~Sarima's POV~

" Ohhhmmm, leave me nau!", The voice I'd grown too familiar with heightened in belligerent octaves as I approached the entrance of the public compound where I resided, back from work.

What was going on again?

I hastened my steps kicking dust on the dirty floor with dry, muddy cracks having dirty nylons and old sachet water nylons too encrusted halfway into it.

I wondered who my twin sister–Somi was having a heated and unfriendly exchange with; as I heard the murmuring noise of some neighbours, I walked through the compound's entrance, having a dwarf fence occupying the right side adjoining Mama Chidiebere's shop.

The decade-old fence had a big 'X' mark drawn with red paint that showed it had been earmarked for demolition three years ago when I moved here. The wall was as good as useless as it tried to compensate for the lack of a gate and housed the likes of lizards.

Finally, I came into sight of the situation, confirming my thoughts. Somi was breathing heavily, and the landlady–Iya Kemi's hand, was wrapped in a tight hold around her waist, stopping her from venturing into attack mode. They were all so engrossed in the situation no one had noticed my arrival. Somi was quarrelling with Alice, one of the neighbours' girlfriends. Obi, her boyfriend, was also trying to pull her back into their room.

"Imagine this brat, you no know who I be for this Agege o...babe leave me", she tried to wriggle out of her boyfriend's hold, unintentionally elbowing him in the process.

Somi cackled without humour, "me, brat? Ogbeni leave her! This brat Will disfigure your body..."

"....what's going on here?" I interrupted my sister, finally making my presence known.

All eyes settled on me, and Alice gave out a disdainful hiss. I ignored her, focusing my heated glare on Somi.

"Ah, thank God your sister is here," Iya Kemi said in a heavily accented Yoruba voice, her grip on Somi neither wavering.

She didn't have her usual headgear or turban, and I noticed a few strands of grey on her tightly packed, relaxed hair. I saw her hair for the very first time.

"Can you imagine this idiot touched my ass..." Somi said, referring to Obi.

Wait, he did what?

My eyes flew to the accused as he was clad in a shirt and trousers. Unfortunately, the shirt was unbuttoned, exposing his unhealthily bleached skin as sweat trickled down his temple. I looked at his huge black lips and wondered how Alice could stand kissing that.

"Abi, you were throwing yourself at him?" Alice deadpanned.

I directed my gaze at her, my face mirroring disgust. Does this one even know how to use her brain?

"Me, Throw myself at this ewu?" Somi laughed heartily "you Sabi hype your boyfriend o, girlfriend of the year, opoor!" She flicked her nose towards Obi, "This one that somebody can perceive his body odour even from a mile away?" Shaking her head, "Dey there dey claim wife material, ode."

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed his mood-destabilising smell.

Iya Kemi snickered, and I could hear faint chuckles from the onlookers.

The children who'd been playing too had also abandoned the Milo and Milk cans and cartons they'd initially filled with sand to come and feed their eyes.

"Na your papa get body odour," Came Obi's comeback.

Mumu

"E don do abeg, Look here Obi..." I referred to him as already irritated by his charade

"...Look here too," Alice interrupted me. "Whatever you think you are, you can't just come here and start giving orders around like some first lady..." Her head movement dramatically follows her words.

"My fren shut up!... You both can't size up to her in any angle, so it's understandable if she decides to order you and that sorry excuse of a man around," Somi piped in. "Una get luck today say Iya Kemi dey house, your body for don hear am."

"Can you even hear yourself?" I asked Alice, "And how stupid you make yourself look?"

"Who's this one calling stupid?" She wriggled to get loose.

I continued almost as if she didn't interrupt. "...Instead, make you shamefully caution your boyfriend, you dey here dey run mouth like say you even get right, you be complete disgrace to yourself. And Obi..." I fixed my gaze at the Agbaya "...if Dem born you well just touch my sister again...na community boys go carry your mata for their head."

I didn't want to say much. I didn't even know what to say, my head was aching, and I was far from the mood for all this. Else, these couples would have seen red from my sister and I today.

"If you never see fine girl before you go talk, Anuohia. Biko, Somi, let's go in; they're not worth the stress. If he or anyone tries such again, avoid talking too much and break the person's head first with two-by-two before you call the police on them..."

"...Ah...no one will try it again," Iya Kemi countered, giving me a stern look before releasing Somi "don't break anybody's head in this compound, O", her eyes darted from me to Somi in a warning.

"You've not finished feeding yourself. It's now to call police, olopa ko, arresting ni. You think I don't know about how you and your sister slut around here?" Alice hissed, dragging her tight orange v-neck shirt down as the hem had sworn never to reach her waistline because she was busty.

"Oya, it's okay" Iya Kemi held Somi again as she tried to charge towards Alice in rage.

I looked at Somi, communicating telepathically with her. Taking in her enraged appearance, her full and long natural hair, longer than mine that framed her face was scattered, standing in disarray, and it seemed like she'd quickly worn the red shirt she had on without proper attention as it was worn inside out, she had always been too short-tempered.

