One problem with light sleepers was that they woke up at the slightest noise or sound, which was the reason why Leri was wide awake by 9am in the morning. It wasn't her intention to, but that particular morning for no specific reason, Iyanu had banged the door of his bedroom so loud, it woke her up. Once again, she had no idea why she ended up with such a person as her brother.

After saying a quick prayer, she surfed through Instagram and other social media apps, hopping on the latest trends in the country while also viewing Dahlia's Kagabel's story.

It was around 9:30am she heard it, the unmistakably footsteps of her mother, aka Iya Ileri. There is no way you live in a Nigerian home that you won't be able to identify and distinguish your family members footsteps. There was just no way.

Instinctively, she pushed her phone under her pillow and pulled up her duvet to her chin. She squeezed her eyes shut and mentally did her a countdown in her head.

5....4....3...2...

Her door busted open.

She could imagine the look and stance on her mother, like she was anticipating a thief to catch red handed. Well, too bad mummy, she chuckled in her head.

Silence hung in the air for minutes, after which, was a sudden brightness escorted by heat that streamed directly into her eyes. She tightened her eyes fully aware of what had happened. Her sweet mother had opened her curtains.

"Ileri I know you're not sleeping." Her mother announced, but she refused to give her the satisfaction of replying. Leri stayed mute.

She was sure her mother was going through her room at this point, like a detective searching for evidence or suspected items. At a point she heard the sound of a drawer, next, her wardrobe and finally, she felt an extra weight on the bed.

"My friend will you get up." Her mum sharply commanded with a slap on her leg.

Ileri only turned on the bed, adjusting her position until she laid on her side.

"I'll be back. Let me go and get a bucket of water," her mother continued which piped up her interest, "I will make sure I drench this bed today if you don't get up from that bed this instance!"

Initially, she had no interest obeying her mother, but after thinking about the outcome of the drench and the bed sheets and duvet she would wash and dry that morning, she tarnished the tempting voice.

Leri sat up on the bed slowly. "Mummy good morning ma." She murmured while rubbing her fingers on her eye for more effect.

"Pele o, good morning. Olorun iya." Her mum eyed her. "So why aren't you at work today?"

Leri grumbled, "Mummy I told you, i-"

"Don't even start with me this morning or I will slap that your mouth away from your face." Her mum cut her off, "Ileri it's been one week, what is happening?"

Leri remained silent and her mother, naturally, went on with speaking, "you've just been in your room, pressing phone and doing nothing for the past one week. What is your problem?"

"Mummy?"

"Hm."

"Mummy I want to tell you something about this work of a thing."

Her mother shifted an inch closer to her,"Ilerioluwa, I'm all ears."

Leri inhaled deeply before dropping the bomb, "I left the place."

"Meaning they promoted you to a better place and position?"

Leri face palmed herself and sighed. How would she arrange the words in a much milder manner?

"Mummy I was..." she began, "how do I say this," she wondered, "I was dismissed, I was expelled, I no longer work there."

"Won ti sack e?" her mother summarized, "they have sacked you?"

Leri nodded, triggering her mother to get off from the bed as if an insect had stung her.

"Ileri has killed me o," her mother wailed, putting both hands on her head. Trust her mother to be very dramatic. "My village people have finally gotten me."

"Ooooh, Mummy it's not much of a big deal." Leri grumbled, "I'll get another job."

"Another job where? When?" her mother questioned with worry, "this is Nigeria, do you think good jobs fall from the sky like rain?"

"Mummy my case is different o, I'll certainly get a new one." Leri argued.

"Which mountain will I start praying for you from ba yi?" her mother continued,"is this not the fifth job you've thrown away?"

"Mummy you're exaggerating," Leri retorted, "It's just the third."

"Third, fifth, what's the difference," her mother intoned again, "Can't you see you need prayer? And if I tell you to fast, you will ignore me."

"Mummy it's honestly too early for all of these, I want to sleep some more." Leri fell flat on her bed again.

"If you try it, it's a bucket of hot water I will pour this time," her mother threatened, "In fact, follow me right now to my room, we're going to pray on this matter. It cannot continue like this. Never!" with that, she marched out of the room.

Leri protested on the bed, it was too early for the drama her mum was acting. This was completely unnecessary.

"Ileri, I don't want to count to three and you're still on that bed." Her mother's voice echoed through the lobby and no matter how stubborn she claimed to be, in times like this, she couldn't dare to disobey her mother.

"So why didn't you call me to tell me all these?"

Leri rolled her tongue in her mouth and glanced at the closest friend she had in her life.

"Ojite, I really didn't want to be a bother on you," Leri sincerely said, "you had your ongoing sales which alone is stress. I really couldn't add my issue to it."

"Sales would've never disturbed me from listening to you," Ojite explained, "and the fact that all these happened a week ago and you couldn't even call me, breaks my heart. You're more important than the so called sales."

"Awwwn." Leri gushed, "You just said you love me more than money."

"Idiot." Ojite rolled her eyes that danced with mirth.

Leri chuckled, "so how was the sales?"

"Sales was very, in fact I couldn't believe the profit I made after calculating everything. I'm so glad I did it." Ojite beamed.

