3

When she reached her car, I was still trying to form a better sentence in my head so I don't give her a bad impression, but my brain wasn't responding at the moment because my heartbeats were accelerating in the knowledge of what I was about to do.

It was when she almost entered her car that I pushed myself beside her and poured out my heart.

"Good evening Mir, please I'd like to have a word with you."

She turned swiftly and narrowed her brows when her eyes settled on my face.

"I know this face. Terra. Right?"

Thank God, atleast we can start from somewhere. I thought to myself.

"Actually it's Tiara Mir, but you can call me Tee."

"Okay. So, what can I do for you, Tee?"

She leaned on her car as her keys dangled noisly. She was a very attentive person, not too stingy with her time. I was ululating deep down because trust me, after what I saw inside the clubhouse, I never imagined she'd be this soft towards me. I put my words together.

"Mir, I will be glad if you helped me. We have been discharged from the Home and I don't really have a place to stay. If I could just sleep at your doorstep it will be shelter enough for me."

After a few moments of thinking it through, she turned around and took her seat behind the wheels.

"Hop in then."

I almost jumped up in euphoria as I ran around and took the seat beside her.

"Thank you so much Mir. I really appreciate."

"You are welcome."

Silently, we drove to Mbaku, a neighboring town to Ajelli and she hit the breaks infront of a fine coffee coloured bungalow decorated with white florescence bulbs, it actually was my first time of seeing one, Mbaku was more developed than Ajelli as it is. I came down from the car with my noisy walking-talking bag and left my mouth open in wonderment as my eyes walked the four corners of the compound.

Gracefully, she stepped in and signaled me to come in too.

"Leave your slippers outside, please."

I hurriedly obeyed the instruction and when I stepped into the house, it was simply cosy and squeaky clean, I felt like I wasn't supposed to be there because of how dirty I was and felt.

"Tee, this is my little home. Fortunately I have a room to spare, come with me."

She took me down the passage and pushed open a blank room with just a bulb and a flat bed at the end.

"Wash up and join me in the dinning, I made dinner."

"Thank you, Mir."

I couldn't stop thanking her, I felt so lucky. I was lucky actually.

"You can call me aunt Rose. I'm not a grandma yet."

With that, she left me to myself.

God, I literally rolled on the cemented floor in happiness. Last night, I slept on an old torn mat, today, I will be sleeping on a bed?

I hurriedly took off my raggy gown and got a cold shower, I threw on the finest of my clothes with less patches which was a long faded yellow gown and stepped out of the room. She was already eating and there was another plate of food across her which can only be mine.

So I sat down and began to eat her nice delicacy of porridge snails with vegetables. The healthiest food I've had in a long time, plus, it was delicious.

She was eating and looking keenly at me. I could feel her gaze fixed on my body although I wasn't looking at her.

"So, what do you plan to do? You're off the orphanage, off Ajelli. Where are you headed, what are your plans, I want to hear them."

"I don't really know, aunt Rose. Maybe I can follow you to work?"

I blurted and she laughed free mindedly, showing off her white set of teeth.

"If that is what you want Tee, then you have to stay here and look after the house while I work.

It's a very hideous job, you can't stand the shades. Don't worry maybe if you are that good for a keep, I might start school for you."

"Okay. Whatever you say Aunt Rose, that I will do."

She was being nice but the thought of going to school seemed more hideous than exploiting my body for money. I wanted to make my own fortune and be able to buy hairs and dresses for myself like her, even own a house and a car. Possibly.

But, on a second safer thought, I had to lie low and enjoy the privileges of living in a luxurious house first, every other thing was secondary.

The next day, she took me to a beauty parlor where my afro hair was washed and braided with a brown extension.

I was looking very beautiful even the hairdresser couldn't stop complimenting me.

Taking care of the house wasn't really stressful to compare to the stress I passed through in the hands of the old woman in Ajali. Unlike her, aunt Rose did her laundry herself, I only swept the house and did the dishes. She loved cooking so, I was barely needed around the kitchen. Then, I washed her car on days she couldn't send it to carwash. I never fetched water too because we pumped water. I was in heaven and I knew all this was possible because of aunt Rose's good rare heart.

