~Sarima's POV~

The disturbing sound of the generator of some of the neighbours could be heard, signalling that it was well past dusk. Somi was back already, in a frazzled state, with news from the police that it was until after twenty-four hours that Homa would be declared missing.

She was repeating it solemnly to my grandmother on a phone call while I was peeling the yam we would have for dinner in the kitchen. My phone started ringing, but the call stopped before I could wash my hands in the sink.

The call was from an unknown number, I wanted it to ring again cause I didn't have any airtime on my phone to call back, but it didn't, so I went back to my work and just then it rang again.

I huffed and tried to wash and clean my hands quickly before the call stopped, and I was too late again.

Mtchew

This person should try calling some other time.

A few minutes later, I served the boiled yam and oil in a non-ceramic bowl on a brown wooden table in the middle of the room, with months-old stains of dried candle wax.

"You're busy bringing food. What if she was kidnapped, raped, or worse, used by organ harvesters?"

And just like that, every atom of hunger from my system was wiped out by Somi's words.

I sat down on the bed, quietly weighing her words.

"We should just wait as the police instructed, then maybe..." I trailed off, trying even to convince myself with my words.

When I went silent after that, she assisted me in completing my sentence. "... Maybe find her corpse in a gutter of one of the streets in Lagos?"

"Ahn ahn...God forbid, that's where your mind has taken you to now? mtchew, you can't even be positive."

She remained quiet, staring soberly at the lights from the rechargeable lantern in the room, which set her profile in a good view.

Sadly what she said was reality. My mind began conjuring Images of Homa's headless corpse dumped in a bush or roadside, and it felt like a lump the size of a cold yam was constricted in my lungs, preventing me from breathing well.

I began to say another prayer in my mind for the second time that day.

There was a light knock on the door. And we both turned to look at each other.

Both our breaths held.

The knock came up more legibly this time, and I stood up to check who was at the door.

Her plumpy body almost covered all the bad air that the generators in the compound emitted from entering the house, and her finely carved small lips were in a tight line, its usual pattern.

She was on a baggy yellow top that looked Normal for her size and black shin-length jeans, otherwise known as three-quarters, that had been ripped on one of the knees.

Her thin short dreadlocks tinted gold at the tips dangled on her round face.

It was my coursemate and friend Onome.

I couldn't even hide the tinge of disappointment in my chest from surfacing on my countenance.

"Why your face dey like beans wey Dem nor chop well?" Her voice, almost too deep for a woman, rang in the room as she got in.

Somi, looking expectantly at the door, looked away on hearing Onome's signature pidgin English, with a disappointed frown caressing her face.

"Babe, how far?", She greeted Somi, who nodded with a quiet

"I dey."

"Your line nor dey go...wetin happen?", She asked, perching on the bed and making the hard mattress that didn't get affected by my and Somi's weight go down considerably.

"I no know, maybe network", I replied, going into the kitchen to get something to cover the food.

When I came back, Onome was having a small talk with Somi.

"Babe, you dey find your sister na e you no tell me so?" Onome asked me with a worried look.

I was torn between saying something and just nodding, and I settled for just nodding.

"God nor go gree", she stated, shaking her head slowly, her thin short locs following the movement in a twirling motion.

We were some minutes into discussing the problem when I heard the sound of my ringtone. I'd left my phone in the kitchen.

I returned and got the phone, but unfortunately, I missed the call again.

What's even wrong with this phone?

I let out a frustrated hiss again.

It wouldn't ring the duration it's supposed to before ending. I reminded myself to get another sim later to see if the problem was from the phone or the sim.

"Somi, please, do you have airtime on your phone?" I asked her while flipping through the curtain and heading out of the little passage that had the doors of the kitchen and bathroom at close opposite ends.

"Just a little," she replied, pushing her phone towards me.

I opened the password of her phone, she was among those set of people who just used their surnames as their password, and I wondered why she even bothered about a password in the first place cause this was as good as no password.

I went to the dialler, where I began putting the number, and halfway into it, a name appeared, meaning she had the number saved in her phone already.

Kene.