Ojite Omovigho was the perfect example of 'you do not need to attend a university to succeed in life.'

Since their university days, Ojite had always been nonchalant about her studies and although she wasn't a terrible student, she had no passion for it and was only in school to appease her parent.

During their final year, Ojite had registered in an academy of the making and marketing of natural skincare products. Obviously, Leri was skeptical about the whole abandoning school for business but she supported her nevertheless.

Fast forward to the present, Ojite was a proud CEO of her own skin care brand and was making a lot of money off it. Seeing her friend so happy with what she was doing made Leri grin.

"And if not for me that pushed you, you wouldn't have done it," Leri teased before crashing her friend with a hug, "I'm so happy for you Jiji, I feel like a proud mama bear."

"Abeg abeg," Ojite started with humor in her voice but was interrupted when someone came into view.

"Madam excuse me, the woman said na you she wan to talk to about the soap and cream."

"Okay, I dey come." Ojite answered after a hefty sigh to the sales girl, who nodded and took her leave. "Leri, Please I'll be back. Some of these customers mission in life is just to give me problem. By the way, what would you like to eat? Because I'm sending someone to get me food across the street."

"White rice, plantain and fried fish." Leri shrugged, "Then maybe a bottle of champagne to wash it down."

Ojite shook her head, "no be only champagne, vodka. Ode."

Leri laughed, "Cash mummy!"

"You're on your own ."Ojite waved her away as she turned on her heel.

Leri surveyed Ojite's office, painted white and a strip of gold. She knew within her she would never have the patience for business and the risk it carried. People like Leri were meant for the office.

Her eyes was fixed on the red board on the wall pinned with pictures of numerous occasions. One contained a picture of both of them, clad in their convocation gowns with bright triumphant smiles plastered on their faces.

Leri smiled in memory, reliving the pure joy they had both felt that day, the feeling of freedom and happiness. Unknowingly to them, it was also the beginning of adulthood. She blinked away the memory, dragging her mind to random things unrelated to her current job crisis.

Ojite returned several minutes after, and in her hands were two white takeaway plates. "I'm sorry for the delay jare, that woman took up most of my time."

Leri sat up from the sofa to assist her friend with the food. They both placed it on the center table, before proceeding to open it, causing a burst of spicy aroma in the air.

While Ojite brought out two soda drinks from the mini fridge, Leri stretched over to her food, scooped it up and chewed.

"Their fried rice is actually very nice." She confessed with eyes wide in surprise.

"I know right," Ojite agreed as she set down the drinks on the center table, afterwards returning the same gesture to Leri's food. A habit they picked up since their university days.

They ate in silence for a while, before Ojite shattered it. "How's you and Denis?"

The food suddenly turned bitter in Leri's mouth and the atmosphere dropped. She released her hand abruptly from the spoon and looked away, refusing to meet her friend's eye.

"You're doing that thing again," Ojite observed, "where you can't look me in the eye because you're lying." She sipped her soda, "What's up?"

Leri shut her eyes briefly and exhaled through her mouth, "we haven't spoken in a week and three days and I'm really worried, I honestly don't know what to do."

"Did you two have a fight?"

Leri shook her both her hands and head.

"Then it should be work, or something important. I'm sure he would reach you once he gets the opportunity to."

"Jiji I'm scared," Leri's voice came out brittle,"I'm tired of heartbreaks. I really want this to work out."

Ojite said nothing, but nodded and smiled, one of pity and understanding.

When her phone rang later that night, Leri flew and almost tripped in attempt to get it. The name glaring bright on her phone screen nearly made her tear up in joy.

"Hello." Her boyfriend's voice made her feel relaxed.

"Hi." She replied, voice bubbling with excitement "I've been trying to reach you for days, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I've been so busy, I barely even have time for myself."

Leri felt sorry for him and above all, stupid. Here she was worrying and fussing over him when he was working nonstop to secure a future for them.

"I'm so sorry," she told him, pity lacing her voice.

"Yeah," he sighed, "How are you though?"

Leri halted at the question, because the truth was that, she wasn't fine at all.

"I got fired again," she confessed, her voice low.

"What?!" came her boyfriend's stunned reply, "how? What happened?"

"I had issues with the show I was given to host and I tried to make modifications, which was why they sacked me."

"Hello?" she said again after noticing he had gone silent."

"Why did you have to make modifications?" his voice was low, controlled.

"I thought -"

"You thought what?" his voice flared with anger, accompanied by a loud thud, like he'd banged his fist on a table. "You had one job, to host the damn show! What is your business with modifications? Were you instructed to do so?"

Leri flinched and shrunk at the harsh tone of his voice.

"As long as you are being paid at the end of the month, it's not any of your concern. You know how I had to plead with my colleague about this your issue, despite the fact that there wasn't any vacancy!" he continued heatedly, "now, you've flung it away carelessly. Look I'm not going to help you about this again, and I don't date jobless women so it's up to you. Get a job or get away from me."

The next thing she heard was a beep. He had hung up on her.

Yikes!! I feel bad for Leri😪🤧

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