"Omo Otedola, your boyfriend owes eight months' rent o. This bird nest that has lasted on your head for 3 months, nko?"

I held her and half dragged her down the small passage that led us away from the middle of the compound to the drab-looking staircase that led to our apartment. Somi was stubborn.

"Are you running away? come back o, ashawo-olosho, boyfriend snatcher." Alice's voice boomed alongside the fading chatter of other neighbours who were obviously disappointed on being relieved of their front-row opportunity to witness live WWE.

"Just leave her, nut don loose for her head," I said to Somi.

I released my hold on her as we made our way up the stairs that always felt moist even on dry days due to the grime-filled tarpaulin that sheltered it with stains of Algae and spirogyra on the cemented surfaces.

We headed to the one-room apartment where we stayed, otherwise known as self-contained.

Could it be called an apartment?

I didn't think so

It didn't have the comforts an apartment would offer, though luckily for us, it was spacious.

The single burgundy sofa was torn on one of the arms. However, the furniture had been here before we even moved in, and we decided to keep it.

The other end, where a TV was supposed to occupy, was empty. Old yellow paint was falling off, and a little old stereo player was on the floor beside a cupboard. My younger sister Homa got that stereo player from a dancing competition on a friend's birthday in primary school.

A shelf containing mostly Somi's books was there, and a wall clock was placed on the wall close to it.

The sewing machine mama got for me three years ago, from my second year in the Uni, was resting beside the single sofa. Our hard mattress lay adjacent to the wardrobe, and the dark green rug covered the half-tiled floor considerably.

I went to open the window above the bed, tying the silky yellow curtains and tucking it into a hole in the protector, before looking outside into the small passageway that had the kitchen window of our adjacent neighbour.

"Imagine Obi o...me!" Somi muttered, removing her faded red shirt and black shorts.

"What will I not see in this compound, of course?" She kept muttering as she went nude, collecting her towel from where it was on a hanger held by a nail on the wardrobe beside our bags and purses before tying the neon-coloured towel on her chest.

"Just try as much as possible to avoid being close to such persons," I advised quietly.

"You know I'm not even nice to start with," she hissed in frustration, "I should even be the one telling you that, Sarima, na you dey like shine teeth with people."

I rolled my eyes at her statement. I was a little too nice but not a miss-goody-two-shoes. Especially with what had transpired at my workplace today. "I quit work."

"Eh?" Somi paused from turning the contents of the yellow Jerry can into the bathing bucket.

"I quit working at the salon," I stated plainly, rummaging through the contents of my bag in search of my phone.

"Why? Because of that witch?" She asked, referring to my boss–ex-boss.

"I'm just an employee, not some enslaved person, abeg the insults were getting too much and the pay too little. That woman should learn how to talk to someone; she has speech issues."

"So she cut your salary again?" Somi chewed on her lower lip, her brows furrowing. "How much did she give to you?" She untied the towel and tied it again, resting her hands on her waist.

"I didn't collect it" I frowned, hanging my bag on the nail jutting from the wall.

"You sef!" She had a frustrated look "why na? You kn-know how much we need this money," she half stuttered.

"You didn't even see the way that woman was talking to me," I defended.

"You should have swallowed your pride, small na", Somi frowned, deeply annoyed as she murmured about how we would starve to death in the coming days. "It's just pride that'll kill you."

"Pot calling kettle black, you that left the salon simply because-"

"....abegi don't even go there. Mine was a different case. How do you expect me to apologise to that spoiled brat of a daughter she has? She poured nail polish on my expensive Gucci jeans" Somi mimicked the last part in Amanda's shrill voice, exaggerating the thing by looking upwards, her fingers in the air and biting the words through her bare teeth, her head moving along with her words. She mirrored the expression of an imbecile.

Amanda hadn't sounded that way at all.

"And I should apologise 'cause it was my fault-for what?" She asked.

"Well, saying sorry wouldn't have killed you."

"If my salary were at stake at that time, I would have apologised. I had nothing to lose and was going to leave there anyway. Sarima, you had the money already, but..." Her nose flared "...I don't even know what to say to you."

"Don't say anything then" I laid on the hard mattress.

Somi threw me a stern glare before she continued with her task, doing it forcefully with a lot of noise to make me feel her anger. Her beautiful full lips were in an angry tight line.

"If you like, ehn pour the water on the rug", I muttered, closing my eyes.

I heard the sound of the bathroom door opening and then loudly getting shut before I opened my eyes again and rolled them.

My head began some calculations. We were broke, indeed. Somehow I began to regret not swallowing my pride for a second and accepting the money, abi did I not work for it?

But I didn't want to see that satisfied glint on that woman's face proving to herself that she could be a bitch to people because she's got what they want. I didn't want to kiss her feet just because of Nine thousand Naira. I'd wanted her to know that she could go to hell with her money. Was it even her money? It was my money.

