. Always look the front of the shop. I just wan go collect something, I no go tay, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But what¡¯s tey mean?¡±, Timmy asked.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ tay mean say ¡®I no long¡¯. As in, I no go stay tay¡­ stay long.¡±


    ¡°Oh Okay. Tey. Not stay long. Got it.¡±


    ¡°Ehen. I goe back just now.¡±


    ¡°No problem, man. Take your time. I got it all covered.¡±


    With that assurance in mind, Chidi left the shop, leaving only Timmy behind to man it, something that had never happened before.


    Barely five minutes after Timmy had seen Chidi¡¯s back, a young man in his early to mid twenties swaggered into the shop.


    ¡°Yo Timmy, wadup?¡±, he hailed before Timmy could open his mouth to ask what he wanted.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ cool,¡± the surprised shopkeeper responded. ¡°How d¡¯you know my name?¡±


    ¡°Jeez, man. You don¡¯t remember me?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ not really. Who are you?¡±, Timmy demanded, eyeing his baggy shirt, ripped jeans and turned around cap with surprise.


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m hurt. You really don¡¯t remember me? I was your biggest fan back at Richmond High!¡±


    ¡°You were at Richmond? But I remember everyone b¡­¡±


    ¡°Except me, it seems. But I forgive you, man. Can¡¯t hold a grudge against my main man, you know.¡±


    Just then, a tall well-dressed man about the same age walked into the shop and stood beside the first visitor.


    ¡°Where you been, huh?¡±, the first one demanded.


    ¡°I was just looking for a ce to park the car safely.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Hey Timmy, this my brother, Rick. Yo Ricky, meet my main man back at Richmond, Timmy Cool. The King of Dunk.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± they both said as they shook hands.


    ¡°Yo Timmy, much as I¡¯d love to catch up, we came here for business¡­.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Uh¡­ sorry to ask, but what¡¯s your name again?¡±


    ¡°Mickey, man. Mickey the Great.¡±


    ¡°Nice. So uh¡­ let¡¯s hear what you got?¡±


    ¡°Actually, we¡¯re here to see what you got. I¡¯m ahunting for a TV for my Ma. Some cool shit with all them modern stuff. You stock that here?¡±


    ¡°We got everything you need, bro,¡± Timmy replied with pride. ¡°Just look around.¡±


    Mickey nced hurriedly around therge shop and focused on arge 42-inch television near where he was standing.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What¡¯s the price tag on this one?¡±


    ¡°That one? Set you back some six figures.¡±


    ¡°Whoo! You serious?¡±, Mickey whistled. ¡°You got some hot stuff here, you know. Been long in the business?¡±


    ¡°Nah. This whole shindig ain¡¯t mine. Just helping a brother out. But you can try that one over there. Set you back only a couple thou¡¯, but it¡¯s still a winner.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Mickey shook his head while reaching into his back pocket. ¡°I want the best for Ma. You take checks?¡±


    ¡°Aw. Sorry, man. Cash only.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, cash¡¯s in the car. Yo Ricky, go get my briefcase from the car. Take the TV with ya. You okay with that, Tim?¡±


    Timmy shrugged in response and the tall young man picked up the TV and left. He watched him go and had a feeling that there was something he was missing. He didn¡¯t know what exactly, but somehow, he knew that something was not right.


    ¡°Yo, whatcha say, we meet up sometime to shoot some hoops?¡±, Mickey said, distracting him from his thoughts.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Kinda busy nowadays, you know, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No problema. I understand. Just would¡­ you know, love to see yound some of your crazy ol¡¯ m dunks. You¡¯re a joy to watch, man.¡±


    ¡°I try, man. I try,¡± Timmy smiled, showing his dimpled cheeks.


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s keeping this kid,¡± Mickey muttered beneath his breath as he checked his watch.


    ¡°Yo Timmy, lemme go see what Ricky¡¯s up to. Be back in a sec.¡±


    Again, the rm bells went off in Timmy¡¯s head, but all he said was, ¡°¡®Kay¡±.


    While he waited for his customer, he felt he needed to get himself busy to avoid thinking crazy things. Idle minds were usually the Devil¡¯s work-hammer. He busied himself writing the receipt for the item and he was so engrossed in trying to write it out perfectly that he didn¡¯t notice Chidi¡¯s entry.


    ¡°How far, Americana? Dem buy anything for my back?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ what¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ as in, did you sold anything when I¡¯m not dey? As in, you sell anything? Ah, your wah tire me. Wan make person dey bite tongue. Did you selled anything?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sold one of em big TVs.¡±


    ¡°How much you sell am? You don record the money?¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t got the cash yet. Mickey¡¯s go¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Wetin you talk? Ehnt got what?¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t got the cash¡­ yet. Mickey¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Wetin concern me concern Mickey, abi na Mickey Mouse?¡±, Chidi shouted in exasperation. ¡°How much you sell the TV and where the money?¡±


    ¡°You oughta go back to school, man,¡± Timmy sighed, tearing out the receipt. ¡°I said, I¡­ ain¡¯t¡­ got¡­ the cash¡­ yet.¡±


    ¡°So wetin you get? Where is the TV?¡±, Chidi demanded, blinking rapidly and beginning to sweat.


    ¡°Mickey has it,¡± he replied calmly. ¡°He¡¯s gone to get the cash and he¡¯ll be back in no time.¡±


    ¡°Heyyy!¡±, Chidi wailed, cing both hands on his head. ¡°This boy don kill me o! You sell TV, the person carry am go and you never collect money¡­ Americana, you be fool? You no see say dem don cheat you?¡±


    ¡°Come on, man. Ain¡¯t no cheating here. I know that dude¡­ or well, he knows me, but¡­ I don¡¯t remember him and I quit basketball before I got into Richmond¡­ oh fuck!¡±


    At that sudden realization, Timmy ran out of the shop like a madman.


    Several minutester, he returned, panting heavily.


    ¡°Can¡¯t¡­ can¡¯t find him anywhere, man. I knew something was¡­ was off, you know. I felt it, man, I felt it! Damn!¡±


    Chidi hissed and shook his head sadly. He was now seated on the ground while Timmy was on his haunches beside him, expressing just how close he had been to discovering that the guy was a fluke.


    ¡°Our own don finish,¡± Chidi prophesied. ¡°At least, your own good. Your papa is a big man. Me, na only Mama I get and heart attack go kill am if she hear this matter. Americana, see the kind wah wen you don put me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, man,¡± Timmy sighed. ¡°We¡¯re in this together. My dad¡¯s a demon. That dude wouldn¡¯t mind seeing me in bigger trouble.¡±


    ¡°So how we go do am now? How we wan take remove ourself from this problem?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve gottae clean. Tell the boss everything¡­¡±


    Chidi suddenly burst into a bitterughter.


    ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡±, Timmy demanded, looking perplexed.


    ¡°You na. Prison nai you go go do that exnation. Once Oga Dona hear this matter eh, na bye bye to freedom until we pay that money.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡±


    ¡°Na run me I wan run o. Where I go go nai I still dey think.¡±


    ¡°Run? Damn. We ain¡¯t thieves, man. We let the police know¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Police? You wan arrest yourself?¡±


    ¡°What d¡¯you mean?¡±


    ¡°You will know. Na go I dey so o. Wait till I don go far before you call police.¡±

 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

    ¡°Ah ah! Americana, what happen?¡±, Chukwuka eximed as he saw a panting Timmy barge through the gate into thepound. Chukwuka himself had been heading for the gate too on his way to run an errand for the boss.


    ¡°Long story, man,¡± Timmy puffed as he breezed past him towards the boss¡¯ house. Getting there, he did not bother to knock, but barged in unceremoniously. What met his eyes was what he least expected to see.


    Donatus had a smiling girl in his arms and their lips were just about to get locked together in a kiss when they were interrupted by Timmy¡¯s sudden entry.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this nonsense, eh?¡±, Donatus bellowed. Timmy opened his mouth to speak, but shut it without saying anything. ¡°What is it? What happened?¡±, Donatus asked in a milder tone as he, for the first time, noticed the disheveled state of the boy.


    ¡°We got robbed.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡±, Donatus shouted, letting go of the girl and jumping to his feet immediately. ¡°You got what?¡±


    ¡°Robbed, man. I mean, boss¡­ Uncle¡­¡±


    ¡°For¡­ forget about that one. Who robbed you? Are you talking of my shop or your room? Tell me, tell me. What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Some dude came to the shop a¡­¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The shop? Heyyy! My shop o! I¡¯m finished. My vige people have finally found me.¡±


    As he paced about the room, sweating and with both hands on his head, the girl and Timmy watched in mild confusion, not knowing what to say or do.


    ¡°Is it not two of you? Where¡¯s Chidi?¡±, he asked, suddenly turning to Timmy.


    ¡°He uh¡­ ahem¡­ went after the robbers,¡± Timmy replied, ending with another ¡®ahem¡¯.


    ¡°Eh? Did he catch them?¡±, Donatus demanded, all expectant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know yet. Haven¡¯t heard from him.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Le¡­ let me call the police. How many were they? When did it happen?¡±


    ¡°Two dudes. Just a couple minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°How exactly did it happen? Tell me, tell me!¡±, Donatus urged as he picked up his phone and started dialing the local police station.


    ¡°Two crazy dudes, you know. Came in, took a TV and disappeared, just like that.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Only one TV? They did not take any other thing?¡±


    ¡°Just the TV. And then vanished.¡±


    ¡°How can two peoplee and just carry TV from the shop when the two¡­ Ehen, DPO! How are you? There is a very serious emergency now. My shop has just been robbed a¡­ No, no, the robbers are long gone. It¡¯s one of the idiots that I kept in the shop that¡¯s telling me¡­ Eh no problem, no problem. I¡¯m on my way now.¡±


    He disconnected the call and hurried into his inner room to get dressed. When he returned a few secondster, he waved Timmy to precede him out of the room, but then, he remembered the girl.


    ¡°Oh Omalicha, sorry I have to rush to the police station to address this problem, so you can make yourselffortable, eh? Ehh¡­ you can watch film and ehh¡­ just rest. I wil not be long.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± the girl beamed.


    Tucking his bag under his armpit, Donatus rushed to the door, but as he brought up his hand to pull aside the curtains, he suddenly stopped.


    ¡°But two bad things must not happen in one day o,¡± he muttered beneath his breath in Igbo. Then turning to the girl, ¡°Eh¡­ Fke, it looks as if you will go home o. Take this two hundred for your transport. When Ie back, I will call you. You see, I don¡¯t want these boys toe back home to rest when I¡¯m not around, so I have to lock the gate. Don¡¯t vex, o? Ehen. Omalicha. Sweet potato. Juicy tomato.¡±


    With several praises and special names, he took her out of the room and locked the door behind him. All three then proceeded to bundle themselves into Donatus¡¯ car.


    ¡°My friend, go down and open the gate!¡±, Donatus ordered as Timmy sighed and rxed into the backseat. ¡°Who do you expect to open it for you?¡±


    Trying hard not to grumble, Timmy alighted from the car and went to unlock the gate. Dona drove through and stopped outside to allow Timmy join them. When the boy had finished locking the gate, he climbed into the backseat again and settled down to enjoy the cool interior.


    As he drove further down the street, Donatus had a lot on his mind. One, in no particr order, was the shop robbery. Second was how Chukwuka would get into the house andst, but far from being the least, was how he would take back his two hundred naira from Fke since he would be dropping her close to her home on his way to the station.


    ***


    In the days that followed the so-called robbery and the subsequent police investigation, Timmy was exempted from manning any of the two shops Donatus owned. He was left behind at the house while the rest went out to work. In a normal situation, he would be happy or bored, but in this case, he was very worried.


    He was beginning to question the wisdom of his action: lying about the incident to Donatus and the police. He had done it to protect himself and Chidi too, but if the police were to find out the truth, they both might end up having trouble on two fronts and that was worse than what he had lied to avoid. There was no question about it, telling the whole truth would have been the best option. But since he had already told the lie, what could he do to salvage the situation?


    ¡°Teemothy!¡±, Donatus called from the parking space, jerking him out of his reverie.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±, Timmy answered as he rushed out of the Boys Quarters to answer the summons. He still was not used to calling him ¡®Sir¡¯ or ¡®Uncle¡¯.


    ¡°Go and open the gate. I want to go out.¡±


    Timmy went over to unlock the gate, but did not stand by it as his boss drove past, which was what the other boys usually did.


    ¡°Lock the gate o,¡± Donatus called through his window as he drove out. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that two boys came inside and carried my house.¡±

 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

    Two Days Later


    As usual, Timmy was alone at home. The other boys had left for the shops and Donatus had also gone out. But by mid-afternoon, Timmy was roused from idleness-induced doze by the sharp sound of his boss¡¯ horn at the gate. After recovering from the initial shock and having limatized himself with his surroundings, he made his way to the gate and unlocked it.


    ¡°You did not hear my horn, abi?¡±, Donatus said angrily as he drove into thepound. Timmy said nothing in reply, but quickly went ahead to lock the gate.


    Just when he was about to return to the Boys Quarters, Donatus called for him, summoning him to his parlour. Timmy redirected his steps and walked into the parlour without knocking.


    ¡°Hey Timothy, look here,¡± Donatus said with all seriousness. ¡°Next time you want to enter here, knock first and wait till I ask you toe in. You hear?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Timothy answered half-heartedly.


    ¡°So, repeat the story again. About what happened at the shop.¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. Abi are you deaf?¡±


    Timmy swallowed, shifted from one foot to the other and under the watchful gaze of his boss, repeated his story, all the while wishing he hadn¡¯t narrated it before. When he was done, Donatus stared at him for a while before breaking his silence.


    ¡°Anything to add?¡±, he asked.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ nah. Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m justing from the police station now.¡±


    He stopped there and watched as Timmy shifted ufortably.


    ¡°The police have been doing a good job,¡± he continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know how they managed to do it o, but¡­ they caught one of the boys that robbed (he emphasized the word ¡®robbed¡¯) you and Chidi. After some interrogation, he confessed that Chidi was actually the one that cooked the n and handed over to them to carry it out.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! W¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey hey, wait! Before you start fucking, let me finish what I was saying. Again, I don¡¯t know how they managed to do it, but the police caught Chidi¡­¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±, Timmy eximed, eliciting a re from Donatus.


    ¡°Like I was saying, they caught Chidi. At first, he denied, saying that he did not know the boys. But after some serious interrogation, he finally confessed that he was the one that created the n. But he said another thing. He said that they did not n to rob the shop or steal anything. Their n was to deceive you and collect the TV without paying. ording to him, that is exactly what happened. Is it true?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ ahem¡­ uhh¡­ you know,¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, Timothy! The question is simple: Is it true? Yes or No?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s a littleplicated, you know. I¡­ we.. you know, t¡­¡±


    ¡°My friend, don¡¯t annoy me o,¡± Donatus warned in a threatening voice. ¡°Did you voluntarily give them the TV or not? Answer me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No but anywhere. You will pay half of the money. You can go.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Donuts, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh! What did you say?¡±, Donatus thundered, jumping to his feet.


    ¡°Um¡­ uh¡­ boss¡­ uncle¡­ whatever. Come on, man. You gotta understand my situation. I ain¡¯t got no family. Bastards all abandoned me. I¡¯m like an orphan here, man. Have mercy on a brother.¡±


    Donatus put both hands on his waist and shook his head. He looked at the ceiling and then turned to look at the boy who was already close to tears.


    ¡°Get out. Just get out, get out, get out, get out of my parlour!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, man. I owe you one,¡± Timmy said as he walked out.


    *****


    ¡°So now that you havee to tell us, what do you want us to do?¡±, Reba asked as Donatus ended his story about Timmy¡¯s carelessness at his shop in Lagos.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ I¡­ I just wanted to give you update like you¡­¡±


    ¡°That is not the type of update we asked for,¡± she said, cutting him off. ¡°It is your job to make him smart and strong. If you are not doing your job well, what has that got to do with me and Chief? We sent him to you, so you will teach him how to manage things and be responsible. If he¡¯s making mistakes, it¡¯s either because he¡¯s still learning or you¡¯re not teaching him well¡­ abi, Chief¡­ is it not so?¡±


    Chief said nothing in reply, but rather continued to frown.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for disturbing you with the matter,¡± Donatus apologized.


    ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t want to hear about such internal matters of yours. All we want to see is the good final result. That¡¯s why we sent him to you to¡­¡±


    ¡°My brother, listen to me,¡± Chief suddenly cut in. ¡°If he does anything wrong, deal with him. If he misces your items, punish him. If he is careless and allows thieves to enter your shop, don¡¯t give him food an¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehh Chief, that¡¯s not necessary,¡± Reba said, waving off in his direction. ¡°Dona, look. If¡­¡±


    ¡°Woman, will you shut up!¡±, Chief roared. ¡°How dare you interrupt me while I¡¯m talking? Are you mad?!¡±


    ¡°But how can you be telling him no¡­ no¡­ not to give Timothy food? What degree of wickedness is that one?¡±


    ¡°What! How dare you? When have you be the one in charge of this family?¡±


    ¡°Chief, look. I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you shut up and sit down there! Do I look¡­¡±


    ¡°No Chief, you shut up and sit down there! What is your problem sef, eh? When I married you, there was nothing in your one and half room apartment. Now, after everything I¡¯ve done, you want to repay me by killing my children one by one.¡±


    ¡°Reba, I said, shut up and sit down, right now!¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not sitting down! I¡¯m tired of sitting down. We will stand together in this house. I will¡­¡±


    She never saw iting. All she felt was a painful smack on her shoulder.


    ¡°Chief! You hit me?!¡±


    For reply, Chief raised his walking stick for another strike, but this time, she was faster. Before Donatus could effect his long overdue interference, she grabbed the walking stick in mid-air with one meaty hand and mmed her other hand into Chief¡¯s chest, sending the smaller-statured man tumbling over the sofa andnding on the ground behind it.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    As his body made contact with the ground with a thud, both Reba and Donatus watched in shock at what she had done out of anger.


    ¡°Chief, are you okay?¡±, she asked, peering over the sofa after she had recovered from her surprise at the power of her own hands. But what she saw made her squeal.


    ¡°Chief!¡±, she shouted as she jumped over the sofa to try to rouse him.


    Donatus ran over to them and quickly made a call when he had satisfied himself that Chief was not dead but only unconscious. Only after he had finished with the call did it ur to him that he could not trust the emergency services to arrive on time.


    ¡°Madam, madam, stop crying,¡± he said, shaking Reba by the shoulder. ¡°Crying cannot help us. Let¡¯s take him to the hospital. Go and call one of your driver or gardener or somebody to help us.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Reba responded, swiftly getting up to her feet. ¡°Ojo! John! Jaiye!¡±, she shouted as she ran out of the parlour.

 CHAPTER NINETEEN

    Caro, after leaving Beryl, had trekked very little and enjoyed much. For the first time in her life, she had five thousand naira all to herself, in no one¡¯s house and under nobody¡¯s supervision. It urred to her to indulge herself a little, so she purchased sardines, corned beef, soft drinks and everything else that she had always looked forward to eating all her life.


    Within a few days, she had broken several records and consumed things she never would have hoped to consume if she was still in her father¡¯s house. Running away had a lot of perks, to be sure.


    For once, she could spend freely and without thinking too much, even giving some change to beggars. Though her birthday was still many weeks away, she felt like treating herself like a queen. It was wonderful how easily you noticed beautiful things when you have money. To make things more splendid, she had not encountered any trouble so far and finding abandoned or unsecured shops to sleep in was no problem.


    She did not know what part of Lagos she was in and neither did she care, but she had heard snatches of people¡¯s conversation that hinted that her current location was ¡®Maind¡¯.


    She had no single care in the world. The environment was quite calmpared to the few other ces she¡¯d seen and the evening air was something to die for. Slinging on her bag that contained her only worldly possessions, she would stroll about all evening, enjoying the cool air and running recon on that night¡¯s possible lodge under the guise of enjoying the scenes.


    Thanks to the five thousand, she now had a watch and at 8pm, she would retire to her ¡®guest house¡¯ to spend the night. She never slept in one ce twice in a row, always rotating them randomly, just in case the wrong people were watching her.


    After a few days of strolling, eating, lounging and sleeping, Caro was beginning to get the feeling that she needed to do something more serious with herself, but the feeling was not strong enough and before evening, she had forgotten all about it.


    When she woke up the next day, she hit the road and strolled about until the shops opened. Then she went to the shop where she usually bought pure water for bathing (yeah, it was a luxury she could easily afford). It was while the woman was packing the satchets of water that she reached into her purse (courtesy the five thousand) to extract the money to pay her. But to her surprise, there was only five hundred naira in the purse!


    Her heart skipped a beat and when it resumed beating, the rate was out of this world. She searched her pockets, her bag and the purse again, but no other money was in sight. She shook her gown vigorously, just in case some thousands had gotten stuck in the wrong ce, but nothing fell on the ground. So, was it possible that the only money she had in the whole wide world was five hundred naira? If so, then there was fire on the mountain and the solution was run, run, run! There was no way she could buy that water now unless she wanted to starve. She would starve either way, but paying for the water would certainly speed it up.


    Quickly looking around to make sure that no one was looking at her, she took a few steps back and ran. She ran as if her life depended on it. To be sure, it really did! She could hear the woman shouting to ask her if she no longer wanted the water, but she did not care.


    Caro ran till she got tired and also, people were beginning to give her funny looks, so she slowed down to a walk. As she walked, the figure ¡®500¡¯ kept shing before her eyes side by side with an image of her emaciated corpse.


    Initially, she had thought that she must have lost some of the money or that she had been robbed at night when sleeping, but when she made a mental calction of how many sardines, meatpies, eggrolls, corned beefs, sachets of pure water, and many other things she had consumed in thest few days together with the cost of her purse, watch, earrings and other such items, she came to the conclusion that the thief was no one but her! She had robbed her own self and now she would suffer the consequences.


    How many days could five hundred nairast her? Four, five days or even less. This area was certainly not a ce she could find work. Shops were very small and few. She either had to resort to begging or trek in search of a suitable environment.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ***


    The day after she had discovered that she was the unhappy owner of 500 naira, Caro arrived at a busy bus-stop, the name of which she had no idea. As she saw the conductors shouting the various destinations of their vehicles, it urred to her that throughout her time in Lagos, she had not made use of any other form of transportation other than her feet, little wonder she never knew where she was at any point in time. Being born into long-distance hawking and her school being very far away from home, she had been used to walking long distances her whole life.


    Speaking of schooling, she had dropped out in thest year of her junior secondary education without taking the final junior exams. It was no decision of hers, but the inability or perhaps, the unwillingness (she had no idea which) of her father to pay for her education.


    He had never paid a dime for her schooling before then, the entirety of which had been sponsored by a visiting uncle to whom she had intimated, when she was five, that she would love to be a doctor. That uncle was now in some foreign country and her father had refused to contact him to inform him of the exhaustion of her schrship funds out of anger that the money he had first provided for Caro¡¯s education was paid directly to the school and not kept with him, her father ¨C something that anyone who knew how he spent money would never have done. At the end, he felt that she was more useful as a tool for the receipt of bride price than being a schr.


    As she moved into the rowdy and dirty part of the bus-stop, where most of themercial vehicles were parked, she was worried, harassed and hassled by conductors who were bent on persuading her to board their vehicles. Some even went as far as pulling her by the hand and she had to struggle to disentangle herself from their clutches. By the time, she reached the market area of the bus-stop, she had lost a lot of her energy and was looking as frail as a reed since she had only eaten a satchet of sausage roll in thest 20 hours. But her condition served her well. The very first woman she approached felt pity on her, offered her a satchet of water and a chair to sit on.


    After some time, Caro asked to be allowed to help her sell some of her wares in exchange for a littlemission, and to her surprise, the woman agreed! So, tray of oranges on her head and a little over four hundred naira hidden somewhere safe on her person, Caro resumed the life of a hawker, a life she had left barely few weeks ago when she ran away from home.

 CHAPTER TWENTY

    The first round of hawking was an easy sess since Caro targeted the motor park (or ¡®garage¡¯ as it was usually called) part of the bus-stop unlike most other hawkers who stayed within the market.


    Being an expert hawker with the right tone of voice, persuasion skills and an experienced eye for the right customers, Caro sold out her few oranges to mostly passengers who were waiting for their vehicles to get filled up.


    When she returned to the market, the woman who had provided her with the oranges was more than surprised and very pleased with her swift sess. Immediately, she split Caro¡¯s profit, giving her hermission and a little tip which Caro spent on another satchet of sausage roll and a satchet of cold water.


    She remained with the woman in her stall for the next hour until the woman asked if she was up for another round of hawking. Caro was, and this time, her tray was loaded full. She hit the garage for the second time as a hawker, but this time around, she would learn why there were very few hawkers in that part of the bus-stop.


    Caro had hardly hawked for a quarter of an hour when she was approached by a dark and dirty ruffian with bloodshot eyes. She had thought he wanted to buy some oranges, but when he blew cigarette smoke into her face, she thought otherwise.


    ¡°Wetin dey worry you na?¡±, she demanded after clearing the smoke from around her face. She was not angry yet, but she could easily be if he repeated such nonsense.


    ¡°Wetin be your name?¡±, he asked, drawing in arge puff from his cigarette.


    ¡°Why you wan know?¡±, Caro shot back, looking at him with displeasure.


    ¡°Who give you permission to sell for this garage? You done see me?¡±


    ¡°See you for what? You be tourist attraction wey people deye see?¡±, Caro retorted, looking him up and down to drive home her point. He was clearly not very much fit to be seen considering his dirty and naturally ugly appearance.


    For reply, he blew another even thicker cloud of white smoke into her face. Caro lost it. Dropping her tray, she marched forward, closing the gap between them.


    ¡°Wetin dey worry you? Wetin make you dey blow your useless smoke for my face? Abi you dey krace?¡±


    But despite her anger and the resulting insults, the ruffian seemed unmoved. He kept puffing unconcernedly at his cigarette and Caro¡¯s anger had no choice but to dete itself. But just as she was about to pick up her tray andmence hawking, he suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°You go pay for the hawk wey you don hawk today,ter you goe see me.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°In your dreams,¡± Caro hissed, picking up her tray and bncing it on her head. But before she could take a step forward, he blocked her path.


    ¡°If you no pay me my money now, I go call my boys to seize you and your orange.¡±


    At the sound of the words ¡®boys¡¯ and ¡®seize¡¯, Caro¡¯s mind reflected on the futility of fighting the ruffian. He had boys who could be as bad or probably much worse than he was and the oranges she was hawking were not hers. She had better give the filthy bastard what he wanted or she would lose in more ways than one.


    ¡°How much?¡±, she demanded reluctantly with an angry scowl on her face as she unrolled her profits of the afternoon.


    ¡°Two hundred,¡± he replied and puffed.


    ¡°Eh?¡±, she shouted in surprise. ¡°Two hundred for what? You be armed robber?¡±


    ¡°O girl, no waste my time o!¡±, he said in sudden anger.


    Caro shot him an angry nce, hissed, extracted the money and mmed it on his open palm.


    ¡°Rubbish,¡± she hissed again and sashayed away.


    When she had sold all the oranges and gone back to the woman in the market, she promptly recounted her encounter with the ruffian, asking for her to subtract the two hundred naira from hermission and if she ended up owing her, she would bnce it immediately from her own funds.


    ¡°Abeg no mind them. Na so dem dey do. Those useless boys,¡± the woman hissed, handing Caro her fullmission.


    ¡°You never remove the two hun¡­¡±


    ¡°No worry. Forget about that one. Na so dem dey do. Just no go that side again.¡±


    Caro thanked her profusely and slumped down on a stool, breathing a deep sigh of relief. The day had been far from wasted. She had made quite a sensible amount of money in a couple hours and if she spent it sparingly, she would save enough to¡­ To do what exactly? She did not even know!


    **


    Evening was marching on and night was not very far off. From the activity in the shop of the orange seller, Caro could see that the woman would soon be closing for the day and that meant she would have to find somewhere to spend the night. Or perhaps the woman could help? She had a shop, something not verymon with orange sellers. Would she agree to rent it out to her as a hotel for the night?


    ¡°Ma, abeg you dey leave anything inside your shop¡­ after you don close?,¡± Caro asked.


    ¡°No. Why? Wetin make you dey ask?¡±, the woman asked, clearly perplexed.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ as day dey dark and I no get anywhere to stay, so I dey¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay. You fit sleep inside the shop, but you go lock am from inside o. When Ie in the morning, I go give you key from the window.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank you very much, ma. God go bless you.¡±


    ¡°Amen o. Or make I even give you the key sef na, abi? At least, you no go fit carry the shop run.¡±


    The womanughed at her own joke while Caro contented herself with a polite smile, thanking her stars that she had met another kind soul.

 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

    The next day saw Caro resume hawking and though she remembered every word of the woman¡¯s advice, she still hawked into the garage. Despite her not-so-savory experience with the ruffian the previous day, the impulsive nature of her stubbornness steered her into his territory again, but this time she resolved not to pay a dime, no matter what happened.


    She was just on her way to attend to someone who had called her over: her third customer of the day, when her ruffian enemynded from nowhere and blocked her path. She greeted him with a loud, long hiss and an angry stare-down.


    ¡°I tell you say make youe see me and you noe, abi? And you still get the liver toe sell for this garage.¡±


    ¡°I ask you, Mr. Man, you be tourist attraction?¡±, Caro retorted.


    ¡°Look, if you try me, I go just beat you anyhow, rape you join,¡± he threatened hotly.


    ¡°Eh?! Wetin you talk? Repeat am make I hear!¡±, Caro demanded, quickly dropping her tray on the ground and throwing on it her purse and the cloth she used as a head-cushion.


    The ruffian hissed, shaking his head mournfully and smiling bitterly. ¡°This girl, e look as if you no like yourself. No try me o. I dey warn you o. I go mess you up just now.¡±


    Then he reached down to grab her purse. She jerked it out of his reach in time, but he went ahead to grab her by the arm. With unexpected force, she pulled it free from his grasp and faced him with eyes full of fury.


    ¡°I swear to God Almighty,¡± she said with fiery passion, bringing her fingers to her lips and then mming her palm on the ground with a heavy thud. ¡°If you touch me again, I go beat you like cow wey no get owner.¡±


    The ruffian¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. Beat him like an owner-less cow?? He stared at her open-mouthed, with a shocked smile on his face as if she had just pulled an impossible feat that he was immensely proud of. By now, some of his ruffian colleagues had gathered around him and the very angry-looking Caro who had already taken off her footwear and was focused wholly on him. One of them, seeing the situation, asked what the matter was.


    ¡°Na this pikin o!¡±, he replied, pointing to Caro whose chest was heaving rapidly in fury. ¡°This rat say she go beat me if I touch her again.¡±


    His colleagues burst intoughter. It was more than hirious! A little girl thinking of beating up a highly experienced thug.


    ¡°O girl, wetin you drink this morning? You no like your life?¡±, one of them asked, gasping withughter.


    But Caro ignored him, her eyes were on her ruffian alone. He was her one and only target.


    ¡°Look, I no get time for this nonsense,¡± he said, moving toward her. ¡°Give me my money. Fast fast fast. No waste my time.¡±


    ¡°Come take am na. The money wey you keep with me. Idiot.¡±


    That insult was thest straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. With fiery eyes, he rushed at her, looking to grab her by the neck, but he received what he least expected: a rapid-fire p on each cheek!


    His colleagues gasped in shock and he also reeled back in disbelief. Caro nodded deliberately as if to confirm that she was the issuer of the ps. Her legs were set in a battle stance and both hands were on her waist. Her fearlessness further angered her ruffian enemy and without paying attention to suggestions from his colleagues, he whipped out his belt, folded it and went at Caro like a madman.


    He whipped her left, right and centre, but she made no attempt to run. Instead, she remained where she stood, covering her head and ears with her arms as theshes rained down on her. He was sweating profusely, but it was unclear whether it was due to his current exertion or the amount of anger in him. His colleagues were egging him on as he continued to thrash her mercilessly with no intention of stopping. But none of them saw what wasing next.


    Like sh, Caro lunged at her attacker, mming her head into his chest and sending him off his feet with that one strike. He fell on his back on the ground. But before he could think of recovering, she had jumped on him. Straddling his midriff, she attacked him with all her strength and anger,unching heavy blows and punches at his face and the hands he was bringing to protect himself. The other ruffians watched in shock as Caro mauled their colleague as if he was a rag doll.


    By now, arge crowd had gathered around the scene and everywhere there were gasps of surprise as the bus-stop¡¯s chief of notorious ruffians received the most savage beating of his life. And from a girl at that! Never in the history of the motorpark had such a thing ever happened!


    One of the men in the crowd had had enough of the incident. Rushing forward, he grabbed Caro by her arms and threw her off the soundly assaulted ruffian.


    Caro rolled away and quickly gained her feet. But in a move that further shocked everyone, she lunged at the man who had thrown her off, sweeping him off his feet andnding him on his back. After that act, she had no intention of going any further. She left him to escape and went over to where she had dropped her tray and its contents. Surprisingly, everything was intact! Perhaps people had been too busy watching the fight to remember to steal. Dusting the sand off her body and hair with her head cushion, she picked the tray and bnced it on her head.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Buy your sweet oraaange,¡± she sang as she resumed her hawking as if nothing had happened. The crowd quickly cleared a wide path for her to pass.

 CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

    Few days after the public disy of her ruggedness, Caro still moved and hawked in the motor park with no fear whatsoever. In fact, she went out of her way to make herself visible to the garage touts, but they simply refused to notice her. She had heard varying rumors about their boss and many advices to leave the area in order to escape a reprisal, but she was never going to listen to any one of them. So far, she had racked up quite some profit for herself and the orange seller considered her a godsend. But still, she was far from happy.


    One warm, sunny afternoon, after finishing the first round of hawking for the day, Caro requested for a break and it was readily granted. In the woman¡¯s words, she more than deserved it. With a quiet ¡®Thank You¡¯, Caro strolled off in the direction of the garage.


    As she walked, holding both ends of the head-cushion cloth which was draped across her shoulders, she could feel the weight of the money she had made on her. It was quite substantial, but its value was very little to her all of a sudden. She was actually ¡®thinking her life¡¯.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    For once, she was beginning to question certain decisions she had made in life. She was many hundreds of kilometers away from home. She may not have had a better life back at home, but wasn¡¯t family everything? Had she been right to run from home? Yes, they had shipped her off to some beast to live as his wife for the rest of his ugly life, but what really were the disadvantages? At least, she would have had a home, safety and eventually, children that she would care for with all her heart and might. But then, there were the mates; they would have made life miserable for her children and herself. But still, she would have had a home, wouldn¡¯t she? If she could lie to herself that she didn¡¯t miss her family more and more with each passing day, she would. But she couldn¡¯t. She just couldn¡¯t!


    It had crossed her mind more than once in thest few days to go back home and apologize to her parents and try to make them understand why she had done what she did. She knew they would never understand or even listen, but it felt good andforting to imagine that they would. She sighed as she reached a wooden electric pole at the side of the road. It wasn¡¯t a sigh of relief, it was one of confusion and indecision, and the end of it came out as a whimper. She was close to tears, but she was fighting to hold them back.


    She believed in God, but why on earth didn¡¯t he give her a caring mother and an understanding father? She wouldn¡¯t want to be rich or anything else if she had such parents. Because they would mean the whole world to her!


    She strongly believed that people got punished for their sins, but whose sin was she punished for when she was born by such parents? She looked around her and found that no one was looking her way, then she leaned on the electric pole and cried her heart out.


    As she wept, memories of her daydreams shed through her mind. She had imagined herself being a lovely princess in a beautiful little town popted by kind and always smiling people. She had imagined that she had a mother who gave her a new flower every morning instead of knocks and beatings. She had imagined having a father who bought her beautiful dresses and took her to the zoo instead of giving her stinging ps and vicious kicks if she dared to request for school levies. The girls who had such parents in real life, what did they do to get them because she would give anything to be like them for only one minute.


    When Caro had exhausted all her tears, she bought a sachet of pure water and washed her face thoroughly before resuming her stroll in the garage. She needed to look moreposed and normal before going back to the orange seller¡¯s shop. Thest thing she wanted was to be asked questions she didn¡¯t want to provide answers to. So far, the woman had not asked her to tell a detailed version of the false story she had told her and by all means, she nned to keep it that way.


