Chapter 6: The Race & The Realest Heat

Early morning, Tunde call me to remind me about him race.

"You never hear? Okafor family pikin go race me today. You think say I go let am win?"

I dey hear noise for background, be like say e dey gym. "Just watch me finish am."

I just ginger am.

"Try am, try am!"

Stadium dey roar, vendors dey hawk gala and pure water, sun dey roast everybody like plantain. The stadium just dey hot. Sun dey beat head, people full everywhere. Tunde, full red, waka come with him people.

Guy dey shine, dey form big boy.

Okafor family pikin look gentle, but him eye get one kind sharp look wey dey make me no comfortable.

E dey size Tunde, dey measure am. I waka go meet Tunde, pretend say I dey arrange him collar.

Camera just dey snap.

As I wan remove hand, Tunde just grab am, lift am to him mouth.

My eye wide, I nearly give am slap.

Lucky say e no kiss am—just brush am with nose.

As him nose brush my hand, my skin crawl—na so fake love dey taste?

I just force smile.

"Tunde, just dey play."

I smile for face, but inside I dey vex.

Tunde arrange my hair, smile wey no reach him heart.

Na only Lagos big boy fit fake that kind smile. "You think say I like this acting? If no be you wey do drama that year, hm."

Everybody know say we no dey get along.

When dem announce our engagement, shock just full everywhere.

So we gats dey act.

Na so Yoruba aunties for WhatsApp go dey forward our video, dey use am do prayer point.

"Shift."

I pull my hand, wipe am for cloth.

Tunde use helmet as excuse, wipe him hand too.

Before e enter car, e turn, full of himself:

"Wait for me for finish line."

"No forget flower."

I just wave, dey grumble inside.

Fake life.

But as I turn, I just freeze.

For the crowd, I see Musa.

Even with all the crowd wahala, na only Musa face I dey see—e eyes dey burn like fresh pepper. Him hand just dey tight, veins show for him head, him eye no gree leave me.

E dey look me like say if I just give am one sign, e go carry me run go Ilorin. My heart dey skip beat, the sun no dey hot pass the heat wey Musa dey give me for that moment.