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Inbetween 25
"Why are you smiling like that? " I asked .
It was a stupid question. My own smile could actually be broader than his that was just done with a side of his lips.
"Let go of your clothe. It did nothing to you. "
I agreed and freed my poor dress that I could have torn without noticing. It was the effect of being under his gaze.
"I should be going upstairs, " I said.
He walked to where I was and began tucking my hair behind my ears.
"You are beautiful, " he said.
"Thank you? " I replied, unsure of the sudden compliment.
I tried so hard to compose myself so I do not look like a silly teenager being complimented for the first time.
"There was a man," he began. His face was just a few inches from mine. I found it strange listening to him when he was that close to.
"The man was a taxi dr
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INBETWEEN Inbetween 27
I woke up to the effect of the light sneaking past the closed curtain. I had never known how to sleep with light . One of my neighbors decided to do blues this morning. Wrapping my arms around my waist, I thought of how I slept. I remember just lying there and staring into space not even daring to turn lest I catch Ike's eyes on me .I look at his side of the bed and he was not there . I stood up and strolled to the bathroom door, he was not there either. Matching out of the room on bare foot, I realized that the song I was hearing was coming from my sitting room.There was an inviting aroma coming from the kitchen. I redirected to the kitchen and he stood there with a trouser, loosely hanging on his waist that I could see the line of his briefs . He was shirtless, dedicated to the egg in the frying pan. I stood at the door, arms folded, staring at his well tanned upper body imagining what would have happened if I returned his kisses l
INBETWEEN Inbetween 28
Everyone wore their grief in different colors of emotions. Some had craving, others had no appetite. Some had too much anger and irritation, others laughed too hard, that their eyes twinkled and you would see the sadness they were trying to cover; it could have been pretence. But people likeWisdom managed to lighten up the mood on some days. Other days, his jokes were failed jokes but I listened and smiled at the resigned look he always had on those days.Auntie Maimah refused to come downstairs. Her food was carried up to her room in a rectangular stainless tray and in flowered porcelain plates. Most days, I loved to take up the food . I would sit and watch her eat or I would stare at the dark surface of her plasma Television on the wall which was always off recently. She would pinch her eba and smear it with finger prints of soup then abandon the food untouched half way."Please eat more," I would say.She
INBETWEEN Inbetween 29
I sat with Michelle, Stella, Ada and Ike on the same pew. We all came with well tinted glasses . I know it is called 'sun shade' but we are not for fashion today- We're hiding our pain.We wore blue ankara dress with red designs on it, all sewn in a simple blouse with a front zip and a pencil-cut skirt. My mother could have been anywhere in the church or outside the church.. She was a habitual late comer. Auntie Maimah sat in the front pew with Nneka and Wisdom at her sides. She was the only one who wore white. Her eyes were red and round and seemed it was sinking into her sockets. She was not wearing a shade. She just sat staring at the choir as they ministered.People on my seat cried silently but I noticed, they dabbed around their covered eyes too often. I was trying to be strong so I chewed the fruit gum in my mouth , imitating a nonchalance that I could not feel. Each time I stared
INBETWEEN Inbetween 30
I returned to sitting behind the sewing machine after a week. I tried to properly utilize my time to make up for the time I lost while we arranged for the burial . Aku got admission into the university, I was happy for her but her absence pained me. Ignoring the age difference, she was actually a good company.Looking out from my office window, I could see the houses close to the rail; the unpainted houses with black charcoal drawings on them.There was a little commotion on that side. Two girls were being dragged about by older women. There was so much noise also but I could not make out a word. Some women even hit the girls. After a while they started to disperse leaving the two girls with just three women.I returned to the table, where I began looking up styles on the internet. I picked up a drawing pad and began to sketch new designs adding up the ones I saw online. Once in a while, I reached into m
INBETWEEN Inbetween 31
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INBETWEEN Inbetween 33
I killed a rat.No, I didn't- It was Tunde. I bought rat poison for it the previous week. I put rice on a torn carton, I even put the fish head on top of the food then I sprinkled the poison generously on it then I left the garnished food beside my freezer because I noticed it loved to eat the foil there because each time I came out in the morning, parts of the foil litters were everywhere.I went to bed that night in anticipation of a dead rat but I woke up the next morning, and the fish was missing but I could perceive no stench smell.I began to notice their presence after I returned from the burial but I had never seen the rat until the moment I met it speeding on the hallway and I dodged towards my room door like I was the one trespassing on its land. It was a huge rat. Maybe it was referred to as Mancho in its land, maybe it even worked out. It was just that huge.It sped to the kitchen
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