    As Caro strolled against the wind, so it could calm and dry her face, she no longer thought about going back to her family. All that had gone with her tears. She now had something else on her mind: her future. Not the future she would have had as a wife of Iron Fire, but the future she would have as a runaway bride. What was lying ahead for her? More hawking for years toe? God forbid! She had always wanted to be a doctor, a children¡¯s doctor. She had been inspired, when she was five, by the female doctor who had treated her for mria.


    The young woman had been nice, kind, beautiful, tender and always smiling. From that moment, that was the kind of person Caro wanted to be: someone who made children feel safe andfortable. But how would she get there? Hawking certainly would not take her there and being back in her father¡¯s or husband¡¯s house wasn¡¯t any better. The solution was that she had to go back to school. But how could she do that without having a home? She needed first a home, food, money and then education. But if her family could not provide it for her, who would? She didn¡¯t need to be a government official or a member of any international body to know that there were very few people like Madam Beryl in the country nowadays. What were the chances that she would meet someone like that again?

 CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

    With all this on her mind, Caro had unconsciously strolled through the noisy garage almost all the way to the road, she was only a few metres from it and half a stone-throw away, there was something dramatic going on.


    A fat, very well-dressed woman was struggling to climb into a moving vehicle and from what Caro could see, she was no expert at it. The vehicle was slowly picking up speed and through all the noise, she could still manage to hear the woman¡¯s little voice calling on the driver to stop so she could get in. But the vehicle was showing no signs of slowing down. The woman was in a precarious situation. It was clear that the driver had taken her unawares and suddenly started moving the vehicle while she was still in the process of climbing. As a result, she had a shaky handhold on the door and a risky foothold with her high heels!


    Without thinking, Caro ran after the bus and caught up with it just as it left the garage and got unto the main road, where the driver would pick up real speed.


    ¡°Driver! Driver!¡±, she yelled, pounding her palm on the bus as she supported the woman with her other hand. The vehicle slowed down to a stop and the shaken and now sweating woman went into the bus, assisted by Caro, and found her seat.


    ¡°T¡­ thank you, my dear. Thank you so much,¡± she said gratefully as she wiped the sweat from her brow.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, ma. Hope you¡¯re not hurt?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m fine. Just a little shaken. These demons in the name of fellow passengers sat here watching me f¡­¡±


    ¡°Wetin dey happen for there?¡±, the driver suddenly bellowed from the front in no pleasant tone and not even bothering to look over his shoulder at the crowded passenger area.


    ¡°Oh you crazy fool!¡±, the woman spat in anger. ¡°Do you know you almost killed me?¡±


    ¡°Madam, no dey talk to me like that! I no like that kind nonsense. You no get mouth? Why you no shout?¡±


    ¡°How would you hear my shouts when your stupid ears were filled with the re of equally stupid music from your obsolete stereo?¡±


    ¡°Where your conductor sef? Why you no get conductor?¡±, Caro demanded from her standing position in front of the woman. She could see the driver hiss and shake his head and mutter something, most likely a profanity.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t mind him. He¡¯s too greedy to have a¡­¡±


    ¡°Abeg, which one be all this one na? The woman don enter. Make we dey go where we dey go na,¡± one of the passengers suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Oh shut up, you bloated fool!¡±, the woman shot back.


    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t talk to me like that! Who do you think you are? I have your type at home¡­¡±


    ¡°As a mother? I will not be measured side by side with the mother of aprehensive tomfool like you and others in this miserable contraption who were heartless enough to sit and watch me almost get dragged on the road.¡±


    A female passenger roused by the insult immediately shot back an angry response which was supported by angry rebukes from other passengers. The fat woman was equal to the task and she continued to give each of them their own dose of biting insults.


    The bus was like a market under riot, everyone was cursing and shouting like a pack of hyenas. And Caro stood there, admiring the woman as she received and fired back shot after shot. But suddenly, the vehicle shot forward, almost throwing some passengers off their seats and quieting many. Caro herself was almost thrown over the next row of seats.


    ¡°Oh my dear. Are you alright?¡±, the woman asked as she helped her regain her bnce.


    ¡°Yes yes, I¡¯m fine. Driver! Abeg, stop o! I wane down!¡±


    In response, the driver turned up the volume of the music he had just resumed ying and stepped on the elerator.


    ¡°Ah Driver! Stop na! I no be your passenger o!¡±, Caro shouted in fright as she struggled to maintain her bnce in the rickety bus which was now traversing an archipgo of potholes.


    ¡°Driver!¡±, the woman shouted in support. ¡°Don¡¯t you hear what she¡¯s saying? Stop this rickety thing now!¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    But the rickety thing kept flying away with no sign of stopping. Caro felt like crying. What on earth had she gotten herself into? How on earth would she get back to her bus-stop? If only she knew the names of all these ces, she would not have been so worried, but she knew nowhere!


    The woman, on the other hand, was busyunching choice curses at the driver and she kept cursing until she was hoarse, then she paused to breathe. The other passengers all kept quiet, silently celebrating her dilemma.


    ¡°Sit down, my dear,¡± she said to Caro. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure you get back to your home.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s no empty seat.¡±


    ¡°Sit here, then,¡± she said, patting her thighs. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be shy,¡± she urged as Caro hesitated.


    So Caro sat down lightly on her thighs, spreading her legs apart and concentrating her weight on them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that dear. You¡¯ll give one of these heartless beings an excuse to quarrel. Just sit back and rx, I¡¯m stronger than you think.¡±


    Caro, embarrassed to mortification, obeyed and sat with her weight concentrated on her bottom.


    ¡°Good girl. Aren¡¯t you amb,¡± the woman praised, further adding to Caro¡¯s embarrassment.


    ***


    When Caro and her friend arrived at her destination, they both climbed out of the bus as quickly as they could before the driver would speed off with them again. When their feet touched the ground, they both breathed a huge sigh of relief.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s work on getting you back home,¡± the woman said as she opened her purse and extracted her phone. ¡°Oh! Missed call from Mabel. Didn¡¯t hear it ring. Must¡¯ve been when those poultry birds were running their foul mouths at me. Where do you live, dear?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, ma,¡± Caro stuttered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know where you live? How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know the name of the area a¡­¡±


    ¡°You guys just moved there, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ not really. Actually, I don¡¯t really live there. I just hawk there.¡±


    She said thest two words with downcast eyes. She wasn¡¯t one to be ashamed of such things, but the woman had this sort of rich, prim and proper aura that somehow overwhelmed her.


    ¡°So, where exactly do you live? You can describe it, can¡¯t you? With all the trouble, I really cannot recall that crazy motorpark where you saved my life. In fact, I know very little about these parts. I hardly travel by such means, you know.¡±


    Caro nodded as if she really knew.


    ¡°So, if I put you on a vehicle, can you find your way back home?¡±


    Caro remained silent for a while and stared at her feet. The woman watched her, wondering what on earth she was thinking.


    ¡°No,¡± she replied in sudden resignation, looking up at the woman¡¯s chubby face. ¡°I really don¡¯t have a ce of my own to stay. I usually sleep in the shop of the woman who owns the oranges I hawk.¡±


    ¡°Oh. How¡­ Why? What happened?¡±


    Then Caro narrated her story, the same false version she had told Beryl.


    ¡°Oh my Lord!¡±, the woman eximed even before she was done with her tale. ¡°Do such demons still live amongst us? I shudder to think what you must have gone through for the past few weeks! Oh Lord, oh Lord, such a beautiful and smart youngdy. How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen,¡± Caro lied glibly.


    ¡°Oh! Poor child, poor child. What will you do now? Will youe home with me?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ I really don¡¯t want to impose, ma¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh rubbish! I built my house with my own money and I decide who lives in it. So you wille along, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Caro nodded shyly, hoping she didn¡¯t look like a homeless, choiceless beggar.


    ¡°Great. Now we have a journey toplete. Let¡¯s go into the park.¡±


    So, bag in hand, the woman and her new ward left the corridor of the closed shop where they had been standing and went deeper into the not-so-popted bus-stop.

 CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

    Donatus walked quietly into hispound without responding to the greeting of Henry who was the one that had opened the gate. His face was expressionless and tired-looking. He stood aside and waited for the young man to finish locking the gate.


    ¡°Henry,¡± he called.


    ¡°Sir?¡±, Henry answered, running over to meet him.


    ¡°Where is Timothy? Go and call him for me.¡±


    With that, he walked straight to his front door while Henry ran off on the errand.


    Minutester, Timmy strolled into Donatus¡¯ parlour. He found the man seated on a couch and reading a newspaper.


    ¡°You called me?¡±, Timothy murmured gruffly.


    ¡°Ehen Timothy. Why have you not been picking your mother¡¯s call? How many times has your mother called you?¡±


    ¡°I got my reasons,¡± Timmy shrugged carelessly.


    Donatus eyed him in silence and shook his head in pity.


    ¡°Anyway, your mother wants you toe home. Your father just came back from the hospital.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with me?¡±, Timmy demanded, looking far from pleased.


    ¡°When you see her, hmm? You can ask her. Now, go and start packing your things and be getting ready to leave.¡±


    Not caring to see the expression on his apprentice¡¯s face, Donatus picked his newspaper and went off to his room.


    Timmy rushed into the Boys Quarters and mmed the door after him, startling Henry and Chukwuka who had been ying a game of dice.


    ¡°Ah ah, Americana. Wetin happen? You follow person fight?¡±, Henry asked as their grumbling friend marched past them. Timmy did not reply, instead he began throwing his clothes and other personal effects into his boxes.


    ¡°Na pack the guy dey pack so o,¡± Henry said as he abandoned the game to watch Timmy.


    ¡°Pack go where?¡±, Chukwuka, asked, jumping up to join him.


    ¡°Americana, where you dey pack go?¡±, Henry demanded. But Americana said nothing in reply.


    After packing up his things, he locked his three boxes and prepared to carry them out one after the other, but his friends quickly jumped in to give him a hand. He picked one box while they picked the other two and all three trooped outside to their boss¡¯ building.


    Coincidentally, Donatus was alsoing out of his parlour, fully dressed and looking like he was on his way out.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? What¡¯s going on?¡±, he demanded in surprise, referring to them and the exodus.


    ¡°My stuff,¡± Timmy replied, frowning deeply as he dropped his load.


    ¡°Are you okay? You want to go to Abuja by this time?¡±


    He hissed and shook his head in exasperation. He looked at his watch and pursed his lips for a while.


    ¡°Come,e inside,¡± he called to Timmy, beckoning for him to follow him into the parlour.


    ¡°Thanks, guys,¡± Timmy said to Henry and Chukwuka, effectively dismissing them.


    ¡°Safe journey o, Americana. No forget us o. Send us something o.¡±


    But he was already walking into the sitting room.


    ¡°Sit down here,¡± Donatus beckoned, indicating the space beside him on the couch. ¡°Listen to me very carefully. You will leave tomorrow morning, very early. In fact, take this clock and set rm for 5am.¡±


    ¡°5am? Why the he¡­¡±


    ¡°You will leave thispound before six. Enter bike from here straight to the park. God is Great Motors park. It¡¯s not too far. In fact, I think I should carry you by myself. This¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah. What¡¯s the big deal? I can do this.¡±


    ¡°Look, this is not Abuja or America, this is Lagos. It is not a ce for gentleman. You have to shine your eye otherwise¡­ so you say you can go by yourself without help from anybody, abi?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m no baby.¡±


    ¡°Okay o. Remember what you have just said o, because I don¡¯t want to hear stories. So like I said, you will leave here early and enter okada¡­ motorcycle to the park. God is Great, that is the name. Then you go inside and pay for your ticket. Make sure you sit near your boxes o. Errr¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any other thing. I hope you understand everything I said?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Those God is¡­ whatever guys, they¡¯ll be going all the way to Abhooja, right?¡±


    ¡°Normally, yes. But anything can happen. But still, these people are very reliable. If you have any question there, ask the staff or your fellow passengers. I think they may charge you more money since you are taking three boxes, so you better take enough money with you. And by the way, be very careful when you enter the bike from here. Tell the bike man to take it easy because of your heavy boxes. That¡¯s why I even wanted to carry you m¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. I can take care of myself,¡± Timmy shrugged dismissively.


    ¡°Okay o, oga care-taker. Greet your parents for me when you reach.¡±


    ¡°Wildo.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ***


    At the very first ring of the rm clock, Timmy¡¯s eyelids flew open. He had not really been fully asleep throughout the night, so the rm had only served to distract him from his thoughts which had been mostly centred on his family.


    He could not believe how on earth they could reject him and then want him back again. If he had somewhere else to go, he would have headed there and totally erased Donatus and his own family away from his memory. He hated being a toy that could be turned around whenever the turner wished. Just when he was settling down to prove to them that he was nozy failure, they suddenly decided to recall him. For what stupid purpose?


    He didn¡¯t want their apology and he would never be reconciled with them. And what was that about his father just returning from the hospital? He wished the old wizard would stay there for a much longer time or even die and be of more use since they would have his property to share. But being as wicked as he was, who knew what was in his will.


    The hisses and grumblings from his friends whose sleep was being disturbed by the still ringing rm clock jerked Timmy out of his reverie. He jumped off the bed and went over to turn it off. Then off he went to wash and brush.

 CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

    Standing outside Donatus¡¯pound in the quiet dawn, Timmy felt like he was in a graveyard. Everything was still and calmpared to the bustle and hustle that would by now be on full gear in the major roads. It was still quite a dark grey dawn, but Lagos never closed for business, so there was no question of its opening early orte.


    Having been standing here for over five minutes, Timmy wondered whether he would ever find a motorcycle. Perhaps this was not where he ought to wait? He left his boxes and strolled away from thepound towards the main road.


    From what he could see, there were no signs ofmercial motorcycles on the street, so he might have to get one from the road. But what was that? A small bus was leaving another part of the street not more than a stone-throw from Timmy¡¯s position and was heading straight for the road.


    ¡°Hey cabbie,¡± Timmy hailed and realized his mistake immediately, ¡°or little bus or whatever,¡± he added with a shrug.


    The conductor, on hearing him, had signaled for the driver to stop the vehicle and it eventually rolled to a stop before it could climb onto the main road. Timmy put both hands in his pockets and watched, expecting them toe over to him. But instead, the conductor was beckoning for him toe and quickly too, judging by the speed of his beckoning hand. Reluctantly, he strolled over to them. One side of the bus had its door pulled open and the conductor jumped down.


    ¡°Where, where, where?¡±, he asked hurriedly as Timmy approached.


    ¡°Well, I got stuff I need to pick up¡­ just right over there and then we¡­¡±


    ¡°Wole, wole. Enter, enter.¡±


    He was rushed into the bus and the conductor swiftly jumped in after him, pulling the door close.


    ¡°Fire down,¡± he said to the driver and the bus fired down onto the road at full speed.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Hey, hey, that¡¯s the wrong way. You gotta¡­¡±


    But Timmy was not given the chance toplete the statement. Out of the shadows, a sinister-looking young man appeared, armed with an equally sinister-looking knife.


    ¡°Shhhh,¡± he shushed with his forefinger to his lips while his other hand brandished the knife menancingly. ¡°ye, just behave yourself. Abi you wan die?¡±


    Timmy¡¯s eyes were as wide as saucers and his mouth was open. He was staring at a human-like apparition whose face he could hardly see except for the white teeth and red eyes. The creature jerked his chin sharply, clearly a signal meant for someone, but before Timmy could look back to find out who was behind him, the conductor threw a cloth around his mouth and began to gag him tightly. Now, Timmy realized he was in big trouble. He straightened his legs and lifted his hands to pull off the gag, but that shiny demon of a knife was brought close to his face again.


    ¡°I say make you respect yourself. You no dey hear English?¡±


    So Timmy had no choice but to rx while he was being gagged. After that, his hands were next. They were grabbed roughly from behind and tightly bound while the knife remained very close to his right eye.


    His heart was beating at an abnormal rate and his breathing mirrored his fear. The vehicle maintained its speed with no sign of stopping. What on earth did they want with him and where were they taking him to?


    Next, they went through his pockets and confiscated everything they could find, including his phone, transport fare and pocketb.


    ¡°Why we no go back make we just carry the load wey him want us to carry before?¡±, the conductor suggested after he had finished emptying their victim¡¯s pockets.


    ¡°Which useless load be that? Na load wee carry or na person wee carry?¡±, the driver retorted angrily.


    ¡°But expensive things and even money fit dey inside na.¡±


    ¡°Expensive things, my boot! Na longa-throat go kill you.¡±


    ¡°Abeg stop all this talk. Make we dey go where we dey go,¡± the knife-welding one intervened and the other two went silent.


    *****


    Chief sighed as his wife helped him take his seat on the couch.


    ¡°Sorry. Ndo,¡± Reba said as she still held on to his arm. ¡°Are youfortable?¡±


    With an angry hiss, her husband jerked his arm away from her. She sighed, went over to the adjacent couch and slumped down on it.


    ¡°How¡¯re you feeling, Papa?¡±, the visiting Dora asked as she strolled into the sitting room from the kitchen.


    ¡°How¡¯s it your business how I¡¯m feeling?¡±, Chief retorted. ¡°You think I¡¯m easy to kill? Sorry to disappoint all of you, but the God that made me is not a Made in China God.¡±


    ¡°You have started again,¡± Reba moaned. ¡°For Christ¡¯s sake, nobody wanted to kill you! It was just a ident¡­ I mean, a mistake.¡±


    ¡°I want to warn all of you,¡± he went ahead, ignoring her. ¡°I will soon get a licensed gun, so if you try to endanger my life in any way, you are on your own. Don¡¯t say I did not warn you.¡±


    Both women sighed and shook their heads in exasperation. Just then, Tracy walked in. She hade home the previous day to spend the holidays with her family and unlike her sister, was not very much fazed by what had recently happened to her father.


    ¡°Papa, you have a call,¡± she said, holding out his phone to him. ¡°I heard it ringing on the dining room table,¡± she added by way of exnation.


    He took it from her and stared at the screen.


    ¡°Dona,¡± he murmured as he tapped ¡®Answer¡¯ and put the phone to his ear.


    ¡°Hello Dona, how are you? How is Lagos?¡±, he said into the phone. (A slight pause as he listened to the reply) ¡°No, he¡¯s not here. Why do you ask?¡± (Another pause as he listened with more seriousness) ¡°Eh?¡±, he eximed, sitting up immediately and attracting the attention of the women.


    They watched in mild anxiety as he listened to whatever his friend was telling him on the phone.


    ¡°N¡­ no¡­ no problem,¡± he said after a little while. ¡°I.. I¡¯ll¡­ We¡¯ll get him back. Just do what you can do. Th¡­ thank you.¡±


    ¡°Chief, what is it?¡±, the now very anxious Reba asked, sitting at the edge of her seat as her husband disconnected the call with shaking hands.


    ¡°Timothy. They say he¡¯s missing.¡±


    ¡°Eh? My son! Missing? Ah no o! Call him back, Chief. Te¡­ tell him to find my son! Timothy cannot be missing. My only son? It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    She had already taken off her headgear and was sitting in a disheveled state on the floor, thrashing and wringing her hands.


    ¡°Call him back o, Chief,¡± she cried. ¡°Call him back now. Tell them to find my son! He¡¯s my only son. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Woman, calm down! Stop behaving like a child!¡±, Chief scolded, but it was clear that he himself was far from calm. His voice and his hands were shaking. He held the phone, trying to make a call, but he seemed unable to find the number.


    ¡°Call the Lagos Commissioner of Police,¡± he instructed the less concerned Tracy and handed the phone to her.


    As she searched for the contact, he sat in silence, tapping his shaking forefinger on his shaking lips. Dora, who herself was not very far from being in tears, was beside her mother, doing her best to console her.


    ¡°It¡¯s ringing,¡± Tracy said, handing the phone back to her very eager father. Then she sat down and watched them all as if they were actors in a reality TV show. Frankly, she wasn¡¯t very sad that the only valuable child of her parents was missing.

 CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

    Caro and her chubby potential benefactor arrived at their final destination at dusk. It was a giganticpound in a quiet and ultra-modern environment. When they stepped past the gate, Caro was awed by what she saw. A modern three-story mansion, several expensive-looking cars, a fountain, a little garden and a swimming pool were among some of the things her eyes first caught on and she couldn¡¯t help but stare at them open-mouthed. The womanughed and patted her on the back.


    ¡°Surprised, eh? I told you I wasn¡¯t used to those miserable means of travelling, but a friend of mine took me to go see another friend and one thing led to another. The end result was that I had to make my way back home without a car. At first, I thought I would manage just fine, but¡­ you know how that turned out. Come on, let¡¯s go in,¡± she said, pulling the still awed and dumbstruck Caro by the hand.


    ¡°Rennie!¡±, the woman called as they entered the house.


    Caro stood beside her, more awed than ever as she looked around at the enormous sitting room which was decorated with every luxurious item money could buy. The small things like the AC were very small, smaller than any she had ever seen while the big things like the sofas were huge, bigger than both of her grandfather¡¯s fishing canoes (one of which was once rumored to be stolen property).


    ¡°Rennie! Mabel! Where are you guys?¡±, the woman called again. A young woman, probably in her early twenties, rushed into the sitting room to meet them.


    ¡°Sorry, ma. The children were making noise, that¡¯s why we did not hear you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, you always have a ready excuse. By the way, where are those kraperknuckers? Don¡¯t they know I¡¯m home and that it¡¯s time to jet off to do their homeworks?¡±


    ¡°Emm¡­ they¡­ they are¡­¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Anyway, show this youngdy to the bathroom in one of the guest rooms and get her a clean dress. Preferably one of those new ones of yours. (to Caro) Come on dear, go with her. You should have your bath and get something to eat. It¡¯s been a tough day. And by the way, I never found out your name.¡±


    ¡°Caro¡­ Carolina Benson.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Carol. I¡¯d like to thank you again for saving my life. I¡¯m more grateful than you can ever imagine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, ma,¡± Caro mumbled shyly.


    ¡°And by the way, my name¡¯s Trisha; Trish for short. Don¡¯t forget to toss the ¡®Ma¡¯ into the sink before you leave the bathroom. Now, you can follow this youngdy.¡±


    Caro curtsied, but was quickly stopped by her host.


    ¡°Uh uh. We don¡¯t do that here. I¡¯m not your mother and this is not an African vige. We¡¯re all equals here. We¡¯re friends. Remember that, okay?¡±


    Caro nodded, heavily embarrassed.


    ¡°Good girl. Now, off you go. I¡¯ll be waiting here for you.¡±


    Caro followed Rennie and the older girl led her to a tastefully furnished room and showed her the bathroom, promising to return with a clean dress as soon as possible. Caro thanked her and she left, shutting the door softly behind her.


    Caro was now alone in the room. She took a careful but quick look around at all the fineries: the plush rug, huge bed, beautiful curtains¡­ in fact, it looked like the rooms in those five-star hotels she¡¯d seen in magazines ¨C everything so ssy and expensive.


    Well well, she wasn¡¯t here to admire furniture. In reverence to the wealth and ss all around her, she almost tiptoed into the bathroom. Everywhere was white and sparkling clean. There was a tub and a shower, but since she wasn¡¯t used to the former and also because there was no time for frolicking, she opted for the shower.


    As she stripped, she couldn¡¯t help but wish that she was the one who would upy the room. She would then have a chance to try out the tub as much as she wanted! But all those were fantasies. She knew she would only sleep in the kitchen or anywhere else she would be working from now on.


    ***


    When Caro came back to the sitting room, she found that everyone was at the dining table, except Rennie. She was a little confused, not knowing what next to do. She knew she had to clean while waiting for them to finish, but where could she find a cleaning cloth and what on earth would she clean?


    ¡°Oh Carol, you¡¯re done,¡± Trish said, gesticting with her fork. ¡°Come sit down beside me.¡±


    Caro¡¯s eyebrows shot up, but she knew better than to argue. She went over to the chair and sat down lightly. But right in front of her was a covered te of food. She wondered whose it was; Rennie¡¯s perhaps?


    ¡°Come on, eat your food, dear,¡± Trish said, gesturing at the te.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Caro was more surprised than ever.


    ¡°Sorry we started without you, but we keep a strict timetable, you know.¡±


    Again, Caro knew better than to say anything. Tentatively, she lifted the te and was presented with a sweet-smelling and sweet-looking meal along with some cutlery, most of which she wasn¡¯t used to. She stared at the te in mild confusion. The ¡°food¡± was actually a small square of rice-colored chocte-like substance and a few leaves. It looked more like a carpet or curtain decoration than something edible. With how famished she was, she wondered how this cube would satisfy her. It was only when someone dropped an apple in the empty cover-te beside her that she realized that half the table was staring at her.


    Recovering herself, she picked up the spoon, the only cutlery she could eat with, and started scooping the soft part of the food into her mouth. She would try to remember not to use her fingers on the tough part (which felt like meat), just like they did in the vige. Had she even washed her hands? No no, she didn¡¯t need to do that since she was eating with a spoon. But how would she handle the tough part of the food? Whoa! She was getting ahead of herself now. One step at a time!


    ¡°Stop that, Ian, or you¡¯ll feel my knuckle on your head,¡± Trish warned suddenly, addressing one of the little boys seated around the table. Ian must have stopped doing whatever he had been doing because there were no more threats from his mother.


    Caro was nowfortable enough to look around at the three unfamiliar faces seated around the table. There were two little boys, obviously twins since they looked so alike and a much older girl who looked a little like Trisha, though slimmer. Caro wondered who she was to the woman. Daughter? Sister? Distant rtive? But overall, they all seemed nice. No one was giving her a ¡®bad eye¡¯, at least not yet.


    ¡°Great food,¡± one of the boys said, dropping his cutlery into his empty te and raising both hands with a smile, showing his iplete front teeth.


    ¡°You have Mabel to thank for that,¡± his mom replied.


    ¡°Thank you, Aunty Mabel,¡± the boys chorused.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, guys,¡± the older girl beamed.


    Caro could see that almost everyone had finished their meal. It would not do to be the only one to be left behind. She had to stop eating like a White woman and eat like a bonafide Africandy.


    Taking a quick look around, she picked the meat and threw it into her mouth. Good thing she didn¡¯t swallow it immediately because it was actually much softer and tastier than she thought, so she chewed it as quickly as she could. Then she drank down a ss of water, doing well to drink it in a civilized manner and not make those funny sounds they used to make in the vige with stic cups. As she rose from her seat, one of the boys pointed to her tes.


    ¡°Your apple,¡± he simply said. She nodded softly and grabbed the fruit, then she dropped it again and reached forward to gather other tes.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t bother about that,¡± Trisha stopped her. ¡°The boys will handle it. Come sit and let¡¯s talk a little before you go to bed, so the food can settle down, you know.¡±


    Where was it settling down to? Caro thought as she followed her to the sitting room. All the food she had eaten melted and vanished before they could leave her tongue to her throat. If hunger could be measured, she was feeling a thousand watts of it! But she was never one toin, so she followed her host quietly.

 CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

    ¡°So tell me a little more about yourself,¡± Trisha sighed as she sat on a sofa, crossing her legs and waving Caro to the sofa opposite.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±, Caro was about to begin, but Trisha interrupted her.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh sorry, I think I should start with myself. Ahem¡­ I¡¯m Trisha, like I¡¯ve already told you. I¡¯m a single mom. Those are my two boys, Ian and Moses. Unrted names, I admit. And that youngdy, Mabel, is my niece. By the way, I do have an older son from my first marriage. He¡¯s out of the country, studying. Yeah, I think that¡¯s all f¡­¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your first husband?¡±, Caro suddenly asked, surprising even herself.


    ¡°Ha! I like your boldness,¡± Trishaughed. ¡°Anyway, he¡¯s passed on. He¡¯s¡­ dead, I mean. I remarried and¡­ we got divorced. He¡¯s still alive though, I think. Haha. He remarried, to someone who might actually kill him one day.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ won¡¯t you¡­ won¡¯t you remarry again?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, darling. I¡¯ve had enough of men and they¡¯ve had enough of me¡­ not literally of course. Haha. Yeah, I was wild in my younger days, but I only went all the way on few asions¡­ Oh! I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Sorry. Umm¡­ now, your turn. Tell me about yourself and your dark little secrets. Haha. It¡¯s from a movie, you know.¡±


    Caro cleared her throat unnecessarily. She needed the time to refresh her brain and put the Lying Center in order.


    ¡°I came to Lagos¡­ (Oops! Error) ahem¡­ After my uncle died, his wife then threw me out and¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I remember you telling me this heartbreaking part. This is not the one I wanna hear now. Tell me about the good times. You know, a nice story before bedtime.¡±


    Then she leaned back and waited. Caro quickly fell into deep thought. She racked her brain, trying to find a fun memory of her childhood. Well, wasn¡¯t she still a child?


    ¡°Well, we had this teacher in JSS 2,¡± Caro began. ¡°He was a new teacher and he was very eager to impress the principal and even his fellow teachers, but he was very wicked to us. He used to beat us as if we were cows without owners. In only one week as our teacher, he had flogged everyone in the ss. And it wasn¡¯t just any kind of flogging, it was merciless flogging. Both boys and girls, we all hated him.¡±


    ¡°But why didn¡¯t you guys just report to the school authority?¡±, Trisha asked, perplexed.


    ¡°Ah! That would have been pepper on our wounds o. The principal himself was the chairman of flogging in the school. If you report any teacher to him, you¡¯re finished. He¡¯ll tell that teacher to increase the tempo.¡±


    ¡°Christ.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ em¡­ the teacher used to flog us very ruthlessly and everyone was just fed up. Even the champion of chopping cane in our ss was frustrated. All his cane-chopping tricks were useless when it came to Mr. Ugbuefi. So we held a meeting. It had never happened before¡­ I mean, boys and girls in one meeting, but because of Mr. Ugbuefi, we had to unite.¡±


    Caro paused and Trisha shifted. She recrossed her legs and waited for the girl to resume her story.


    ¡°So, in the meeting,¡± Caro continued, ¡°people were bringing up ideas on how we would deal with him or punish him or frustrate him and things like that. But all the ideas that were brought up had serious ws and we had to trash them. Then finally, one girl called Grace brought an idea that everyone liked. Ahem.¡± Caro paused and smiled mischievously at her host.


    ¡°Uh uh, don¡¯t even go there,¡± Trisha said, shaking her head in opposition. ¡°I¡¯m no good at guessing. Just tell me what the idea was.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Caro shrugged and then whispered, ¡°a letter.¡±


    ¡°A letter¡­ to the principal?¡±


    ¡°No, to the teacher. Grace said we had to write a letter of query to the teacher, not as the ss, but as the principal.¡±


    ¡°Wow! Impersonation? You guys weren¡¯t scared?¡±


    ¡°We were, but we had no other option. We were pushed to the wall. Since we all knew how scared he was of getting sacked, we knew it was the best solution.¡±


    ¡°Lemme guess¡­¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t guess. I¡¯ll tell you. I wrote the letter.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Trishaughed. ¡°So what happened next? Who delivered it?¡±


    ¡°Mom! Moses has taken my storybook!¡±, one of the twins shouted, running down the stairs to meet his mother.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± she sighed.


    ¡°Moses! Let Ian have his book!¡±, she shouted at the top of her lungs. ¡°Come on, go meet him. He¡¯ll give it back to you.¡±


    ¡°Mom says give it back!¡±, Ian shouted as he ran back up the stairs.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t it yet bedtime for you guys?¡±, Trisha called after him, but he was running faster than her words.


    ¡°Rennie!¡±, she called.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, ma.¡± The girl appeared from God knew where.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mabel?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in her room.¡±


    ¡°Then go make sure the boys are ready for bed. Come, what¡¯s that on your lips? Did you just start eating?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma.¡±


    ¡°Really? What have you been doing all evening? No wonder you don¡¯t like eating with everyone else because of the humongous quantity you consume.¡±


    ¡°Ah! No o, ma. I eat on¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. You can go. Just make sure the boys are tucked in.¡±


    The girl nodded and swiftly went off on the errand.


    ¡°Go finish your food first, if you¡¯re not done eating,¡± Trish called after her.


    Rennie stopped at this, unsure whether to go up the stairs or back to finish her meal, but Trisha was not interested in watching her moment of indecision.


    ¡°So, where were we?¡±, she asked, turning her attention to Caro.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I wrote the letter¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes yes, but who delivered it? How did the person manage to not get caned?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was Grace. She found a way to drop it on his desk in the staff room without getting caught.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. And he found it¡­ and read it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. And then he came to our ss with two big packets of Cabin biscuits and a bag of all these¡­ soft drinks in stic bottles.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Is that what the letter contained?¡±


    But Caro ignored her and continued. ¡°He dropped the drinks and biscuits and apologized to the whole ss for flogging us savagely. Ahem¡­ We epted his apology and shared the biscuits and drinks amongst ourselves. That¡¯s the end of the story,¡± Caro sighed and leaned back, trying hard not to smile.


    ¡°What! Nothing else happened?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°You little vixen,¡± Trisha growled. ¡°I know there¡¯s more to the story. I can see it in your eyes. Better start talking or I¡¯ll tickle the entire thing out of you right now.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, that¡¯s the end. There¡¯s nothing more to tell.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m kidding, huh?¡± Trisha jumped off her sofa and made straight for the girl. But Caro dodged out of her reach just in time and ran off towards the stairs. She climbed the first step and leaned on the railing, grinning triumphantly at the panting Trisha.


    ¡°Come on, Carol. Why are you being so hardhearted? I know there¡¯s more to that story. You guys couldn¡¯t have gotten away with that stunt¡­¡±


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t. Satisfied now?¡±


    ¡°No! Tell me exactly what happened.¡±


    ¡°I told you the first time, now it¡¯s time to guess.¡± Trisha sighed and let her head fall back on the sofa. She remained silent for a while and then suddenly got up to her feet.


    ¡°Good night, Carol,¡± she said as she made for the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m no longer interested in your story. Do have a good night¡¯s rest.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma. Good night,¡± Caro replied quietly, feeling sure that she had gone too far with the y. She wondered how the woman would act towards her from now on. Would she forget what happened tonight or will she throw her out? Well, time would tell.

 CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

    She gave onest nce at Trisha¡¯s figure retreating up the stairs before going back to the sofa. She stared at it, wondering whether sleeping on it would further anger her host.


    ¡°Ah!¡±, she gasped in shock as she felt a sudden jolt of electricity run through her ribs. But before she could say Jack, she was face-down on the sofa, squealing and squirming helplessly. ¡°Please, ma. Stop Stop Stop! You¡¯ll kill me! I¡¯m dying!¡±


    ¡°What did I say about calling me ¡®Ma¡¯?¡±, Trisha returned, not letting up on her assault.


    ¡°Trisha! Trisha! Trisha! Trisha!¡±, Caro shouted as the torture went on.


    Suddenly, Trisha stopped and stared down at her with both hands on her waist. Caro rolled unto her back and returned the stare, panting.


    ¡°That was Round One. Get ready for Round Two,¡± Trisha warned.


    ¡°Ah! What did I do again na?¡±


    ¡°Thest part of the story, I wanna hear it. Or I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll tell you. Don¡¯t tickle me again, please. Just let me sit properly.¡±


    Trisha watched warily as the teenager slowly got herself into a sitting position. But as soon as the soles of her feet were nted on the ground, she darted off the sofa. But Trisha was ready for her: she mped down on her right ankle and held on tight.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±, she asked, putting the foot on the sofa and sitting on it.


    ¡°Aaah! My leg o! Ah, I swear I will not run again. I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t. Start telling.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡­ Trisha, please just let me sit down. I swear I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Trisha extracted the foot from under her bottom and held on to it.


