Olumide parked three car lines away from the mall. He hit the steering wheel with the ball of his palm. Another wasted day and nothing about Romola had resurfaced. He rubbed his eyes then, squinted at the numbers on his phone.

What was the time? He'd left the office later than she had requested but Lagos traffic was always a convenient excuse.

Two women with several shopping bags came towards his car.He lowered his car window and stuck out his head. "Jumoke, you can waste time."

"I'm sorry."

He cocked a brow?

Where was the bad tempered reply she always gave? Today she looked brighter much like the old Jumoke before Muyi died. She had make-up on her face and wore a tight fitting wrap around blouse over her jean trousers. A never ending smile seized her lips. Beside her, Yetunde glared at him.

He stuck his head in the car, refusing to meet her eyes. No doubt, this was another ruse by his sister to get them together. She nudged Yetunde's hand. Yetunde didn't need Ajoke's nudging to do what she wanted.

His sister placed her arm over the window and bent towards him. "I just remembered I forgot to buy Leo's milk."

"He's not a baby. Why does he need milk?'

"Special milk. He has allergies."
He knew it. Jumoke never forgot anything. She had one of those crazy brains that could remind you about what you wore on a particular day. She could forget words but not things. Especially things concerning her over-pampered son.

"Just help Yetunde put the things in the boot. I'll be out in a minute."

"Mide, the boot." Yetunde passed him by.

He pressed a button on the dashboard, then faced backwards, she struggled to open the boot. He would have helped but he didn't want to start a conversation.
She opened the boot, then let the bags drop before shutting it and taking the seat beside him.

"I would prefer you sat at the back."
She reached for the seat belt and strapped herself into the seart. Her dark purple nails contrasted with the white leather belt he'd installed.

"There is nothing wrong with this seat."

"You have your own car. Why  do I still have to chauffeur you around town?"

She looked him squarely in the face. "If I knew you were going to be here I wouldn't have followed her. She  asked me to help with the shopping and told me that her husband would pick us up."

Even if heaven was falling, Tomiwa would not move a muscle but if something as small as a feather dropped on his son, he would turn hell upside down.

Olumide ran his hand across his face. How would he bring up the questions about Romola without setting Yetunde's anger on overdrive.
"Have you heard from Romola lately?"

Her brows knitted together in a furious gaze. "You can't still be mad about what happened."

"You ruined my house warming, Yetunde. You brought bad juju to my new house."

"You mean to say Romola and her witch of her mother destroyed it."
A witch? Mide shook his head. That might explain how Romola put a spell on him– he was still suffering from its effect.

Yetunde continued, "I only did what a good human being would do. I saw that she didn't mean well and I warned you. Of course, you refused to listen."

"That's enough."

"No it isn't." Yetunde slapped the leather chair. "You are always blaming me like I didn't save you from that witch."

"I didn't need saving."

You know your problem, Olumide, you are too ungrateful. Look at how you walked out of Dami's announcement party. Of all people, Dami."

"I was having a bad day."

"When have you ever had a good one?" Yetunde eyed him. "I was only trying to return the favour, You were trying to help me with my drug problem and I saw that you were about to be scammed by that backstabbing Romola.

"I get that you're mad at me but Dami? You didn't do well. You know Dami would be a much better person if he wasn't always cleaning your mess."

He waited till the car in front of him drove out of the mall before he turned to her. Mide ran his finger under the tuft of hair growing beneath his chin. She had picked up her phone and her fingers flew over the screen faster than a wood pecker's beak.

"So it is true. They are getting married."

"Next two months sef. And you're here dulling. You know," She paused, looking at him. "I had always thought you would be married before Dami."

"I thought so too." He mumbled.

"Well, it's not too late."

He caught the inflection in her tone.

He knew what she was asing and the desire that swam in the pool of warm cocoa coloured eyes shook something in him but failed to reach the hidden cold dark place where his heart resided.

Besides, he turned away from her. It was much too soon. He hated himself more than he hated Romola because to an extent, her words were true.

He was poison and Yetunde was addicted.

* * *

Chioma decided to throw on a gospel concert when all Romola needed was some peace and quiet. She found an empty chair in the relaxation centre and untied the transparent nylon that held her boiled groundnut. She poured the groundnut into the white bowl. Finally, there was some direction in her life.

She stirred the groundnut with her fingers and picked on out, breaking the kernel and spooning its content into her mouth. She got a call from Liliwana store a day ago, informing her to come in for a talk. Miss Oyama herself had called, asking to discuss her salary range.

