Chapter 6: Hospital Window

When I wake, hospital window full of green mango leaves wey dey dance for breeze.

The smell of dettol, the hum of nurses. My body dey heavy, but that mango leaf dey remind me say life still dey outside.

Just like that dry season, till quarrel noise wake me.

Outside, rain dey threaten, but inside the ward, heat still dey.

Manager dey shout:

"You dey craze? Morayo chop hit like that you still dey defend that girl? You forget how she help you contest, promote you, beg for your numbers?"

I fit hear the frustration for him voice, the way e dey shake like landlord wey tenant never pay rent.

Twenty-seven-year-old Tunde just cold:

"I beg her?"

He cross leg, bounce leg, eyes dey far. Him face strong, like person wey don see plenty wahala for life.

Manager ask again:

"So free her, na. Stop to dey suffer am."

"...Why I go free her? Na she carry herself come, no wan leave."

He throw the words like stone for gutter. For Naija, sometimes na pride dey talk for man mouth.

"Reminder, you wan propose to Morayo soon o."

"I know. Na only Morayo I love. Now wey Morayo don come back, Olamide, Bisi, Chidinma, all of them na the same for my eye. I just... need small time. When I tire, I go let her go."

Tunde just grab him hair, vex dey talk:

"Abeg, no tell her about the proposal. I dey fear she go cause wahala."

"She even try wound Morayo today. She really dey craze. Who she think say she be."

The manager hiss, tap table. "See wahala!"

"She think say because I dey do music, I go marry deaf girl?"

He stand up dey go.

Manager raise voice ask:

"Who she be? She be that genius girl wey win New Voice Award at thirteen, your babe wey give you ten years of her life."

The words land like slap. Tunde pause, back still turned.

"You forget? Your biggest wish before na make she hear you sing."

"As medicine dey advance now, if tomorrow Olamide fit hear again—no go regret o!"

For hospital corridor, the world dey quiet. But for my heart, war dey rage. I just dey whisper small prayer under my breath—God, abeg, give me strength. This time, I go choose myself, no be anybody shadow again.