    Caro hopped on one leg until she could sit on the sofa.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ah! My leg.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Where did I stop?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me? Or should I remind you in a very unique manner?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, I can remember. Ehh¡­ we shared the biscuits and the drinks and then after school, we went home.¡±


    ¡°Hope you¡¯re not ying games with me?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯ming. So¡­ the next day, we had forgotten about everything. It never crossed our minds that Mr. Ugbuefi would go to the Principal to apologize and inform him that he had carried out all the instructions in the letter.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Nobody thought of it. So, during short break, one of our ssmates went to the Principal¡¯s office to get chalk because we had exhausted all the ones in our packet. The rest of us were busy talking and ying in the ss. Then suddenly, this our friend ran back into the ss and told us that we were all in hot soup; that Mr. Ugbuefi had just found out that the Principal did not write the letter, but before she could finish talking, somebody raised an rm that Mr. Ugbuefi wasing. We thought it was a prank, but when we rushed to the window eh¡­ hmm. Oboye and see Mr. Ugbuefi with red eyes and a very long cane marching towards our ss.¡±


    ¡°Oh my. So what did you guys do?¡±


    ¡°Ah. The windows were open na. We did not dull ourself o. Come and see diving. Everybody through the window, both boys and girls¡­¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t catch anyone?¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll tell you who he caught. You know, there was this big bush behind our ss¡­ that¡¯s where everybody faced. We thought the man would go back o¡­¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t?!¡±, Trisha eximed.


    ¡°For where? Hm. Somebody that was half-mad. You know how much he spent on those drinks and biscuits? All those who were not good in sports, they became good that day. If you see running eh¡­ Everybody was on his own o. Everybody faced his own direction. Then suddenly, we heard somebody shout. I thought it was one of our ssmates, but when I turned back, I saw Mr. Ugbuefi just few yards behind me. Guess what? He was caught by a hunter¡¯s trap.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Do for wetin? I did not do anything o. I just jejely went back to my father¡¯s house and told my mother that there was no school that day.¡±


    ¡°And she didn¡¯t ask any questions?¡±


    ¡°Questions for where? What concern her? I just stayed at home and enjoyed myself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s the end of the story. What happened next? Did you guys quit school just like that?¡±


    ¡°No o. If only we could. They visited all our houses and reported us to our parents.¡±


    Trisha whistled.


    ¡°Hmm. It was not easy o. Some of my ssmates were beaten like maluu¡­ cow.¡±


    ¡°Oh Lord. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Me? Ah. Before my father could think of looking for stick, I was already half-way to my grandmother¡¯s ce.¡±


    Trisha burst intoughter.


    ¡°It was not funny o. I became a loyal servant to my grandmother by force.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t return to your parents?¡±


    ¡°I did. That was after my grandmother begged them. But I was still beaten sha.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear. What about the school?¡±


    ¡°That one? They gave us punishment. Every morning before sses and every afternoon after school, we cleared the bush behind our ss. It took us almost one month. But we did not mind sha. Mr. Ugbuefi was transferred to another ss.¡±


    ¡°Aha! Missionpleted atst.¡±


    ¡°But they dealt with him in that ss o.¡±


    ¡°Really? How?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know how they did it. They put a pregnant spider inside his pocket. The guy danced Makosa in the ss by force.¡±


    Trisha burst intoughter again.


    ¡°What kind of¡­ devils were you in that school?¡±, she gasped betweenughs.


    ¡°It was the teachers that brought out the Devil in us,¡± Caro shrugged.


    ¡°Oh Lord. You certainly did have more fun in one ss than I ever did in my entire schooling career. Anyway, it¡¯s very veryte. Let¡¯s go sleep for real this time,¡± Trisha sighed as she got up to her feet.


    ¡°Ma¡­ Sorry! Trisha¡­ can I sleep on the couch?¡±, Caro boldly asked.


    ¡°What! Are you kidding? Why would you want to sleep on the couch? What¡¯s wrong with your room?¡±


    ¡°Eh? My room?¡±, Caro asked, perplexed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Rennie show you to your room?¡±


    ¡°She took me to a bathroom¡­¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that bathroom in a room?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s your room! Or don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Ho¡­ I like it¡­ very much.¡±


    ¡°Then go and sleep there. Good night.¡±


    Then she walked away. Caro took some seconds to allow the information sink in. Was that little pce going to be her room or was it just a dream? She was startled to reality by the sound of Trisha¡¯s heavy footfalls on the stairs.


    ¡°Good night, ma. Thank you, ma.¡±


    Trisha turned and eyed her angrily.


    ¡°Ah! Sorry. Trisha.¡±

 CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

    For the first time in her life, Caro woke up at daylight. She was aroused from her peaceful sleep by the heat of the sun rays on her face. At first, she was startled to find herself on afortable bed in a beautiful room, but the events of the previous day soon came into her remembrance. But when her eyes drifted to the clock overhead, she gasped in disbelief. It was 8am!


    Quickly pulling aside the covers, she jumped off the bed and found her slippers ¨C the new ones she had met in the room. Then she hurriedly padded off to the sitting room.


    ¡°Hi sleepyhead, how was your night?¡±, Trisha greeted, not taking her eyes from herptop as Caro almost tiptoed into the room.


    ¡°Umm¡­ f¡­ fine. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry we had breakfast without you. Couldn¡¯t wait.¡±


    Caro did not know what exactly to say in reply, so she quietly shifted from one foot to the other, awaiting her orders for the morning.


    ¡°Everything okay?¡±, Trisha asked, now eyeing her curiously. ¡°Something you wanna say?¡±


    ¡°Em¡­ yes. My work. Which work will I do?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, ¡®which work¡¯ in what sense?¡±


    ¡°As in, the work I¡¯ll do in the house like cleaning or washing or¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey Carol, look here. I didn¡¯t bring you home to be my cleaner or a washerwoman. If there¡¯s anything to be cleaned or washed, Rennie or the boys will do it whenever they can, okay?¡±


    Caro nodded. ¡°So¡­ what will I¡­ be doing?¡±


    Trisha dropped theputer on the table and sighed. Caro¡¯s heart immediately skipped a beat, thinking she was about to be scolded.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any family left and nowhere to go, right?¡±


    Caro nodded.


    ¡°Okay. Now, like I said before, we¡¯re friends and you can live here as long as you can and wish. This is my house and no one else has any im over it. So¡­ what would you want to ¡®be doing¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Emm¡­¡±, Caro hesitated, scratching her head nervously. The first think that came to her mind was to go back to school, but like Trisha had said the previous day, she was not her mother.


    ¡°Sell something or¡­ or learn a trade.¡±


    ¡°What trade would you like to learn? Don¡¯t you wanna go back to school? Or are you done with school?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve not written my junior WAEC.¡±


    ¡°Wow. A smart woman like you is still not done with junior secondary school at this age? You must have started school prettyte.¡±


    Caro simply nodded, not trusting her lips not to betray her by spouting the truth.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± her host sighed. ¡°So, we¡¯ll need to make sure you get into school in time for the next exams. My worry is that you may not have enough time to adapt and then prepare for the exams¡­¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ah. No o, ma. I¡­ I mean, Trisha. I don¡¯t need to go back to school. If I can borrow some textbooks from someone, I will be able to refresh my memory before the exams will begin.¡±


    Trisha shook her head in disapproval.


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t think private tutors can do better than schools. I¡­¡±


    ¡°No o. I don¡¯t need a private tutor, I can do it by myself. I was First in my ss in both the 1st and 2nd term exams,¡± she said with a touch of pride. And then added as an afterthought, ¡°I know almost everything inside all the textbooks.¡±


    ¡°Okay then. Seems you¡¯re way out of my league. So I¡¯ll give you one week, just one week, to refresh your memory on a math topic of my choice and then I¡¯ll get someone to check how well your memory¡¯s been refreshed. How ¡¯bout that?¡±


    Caro beamed and nodded happily.


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll get you those textbooks tomorrow max and you can start work immediately on Math alone, for now.¡±


    Caro nodded again. ¡°Thank you, ma. God will b¡­ I mean, Trisha.¡±


    The woman shook her head in exasperation and simply waved her off.


    Crossing herself in the Catholic manner, Caro exhaled through her lips and rushed up the stairs to her little paradise of a room to get her teeth and body properly scrubbed. She certainly would try the tub this time!


    ***


    Caro stalked into the enormous kitchen feeling fulfilled and content. Her first bath in a tub and Trisha¡¯s concern for her education was making her feel on top of the world.


    She calmly surveyed therge kitchen with the air of a builder who hade to see how his creation was serving its users. A sudden chink arrested her attention and she looked in the direction where the sound came from only to see Rennie washing tes in a sink. She had not imagined that a human was present before now; that was howrge the ce was.


    ¡°Good Morning, Rennie,¡± she hailed as she walked toward her.


    ¡°Oh. Good Morning ¨C ¡±


    ¡°Caro.¡±


    ¡°Good Morning, Carol. How was your night?¡±


    ¡°Ca¡­ ro,¡± Caro corrected.


    ¡°Carol,¡± Rennie asserted.


    ¡°I said, Caro.¡±


    ¡°And I said, Carol.¡±


    ¡°Come, are you the owner of my name? It¡¯s my name and I¡¯m telling you how to call it a¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that what Madam Trisha calls you?¡±


    ¡°Are you Madam Trisha?¡±, Caro shot back.


    ¡°Anytime Madam starts to call you Karoh or whatever you call yourself, then I¡¯ll call you the same thing.¡±


    ¡°If you call me Carole again, you¡¯ll be surprised the kind of name I¡¯ll give you. Do I look like Christmas carol?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±, the girl asked in surprise as Caro joined her and started washing the cutlery in the sink. Caro did not reply, but rather kept on washing with expert hands. ¡°Please leave here. This is not your work. I¡¯m being paid to do this work.¡±


    ¡°How much are you being paid?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your business. Just go.¡±


    But Caro continued what she was doing.


    ¡°I said go na. What is your problem sef, this girl?¡±


    ¡°What is your own problem? Are you the only one that¡¯s being paid to do work?¡±


    ¡°How much are you being paid?¡±


    ¡°You, how much are you being paid?¡±, Caro retorted.


    ¡°Come, I will push you o,¡± Rennie threatened in frustration.


    ¡°Push me na. I will break this te on your head just now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Like sh, Caro darted away from the sink and hid her wet hands behind her as Trisha walked in.


    ¡°What¡¯s all the noise about?¡±, Trisha asked again as she opened the fridge and began rummaging around.


    ¡°It¡­,¡± Rennie was about to say, but Caro slyly kicked her and immediately took over the talking.


    ¡°Nothing, M¡­ we¡­ we were just discussing.¡±


    ¡°With raised voices? Have you had your breakfast yet, Carol?¡±, Trisha asked as she closed the fridge having extracted a pack of juice from it.


    ¡°No, M ¨C ¡±


    ¡°You better go eat now. It¡¯ste morning already.¡±


    ¡°Okay. T¡­ thank you,¡± Caro said as the woman walked out with the juice and a ss.


    When she was gone, Caro turned to Rennie and fixed her with her fiercest scowl. The girl scowled back until Caro got tired and headed for the door.


    ¡°Mfffeeew,¡± they both hissed almost at the same time.

 CHAPTER THIRTY

    ¡°ye, waka straight,¡± the erstwhile conductor hissed, kicking the staggering Timmy on the shin. He and his confederates were leading their now blindfolded and gagged victim away from the bus.


    Timmy had no idea where they were, the blindfold was used halfway through the journey and the only exposed part of his head was his nose. The gag was hurting his mouth and face, but there was no means ofining even if he dared to.


    Stumbling and jumbling between two of his captors, he was taken on a short journey before they entered what seemed like a house. They asked to see ¡®Oga¡¯ and they were soon ushered into a room with rug-covered floor.


    Timmy was made to sit on the ground and he tried to imagine what was going on around him. Were they going to kill him? What had he done to deserve such fate? If they didn¡¯t want to kill him, what on earth did an Oga want with him? The only Oga he knew was Oga Donatus. It most likely was not that Oga, but what if it was? What if Donatus hated him this much for some reason? But he wasn¡¯t given a chance to further delve deeper into conspiracy theories.


    ¡°Ah, you boys have delivered?¡±, a bass-voiced man asked as he came into the room.


    ¡°Yes, boss,¡± one of the kidnappers answered.


    There was a second or so of silence which felt more than a decade to Timmy, then the man spoke.


    ¡°Ah ah, what is this? You sure say this one is good enough?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Baba,¡± the kidnapper assured.


    ¡°Ah, this one look too young o,¡± the man grumbled, tugging at the blindfold. ¡°Come, loose this thing let me see his face.¡±


    Immediately, someone rushed over to Timmy and untied both the blindfold and the gag. The sudden contact with light made Timmy bat his eyelids in an effort to get used to his bright surroundings.


    ¡°Ah, this one is a child na,¡± the Oga eximed. ¡°I said bring me a young man and you went and brought a boy. Hey, how old are you?¡±


    Timmy had no idea that the question was directed at him, he was more intent on surveying the room and faces around him.


    ¡°You no dey hear wetin Oga dey ask?¡±, the knife-wielding kidnapper growled, causing Timmy to look around in fear and confusion.


    ¡°Ode! I say how old are you?¡±, the man repeated, pping him on the head.


    ¡°Huh? Uh¡­ I¡¯m uhh¡­ twenty.¡±


    ¡°I told you na. He¡¯s a child,¡± he hissed. ¡°Anyway, just take him to the back and lock him there. We will take him to Babater.¡±


    One of the young men promptly rushed forward and reced the gag and blindfold before leading Timmy to his new temporary abode.


    ***


    Spending hours in a tiny, dark room was not an easy thing for someone like Timmy. No phone, no TV, no food, no friends and no noise were surely some of the things that could kill a man, or so he thought. He knew that if he continued to sit and wait till theye for him, he would easily run mad in no time, so he fell to pacing.


    The blindfold, gag and chords that had been used to bind his arms had all been removed. He was free to move within the length and breadth of the little room which was only essible through a locked metal door and there was a tiny window through which air filtered into the ce. From time to time, Timmy looked up at the high window and wondered if there was a way to get up there. If only the walls weren¡¯t smooth¡­ but they were. If only there was something to hold on to¡­ but there wasn¡¯t. So how on earth was he going to get out of this ce?


    Donatus, by now, ought to have discovered that he was missing, and what would he do? Call his parents? Call the police? He hoped it was thetter. If it was, then there was hope.


    He stopped pacing and slumped down in a dark corner. Yes, there was hope. For all he knew, the police could be on their way here and they would burst through the door very soon to rescue him from this horrible ce. Yes, they would. They would. And slowly, he drifted off into a deep sleep, inspired by stress and exhaustion.


    Timmy was startled awake by a loud bang. Immediately, he jumped up with his eyes wide open and expectant, but instead of the armed policemen that were in his dreams, it was actually his captors with the usual gag, blindfold and chord.


    He groaned in disappointment and was about to stamp his feet in protest, but one of them who was wielding a big stick looked him up and down with a re that told him that no nonsense would be tolerated. So he rxed and allowed himself to be tied, gagged and blindfolded. Not that he could offer much resistance though. He was very hungry and weak. He could see, just before the blindfold was fastened, that the environment was getting dark, so he must have slept for several hours.


    For once, he had spent arge part of an entire day without food and he could feel the ugliness of hunger: his legs were wobbly, he could feel his stomach almost touching his spine and he could feel his heart beating faster than ever. Even breathing was harder than normal. Ah! So this was what those hungry people felt? If he ever got out of this mess alive and in one piece, he would always save a little change for hungry destitutes on the street.


    As they led him out of the dark room into open air, Timmy could hear a lot of noise being made around him, but they came to his ears as muffled sounds since the blindfold material was tied tightly over both his eyes and ears. Suddenly, his captors stopped and one of them began loosing the blindfold material.


    When they had taken it off, Timmy quickly took a quick look around his surroundings. He could see a veryrge and beautifulpound, a fleet of cars, a locked blue gate and¡­ an armed policeman sitting beside it and staring straight at him! What the¡­!! Just then, the blindfold was thrown back on, a different material this time, more opaque and tied very tightly.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    It came into Timmy¡¯s mind to begin struggling, perhaps to attract the attention of the policeman. He did not know that the policeman had been staring at him from the moment he stepped out of the room.


    ¡°My friend, behave yourself,¡± one of his captors scolded, smacking him heavily on the head.


    Timmy, confused by hunger and mental stress, only increased his resistance. But instead of police intervention, he got a clearing kick that swept his feet off the ground. Someone grabbed him by the arm and another by the legs and he was lifted off the ground and dumped into a hollow ce. His legs were forced in and he had to lie in a foetal position. It was the smell of diesel and the shutting of the lid that gave him the idea that he was in a car trunk.

 CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

    It was a tortuous journey that Timmy had riding in the trunk of the car. Everything from speed breaks to potholes were traversed and responded roughly. He was like a dice in a cup being shaken and he didn¡¯t know exactly what to feel. He wished he could just die, he also he wished he could turn back time to his time in the States and he wished too that he was back home in Abuja. What a life!


    Just when he made up his mind, in frustration, to hit his head repeatedly against the trunk, the car suddenly came to a halt. The trunk was soon opened and he was hit by a cool breeze, taking away some of his pains.


    He could not see through the blindfold, but he could feel the night, the quiet cold night. By his arm and legs again, he was pulled out from the trunk, and to his surprise, the blindfold was taken off. The first person he saw was the armed policeman and he was shocked! Was he an impersonator? Or was this not really a police uniform? Then it hit him. The policeman was the armed guard in the mix, so he certainly could not be his rescuer, rather he was one of his captors! Then how on earth was he going to get rescued? And by the way, what had they brought him here for?Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°My friend, move jor,¡± one of the young men said, pushing him from behind.


    His exhaustion and the suddenness of the push sent Timmy straight down. He weed the dirty ground with unusual relief and was about to getfortable when he was given a savage kick. There was an impatient shout from the Oga and he could hear some feet marching ahead.


    ¡°ye, get up na,¡± someone shouted, kicking him again at the ribs, but Timmy only held on tighter to the ground as if it was his happily wedded wife. The person had no choice but to pull him up by his cor, but it was a serious battle to move him an inch forward.


    ¡°See me see wah o,¡± he grumbled as he fought hard to push the taller Timmy forward.


    ¡°Tunde o! Bring the boy na. Ah ah!¡±, Oga called from afar.


    ¡°I dey bring am, sir,¡± he called back and pushed Timmy down on the ground again. ¡°I no know how much dem wan pay me for all this work o,¡± he hissed and proceeded to pull Timmy by the shirt cor.


    Timmy rxed his entire body and let himself be dragged on the ground. He could see the shadows of the tall trees as he plowed along on the forest floor. He was so weak and resigned that any opportunity to rest, he did not miss it. Right now, dragging or not, since he was doing nothing but keeping still, he began to doze off. Only when he was dropped t on the ground did he open his eyes and look around him. He thought he had gotten to the stage where he feared nothing, but what he saw next made him sit up immediately.


    A savage-looking man decorated in a scary fashion was seated in one end of a small shrine, and there was a hole in the ground right in front of him. What scared Timmy the most was that smoke was constantly emanating from the hole! Was that where they were nning to throw him? A semi-circle of his captors were formed around the hole, their heads bare and bowed. Suddenly, there was a blood-curling shout from the shrine¡¯s priest. He was speaking anguage that Timmy could not understand, pointing directly at the armed policeman opposite.


    ¡°Go, go, go, go out,¡± Oga whispered to him.


    When the policeman had walked out of the shrine and stationed himself a few metres away, the priest calmed down and went back to staring at the smoke curling out of the hole. No one made any attempt to speak and Timmy had the opportunity to look around his new environment albeit in terror.


    The shrine was decorated with assorted skulls, cbashes and several angry-looking carvings. The priest himself was topless, only wearing a bright-colored cloth around his waist. His face, chest, beard and hair were decorated with several couries and white designs, probably from native chalk.


    ¡°Hmm mm mm mm,¡± the priest suddenlyunched into a hymn of some sort, making Oga shift ufortably.


    The humming went on for a while as he continued to stare at the smoke and then he stopped abruptly and looked directly at Oga. He spoke some words in thatnguage that Timmy could not understand and Oga signed to one of his boys. Before Timmy could say Jack, he was grabbed by the cor and dragged towards the hole. His eyes widened in horror and he struggled in panic to free himself from the grip on his cor. In the process, the gag slipped off his mouth.


    Taking advantage of the opportunity, Timmy turned his head and snapped his teeth at the hand holding his cor! But he missed by a very slim width. The hand had already left his shirt and he was now sitting very close to the priest, with the hole between them.


    He quickly looked up to see the priest giving signs. Immediately, the chord binding his hands were cut. But instead of jumping up and running away, he sat there stunned and open-mouthed. The priest had moved forward and was staring directly into his face. Timmy¡¯s heart skipped several beats and even his breath was held in fear.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the priest snorted and withdrew to his original position, shaking his head in disapproval.


    ¡°Oya, get out, get out,¡± Oga whispered, waving dismissively at Timmy.


    Understanding that he was now free, Timmy staggered to his feet.


    ¡°Eh?!¡±, one of the young men shouted, startling him. He looked around and found that the priest was pointing steadily at one of his kidnappers who was looking like he¡¯d just seen a ghost. There was a bit of a quarrel and then suddenly, the young man jumped off his seat and fled from the shrine into the forest!


    ¡°What are you looking at me for?¡±, Oga shouted angrily at the other young man who was seated beside him. ¡°Come on, go and catch the idiot!¡±


    The young man obeyed immediately and ran out of the shrine in pursuit of his colleague.


    ¡°Don¡¯te back here without him o!¡±, Oga called after him.


    Timmy, on the other hand, stood half-dazed, watching the entire drama like someone in a trance.


    ¡°Ogbeni, what are you looking at?¡±, Oga whispered harshly to him. ¡°I said, get out! Or do you want to die?¡±


    At the sound of the word ¡®die¡¯, Timmy was jerked back to reality. Without thinking twice, he darted out of the shrine and ran blindly into arge tree. He fell on the ground, but jumped up immediately and continued the race deeper into the forest.

 CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

    ¡°If you did not send him to that Lagos, all this would not have happened o,¡± Reba grumbled as she sat forlonly on the sofa adjacent to the one her husband was upying. Only 24 hours after Timmy was dered missing, she was already looking twice her age.


    ¡°Who brought the idea that we should send him there?¡±, her husband retorted with a hiss.


    ¡°But you are the man of the house na. Is it not you that makes all the decisions?¡±


    ¡°Woman, just shut up and stop talking like a child. The boy will be found. The police are working round the clock.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what they are working round. If they like they can work round the chandelier, they should just find my son for me. Only God knows if it¡¯s not tha¡­ that your friend Dona that is behind all this,¡± she murmured.


    Chief turned sharply to her. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Chief, can¡¯t you see? You sent your son to him and after some time, he calls you and says ¡®Ehh¡­ he¡¯s missing¡¯. He should be arrested. I¡¯m sure he knows what happened to Timmy and where they are keeping him. I can feel it with my mother¡¯s instinct.¡±


    ¡°Eheh? Okay. So where was that your mother¡¯s instinct when you advised me to send Timothy to him? Back then, it was not working, abi? Or you just bought it recently?¡±


    She turned her face away and said nothing in reply. Chief eyed her up and down and gave a long hiss.


    ¡°The food is ready, I¡¯ve served it,¡± Tracy said as she walked into the sitting room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll eatter,¡± Chief replied. So she turned to her mother.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± was the sour response from that area.


    Tracy shrugged and retraced her steps back to the dining room.


    Dora, who had just returned from seeing her husband off (he hade to console her parents and offer his unlimited support), found her sister having breakfast in a semi-festive mood: earphones on and feet tapping to the rhythm of whatever she was listening to. She stopped and regarded her with a disgusted expression on her face. Tracy saw her and pulled off the earphones.


    ¡°What?¡±, she demanded.


    ¡°You are a bad person, Tracy. Your own parents are there, feeling anxious over the situation of your missing brother, your own biological brother and you are here eating and dancing.¡±


    ¡°They say they don¡¯t want to eat na. Will I force them? Timmy is missing, so what will I do? Was I the one that made him disappear?¡±


    ¡°Just listen to yourself. Hear how stupid you sound. Your own immediate younger brother, you don¡¯t even care about him. If you were me, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll not even bother to call Mama and Papa to say sorry, not to talk of leaving your husband¡¯s house toe here.¡±


    ¡°So now that you have left your husband¡¯s house toe here, have they found Timmy? Look Dora, you don¡¯t have sense. Look at the way they want to die just because Timmy is missing. If it was me or you, do you think they will care? You are the most senior and yet you are the most stupid. Can¡¯t you see that because we are not men, we are worth nothing in their eyes?¡±


    Dora shook her head sadly and exhaled deeply. ¡°Now I can see how childish, selfish and wicked you are. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey, stop calling me names o. What¡¯s the difference between our ages that you think you can talk to me the way you like? You better warn yourself o. Don¡¯t try that nonsense with me again.¡±


    ¡°Eh?! Tracy! Are you talking to me like that?¡±, Dora shouted in disbelief.


    ¡°Turkey and meat. Who are you that I can¡¯t talk to like that? Are you God?¡±


    ¡°I am your elder sister, you this insolent child! Do I look like you mate?¡±


    ¡°Metele by Omawumi. It is you that is a child. Because you went and married one broke-manage man, you now see yourself as an old¡­ ah! Dora!¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I will p you again anytime you don¡¯t control your stupid tongue. Idiot.¡±


    With a hiss, she sashayed past her sister who was still staring at her in disbelief.


    As she watched her go, Tracy¡¯s jaw slowly tightened in fury and then, she snapped. Picking up the water-filled jug from the table, she hurled it full force at her older sister¡¯s back just as she was about to step into the sitting room.


    ¡°Jesus!¡±, Dora squealed as the force of the jug hitting her shoulder knocked her to the ground.


    ¡°Jehovah! Ah! What happened?¡±, her mother eximed, rushing over to her. ¡°Are you alright? Hope you did not injure yourself? Wh¡­¡±


    But her daughter was not interested in being petted or consoled. Pushing off her mother¡¯s hands, she jumped to her feet and marched back to the dining room.


    Tracy was standing in front of the table, looking very ready for the inevitable fight. Thwap! Thwap! Dora delivered two new ps on both sides of her sister¡¯s face. In swift response, Tracy headbutted her on the abdomen, knocking her to the ground. But as she moved tounch another attack, Dora pulled her leg. She fell t on her back, giving Dora the perfect chance to pounce on her.


    ¡°Will you people stop this nonsense!¡±, Reba scolded. But thebatants were not ready to listen. ¡°I said, stop this now!¡±


    She went over to the battleground to try to pull them apart, but she was knocked down unintentionally. She had no choice but to call for backup.


    ¡°Chief! Chief!¡±, she called as she ran back to the sitting room.


    ¡°Who¡¯s making all those noises there?¡±


    ¡°Chief,¡± she panted, ¡°you are sitting down here and your children are killing theirselves in the dining room!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Where are they?¡±, he shouted, picking up his walking stick and rushing over to the dining room, his wife following closely behind.


    ¡°Fighting in my house?¡±, Chief eximed as he saw his daughters punching, scratching and pounding at each other. ¡°My friend, will you people stop this nonsense! I¡¯m here and you¡¯re still fighting?¡±


    But the battle went on like the lives of thebatants depended on it.


    ¡°Chief, these children will kill themselves o. Let¡¯s call¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. No need. I¡¯ming.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Holding his walking stick by the smaller end, he walked over to the fighters.


    ¡°Chief, be careful o,¡± his wife admonished from behind.


    He raised the stick and brought it down expertly on the head and shoulders of Tracy who was the one on top. She jumped off her sister immediately, clutching the side of her head and Chief had to repeat the action on the older sister before she could take advantage of his first victim.


    As they stood apart, eyeing each other angrily with swollen, bleeding faces and rapidly heaving chests, Chief tried to put more space between them by pushing them further apart. But Tracy immediately returned to her old position. In response, her father applied the walking stick on her shoulder.


    ¡°Ah ah! What is it na?¡±, she shouted.


    ¡°Are you mad? Who are you talking to like that?¡±, Chief demanded, brandishing his walking stick.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me with that thing again o, Papa,¡± Tracy grumbled in response.


    ¡°And if I touch you, what will you do?¡±, he asked,nding another hard blow on her shoulder.


    ¡°Ah! Papa, I¡¯ve warned you o! If you hit me again, I¡¯ll change it for you o.¡±


    ¡°Eh? You want to change it? Oya, change it!¡±


    Throwing off his sses and his shoes, he grabbed his walking stick and went for his daughter. But Tracy, seeing how serious he was, took to her heels and he followed her without hesitation, walking stick in hand.


    ¡°Ah! Just look at your life, Dora,¡± Reba scolded after the new set ofbatants had run out of the house through the back door. ¡°Fighting like a child with your younger sister a¡­¡±


    ¡°Di¡­ di¡­ didn¡¯t you see when she threw a jug at me?¡±


    ¡°Are you not the older one? Can¡¯t you be mature ande and report to me?¡±


    ¡°Report to you? What will you do? If it¡¯s Timothy now, you¡­ you¡­ you¡¯ll kill anybody that touches him. When we were small and I pushed Timothy for tearing my book and he fell and injured his knee, have you forgotten how you almost beat me to death? It¡¯s only Timothy that is a human being in this family. Because me and Tracy are not boys now, we have no value. Anything can happen to us and you will not care¡­¡±


    Then she burst into the tears she had been holding back.


    ¡°Oh dear. But it¡¯s not true na,¡± Reba said as she went over to console her. ¡°I love you all equally. You are all my children.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie, it¡¯s a lie!¡±, Dora wailed, crying bitterly. ¡°You hate us! You and Papa¡­ both of you have always hated us.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we have shown a little favouritsm towards your brother because he¡¯s thest born a¡­ a¡­ and because we had always been praying for a boy before he was born. But it was not deliberate, eh. I¡¯m sorry¡­ we¡¯re sorry for¡­ if¡­ if we made you feel bad or inferior. Sorry, my dear.¡±


    She held her oldest daughter in her arms allowing her to cry on her shoulder, various memories of her wrongs shing through her mind. She was so deep in thought that she didn¡¯t hear her husband¡¯s phone ringing, until the third ring.


    ¡°Ah! Your father¡¯s phone. Please dear, I¡¯ming.¡±


    She pulled out a chair and sat her daughter on it before running to the sitting room. She picked up the ringing phone and stared at the screen. It was certainly an important call. Without thinking of answering it on his behalf, she ran with it in search of her husband.


    ¡°I¡¯ming o, Dora,¡± she said as she passed her daughter in the dining room. ¡°It¡¯s a very important call for your father.¡±


    Dora nodded in understanding as she dried her face and rearranged her clothes and hair.


    Reba ran all the way to the back door, but before she could step outside, she noticed her husbanding towards the house with a broken walking stick in his hand.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Tracy?¡±, she asked in rm.


    ¡°She¡¯sing. Pack her things. She¡¯s going back to school now,¡± he said in reply as he walked in, taking his phone from her.


    ¡°What do you mean, she¡¯s going back to school?¡±


    ¡°Ask her when you see her,¡± he shot back as he returned the missed call. ¡°Ehen. Hello. Commissioner, yes, I just saw your missed call. Any update on my son?¡±


    Abandoning the Tracy matter, Reba went closer to her husband, eager to hear everything.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±, he suddenly shouted into the phone. ¡°Where, where? O¡­ o¡­ okay. No problem. Thank you very much, Commissioner. God bless you.¡±


    ¡°Chief, what happened?¡±, Reba anxiously demanded as he pocketed the phone.


    ¡°Timothy has been found.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Thank God! God has answered my prayers. Ojo! Ojo!¡±, she shouted, rushing outside. Her husband watched in surprise as she ran to Ojo who was also running out to meet her.


    ¡°Fast, fast, fast,¡± she ordered just as they narrowly avoided bumping into each other. ¡°Go and get the car ready. We are going out right now!¡±


    ¡°Okay, ma. Yes, ma.¡±


    And Ojo rushed off to get the car ready.


    ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡±, Chief called out to her.


    ¡°The station. We have to bring Timmy home na.¡±


    ¡°Bring him from where? They found him in Ogun state¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ogun?¡±


    ¡°He has been taken to Lagos now. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll bring him tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No but. Just calm down and rx. Everything is under control.¡±

 CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

    ¡°Are you done?¡±, Caro asked, looking at his notebook.


    ¡°Almost,¡± the boy replied, scribbling furiously.


    ¡°What about you?¡±, she asked, turning to his brother. ¡°Are you done, I¡­ you¡¯re Ian, right?¡±


    ¡°No. Moses.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Ian, Moses¡­ Ian, Moses¡­ Ian, Moses,¡± she recited in a bid to remember who was on her left and who was on her right. ¡°So how can I tell who¡¯s who after you both leave here?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the stupid one,¡± Moses said, pointing at his twin.


    ¡°He¡¯s the crazy one,¡± Ian shot back.


    ¡°Okay, okay! It¡¯s okay. Just go back to your works.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Moses announced, triumphantly mming his pen down on his book.


    ¡°I finished first!¡±, Ian countered.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie! I finished first!¡±


    ¡°You finished second!¡±


    ¡°That was you, liar!¡±


    As they quarreled and called each other names, Caro sighed and shook her head in frustration. Fighting children was not something she was unused to, but children fighting without fists was certainly not familiar to her. She knew that talking would do no good, so she simply looked at their books.


    ¡°Hey Moses, where¡¯s your full stop?¡±


    As that twin added the full stop in defeat, the other one was beginning to mock him. So Caro turned to him.


    ¡°Ian, why didn¡¯t you dot that i?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s dotted!¡±


    ¡°Are you sayin I¡¯m blind?¡±


    He went back to the i and dotted it properly. And peace reigned.


    ¡°Is there anything else to be done?¡±, Caro demanded.


    ¡°No¡±, the boys chorused, packing their books. ¡°Thank you, Aunty Carol.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Caro beamed, almost blushing.


    It was the first time she had ever been called ¡®Aunty¡¯ and it sounded nice.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What was that about?¡±, Trisha asked from behind Caro, positively startling her. The boys had gone and she had been sitting alone at the table, smiling to herself.


    ¡°Um¡­ Good Morning, m¡­ Trisha. Um¡­ I was just helping them with their homework.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Thanks. You seem good with them. You did this with your siblings, I guess?¡±


    That struck a chord. She had actually been the one coaching her younger ones. Now that she had left them, what would they be if not illiterates? The schools did little to nothing for them.


    ¡°Umm¡­ ye¡­ yes. I did.¡±


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡±, Trisha asked, noticing the change in her demeanor. ¡°Did I say anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, no, you didn¡¯t. I just¡­ I just¡­ miss my younger ones.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Sorry about that. Where are they, by the way?¡±


    Oops! She really had never thought this far when forging her fake history. Oh God, where should her siblings be? Her heart pounded wildly as her mind raced, frantically searching for a suitable ce to deposit her younger ones.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Trisha sighed. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to tell me everything about your family. I was only cur¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just that¡­ it¡¯s been a long time since I saw them and¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Carol. Just forget about it. Forget I ever asked. Now, guess what? Your books are on their way here!¡±


    ¡°Oh thank you! I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can hug me,¡± Trisha smiled as Caro suddenly recognized her error and withdrew just before she could touch her. When the girl still did not move an inch, she moved in herself and hugged her tight. ¡°Hmm. You smell nice, Carolina.¡±


    ¡°You smell nicer, m¡­ Trisha,¡± Caro replied quietly as she tentatively put her hands on the older woman¡¯s back. They remained like that for a while until Trisha broke it slowly, drying her eyes with her hand.


    ¡°My mom used to hug me like that,¡± she croaked. For fear of sounding wrong, Caro did not utter a word. Never before had she been hugged and confessed to in this way by an older woman, so she had no idea what to say. She just stared as Trisha sniffed and dried her eyes.


    ¡°See youter, Carol,¡± her host said, hurrying away.


    Later that evening, at supper, everyone was present at the table except Mabel whose visit had ended and had gone back to school.


    ¡°So what do you think of your books, Carol?¡±, Trisha asked between mouthfulls.


    ¡°They are fine, m¡­ Thank you very much¡­ Trisha.¡±


    ¡°Have you started working on the topic I marked out for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡­ Yes, Trisha,¡± she quickly corrected.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have your test next week. Mind you, it will be tough.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    And silence reigned till the end. It was when Rennie and the twins had taken away the tes that Trisha decided toment on Caro¡¯s difort andck of ease.


    ¡°Wanna tell me something?¡±, she asked, predicting correctly.


    ¡°Um¡­ ye¡­ yes,¡± Caro stuttered, scratching her hair nervously.


