QUESTIONS AND EMOTIONS

We had spent about one hour into the session when Magdalene stalked into the room. I and Vincent looked at her like she had grown two heads.

"I was definitely not hoping something else was going on," she said laughing awkwardly.
Vincent had suggested that we used an empty room downstairs for the class.

Constance dashed into the room. "Auntie Thelma said food is ready o," she said hoping to and fro. I heard Vincent mutter thank God. Truthfully, the day's session wasn't going smoothly. Vincent had a hard time assimilating what I was saying and I honestly didn't feel like teaching him at the moment. Chemistry could be brain tiring at times.

Vincent closed the his book and hopped out of his seat. He stretched his body and it made funny popping sounds. "Men! my brain and body is tired."

"Lazy boy! Nairobi is not complaining," Constance said dancing pirouettes to the tune of a phantom instrument. She stopped beside me. "I like your name. Nairobi. Maybe I could change my name to Addis. As in Addis Ababa," she said stroking her chin. "Deji, do you think mummy would like it?"

Vincent came and took her hand and led her towards the door. "She would definitely like it. She likes everything that concerns you," he said with a small laugh that seemed a bit forced. "Now go and eat. I'm coming with your new friend."

"Okie dokie," she sang and skipped out of the room. Vincent returned his gaze to me. Vincent didn't look happy like I expected. I expected him to shake his head then smile and make a funny comment about Constance but he didn't. He just gave me a hollow, sad and distant look.

"I can't keep lying to her. Can I?" He asked in a defeated voice. It didn't feel like he was talking to me.

"Lying about what?"

His head snapped up at me like he did not know I was there. "Spaghetti. You like it?" He asked instead.

"Um. . .yes," I answered before following him to the dinning table.

So apparently I was having a superbly satisfying lunch with Vincent and Stephen and part of their family. Something I didn't foresee, but I was not complaining.

Stephen and his sister would not stop using their phones every ten minutes. Noah kept saying nasty stories about worms and how they made popping sounds when they were happy. Constance made it a routine to stand up and start running around the table only to come back when Vincent scolded her. Well me, I just observed everyone at the table. Especially Vincent freaking Adebayo.

When he was not scolding Constance, he was just facing his plate of worm lookalikes-thanks to Noah. His phone was with him but he checked it like only once then switched it off. He and Vincent often exchanged some things about girls, basketball and male accessories in pidgin- with Stephen doing most of the talking and Vincent doing more of the chuckling, nodding and wowing. I really wanted to know what's up with him. This was the second time he has unknowingly admitted something to me and it kind of brought my nurturing personality to the surface.

"Connie eat fast so that we can go home. Someone is waiting for me," Magdalene said typing away on her phone.

Constance slurped on her spaghetti noisily. "I don't want to go. I want to stay with Vincent and Nairobi."

Home?

I decided to speak now. "Sorry for asking but who's house is this?"

"Ours." Constance gulped a glass of yogurt. "Ever since mummy travelled, Vincent makes me stay at my Aunty's house during the weekends and come back home after school on Monday," she blabbed.

Vincent glared at her and a deafening hush settled at the table. Something was wrong somewhere and I was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to say that.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" Constance asked innocently.

Vincent looked at me and looked away immediately. "Stephen you guys should go."

Constance hopped off her seat. She carried my dirty plate and hers, including the others and took them to the kitchen.

"Oya let's go," Stephen said leading the three kids outside. Vincent didn't stand up. He just sat at the table with his fingers laced in front of him. Constance forced me to see them off and I agreed. When I got back, Vincent was still in the same position. He didn't even know that I was there because I called his name like four times before he answered.

"I'm sorry if Constance disturbed you in any way. She's attention seeking. Especially around new people."

"OK."

We stayed in awkward silence. I drummed my finger on the dinning table while he just stared at nothing to the table. The house was dead silent. Nobody was at home. Auntie Thelma had gone to visit her family for the weekend. John didn't stay in the house on weekends too. Stephen and the children had gone so it was only me and Vincent in the big house.

"I'm going," I said breaking the ear splitting silence.

"I was thinking maybe we can do the further maths and economics assignment together. . . that's if you want," he said looking everywhere but me. A smile threatened to form on my lip.

"Yeah we can."

In no less than thirty minutes than we begin our assignment, the sky darkened and it started raining cat and dog. It was unexpected. Just an hour again, the sun was blazing hot that one could think the moon may not even show up.

But there was something off about Vincent. When the rain increased, he seemed happy. I couldn't miss the grin that he was trying to hide.

"Damn. I'm not sure this rain is stopping anytime soon," I said regretting staying back.

Vincent looked up from his book. "If you're ready to go, I can call the driver to take you home."

That was something I was definitely not going to agree to.

"Don't worry I'll wait it out."

When we finished the assignments it was already some minutes past four.

"Last Saturday, I wanted to call you to tell you that I wasn't going to pick you but I didn't have your number. Neither did the guys," he said pausing whatever he was doing on his phone.

I knew he was indirectly asking for my number. Or maybe not.

Don't get ahead of yourself, my inner self teased.

"I don't have a mobile phone," I told him easily.

"Oh." It seemed like he didn't expect it. "Er. . .I might miss these Saturday classes sometimes though."

I chuckled. "Of course we will."

We stayed in awkward silence again. I picked my dirty nails while Vincent scrolled through his phone

"You play video games? Or you want to watch TV?"

"Since our teachers are forcing us to be friends, it wouldn't hurt to know more about you," I said. I couldn't just push my curiosity away.

Vincent rested his back on the bed's headrest. "I noticed something. You didn't act annoying in anyway today."

Was this boy serious? He was the annoying one. "You didn't piss me off either. I guess their plan is working somehow."

Vincent smiled very slightly. His smile was almost unnoticeable. "I hope. So I don't think there's anything else that's worth knowing about me. You know I'm Vincent. I'm Yoruba. And I'm seventeen. Erm. . . what else?"

I wanted to know what happened in JSS 3. I was curious. Chijioke and Stephen refused to spill anything to me. But who was I kidding? He didn't tell his classmates what was wrong and I just assumed I had the chance of knowing?

"Nothing else I guess," I said finally. Curiosity kills the cat right?

"Um, so about yourself. . ."

"I'm Nairobi and I'm Igbo," I shrugged.

"Quick question, did your parent give you the name?"

The question ticked something in me. I didn't know why but it stirred up emotions, emotions that I didn't want to surface. I've been asked questions relating to my "parents" on several occasions though I've been able to prevent myself from getting all emotional on those occasions, some questions just couldn't get past me.

Did your parents give you the name?

What the hell was his business? Why on earth did he have to ask? Of course they didn't give me the name.

They never gave me a name!

But then I wouldn't blame him. He had no idea.

"I want to go home."

Luckily for me the rain had reduced. I was sure going to face a frustrating traffic jam on my way back home.

I noticed Vincent quirk his brow but he asked no questions. "Uber or the driver?"

"I'll go on my own," I replied a bit coldly packing my books into my bag. He didn't say anything. It didn't look like he was going to. I wanted him to ask me what was up but I knew he wasn't going to. He just sat on the bed watching me. If he had observed well enough, he might have seen me blink back tears. He should have even heard it in my voice.