(…continued…)
They
went through the back. The back door was also locked from inside. Mabel and
Cynthia were worried.
“Why are the two
doors locked from inside?” Mabel asked.
Cynthia
knocked and listened. They heard what sounded like movement inside the house.
“Mummy,” Cynthia
called, feeling tensed up.
“I am coming,”
they heard their mother say.
They
were relieved.
“At least mummy
is ok,” Mabel said and exhaled through her mouth.
Their
mother opened the door and they went in.
“Welcome,” she
told them after they greeted her.
“Why did you
lock everywhere?” Cynthia asked her.
“Did you see
that lunatic outside?” she asked, looking at Mabel.
“Who?” Mabel
asked, puzzled. “Which lunatic?”
“Segun.”
They
burst into laughter.
“It is not a
laughing matter o,” their mother said.
“He has left.”
“Did you talk
with him? What did he want?”
“We did not talk
with him. We hid somewhere until he left.”
“You see, we
were all hiding.”
They
came into the parlour and Cynthia sunk into the couch.
“Is he the
reason why you locked the door?” she asked.
“My dear, he was
acting strange.”
“How do you mean?”
Mabel asked.
“He would come
into the compound, get close and then go back and stand close to his car,
looking. He did that severally.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And he was
talking to himself.”
“So you locked
the door.”
“I had to. I
don’t know what he had in mind.”
Mabel hissed and dropped her bag
and market bag.
“And you didn’t
call us on phone?”
“My phone battery
has been empty. I couldn’t call.”
“Was anybody
with him?”
“No. He was
alone.”
“As far as I am
concerned, he is not a threat,” Cynthia said and stretched her feet on a side-stool
in front of the couch.
“But what is he
looking for na,” Mabel asked rhetorically. “He really acted strange.”
“Call Coker and
tell him,” Cynthia suggested.
“Coker has his
personal life to live na.”
“True. But as
long as Segun is still in the picture, you need to keep him in the loop.”
Mabel
checked the time on the wall clock.
“He should still
be in his fiancée’s uncle’s place by now. I will call him later.”
“Or you can send
him an SMS, just so you don’t forget.”
“No. He is
having a time out with his fiancée. There is a limit to my encroachment.
“Yea, you are
right. She may start getting funny ideas too.”
“Exactly. In
fact I will not tell him unless he calls.”
“What if he
doesn’t call today?”
“I will not tell
him today then. Simple.”
“Leave story of
mad man,” their mother said. “Did you buy the things from the market?”
“Yes ma,”
Their
mother took the market bag and went into the kitchen.
“Mummy leave the
soup,” Cynthia said. “We will cook it.”
“I am actually
seeing double o,” Mabel said. “Allow mummy to cook it as she willingly wants
to, else you will cook it.”
“Lazy girl,”
Cynthia said, laughing. “My back is aching too.”
“Even me too,”
their mother said, coming out to the kitchen door. “My waist is aching. I have
been washing since I came back from meeting.”
They
laughed.
“Where you
thinking I will do everything alone?” their mother said, smiling.
“Mummy,” Mabel
said, looking at her babyishly.
“I know you need
rest,” their mother said. “Even if you don’t do anything, just keep me company.”
“Don’t mind
Mabel,” Cynthia said. “I am coming with you.”
“Go ahead,”
Mabel said, slightly nudging Cynthia. “Good daughter.”
They
laughed as Cynthia went into the kitchen after her mother.
Mabel
went into the room, changed into a simple gown. She took snacks and poured
juice from the fridge. Then she went to the kitchen. She sat and talked with
her mother and sister as they made the soup.
“Hope your phone
is not silent,” Cynthia asked Mabel after a while.
“No, it is not,”
Mabel said. “Any problem?”
“Nothing. Just
asking because you don’t always know when your phone is ringing. Coker could
call anytime.”
“I made sure of
that.”
“Ok.”
“Ehe, that
reminds me, have you spoken with Chuka again?”
Their
mother dropped the plate she was carrying and looked at Cynthia with a big
smile on her face.
“Mummy what is
it?” Cynthia asked, smiling.
“Answer your
sister na,” their mother said.
“I have not
spoken with him.”
“You need to
call him to know how he is doing.”
“Mummy, are you
the one saying this?”
“Yes o.”
“You are already
giving me away without my consent.”
“Not at all. He
suffered a lot because of you. You need to call him to find out how he is
doing, especially what his family said about his injuries and then their plan
for him.”
“Ok. I will wait
for his call. If he doesn’t call, then I will.”
“No,” Mabel
said. “Don’t wait for him to call you. Call him. It shows that you are
concerned about his welfare.”
“Ok I will, once
we are done here.”
When
the soup was boiling on the stove, Mabel and Cynthia went to the parlour while
their mother went towards the backyard.
“Let me bring
back the cloths I washed,” she said as she went.
“Ok.”
“Now to calling
Chuka,” Cynthia said as she brought out her phone.
“Immediately.”
She
dialed Chuka. It rang once and he picked. Cynthia was surprised at the speed of
his answering.
“Is like you are
holding your phone, waiting for me to call you,” Cynthia teased him.
He
laughed and told her that he was meaning to call her when she called. He asked
how she was doing and she told him, then she asked him how he was doing. He
told her to hang up so he would call her back.
“Why?” Cynthia
asked him.
He
told her it was so she would save her airtime. She told him not to worry and
they continued talking. He told her in summary what had happened and told her
he would be coming back with his brother the next day. He said he would tell
her everything in detail when they meet.
“Did you tell
them I was the cause of your injuries?”
(…to be continued…)
-©2015.Chinedu Isaac