    ¡°Okay. Shoot.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t be angry with me over what I want to say. Em¡­ while I¡¯m studying, can you please allow me to also learn a trade? I¡¯m really not used to being idle.¡±


    There was a few seconds of silence and Caro wondered if she would get a scolding. She was already beginning to regret making the request when Trisha suddenly sighed and slumped down on a chair, her hands under her chin.


    ¡°Fine. So what trade would that be?¡±


    ¡°Em¡­ I would like to learn how to sew.¡±


    ¡°Tailoring? Okay then. I¡¯ll see what I can do. Now, let¡¯s go watch some TV.¡±


    *****


    Caro was on her bed, deeply engrossed in one of the novels that Trisha had bought along with the textbooks. Like the ones her favourite teacher used to lend her, it was a very interesting read ¨C a far cry from the JSS reader boosters they had read in school. Not that those weren¡¯t also interesting, but she disliked the fact that there was so much focus on morals. She was not one to believe in such things. She reasoned that there was neither bad nor good, there was only right or wrong. Bad could be right depending on the circumstances. The only exception was rape.


    ¡°Carol,¡± Rennie knocked and peeped into the room.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve told you not to call me carole again?¡±, Caro demanded, sitting up immediately.


    ¡°Carol,¡± Rennie repeated, walking into the room to confront her.


    ¡°This girl, you¡¯re looking for my trouble o.¡±


    ¡°Really? Where did you keep your trouble?¡±


    ¡°I kept it with you and now, you have lost it. Abegot for my room.¡±


    ¡°Madam Trisha is looking for you o, Mrs. Comota,¡± Rennie sneered and sashayed out of the room, mming the door behind her. Caro sent an angry long hiss after her.


    ¡°Stupid girl,¡± she cursed beneath her breath as she jumped off the bed to get into her slippers.


    No matter how she disliked Rennie, the fact that she had delivered a message from a very important person could not be overlooked.


    Leaving her room, Caro went down the stairs at a brisk run andnded in the dining room. But she was immediately taken aback by what she saw: Trisha was seated at the table with a well-dressed middle aged man.


    At the sight of her, they both smiled, reducing the tension in the dining room. Caro was still a little wary though. Who was this man? Why was he smiling and why did Trisha send for her?


    ¡°Come on, Carol. Sit down,¡± Trisha urged smilingly, patting a chair beside her.


    Caro slipped quietly into the chair and folded her hands in front of her, staring straight at the still smiling man.


    ¡°Ahem,¡± Trisha coughed and Caro dropped her eyes to focus on the table. ¡°Sorry to take you unawares, Carol. This is Mr. Andrews. He¡¯s here for your math test.¡±


    On hearing this, Caro¡¯s rigid shoulders slumped in relief. She had thought he was here to take her back to her parents. How she would have fought! But since it was just the test, she could rx now. She even managed a smile as the man made a lightment about something or the other. One shake of her head to clear away all her previous fears and Caro was ready for the moment. But it seemed they had misinterpreted that action of hers.


    ¡°Okay then. We¡¯ll do it the other way,¡± the man said in response to her head shake.


    Since she had not been paying attention, Caro did not know what the other way was. But she was ready either way.


    As the man flipped through the pages of the math textbook in front of him, Trisha reached out to hold her hand.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to try too hard, dear. You¡¯re going back to school regardless of whether you pass the test or not, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Caro nodded and squared her shoulders, ready for whatever woulde.


    ¡°And by the way, Andrews is our next door neighbor, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll take it easy on you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure about that,¡± Andrews chuckled.


    ¡°Either way, I¡¯m rooting strongly for my girl. You¡¯ll do me proud, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Caro nodded, unable to stop herself from smiling.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Andrews announced. ¡°Ready?¡±


    Caro nodded again. He passed the textbook across the table to her along with a new notebook and a pen. Caro took all three items and started work immediately. The test questions had been marked out on the textbook and all she had to do was copy them out and start solving.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Trisha whispered before rpsing into silence, giving her ward the freedom to do her best.

 CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

    Caro worked fast but carefully. She wrote neatly and solved smartly. As far as she was concerned, the questions were easy. Simultaneous equations had never posed a problem for her before. She had taken to the topic like a duck takes to water and had been the authority on it during her time in school.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Trisha watched with a calm but curious expression on her face as she saw Caro go steadily about her business. She really had not known anyone to be this calm, sure and quick when it came to math, but the end would tell the whole story. And she knew that at this rate, the end would not be far off. But she was stunned, when few secondster, Caro announced that she was done.


    ¡°A¡­ are you sure? Did you crosscheck everything?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma.¡±


    ¡°Trisha,¡± she quickly corrected, eliciting a smile from Andrews.


    ¡°Can I have it now?¡±, he asked, reaching for the notebook and Caro let him take it. He threw on his sses once again and scrutinized her work as he reached into his pocket for a red pen. But just as he finished uncovering the pen, he slowly covered it back and returned it to his pocket.


    Oh dear, Trisha thought. Carol had probably failed everything! But the horse soon spoke from its own mouth.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Andrews sighed, shaking his head. ¡°Nothing to mark here. She finished everything perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±, Trisha almost shrieked in disbelief peeping at the notebook in his hands. ¡°She really got everything right?¡±


    ¡°See for yourself,¡± Andrews said, handing the book over to her.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t bother. I know nothing about math. But she solved all the problems correctly?¡±


    ¡°She did. Every single one of them.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You really are a genius, Carol.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Caro beamed shyly.


    ¡°The exams are over, aren¡¯t they?¡±, Trisha asked of Andrews.


    ¡°No, no. But they¡¯ll soon be.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll resume school the very day the next session begins. I wish I could make you get into the next ss by then¡­ but no worries. I¡¯ll make make sure you write your final exams in SS2. I¡¯m so proud of you, Carol. Go have fun!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma. Thank you, sir,¡± Caro curtsied to both of them, not minding Trisha¡¯s mock anger, and promptly darted up the stairs.


    **


    The day after the math test was a Saturday and Caro was looking forward to a free weekend. Since she neither worked nor attended school, everyday was a weekend for her, but not so for other members of the house, especially the boys.


    She always looked forward to the weekends when she would be able to y with them, teach them new things, help them with their housework and be the umpire during their rough-housing moments. All these in the absence of their mother. The boys would be angels in her presence, which was the one w Caro noticed in her benefactor.


    She was a staunch advocate for letting kids y to their satisfaction, perhaps that was one of the few good things she could attribute to her parents. Because they had let her y with total abandon, she had learned more about the world than anyone could teach her.


    From age 10, she had learnt how to manage her own affairs and that of her siblings without any intervention from her parents. For as long as she could remember, she had been able to get into and out of fights, deceive and avoid getting deceived, and stand up for what she wanted. Her environment had made her strong and she knew her ce in the world. It wasn¡¯t just to be where life wanted her to be, but where she wanted herself to be.


    ¡°Carol,¡± Trisha called as she knocked on the closed door.


    ¡°Ma!¡±, Caro promptly answered, jumping off her bed and rushing to the door. She opened it and found a frowning Trisa staring at her. Then she remembered.


    ¡°Trisha,¡± she contritely corrected herself.


    Trisha sighed in exasperation. ¡°Look, I¡¯m going somewhere and I¡¯d like you to apany me.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let me go and change.¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± she stopped her, ¡°you¡¯re fine the way you are. Fash¡­ Oh well, let¡¯s keep the cat in the bag for now. So¡­ yeah, let¡¯s go.¡±


    And she led the way with Caro following behind.


    Trisha¡¯s goings-out were normally long in duration and Caro would have loved to remain at home to rough-house with the boys, but this was her first opportunity to leave thepound since she first came into it. And also, there was that cat that was hiding in the bag. What on earth could it be?


    ¡°So, I take it you¡¯re enjoying those novels I bought for you?¡±, Trisha asked as they sat in the car on their way to where only she knew.


    ¡°Very much, ma¡­ Trisha.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned to ignore you. Anyway, I knew you¡¯d like them. I guess I¡¯d have to buy one each time I go out.¡±


    ¡°I would love that, m¡­¡±, Caro said, sping her hands in earnestness.


    In response, Trisha only smiled and nodded, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.


    It took over two hours to get to their destination which was not so far away. Difficult traffic hold-ups was their biggest problem, but Trisha took as much shortcuts as she could get away with, which surprised Caro since she saw her host as someone who was a stickler to rules and good behavior.


    When they finally arrived at their destination: arge business-like building that emitted certain sounds that were a little familiar, she was eager to get in and see what was going on inside, but still she allowed Trisha to precede her.


    ¡°Immacta, where are ye hiding?¡±, Trisha called as she stepped in just at the same time Caro discovered that it was a cloth-making shop.


    She quickly surveyed her surroundings, taking in all the sounds and sights of the machinery and young men and women who were hard at work making various types and colors of wears.


    ¡°There you are!¡±, a tall dark woman shouted as she made her way down the aisle toward Trisha who was inspecting a baby cap one of the young women was working on. ¡°It seems you¡¯re on time as usual.¡±


    ¡°Traffic, my dear,¡± Trisha sighed.


    ¡°Always traffic.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And it¡¯s true. Ask her. By the way, this is Carolina¡­ the girl.¡±


    ¡°Oh! The girl, huh?¡±, Immacte asked, eyeing Caro with a critical eye.


    ¡°Good Morning, ma,¡± Caro greeted, managing not to curtsy.


    ¡°Good Morning, my dear. How do you do?¡±


    ¡°Very fine, ma. And you?¡±


    Immacte¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise before she replied, ¡°I¡¯m good. Thanks for asking. So¡­ what¡¯s your experience with fashion and¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would you ask such a question?¡±, Trisha interrupted. ¡°Or rather, why ask it in my presence?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. I humbly seek Your Ladyship¡¯s forgiveness,¡± Immacte said, raising both hands in mock surrender.


    ¡°So what do you think, Carol? Like what you see?¡±, Trisha questioned, turning to her ward.


    ¡°Yes. Very much. Thank you,¡± Caro answered in a low tone, clearly trying hard to suppress her glee.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure is,¡± Immacte concurred.


    ¡°She¡¯lle sometimeter, perhaps on Monday, to answer your twenty questions.¡±


    ¡°Good. Hopefully, she won¡¯t adopt the traffic excuse temte from you,¡± she shot back.


    ¡°Whatever. Come on, Carol. Let¡¯s head home before afternoon traffic sets in. See youter, Lata.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. Here Carol, have this one. Fits you nicely,¡± she said as she fitted a face cap on Caro¡¯s head.


    ¡°Oh thank you, Ma. I¡¯m very grateful,¡± Caro beamed.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Go catch your Auntie before she zooms off now.¡±


    With onest word of thanks and a promise to be back, Caro clutched her new gift with both hands as she ran to Trisha¡¯s jeep. Only when she had stopped running did she realize how stupid she must have looked holding her head like a madwoman as she ran.


    After she had climbed into the front passenger seat, she looked toward the building and found Immacte smiling at them. Maybe she had found the head-holding funny. But Caro could not fault herself that much. It was her first ever face cap after all.

 CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

    Reba was ill at ease as she switched focus from the clock to the door and back again to the clock. She could not sit still and in one position. She crossed her legs, uncrossed them; folded her hands, unfolded them; put them under her chin, ced them on herp¡­ until Chief could no longer ignore her.


    ¡°Woman, calm down!¡±, he scolded.


    ¡°I¡¯m calm na, Chief,¡± she grumbled, shifting to yet another position. He simply shook his head and leaned back on the sofa.


    ¡°When will theye na?¡±, Reba murmured, looking at the clock for the upteenth time.


    ¡°They said ten. Is it ten yet?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost ten na. W¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, Reba. If you cannot wait in silence, go and take sleeping medicine. Your pro¡­¡±


    ¡°Chief, Chief, shhh! I think they¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s where?¡±


    But she was already on her feet and making for the door. He shook his head in pity as she went out of his sight. But just as he was about to lean back again, he heard a loud exmation followed by the sounds of a joyous wee. He jumped to his feet immediately and just then, Reba brought in a calm and orderly Timmy into the sitting room. They were followed by a uniformed police officer whom he knew from the State Police Headquarters.


    He went over to thank and shake hands with the officer while Reba led her son to a sofa and continued to fuss over him.


    ¡°Are you sure you are not feeling any pain?¡±, she asked for the third time in two minutes.


    ¡°Yes, mom. I¡¯m totally fine.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this on your forehead?¡±, she questioned, lightly touching a small scar that he had obtained from running into a tree during his escape from the shrine.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, mom. Just a speck,¡± Timmy sighed in exasperation.


    ¡°You look tired. Are you hungry? Have you eaten at all today?¡±


    ¡°Woman! Leave the boy in peace! Is he a baby?¡±, Chief scolded on his return from seeing off the officer with a not-so-t envelope and a promise to visit his Commissioner soon.


    ¡°Yes o, Chief. He¡¯s my baby. Please, leave me alone let me take care of my only son. If you want, we can go somewhere else and leave the parlour for you.¡±


    But Chief simply grabbed his walking stick and walked away and his wife went back to petting and fussing over Timmy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide any injury from me o. You can tell me anything. I¡¯m your mother. Please, raise that hand for me let me see. Are you sure it¡¯s not paining you?¡±


    ¡°No, mom. Like I¡¯ve been saying for the past ten minutes, I¡¯m fine. Perfectly fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So what would you like to eat? Do you want me to prepare your favorite? I¡¯m sorry I forgot to prepare it before you came, but I could not think of anything else than seeing you. So let me go and prepare it. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be very fast. I¡¯ll tell Nkechi to bring some snacks for you, eh.¡±


    With a quick kiss on his brow, she hurried off, shouting the name of the housekeeper as she went.


    ***


    Seated in the sitting room on a sofa adjacent to her husband¡¯s, Reba was fully engrossed in the family album. She smiled deeper every time she encountered a picture of Timmy who was at the moment asleep upstairs in his room.


    ¡°Chief, do you remember when Timothy won that quizpetition in Lagos? This is the best picture of him when he was small.¡±


    She said all this without taking her smile and attention from the album and her husband watched her with his hand supporting his chin like someone observing the behavior of a mad person. They were in this position when someone suddenly burst into the sitting room without notice.


    ¡°Tracy! What happened?¡±, her mother asked in rm as her clearly unhappy daughter took her stand halfway between both parents.


    ¡°I need money,¡± she simply said, addressing her father.


    Chief looked all around him, as if searching for someone. Then he turned to her.


    ¡°Are you talking to me? I thought you said you¡¯ll never want anything from me?¡±


    ¡°I remember what I said in the past. But now, I need money. And I need it fast.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to use the money for?¡±, Reba questioned.


    ¡°Wait, Reba. Let me ask her this question. Did you keep any money with me?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ if you don¡¯t want to give me money, then divide everything you have and give me my share, so that I will go my own way.¡±


    ¡°You want to share my property while I¡¯m still alive? Are you mad? Look, if I close my eye now and open it and you¡¯re still here¡­¡±


    ¡°Papa, you can close your eyes till you¡¯re blind, but all I know is that I¡¯m not leaving here emptyhanded. I¡¯m ready to die here with you today.¡±


    Chief held his head in both hands and shook it mournfully for a while before turning to his astonished wife.


    ¡°Reba, are you sure I¡¯m the father of this girl?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m even doubting if I¡¯m her mother.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you people can doubt like Apostle Thomas. Just give me my share of the property and I¡¯ll leave you to finish your doubting programme.¡±


    ¡°Will you get out of this house before I call the police!¡±, Chief roared, jumping to his feet.


    ¡°Call them! Call them, I¡¯m waiting. Call your police and I¡¯ll call my soldiers. We¡¯ll see which one is more powerful.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking to your father like that?!¡±


    ¡°Eh ehn Mama, stay out of this o! This is not the time to y the part of the loyal wife. What did you do when he starved me of money for how many months now? If you people don¡¯t want to take care of me, why did you give birth to me? Let us just share everything quietly and everybody will go his own way otherwise¡­ hmmmmm! There will be war in this house.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Tracy?¡±, Timmy said as he came down the stairs. ¡°What¡¯s the problem, Trace? Why¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey Mummy¡¯s pet, mind your business o. Nobody called you in this matter. When adults are talking, children should go and y outside.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Trace. Whatever the problem is, we can sort it out as a family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in any sorting out! Who¡¯s your family? I¡¯m not your family o! I¡¯ve disfathered, disbrothered and dismothered all of you. Just tell this man to give me my share of the property or else¡­ hmm mm! Hollywood willl happen in this house today.¡±


    And she stood battle-ready, arms akimbo, legs apart and one of her feet tapping the floor impatiently.


    ¡°Reba, Reba, Reba,¡± Chief called, his voice rising with each call. ¡°If you don¡¯t evacuate this non-entity you call a daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°Please Chief, calm down,¡± she begged, standing between father and daughter. ¡°Tracy, let¡¯s go. We need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Mama, I¡¯m not going anywhere till this man gives me what¡¯s rightfully mine.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh, that¡¯s what we will talk about. Come, let¡¯s go.¡±


    But the girl wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Timmy,¡± she turned to her son. ¡°Pleasee and help me hold her let¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Mummy¡¯s pet, if you dare touch me, I will beat you till you forget your surname.¡±


    Timmy stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move a single inch toward his sister who was fully focused on him with eyes full of fury. But Reba saw her chance and took it.


    With sudden force, she pulled Tracy by the arm and turned her away from the men, dragging her toward where she wanted to take her.


    ¡°Mama, leave me o! I¡¯m not interested in any talking,¡± she shouted as she stumbled and slid after her fat mother who opened the desired door, dragged her in and shut it behind them. But before Tracy could look around to identify what room she was in, Rebanded a stinging p on her face.


    ¡°Ah! Mama! What¡¯s this na?¡±


    Another one followed on the other cheek and Tracy immediately grabbed the door knob. But before she could turn it, Reba tackled her from behind, dragged her to the bed and dumped her on it. Then she jumped on her and started pinching her face, neck, shoulders, arms and any other exposed body part she could find.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mama, leave me! What did I do to you na?¡±, Tracy wailed as she struggled beneath the weight and assault of the heavier woman.


    ¡°You want to fight na, abi? You want to act Hollywood abi Nollywood. You want to do Commando abi Rambo. Oya, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Mama, I¡¯m not doing again. Just leave me, please. Mama, I¡¯m begging you na!¡±


    But Reba was deaf to her pleas. She continued her assault of pinches and asional ps until her victim stopped struggling and suddenly burst into tears. Then she rolled off her and stood beside the bed and watched her daughter cry out all the bitterness and anger in her.

 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

    When Tracy had exhausted her tears and strength, Reba got her a roll of tissue with which the girl dried her face and blew her nose. Then she took her to the bathroom, washed her face and hair and then dried them.


    ¡°Oyae and apologize to your father.¡±


    On hearing this, Tracy, who had been walking voluntarily, suddenly stopped. But Reba grabbed her hand and dragged her all the way to the sitting room. cing her before her now rtively calm father, she left her alone and went to sit on a sofa.


    After a few seconds of head scratching and feet shifting, Tracy abruptly went down on her knees in front of her father.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Papa¡­ for everything¡­ I said and¡­ and¡­ did.¡±


    But Chief acted like it was the sound from a movie ying in another room. He went on flipping through the pages of the magazine he was reading. Reba, seeing the situation, went down on her knees too.


    ¡°Chief, I¡¯ve dealt with her. She has realized her mistake. The child has been beaten with one hand, let us draw it to ourselves with the other hand, so it would not get lost. Please Chief, forgive her. She¡¯s just a child. She did not know what she was doing.¡±


    But Chief kept reading and flipping with no sign that he could hear them. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Timmy also went down on his knees!


    ¡°Pop¡­ um¡­ Dad. What Trace did was real crazy and all, you know. But like Mom said, you gotta uh¡­ uh¡­ hit the kid with the one hand and pull it in with the other. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s learned her lesson, Pops. She¡¯ll never try this again, right Trace?¡±


    And Tracy quickly nodded in concurrence. ¡°It¡¯ll never happen again, Papa. Never.¡±


    Chief still continued with his reading, but suddenly, he folded the magazine and sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, It¡¯s okay. You can get up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Papa,¡± Tracy said, about to return to her feet, but her mother held her down.


    ¡°Say you forgive her, Chief.¡±


    He looked up at the ceiling for quite a while, then he sighed deeply.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I forgive you,¡± he finally said. And they all scrambled to their feet with many thanks. ¡°But you must continue without money for one more month.¡±


    The smile vanished from Tracy¡¯s face and she was about to say something, but her mother quickly mped her hand over her mouth.


    ¡°No problem, Chief. She will endure.¡±


    Chief nodded and it was their cue to leave. Timmy went back upstairs and Reba took her daughter in another direction. As soon as they were out of earshot of her father, the first thing she said to her mother was, ¡°Who will pay all my debts? They¡¯ll kill me if I don¡¯t go back with that money o.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you the money.¡±


    ¡°How much do you think we are talking about here? It¡¯s almost half a million o.¡±


    ¡°I said I will give you the money¡­ on one condition.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Which condition?¡±


    ¡°That you remove and stop buying all these artificial eyshes, artificial nails, artificial make-up and that useless hair that¡¯s smelling like a corpse that has been abandoned in a mortuary where there¡¯s no light.¡±


    ¡°Mama, I¡¯m not Mary Amaka. I don¡¯t want my friends tough at me,¡± she quickly countered, maintaining a defensive stance.


    ¡°Look here,¡± her mother said, grabbing her face which she had turned away in anger. ¡°If you want my money, you must do as I say. Understand?¡±


    She jerked her face away and stomped off, grumbling as she went: ¡°I will now be looking like an old witch while others would be shining.¡±


    *****


    Timmy was in conference with his parents, a serious conference that Chief had called to strategize on a way forward for Timmy as a man.


    ¡°We have seen that the Lagos experiment has failed,¡± he said, addressing mother and son. ¡°So the question is, what next? But the most important question is to you, Timothy. What do you want to do next?¡±


    ¡°I wanna go back there,¡± Timmy replied immediately.


    ¡°Go back where?¡±, his mother asked, even faster. ¡°Look here, you are not going back anywhere o. You better stay here in Abuja. Even a blind man will not walk into fire two times.¡±


    ¡°Woman, let the young man speak for himself. He is old enough to make his own decisions.¡±


    ¡°Old kwa? When he¡¯s on top of his wife, he can be old enough. But while he¡¯s still under my roof and under my care, he cannot be old enough.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Chief sighed, getting up to his feet. ¡°Since you¡¯re now the new head of the family, I wish you luck¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah Chief. No na. Don¡¯t mind me. Please sit down,¡± she urged as she went down on her knees.


    ¡°Ehh it¡¯s okay. Get up before you behave as if I¡¯m an idol.¡±


    ¡°You are our idol na. Nigerian Idol!¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Women and their tricks.¡±


    ¡°But Chief, if women are tricky, then you should avoid eating their food na, abi?¡±


    ¡°You have saved the transport that will take you back to your father¡¯s house, eh?¡±


    ¡°No o. It¡¯s the transport that will bring my rtives to take over all your property, that¡¯s the one I¡¯ve saved.¡±


    Chief simply responded with a hiss and mother and son burst intoughter.


    ¡°I did not call this meeting foredy purpose.¡±


    They both apologized and immediately put up a serious face. Chief cleared his throat and then continued.


    ¡°So young man, what were you saying again?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I wanna head back to Lagos and strike it out on my own.¡±


    ¡°On your own?¡±, Reba asked in rm.


    Chief red at her and she rpsed into silence. Then he signed for the boy to continue.


    ¡°I wanna delve into fashion and run my ownbel someday.¡±


    ¡°So all the money I spent to send you to school in America is all for nothing?¡±


    ¡°Not really, Pops. I really think I can make it big with fashion, you know. I¡¯ve got a lot of passion for this stuff.¡±


    Chief sighed and shook his head sadly.


    ¡°Reba, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know o, Chief. I¡¯m not the head of the house. But the only thing I know is that he should not go back to Lagos. Why can¡¯t you do your fashion here in Abuja?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Mom. Lagos has got a huge market and by the way, there¡¯s this guy who¡¯s willing to take me on as a partner, show me the ropes and all, you know. Then¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve been nning this thing for a very long time?¡±, his mother asked in an usatory tone.


    ¡°How much do you and this your partner need?¡±, Chief cut in.


    ¡°Just two hundred grand for starters.¡±


    ¡°Hmm mm. Not only starters, it¡¯s enders. Two hundred thousand for what, eh?¡±


    ¡°Reba!¡±, Chief scolded.


    ¡°Chief, this is a clear case of 419. They have found out that hees from a rich family and they want to scam him a¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it your money? I am the one giving out the money; let me decide for myself. So young man, do you trust this your partner? Are you sure he knows what he¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°Dead sure, Pops,¡± Timmy nodded enthusiastically. ¡°This dude¡¯s got the experience. He¡¯s been there, done that, knows the holes and themon ws and all that shit. All he needs is a little something extra to start something average and take it forward. He¡¯s already got something going, you know. Seen the ce with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. After you give him the money, the ce would be locked forever.¡±


    ¡°No, Mom. I got this one, believe me. We¡¯re setting this up in a way that he don¡¯t make a move without my knowledge. Everything¡¯s gonna be j¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay,¡± his father interrupted. ¡°You said you need two hundred to start with, abi?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. J¡­¡±


    ¡°Then how much do you need to continue with?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, we haven¡¯t gotten to that bridge yet, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you sure this is what you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Dead sure, Pops.¡±


    ¡°Okay o. I just want you to know that I¡¯m not Father Christmas¡­ and keep that useless name to yourself before I break your head with my walking stick. Reba, go and bring my checkbook.¡±


    ¡°Chief¡­¡±


    ¡°I said go and bring my checkbook, woman! Stop Chiefing me.¡±


    ¡°Okay o,¡± she sighed, rising to her feet. ¡°But don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you people o.¡±


    And she went off to retrieve the checkbook from their bedroom. ¡°You won¡¯t regret this, Po¡­ Dad,¡± Timmy smiled, rubbing his hands enthusiastically as they awaited the return of his mother.


    ¡°Me, regret? No o. You will be the one to regret if anything goes wrong, because you¡¯ll get no other money from me. Not even a dime.¡±

 CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

    **Nine Months Later**


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say you are pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±, Caro shrieked in surprise.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting fat in all the right ces, your skin is much brighter¡­ and you¡¯re getting taller too.¡±


    ¡°Ohe on, Trisha. Just say you¡¯re jealous.¡±


    ¡°True that. If I could have a backside like yours¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There are children in this house!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t children have backsides? Or should I could it rump, bum, buttocks¡­¡±


    Caro covered her ears with her palms and screwed her eyes shut.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting like you¡¯re one of the children.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Christian.¡±


    ¡°Really? Last time I checked, there was a lot of fucking in the Bible.¡±


    ¡°Oh God, Trisha,¡± Caro moaned in frustration. ¡°Why can¡¯t you say something righteous?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be righteous if Absalom didn¡¯t bang his father¡¯s concubines in public for all Israel to see.¡±


    ¡°Good night,¡± Caro said and promptly got to her feet.


    ¡°The night is good,¡± Trisha slurred as she emptied the remaining contents of her ss just as Caro walked away.


    Getting to her room, Caro turned on the lights and stripped before the standing mirror. Yes, Trisha was very right. She was fat. Her belly was no longer t and hard-muscled, it was now soft and even a little jiggly. Her waist was soft and rumpy too. She didn¡¯t bother turning to survey her backside; she just held it with her hands and measured it.


    Judging from the distance between her waist and the end of her buttocks, Trisha was very right. Her backside had jutted out a lot and she wasn¡¯t very happy with it. She had always mocked people with big backsides, but she never thought that she herself would be a victim one day. All in all, she knew was growing and eating a lot of good food too.


    She had not started menstruating just yet, but she wasn¡¯t really worried. If it woulde, it would. If it wouldn¡¯te, she wouldn¡¯t die. Ever since she heard about it from some visiting health officers andter, from older members of her ss, she¡¯d always considered herself ready, though if she had any say in the matter, she would prefer not to have any pains or cramps. Well, when she gets to that bridge, she would find a way to cross it, she sighed as she dove andnded on the bed. Tomorrow, Trisha would be better, when the drink would have cleared off her head.


    ***


    Caro woke up the next day, fresh and happy as she had been waking up for the past nine months or so. Only during this time had she known that life was good. But there was no way she could know that this would be herst day under Trisha¡¯s roof. She sauntered into her bathroom, and after all the morning necessaries, she exited it, threw on clean clothes and made her way down the stairs. Her destination¡­ Trisha¡¯s room.


    It was Sunday and since she wasn¡¯t a church-goer, she always wokete. Only Rennie, who was a devout Christian, woke up to finish her chores in time for the morning service. Caro, on the other hand, was not a fan of institutionalized religion. Her teacher, Miss Andrews, who had taught her to speak good English and also introduced her to Christianity, was not a fan of local churches and Caro, being a loyal protege, did everything she did.


    As she approached Trisha¡¯s room, she wondered if she could be roused by this time of the day. Only God knew how much alcohol she had consumed the previous night before going to bed. Even though her fake age was only a few months to 18, Caro had always refused to share in the consumption of anything other than soft drinks. She had vivid memories of the things her father had done under the evil influence of alcohol and she had no wish to tow the same line. Never in her life would she taste alcohol.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Trisha called in response to her knock. Caro opened the door slightly and peered in at her. She was lying full length on the bed in the previous night¡¯s clothes and with a pillow over her head.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±, Caro asked.


    ¡°Never better,¡± she replied, throwing off the pillow to expose a messy hair and tired face.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Never surer.¡± Then she promptly fell to snoring loudly. That was Caro¡¯s cue to leave.


    She shut the door quietly and turned around to see the boys rushing straight for the same door.


    ¡°Hey, hey. Hold on, guys. I think your Mom wants to be alone for n¡­¡±


    ¡°Ian stole my cup and tr¡­¡±


    ¡°He stole mine first,¡± Ian countered.


    ¡°Liar! Thief! Robber! Ro¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey. Do you know you are shouting in front of your mother¡¯s room?¡±


    The boys¡¯ eyes widened in fear and they quickly followed Caro as she began to make her way over to the kitchen.


    ¡°So who stole whose cup?¡±, she asked as she took her seat on a kitchen stool to act as presiding judge.


    ¡°He¡¯s the thief,¡± Moses replied.


    ¡°He stole mine first,¡± Ian countered. ¡°No, you broke mine.¡±


    ¡°You liar! I didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Okay! It¡¯s okay. Now, where¡¯s the cup in question? You, go and get it.¡±


    Moses rushed off and soon returned with a fancy stic cup that was only used when brushing their teeth. Caro received the cup and held on to it. ¡°Now it¡¯s mine. If you guys quarrel over any other thing, I¡¯ll take that too. Now, have you guys eaten?¡±


    They both shook their heads.


    ¡°Then go and look for your food and mine too, wherever Rennie kept them.¡±


    They both went in separate directions and began a calm search.


    ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry,¡± Caro called out. ¡°I cannot bete for work. So the first person to find the food will give the other person two hard knocks on his head.¡±


    Immediately, it turned into a highly frenzied search!

 CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

    Caro was now a full schr again. She had been attending school for months and was even preparing to sit for her final junior exams, all thanks to Trisha.


    Evenings on some weekdays and afternoons on weekends were the periods she spent working and further improving her tailoring skills at Immacte¡¯s. Today being Sunday, she had gone early and also closed early.


    As she walked through the shortcuts heading back home, she could not help but put a palm to her stomach to feel its constant quivering. It disgusted her that she had so much excess fat in most parts of her body and she was desperate to burn them all off, starting today. That was why she had decided to take shortcuts instead of boarding a cab as she had always done in the past.


    From now onwards, she would walk all the way home and ¡®by fire by force¡¯, all the fat would vanish. But wait! If she jogged, wouldn¡¯t that be best? If Trisa could notice all this, she would simply go out of her mind!


    Just as Caro was about to break into a jog, she heard a sharp whistle from behind, making her turn around immediately. Some ugly, gaunt, rough and filthy-looking young men were seated in a nearby abandoned construction site and staring at her with hungry eyes. One of them who looked like their leader gestured for her toe, but Caro narrowed her eyes and shook her head in pity, thinking perhaps too much weed had gotten to the wrong part of their brains.


    With a hiss, she turned around, ready to continue her journey. But she was stopped short almost immediately. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed something huge blocking her way. She had to take a step back to really identify what it was. And it was a human! A giant to be exact.


    Caro had to look far above her line of sight to see his cruel face. Then she swallowed. To say she was in big trouble was the understatement of the century. If only she had not taken shortcuts.


    ¡°You no hear when dem call you?¡±, the giant¡¯s voiced boomed at her in what Caro imagined was one of its lowest tones. She was too overwhelmed to formte words, so she simply nodded to confirm that she had indeed heard the call.


    ¡°Oya, dey go,¡± the giant said, waving her toward his ruffian pals. Caro knew that running away was a stupid idea. The guy¡¯s hand could easily reach her from more than a metre away not to mention his legs. The only option she had was to obey. She had to do everything possible to not give him a reason to hold her, because if he did, she would be finished. No miracle would make her escape from the grasp of such gigantic hands. So taking a deep breath, she turned around and began walking toward the construction site with the giant following closely behind.


    She tried to increase her speed as subtly as she could. The goal was to put some, but not much distance between them and make him feel as rxed as possible.


    As she walked, she kept her eyes on the ground and prayed inwardly. She knew that the giant¡¯s pals and the giant himself couldn¡¯t wait to start work on their next gang rape victim. Her heart was pounding wildly, but she willed herself to remain calm. She didn¡¯t know exactly how far behind or how rxed the giant was, but if God was really her shepherd, it would not matter.


    Suddenly, she whirled round to face the giant without taking her eyes from the desired level. Before he could say Jack, sheshed out with her left foot and delivered her best kick ever to where she knew his balls would be. It was a good strike!


    ¡°Haaaaa!¡±, he howled in pain, grabbing his crotch with both hands. Caro did not wait to mock him. Veering to the left, she took to her heels immediately!


    Caro ran hard and fast like a madwoman. She could hear shouts from behind her and she realized that the giant¡¯s friends were after her! In a few seconds, both shoes had left her feet and she had the chance to run the fastest she had ever run. She could feel her heel touching the back of her head and she could hardly see the road ahead. She didn¡¯t know where she was headed and she didn¡¯t care!


    After running for God knows how many hundred metres, she came to a stop when she was totally exhausted. She could no longer hear shouts behind her and the adrenaline powering her had run out. If they were toe after her now, they would surely get her. She was just out of breath, strength and everything else.


    She slumped down on the ground andy t on her back. Every part of her body hurt. Her heart was one exertion away from exploding and her lungs¡­ she was just filling them up with air since they were first filled when she was created.


    She would never forget what just happened. The whole episode wasn¡¯t really a bad thing, rather it was a big eye opener. She had known that she was a fat piece of trash, but she never realized how bad it was. When she was still slim, she could run twice the distance she had just run without feeling a millionth of the exhaustion she was currently feeling. What if those guys had followed her all the way? She really needed to go back to her old self¡­ fast!


    When Caro got back home, she opened the gate as quietly as she could and stole into thepound. She really did not know why Trisha never had a gateman, but it was a blessing for her today. Nobody would notice that she was shoeless and disheveled. Her bag had also been lost during the race.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Like a thief, she tiptoed her way into the building and managed to sneak into her room without attracting any undue attention. She breathed a sigh of relief when she had aplished this feat, but she was also worried about their security. If she could get in so easily, what stopped someone with an evil intention from doing the same? Yes, there were soldiers stationed at one end of the street, but was that really enough? She would have to discuss it with Trisha sometime soon. The sooner the better.


    ***


    Caro had been in her room for the past few hours, reading and watching TV. She had totally forgotten about the race incident that had happened earlier in the day and was now focused on being ¡°over-prepared¡± for her uing exams. But a few minutes before supper time, she heard a knock on her door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The door was opened slightly and Rennie¡¯s head peeked in.


    ¡°Madam Trisha wants to see you in the sitting room.¡±


    And then she shut the door. With a sigh, Caro got off her sofa and put on her slippers and then stepped out of her room. It never crossed her mind to guess or even think about why Trisha would want to see her, she just padded down the stairs to go answer the summons.


