The results of the room week was out. Room 25 shared the top spot, the dance group room had come in second and the fashion show third. The winning rooms would be given cash rewards and an all expense paid trip to Obudu mountain resort in Cross River state for a one week stay. The other rooms earned consolation prizes for participation. Everyone was estactic.

"We'll take the money," Uche told Henrietta who'd come to deliver the news.

"Unfortunately,honey, they go together. You have to do both."

" We can't just take one week off our school calender. Some of us have projects and exams and jobs."

"Cry me a river," Henrietta had retorted, rolling her eyes." If you've got an issue, take it up with the management, honey."

"Okay, stop calling me that," Uche scowled.

Henrietta smirked."You're so beautiful when you're mad, honey."

Uche had slammed the door in annoyance. There was no way she'd go on that trip but it wasn't her decision alone to make. Her roommate looked like a gleeful child on Christmas eve when she heard the news. Of course she'd love to travel-only if her parents permitted. Now she had to hope that didn't happen.

Rita had heard the news as well, and, bubbling with excitement, she fell in step with Uche as she left the lecture hall.

"So, how does it feel to be a winner?"

Uche shrugged. " How is it supposed to feel like?"

" Exhilarating. You get a substantial sum of money and an all expense paid trip. That's big."

"I don't know why you're excited about it. Only first and second place get the substantial sum and getaway trip."Uche stated in a dull tone.

Rita came to stand in front of her, grinning triumphantly. "That's where connection comes in. I wouldn't miss a chance to strengthen this special bond between us. Besides, I was the costume designer for the play, so in a way, i still get to go." She squealed. " It will be so much fun. We will most likely bunk together and-"

"I'm not going," Uche said flatly, and walked around Rita.

Rita's mouth dropped open. "What?" She quickly followed, matching Uche's long strides. "What do you mean by you're not going?" They climbed down the stairs.

"I've got things to do. In case you've forgotten, we have exams and projects."

" They know that, and I'm sure they'll give a convenient date. One that falls during our holiday."

"Still-"

"Still you'll find another excuse not to come,"

Halting, Uche turned. Rita stood with her arms folded,eyes narrowed, daring her to say otherwise.

"Besides, you can't," continued Rita. " The reward system holds only if everyone who partook in the room week is present. That means, you'll ruin it for everyone."

"I don't know why I should care."

"I know you don't but do you really want to deal with the full wrath of the other girls?" Rita stalked closer, seeing Uche's lips twitch. "I don't think so. Granted, you don't like people," she rolled her eyes, tone sarcastic,." but it's money and free trip and food, Uche. What the hell is wrong with you?"

When Uche kept silent, staring at her intently, Rita deflated. " I know the whole thing left a sour taste in your mouth, but you worked hard and tripped over heels for it. You can't be feeling generous now when money is super difficult to get these days. How often does this sort of opportunity come by?"

Exhaling heavily, Uche checked her watch. It was time to meet with her supervisor. Glancing at Rita, she said, " I'll think about it," and walked away. Behind her, Rita thrust fists in the air victoriously.

******

Nadeem closed his newspaper as Huma placed a tray before him. He'd been puzzled when his daughter had told him to sit at the dinning table and wait.

Gingerly, she set the plates under his nose so that he caught a whiff of the aroma. Uncovering them, his brows rose at the scrumptious sight: Amala and Efo riro soup. His favorite.

"Did you make this?" He asked incredulously as he washed his hands in a bowl she held out for him. Huma's response was a shy smile. Replacing the bowl she sat beside him. Carefully she folded his newspaper and kept it aside. Her father was one of the few men she knew who still read prints in the technology age. Then Huma folded her hands in her laps, watching his face for the slightest sign of rejection.

"It's so delicious," he remarked after his first taste. Nadeem couldn't believe it. The meal rivaled Zainab's mastery. " Since when did you know how to cook?"

Huma brought out her text to speech device. "Uche has been teaching me."

" She must be a really good cook," he said. " She has my gratitude. Maybe I should call to thank her."

Wide eyed, Huma shook her head vehemently and Nadeem laughed. That will be so embarrassing, she thought. Her mother had done enough.

As he ate, Huma slid a paper on the table to him. Nadeem glanced at his daughter then at the written note, swallowing a bolus hard. It was only after reading that he relaxed.

Not pregnant.

Huma must have seen through him and deadpanned. He chuckled nervously then cleared his throat.

"So it's a room thing. You won this competition. That's great. I'm quite surprised you partook in one. You shied away from that in secondary school. Remember the art competition?"

On the submission day, she'd gotten cold feet and stayed at home. She remembered very well.

"Huma, did you cook me this meal to try to bribe me to let you go?"