Romola's lips curled in a small smile. She could almost taste the first meal she would buy with the money. Her earnings at Lilwana would triple what Iya Tobi reluctantly forked out at the end of the month. She would open a bank account for Lolade.

A hard tap on her back caused her to jerk forward, ending the groundnut on a journey down the wrong path. Her hands flew to her chest as she coughed.

"Small. Small." Sunbo took the seat across her, reaching into a small satchel to produce a pack of Chivita.

Romola tapped her chest and coughed until the offending object spewed to the table in a capsule of spittle. "You could've killed me."

Sunbo flicked the groundnut away, then wiped her hand in a handkerchief. "But I didn't. Why were you smiling like a fool?"

"Something must be very wrong with you." Romola swallowed air.

Sunbo shifted in the plastic red chair. "Something exciting. I called your phone but you didn't pick."

"My phone is inside."

"I have something amazing for you."

"My burial?"

"No." Sunbo placed her hands on the white plastic table. Her dark glossy nails boasted of little white stars. "I got you a job."

"A what?" Romola eyed the chivita wearily. She brought it to her lips, said a small prayer and took a sip.

"I meet a producer and applied for an acting job but apparently, they needed dancers for their music video."

"Don't tell me that you—"

"Yes. I told them my sister is a dancer. Practice begins tomorrow."

Romola took a long sip of the juice. She allowed the liquid content to dance in her mouth, flowing from one side of her cheek to the other.

"Say something."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Thank you. You saved my life. You are the best sister ever." Sunbo flipped her long pink braids. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Don't you think you should have asked me first?"

"Ask you? It's not like you had anything doing."

Romola picked another groundnut. "I have a job."

"Common forty-thousand-naira work."

"45 thousand."

"Well, this is only for two weeks and you will earn 8ok."

"I'm not interested."

"Are you crazy? Do you know how much begging I had to do to get you this job?"

"I didn't send you." Romola broke the kernel of this groundnut. She tossed the shell into the bowl.

Sunbo placed her black leather bag on the table and pulled out three fat wads of 500 naira notes. "This is the money. Part of it is my commission. You will get the other 30k when you finish the job."

Romola picked the unshelled groundnut and stuffed them back in the nylon. You should ask me before you try to decide things about my future."

"You should ask me before you try to nyan nyan nyan." Sunbo mimicked her sister in a small tiny voice. "Later, when I say you behave like expired ogi, you will vex."

"I got a new job."

Sunbo rolled her eyes.

Romola sighed. Was it wise to tell Sunbo about her job? Wouldn't that encourage her to ask for more money? Her shoulder's fell. It was better that her family knew about this. The gulf between her and her mother would not exist if she'd told them about her source of income the first time.

"Another job interview that you will run away from?"

Romola shook her head. "I got a real job. As an accountant."

"What do you even know about accounting?" Sunbo stuck the money in the bag.

"You shouldn't carry such large sums with you. You could be robbed."

The only person who is robbing me of anything is you and your refusal to shake bum bum for the producer. Look at how full and round your bum bum is. Some of us are still searching but you have and you won't shake it."

"Dancing is not all about shaking bum bum."

"How much will they pay you in this new place."

"I don't- We haven't finalized it yet."

"Have you told them?"

"Told them what?"

"About your nudes?"

"Ssh." Romola put a finger to her lips. "Keep your voice down."

"Everyone has seen it but do they know at your new office?"

Romola found the intricate braid pattern on Sunbo's head interesting. "No. Not yet."

"You're sure you still don't want to dance?"

"I'm sure."

"In that case, I'm leaving." Sunbo rose.

"You'll return the money?"

"Return ke?" Sunbo's fierce glance shook her. "I will go and find another dancer or I will learn the dance myself. How hard is to twerk?"

Sunbo placed her hands on her knees and put on a pathetic attempt at twerking.

"Return the money."

"You have a problem. You don't like good things." Sunbo snatched the chivita from Romola. "Give me back my drink."

"I don't need a job like that." Besides, she had earned much more per show when she still danced than what her sister offered.

Sunbo cat-walked on a 7-inch heel. Romola had never seen those heels before. "Don't fall down."

"Assets that you have, you'll not use it. When they reject you, don't come and beg me to talk to the producer."

Romola fell into her seat. She had expected Sunbo to be excited for her. Hopefully, the information she'd concealed from Miss Oyama wouldn't cause trouble in the long run. She was just as good, if not better, than any student from the university and she could prove it.