    She was only a few steps from the foot of the stairs when she froze. She had just heard a voiceing from the sitting room. A voice she could never fail to recognize! But could it be someone else who just had a simr voice? No. Trisha wanted to see her and then, this voice. It was no coincidence. But just then, another familiar voice spoke, a female voice. That did it for Caro. A cold shiver ran down her spine. This was it! Her parents were here!


    Without thinking, Caro took off her slippers and quietly ran back up the stairs. When she got to the top, she put on the slippers and hurried on.


    ¡°Have you seen her?¡±, an approaching Rennie asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Caro nodded enthusiastically, sporting a fake smile. ¡°She wants me to get something for her.¡±


    Something must have looked off to Rennie because Caro could notice the surprised and doubtful look on her face, but she didn¡¯t wait to find out why it was there. She simply hurried to the back door and let herself out. Then she ran to the gate and slipped out of thepound as quietly as she could. Clothed in an evening gown and a pair of slippers, Caro ran into the night.

 CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

    Running low and barefoot through the deep gutter, she was able to evade the soldiers stationed on the street. It was night already and she tramped in the direction where she knew there would be more people and traffic.


    The unrelenting evening breeze was chilly and she could feel the cold all over her exposed arms. She had no choice but to hug herself as she walked. Having spent so much time behind closed doors, living the good life and being able to regte the temperature of her surroundings, she had almost lost touch with Mother nature. The elements were affecting her more than they had ever done before in all her life. She was never one to feel cold from contact with such mild breeze, but here she was, shaking like a marite in action. Before long, her teeth would begin to chatter like casts and being alone in such a condition was quite risky. She had to get to a busy area and she had to get there fast.


    Her entire body had begun to crawl with goosebumps from the cold when Caro finally sighted lights on a main road ahead. It was night market by the roadside and most of the female sellers were d in thick sweaters and long skirts, gowns or wrappers. It was good to know that the cold was biting and merciless enough to affect such a hardy people. Caro could now take it a little easy on herself. She wasn¡¯t doing that bad, was she?


    Making her way over to the road, she walked in front of the sellers, slowly and leisurely, so that the heat from theirmps, stoves and coal pots could warm her up. There were calls to buy this or buy that, but she ignored them and strolled on. But no matter how slow she moved, she would surely get to the part where there was no light or heat. Retracing her steps back to where she started in order to get more heat would look suspicious and attract attention to her. An almost chubby girl with still developing breasts, wearing only an evening gown and walking about unapanied at this time of the night¡­ even her impressive run of luck against rapists would fail her this time.


    To be sure, she could see that just a few metres ahead, there were no lights or sellers, just a dark cold night. As fearless as she was, Caro would rather attract attention to herself than walk one inch into that darkness. But just as she was about to turn around, she caught sight of a Mam and his suya (barbeque) grill.


    As was normal, not far from him was a bench where customers could sit and wait. At the moment, the only person seated there was a man whose eyes were glued to his phone. Without thinking any further, Caro made straight for the bench and sat down at one end, as far away from the man as possible.


    Neither the man nor the Mam acted like they noticed her presence which was exactly what she wanted. She had no intention or means to buy any suya, she just wanted the heat which wasing in waves from the barbeque grill.


    She was about to feelfortable when suddenly, other men beganing in to chat with the Mam and see how the meat wasing along in terms of readiness. Some of the characters looked unfriendly and rough and Caro felt quite unsafe. Many of them gave her more than a passing nce while others stared intently at her before sitting briefly on the bench and then going away. She knew she was outnumbered by older, stronger men, so she had to find a way to not look vulnerable and out of ce.


    She crossed her legs and then stiffened her back with a not-so-happy expression on her face. Focusing intently on the Mam and his grill, from the semi-dark area where she was seated, she looked the perfect image of an impatient married female customer who lived nearby and had just strolled over to have a taste of some suya.


    As she remained in this position, she could see that it was very effective. She now only received passing nces and sometimes, no nce at all. But there was a price to pay. Within minutes, her back was beginning to hurt like hell! But she maintained her position like a statue, knowing fully well that it could be the only thin difference between safety and danger for her.


    **Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Caro stayed in the Mam¡¯s barbeque stand hour after hour. Somehow, by sheer force of will, she managed to stay awake and visible, and also invisible when necessary. Luckily for her, the Mam never paid any attention to her or even look in her direction, but by the time he was about to close up for the night, she was already beginning to feel a little drowsy. Somehow, she managed to drag herself to a standing position before he coulde for the bench. Where would she go now? She pondered this as she made her way back, past the line of sellers, some of whom had already closed and left for home.


    She was feeling really sleepy now and though she had no way of knowing the time, she knew that she hade a long way from being the child of her parents. The Caro of old never slept before midnight and sometimes slept only an hour or two before thepulsory wake-up time at 4am. But the new Caro was here tottering along like a drunkard who was looking for a gutter to rest himself.


    She saw a closed shop that had a sheltered little verandah and she staggered over and slumped down on the cold, hard and dirty floor. Her intention was to rest a little before continuing the journey to nowhere in particr, but within a few minutes, she dozed off to sleep.

 CHAPTER FORTY

    It was almost daybreak when Caro woke up the next day. She was startled to find herself in a sitting position in a shop¡¯s verandah. How had she managed to spend the whole night here withouting to any harm? Never having been a victim of a sessful rape, she was very scared. Was it possible to get raped while you were asleep and never know you had been raped? If she was the Caro of old, she would not have bothered about all this because that Caro slept with one eye open. But being the new Caro, she really could not trust herself.


    For the past nine months or so, she had been used to sleeping uninterruptedly andfortably in Trisha¡¯s house. In fact, she was sure that if the world had copsedst night, she would not have stirred.


    Quickly pulling up her gown, she checked (with wildly beating heart) her legs, her thighs and panties for signs of rape, signs that she would not be able to identify even if she were to see them.


    Having satisfied herself that everything was normal and there was nothing suspicious to be seen, she got to her feet and walked to the main road. The area was deste, but she could see some early sellers making their way to the ce toe set up their shop or stalls for the day¡¯s business.


    Caro was now feeling pressed, so she quickly made her way to the nearby bushes. After an almost sessful rape attempt when she was just 12, she had since learned to never urinate in public by squatting. Instead, she surveyed her environment before nting both feet firmly on the ground. Her eyes were alert and roving about as she bent her knees, rolled down her panties and urinated. Only when she had left the bush and returned to the main road did she feel rxed.


    She walked for almost an hour along the road, putting more and more distance between herself and Trisha¡¯s house. But as the sun came up, she began to feel weary and hungry. It was still too early for most shops to open, so as a result, there were a lot of closed shops by the roadside. She chose one that had adequate shade and went to sit on its verandah.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    For the first time since she left Trisha¡¯s house, she began to evaluate her situation. Where would she go? What would she do? How would she feed? But all these questions were created by the answer to one big question: what were her parents doing here in Lagos? The obvious answer was that they hade for her. And what had she done as a result? Run away, of course. But was that a good choice? She could have asked to stay with Trisha. But then, she was still not an adult and Trisha was neither her guardian nor a family member. Now that she had run away, she had effectively plunged herself into another unexpected round of homelessness. But was it worth it? What if her parents had had a change of heart? She knew very well that that was the closest thing to impossible, but it felt good to think that it could be very possible. And what would they do now that they had not found her at Trisha¡¯s? They could use the poor woman of using their daughter for money rituals! How on earth would Trisha defend herself? She was rich and a girl was missing! Knowing the mentality of her parents, Caro could swear that they would surely make the connection. But why for Christ sakes did they not remain in the vige and forget all about her? Why would they not just leave her alone in peace? Since the day of her birth, they had never allowed her to have a nice life and now that she had found it, they were here again to interrupt it. What did she do wrong? And now, they might have also put Trisha in trouble. The thought of the poor, kind woman getting in trouble for helping her made Caro¡¯s heart ache and tears fall freely down her cheeks. She would have loved to go back and give herself up in order to vindicate the dear woman, but unfortunately, Trisha would be more likely to hand her over to her parents now more than ever. She had not onlycked the chance of having a caring family, she had also missed the chance of living a good life, perhaps the only chance in her lifetime.


    After Caro had exhausted her little store of energy in the production of tears, she dried her face and got to her feet. She had resolved to go back home to the vige. She was tired of running, she had to take the fight to the doorstep of the enemy. She was angry, frustrated and hopeless. In fact, she was ready to die!


    Her gown had a tiny pocket on each side; that was where she tucked her hands into as she hit the road again, more determined than ever. But she soon came to a sudden halt. Her fingers could feel something in one of her gown¡¯s pockets and she quickly pulled it out. It was money! Two hundred naira at that. So all she needed to do was find a bus and¡­ Just then, a rickety more-brown-than-its-real-white-color bus drove past her and came to a halt just a stone-throw away.


    The conductor jumped down and two women were helped or rather, thrown out of the bus amid grumblings and insults. Caro did not waste any time. Before thest of the women, who were clearly shop owners, could finish getting her ¡®load¡¯ from the back, Caro had run to the conductor.


    ¡°Where?¡±, he demanded haughtily. She mentioned the only part of Aunt Rosa¡¯s address that she could remember.


    ¡°Oya, enter enter enter. Hold your change o!¡±, he shouted as she climbed in.


    She did not know how much it was to her destination, but she did not care. Come rain or shine, she would get there.


    The conductor had jumped in after her and called for the driver to ¡®fire down¡¯ even though she had not yet found a seat. She held tightly onto any part of the vehicle her hand could grab as she surveyed the crowded bus for an empty seat. All the rows were full and she wondered which seats the women who had just alighted had upied.


    ¡°Make una shift for back there,¡± the conductor ordered,ing to her rescue.


    Little space was made for her at thest row and she managed to maneuver there and upy it. She was now seated between an elderly man and a young man.

 CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

    The bus rattled down the road, making as much unhealthy noise as was in its power to make, all in a bid to draw the driver¡¯s attention to its plight, but that carefree individual did nothing but increase the speed. Most passengers had to hold on to something or some part of the bus to avoid getting thrown off their seats. Caro grabbed the back of the seat in front of her and held on tight as her whole body was racked and rattled as a result of the reckless speed, the rickety nature of the bus and the deplorable situation of the road. But suddenly, she felt a hand on the upper part of her buttocks! She gasped in shock and quickly looked to her left.


    The elderly man there was holding on to the seat in front of him with both hands and a sour expression on his face. So she turned her attention to her right. The young man there had one hand on a hand-hold above the window, his face was serious and staring ahead, but his other hand was nowhere in sight! Caro said nothing. She could still feel his hand on her bum and she made no move to remove it. She simply held onto the seat ahead with her left hand and brought the forefinger of the other hand to her mouth.


    The young man had clearly gained the required confidence and courage to increase his level of intrusion ¨C Caro could now feel his hand slowly caressing her waist and moving lower still. And she let him. She was very busy with something else: designing the nail of her forefinger with her teeth.


    When it had reached the desired sharpness, she suddenly turned to him and dragged the razor-sharp fingernail down the side of his face with all the force she could muster.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡±, he screamed, quickly withdrawing the offending hand and clutching his injured cheek with it. Caro looked straight ahead as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Wetin happen?¡±, a handful of anxious passengers asked. But the young man shook his head vigorously. ¡°No, no, nothing,¡± he muttered, still clutching his cheek. ¡°Na just mosquito.¡±


    ¡°Nai youe dey shout like say na one big thing happen?¡±, hissed the woman upying the seat directly in front of him. Other passengers grumbled and hissed too at the young man¡¯s incredulous reason for shouting, and then silence reigned again.


    The vehicle rattled and jumbled on for a few more minutes before they were greeted with another shout from the same young man who was still clutching his cheek, now with the aid of a handkerchief.


    ¡°Stop Stop! I wane down for here!¡± He was already on his feet even before the vehicle rattled to a stop. He paid the conductor and quickly jumped down, not bothering about his change. And neither did the conductor. He simply called for his driver to move on and the journey continued.


    Caro breathed a big sigh of relief at the absence of the young man. He had left behind an empty space and she quickly moved to im it, giving everyone else in her row a chance to sitfortably. She was now near the window and focused on the flying scenes outside while trying to imagine how her life would be on her return to the vige.


    There was a huge probability that she would be forced to marry Iron Fire again. But to be sure, she was already his wife, wasn¡¯t she? He had paid her bride price, done a traditional marriage and had even weed her into his house! This sudden realization made Caro sit up immediately.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Was there a possibility that her escape was actually a criminal act? If so, then she really had to avoid police officers. If her parents were to get Trisha on their side, she could be dered a wanted person which could result in her arrest and imprisonment! Well, she would just have to try and avoid getting caught before arriving at Rosa¡¯s. But wait! What was that? She had seen that signboard somewhere before, but where was that? She racked her brain, trying to ce it, but to no avail.


    As the vehicle rattled on, she had an ufortable feeling that the signboard she had just seen meant something really important, and then somehow, the image of Trisha came into her head and she gasped.


    ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop!¡±, she shouted. The conductor was beingckadaisical about informing the driver of her request and Caro had to shout at him. ¡°Conductor, tell your driver na! I wane down here!¡±


    Atst, the driver got the message and the vehicle came to a halt. She climbed down and handed the conductor the two hundred naira note. He gave her a hundred naira note as change and she grabbed it without thinking twice and then started hurrying back along the busy road in search of that familiar signboard.


    When she located the board which was at the bus stop, the same bus stop where she first met Trisha almost a year ago, she hurried deeper into the garage part as fast as her legs could carry her. She had to move smartly and quickly to avoid the resident transport-advertising ruffians who clearly did not recognize her.


    Soon, she reached the market part of the bus stop and her heart skipped a beat. The ce had undergone some changes and she felt a little lost. Desperately, she scoured the area with her eyes, trying to get her bearings.


    Luckily for her, she soon caught sight of a uniquely bent wooden electric pole. She knew the pole very well, having used it in the past to shield herself from hungry eyes while she counted her profit from the day¡¯s sales. She also knew that the pole was not too far from her desired destination.


    Ignoring the changes and using her old knowledge of the area, she maneuvered her way through the market and found herself at the orange seller¡¯s shop. And right in front of it was the orange seller herself whose name she never found out.


    ¡°Good Morning, ma,¡± Caro greeted, kneeling.


    The woman stared at her in surprise and it took several seconds before she found her voice. How on earth could an educated, beautiful and fresh-looking city-bred girl greet an ¡®ordinary market woman¡¯ in such a manner?


    ¡°G¡­ good Morning, my dear. Please stand up. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°You no remember me?¡±, Caro asked as she dusted the sand off her knees.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ your face¡­ e be like say I don see this face before. But I no remember where I for see am.¡±


    ¡°You remember that girl wey dey hawk orange for you tha¡¯ year tha¡¯ year¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh oh oh! Emmm¡­ wetin be that your name again? Ca¡­ ca..  Yes, Caro!¡±


    The woman engulfed her in a happy hug and Caro could not help but shed a few tears which she quickly wiped off before the woman could notice them. It felt good to be weed in such a manner. It made her feel loved and relevant.


    ¡°You don change o, Caro. See as you fat,e yellow and fresh join,¡± the womanplimented, holding her at arms length and running an appraising eye all over her before pulling her in for another hug. ¡°Where youe dey all this while na, eh? You just disappear without even a word of goodbye.¡±


    Caro promptly went on her knees again.


    ¡°Please¡­ abeg ma, no vex. It was not deliberate. I¡­ I¡­ I help somebody enter bus, nai the driver just speed go like that. When wee reach where the motor go stop, I noe fit find my way back here.¡±


    ¡°Eyaah. Sorry, my dear. Abeg stand up. I no know say na wetin happen be that. Ie dey worry. I think say maybe na all these agbero boys nai don kidnap you or something like that. Thank God you are okay. Ah, Caro Caro. I miss you o! As youot eh, na so my businesse slow down. Nobody to help me sell like wildfire.¡±


    Caro smiled shyly at this. She could see that the woman had added other fruits to her stock, and she wondered if the ¡®slow down¡¯ had passed. But when she put the question to her, the woman exined that in the face of increasedpetition, she had chosen to add faster selling fruits that were mostly bought from stalls since she had no one to help her hawk oranges.


    ¡°Ah, sorry ma. As I done back so, maybe I fit¡­¡± She stopped there and gesticted the rest with her hands.


    ¡°Ah! If you fit help me as you dey help me before eh, I go dey very happy o. In fact, I go increase yourmission. You don eat this morning?¡±


    ¡°Em¡­ no, but¡­,¡± Caro stuttered, unsure exactly how to exin her current dilemma.


    ¡°No problem. Just sidan, make I rush go buy food from Mama Put,¡± the woman said, patting the lone bench in front of the stall. Caro sat down and watched with a smile as she rushed off to get breakfast.


    ¡°My long lost daughter done back o,¡± she announced to her fellow market women as she went.

 CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

    Caro was now back with her orange seller friend and had forgotten all about returning to Aunty Rosa or confronting her family. There was no way on earth that she could abandon the opportunity to be with this kind soul for her heartless family members.


    She now lived in a house again ¨C the orange seller¡¯srge house. She had learned that the woman¡¯ste husband had left her with thepound and no children, so she had resorted to fruit selling to keep herself busy since the rents from the one or two tenants could well take care of most of her needs.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Now that she had changed focus to fruits that were not verymon and yet, fast selling, Caro no longer needed to hawk. All she did, alongside the woman, was to man the shop, and business continued as usual. Quite better than usual though since the woman believed that Caro¡¯s good luck was attracting much more customers. But Caro on the other hand, judging from the sex and ages of the customers and the way they looked at her, was sure that the source of the supposed good luck were the fast growing perky twin globes on her chest.


    But she would never forget a particr young man that came one hot fateful afternoon to buy some cucumbers. He was handsome, sounded educated and very well dressed. The annoying part was that he focused much more on her face than her breasts or any other part of her body and it made her very ufortable and wary. Even after she had packed the cucumbers for him and handed them over, he was still staring at her face.


    ¡°Hi beautiful, you look really smart and hardworking,¡± he said atst. ¡°By the way, my name¡¯s Timmy, short for Timothy. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    Caro simply presented her open palm to him.


    ¡°Your money,¡± she said, ignoring his attempt at starting a conversation.


    ¡°Right,¡± he smiled. Reaching into his pocket for his wallet, he looked up at her and asked, ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Five hundred.¡±


    He brought out his wallet and pulled out a 500 naira note, attached a card to it and stretched it to her.


    ¡°Call me some¡­¡± His mouth fell open in shock as Caro took only the note and deliberately let the card fall to the ground. She tucked the money into her waistbag and turned her face away from him. If he knew enough about her, he would have known that the chains holding her temper were close to their breaking point. He chuckled and then bent to pick the card. To her surprise, he went ahead to drop it on one corner of her table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it here just in case you change your mind.¡±


    With that and a dimpled-cheek smile, he turned around and began walking away.


    After taking a few steps, he decided to turn around and take onest nce at her. But just as he did, he was forced to dodge immediately from the flight path of a white object. Caro had thrown his card after him! He chuckled again and picked it up from the ground and this time, he put it into his pocket.


    ¡°See youter, I guess,¡± he waved and then walked off, closely followed by a powerful re and hiss from her.


    It was with anger, surprise and a sudden switch to foul mood when about a weekter, Caro looked up from her table of fruits to see Mr. Cucumbers smiling genially at her. She pursed her lips and exhaled in frustration.


    As with the first time he came, she was alone in the shopfront, her ¡®Madam¡¯ having gone out to arrange for a replenishment of their stock of cucumbers, so that meant she was stuck with this annoying guy who had so much boldness to try making friends with her.


    ¡°No cucumbers,¡± she snapped at him before he could say anything.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason I¡¯m here anyway.¡± And then he added that annoyingly charming smile.


    When she didn¡¯t say anything, but continued to re at him with narrowed eyes, he continued.


    ¡°I just thought I should know a little bit more about you. Can I sit here?¡±, he asked as he walked toward her unupied bench. That was when she lost it.


    ¡°Look here, you this guy,¡± she began suddenly and hotly, startling Timmy. ¡°Let me warn you very well. You better leave me alone or else¡­¡±


    He raised his eyebrows as she came to a stop. Clearly, she had no ready threat to supply.


    ¡°Just leave me alone!¡±, she resumed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you. Do I look like a prostitute? Just get out from here, I don¡¯t want to see you again. Get out!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± he smiled, raising both hands in mock surrender as he backed away from the shop, closely followed by Caro¡¯s furious eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯lle back some other time.¡±


    ¡°I swear, if you evere back here eh¡­ in fact, if you have two heads, wait for me.¡±


    She rushed into the shop and Timmy, knowing fully well that he had only one head, beat a hasty retreat. When she came out with the matchete they used in carving out coconuts from their pods, he was nowhere to be found.


    Later that day, when she had retired to bed at night, Caro found it worrying that she could not get Mr. Cucumbers¡¯ face off her mind. She was not surprised though. On his second attempt, he had clearly been equipped with powerful magical charms, little wonder his increased level of confidence and audacity. Good thing she drove him away before she could fall under the total influence of his satanic spells. But why on earth could she not still fall asleep? Why could she not get his stupidly handsome face out of her mind?


    After so much tossing and turning on the tiny mattress in her room, sheid on her back and stared at the ceiling. She allowed the image of his face to upy her mind again and this time, she mentally picked up a razor and tore viciously at his smiling visage.


    She shed, nicked and rent the face to pieces, even bringing both hands to join in the action, tearing at the air in a frantic attempt to throw him off her memory. When she had exhausted her energy and achieved no significant sess, she slowly drifted to sleep with a puzzled expression on her face and one thing on her mind: Timmy¡¯s smiling face.

 CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

    Living and working with the orange seller whom she hade to know as Madam Mary was nothing short of normal and natural for Caro. She missed Trisha as a friend, but making the switch from luxury to lower middle ss was not difficult in any way. Both were far above the standard of living in which she had spent the first fourteen years of her life and she had absolutely noints whatsoever.


    She had totally forgotten about her decision to avoid policemen and had now regained the attributes of her old self except for the fact that she now woke up at 6am and slept at 10pm.


    She had lost all her excess fat and was now back to being trim, slim and muscr. She had even rose to be the captain of the neighborhood girls football team of six who yed only on weekends.


    At the moment, they were looking to renew their persuasion of their male counterparts in the area to take them on as opponents in a football match, but so far, the boys had proven to be slippery and full of excuses. Caro suspected that it was due to the ruthless beating she had given their leader when he yfully tweaked her breast after she had rejected his amorous advances. The rest of the girls did not know about the incident and she had no ns to tell them, hence their continuous badgering of the boys.


    Though food wasn¡¯t as luxurious as it was in Trisha¡¯s ce, Caro enjoyed the same privilege of having supper with Madam Mary every night. It was during one such meal session that the woman decided to broach the subject of Caro¡¯s future.


    ¡°Caro, how old are you sef?¡±, she asked, looking directly at the girl.


    At the sound of the question, Caro became frozen in mid-action of taking food from the te to her mouth. It was apletely unexpected question! After oveing the initial shock, her Lies Recording Unit needed some time to boot. To buy time, she faked a cough and quickly into escted it into a non-stop affair.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, take water,¡± the woman encouraged, rubbing her back and pouring her a cup of water.


    After emptying the cup, Caro belched and coughed some more before looking directly at her and croaked, ¡°Fifteen. I¡¯m fifteen years old.¡± The Lies Recording Unit hade through.


    ¡°Take more water,¡± the woman instructed, ignoring her answer.


    Caro obeyed and they continued the meal in silence. There was no fear in her heart because her brain¡¯s Lies Recording Unit had also confirmed that she had never lied about her age to Madam Mary, the only lie she had told was about how she ended up being homeless.


    It was after they had finished eating that the woman decided to continue the conversation.


    ¡°So you¡¯re fifteen¡­ which ss did you leave school?¡±


    ¡°JSS3,¡± Caro replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Which year?¡±


    ¡°This year.¡±


    ¡°Eh?! This year?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Caro nodded. ¡°The woman I was living with sent me to school and I was still preparing for my junior WAEC when she died in the ident.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So that means you can still enter school and write the exam na, abi?¡±


    ¡°Only private school, ma,¡± Caro replied, glumly.


    ¡°But you can start SS1 in government school,¡± the woman said, clearly thinking aloud.


    Caro looked at her in puzzlement. What on earth was this woman thinking? An orange seller thinking of sending her back to school? Did she know how much it would take to pay and bribe your way into registering a new student into a private school in time for the final junior exams?


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the woman sighed, getting to her feet. ¡°God will help sha.¡±


    And what did she mean by that, Caro wondered as she watched her leave for her room.


    *****


    ¡°Chidinma, give me this ball na. Why are you doing like this? Am I not one of your men?¡±


    ¡°Eh? One of which men?¡±, Chidinma scoffed as she released a shot Caro¡¯s way. ¡°You that cut my ne how many days ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah ah. You still remember that small mistake that happened many weeks ago,¡± Joy pouted.


    ¡°Eh eh? A mistake that cost me one thousand naira is small, abi?¡±


    ¡°Come, you guys,¡± Caro sighed. ¡°If you people want to y, y. If you want to argue, go home and argue. Every time, chor chor chor chor chor like parrots.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of that? Who called your name in this conversation?¡±, Joy fired back.


    Caro, who was still holding the ball, quickly dropped it and strode over to the girl, squaring her shoulders as she went.


    ¡°Joy, repeat what you just said,¡± she demanded as she towered over her smaller statured neighbor.


    ¡°I said, ¡®what is the meaning of that?''¡±, Joy repeated in a very different tone.


    ¡°And what is not the meaning of that?¡±, Caro retorted, her voice a few octaves higher. ¡°Answer me na, Joy!¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡­ it was just an innocent question,¡± Joy mumbled, keeping her eyes on the ground as the other team members watched in total and sacred silence.


    ¡°You better warn yourself o, Joy,¡± Caro cautioned, sending the girl staggering as she jabbed her forehead with her forefinger. ¡°If you talk to me like that again eh, the kind of p I will give you, even after you die it will still be ringing in your head.¡±


    ¡°The way you are bullying people in this ce eh, you this Caro,¡± sighed Millicent, the oldest of the girls who was seating crosslegged on the ground.


    ¡°And what will you do about it?¡±, Caro demanded, turning to her.


    ¡°Nothing o. But one day, you will see somebody that will bully you too.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean? Are you trying to swear for me or what?¡±


    ¡°No o,¡± Millicent shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to tell you the fact. You know, I¡¯m older than you¡­¡±


    ¡°So you think you can talk to me anyhow, abi?¡±


    ¡°Caro, your Mummy is calling you,¡± Sarah suddenly interrupted. Caro turned to face her and also heard the voice of Madam Mary shouting her name.


    ¡°Ma! I¡¯ming!¡±


    With onest re at Millicent, she jogged off to go answer the summons of her guardian.


    As they watched her leave, the rest of the team could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. They had elected her as captain not only for her speed, dribbling skills and fiery shots, but also because though she was the youngest, she was the only one who could rule the team with an iron fist and ensure discipline and order. She was the Supreme Queen, both on and off the pitch.


    When Caro reached the house, she found Madam Mary seated outside on the verandah.


    ¡°Caro, where you dey since? I¡¯ve been shouting your name for how many hours now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, ma. We were ying ball.¡±


    ¡°You better not y too hard o. I want you to wake up very early in the morning tomorrow. We are going somewhere by 6:30.¡±


    ¡°Okay, ma,¡± Caro nodded.


    ¡°Oya give me key let me enter house. You can go and y your ball.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma.¡±

 CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

    The next morning, 6:30am found Caro and her guardian on a vehicle headed for only Madam Mary knew where. She hade to trust the woman so much that it never crossed Caro¡¯s mind to ask or wonder where they were going. She sat obediently beside her as the rickety tricycle sped along in the cool dawn weather.


    Once in a while, she would nce at the serious-looking woman and wonder what exactly was going through her mind. Was she reminiscing about herte husband, or was she thinking about her fruit selling business? It was only when she instructed the tricycle driver to ¡®drop us for here¡¯ that Caro began to wonder where they were. Still inside the tricycle, she could not see the very unfamiliar environment as clearly as she¡¯d have liked, but she hadplete trust in her guardian¡¯s judgement, so there was no reason to worry.


    When they had alighted from the little vehicle, Caro found herself standing a few hundred metres away from tworge double storey buildings that seemed as old as her. The ce looked very much like the headquarters of a government agency or something of the sort, but it was devoid of human activity.


    ¡°Come,¡± Madam Mary instructed and she followed her into thepound.


    Caro did not see the badly ced signboard as they went further into the yard; her eyes were more on the building and the road ahead. Madam Mary led her all the way to an open office in the first story of one of the buildings. Caro could see a man scribbling behind a desk and she wondered who on Earth he was. Madam Mary knocked on the open door and he quickly looked up. ¡°Come in,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ah! Mrs. Maxwell, you came on time. How do you do? Please sit. Is this the girl?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My daughter, Carolina.¡±


    ¡°Good Morning, sir,¡± Caro promptly curtsied.


    ¡°Good Morning, youngdy. How do you do?¡±


    ¡°Very fine, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Please sit. Like I said, Madam, you came right on time. Like I told you yesterday, I would not have had time to attend to you if you hade during school hours.¡±


    School hours, Caro thought. What exactly was going on here?


    ¡°Aha, here they are,¡± the man said, producing two sheets of paper and a notebook and cing them before Caro. ¡°Fill these forms, youngdy. And then write your details here.¡±


    Caro looked to her guardian who gave her approval with an almost imperceptible nod. Then she took up the pen the man had ced on the book and proceeded to fill the forms. Madam Mary looked over her shoulder and watched her as she wrote. As she filled in her date of birth, Caro could not help but thank her stars that she had not lied to her guardian about her age otherwise she would have been exposed today. She knew it was absurd, but she hoped that there was no part of any of the forms that required truthful exnation of how she became homeless.


    When she had written all that needed to be written, she handed everything to the man who quickly scanned through it all and nodded satisfaction.


    ¡°Good. Good. Um¡­ that¡¯s all. Congrattions, youngdy. You are now a bonafide student of this great establishment.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sir,¡± Caro mumbled, trying hard to keep her emotions in check.


    ¡°So¡­ no other thing, abi?¡±, Madam Mary asked.


    ¡°No other thing. You have made the payments and she has filled the forms. She can now resume immediately, anytime from tomorrow till next week Monday. Because Monday is when the most important preparations will begin.¡±


    ¡°Okay. She wille tomorrow. Thank you, Principal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mrs. Maxwell. See you soon, youngdy.¡±


    Caro did not reply. She could not reply. She followed her guardian out of the office and staggered lightheadedly after her as they made for the road. Was it really possible? Was she really going to be a schr again and possibly sit for her final exams? She had long since ruled out this possibility, thinking that no miracle could make her write the final junior exams, at least not for one more year. It was that helplessness and frustration that had fueled her sometimes harsh behavior towards her ymates back at home. They were all in school and she was the orange and cucumber-selling semi-literate who had no future other than the 3-a-side football they yed on dry weekends. She had imagined that they all looked down on her which had made her pre-empt any harsh behavior with a harsh behavior of her own. But looking back now, she felt so ashamed of herself. She really had to make amends, but she was too proud to think of apologizing to them. Instead, she decided that she would make it up to them by giving them free fruits. That would be enough to make them forgive all her sins.


    Madam Mary and her ward boarded another tricycle that took them back home. Both maintainedplete silence during the journey. Caro was in a semi-trance state while her guardian looked relieved. When they arrived home, they began preparations to head over to the market for the day¡¯s business. It was while they were concluding the preparations that Caro finally found her voice. She simply went to her guardian and knelt down before her.


    ¡°God will bless you, ma. Everything you have done for me, God will reward you one million¡­ ten billion¡­ hundred trillion times. I will never disappoint you. I will work very hard. I will make you proud. You will not regret sen¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Caro,¡± she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m already proud of you. The daughter I never had, that is what you are. Keep being a good girl, my dear. Get up, my dear, get up.¡±


    Caro got to her feet and subsequently lost control of her emotions. Mary held her in a tight hug as she babbled more vows and promises amid flowing tears.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

    After sessfully sitting for her final junior exams, Caro prayed for sess while she awaited the results. She knew she had done her best in the exams and had tried as much as possible to avoid getting on the bad side of the invigtors or school staff.


    She really hoped that she would not have any reason to re-sit any subject because she wanted to be done with that private school once and for all. It wasn¡¯t ptable to her how Madam Mary spent so much just so she could write the exams and any more association with that greedy school would mean more money still. She just could not wait to join a public school.


    ¡°Caro! Caro!¡±, her guardian called, and she quickly abandoned her washing at the side of the house and rushed to the front.


    ¡°Ma! I¡¯m here!¡±


    Sighting her, Madam Mary simply grabbed her and held her in a tight hug. Caro was confused and did not know what to think as the woman held her tight for several minutes in total silence.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    When she broke the hug, her face was all smiles which further added to her ward¡¯s confusion. But she said nothing to enlighten her. She simply reached into her bag and extracted arge envelope and handed it to Caro. The girl quickly dried her hands on her wrapper and grabbed the envelope. She flipped it open and brought out its lone content. First nce gave her heartbeat an increased tempo, but after running her eye down the paper, she squealed in joy and jumped into the arms of her guardian like a little child!


    Later that evening was a memorable time for Caro. It was Saturday and there was no much work to be done, so it was celebration galore. For the first time since she left Trisha¡¯s house, Caro enjoyed her choice of soft drinks. She was sure the woman would have bought a bottle of champagne if she could afford it ¨C she looked so happy and fulfilled that a stranger would think she was the one who had passed the exams.


    After theirte and borate supper, she took it further by inviting Caro to a game of ludo. Up until then, Caro had no idea that a ludo board existed in the house or that the woman could y, but throughout the duration of the games that night, Caro did not win any round. And she had been a local champion back in the vige!


    *****


    It was easy business for Caro to gain admission into a senior secondary school and within a week, she had been appointed as the ss perfect. Neat, smartly dressed, discipline, efficient, mostly honest and standing at almost six feet, even the big bullies in the ss knew where they stood with her: behind.


    She ruled the ss like a kingdom and even grumbling became a sacrilege. At the end of the first term, the ss won the award for the best-behaved ss in the school and Caro herself won the award for the best-behaved girl in the school.


    The sound of her name brought shivers to her ssmates and joy to her teachers. The age-old culture of bringing along a cane whenever you came to teach SS1 died a mysterious death. Students of SS1 became the most punctual, quiet and least difficult of all students in the entire school and it didn¡¯t take long before it began to reflect on their report cards.


    Even though Caro maintained her customary first position, teachers found it difficult to score other students. Almost no one in the ss did below average and their ss teacher was forced to stop announcing positions after each exam result was out.


    When Caro breezed into the next ss (SS2), her former ss teacher advised her guardian to pull her out of the school before the end of the second term and enroll her in a private school, so she could write the final senior exams with SS3 students. ording to him, he was sure she would easily do better than most of them in the exams. It was around this time that Caro felt the need to broach the subject of work to her guardian, but that woman would not hear of it. She maintained that since her business was doing very well after opening a shop at her house and renting out the one at the market, Caro had no need for any kind of work. When the girl argued that fruit selling was not a profession, the woman retorted, saying that that was why people went to school ¨C so they could learn a profession and get a good office job. Left with no other option, Caro was forced to inform her that she could sew very well, but her guardian replied that even if she had all the money in the world, she would never buy a sewing machine for her to start such a business.


    After several evenings of back and forth arguments, Madam Mary finally conceded and allowed her to get work in a shop owned by a friend of her friend. But on one condition: that shee first in her second term exams in the private school.


    ***


    Caro knew very well what she was doing when she decided to get a job in a cloth-making venture. She knew how expensive her final senior exams would be and she had no wish to put all the burden on her over-willing guardian. She would secretly pay for as many things as she could and leave the conspicuous fees for Madam Mary to handle. Already, she had a healthy amount of savings stashed away and it would most likely also be employed in paying for some of the numerous fees and levies associated with her final exams. So she really did not need anyone to tell her that she needed to work hard on her studies since she had no wish or means to write the exam twice.

 CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

    In her first week at work, Caro struggled to adjust. Even though she quickly stood out as one of the best and most experienced tailors, the environment was far from friendly and warm. Only the machines talked and the owner of the ce was an unsmiling, arrogant vixen who demanded nothing but the best and could not give a quarter of it herself. Caro loathed her. The head of the working tailors, of which Caro was one, was a glum woman of very few words and swift hands. She was not harsh, but the fact that she relied so much on her hands for almost every form ofmunication made Caro think that she was in the wrong ce. Running a school for the deaf would have suited her best.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    The only person Caro felt warmth from was Millicent, her neighborhood friend who had just left school after getting pregnant and was now learning how to sew. They spent their short breaks together, eating and gossiping, and Millicent feltfortable asking Caro for help with her sewing difficulties whenever she liked.


    They were opposites, the girls. One quiet, rxed and matronly with a calming smile and the other determined, fearless and downright hardworking. So Caro always wondered why someone as mature and wise as Millicent could be foolish enough to get pregnant while still in school and this was the exact question she asked her during one of their breaks.


    ¡°Well, what can I say,¡± the older girl shrugged with a tired smile. ¡°It¡¯s just the life of a woman.¡±


    ¡°What life of which woman?¡±, Caro retorted. ¡°Are you the only woman in the world? What about me?¡±


    Millicentughed at this. ¡°You that hates boys more than Jesus hates the Devil.¡±


    ¡°Who says I hate boys? I only hate stupid boys.¡±


    ¡°And yet, you still don¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°What do I need a boyfriend for?¡±, Caro hissed.


    ¡°Ha! So you want to do die single, abi?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s the fear of dying single that made you go and get pregnant, eh?¡±


    ¡°Caro, stop trying to make it look as if I¡¯vemitted a big sin. You¡¯re 17 and I¡¯m 20. Me getting pregnant is not the same thing as you getting pregnant. Because I started schoolte and we ended up in the same ss doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re mates. By the way, I wonder where you¡¯ll see a man tall enough to handle a NEPA pole like you,¡± she mocked, giggling.


    ¡°Well, short people are always jealous of tall people,¡± Caro shrugged.


    ¡°Eh? Who are you calling short? When you first came to this town, were you up to my shoulder? Now, because of too much orange and watermelon, you have grown like agric fowl.¡±


    ¡°Agric fowl is fat, me I¡¯m not fat.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re long. In fact, you¡¯re high. When you get pregnant, your stomach will contain six children at the same time, one on top of the other.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not serious,¡± Caro hissed, raising her blouse and tapping her belly. ¡°My stomach is a normal stomach like every other stomach. If¡­¡±


    ¡°See muscle. Ah! Caro, are you sure this your stomach will carry any child? What are you doing with all those muscles? Are you a man?¡±


    Just then, the corner of Caro¡¯s eye caught a movement and her intended retort was quickly forgotten. She looked in the direction where she had noticed the movement and found her boss¡¯ son staring at her or rather, her belly. Immediately, she dropped her blouse and got to her feet.


    ¡°Millicent, let¡¯s go,¡± she simply said and walked back toward the area where they did their work. The break was almost over anyway.


    ¡°I think that one would like to impregnate you,¡± Millicent whispered to her as they went, referring to their boss¡¯ son.


    ¡°I¡¯ll castrate him with my left hand,¡± Caro hissed, eliciting a giggle from her friend.


    A weekter, Caro had long forgotten about her boss¡¯ son staring at her belly and was focused on doing more work and studying harder and faster for her second term exams. So it came as quite a surprise when Michael (her boss¡¯ son) asked her to meet him ¡®at the back¡¯ ¨C the part of the ce where workers and apprentices rxed during breaks. The message was delivered by one of the apprentices and though she didn¡¯t feelfortable with it, Caro imagined that he was calling her on behalf of his mother. So instead of questioning the messenger, she left her work and went to the back of the building.


    On getting there, she found Michael leaning with his back on the building and no one else was in sight. She was perplexed. If his mother was not here, then why had he asked her toe?


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re here,¡± he said, as if he¡¯d only just noticed her presence.


    ¡°What did you call me for?¡±, Caro demanded.


    ¡°Hmm. Come closer,¡± he beckoned, licking his lips and running his eyes up and down her body. She hesitated a little before going closer to him.


    ¡°Look,¡± he began in a low tone, ¡°let me not talk too much. I¡¯ll go straight to the point. You see, I like you. You are beautiful, you know. And ehhh¡­ you¡¯re smart. And¡­ you know¡­ why don¡¯t you just give me your number?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a phone,¡± Caro lied, standing akimbo and staring at him as if he was a suspicious artefact in a museum.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ okay. I¡¯ll buy one for you, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    It seemed the answer he least expected to hear, but when he had recovered from his shock, he licked his lips again and continued, ¡°Emm¡­ okay. Ehhh¡­ where do you stay?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Well, so I cane and see you and¡­ you know, maybe do one or two things together.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I said, No! Thank you, I¡¯m not interested in doing one, two or three things together with you. Goodbye.¡±


    She turned to walk away and he grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.


    ¡°My friend, leave my hand alone!¡±, she barked, flinging her arm from his grasp. Then she looked him up and down with scorn written all over her face. ¡°You don¡¯t even know your mate. Next time, look for a child in your age group. Idiot.¡±


    With a short hiss, she turned back and walked off.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you in this ce. Just watch and see,¡± he called after her, but she ignored him and went back to her work.


    When Millicent saw her friend take a seat andmence work with a deep frown on her face, she wondered what had gone wrong. Had their boss reprimanded her, or was there something much bigger going on? After checking to see that the leader of the working tailors (who also doubled as supervisor of the apprentices) was well absorbed in her work, she slid off her chair and made her way to Caro¡¯s station.


    ¡°Caro, what is it? What happened?¡±, she whispered.


    ¡°Is it not¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhh! Lower your voice na.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized with a sigh.


    ¡°So what happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that stupid Michael of a boy.¡±


    ¡°What happened? What did he do?¡±


    ¡°He said I should give him my number and that ehh¡­. he wants to do one or two things with me and all sort of rubbish talk.¡±


    ¡°Ehen? And so? Is that why you¡¯re angry?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±, Caro blurted in surprise. ¡°Millicent, what did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said, is that why you¡¯re angry? Or are you deaf now?¡±


    Caro simply chuckled and shook her head in pity. ¡°Anyway, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. If it was you, I¡¯m sure you would have pulled your pant and opened your legs for him right there. No wonder you got pregnant while still in school.¡±


    Millicent was stung! She opened her mouth to deliver an angry retort, but closed it again immediately. She stood to her full height and red down at her friend.


    ¡°I don¡¯t me you,¡± she spat and walked back to her station.


    Caro had been expecting a barrage of insults, but the four words she had received were too much for her to handle. She just did not know what to do with herself. She looked at Millicent across the room, but the older girl was tackling her sewing assignment with a determined look on her face. Caro knew she had crossed a line and she thought about going to apologize, but her pride needed to have its own say. It suggested that there was no need for an apology because, by saying what she said, Millicent had iting. It was just a blunt truth, by the way, not that it was a lie. But her conscience, on the other hand, told her that Millicent was older and was the only friend she had in the ce; it would be a disaster to lose her.


    The inner struggle inside Caro¡¯s mind was heavy and it was not something that could be ignored. Atst, she decided to wait. Perhaps an opportunity of some sort would present itself or maybe, with time, Millicent would forgive her.


    When it was time to head home, an opportunity still had note and to make matters worse, Millicent totally avoided Caro. She did not go to the backyard during break and neither did she look in her direction at any point in time. The workers were supposed to close at least an hour before the apprentices, but this time, Caro stayed behind until it was time for Millicent to go home, then she tailed her.


    When the group of apprentices had said their final goodbyes at the junction where they all parted ways to their different destinations, Caro was left alone with Millicent. Immediately, she doubled her steps to catch up with the older girl who was marching fast and hard like a soldier on an important mission.


    ¡°Millicent,¡± Caro called as she ran after her. But her friend didn¡¯t slow down.


    ¡°Millicent na,¡± Caro called again, in a pleading voice.


    Suddenly, the older girl came to a halt. Caro was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but Millicent whirled round andnded a blinding p across her face! Caro covered her face with both hands for a few seconds and all of a sudden, burst into tears. It wasn¡¯t the p that hurt her, it was her remorse for what she had said that was expressing itself through her tears. She was sorry and yes, she deserved the p. But no words were spoken. Millicent hugged her crying friend and allowed her to sob on her shoulder. Few minutester, they were headed home, chatting andughing like it had never happened.

 CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

    Caro sat for her second term exams with the confidence that she was very well prepared and would easilye out on top. And she wasn¡¯t proven wrong when the results finally came out, but the only problem was that someone was also on top of her! She came second in the exams. The margin in marks was very slim, but the sight of that ¡®2¡¯ brought tears to her eyes. It meant that not only had she failed to keep her own end of the bargain (toe first) in order to continue working, she had also let herself and her generous guardian down. To her, neither of them deserved anything less than 1st position.


    She folded or rather, squeezed the ¡®disappointing¡¯ report card, stuffed it into her bag and left for home, ignoring calls from her ssmates and friends.


    Caro walked like someone in a trance into the parlour of her guardian¡¯s residence. She had not noticed Madam Mary sitting at the shop-front and it was at the second call of her name that made Caro realise that she had been detached from reality.


    ¡°Ma!¡±, she answered as she ran outside to meet her guardian.


    ¡°Ah ah, Caro. Wetin happen to your ear? You mean you did not hear when I called you as you were passing here?¡±


    ¡°Sorry ma,¡± Caro apologized, curtsying. ¡°I swear, I did not hear.¡±


    ¡°So how was school today?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Fine ma.¡±


    Mary then turned her attention straight ahead and Caro thought it her cue to leave.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your report card na? Won¡¯t you show me?¡±, the woman suddenly asked, shocking her.


    ¡°Eh? Ehh¡­ re¡­ report card?¡±, Caro stuttered, slowly turning round to face her.


    ¡°Yes na. Amaka has collected her own. Abi they did not give you your own?¡±


    ¡°Em¡­ ye¡­ yes, they gave me.¡±


    ¡°Then bring it let me see. I¡¯m sure you passed everybody,¡± Mary said, smiling proudly.


    But Caro could not return the smile. She was sweating and fumbling around in her school bag with her shaking hands. At first, she could not find the report card and she was beginning to feel better. How d she would be if that ursed thing were to get lost forever! But fate did not grant her wish. Her fingers soon made contact with it and she slowly pulled it out of the bag as if it was a bomb or some hazardous material.


    ¡°Why did you fold it like this na?¡±, Mary remarked as she received the paper from her ward. She unfolded it and began to scrutinize the contents, oblivious to the abnormal heartrate of Caro.


    ¡°Hmm. English, A. Maths, A. Chemistry, A. Everything, A A A. You tried, my dear. Come and give me a hug.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s second o,¡± Caro confessed, refusing to move an inch.


    ¡°What is second?¡±


    ¡°I took second.¡± ¡°Really? I did not see it o. Ah, I will buy you a new shoe, very fine one.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±, Caro blurted in surprise. ¡°New shoe?¡±


    ¡°Or you want another thing?¡±


    ¡°No no. I¡­ I like it.¡±


    ¡°Oya,e and give me a hug.¡±


    This time, Caro leaned into her open arms and allowed her fold her into a warm embrace. She could not help but recognize how differently her biological parents would have treated her. As he always did after seeing her report card, her father would have berated her for not taking after him in academic brilliance. ording to him, he always came first in his school days, even though he never got anywhere near the four walls of a ssroom. But who could dare remind him of that?


    The days after the receiving her report card, Caro continued to go to work, which really surprised her. She had expected her guardian to hold her to her end of the bargain, but instead, she had gone ahead to fulfill her promise by buying her a set of trendy shoes and football boots which gave her immense joy and made her the envy of her friends and colleagues. Mary had not once mentioned the agreement they had entered and Caro was forced to put it down to her kind and motherly nature, knowing fully well that she was not one to forget such things. She thanked her stars for having met such a woman and could not help but wish that she was the one who had given birth to her.


    With Millicent now on good terms with her, Caro continued working as a tailor, making money and gaining more experience at the same time. She had no care in the world and was bent on nothing but finishing secondary school and getting into university. She only cared what she hoped to do for herself, while being totally oblivious of what others were thinking of doing for or rather, to her.


    One fateful afternoon, she was hard at work on a set of school sweaters for children when the human silence and her concentration was broken by a sudden shout of her name. It was the boss¡¯ voice and it emanated from the ¡®material room¡¯. Caro quickly left her station and hurried over to the room. She found the boss talking to an apprentice while her son sat close by.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, ma,¡± Caro said.


    ¡°Ehen,¡± the woman turned her attention to her. ¡°You, how many yards did I say you should take from this material?¡±, she asked, pointing to folds of a thick cloth ced on the table in front of her.


    ¡°Five yards, ma,¡± Caro answered.


    ¡°Then howe it looks like they have taken ten yards from it? And who did all this useless cutting?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ma, I swear¡­¡±


    ¡°Swear for yourself! You this thief! So this is how you have been stealing my materials to go and sell, abi? I gave you ess to this material only once and you have sold more than one quarter of it. You know what? Just pack your bag and get out of this ce before I change my mind and call the police.¡±


    ¡°But ma, allow me exin. I did not¡­¡±


    ¡°I said, get out! Don¡¯t you understand English? Pack your bag and go! Don¡¯te back to this ce again, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Ma, I swear in the name¡­¡±


    But the woman didn¡¯t let herplete the statement. She roughly pushed her out of the room, almost making her trip.


    ¡°Pack your bag and get out!¡±, she ordered onest time before marching back to the room.


    Caro turned to have a final glimpse of this heartless creature that was once her boss, that was when she caught sight of her son, Michael, smiling at her and sticking out his tongue in mockery. Aha! Now she knew the source of her predicament.


    ¡°You are still here, abi? You want me to strip you naked and call the police?¡±, the woman threatened as she sighted Caro exchanging bitter nces with her son.


    To avoid further worsening her current quagmire, the girl picked up her bag and walked out of the building amid stares from apprentices and her fellow workers. Millicent had gone on an errand hours before, so there was no one to stop her and ask what happened. Alone, but not forlorn, she trekked back home.


    When Caro arrived home, Madam Mary was seated at the verandah with her phone on herp. One look at her and Caro knew she had heard the news, so she simply walked past her into the parlour.


    ¡°Caro,e back here,¡± Mary ordered.


    The girl shuffled back outside and stood beside her with a glum face.


    ¡°Wetin happen?¡±


    ¡°Nothing ma.¡±


    ¡°Come and sit down,¡± she instructed, patting the space beside her on the bench.


    Caro sat down, grumbling, ¡°I did not steal any material o.¡±


    ¡°I know you did not steal. But what really happened? Talk to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that woman¡¯s son, Michael. He was toasting me, but I refused. Then he said he would deal with me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Mary sighed. ¡°You see why I told you it¡¯s a bad idea to work like this? Abeg, go inside and bathe. There¡¯s food in the kitchen. Don¡¯t worry yourself, dear. We don¡¯t need them for anything. How much are they even paying you?¡±, she hissed.


    Caro wanted to say ¡®more than enough for a girl my age¡¯, but she respectfully kept her mouth shut. She was angry, but Mary was certainly not the right person to turn her anger on. The right person was that idiot, Michael. She would teach him a lesson; she surely would.

 CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

    ¡°Ah, when I heard it eh, I did not believe my ears,¡± Millicent said as she sat beside her friend just in front of her house.


    ¡°I don¡¯t me her,¡± Caro said, referring to her former boss. ¡°It is her son that¡¯s a thief. In fact, her entire family¡­ her entire generation that¡¯s a thief. Useless woman.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, my sister. I know it must be very painful especially since you think that it was Michael¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it, I know it. What I would do to that boy eh, hmm.¡±


    ¡°But look at the bright side of this. He will not be able to see your big bum bum and your six packs again.¡±


    ¡°Come, don¡¯t annoy me o, Millicent!¡±


    ¡°Ah ah, why are you angry? What did I say that¡¯s bad? But seriously o, what will you do now? Have you found another ce?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯ve found another ce, would I be sitting down here?¡±, Caro hissed.


    And then she added in a low tone after a furtive nce at the house, ¡°I don¡¯t even think my Mummy would allow me to work anywhere again. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s happy that I lost this job.¡±


    ¡°Ah ah, why would you say that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you. Do you know how much persuasion I applied just to get her permission for this one?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I know of one ce like that. It¡¯s a fashion business, but they¡¯re looking for tailors that are hardworking and talented, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the ce?¡±, Caro demanded eagerly.


    ¡°It¡¯s somewhere around Bamson sha, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You know the ce na, abi?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°So you can take me there.¡±


    ¡°If you pay for transport for two of us.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    When Caro and her friend were ready to do their investigative visit to the fashion venture, the girl lied to her guardian, who she nowfortably referred to as ¡®Mummy¡¯, that she was apanying Millicent to go run an errand that her mother had sent her on. Mary approved of it and both girls set out on the journey.


    It wasn¡¯t a long ride by bus since that part of town had fairly good roads and within half an hour, they had arrived at their destination. An impressive mega building and an imposing sign of Tim&Olly ¨C that was the sight which weed Caro and her friend. Caro was awed. She stayed closely behind, sweeping her eyes around the ce as Millicent led her into the building. The interior presented arge, modern hall that spoke fashion and style in more ways than one. Everything from the ceiling to the window sses told tales of beautiful colors and charming designs.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± a young receptionist seated behind a marble desk called out to them. ¡°Can I help you? Is there something you need?¡±


    ¡°Em¡­ yes,¡± Millicent answered for both of them as she went to meet the receptionist while Caro focused on surveying her surroundings. ¡°We heard that you guys are looking for talented and¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! What are your names? First names only, please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Millicent. This is Caro.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Great. Um¡­ all you need to do is go down a little and take the first right turn. Just ask anybody you see there for Stan.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Stan, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯ll attend to you. Thank you foring!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    And both girls went in search of Stan.


    They were just about to take the turn when a young maning from the opposite direction almost bumped into them.


    ¡°Oh sorry,¡± both parties apologized. But suddenly, the young man stared intently at them, especially Caro.


    ¡°Hey!¡±, he fairly eximed, smiling boyishly. ¡°We meet again, huh?¡±


    Caro stared at his face and it took her only milliseconds to recognize him. Mr. Cucumbers! She gave a long hiss and breezed past him. Her confused friend had no choice but to follow.


    ¡°Nice to see you again,¡± Timmy called after them, but got no response whatsoever.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡±, Millicent asked as she struggled to keep up with her marching friend.


    ¡°It¡¯s one idiot like that, that used to buy cucumber when me and my Mummy were still selling in the market.¡±


    ¡°Ah ah slow down na. Where are you going there? They say we should ask somebody here. Ah.¡±


    ¡°Sorry jare,¡± Caro hissed as she came to a sudden halt just before the next turn. ¡°It¡¯s that useless idiot that just annoyed me.¡±


    She stood and waited as Millicent called the attention of a tall young man who was making his way in the direction they hade.


    ¡°Excuse me, please. We¡¯re looking for Stan. They told us we can find him here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Stan. What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Millicent was a little taken aback. She had been expecting someone a bit older.


    But she quickly recovered and said, ¡°Em.. we heard that you people are looking for talented and hardworking tailors, that¡¯s why we are here.¡±


    Caro, who was now beside her friend, looked intently at Stan as if she could read his intended response on his face. But in fact, she was in suspense and hoping for a positive reply.


    ¡°So you girls are talented and hardworking?¡±, Stan asked interestedly.


    ¡°No o. Actually, yes. It¡¯s my friend, Caro. I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m still developing,¡± Millicent replied, pushing Caro forward.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the talented and hardworking one and you¡¯re the developing one.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± both girls nodded in unison.


    ¡°Great. Come with me, let¡¯s go hunt down the T part of T&O.¡±


    The girls tagged behind him as he led them back where they hade. Just as they rounded the corner, he came to a halt and smiled.


    ¡°Aha. There he is. Sir! Excuse me. Just a minute, please.¡±


    The person he had called promptly left his discussion and began walking toward them with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡±, Caro asked of Stan.


    ¡°Oh, him? He¡¯s the co-owner. Or more offi¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh?! Co-owner? Of this ce?¡±, Caro blurted in shock.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Stan shrugged. ¡°Is he too young or what?¡±


    ¡°Millicent, let¡¯s go,¡± Caro simply said just as Timmy reached them.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Stan?¡±, he asked, smiling at the group.


    ¡°Millicent, let¡¯s go na!¡±


    Her confused friend was again forced to follow her lead.


    ¡°Nice meeting you again,¡± Timmy called after them as one friend dragged the other toward the exit. They ignored the receptionist¡¯s questions and subsequently ended up outside the building.


    Just as they stepped out into the street, Millicent sharply withdrew her arm.


    ¡°What was the meaning of that nonsense?¡±, she shouted angrily.


    ¡°Eh en? So you¡¯re angry at me, eh? Me that supposed to be angry at you for taking me to that useless ce w¡­¡±


    ¡°What useless ce? So it¡¯s a sin to help you, abi? You wanted work and I took you to a very good ce and you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you take me to a better ce that¡¯s not owned by idiots?¡±, Caro retorted.


    ¡°This is the only ce I know! If you don¡¯t like it, go and look for another one yourself. Ungrateful thing. Just look at ho¡­ how you disgraced me there. By the way, what did that guy even do to you¡­ eh? What did he do to you, Mrs. Ice Queen?!¡±


    Caro was shell shocked! ¡°Millicent.. what did you just call me?¡±


    But before Millicent could answer, she was already stomping away in the direction of the main road. To avoid being left behind and stranded, the older girl had to run after her, holding down her baggy blouse under her slightlyrge abdomen as the wind pped it about.


    *****


    Caro was not deterred by the long wait. She could wait all day if it came down to it. She just needed to fix this today, once and for all. Any other person would think that this was not necessary since she had already gotten a job with a tailor close to her house, but not Caro. She was not one to leave any debt unpaid. She believed in returning favours just as she had received them.


    As she sat on the window of the abandoned upleted building that was just beside the bush path, chewing noisily on a piece of sweet gum, she felt nothing but patience and calm. She had lied to her Mummy that she was going to visit Millicent, so she had enough time to do her thing and return home.


    She first heard him before she saw him. He was talking on his phone as he navigated through the bush path. She did not care to listen to his conversation, all she wanted was to see him. So she waited until she could hear his shoes crunching down on stones and dry branches. He finished his phone call just before he came into view and was in the process of dialing another number when he saw her leave the upleted building to block his path.


    ¡°We meet again, huh?¡±, she said, aware she had just imitated someone, but could not remember who.


    In response, heughed a short derisiveughter. ¡°You! What are you doing here? You¡¯re now working in upleted building?¡±, he mocked.


    ¡°No o, Michael. I came to wee you. And also to ask you one question.¡±


    ¡°What stupid question is that?¡±, he asked in an amused tone as he stood akimbo.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you,¡± Caro began, taking a few steps toward him, ¡°just one simple question. Did you¡­ or do you feel sorry for making me lose my job?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±, he blurted, bursting into anotherughter. ¡°Feel sorry, keh? I enjoyed it na! Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯ll deal with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you told me,¡± Caro nodded.


    ¡°Ehen! So you can see who the man is. I don¡¯t promise and fail.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hmm. I would like to teach you another thing too.¡±


    ¡°Look, just get out of my way,¡± he hissed as he made his way around her, ¡°I have somewhere to go.¡±


    She let him go past her a few feet before she suddenly whirled around and grabbed him by the cor.


    ¡°I¡¯ve not finished teaching you,¡± she said as she dragged him back.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this nonsense? Will you leave my shirt alone!¡±


    She let go of his cor, but before he could rearrange his shirt, she gave his legs a sweeping kick, sending him off his feet.


    ¡°Yey!¡±, he shouted in terror as hended on his back. Swiftly, she straddled him and pinned him to the ground.


    ¡°Wi¡­¡±


    She cut off his intended statement with a stinging p.


    ¡°Ah!¡±, he screamed in pain, struggling unsessfully to get her off him. ¡°What do you want na?!¡±


    Her response was another stinging p on the other cheek, quickly followed by another and another and then another. After five ear-ringing ps, she stopped and pulled his ears with her fingernails. He burst into tears.


    ¡°Have you learnt your lesson yet? Are you sorry now?¡±


    ¡°Yes yes, I¡¯m very sorry,¡± he sobbed.


    With one final stinging p, she got off him and stood aside.


    ¡°Oya, get up,¡± she ordered.


    He staggered to his feet and she looked him up and down with scorn written all over her features.


    ¡°Now, who¡¯s the man?¡±


    ¡°Ma?¡±


    ¡°I said, who is the man!¡±


    ¡°Y¡­ you. It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Now, get out. Run!¡±


    He didn¡¯t need to be told twice. Picking up his fallen shoe, he raced down the bush path as if his life depended on it.

 CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

    Timmy leaned back as he put mental finishing touches to his n. He had to be careful, otherwise failure would be certain. He ran over the main points over and over again until he was satisfied that it was fool-proof. Then he jumped off his chair and left his office, locking the door behind him. He had not moved five paces away from his office door when he heard a familiar voice say, ¡°Okay. Bye bye.¡±


    His first instinct was to hide, but there was nowhere to take cover in the vicinity. Going back to his office was not feasible. The fact that he could hear her meant that she was about to turn the corner which would give her a full view of his office. As he stood there, turning round and walking back and forth in his indecision, she came into view.


    ¡°You wanted to hide from me, abi?¡±, she questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.


    ¡°What! No! Why would I wanna do that? I was just trying to uh¡­ think of something I might have forgotten.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Come and attend to me abeg,¡± she hissed, walking toward his office. He followed right behind her and quickly opened the door to let her in.


    ¡°Make yourselffortable, Trace. I was just on my way out, so I¡¯ll ask uh¡­ Jim or Stan to uh.. give you everything you need.¡±


    ¡°Come, wait o. Why are you treating me like this? As if I don¡¯t pay for what I take.¡±


    ¡°Come on, I know you do and I appreciate it,¡± Timmy smiled, even though he knew how she always bullied her way into paying far below the normal price. ¡°The thing is that I¡¯ve got somewhere really important that I¡­¡±


    ¡°Somewhere that¡¯s more important than your sister, eh?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll be well attended to. In fact, you don¡¯t even have to pay for whatever you take away today.¡±


    ¡°So you want to bribe me? I¡¯m now a small child that you¡¯ll bribe with a toy, so you can escape, abi?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Tracy, it¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°Where on earth are you going that you cannot spend just 30 minutes for your elder sister? So this is how you want to repay me after all the sufferings me and Dora went through because of you? I don¡¯t me you. When you have such a sessful business, how won¡¯t you forget those who took care of you?¡±, she hissed.


    ¡°Come on, sis,¡± Timmy sighed, secretly wondering what care and sufferings she was referring to. ¡°You know I love and appreciate you and I have promised that you¡¯ll be well attended to. If anything goes wrong, just call me. But right now, I¡¯ve got an appointment to keep. See youter, sis. Love you!¡±


    With that, he ran out of the office, taking herpletely unawares.


    ¡°Timothy, will youe back here!¡±, she shouted after him, but he had gone out of earshot.


    ***


    When Timmy arrived at his first destination, he parked his car near the building and looked at it through his window. He would have loved to see the girl without the knowledge of her boss, but it seemed that would be one hell of a mammoth task. How on earth would he go about this? A uniformed girl ran out of the building, obviously going on an errand. Seeing her, Timmy¡¯s heart leapt in joy. He opened the door and alighted from the car, but just then, the girl stopped and ran back again into the building. Perhaps she had forgotten something? Timmy stood beside his car, waiting for her to return.


    It took several minutes, but the girl eventually returned ¨C this time, walking.


    ¡°Hey hi,¡± Timmy called as she walked past his car.


    She turned around to regard him suspiciously, but seeing his car, her demeanor changed.


    ¡°Excuse me a minute, please,¡± Timmy said as he walked closer to her. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ need you to do a little something for me. There¡¯s a girl in there, working with you guys. Her name¡¯s Millicent. Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl answered, nodding enthusiastically.


    ¡°Great,¡± Timmy smiled as he reached in his back pocket to extract his wallet. He pulled out a five hundred naira note and handed it to the girl. ¡°I just need you to tell her that I¡¯d like to have a word with her.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the girl nodded and swiftly made for the building.


    ¡°Hey hey hey,¡± Timmy called in a whisper and she ran back to him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do it now. Go do whatever it is you wanted to do. When you return, you can tell her.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Another ¡®Okay¡¯ and the girl sped off on her first errand. Timmy opened his car door and sat on the driver seat, facing outside, awaiting her return.


    Ten minutes into his wait was when Timmy realized that he had no idea how long the girl would take. He didn¡¯t even know what she had been sent to do. For all he knew, it might take her hours or even the whole day. The smart thing to do would have been to take her with his car and bring her back, but he never thought of that at the time, so he would have to wait for God knows how many more (hopefully,) minutes. His only constion was that the girl had not said she would take long, so it probably meant that she won¡¯t. If only he had allowed her to call Millicent before going on her errand. He just didn¡¯t want to attract their boss¡¯ suspicion.


    **


    About half an hour after her departure, the apprentice returned. She replied Timmy¡¯s nod with a nod of her own as she ran past him into the building.


    The next few minutes were heart-pounding for Timmy. Would Millicente or would she not? Hopefully, the money he had given the girl would be more than enough incentive for her to persuade Millicent to see him, even if she didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s you. Good Morning.¡±


    Timmy was startled by her sudden appearance beside the door of his car.


    ¡°Oh hi. Um¡­ how do you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. And you?¡±, she asked, cocking her head to one side.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m great. I just¡­ I just came out here to ask you a little favour.¡±


    ¡°And what might that be?¡±, Millicent demanded, quite sure she knew the answer already.


    ¡°Your friend, the one you came with the other day to¡­¡±


    ¡°Caro, you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, Karow.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about her?¡±, she sighed, folding her arms across her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to, you know¡­ see her and offer her a job. That¡¯s it,¡± Timmy replied, hope in his eyes.


    ¡°Look,¡± Millicent sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know why my friend hates you, but I can¡¯t give you her number or address¡­¡±


    ¡°No no no. Just, you know¡­ point me in the right direction and I¡¯ll ask around. Look, I¡¯ll make it worth your while,¡± he said, quickly reaching for his wallet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your money,¡± Millicent stopped him. ¡°I just want you to swear that you have no bad intentions for my friend.¡±


    ¡°I swear on my mother¡¯s life, I have nothing but beautiful intentions for her.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. You really love her, don¡¯t you?¡±, Millicent asked, smiling coyly.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand,¡± she waved dismissively. ¡°But let me give you one important advice: if you really want to get her, you have to first understand that you can never get her.¡±

 CHAPTER FIFTY

    Timmy kept his eyes open as he drove. In addition to specific directions to Caro¡¯s house, Millicent had also given him a few tips which he would do well never to forget. To go Caro-hunting was no simple business and he could never be too prepared.


    As he sighted therge bungalow with blue and red roofing sheets, he gently slowed down and came to a stop, just as a middle-aged woman exited the first door of the building. Timmy alighted from his car and walked up to meet her, recognizing her from Millicent¡¯s description as Caro¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Good day, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Good day. Can I help you? Are you looking for somebody?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You, actually.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±, the woman was a little taken aback. ¡°Why are you looking for me? Is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, no, no, nothing like that. You¡¯re Karow¡¯s mother, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well, your daughter came up to our offices to inquire about our need for good tailors and it seems she changed her mind in the process. But upon our investigation, we found out that we could surely use a tailor like her. Highly rmended and all. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait. Excuse me,¡± Mary interrupted him. ¡°What kind of thing do you do in your offices?¡±


    ¡°We a¡­ Oh! Speak of the angel. But¡­ she doesn¡¯t look too happy about being spoken of!¡±


    Surprised at his sudden outburst, Mary turned around to find out what had rmed him. She was shocked to see Caro¡­ her very own Caro,ing after the young man, a big broom in hand.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have toe back some other time,¡± Timmy said over his shoulder to her as he hurried to his car.


    ¡°Caro, will you stop that nonsense!¡±, Mary scolded. But her ward was more intent on seeing off her enemy.


    ¡°Don¡¯te back here again o!¡±, she shouted after him as he sped off in his car.


    ¡°What was the meaning of that?!¡±, Mary exploded as the girl turned around. ¡°Are you now a mad woman? Answer me, Caro!¡±


    ¡°Mu¡­¡±


    ¡°Give me that broom!¡±, the woman ordered, snatching the broom from her hand. ¡°Now, disappear inside the house before I open my eyes!¡±


    The girl quickly obeyed, leaving behind a puzzled guardian who was still trying toe to terms with the madness she had just seen her ward disy.


    **


    When Timmy returned to his office, he found it closed, but not locked. He pushed open the door and slumped down on the nearest chair with a sigh. But he was denied the peace he needed to re-examine the urrences of thest few hours. His partner and friend, Olly, walked into the office and stared curiously at him.


    ¡°Are you back already? How did the mission go?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m back,¡± Timmy shrugged. ¡°Defeated and with my tail between my legs.¡±


    ¡°I told you it was a bad idea,¡± Olly sighed as he took a seat at the opposite side of the table. ¡°When a girl starts acting like that, you let her go and look for another one. Too many fishes in the ocean, man.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But that¡¯s just what they are. Fish. For food only. This one ain¡¯t just any fish. She¡¯s a special one. It¡¯s not easy to find a young woman nowadays that holds so strongly to her respect and dignity¡­¡±


    ¡°And hatred of men.¡±


    ¡°Call it whatever you like. But she¡¯s the direct opposite of a slut. She¡¯s not just there for the taking. She knows what she¡¯s about. She¡¯s a real woman. A woman worth hunting¡­ by a real man and¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, let me leave you to your poetry, eh. I have serious and profitable work to do.¡±


    ¡°Be like me, Olly!¡±, Timmy shouted after him as he rushed out of the office. ¡°Get yourself a real woman.¡±


    Olly stopped in his tracks and then turned around and rushed back into the office.


    ¡°Your stupid poetry made me forget what I came to tell you,¡± he hissed as he slid back into the chair.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Your sister¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh God. What did she do this time? Look, whatever she did, try not to be angry. me it all on me. Whatever the expenses involved, I¡¯ll pay. If an apology is necessary, I¡¯ll dly render it. Please, just don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m used to her ways by now,¡± Olly shrugged. ¡°But you didn¡¯t let me finish. Your sister, today, paid for all she bought. At the normal price.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I was as shocked as you when Jim told me. In fact, I asked him to repeat himself. She even tipped many members of staff.¡±


    ¡°Olly, I don¡¯t like the look of this. Who knows if she¡¯s paying for my head and the right to decapitate me right here, without anyone interfering? I didn¡¯t leave her in a very good mood, you know.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing bad with taking off your head here. Just as long as she takes the head and body along, and never return. We¡¯ll dly clean the bloodstains and wish her¡­ Goodbye. See you at 4.¡±


    Timmy didn¡¯t answer. He was deep in thought, wondering the reason why his sister had gone out of character ¨C something she rarely ever did.


    *****


    ¡°So how many buttons were fake?¡±, Timmy demanded.


    ¡°About half,¡± Jim replied.


    ¡°So I guess it wasn¡¯t unintentional. Either way, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be doing business with them again. But what¡­¡±


    His phone suddenly started ringing and he picked it up to look at the caller ID. It was Tracy. He bit down on his upper lip and then turned to Jim, ¡°You know exactly what to do, right? Just put in all the figures and send it up to me, so I can sign it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Give it to Olly if I¡¯m not around by the time you¡¯re done,¡± Timmy added, just as he received the call on his phone.


    ¡°Hi Trace, wadup? I was told of your kind gesture the other day. I mean, you paid for everything and even tipped some of the guys. I¡¯m really grateful, you know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I did it for nothing o,¡± his sister scoffed.


    Guessed as much, Timmy thought.