His daughter looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Nadeem smiled, amused. "Did she also teach you this trick?"

There was no way she was going to tell her father that Uche had told her two means a woman could get a man vulnerable and amenable to favors: through food and sex.

"You should thank her because it worked. Since it's during the holidays, I see no reason why you shouldn't go "

Filled with glee, Huma began clapping.

"Not so fast. You know i'm not the problem. I'm the easy part. Your mother on the other hand-"

They heard the door open and close. Huma stood as Zainab walked in.

"What's going on here?" Zainab looked from her husband to the food on the table and to her daughter.

"Our daughter cooked." Nadeem replied heartily while Huma, nervous, bit her bottom lip. "It's unbelievably delicious. You should taste this."

"How many times have I told you not to touch anything in that kitchen?" Zainab said, glaring at Huma.

"Now, Zainab-" Nadeem began, foreseeing a conflict neither wanted but his wife had stormed into the house. " It's okay. I'll talk to her." He told his teary eyed daughter whose face was crestfallen.

Later that evening, Huma went to her parents' room. She wanted an answer before they slept and the matter was forgotten. But what little courage she'd mustered fizzled out of her in an instant. Every time she tried to knock, Zainab's earlier reaction and their unpleasant relationship made her hesitate.

For the third time, she breathed deeply. One. Two. Three....

" She's not going anywhere." Zainab's voice came through the door, stopping her cold.

"Calm down." Nadeem said. " You don't have to raise your voice."

"Why won't I raise it? Since no one listens to me anymore. This is the first time she's been home since we went to visit, and now she needs our permission to go after embarrassing me like that."

"She's an adult, and very well capable of doing things on her own now. It's not the first time that we've allowed her travel. Let her be. Besides, Uche is going to be with her. She'll be safe."

"That mannerless woman? Aren't you seeing what she's turned our daughter into? She no longer comes home, she now disobeys me. I went into her room yesterday and saw these trousers and skimpy skirts in there. My daughter doesn't wear such things! If I had my way, she'd be back here living with us, before that woman turns her into a harlot."

Huma didn't wait to hear the rest, running to her room and bolting the door.

******

Zainab entered the kitchen. She paced aimlessly for a moment then leaned on the sink, eyes closed. What was happening to her family? Her husband was blinded by love for his daughter that he wouldn't see reason. The girl now preferred the comfort of a stranger to her home. Opening her eyes, Zainab gazed at somewhere on the floor.

The thought that she'd asked Nadeem for permission and left the man to convince her was more than disheartening. She'd lost it.

That woman. Yes. It was all her fault. From the moment she'd set eyes on her Zainab had known she would be nothing but trouble. She shouldn't have allowed her daughter leave in the first place. It had been a terrible mistake.

Her wandering gaze soon fell on the pots atop the gas cooker. Her daughter had cooked. She opened and looked inside. Curious, she picked up a spoon to taste the soup.

Stunned by how delicious it was, Zainab's eyes grew moist. How could this be? She slowly slid to the floor where she sat and cried quietly.

********

"There's still time to convince them," Uche told Huma As they walked home from the supermarket. The girl had been bleak all afternoon, engulfing herself in books until closing time.

"Are you going?"

"I'm not sure yet." Uche said. "I'm still thinking about it. But you shouldn't let that stop you. If you really want to go, you can."

As much as she wanted to, Huma knew she couldn't handle the trip alone. Not without her roommate. And she didn't want a situation where Uche would be forced to accompany her. There was a car in front of the back gate with an open boot to display boxes of frozen yoghurt, which some students stopped to buy. Uche bought two and gave Huma one. It was refreshingly cold.

"I'm sorry for being a bit cold in the past," Uche said. "I just needed space. I've also noticed you distancing yourself recently."

Huma's eyes went wide, heart thumping in her chest.

"Is there something i should be worried about?"

Caught between truth and lies, Huma was conflicted over what her response would be when a boy on a bicycle angled too close to them and Uche pulled her out of the way, yelling at the idiot to be more careful.

"Did he hit you?" Uche asked, studying Huma's body for signs of injury, and she shook her head, grateful for the distraction.

Over the next few days, they prepared to visit schools for Uche's project. It was soon revision week so Huma had no trouble skipping classes and only went to school whenever they had practicals scheduled. Uche had also taken some time off her part time job. As agreed Rita tagged along. Through its two week duration, they'd used public trasportation-- one aspect of the trips Rita detested and constantly whined about so that everyone knew, which was ignored.

"I don't know why you didn't rent a car like I did," Rita complained. The motorcycle she'd used had tore the slit of her skirt further up. She studied it with a disgruntled expression.

