FED UP!

(…continued…)

Mabel went in laughing while Ejike and Kome stood where they were, watching her frame as she retreated. When she got to the building, she turned back and saw them still staring at her. She waved at them to go. They waved back, entered the car and left.

                Mabel went into the house and met Cynthia peeping through the window.

  “What are you doing there?” she asked Cynthia, gently pulling her back.

  “Is he the new guy?” Cynthia asked.

  “Who?”

  “Eji..”

  “Ejike?”

  “Yes.”

  “No. Why do you ask?”

  “I saw the way he was looking at you.”

  “Haba. He is my former course mate.”

  “The guy is freeeesssshh.”

  “You want to eat him?”

  “These are the kind of guys Dinma sucks dry.”

                Mabel laughed and Cynthia joined in the laughter.

  “Can you imagine that he asked for your phone number?”

  “What?” Cynthia said surprised. “You are not serious.”

  “I am. After you left me, he kept staring at you.”

  “The same way he was staring at you after you left him?”

  “Yea. But he really asked for your number.”

  “What did he want my number for?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he likes you.”

  “But you are the one he came looking for.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You are just teasing me.”

  “I am serious.”

  “Did you give it to him?”

  “No.”

  “Ohhhm. Y na?”

  “You wanted me to give him your number?”

  “Yes na. Treasure is not bad na, unless you are interested in him sha.”

Their mother came out from the room.

  “Mummy good evening,” Mabel greeted.

  “Cynthia told me you are seeing someone, and he even dropped you off,” she said to Mabel.

  “Hmm. When?”

                Mabel looked at Cynthia for explanation.

 “Let me check the water I boiled in the kitchen,” Cynthia said and got up from the seat to leave.

                Mabel blocked her and gently pushed her back into the seat. They laughed.

  “I did not say anything o,” Cynthia said, still laughing.

 “Cynthia,” their mother said, turning to her. “You just told me that there was a man with Mabel outside.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you are saying you did not tell me anything.

                Cynthia kept quiet.

  “Mummy did you see him?” Mabel asked.

  “No.”

  “Then how do you know I was with a man outside?”

  “That little girl even told me sef.”

  “Ok, I give up,” Mabel said and sat down

                Her mother sat beside her.

  “So who is he?” she asked.

  “He is my former course mate,” Mabel replied.

  “Mummy if you see this man eh,” Cynthia said. “He is richer and finer than Segun ten times.”

  “Cynthia!”

  “Sorry.”

  “He saw me when I was walking home and stopped me. We were just catching up.”

  “Ok. So there is nothing serious going on then,” her mother said.

  “No. It is too early for me to be thinking about another relationship.”

  “I know.”

                Their mother got up to go to the kitchen. Cynthia followed her.

  “So how rich is he?” their mother asked Cynthia as they entered the kitchen.

  “Mummy!” Mabel called and laughed.

  “Don’t mind us.”

                Mabel went to the room to undress while Cynthia and her mother went to the kitchen to look for what to prepare for dinner. When Mabel was done with undressing, she washed her hands and joined them in the kitchen. They pondered on what to cook. After a while they decided on what to cook.

  “I doubt if we have enough kerosene,” Cynthia said.

                Their mother checked.

  “You are right.”

  “So what do we do?” Mabel asked. “I wanted to buy gas cooker for you but you refused.”

  “I don’t want to set landlord’s house on fire. You can’t trust those cookers.”

  “We will need to go get kerosene,” Cynthia said and brought out the kerosene can.

  “Where?” Mabel asked her.

  “Either the filling station in the express road or the kiosk at the junction.”

  “I don’t have the strength to go that far with you.”

  “And I can’t go alone.”

  “Look for Chuka na.”

  “Honestly, I wish I can see him now. I don’t have the strength to go and get it.”

                Their mother collected the kerosene can from Cynthia.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “Let me go and get it.”

  “No na,” Mabel said.  “We cannot be here and you will be going to buy kerosene.”

  “It is not a big deal. It has not been long you came back. You are tired. At least, I have been resting for some hours now.”

  “Ok, if you say so.”

  “Start the preparation process,” their mother said and went out.

                Mabel and Cynthia prepared the ingredients for the cooking.

  “Don’t do the one that will involve bending down o,” Mabel said to Cynthia.

  “Don’t worry about the back,” Cynthia said.

  “Ok.”

                Almost immediately, their mother came back in. she was not holding the kerosene can.

  “What happened?” Mabel asked her. “Where is the kerosene?”

  “On the way,” their mother replied. “I met Chuka and he offered to help me get it.”

  “This Chuka sef,” Cynthia said. “Is he a ghost? He is everywhere.”

  “He must have heard when you called his name.”         

                They prepared the food stuff and waited for Chuka to come back with the kerosene.

  “What is keeping Chuka?” their mother asked, looking out of the window.

                After waiting a little longer, they heard a knock on the door. Mabel opened the door and saw Chuka standing at the door, with his shirt thorn and bleeding from the side of his mouth.

(…to be continued…)

-©2015.Chinedu Isaac