I worked for fifteen thousand Naira, not nine thousand. I gritted my teeth in frustration.

If only my laptop were still in good shape for some freelancing jobs, I wouldn't be having lousy money issues.

I started listing up my debtors, not a list, though, cause they were just two persons owing me (Vivian from the salon and Kome-debtor number one.) She loved to borrow and victimise herself, always trying to get sympathy from people.

She was Onome's–my friend's cousin. Even though I didn't openly act irritated by some insensitive attitude of hers, like the way Somi did, it didn't mean I was a fan of her attitude. The girl was a headache.

The only snag now was that I've always found it difficult to ask my debtors to pay me, But I need money now and I don't think things like that should accost as a problem.

Somi came out of the bathroom shortly after, wiping her wet face with the edge of her towel—the Atmosphere with her carrying the scent of the Dettol soap we used for bathing.

My phone rang just on cue.

Calista

She insisted we stop calling her mommy when Somi and I were still kids.

I was reluctant to answer.

Why was she calling?

The last time we'd received a call from her, she'd threatened to kill Homa, our baby sister, because her last child with her new family had a hot water accident due to her carelessness.

I didn't want to hear from her cause it was always like taking a mood-dampening pill.

"If you don't want to pick up that call, put your phone on flight mode, ahn ahn", Somi rasped out in irritation as the noise from the ring tone blared unendingly in our room.

I reluctantly swiped to answer when it started ringing again.

"So, you girls have decided not to answer your phones again, okwaya?"

Her outburst was met by cold silence as her voice tightened my chest with heavy resentment, she continued her ranting, and I mentally blocked her out "...Chisom?"

"I... didn't get you," I finally spoke up, my brows drawn together, willing for the call to end already.

"I was asking about your twin sister. I've tried calling her line for some time without response".

"She's here. Any problem?"

"It's me you're asking that question? Odiegwu. It seems your respect for elders has also left you just like it left your sisters Chisom and Homachi".

When yet another meaningful silence met her words, she sobered up and went straight to why she was calling.

"Homachi left the house yesterday with the money I gave her to get diesel for the generator and hasn't come home since..."

"...what?" Dread filled my spine. "What sort of joke is that?" I asked, sitting up on the bed.

Somi glanced at me, half interested in the way my tone of voice had changed.

"I'd leave everything I have to do this afternoon to call and joke with you? Isi odiriònyi nma? Are you okay?" She asked me impatiently.

"Whe-where did she go? wh...what if she's in trouble?" I stood up.

Somi was whisper-yelling, "Homa?"

I ignored her, my anger coming down on my mother, "And what have you done about it?" getting no response "nothing? Your daughter has been missing since yesterday, and all you've done about it is nothing?" I held myself from lashing at her with all the profanities I already had at the back of my throat since the day she turned her back on us.

"For all I care, she should've been with a man, young lady" Her voice was inching. "...So don't give me that crap. I've been waiting for her to come back so I can deal with her mercilessly," she defended razorly, as usual.

"You're wicked! You're evil..." I ended the call, sick of her antics before I went overboard with my words.

"Homa is missing?" Somi tried to confirm her suspicion.

"Yes! since yesterday," my voice came out louder than I wanted, and she flinched. "Imagine she hasn't even done anything... saying; Homa should've gone to be with a man," I explained, searching my contact list for my paternal grandma's number and declining Calista's call that kept coming back in.

"Her daughter is missing, and all she can think about is that? why am I not surprised?" Somi scoffed bitterly. She took off her towel, creaming her light-skinned body in haste.

I went outside to the balcony feeling suffocated as I kept calling mama, but she wasn't answering.

What's all this?

I placed a palm on my forehead as my other hand kept searching for contact with anyone that was at least in Port Harcourt, close to Mama.

The door behind me opened shortly after, and I turned to see Somi. She was already dressed in a rumpled black chiffon top wrap-round midi dress, furiously tying her scattered hair with a black scarf, her beautiful face fresh from the bath she just had.

"You're looking sick," she'd commented worriedly at my state.

"I'm fine," my voice came out in a croak. I coughed to clear the huskiness in my throat, "I'm fine. It's just a little headache," I said clearly this time.

"I'm going to the police now..."

"What would they do?" I countered, mentally face palming, "you know how the police go about things like this. They'd just use this as a means of exploiting..."

"...That's the only thing I can think of doing now," she said, frowning and trying to straighten out her creased top.

"money?" I quizzed faintly, checking for her reaction.

"I'd make do with the little one I have here," I know she was biting back the reminder she had on her tongue about how I messed up not collecting the money from my ex-boss.

She clutched her purse under her arm instead and said. "There's rice in the storage box; eat it and take Panadol. I'll be back in no time." She wore her slippers and headed out.

I sighed worriedly, saying a little prayer before going back in.

************

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