When did they become friends to have even exchanged contacts?

I looked at the Faraway expression she had on her face and was about to voice that exact question when a knock sounded on the door again.

Onome went to check.

And she turned to us, letting the person at the door come.

"No be Homachi be dis?" She let out in surprise—the chi sounding like shi from her pronunciation.

We both stood up with an involuntary scream, engulfing Homa in a suffocating and staggering hug.

I can't remember the last time we did this, but the situation was overwhelming, and we couldn't settle for less.

When we stepped back, Somi slapped Homa's arm as we began bombarding her with questions before noticing the skinny girl that had made her way into the room behind her.

With a designer perfume that left the atmosphere with a fruity scent, she looked to be Homa's age mate. However, Homa looked a bit more mature at 19 years old. Homa's medium size natural afro hair was almost in locs, and her jutting nose was cute. My sister was beautiful irrespective of her ironed-rimmed glasses and braces on the teeth, and lest I forget, She was a busybody, and it was hard to notice in first-time appearances like this.

The girl had a turban tied on her head, making her thin face look thinner with very pronounced cheekbones.

She had very long eyelashes and flawless caramel skin. She looked rich.

I'd always say to myself that sizing up on appearances was bad, but I know it was all talk. Because I know I want my Husband to be Tall and handsome aside from the other good qualities. And always put it in perspective towards my toasters.

Self-righteous much.

Her lashes were so long and straight that I wanted to reach out and confirm if it was fake. But I knew it wasn't. I could spot a fake one whenever I saw it. She had an amused expression watching us with our sister.

Onome stood at the door with relief as her eyes darted from us to the girl and back.

"This is my friend Amira. I've been at her place since yesternight," Homa finally spoke up, her braces glistening under the poorly lit room.

"Hi," She gazed at Somi and me, marvelling like she'd not seen identical twins before. Maybe she had but not grown-up ones like Somi and me or maybe she thought we were pretty which was a normal occurrence. We usually got that kind of stare when we were together among strangers or even apart.

Her presence was straining the verbal lashing Somi, and I was holding at the back our throats for Homa because of what she'd put us through today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We all settled down, Amira finding her way to the Sofa in the room as her eyes darted around, bringing out her phone from the back of her Jean pocket.

"What happened?" Somi couldn't hold down her voice, and Amira looked worriedly at her friend.

"Take am easy na...shu!" Onome queried Somi.

"You couldn't call to tell us where you were?" Somi continued, ignoring Onome's statement.

"You...I don't have a phone. I couldn't find the phone you got me. I guess Calista took it after discovering where I hid it, and I hadn't memorised your numbers," she stuttered, looking from Somi to me.

"So, why did you leave?" I questioned quietly, staring at her.

She looked uncomfortable.

"It's Uncle Damilola..."

She hadn't finished her sentence before Somi, and I flared up, fully understanding what that name meant.

"That bastard!"

"Did he touch you?"

We both spoke in sync.

"Not really...I. I was scared that he'd finally have his way someday so I left when I finally found the opportunity to."

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding when she calmed my fears.

So my mother's husband has deemed it fit not to keep his manhood, which I'm sure would be as rumpled as his face to himself and his wives alone, eh?

"Why you nor tell your mama?" Onome, who didn't know what was going on in my family apart from the little I told her, ignorantly asked.

"She's not someone I can open up to", Homa breathed, her nose jutting out underneath her glasses.

Somi grabbed her phone, still fuming.

I snatched it away from her, knowing fully what she wanted to do. "Just leave them alone," I tried to calm her.

"Amira, thank you so much for taking her in last night", I said to the girl who'd been subtly passing stares at Somi and me.

She smiled, shaking her head, "It's nothing."

"Thank you, dear" Somi joined too, and Onome murmured her gratitude.

It made Amira uncomfortable From the blush and strained smile she had on her face. "I hope it didn't cause problems with your parents?"

"Not at all", she shook her head with her signature smile on, "They don't stay here with me."

"Thank you," Somi said again.

"Oya, it's okay." Homa stood up with an amused look.

