Chapter 3: Cold Shadows

As we waka out, cold breeze blow, streetlight dey dull like NEPA don reduce current. Na only our shadow join for ground, but body far like say river dey between us. I feel the distance pass physical.

Under the dull streetlight, na only our shadows dey close, but we sef dey far from each other.

“You dey vex?”

He look me, voice low, like person wey dey fear answer. Me, I bone face, dey wait make him talk something wey go make sense.

I no answer am.

“She just need me for like half month until she recover. I wan tell you after everything finish, I dey fear say you go para.”

He dey talk with mouth, but the body language dey defensive. I dey see am for eye—him head dey turn small small, like say e dey measure how I go react.

“Which surgery dey take half month to recover?” I talk am like say e no concern me.

My voice sharp, e cut like blade. I gats act like say e no pain me, but for mind, I dey boil.

“Abortion. E no concern me o, abeg no get wrong idea.”

He quick talk am, voice low. He dey look my face to see my reaction, but I just dey look ground. For my mind, I dey reason say who go get mind talk this one like say e be normal thing? My hand shake, spoon fall from table. I gats hold tears.

“I sabi say no be your own. Na married man own.”

As I talk finish, he grip my wrist hard. I frown, pain catch me.

The grip strong, e shock me. I sharply frown, almost hiss, but I just bone. Mosquito for my mind dey bite. Why he go grip me like say I be thief?

“You go investigate her?”

He dey look me with that suspicious eye, like say na me be EFCC. I just raise eyebrow.

“No need. The WhatsApp group wey you hack don talk everything na.”

He just dey look me, eye red, mouth no talk anything for long.

E be like say him blood dey hot, but e no know wetin to talk. The silence long, tension dey hang for air like unwashed bedsheet.

Na the first time wey I see am like that.

I never see am tongue-tied before. The Ifedike wey I know dey always get answer for everything. But this time, e just dey look me, him jaw tight.

“You dey stalk me, I no talk, but this one wey you do now don too much.”

He add bass for voice, dey act like say na me dey wrong. For my mind, I dey laugh. Stalk? Who get time?

Stalk? Since he ghost me, I never even find am. Which time I get to dey follow person?

If to say I be stalker, I for sabi all the babe wey dey call am upandan. Me wey dey struggle to read for test, na follow man I go dey?

As he see say I no answer, he release my hand and sigh.

He relax hand, him face fall small. I see say him voice dey shake.

“Nothing dey between me and her. No go dey target her. I no go talk about this one again, but you sef make you stop.”

He try end matter, dey act like say na peacemaking. But me, my mind don already close shop for the day. Rain dey my chest.

After he talk finish, he stop one keke and open door.

Keke driver look us, sense tension. Ifedike open door, e no even look my face.

I just enter, no wahala. As the keke dey move, I roll down window, smile and talk,

My smile na that kind smile wey people dey do when them don tire for drama. The keke breeze blow my wig, my eye tear small, but I no look back. The keke horn loud, but e no loud reach my heart wey dey break.

“Ifedike, make we end am here too.”