Chapter 5: The Price of Survival

Thank God o, since na Christmas, Lucas gats go house go celebrate with him big man papa and young stepmother, so he no fit disturb me.

That Christmas period na relief—dem decorate lab with small tinsel, put one fake Father Christmas for door. I bring chin-chin for staff room. Everywhere soft small.

Seles and I finally get small breathing space.

I fit relax, even play small Afrobeats from phone while I dey work.

Since his injuries bad, I no do any experiment for Seles—just let am recover, dey give am good food and water.

I dey add small crayfish for him soup. E dey help body recover.

But Seles different from Theodore, always dey form hard guy. When one colleague climb up to feed am, he go bare teeth, scare the guy sotey he slip and break leg.

The way e dey do mouth like mad dog—omo, e dey funny but wicked.

Then Seles go swim round, dey laugh, completely happy with himself.

Wicked guy.

You no go blame am—after all the suffer, small revenge dey sweet.

I no get choice but to feed am myself. Thank God, even though he dey bone face for me, at least he never try scare me.

Na small respect be that. Maybe e dey see say I try for am.

One day, I no fit sleep, so I reach work early come see Seles dey always sleep for cold glass bottom of the tank, no privacy at all.

E dey curl for corner like person wey dey miss home.

Out of some unexplained guilt, I give Seles some big stones too, hope say he go build nest.

I pick finest ones, clean am well. I dey pray say e go appreciate small thing.

At first, Seles seem small happy—the anger for him eyes calm down for once. Even though he no talk, he carefully move the stones, pile them into nest.

Na small smile touch him mouth. He dey arrange with careful hand, like say e dey build palace.

Theodore watch am small. When Seles finish, Theodore just hiss.

Rivalry dey always dey. Na so siblings dey do.

Then, as if by mistake, he begin show off him own nest, wey dey shine with beads, shells, and river grass like ribbon.

Na real competition. E dey push nest forward, arrange bead like say e wan win prize.

As expected, Seles vex.

He scatter his carefully built nest with tail, send stones fly across glass. He swim round in anger, then dive to bottom and bone face.

E pain me, but I dey laugh for mind. Children for heart, even if dem get tail.

I knock on Theodore’s glass, vexed:

"You be pikin?"

Na real question. E dey act like firstborn wey no wan share toy.

Theodore no vex, just press face against my palm through glass, dey look pleased with himself.

Na so soft people dey win sometimes.

...

On the third day after Christmas, Lucas come back.

E carry wahala like carry-over course.

As usual, I swipe my card enter the lab, only to see am lean on Seles’s tank, dey give me wicked smile.

For my mind, na so Christmas end.

To be fair, Lucas fine: tall, get correct build, and bright green eyes.

If na outside, e fit pass for Nollywood actor. But na here, he be devil for lab coat.

I hear say he be captain for school football team. I don hear female researchers dey talk about am, say he handsome and rich, all of them dey rush am.

Lab gossip full ground—who toast who, who get car. E no concern me, but na small distraction.

From wetin I know, at least half of the female researchers for the lab don follow am out before.

But his brow bones too low, and when he dey look down at people, e be like wild animal dey size prey.

E dey smile, but na only teeth you dey see.

"Dr. Amaka, you don take care of am well," Lucas talk, dey smile. "I dey fear say he go spoil for dissection, but as you don nurse am back, I go carry am go dissect today."

Him voice cold, no sympathy at all. He dey count Seles life as nothing.

He look down at me, give one kind gentleman but predator smile:

"I go share the data with you after."

E dey act as if e dey do me favour. My body cold small.

Seles stare back, eyes cold like ice.

Na two kings dey face each other—one with tail, one with pride.

For the light, his flaming red tail fine sotey e dey pain to look—you no fit turn eye.

E resemble festival masquerade cloth—colour full ground.

Such a beautiful being—I no fit just watch am become pale corpse for bottle. Instinctively, I stand between Lucas and the tank.

Na fear, na courage—mix together.

"Wait."

Lucas raise eyebrow. "Wetin, you wan keep am?"

Na small challenge dey inside him voice.

I clench my fists, force myself sound calm. "Yes, I want am. Just tell me wetin you want."

E no easy, but my voice steady.

Lucas laugh.

E dey laugh like hyena. My skin prick.

Under the white light wey dey shine like NEPA bulb, make everywhere look like mortuary, his smile turn openly wicked. He step closer.

The way he dey walk—omo, e dey remind me of bad omen.

Him intimidating presence make me wan step back, but I force myself stand ground.

Inside me, I dey call God, ancestors, anybody wey fit help.

After small time, he reach out, brush my hair aside, remove my hairpin so my black hair fall for my shoulders. I fit smell the faint scent of rose shampoo from my morning bath.

I dey vex say my hair dey smell good for the wrong person.

He take deep, almost obsessed breath.

Na like say he dey swallow my soul.

"Dr. Amaka, anybody don tell you say you dey smell nice?"

I roll eye inside my mind. Na so dem dey start rubbish.

Alarm bells ring for my head. Lucas don try toast me before, but I always bone am.

I dey remember the time he try buy me shawarma after meeting—I bone face like stone.

Behind me, Theodore dey bang glass, vexed.

The banging loud—if no be special glass, e for don break. E dey shout but nobody fit hear.

But he no fit break out, only dey watch as Lucas fingers twist my hair, eyes dark as he make him demand.

Lucas get that look wey say "if I no get wetin I want, wahala go happen."

"Spend the night with me, I go give you Seles. How you see am?"

E talk am with confidence, like say na pure business.

"Kindness no dey free, Dr. Amaka."

The words enter my bone like cold water. I look for way to escape, but wall dey everywhere.

I no get where to run, my back pressed against the tank. Lucas seem to enjoy my fear, his rough fingers brush my cheek, send chills through my body.

I dey pray say help go show. If to say na home, I for don shout neighbor!

"If you wan save am, you know wetin to do. This life no dey dash favour."

Na so e be. For this world, sometimes love and survival dey cost pass money.

If I talk now, my voice go shake. I dey gather courage for heart, dey find way to survive this wahala.