Gradually, she changed my wardrobe. Did I just say wardrobe? she changed my walking-talking bag into a little colourful closet, ranging from gowns to skirts and tops, pyjamas even.

She changed my slippers that had two big holes at the heels due to friction and overuse to a leather sandals and second-hand slides. In short, she took me as a sister she never had and she never really kept records of all she'd done for me.

Sometimes while coming back from work, she would bring home a beefsteak wrapped up in a foil for me, most of the times, she bought me icecream. She literally spoiled me with her money and I couldn't help but imagine how nice it would be to be just in her shoes.

One Saturday afternoon, while she was at work, someone knocked at our door. I was dusting the sofas, thinking it was my ears at it again because no one ever visited us. But then the knocks became louder and more persistence that I dropped the duster and answered it.

A young well groomed guy on a casual attire was standing before the door, hands in pockets. Aunt Rose never mentioned anyone coming to visit her to me.

"Good afternoon, please who are you?"

I asked, holding the door ajar.

"Back at you. Can I come in?"

Even before he asked, he was already inside and he walked around like he owned the property. I thought maybe it was her brother or maybe a close friend. But there was something about him that blared an alarm.

"Get me a glass of water, please."

He already made himself comfortable and picked up the remote to change the channel that I was enjoying as I worked before he came.

I was alarmingly calm as I poured him chilled water in a glass.

"Please what do you want? my sister is not around."

At this point I was curious and tensed up.

It was an instruction she gave me to always refer to her as sister before anyone in a situation where the need arised.

The young man laughed briskly as he set down the glass, it came out like a mockery as he shook his head.

"Oh, dear Roseline. You are wonderful."

He muttered as his lips curled up in a smirk.

"Well I could wait for her as you entertain me with the mysterious story of how she became your sister overnight."

Well, this dude knows her too well but I became very uncomfortable when he began to scrutinize me lustfully with his bright brown eyes.

"Hmm. This is money."

He growled and I snapped.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me. I was busy before you came in."

"Do you want to make cool money?"

I halted.

"You can make close to thirty shillings everyday."

"Doing what?"

I heard my insatiable self ask.

"What else? Do you know what Roseline does to make money?"

He asked with a raised brow. He was carefree and he spoke bluntly.

"Yes, I do."

I already was sitting down listening attentively to him as if being drawn by an unknown force.

"Exactly what you'd be doing but I will take you to our branch in the city. There's more money and more horny rich zaddies over there. Roseline will never know where you went off to."

Now, that right there was my two dreams shot at once with a single stone; To make money and to travel to the city. And this handsome guy before me appeared to be a very straightforward human being, I trusted him immediately.

In hindsight, I was being very naive and credulous but the urge of what I desired superseded the risks I was willing to take.

"Uhmm. When are we travelling?"

I asked nervously.

"Haha, I like you already. What about now? 'cause after today, I'm sure Roseline will warn me to never come here again, considering the fact that she is hiding you from the world."

It was the honest truth. Ever since I came to Mbaku, I haven't really left her house except on days I went to the beauty parlor which she would offer to drive me to. I have always sort for chances to go to anywhere I wanted and be able to flaunt the dresses she bought me by asking her to send me to the market, but she would always go, 'don't worry, I will stop by on my way back.'

I was a wild bird and I felt caged. I wanted to flap my wings and fly away so badly.

"Okay, give me a minute."

I rushed inside and removed my apron. I started packing up my belongings which is now bigger than when I came. She also bought me a travelling bag and today was the first time I needed it.

I was an opportunist, it was actually opportunity that linked me to Aunt Rose and that mindset never changed. I was sweating profusely checking the time so that aunt Rose won't come back and jeopardize my way forward with her presence. Few moments later, I came out of the room with a travelling bag and a hand-me-down handbag from her. The young man whom I was yet to know his name took me to where he packed his SUV and we zoomed off.

It was a very fast decision for me to make but that was also how fast those chances come and go, I reasoned.

His phone rang on the way and he took it out of his pocket and maneuvered the road with his left hand on the steering.

("Hey, boss?

....

I didn't meet her, but I have a cool surprise for you. Trust me it's worth more than the money.

.......

Wait till you see for yourself.

....

Haha bye.")