    ¡°Normally,¡± she continued, ¡°when my friends give me money to buy things for them, I take half and pay you half. I cannot be buying something from my own brother and pay the full amount na. In fact, I don¡¯t even suppose to pay anything sef. But there is this guy there. His name is Jim. Very smart, nice guy like that. I think I like him.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you do. It¡¯s good to know you like someone here,¡± Timmy replied innocently.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of that?¡±, she clipped. ¡°Anyway, can you hook us up?¡±


    ¡°Hook you up? What are you talking about? Hook you up with who?¡±


    ¡°The guy na. Jim.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Jim? Come on, Tracy. Jim is just a kid. He¡¯s nowhere near your age.¡±


    ¡°And so? Doesn¡¯t he have a penis? Or is he as young as that girl you¡¯re chasing around town?¡±


    ¡°Jeez! What girl? I¡¯m not chasing any girl!¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Eh en? Okay na. I¡¯ll tell Dora, Mummy, Daddy, and everybody that cares to know, that you are pursuing underage girls all around Lagos.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God. What on earth have I done to deserve this?¡±, Timmy moaned.


    ¡°That¡¯s your business. If you know you don¡¯t want everybody to hear about your pedophilic exploits, just hook me up with Jim.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll see what I can do. Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I¡­¡±


    He disconnected the call, switched off the phone and threw it on the table.

 CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

    In the days after the incident of chasing off Timmy, Caro noticed a marked change in the way her guardian behaved towards her. The woman was more withdrawn and solemn and Caro was sure that she was still angry with her over that incident. She could not bear for her guardian to be angry with her for too long. So one evening, she approached the woman while she was enjoying sts of fresh air outside on the verandah, something she did more frequently nowadays.


    ¡°Mummy, I want to talk to you o,¡± she murmured as she stood beside her.


    ¡°Talk. I¡¯m listening,¡± Mary replied, without even ncing at her.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Are you still angry with me because of what I did the other day?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the woman sighed. ¡°You surprised me o, Caro. In fact, you shocked me. They say you can never truly know someone. I thought I knew you, but I was wrong.¡±


    Caro squatted beside her and ced both hands on her knee.


    ¡°But it has note to that na. That guy is a very stupid person, that¡¯s why I drove him away. I¡¯m sorry, I did not mean to make you angry.¡±


    ¡°Even if he¡¯s a stupid person, can¡¯t you, out of respect for me, treat him like a human being? You saw him talking to me and you had the guts to chase him away! By the way, how did you know that he is a stupid person?¡±


    ¡°Ah. The idiot came to the shop¡­ that time when we were still selling in the market. He wanted me to call him¡­ abie and meet him somewhere or whatever, saying that he likes me and all sort of rubbish.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    Caro had no answer. She simply looked down, embarrassed.


    ¡°Look here,¡± Mary said, jerking her chin up. ¡°This should be the first andst time you ever insult me like that. Don¡¯t ever try it again. Do you hear me?¡±


    Caro nodded eagerly, kneeling with both knees on the ground. Mary let go of her chin, got up and walked back inside, signaling the end of her anger. Caro breathed a big sigh of relief and gave the finger and an outstretched tongue to an imaginary Timmy in the dark before going inside.


    The next day, first thing in the morning, Caro marched to Millicent¡¯s house. She found her pregnant friend sweeping the front of her parents¡¯ house.


    ¡°Ah, Caro. Good Morning o. How was your night?¡±, the older girl greeted with a smile.


    ¡°What is good about the morning?¡±, Caro shot back, assuming a battle stance. ¡°I¡¯m asking you, what is good about the morning, you this stupid girl!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Caro, have youe to insult me in my house this early morning?¡±


    ¡°Insult you? You are lucky that it¡¯s only insult. If not that you were pregnant eh, I would have beaten you ck and blue this morning.¡±


    ¡°Ah ah, for what na? What did I do to you?¡±, Millicent asked, perplexed and worried.


    ¡°Who gave that Tim&Olly guy my address?¡±


    Silence. Millicent swallowed. She had expected such a boomerang, but since it had note earlier, she thought it had passed from her friend¡¯s mind. Clearly, she was wrong.


    ¡°Look, Caro¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to look at anything! You say you are my friend, but in fact, you are just my worst enemy in disguise. You sent that idiot to my house to destroy my rtionship with my mother, abi? Let me give you breaking news. It did not work. You hear me? Your n did not work! And as from today, I don¡¯t ever want to have anything to do with you¡­ ever again!¡±


    ¡°But Caro¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t Caro me o! I have told you, I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you again. Don¡¯te to my house and me too, I will note to your house. Don¡¯t call my line and I will not call your line. Don¡¯t talk to me and I will not talk to you. I hope you have heard? If you think I¡¯m joking, try me. I swear, you will hate the day you were born. Rubbish.¡±


    She dusted the sand from the soles of her slippers and went back the way she hade.


    Millicent sighed as she watched her leave. As bad and sad as she felt, she couldn¡¯t help but notice and envy therge globes of her friend¡¯s buttocks as they bounced and shook behind their angry owner.


    *****


    Mary was seated outside on the verandah, picking melon seeds when she saw a familiar car drive in and park just a stone-throw away from her. In less than a minute, Timmy had stepped out of the vehicle and began walking towards her. She quickly put her tray aside and got to her feet. He was about to greet her when she stopped him, ¡°Young man, you¡¯re not wee here. My daughter has told me what you tried to do with her at the market. So I want you to leave immediately. And don¡¯te back.¡±


    Timmy was shell shocked! But he quickly recovered himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll leave, but all I ask is half a second to exin myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± the woman said guardedly.


    ¡°Um¡­ when I met your daughter, I admired her confidence and high level of efficiency. I mean, it¡¯s not verymon nowadays to find young women who are focused and dedicated to anything other than frivolous fashion. So I asked for her name. I didn¡¯t mean any harm. I was only fascinated by her maturity. But she wasn¡¯t interested in giving her name, so I gave her my card. Again, I meant no harm. At the time, ahem¡­ we were co-sponsoring a free training and mentorship programme for small and micro business owners. I sincerely thought she would benefit immensely from it.¡±


    ¡°Did you or did you not tell her that she is beautiful?¡±


    ¡°I did, ma¡¯am,¡± Timmy replied, looking unfazed, ¡°and I will do it again if the opportunity presents itself. I believe inplimenting and encouraging young women who choose their natural selves over artificial ad-ons.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Mary sighed, convinced of his harmlessness. ¡°My daughter does not take anything for granted. You have to mind the things you tell her and the way you tell her. She may be stubborn, but she¡¯s also quite sensitive, especially when ites to her pride.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve found out, ma¡¯am. So I¡¯ve found out,¡± Timmy nodded.


    ¡°So what do you want now?¡±, Mary demanded.


    ¡°Well, um¡­ I came to see if I could convince you to prevail on her to ept our offer. We¡¯ve heard from multiple sources that she has quite a huge talent for designs and you know, we can always use more talent.¡±


    ¡°In order words, you want to make money from my daughter by taking advantage of her talent, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Putting it bluntly, yes,¡± Timmy replied without blinking. ¡°But she¡¯ll also be a big beneficiary of the money that would be made.¡±


    Mary sat down on her bench and sighed yet again. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with my daughter working for you, provided you will not mistreat her. But Caro does not like you. She hates you more than her love for sewing and I don¡¯t know why. I know she doesn¡¯t like most boys, but your case is different. The hatred is very strong and hassted for a very long time. Are you sure you haven¡¯t done something very bad to her, maybe unintentionally?¡±


    ¡°I really do not think so. My meeting her at the market earlier this year was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen her. And ording to her friend, same is the case with her. I really don¡¯t know where the hatredes from. It baffles me too, you know.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Mary shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her and see what she says. If you are ready to make an apology¡­¡±


    ¡°I have absolutely no problem with that. In fact, I think I owe her that.¡±


    ¡°Well, just wait till I talk to her and hear what she has to say.¡±


    Timmy nodded in agreement and then suddenly rushed to his car. The surprised Mary thought it was one hell of a way to take his leave and she was about to go back to her melon picking when it urred to her that he might be running because of Caro. She quickly looked up, only to find himing back with a stic bag.


    ¡°This, to help you remember. To talk to her, I mean,¡± he said, handing the bag to her.


    ¡°What is this?¡±, she asked as she pulled the nylon-covered content from it. ¡°So you¡¯re bribing me, abi?¡±, she scoffed as she inspected the luxurious gown.


    ¡°Well,¡± Timmy smiled, ¡°that wasn¡¯t my original intent, but bribing wouldn¡¯t be that bad, I guess.¡±


    She shot him a ¡®what did you just say¡¯ look and he quickly added, ¡°We¡­ well, the truth is that um¡­ I just¡­ wanted you to have something to remember me by.¡±


    ¡°Or something that would induce Caro to ept your offer,¡± Mary shot back.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the real motive, I assure you. But I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯d like her to ept our offer, of course.¡±


    Mary focused intently on his face for almost a minute and to his credit, he managed to keep a calm and confident expression, though his heart was beating wildly behind his chest. Then she sighed and turned her attention back to the dress.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine sha,¡± she shrugged as she folded it and put it back into the bag.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m d you like it,¡± Timmy bowed, all smiles.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think Caro will be happy that I received anything from you, at least not until she has forgiven you.¡±


    ¡°B¡­ b¡­ but you don¡¯t have to tell her it was from me. You could say you bought it or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Look here, young man. I will never betray my daughter because she has never betrayed me,¡± Mary scolded, casting him a withering nce.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. Truly sorry, ma¡¯am. I didn¡¯t mean to offend. This is just a gift, certainly not something to influence you in any way. Even if you were to kick my ass out of here, I would still like you to keep the dress, as a token of a short-lived friendship. I think I¡¯ve taken enough of your time already. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll like to take my leave now, with your permission of course. I¡­ Well,¡­ Good day, ma¡¯am.¡±


    With that, he turned around, got into his car and drove off. Mary sighed as his car went out of sight. Then she walked to her kiosk to prepare for the day¡¯s business. It was Sunday afternoon and most people would have returned from church by now.

 CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

    Caro was not very much a TV person, but there were programs that she would never miss for anything, especially local TV series full of intrigues,edy and surprises. She had just finished watching one of her Sunday favourites, with Mary beside her, when the older woman suddenly cleared her throat. Caro immediately turned down the TV volume and turned to her guardian.


    ¡°That young man that approached you in the market, what¡¯s his name again?¡±


    ¡°Tim. And Olly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Tim Manolly.¡±


    ¡°No o. I mean, that¡¯s the name of his¡­ his ce. I think his name is Tim or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Mary sighed, unsure how to introduce the crux of the matter. But Caro saved her the trouble.


    ¡°He came here again, abi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he came,¡± Mary admitted, feeling like she was the daughter.


    Caro nodded thoughtfully, but before she could say anything, Mary quickly added, ¡°he said he didn¡¯t mean to offend you by calling you beautiful, and he gave you his card because he wanted to offer you a free business training ¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Mummy, don¡¯t mind him. He¡¯s a liar. Why didn¡¯t he tell me all these things back then?¡±


    ¡°But he said you were not ready to listen.¡±


    ¡°How will I listen when he was smiling at me as if I¡¯m a prostitute?¡±, Caro hissed.


    Mary barely managed to convert a sigh into a yawn. As smart as her ward was, she was still a little girl in many things, especially when it came to interacting with the opposite sex. She had no problem with Caro being a virgin or being conservative about such things, but her fear was that it would nevere to an end. The situation would perhaps keep getting worse till her dear daughter would end up as a nun or a wicked Mother Superior in some ancient convent in the middle of nowhere. What on earth could she do to make Caro more ¡®womanly¡¯ and less averse to the opposite sex? Timmy¡¯s persistence could surelye in handy and perhaps some influence from her friends. But who was closer to her than Millicent and she had recently broken all ties with that one. Ha! This was not her fight, at least not directly. With another faked yawn, she wished her ward good night and went off to bed.


    *****


    Caro was totally concentrated on her work when she heard the hum of a car engine. She looked up to find an unfamiliar care to a halt in front of the door-less workce of Mama Tina, the woman she had been working with for some weeks now.


    It wasn¡¯t umon for customers to turn up like this, so neither of them were surprised. But when the driver stepped out of the car, Caro¡¯s heart skipped a beat. When it resumed beating, her mind took an unsure stance. On a good day, she would have been angry that he had the guts toe here, but now, all she felt was¡­ uncertainty!


    Timmy made sure to remember all the advice he had received from the girl¡¯s mother. His dark sunsses, straight face, well-ironed matching clothes and shiny shoes were all aimed atmanding respect. With confidence, he marched to the ce where Caro and the other woman were working and stopped at the entrance. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that Caro was ncing at him every few seconds or so and she had a look of something like curiosity on her face. Not really curiosity to be exact, but she certainly looked eager to know why he was here. All in good time, babe. All in good time.


    Timmy took off his sunsses and greeted the woman, who immediately returned his greeting without taking her eyes from her work.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to interrupt, madam, but I¡¯d like to have a few words with Miss Carolina here, in private.¡±


    ¡°Okay. No problem.¡±


    And like magic, Caro, after receiving a nod of approval from her boss, got up from her seat and walked with Timmy towards his car! Timmy never thought this would be possible, not in a hundred years! But he couldn¡¯t afford to lose his head now. He had to keep up the level of confidence.


    When they reached the trunk of his car, Caro stopped and turned to face him, quickly taking a defensive stance, with her arms across her chest.


    ¡°So what is it?¡±, she demanded, squaring her shoulders.


    ¡°Well,¡± Timmy began, with no trace of a smile on his face. ¡°I just came out here to make an official apology to you. I think it¡¯s been long overdue. The way I approached you back then in the market was wrong. And I¡¯m sorry about that. I didn¡¯t mean to disrespect you and like I said, I am truly sorry. There¡¯s another thing I wanna tell you¡­ something important. But I need to know that you¡¯ve forgiven me before I can continue.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she shrugged carelessly, her face long since turned away from him.


    ¡°Great. Now, about your friend, Millicent. You really shouldn¡¯t be angry with her. She didn¡¯t deliberately give me directions to your house. Actually, I threatened to use my influence with her boss against her, so she had no choice but to submit and tell me what I needed to know.¡±


    Caro¡¯s face looked stony and her eyes were building fire, but Timmy boldly continued, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have carried out my threat, you know. But that doesn¡¯t excuse the fact that what I did was wrong. I know it¡¯s hard to forgive, but I am sincerely sorry.¡±


    He stopped there and proceeded to take a confident survey of his general surroundings, wondering if she could hear the sound of his wildly beating heart. As rmended, he let the silence reign for a few minutes before suddenly turning to her with a sigh, ¡°I think I¡¯ve taken so much of your time already¡­¡±


    It was as if those words were her kickstarter ¨C hearing them, Caro suddenly marched back to her workce. Timmy followed at a more leisurely pace and greeted her boss onest time before leaving her with a big pack of gold-colored threads, which got him a lot of smiles, thanks, farewells and safe journeys, from the woman alone.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    *****


    After Timmy¡¯s confession, Caro couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how she had insulted and embarrassed her best friend. She knew she ought to apologize, but how exactly she would go about it was the problem. Another even bigger problem was finding out what on Earth had made her not smash Timmy¡¯s head in when he made the confession. Was that bastard using some diabolical charm on her? By the way, why did he just keep bothering her? Why not just leave her alone and go after some other girl? In her experience, whenever a man made such advances to a woman, it was for the sole purpose of getting into her pants and if she didn¡¯t want to pull it off, he would simply tear it off. The reason Timmy had not yet tried to rape her was probably because he had not yet found the right opportunity, or maybe he thought she would be too difficult to subdue? Either way, she was determined to get rid of him before it would be toote.


    It was midway between her workce and her home that Caroid in wait for Millicent. Knowing her exact closing time, she sat on the balcony of a closed shop and waited patiently till she saw her pregnant friend walk past. Then she got up and quickly fell in step with her.


    ¡°Millicent Millicent,¡± she hailed affably. ¡°How far na? How old is this your pregnancy sef?¡±


    But Millicent gave no response whatsoever.


    ¡°Millicent, I¡¯m talking to you na.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Caro? Have youe to insult me again?¡±, she demanded in feigned anger.


    ¡°But I did not know at that time that that Tim idiot threatened you na. If I knew, I would not have insulted you. Look, I¡¯m very sorry. Please, forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re forgiven. But don¡¯t try that kind of nonsense again o!¡±, Millicent warned.


    ¡°Ah, I swear it will never happen again. In fact, that guy eh¡­ what I will do to him the next time I see him eh¡­¡±


    ¡°Caro, wait first. Apart from this address thing, what did he even do to you sef?¡±, Millicent questioned in all seriousness.


    ¡°Ah. Did I not tell you how he came to the market to¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes yes, you told me. But what¡¯s bad in that? It¡¯s clear that he likes you na.¡±


    ¡°Which type of useless like is that?¡±, Caro hissed.


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s not even like. It¡¯s love! Look at it na ¨C a guy as rich as he is¡­ chasing you everywhere. Don¡¯t you see that the guy has gone mad? What else can cause that type of madness if not love? Or don¡¯t you believe in true love?¡±


    ¡°You mean the love that the guy who put you in this condition has for you, abi?¡±


    ¡°Caro, don¡¯t insult me o.¡±


    ¡°Ah ah, it¡¯s not insult na. I was only asking whether your own too is true love. If it¡¯s true love, he would not abandon you with an unwanted preg¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Forget it. Let¡¯s just go home. It¡¯s your life. Do whatever you like with it.¡±


    Muchter in the evening, when Caro hadin down to sleep through the night, she could not help but rey Millicent¡¯s statement over in her head. Could it be possible that Mr. Cucumbers really loved her? And as for her, what did she feel about him? Hate, of course. But on second thought, it wasn¡¯t just any kind of hate. It was hate borne out of fear. And what was she afraid of? Love? No! Rape, of course. But what if she was also afraid of love? Was she even capable of falling in love? She had never fallen in love with any boy before, not only because of her young age and the stupidity of most boys, but also because she feared that a love affair would most likely end with an unwanted pregnancy, just like in Millicent¡¯s case. The most pertinent question though was, what would she do about Mr. Cucumbers? This was the only question that upied her mind as she finally drifted off to sleep.

 CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

    Timmy sighed as he closed the incident log book he had been poring over. That was one of his jobs as a partner in the business. While Olly ran the day to day technical operations, he was more focused on the administrative aspect. But right now, he was one tired administrator¡­ and a hungry one too. It was weekend, so they would surely have an early closing time, but it was still some hours away and Timmy could not endure this hunger for that long, that was why he had suspended his part of the weekend inventory.


    He made his way out of the office and closed the door behind him, as usual not bothering to lock it. He went down the hall and turned at the first curve, just in time to meet a surprise.


    Not fifteen feet away was his sister and the much taller Jim, both of them whispering and smiling at each other, with the former holding on to thetter. Timmy was not shocked, rather he was only mildly surprised at the speed at which they had be so close. Clearly, Tracy had not bothered to wait for him to actually make any attempt at a hook-up.


    ¡°Ahem,¡± he coughed as he resumed walking towards them.


    Casually, with a smile still pasted on his face, Jim turned to look at whoever had coughed. He sighted his boss and froze! The smile was gone and his eyes went wide. But it was only for a few milliseconds. He recovered quickly and immediately disengaged himself from Timmy¡¯s sister. But just as fast as he disengaged himself, Tracy re-engaged herself, clutching his arm even tighter as they both turned to face her brother.


    ¡°Timmy, how far?¡±, she hailed, still holding on to the clearly ufortable Jim.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    ¡°I¡¯m cool, sis. I see you¡¯ve gotten yourself a new friend.¡±


    ¡°Yes o. Jim is a very sweet and good bad boy,¡± she giggled, poking the hapless young man in the ribs. Jim could do nothing but sh a quick stiff smile. He clearly did not know who to please.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Timmy sighed. ¡°Hopefully, you¡¯re enjoying yourselves¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, we are,¡± she piped.


    ¡°Great. I¡¯m off to go get myself some lunch. I¡¯m guessing you guys don¡¯t want to tag along.¡±


    ¡°Perfect guess. Get going please. You can¡¯t leave fast enough.¡±


    ¡°Okay then. See youter.¡±


    He walked past them and continued his journey. He turned the final curve and came in direct view of the front desk and the main entry/exit. Like a dream, he watched as a familiar figure walked in and stood for a second or two, scanning her environment. He quickly rushed over to her before she could get to the receptionist.


    ¡°Hi Karow. Nice to see you again,¡± he hailed, briefly forgetting that important advice about keeping a straight face. He corrected himself immediately and switched his bodynguage to business mode, wiping all traces of an impending smile from his face.


    She looked at his proferred hand with a mixture of wariness and consideration. After a moment of indecision, she responded by barely touching her hand with his and swiftly withdrawing it before he could hold it for a proper handshake. Timmy almost sighed out loud in relief. One percent of a handshake was far better than none.


    ¡°So you wanna go it alone or can I direct you to your desired destination?¡±, he asked, maintaining eye contact ¨C something that Caro was yet to do.


    It was another moment of indecision as she spent a few seconds mulling the question over in her head. Finally, ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said or rather, ordered.


    He¡¯d have loved to walk beside her, but she gauged her steps ording to the frequency of his, making sure that she was always a few steps behind. Timmy had no choice but to continue leading the way.


    When they turned the first curve, the first thing they saw was Tracy and Jim, who were still together. Yikes! Timmy had forgotten about their presence!


    Tracy turned to look at the intruders and was quite captivated by the sight, but she said nothing. With each step he took, Timmy hoped and prayed she would continue to keep her mouth shut. If only he could seal her mouth by just wishing it! But as they walked past her and Jim, there was no sound from either of them. Timmy was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly¡­


    ¡°Is this the girl?¡±


    Timmy froze and ground his teeth. Nevertheless, he and Caro turned to regard his sister.


    ¡°What girl?¡±, he asked in feigned ignorance and fake serenity, even though his heart was close to his mouth. His position was so exposed that he couldn¡¯t risk giving eye signals to his sister.


    ¡°The girl you¡¯ve been chasing around town na,¡± Tracy blurted.


    ¡°What? This is a totally different person altogether,¡± Timmy answered with counterfeit nonchnce.


    ¡°Eh en? Okay. Anyway, let¡¯s go, dear. Time¡¯s running.¡±


    Jim, whom she was now referring to, turned to his boss, but she pulled his hand before he could open his mouth to say anything.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, joor,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°But I have¡­ there¡¯s somet¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget about it. Let¡¯s go,¡± she ordered, matching words with action as she pulled him with her. Jim tried tomunicate an apology to his boss, but hisdy was moving too fast and he almost tripped.


    Timmy, tired of watching the drama, turned to his guest, ¡°Sorry about that. Pleasee with me.¡±


    Caroplied, at first head down and deep in thought. But she quickly squared her shoulders and raised her chin in an effort to shake off the thought. But still, she could not get it out of her head. Why on Earth was she feeling a mysterious pang over the fact that Timmy was chasing another girl apart from her? For crying out loud, it wasn¡¯t her business! In fact, why did she even agree toe to this ce, by the way?


    Her mother had told her of Timmy¡¯s remorse and repentance. She had listened in silence even as Mary encouraged her to go over to hisir. But what had made her eventually decide to do it was that it had been presented to her not as a visit aimed at begging for a job, but actually to majestically, pitifully and reluctantly ept Timmy¡¯s desperate offer of a job. But now that she was here, she was beginning to have second thoughts.

 CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

    Feeling hungry or having lunch was certainly not on Timmy¡¯s mind any longer. He¡¯d dly forgo dinner too just to make sure that Caro was well settled with everything and that today¡¯s meeting would not end in a disaster like the very first they had. As he led her to Stan¡¯s area, he could not help but try to keep track of her from the corner of his eye. He was praying, wishing and hoping that she wouldn¡¯t change her mind all of a sudden or get angry at the speed of his movement. He wouldn¡¯t dare change his speed though. The fact that she had not yetined could perhaps mean that there was nothing toin about. Aha, finally. Stan¡¯s area and Stan himself. Only one more hoop to jump through.


    ¡°Any issues, boss?¡±, the young man asked as his eyes moved from Timmy to the familiar Caro and back again. He had just osted them outside his area of operation; the quiet hallway and the walls the only witnesses to their conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to attend to his deardy. She¡¯s bringing a wealth of experience and passion into our realm.¡±


    ¡°You mean you want me to hire her?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ already did,¡± Timmy said, choosing his words carefully. ¡°I offered her a ce here and she was gracious enough to ept. So¡­ make sure she isfortable and in the right position.¡±


    Stan¡¯s eyebrows shot up as he noticed that his boss was fighting to please a girl not older than his youngest sister back at home. Nevertheless, he nodded, ¡°Okay, boss. Wildo.¡±


    ¡°Great. Um¡­ Karow, this is Stan. He¡¯s directly in charge of the design and tailoring operations. He¡¯ll take care of everything for you. If there¡¯s any problem, you cane to my office ¨C they¡¯ll show you where it is, just around the corner ¨C or you can call me.¡±


    This time, Caro epted the proferred card and Timmy almost jumped in joy, but he managed to restrain himself.


    ¡°So um¡­ I¡¯ll take my leave now. See you around. Thank you foring.¡±


    Caro responded with a barely perceptible nod, further baffling Stan. He watched his boss¡¯ retreat in surprise for a few seconds before he remembered that he had a guest to attend to.


    ¡°Oh. Um¡­ please follow me, madam.¡± She was no longer just any girl to him.


    He opened the door and ushered Caro into a world she had missed so much ¨C the world of many sewing machines and tailors hard at work.


    By the time Caro returned home, it waste afternoon. But she found Mary inside the house watching TV. Constant power was still the Nigerian Dream, and they hardly received power supply at such time of day, so it was quite a surprise. Caro joined her mother on the couch and was greeted with a ¡°Wee.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma,¡± she sighed in response.


    ¡°So how was work? Did he misbehave?¡±, Mary asked.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Your b¡­ I mean, Timothy.¡±


    She managed just in time to avoid saying ¡®boss¡¯.


    ¡°No, he did not misbehave.¡±


    ¡°I told you. He is sorry and he has learned his lesson.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe he has decided to turn his attention to other girls,¡± Caro spat with unexpected displeasure.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing ma,¡± Caro sighed. ¡°Just thinking out loud.¡±


    She just could not understand why she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Timmy chasing after other girls. What business was it of hers? She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes as the standing fan rotated in their direction, washing over her with a st of cool refreshing breeze.


    ¡°Go and eat. Food dey kitchen,¡± Mary said.


    And Caro got up to her feet and started making her way to the kitchen.


    ¡°Chidinma came to look for you o,¡± Mary called after her.


    ¡°Chidinma?¡±


    ¡°She said you people have match in the evening or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied and went off to her destination.


    She knew why Chidinma had wanted to see her. It was to collect her contribution to the funds meant for purchasing a new ball since the old one had gotten punctured. But she would not be making any such contribution. Instead, she had a little surprise for her friends.


    ***


    Caro stalked like the leader that she was as she strode into the midst of friends who were gathered in the little field where they yed their games. As usual, she was dressed for the asion. Everything from her customized yellow jersey to her blue boots and shin guards set her apart from the rest ¨C something they all envied her for. But today, their attention was on something else.


    ¡°Ah. New ball,¡± Chidinma, the team treasurer said, as Caro let the ball fall down from underneath her jersey.


    ¡°Caro, when did you buy it?¡±, Joy asked as she picked it up and began joggling it with her fists.


    ¡°Today,¡± Caro replied with a shrug. She had actually bought it on her way home from Tim&Olly with the advance Timmy had asked Stan to pay her.


    ¡°Oya Chidinma,e and give us our money o,¡± the rest of the girls demanded. But Chidinma acted like she was deaf and quickly went after Joy to wrestle the ball from her.


    ¡°Chidinma!¡±, Sarah shouted in frustration.


    ¡°What?¡±, came the harsh retort.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see that Caro has bought new ball? Come and give us our money na.¡±


    ¡°Ehh I¡¯ll give youter.¡±


    ¡°When ister?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the treasurer hissed in annoyance.


    ¡°Caro, you see what Chidinma is doing now o,¡± Sarahined to the captain.


    ¡°What is it? What did I do?¡±, Chidinma shouted, bounding towards her in anger. ¡°I said I will give youter. You wan kill me because of hundred naira? Abi are you the only one that contributed money?¡±


    ¡°We want our money too o,¡± the other girls, Evelyn and Hannah, chorused as if on cue.


    ¡°Mtcheeew,¡± she hissed in contempt as she shot each one of them a nasty re.


    Caro, who was keenly following the drama, chuckled in amusement.


    ¡°Rubbish,¡± Chidinma swore beneath her breath before turning her back on the trio.


    ¡°Who is rubbish?¡±, Sarah quickly fired back.


    ¡°Ask me one more time.¡±


    ¡°You are mad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you that¡¯s mad. Stupid girl.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Who is stupid girl?¡±, Sarah blurted in anger, marching up to meet her.


    Chidinma turned to face her, ready for battle. But before they could get physical, Joy sent a well-ced shot thatnded the ball just between them.


    ¡°You people should stop fighting na,¡± she called out to them.


    As they stood face to face, sizing each other up, the other girls rushed up to snatch the ball from between them. Caro had still not said a word (other than ¡®today¡¯ when she was asked about when she had bought the ball) and she had no intention of doing so. Tired of the scene, she turned away and looked towards the abandoned concrete blocks which they used as their ¡®bench¡¯. But what she saw there made her blink in surprise.


    Seatedfortably and staring back at her was Amaka, her neighbor¡¯s daughter. It was very unusual to see the girl or her younger brother out of therge part of Mary¡¯s house their parents had rented. The little family of four always kept to themselves, so what on earth was she doing here? Caro quickly walked up and stood right in front of her.


    ¡°Amaka, what are you doing here?¡±, she asked the petite girl who was only a few years her junior.


    ¡°I want to y,¡± Amaka shrugged.


    ¡°Which number do you y? Can you keep?¡±, Caro questioned eagerly as she took a seat beside her. The absence of Millicent had put the team in dire need of at least one good goalkeeper.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do anything. I just want to learn.¡±


    It didn¡¯te as a surprise to Caro. She had never seen the girl kick a ball before or participate in any kind of sport for that matter. In fact, on second thought, her question was stupid and unnecessary.


    ¡°But what about your Mummy and Daddy? Wi¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course they know I¡¯m here,¡± Amaka cut her off with a smile.


    ¡°Okay. Oyae, let me teach you.¡±


    Both girls got to their feet and Caro scanned the field to see what was currently going on. Joy was in goal while the other girls took turns at taking penalties with much sess. Joy was a good goalkeeper, but they liked to take advantage of her height by cing their shots high and diagonal, making it impossible for her to catch the ball or even touch it at all without running the risk of ramming her head into the woodwork. Caro shook her head as yet another shot lobbed past her friend into goal. She could see the frustration on Joy¡¯s face as she jumped and stretched to no avail and Caro could not help but pity her. Perhaps the whole thing had started out as a challenge, but now the other girls were enjoying themselves at her expense, hooting and cheering for one another as they took turns to put the ball out of their friend¡¯s reach. Caro decided to put an end to it.


    ¡°Hey! Bring the ball here,¡± she ordered.


    And the penalties came to an abrupt end. Sarah got the ball and delivered it with a long shot to Caro who brought it to a halt with her dominant right foot. She juggled it a few times and the other girls waited patiently, thinking that it was a pre-match warm up. But they were hit by surprise when she passed the ball to Amaka who eventually missed it.


    As the ball bounced and rolled away, the girl reached down to grab it with her hands, but Caro stopped her immediately.


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t use your hands. Use only your legs. That¡¯s why they call it football, not handball.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the girl said and rolled the ball back as best she could with her canvas shoe-d leg.


    ¡°Oya, pass it to me.¡±


    Amaka gave it a toe kick that sent the ball rolling far from Caro and out of her reach.


    ¡°Bring it,¡± she ordered as Joy caught the ball.


    At this point, there was already some grumbling from her teammates as they sensed what Caro was intent on doing. They had decided to keep busy by ying penalties until she would be ready to join them. But now that she was ready, it was for something else altogether. Caro could hear their murmurs, but she acted like she didn¡¯t. She continued trading short passes with Amaka, teaching the girl the right way to kick, roll the ball and make measured passes.


    Amaka was having a swell time. Even though she was sweating profusely, there was a smile on her face as she saw her passes get better and more urate.


    It was now clear that there would be no match today, so one by one, the grumbling girls went over to take their seats on the bench. They were not happy about the unexpected change of ns and most importantly, Caro and Amaka¡¯s monopoly of the ball, but that was the worst they could do. None could summon up the courage to interrupt the activities of the two youngest people on the grounds, not only because Caro had bought the ball, but also because she was still the undisputed and unrivaled queen.

 CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

    Caro had worked at Tim&Olly for some weeks now and her expertise and experiences had surpassed her expectations. From the fact that she hardly saw Timmy to the news that her sketches had found favour in the eyes of ¡®the other boss¡¯ whom she had only met once, events were headed in a direction that she never imagined they would go. She was now being paid weekly, even though she only worked on Fridays and weekends. Something told her Timmy was behind it, but surprisingly, he had stayed totally out of her way and not even tried to check on her to see how she was blending in. Not that she wanted him to, but she had expected him to show himself more often and make friendly advances to her. Afterall, the whole circus was just to get her in bed, wasn¡¯t it? What else did men do such things for?


    Her final exams were also around the corner and she had stopped normal sses and joined the SS3 students in their daily preparatory lessons. They weren¡¯t friendly and neither were they hostile, but they exuded this aura of superiority as if to remind her that she was dealing with her seniors. But other than that, things were going as smoothly as they could go.


    She was beginning to quietly and secretly pay off the smaller fees associated with the finals while telling her Mummy that the school had not yet demanded for the main fee which was the truth. The lie was that, so far, no fee had been demanded.


    She was bent on reducing the financial burden on Mary as much as she could. The kind woman had done more than what her own mother had ever done for her. It was only fair that she try to make things a little easier for her. It was as well that Mary never asked questions about her sry. She expected Caro to save it prudently and Caro was doing nothing less, with some of it at least.


    One evening, she returned from school and found her Mummy attending to a customer in the shop just in front of the house. She kneeled to greet her as usual, but as she made her way into the house, Mary called out to her.


    ¡°Caro, have you seen your friend?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±, Caro asked, wondering which friend she was referring to.


    ¡°Millicent na. She don born o.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡±, Caro shouted. ¡°Wetin she born? Boy or girl?¡±


    ¡°I hear say na girl. I never go there sha. I go goter.¡±


    But Caro had already dropped her bag and was running off in the direction of her friend¡¯s house.


    ¡°Tell her say I say congrats o. I goe see her tomorrow,¡± Mary shouted after her.


    Caro arrived breathless at her friend¡¯s house. She had run all the way.


    ¡°Millicent. Where Millicent?¡±, she panted, addressing her friend¡¯s sister who was the first person she met outside.


    ¡°She dey inside,¡± the girl said, pointing at the curtained doorway.


    Caro rushed up and pulled aside the curtains. Her friend was seated on a couch in the parlour, a bundle of white baby nket in her arms. Caro could not hide her face-splitting grin as she rushed in and plopped down beside her friend,pletely oblivious to Millicent¡¯s rtives in the room.


    ¡°Caro,¡± Millicent sighed, smiling back at her.


    ¡°Thank God for you o, Millicent. Finally, you are a Mama. I¡¯m so happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my sister,¡± her friend replied and then handed over the baby to her. Caro, who was no stranger to babies, received the bundle with joy and care.


    ¡°Chai! Fine baby like thise carry your ugly nose,¡± she teased as she stared at the sleeping infant. Her friend couldn¡¯t help butugh.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°So what¡¯s her name?¡±, Caro asked. It was on the tip of her tongue to also ask if the father, who had disappeared and abandoned Millicent when she had gotten pregnant, was aware of the news yet. But she thought it inappropriate to spoil her friend¡¯s joy.


    ¡°Caro.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s her name. I named her after you. I want her to be strong like you.¡±


    For the first time in her life, Caro was short of words. She¡¯d never had a baby named after her before! She felt honored and loved. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at her one true friend. Millicent couldn¡¯t keep her eyes dry too. She put her hand around her shoulder and drew her to herself. If ever there was anyone Caro could call a best friend for life, she was right here beside her!


    *****


    ¡°I hear um¡­ that she¡¯s uh¡­ writing her final exams?¡±, Timmy said warily, wondering if he would be asked how he had gotten hold of such information.