I gave her a side-eye. Her busybody nature was coming back.

"Your brother is outside waiting for you o", she said to Amira, who seemed like she'd almost forgotten.

"Oh, yeah...I have to get going," The skinny girl stood up.

"Let's walk you, so we can also thank your brother," Somi interjected.

I gave her a look that communicated _Is that necessary?_ and she nudged me with a sheepish smile.

She just wanted to see if he met her petty standards for crush material.

"Let's go," she straightened her chiffon top and pulled me along with her. I gave her the stink eye, following her rugged grip.

"Up nepa!"

The kids from the neighbourhood shouted at the top of their lungs as the power holding company decided to bless us with light tonight.

Ah, thank God!

The whole compound was at least not dark anymore as bulbs initially void of energy shone brightly in the compound. The noisy I pass my neighbour generator of some of the tenants in the compound with their harmful fumes would at least be turned off tonight.

Onome was plugging the rechargeable on the extension, and we told her to do the same with our phones while we left the house.

Homa was in front gossiping with her friend while Somi and I were behind.

"Can she come around to visit me sometimes?" Amira asked, turning around as we made our way out of the compound.

"Of course, she won't be doing much for us here during this strike." Somi replied with a smile.

I knew what that smile meant.

Of course, Homa's going out constantly to stay with her friend, which would help reduce the amount of food we'll be consuming now that we will have her around.

The girl smiled in satisfaction,

Homa was furiously gossiping about a certain Nifemi influencer that thought she wanted to snatch her ugly boyfriend away from her in her faculty.

Look at who is snatching with her big head. I rolled my eyes, causing a headache.

A black Mercedes GLA was parked beside the compound, and I guess that was her brother leaning on the car, his eyes concentrating on his phone.

I guessed right, Amira was rich. Where did Homa get to know her from?

But the man should know better than to do that in this type of neighbourhood where he could easily get robbed.

He looked up from his device, sensing our approach. Amira went to stand beside him, Somi and Homa went further to meet him while I stalled, earning a reasonable amount of space from them. If Somi was going to embarrass someone, it should be Homa this time, not me.

He was tall, just like Jide-Kene, maybe an inch more. He was on a coffee brown colour silk kaftan and leather slides, and I must add, was really good looking in a clean crew cut and neat stubble on the chin. He wasn't as thin as his sister but not bulky too, unlike Kene, who wasn't overweight but was a good amount ripped and had some ton of muscles which could be noticed anytime he was sweating in his work clothes.

What is wrong with me? Why am I comparing guys now with Jide-Kene? Why am I even thinking of him now?

I blocked out my thoughts and approached them slowly, seeing they were almost done exchanging pleasantries. I waved at them as they both got into the car. Catching the intense glances, Amira's brother constantly stole Somi's way meanwhile she innocently ignored it like she didn't know.

Scheming ode. I held my smile.

It wasn't a new thing.

He saw me and subdued a frown, puzzled.

His eyes darted back and forth from Somi to me. Amira quickly introduced us as twins before he smiled bemusedly, trying not to stare as I already had my gaze trained at him, giving a slight wave. He threw me a slight salute, too, before starting the engine and driving off.

The neighbours had turned off their generators, and the night breeze caused a calm that initially wasn't present. It channelled faint sounds of the song gaaga shuffle by Tuface coming from a local bar around the neighbourhood towards us.

Homa hummed along with the song telling us how the compound was still very much the same from the last time she'd come here.

While Somi kept on telling me things like, "Did you see him?" "Ah, what a fine man!" "There must be a catch because someone cannot just be fine and tall ...Ahn ahn." "He was looking at me." She squealed.

Like it was any of my business.

We all returned to our room and caught Onome halfway into our dinner. Her yellow baggy top was hanging on the arm of the Sofa, and she was clad in just her bra and shin-length trousers.

I snatched both dishes away from her with a frown.

"As una wan die outside nau", she defended herself, licking her fingers with a carefree look.

"Cow, you nor chop for your house?" I placed the food on the centre table.

While Somi was opening the drawstring bag, Homa had come home with.

