Loud banging on her door woke her up. It took a while for her brain to process it all. Daylight, loud noise and aching bones. She stirred, and uncurled from her awkward sleeping position, her tight sticking to her laps from the sweat during the night.

"Nonye!" She heard the loud, strained voice shout.

When she gathered bodily strength to stand up, her head spun and her knees felt like jelly. She almost fell down, but she held on to her bedpost for support. She slapped on the first robe in sight and made her way through her flat to the door, opening the door to blinding sunlight and Sandra's face that was a mix of anger and worry.

"For a moment I thought you were dead," Sandra said, pushing past her into the house.

If she noticed the symmetrical quality of the small living room, she did not say. Rather she barged straight into the kitchen with her big bag in hand. Then she came back out with a plate of spicy chicken laps and a bowl of garri with cubes of sugar and a bottle of cold water.

"Nonye, oya go and brush your mouth and come and eat. Or else I will finish all the chicken that I brought for you. This is pay back for not opening the door on time." Then she balanced on the sofa, bowl on her laps.

Chinonye did not complain, she did go in to her bathroom though, and brushed her teeth. Her eyes twitched as she strained to place the toothbrush back in position.

As she came back out to the parlour, she absent minded arranged the things that Sandra had scattered. Then she let the streaks of sunlight in, pushing open the curtains that had blocked the dancing rays.

When the first piece of chicken made contact with her tongue, she moaned. "Wow. You make the best spicy chicken. I thought you'd never bring them for me."

"How can I promise and fail?" Sandra said in between bites of food. She had hoarded the bowl of garri all to herself and was sipping it.

Chinonye took the opportunity to take the whole plate of chicken to herself. "How can you be eating what you brought for me?"

They had a tug of war and eventually Chinonye won.

"Chinonye. Hmmm. I have gist oh."

Then she went ahead to narrate what happened with the customer she had delivered food too before coming to her house.

Before noon, Chinonye was smiling, back to her normal self.

The NEPA brought the light and they both sat back, watching TV.

"Ehen, Sandra. You won't believe who I saw last two weeks."

Sandra paused the TV and turned to face her.

"Tell me something."

"I saw Mr Fred. You remember him? The one I showed you during our school party last December."

Sandra began to cough. Chinonye went to the kitchen and got her a bag of sachet Pure water.

She tore it open gulped it down. "Yes, I remember him."

"He came to my shop oh. I don't know what he's looking for with me again." She blushed. "I feel like a teenager again."

Sandra was silent for a while before she spoke up.

"Maybe he wants to be friends again."

Chinonye scrunched her brows. "Maybe." But she was not convinced.

"I just remembered. What about Mr Otokini."

"He's fine." She shrugged.

Sandra poked her. She brushed her off.

"He's fine," she repeated.

"Why are you now doing your face like that?" said Sandra. "Is he not a fine man?"

She pushed Sandra to the edge of the couch. "Oh please. He's my coach. I don't want to see him as anything else."

"Really?" Sandra wriggled her brows. "So you've not thought about him in any other way?"

"Enough about me now. When are you going to tell me who has been tushing you up lately and occupying your time."

It was Sandra's turn to act innocent. She threw Chinonye a bashful smile. "What do you mean? All this hot cake is my money oh." She motioned at her body.

"I hear you."

They laughed. The TV was put back on again and they continued watching Telemundo, the channel to feel the passion.

"I don't even know what you see in this channel." Chinonye hissed as a new programme came up.

She stood up and made her way to her room in need of a long, warm shower.

* * *

Chinonye told herself that what happened on Friday was not the reason she cancelled her meeting with Otokini on Monday. It was his fault, she concluded in a fit of frustration. If he did not look so much like Ugochi, she would not have had an episode and she would have felt perfectly fine. Yes, blame. That was a really sensible thing to do.

When she dialed his number, her tall frame wrapped up in her thick, old Hollandia wrapper that Mummy had used for years and passed down to her, she justified her reason for not going to meet him.

"So you think you can be shifting dates like that?" He was speaking an octave higher than his usual cheery tone.

"Yes. I have my reasons, Mr Otokini. I am not feeling too good."

He laughed. "Of course." Then he lowered his voice. "Is it your umm. That thing that happens to females every month?"

She coughed, her skin turning pink. "No!" she all but screamed. Then she composed her voice. "I am just not feeling okay."

"Oh, alright then." There was an awkward pause. "You seem to have made up your mind." He did not sound happy. "See you on Wednesday and Friday then."

By the time the clock struck 12 p.m., she was already on her way to her tailoring shop.

The empty mannequin she had purchased recently with a reasonable dent in her savings account stood naked, by the side of the door. She sat down, tacking the fancy buttons on the cloth she had just finished. A plain and pattern long skirt and blouse. Soon, the mannequin was clothed and ready to meet the world for the first time.

She wiped an invisible tear from her eyes, proud that she had begun to take a leap of faith. Even if it was so little. Little is much when God is in it, she had read from her black Bible the night before. And she believed it.

Her phone beeped, but she ignored it, smoothing the wrinkles on the cloth as it graced the body of the mannequin.

For a moment, she let her dreams swallow her; consume her with full intensity. She was talented, if she said so herself. Who said she couldn't make it big? She put it on display for the world to see the works of her hand. Start small, Otokini said. And she was doing just that.

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Whew! Two chapters in a day.

How was the chapter?

I want a friend like Sandra who will be giving me free food oh. 😪🙃

There's a surprise in the next chapter so stay tuned. 😏
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