    ¡°Yes o,¡± Mary sighed. ¡°They have not started yet sha. They¡¯re still preparing, but I just hope she¡¯lle out in flying colors.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will,¡± Timmy assured with confidence, and relief. ¡°I think she¡¯s very intelligent and has that drive¡­ to achieve anything she sets her mind on. Such people are not somon and they are usually victors.¡±


    His eyes were focused straight ahead as he sat beside Caro¡¯s mother just in front of her house on a zing Saturday afternoon. He was thinking of the times he had seen and heard of Caro¡¯s brilliance in action. He had not onlye to love her more and more, he was also developing deeper and greater respect for her as time passed.


    When he didn¡¯t hear any response from hispanion, he looked beside him to find Mary staring at him with an expressionless face. He quickly switched his focus back to staring straight ahead. His heart was pounding wildly now. He could only guess why Mary was staring at him in such a manner. She was probably suspicious of his motives. He tried to make a mental note to pay less ¡®update visits¡¯. For crying out loud, the woman could easily ask her daughter how she was coping at work, so certainly, there was no need for him toe and give her ¡®updates¡¯. Now that he had given it a second thought, the excuse did not look as sensible as he once thought it was. But for now, he had to show confidence and silence was not a very polite way of doing so.


    ¡°Um¡­ I was thinking about, you know¡­ letting her take some time off, so she can focus solely on the exams. I mean, we¡¯ll miss her, but¡­ her studies are surely much more important.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Caro will like the idea of you giving her holidays. But I¡¯ll do you a favour and talk to her about it,¡± Mary promised.


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯d very much appreciate that. Thank¡­¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t make a habit of it. You should be able to have such a conversation with an employee of yours without my help. What¡¯s the time?¡±


    Flustered, Timmy scrambled for his phone and dropped it due to his shaking hands. He picked it up phone again and then remembered that he had a wristwatch.


    ¡°Um¡­ one¡­ one-thirty,¡± he reported.


    ¡°Caro iste. She cane home any minute now, so you better start going¡­ unless you want her to meet you here.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ of course not,¡± Timmy replied, quickly getting to his feet. But before leaving, he dropped the bag he had brought with him, carefully cing it beside Mary on the bench.


    ¡°What¡¯s this again?¡±, Mary demanded.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a gift for¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you always give gifts like this? Caro is already working for you, so what are you bribing me for again? I hope you don¡¯t have any ulterior mo¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no, no, no, ma¡¯am. Not at all. My motives are very pure. And the gift is far from being a bribe. It¡¯s actually one of your daughter¡¯s designs and I felt you¡¯d love to have it. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll take my leave now. Thank you very much for your time andpany.¡±


    She watched him as he took a respectful bow and retreated. She would never pass up on a chance to harass him in order to test his loyalty and reliability. Caro was no ordinary girl and she would not allow her to fall into the clutches of an ordinary man.


    She sighed as he got into his car and drove off, then she turned her attention to the bag beside her. She was eager to see the content, but a regr fruit customer of hers was already approaching the shop. She would leave the cloth inspection for some other time.

 CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

    When Timmy arrived at the office, the first thing he did was request an audience with Olly. But the messenger had hardly left when his phone rang. It was his mother. He picked it up immediately.


    ¡°Hi, Mo¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it ready yet?¡±, she demanded, cutting him off.


    ¡°No, Mom. But it will be¡­ today. Don¡¯t worry, just rx. Like I told you before, it¡¯ll be in your hands tomorrow. I promise you.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she sighed. ¡°I trust you. Please don¡¯t fail me o. If I don¡¯t have it or if it¡¯s not specially prepared, all my friends¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mom. You don¡¯t need to exin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just for me o. It¡¯s for your own good too. As the mother of a famous fashion designer, I have to look the part, so they¡¯ll all be jealous of me. That¡¯s how you¡¯ll get big big customers from every corner. You know I don¡¯t roll with low ss people na.¡±


    ¡°I know, Mom. And I won¡¯t disappoint you. Gotta go. Talk to youter. Love you!¡±


    He disconnected the call and breathed a sigh of relief. It was smart of him to have ended it in time otherwise she would have switched to ufortable topics like if he¡¯d gotten a girlfriend and things like that. She never made a secret of her wish to see him get married as soon as possible, but Timmy himself had no such ns, at least not for years toe. His phone rang again and he looked to see who was calling this time. Tracy. Now, what the hell did that vixen want?


    ¡°Hello Trace. How¡­¡±


    ¡°Timothy, how dare you! How dare you punish Jimmy for being with me, eh? Have you gone mad?!¡±, she shouted over the phone, causing him to put it away from his ear.


    ¡°Hey Trace, calm down. I didn¡¯t punish him. I just told him to try never toete again and¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I don¡¯t care what you told him! Look, let me warn you¡­ don¡¯t you ever punish or scold him again. If you try it eh, you and that your secondary school girlfriend will see pepper in my hand.¡±


    ¡°I hear you, Trace. Just breathe. Calm down, okay? Now, there¡¯s something that Mom would need¡­¡±


    The beep told him she had disconnected the call and he dropped the phone with a sigh of frustration. He had wanted to arrange to send their mother¡¯s attire through her¡­ bute to think of it, that might not be such a good idea afterall. For all he knew, Tracy might hold the clothes ransom and demand payment of some sort from his mother. He¡¯d just have to send it through one of those road transportpanies. He would have taken it himself if only he had the time.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±, Olly said as he walked into the open office, breaking into his partner¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Yeah, Ol. I uh¡­ wanted to see you.¡±


    ¡°For what? Any problem?¡±, Olly asked, sitting down across from him.


    ¡°Nah, not really. Just wanted to ask you something. Now I can¡¯t remember what that is,¡± Timmy murmured, scratching his head.


    His friend sat patiently, watching him as he tried to remember what he had wanted to ask him.


    ¡°Yes! I wanted to know¡­ how much does university education cost around here? I mean, the whole uh¡­ time of study.¡±


    Olly hissed.


    ¡°I think say na better thing you call me for before. So you made me leave what I was doing toe and answer JAMB question abi?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Olly. I¡¯m serious,¡± Timmy begged. ¡°I need to know w¡­¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Then why must you ask me? Do I look like the Director General of University Fees Pricing Board? By the way, what do you even need such information for sef? I thought you finished all your schooling abroad?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡­ I..,¡± Timmy stuttered.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± his friend sighed as he got up to his feet, ¡°after you have finished eyeing, you can go and find your answer in a more appropriate ce. And don¡¯t forget to add things like amodation, feeding, transport, sudden tuition increases, handouts, bribes, skill acquisition and many other nonsense fees. Good day.¡±


    With that parting shot, he walked out of the office, leaving his friend more confused than ever.


    ¡°Whew!¡±, Timmy exhaled and leaned back on his chair¡¯s headrest. How could only one individual afford all these things Olly had just mentioned? And what if the sudden increases applied to not only tuition fees? He shook his head in confusion, and then froze immediately. His eyes were wide-eyed and staring fixedly as his ears perked up in super alert mode. Was that not Tracy¡¯s voiceing from the hallway?


    As he heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor outside his office, he didn¡¯t bother waiting to find out. Quickly, he jumped off his chair and dove for therge cab beside the door!


    *****


    ¡°When is your examing up?¡±, Mary asked as Caro cleared the tes after they¡¯d had supper.


    ¡°Two weeks,¡± the girl answered just before she went off to the kitchen.


    Mary waited till she returned before saying what she really wanted to tel her.


    ¡°Your¡­ Timothy has given you holiday until you finish writing the exam.¡±


    ¡°He came here?¡±, Caro asked, not so happily.


    ¡°Hmm mm. I called him¡­ with the credit that you bought for me. Nonsense. You are now my Madam that I have to report to you who came and who did note,¡± she hissed. Frankly, it was high time she rein in this daughter of hers and force her to stop seeing men as enemies that must be avoided at all cost.


    Caro sat in silence and focused on her fingers. To be honest, Mary had given her a lot oftitude, even more than Trisha had given her and that was saying a lot. The tone with which she sometimes addressed her bordered onplete disrespect ¨C as if they were age mates or equals. If it were her biological mother back in the vige, something even remotely close to that could earn her some serious pummeling and starvation for the rest of the day. But before she could apologize, Mary threw her another question.


    ¡°So you are enjoying this your work very much, abi?¡±


    The tone didn¡¯t sound harsh or angry and Caro did not even understand what she meant, so she just stared at her in mild confusion.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s go outside,¡± Mary suddenly instructed.


    Caro obeyed and grabbed the long bench that was used to sit on the verandah and followed her outside. She put the bench down and pushed it close to the wall, so it would be possible to rest their backs against the wall. Mary sat right in the middle, still clutching the bag she had brought with her and Caro joined her on the bench.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s very beautiful,¡± the woman said, smiling at her.


    Caro still had no idea what she meant, but she had a strong feeling that she was going to find out very soon, so she said nothing and waited.


    Mary opened her bag and slowly extracted its content. It waste evening, but darkness was still no less than several minutes away, so Caro could see clearly what the woman was doing. Mary held the cloth in both hands and unfolded it with a swish.


    ¡°Ha,¡± Caro gasped as she recognized it immediately. It was her favorite design! A long purple sleeveless frock with a knee-high slit on the right side, goldce-embroidered hem and waist-line, and a V-neck topped with a hood.


    ¡°Very beautiful,¡± Mary said again, looking lovingly at the dress. ¡°I think it¡¯s too small for me, so you¡¯ll wear it. I¡¯m very proud of you, my dear.¡± She looked at her daughter and found Caro grinning from ear to ear. At that moment, she realized she had never seen the girl like this before. She must be very passionate about fashion, yet she never tried to look fashionable.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sew one for you,¡± Caro confidently proimed.


    ¡°Ah. I will like that o. How much?¡±


    ¡°Ah ahn.¡± Caro looked really hurt.


    Mary chuckled. ¡°Go inside and wear it ande and pose for me.¡±


    Now back to grinning even wider than ever, Caro grabbed the dress and rushed into the house. Few minutester, she came back out, a different personality altogether.


    Mary was not surprised as her daughter, chin up and body held straight and proud, paraded in front of her in a typical model¡¯s catwalk. Her height, figure and bearing made Caro a perfect fit for modeling, but Mary would prefer to see her daughter do something much more responsible. Though tonight, she would dly enjoy the show.


    She watched with pride as Caro took off the hood and made another catwalk to the other end of the imaginary runway. The girl stopped and showed off her design with one hand on her waist, the other hand hung loosely beside her and her right leg stretched out.


    ¡°Whoow!¡±, Mary greeted the pose with a p, beaming proudly and the suddenly shy Caro ran back inside the house to hide her blushing face for a little while and change into her old clothes.

 CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

    Timmy yawned and stretched after downing a second ss of water. It was Sunday and he had just woken up from an afternoon nap. Being almost always upied, he tried not to miss any opportunity to have as much rest as possible on weekends. Though Olly had taken much of the actual day to day operations off his hands, there was more than enough work left for him to do. Maybe someday, he¡¯ll get around to hiring an assistant, so he would get the chance to foray deeper into the technical part of the business which was really one of the reasons he had teamed up with Olly to start it in the first ce.


    His mind suddenly drifted to Caro. He wondered what she must be doing now. Watching TV, cooking, hanging out with friends or maybe ying football? He¡¯d learned thatst bit of info from Millicent some time ago. Come to think of it, it¡¯d been a long time since he¡¯d seen that girl. He wondered what she was up to nowadays. Perhaps she had given birth? He would have to ask Caro. That could also give him the opportunity to have his first conversation with her in over a month. Just the mere thought of it made his heart beat faster.


    Just then, he heard a knock on the door that immediately jolted him out of his reverie. He scrambled into his slippers and hurried to the front door.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± he called out as the visitor knocked again.


    He reached the door and unlocked it as quickly as he could before pulling it open. Who he saw standing there was the person he least expected to see. He couldn¡¯t help but blink in surprise!


    ¡°Wow. Is this a dream?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± came the giggly response. And Timmy went in for a tight hug.


    ¡°Pleasee in,e in. You¡¯re most wee,¡± he said, happily leading the way into therge parlour. She followed him and made herselffortable on a couch.


    ¡°So what can I get you?¡±, Timmy asked.


    ¡°Just water. Cold water.¡±


    ¡°Only water?¡±


    She nodded.


    He darted off and soon returned with a bottle of ice-cold water and a ss.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she mouthed with a smile as he set it down before her.


    ¡°Wow. I never expected to see you¡­ I mean, it¡¯s a huge pleasant surprise. Thanks very much foring to see me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy too that I came. I actually didn¡¯t intend to visit you. I just came to Lagos to see someone and do a few things and it urred to me that I should take the time toe and see my dear little bro. So¡­ here I am.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Timmy grinned, rubbing his hands enthusiastically. ¡°Really nice of you to remember me, Dora. I mean, Tracy remembers me all the time, mostly when she needs something or just because she wants to threaten the shit out of me. I really do appreciate your unexpected visit. Frankly, I miss all of you guys back home.¡±


    ¡°A,¡± his sister cooed. ¡°It¡¯s sweet of you to miss us, but at least we¡¯re happy you are doing fine. Maybe one of these days, you can take a holiday ande spend some time with us. Your nephews and niece would be very happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! How are they? Been ages since I pped eyes on them! How¡¯s umm¡­ what¡¯s his name now¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all fine. George is fine too. Danielle wants to grow up to make beautiful clothes like her uncle.¡±


    ¡°Whooo! That¡¯s one beautiful dream! I think I¡¯ll find time very soon toe over and see everyone. It¡¯s been so long!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it has,¡± Dora sighed with a thoughtful smile. Then she sat up abruptly. ¡°Sorry dear, but I think I have to start going home now. I¡¯m runningte already.¡±


    ¡°But you just got here!¡±, Timmy couldn¡¯t help but shout in disappointment.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. And I¡¯d love to stay much longer. But you know this your state. If you forget yourself for one minute, you¡¯ll end up spending the night on the road.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± he sighed dejectedly. ¡°But you can spend the night here and leave first thing tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my brother. But unfortunately, I have several things lined up for early morning tomorrow. I¡¯ll have to stop halfway and spend the night at my friend¡¯s ce. You know you can¡¯t leave Lagos in the morning and arrive Abuja that same morning, even that same day sef, at least not with this bad roads and crazy criminals everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± Timmy nodded, looking quite hopeless.


    ¡°Cheer up, bro,¡± Dora smiled, reaching out to ruffle his hair. ¡°When next Ie to Lagos, I¡¯lle a day ahead, so I can spend one whole day with you. But for now, let me rush off before the whole road for this your state go block,¡± she giggled.


    ¡°Hold on. Just a minute,¡± Timmy suddenly said and darted out of sight like someone who had just remembered something he hadpletely forgotten. But before Dora could wonder what was wrong, he returned with a bag marked Tim & Olly, stuffed full with clothes, and handed it to his sister.


    Dora received it with a pleasant surprise. ¡°Ah! This one plenty o.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do,¡± Timmy shrugged with a shy smile. ¡°It¡¯s for you and the kids.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Owhhh, thank you my darling brother. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll love it. Danielle will practically faint from joy! Let me be going, my dear. God bless you.¡±


    They hugged onest time and then Timmy saw her off to the door. He watched her get into the car that had brought her and as the driver sped out of the area, he waved and waved until the vehicle was out of sight.


    *****


    Early morning the next day saw Timmy at work. He didn¡¯t wear a suit very often, but today, he was sporting one, together with a Tim & Olly badge on his chest, showing his position as co-owner. He was feeling like a really proud co-owner all of a sudden. His sister¡¯s visit the previous day and her tale of how much her little daughter desired to be like him made Timmy glow with excess pride. In fact, plus the puffed out chest, there was an unusual spring in his step as he left his office, walked down the hallway and rounded the first corner. He was on his way to satisfy his urge to keep a more attentive eye on thetest designs and productions. Wasn¡¯t that what a good co-owner did?


    ¡°Oh sorry,¡± he apologized as he stopped just short of walking head-on into someone right in front of him. He had been smoothening his suit for the upteenth time instead of looking ahead of him. But who had he just bumped into?


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Caro whispered and made to go around him. She too had been surprised when she saw him barely a minute ago walking in her direction and looking so different and ssy. So surprised that she was forced to stop short which had led to the near-collision. But his dressing was not her business anyway. She would just go on to her destination and¡­


    ¡°Um¡­ hey. Uhh¡­ excuse me¡­ Karow,¡± Timmy called out to her. She came to a halt and turned to face him.


    ¡°Um¡­ I thought you¡¯d been given some time off¡­ ahem¡­ I mean, for your exams and¡­¡±


    ¡°I just came to see Mr. Stan,¡± she cut in, saving him further stuttering. ¡°I want to thank him for giving one of my¡­ our designs to my mother.¡±


    She thought that would be effective enough to put an end to the conversation, so she could go meet Stan, but she was quite surprised to see Timmy acting weird. He was looking everywhere but her face, shifting from one foot to the other and then coughed and said, ¡°Um¡­ th¡­ that was me.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Caro blurted involuntarily. Those words were thest thing she had expected to hear from him and she had no idea exactly how to respond.


    Hearing nothing from her, Timmy ventured a nce at her face and what he saw there was mild confusion. But she rallied quickly. ¡°I¡­ Let me just go and greet him.¡±


    Before Timmy could open his mouth to respond, she was already rushing off in the direction of Stan¡¯s office.


    ¡°Fool!¡±, Timmy cursed with a sound smack on his own head. What on Earth had made him stutter like a goat instead of exuding confidence and maturity?! Already, he could see his past efforts to gain more respect in her eyes going down the drain.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck you!¡±, he swore angrily, kicking the wall as if it was the cause of his failure.


    ¡°Sir, is everything okay?¡±, Jim asked as he stumbled on his boss acting a drama.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, it¡¯s fine,¡± Timmy panted and left the wall alone. He straightened his tie and turned to see who had interrupted his venting of frustration and seeing that it was Jim, his anger rose again. The young man was now passing behind him, heading to only he knew where and Timmy immediately thought of harassing him over his dalliance with his sister. He¡¯ll teach the bastard a lesson. But as he opened his mouth to call him back, his anger sufficiently cleared enough to allow him consider the probable consequence of his intended action. Tracy would certainly be at her worst if she were to find out about such an harassment!


    As quickly as the thought of harassing Jim entered his head, it was with even greater speed that it flew out and he snapped his mouth shut, allowing the young man to walk out of his sight undisturbed. But what next? He still felt like shouting at someone or something. Well, he¡¯ld just go out and take a walk in the street and woe betide anyone who would have the misfortune to ost him on the way!

 CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

    When Caro returned home after ¡®greeting¡¯ Stan, she found that she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Timmy¡¯s behavior. And worse still, she didn¡¯t know what to make of it. But she was d that she had not met him on her way back ¨C it would have been awkward, she was sure. Not only for him, but for both of them though she was far better and more sessful at hiding hers. She would rather die than let him or anyone else find out just how awkward and ill at ease she felt in his presence.


    ¡°Caro,¡± somebody called and Caro quickly looked up and scanned around with her eyes. She was just a few steps away from her front door and to the right, at the far end of the building, was a grinning Amaka, juggling a ball invitingly. She stared at the neighbor girl for a few seconds, undecided whether or not to join her. But before she could reach a decision, Amaka tempted her with a long pass. Instinctively, Caro put out her leg to prevent the ball from rolling past her. Then she juggled it a little with her eyes on it all the while. It wasn¡¯t weekend and the day was still young, and also, she had other things to do, but¡­ she shot out a determined pass back to Amaka and that girl¡¯s grin widened in relief at Caro¡¯s resolution and quickly returned the pass with a stylish backheel shot. But just when the girls were about to settle down to enjoy the round leather game¡­


    ¡°Carooooh!¡±, the voice rang out loud and clear, all the way from inside the house and Caro could clearly detect every feeling behind the call.


    ¡°Maaaah!¡±, she answered, and waited for what exactly she knew would follow.


    ¡°You be like person wey dey prepare for exam o.¡±


    Caro did not reply. She simply stood there with the ball between her legs, biting down on her upper lip and waiting with trepidation for more¡­ or nothing. If more came, it would mean the end of y. But if nothing came, then it would mean the call was simply one of caution and reminder, not rebuke.


    Eventually, nothing came and Caro sighed in relief.


    ¡°Come,¡± she whispered to her friend and picked the ball, leading the way to the field where the girls usually gathered to y football on weekends.


    Of course, like her Mummy had said, she had an examination, arguably the most important one in her schooling career, to prepare for, but Amaka seemed to have learned some new tricks with the ball and had be confident enough to try her new found skill against her first teacher. Caro would teach her that¡­ once a teacher, always a teacher; once a student, always a student.


    When they arrived at the field, they were surprised to find it upied. Some of the neighborhood¡¯s jobless boys had chosen it as the venue for their morning football tournament and the ce was almost totally dominated by running sweaty bodies shooting, passing, clearing, whistling and shouting for Tunde to pass the ball or Ojo to ¡°look, look! I dey here!¡± and so on.


    As Caro ran her eye over the scene, with itsplete 22 yers and more on the sidelines, she hoped the next weekend would not usher in a dispute over ownership of the ce between these muscr cockerels and her vastly outnumbered all-girl team. Each team had its own home turf and this area traditionally belonged to the girls, but she knew enough about boys to be sure that making their own rules and expecting others to abide by them was one of their major characteristics.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Let¡¯s use here,¡± Amaka said, drawing her away from her thoughts. Caro surveyed the part she had chosen and shrugged. They could as well use anywhere. The boys had all but covered the entire grassy field and just this sandy and stony spot was left for them.


    Caro threw aside her footwear and took her position opposite Amaka who had gone back to grinning like a Cheshire cat. She was so eager to y that Caro was dead sure those new found tricks had gotten to her head.


    ¡°One,¡± she counted, pride clearly ringing in her voice and the grin totally taking over her face.


    Caro went for the ball and quickly returned with it. How it escaped her guard in the first ce was something she still could not understand, but she said nothing and let her feet do the talking. It was not often that she got beaten so easily, but she was certainly very interested in taking the lead from now on. Woah! Another one! And this time, in trying to trap the ball, Caro slipped and almost fell. Christ! Was this the real Caro or just a clone? She was acting like a novice while ying against a real novice.


    ¡°Two,¡± Amaka announced and pped her hands happily, rubbing salt into her friend¡¯s injury.


    Caro said nothing in response. Enduring the enormous embarrassment, she went to retrieve the ball again and with her lips set in grim determination, she released a fiery shot. But to her surprise, Amaka caught it deftly. Wow! The girl had really learned a few things. But admiring that move had put Caro off her guard for a second or so. By the time she realized it, Amaka¡¯s shot was already hurtling toward her at full speed! She quickly put out her leg to stop it, but the force of the shot was too much and it knocked her leg wide and m! Caronded on the ground on her heavy backside.


    ¡°Ha-pfffff,¡± Amaka quickly covered her mouth to stifle theughter that had almost burst out of it. But it was easy to see from the quaking of her shoulders that the mirth was great. She was not really mocking her friend, but the way the mighty queen had fallen was soical that she just could not swallow theughter.


    If embarrassment was a person, Caro was the middle name of that person. She sat with her head hung in shame for almost half a minute in the spot and position in which she had fallen down. There was just no other way she could think of that would have been capable of stopping that ball. It was lucky that only both of them and none of the other girls were here otherwise this would have been the permanent end to her unchallenged dominance and authority, even if she could still retain the captainship of the team.

 CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

    Eventually, almost colored with shame, she rose from the ground to go retrieve the ball. Never in her life had she been beaten 3-0 by anyone, not to mention a novice. When she returned with the ball, dusting the sand off her clothes, her eyes couldn¡¯t help but keep themselves focused on the ground.


    ¡°Come this side,¡± she murmured as she walked over to Amaka.


    They switched ces immediately and the girl had already began to regret beating her friend. All traces of mirth and pride had vanished from her features and she felt nothing but pity and remorse. She had never seen the Almighty Caro so downcast before and she resolved to put an end to her show off. There was nothing to prove anyway.


    She had never expected or sought to disgrace Caro so easily. In fact, she had expected a tough battle, but her luck had had too smooth a run. Now, it was time to put it to sleep.


    Caro, who was not really downcast but just ashamed, was now even more determined to prove her superiority. She was never one to back down in the middle of a fight. With a precise kick, she sent a tricky shot that was snaky and above the ground, well enough to be easily misjudged. But Amaka reined it in effortlessly, like a pro. Wow! Caro¡¯s jaw dropped. Who taught the girl such things??


    ¡°Ahem¡­ so how¡¯s your fianc¨¦?¡±, Amaka asked in a bid to reduce what she felt was tension in the air.


    ¡°Eh? What fianc¨¦?¡±, Caro demanded in surprise.


    ¡°I mean, the one thates to see your Mummy all the time,¡± Amaka replied, returning a hard shot with a soft, low one.


    ¡°See my Mummy? Who¡¯s that? Describe him.¡± Caro was sure the girl waspletely mistaken, but she was surprised nheless. What on Earth could have introduced such an idea into her head in the first ce?


    ¡°He¡¯s tall and a little light-skinned like that.¡±N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    ¡°Tall¡­ light skin,¡± Caro murmured thoughtfully as she caught yet another easy ball.


    ¡°He drives one red car like that and sometimes, he evenes in a blue one,¡± Amaka added.


    They were nowfortably trading easy passes, but Caro had be too absorbed in the conversation and her thoughts to take notice of this.


    ¡°Red¡­ blue¡­ tall¡­ oh! You say hees to see my Mummy all the time, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Amaka nodded, ¡°mostly when you¡¯re not at home.¡±


    Ah! The idiot, Caro thought. What on Earth was heing to her house for? And when she was not around for that matter. Why would her mother keep ying host to him? Those were questions running through her mind as she continued to trade passes with her friend.


    Finally, she made up her mind to find out every possible answer to those questions. And her resolution showed in the height and velocity of her next pass, just as she said, ¡°he¡¯s not my fianc¨¦.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Amaka said and ran for the ball ¨C the first that had gone past her since they started ying.


    Until now, both girls had forgotten about the boys and even their noise had failed to attract any whit of their attention. But now that Caro¡¯s shot had sent the ball right into their midst, Amaka waspelled to go over to retrieve it from the area upied by their neighbors while Caro waited patiently.


    ¡°Wetin happen?¡±, one of the boys challenged, his sweaty bare chest blocking Amaka¡¯s path as her presence interrupted y.


    ¡°I just want to collect our ball,¡± Amaka said in her soft well-bred voice, marking her as easy prey.


    ¡°Which ball be that? You keep ball for here?¡±, the boy growled, fully into bully mode.


    ¡°But our ball that we just¡­¡±


    ¡°My friend, get out of here jor! Nonsense,¡± another one roared from behind her.


    Amaka, unused to such harassment, made the mistake of showing that she was affected and the boys closed in all around her. Some were asking what was going on and she put her hope in these ones and went on to begin exining how the ball had been kicked by her friend and ended up in the area of the boys.


    ¡°Shut up your mouth there!¡±, one of them silenced her. ¡°Oya, turn back and run away from this ce before I change my mind.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s our ball na. You can¡¯t just take it like that as if it¡¯s your own,¡± Amaka whined, almost close to tears.


    ¡°See this girl o. I say, get out from here, you no dey hear¡­¡± As he brought up his shirt to whip the already cowering girl, a serene voice broke into the scene.


    ¡°Wetin dey happen here?¡±, the queenly Caro demanded, hands on her waist and surveying the scene like a director surveying a film cast and crew.


    The boys all turned to look at her and take her measure for a second, so it was Amaka who spoke first.


    ¡°It¡¯s these boys,¡± sheined, the tears already glistening in her eyes. ¡°They don¡¯t want to give me the ball. They told me to get out.¡±


    ¡°Wetin make una no wan return the ball?¡±, Caro asked the boys.


    They looked at one another in mock surprise and then finally turned to her, ¡°You dey ask yourself or na we you dey ask?¡±, one of them questioned.


    ¡°I dey ask una,¡± Caro returned, ¡°and I will not repeat myself for the third time: wetin make una no wan return the ball?¡±


    Some of the boys chuckled at the daring and effrontery of this girl who had the courage to challenge them so calmly, but the one who had nearly whipped Amaka with his shirt had had enough of the show. ¡°Come, o girl, carry your sister or daughter or whatever make una deyot here. Oya oya, dey go.¡±


    With that, he gave Amaka a push and the smaller girl staggered off and fell against the rock-hard Caro who did not even blink. Only her lips moved immediately. ¡°Look, if you touch her again,¡± she said to the boy, ¡°the kind p wey I go give you, e go make your ear explode.¡±


    Most of the boys gasped in shock at this daring and unexpected threat. The others were just too shocked to do more than gape with wide eyes. One of them was the boy she had addressed. He looked around at his friends, as if to be sure he wasn¡¯t the only one that had heard what he¡¯d just heard. Then he gave a shortugh and turned to Caro.


    ¡°If I touch her, you go p me.¡± It was half-question and half-request to confirm the challenge.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Caro nodded in confirmation and immediately, she felt Amaka trembling against her. Quickly, she pushed the girl behind her and waited for whatever wasing.


    The now furious boy, at first, grabbed his shirt and stretched it into the shape of a whip and raised it above his head with the other end hanging on his shoulder. ¡°I give una five seconds!¡­ to disappear from this ce or una go see fire just now.¡±


    ¡°Caro, please let¡¯s go. Leave the ball. My daddy will buy me another one,¡± Amaka whispered desperately to her friend.


    But Caro ignored her and stood her ground. It wasn¡¯t just for the ball; she wanted to teach her soft friend how to stand up for one¡¯s self.


    ¡°Una still dey here, abi?¡±, the boy said after the expiration of 5 seconds which was in fact almost quarter of a minute. ¡°Sh, help me find stick.¡±


    Frankly, the boys were now wary and suspicious of Caro¡¯s strange confidence and fearlessness, not to mention her significant height and sturdy build. As they searched around for a stick to threaten the girls with, they couldn¡¯t help but wonder what they would do if the girl still refused to leave.


    ¡°Hey, see stick here. Oya, do your worst,¡± Caro said and threw them a short hard stick that had been lying close to her feet, half-buried in the sand.


    The boy picked the stick, tested it and then raised it like he would a whip. ¡°Oya, make una dey go. Move!¡±


    The other boys watched keenly as he marched towards the girls, stick in hand. He was only a few inches from Caro and both he and his friends were wondering if he would really go through with his threat of hitting them, but Caro suddenlyshed out with a heavy punch to his elbow. He staggered back and nearly fell, but before he could regain his bnce, she cleared his feet off the ground with one sweep of her foot.


    ¡°Yey!¡±, he eximed in terror as he fell andnded on his back with a thud.


    Without waiting to see the response or reactions of the other boys, Caro picked up Amaka¡¯s ball which was lying only a few feet away and marched off. Amaka was already slightly ahead her, half-running and half-jogging, eager to put as much distance between herself and the boys as quickly as possible. On the other hand, the only thing on Caro¡¯s mind was, ¡®how on Earth would she find out why Timmy of all people had be a regr at her house and a friend to her mother?¡¯

 CHAPTER SIXTY

    Mary got up from the couch with a sigh. It was not every time that electricity was avable at this time of the day, but there was nothing interesting on TV and it was already afternoon ¨C by now, people would already be making their way back home from church. And if people were home, they were bound to buy things.


    She threw down the remote control on the arm of the couch and prepared to go outside and man her fast-growing kiosk. But before she could take a step, she saw Caro saunter into the room with a tailor¡¯s measuring tape hanging around her long neck. She wondered what the girl was doing with such an item that screamed ¡°work¡± and nothing else. She was very worried that Caro was paying little or no attention to her studies when she ought to be preparing for her final exams ¨C such an expensive and important one at that. But before she could say anything, the girl walked up to her and deftly wound the measuring tape around her waist. Mary was surprised.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±, she demanded. But Caro gave no response and went on to measure other parts of her body with the speed of someone who knew exactly what she was doing.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Caro,¡± Mary said in a half-scolding tone, making it clear that she would not stand being ignored.


    ¡°Taking your measurement,¡± Caro shrugged. ¡°I told you I¡¯ll sew that dress for you.¡±


    With that, she sauntered out as fast as she had sauntered in.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Mary sighed and picked her purse from the centre-table. As much as she loved this daughter of hers and felt pride at her talent, she knew that sewing was not one of the things a schr like her should be doing at this time. But what could she do? Caro always had a mind of her own. She had tried to tolerate that independent mind as much as possible, to prevent the girl from shrinking away or being afraid of her, but it wasn¡¯t always easy.


    Purse in hand, she strolled outside to the verandah and plopped down on the bench. Caro was nowhere to be seen, but she still upied her mind. Her worry was so great. Despite being brilliant, she feared that underrating any exam and such an important one for that matter was a risk that no student could afford to take, not even the confident and capable Caro. If only she could see one¡­ just one little proof or reason to believe that Caro was taking the exams seriously, her mind would bepletely at rest.


    All of a sudden, a steady hum attracted her attention and she quickly looked up to see a caring to a halt in front of herpound. She took a deep breath and leaned back on the wall, waiting for the upant of the vehicle toe out.


    ¡°Good day, ma¡¯am,¡± Timmy greeted with a respectful bow as he walked up to the verandah.


    ¡°How are you?¡±, Mary nodded at him.


    Her eyes glinted with something that looked to him like suspicion and he suddenly felt the need to exin himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, ma¡¯am. Uh¡­ I just came to see a friend on some business matter and it urred to me to drop by and say hi.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Mary nodded again, seemingly satisfied with his exnation. ¡°It¡¯s good you came though. I hope you¡¯re not in a hurry because I want to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, not at all. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m ready to listen.¡± He didn¡¯t know if that was a polite enough expression, but he hoped it was at least tolerable. Mary didn¡¯t seem to mind though. She simply shifted in her seat to properly bnce herself and then looked him squarely in the face.


    ¡°It¡¯s about Caro. As you know, her final secondary school exams areing up soon, but this girl is not putting any effort into preparing for it.¡±


    Timmy¡¯s heart lurched and then started beating wildly. Hopefully, she was not about to ask him ¨C of all people! ¨C to convince Caro to prepare for her exams?? How would he exin that he was the most unqualified person for the job??


    ¡°But,¡± Mary continued, ¡°the bigger issue is money to process her university admission and other things that will follow after the exam.¡±


    At this point, Timmy breathed a sigh of relief and his mind shed back to the calctions he had attempted since one of his cousins begged him to assist in sponsoring his university education. But Mary was still speaking.


    ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m not financially capable at the moment to handle such matters, but that bridge is still far ahead. My only fear for now is that Caro is not a ¡°sidon look¡± person. She will guess the situation of things and start to work towards saving money. That¡¯s where youe in. I¡¯m sure your ce is her highest source of ie, so I want you guys to keep an eye on her and prevent her from  doing anything desperate to make more money, especially now that you¡¯ve given her holiday. I hope you understand me?¡±, she asked, looking intently at him.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, very clearly,¡± Timmy nodded vigorously though wondering how he could possibly keep an eye on Caro without risking his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do the very best I can,¡± he added, with confidence he wasn¡¯t feeling.


    ¡°Good,¡± Mary sighed in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s all I wanted to talk to you about. You can go and see your friend now. Thank you foring.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure, ma¡¯am,¡± Timmy said, automatically, with a bright smile. But he recovered himself immediately. Were those words not too intimate or impolite? But instead of waiting around to find out, he simply took the easier route and quickly walked back to his car. After all, he had already been dismissed, right?


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Caro breathed deeply as she came out of her hiding ce after seeing Timmy¡¯s car drive off. So this what was on her Mummy¡¯s mind? And that idiot too had agreed to ¡°keep an eye¡± on her. Well, she would like to see him try! She reyed their conversation over in her head as she made for the tailor¡¯s shop. She pitied her Mummy and even felt a greater need to save up more money to support her secretly, but Timmy¡­ that stupid daring Mr. Cucumbers¡­ she would put him in his ce!


    She was still fuming and conjuring up ideas in her head, on how she would catch and deal with him if he tried to monitor her, when she reached the road that led to the tailor¡¯s shop. Just like she had promised, she was really going to sew that dress for her Mummy¡­ Krrrrrrrr! A vehicle screeched to a halt just beside her. Caro turned sharply to see that it was a brown minivan. But before she could think, two huge men jumped out of the vehicle and grabbed her, lifting her off her feet and throwing her into the van. They jumped in after her and the driver sped off!


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!