"Kome carry house key comot na, I don forget where I keep the spare one," she replied, going into the kitchen probably to search for something to eat or to wash her oil stained hand. Her free, neat hand held her unzipped trousers from falling off her waist.

"Amira gave it to me!" Homa was trying to snatch the mint notes Somi had collected from her bag.

"So you decided to use all of it yourself, eh?" somi queried.

"I was going to show you."

"After you've split it nau, good timing, I have it already." Somi returned smugly.

Homa looked at me in frustration, "Ehen? are you going to pay for the bills around here, Or feed yourself?" I sneered at her.

"That money is mine o", she kept on murmuring, her face contorted into an ugly frown with a stubborn pout.

"Take" Somi flung two five hundred naira notes at her, and she picked it up, throwing it _scratch that, more of_ stoning it back at Somi and leaving the room in a rage.

"Yeye", Somi laughed, picking up the money and counting the rest in her hand. "Don't go too far, o. We'll lock the door soon."

"Bitch," I muttered to Somi, a conniving smile on my mouth, and she wiggled her brows at me in a funny way, going to the wardrobe to hide the money from Homa.

"At least this one will fill the vacuum that your lost salary has created in this house," She said to me.

"Wetin you dey do inside that kitchen o, Onome?" I asked on my way to the kitchen to check on her. She was peeling more yam to boil and was on a phone call with her boyfriend, which was on speaker.

I left her there to give her privacy.

Shortly after, Homa returned to the room with a bottle of carbonated drink that she'd already drunk halfway. She still wore her frown.

"If you know what you look like, you would quit keeping that look," I told her, dipping a giant cube of white yam into the onion, pepper and salt-garnished oil.

She ignored me, and I later caught her subconsciously checking her face in the mirror while frowning.

"Nzuzu," Somi commented, catching what she also did. "Common get out."

"You think Adams is single... he's engaged. Be there wasting your time." Homa directed to Somi, who had earlier shown signs of harbouring a little crush on Amira's brother.

Somi just smiled, humming to herself.

Homa rolled her eyes and took off her glasses. "I'm just making sure you keep your heart safe."

"Come to think of it, that his name sounds Odd for an Arewa man," she grimaced. "I think...it's a cool name though," she smiled at Homa and me, wriggling her brows again.

We all had dinner, and I decided against asking Somi about Kene's number on her phone.

It's not even my business.

We called mama and informed her that Homa was safe with us. She'd been so relieved, and it brought smiles to our lips as she had commented on how Calista would have paid if something bad had happened. We teased her and laughed over it before the call ended.

We slept late that night because of Homa's gist about Amira's family house in Lekki. She wouldn't let us rest because she had been opportune to spend a night there.

"Ehen, I wanted to ask, how did you come to know her? You always mention her during our calls," I interjected.

"Ehn, she's my coursemate... we instantly clicked since I started school," she responded, her voice carrying a hint of excitement.

She recounted a particular incident where she boldly shut down and insulted a boy who used to tease Amira behind her by calling her "Boko Haram" and "Chibok girl" because Amira turned down his proposal for them to be 'close' Unbeknownst to her, Amira had overheard the conversation, and the following day, the girl had chosen to sit beside her during lectures, and that was how their friendship took off.

I nodded, urging her to continue sharing her stories.

She also told us what she'd been going through staying with my mother and her husband. Even my little step-siblings she'd complained didn't give her respect, and we'd scoffed.

Homa, who couldn't recognise respect even with her glasses, now seeks consideration.

Even though we thought she had exaggerated the story in some areas as the regular drama queen she was, it didn't stop us from swearing we would never let her stay there again because she was prone to sexual harassment from not only my mom's husband, we didn't trust his other older sons also, and we made preparations to get her things later.

I'd volunteered to sleep on the floor that night while Homa, Onome and Somi had occupied the mattress.

Somi and Homa had asked Onome to stop pressing them throughout the night.

I'd regretted my good Samaritan act later in the morning as my joints and bones ached at the slightest provocation due to sleeping on a hard surface.

There won't be a next time.

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