"You heard me right." He said. May rolled her eyes. "So what are you? A psychologist?" 

"Where do you think you're going?" Edric's voice caused May and Maryam to freeze. She was leaving for church but he just had to come out of his room just when she was about to open the door, spoiling everything for her. "Church?" She answered for the second time, confusion making the word quizzical. 

 The sound of a moving bucket against the cemented floor attracted her attention. The noise was coming from the lady next door, who was too lazy to carry up the bucket of dirty clothes she was about to wash, leading to the scrapping that disturbed May. "Ah! Good morning." Greeted the

If asked to describe the particular day in question, one could begin with the drizzling outside, the cold, and how lazy the morning felt. A lizard had even managed to enter the house through the torn window screens, bobbing its head at the far end of the wall, close to the ceiling. May did not seem to notice.Her mind was filled with so many unanswered questions as she weaved Maryam's black hairinto five big braids. "Have you done your homework?" May asked. It was better starting off a conversation instead of thinking of what horror Monday had planned for her. Another quarrel? More beatings? Who knows? She might be wrapped up like a mummy and sent to her early grave. The thought alone was enough to eat her up."I have, since I came back from school on Friday," Maryam answered.

May scanned the compound well as she got out, clutching her purse tighter because she couldn't afford to lose the money Edric had given her. There was a rusty car, covered in dust with one tire missing and it's windscreen broken. It was parked close to the dogs. May sucked in a deep breath trying to compose herself and stop her heart from jumping out. "Which one did you say was your house?" She asked, referring to the seven buildings in front ofthem. "There. The cream-colored one," he pointed at a building that was almost out of view from where they stood. The Banga tree leaves had hidden it. May gulped. This means they would have to pass the dogs, the car, and the tree, just to get to