"Not all of us are rolling in money," Uche said as she climbed down then assisted Huma before paying the motorcyclist.

"No," Rita grumbled. " Just stubborn and stingy with it."

"That's because I'd calculated it," Uche said, paying Rita's ride. " It's cheaper this way."

"It was just a two thousand naira difference, Uche. I told you that I could pay for it and you'd pay later."

"With two thousand naira, Rita, I could cook stew to last a week." Uche ignored her disbelieving snort and studied the slit. "You'll live."

"Are you kidding me?!" Rita screeched. "If I sit in a bus with this everyone would see my underwear. You should have told that this place was in the bush, I would have worn pants."

" I don't see why you're so bothered. You're wearing a tight."

Rita looked between both women, speechlessly mortified. She wasn't.

"Just pant abi?" Uche said evenly. " You'll sit with your legs tightly pressed together. Problem solved." She started walking towards a cleared path but they could see her shoulders shake.

Huma didn't understand why anyone would wear such skirts without tights. If she went tightless, her inner thighs would chafe. She also found it uncomfortable and inappropriate.

Rita said nothing more, too embarrassed. "I bet she's laughing right now," she muttered,walking stiffly. Suppressing laughter herself, Huma produced a scarf from her backpack and handed it over. "Oh, darling, you're definitely God sent. It even matches. You just saved me a whole world of discomfort, unlike some persons we know that takes delight in the suffering of others," Rita pitched her voice higher for Uche to hear.

As they walked, Rita was dismayed to see that the path had pot holes and puddles, which served to exacerbate her distressed state. " Seriously, Uche, a little warning next time. Why didn't we tell the bike men to just take us further."

"They don't pass this road."

There was a sound of material tearing.

"Oh, gawd! At this rate, I'll be naked."

"No be me say make you no wear tight." Uche retorted, hiding a grin.

"Could you be any louder? Go ahead and tell the world."

Huma couldn't help but make a happy sound in her throat. They were bickering like an old married couple. This was the most jovial Huma had ever seen Uche. It had to be Rita. The woman had a relaxing atmosphere around her, so much others were easily infected. When they got to larger holes, Huma assisted Rita as jumped over them.

The school management were very welcoming. They waited until break period so as not to disrupt school activities. The students were receptive in each class. At first they'd seem unsure but when Uche communicated with sign language, they gave warm smiles. The questionnaires had been made as simple as possible. The teachers guided the children through the sections that needed their answers and they were told to give the rest to their parents and have the filled questionnaires returned the next day.

Uche and Huma seemed to fit right in whereas the children always stared at Rita with open curiousity. One child touched her hand when she dropped a paper on his desk. Surprised, Rita drew back and the scarf around her waist got caught in a nail beside the desk, ripping a large hole in it.

"What was that?" One teacher asked and saw Rita checking the scarf. " Oh. It tore. I hope the nail didn't cut you?"

"Luckily," Rita chuckled lightly.

"Come with me. We have a tailor. He'll mend it."

"A tailor?" Rita's brows rose.

"Yes," the woman had a puzzled smile on her face. " Children are very playful. Their uniforms are often in need of mending."

What were the odds? Now she could fix her skirt. As Rita followed the teacher, the boy who'd touched her hand smiled at her.

When she returned, Uche was outside one of the classrooms, eating an egg roll. "Where have you been?"

"It turns out that they have a tailor. I was able to fix my skirt." Rita showed her the mended slit.

"Good for you." Uche said. " It would have been fun seeing you struggle a little."

Rita narrowed her eyes. " I know you secretly pray for my downfall but your plan was foiled this time." She said as she sat down on a vacant chair and reached for Uche's snack, which she held out of reach.

"You promised me lunch," Rita whined.

"Lunch, not dinner. It's past five. " Uche retorted. Rita pouted. Something dropped into a laps and she perked up at the sight of the egg roll and juice.

"Oh, I knew you weren't completely heartless." She gave Uche a side hug, squeezing briefly before Uche could protest.

They ate in silence. Soon Huma came out, children about her. She walked with them, smiling, communicating.

"I never knew you could sign," Rita spoke, watching the happy scene.

"There are many things you don't know about me." Uche drank some water. She too watched the scene.

"True," Rita agreed. "But I do think this is sweet. This side of you. What made you learn it?"

Uche didn't respond immediately. "I knew someone who was constantly chained up in their house by the parents because they thought she was possessed just because she was born different. She couldn't speak and was deformed. The girl died. They'd fed her all sort of concoctions in the name of healing."

"I'm so sorry," Rita gasped, sympathetic.

"You shouldn't be. I didn't know her. Just a neighbor's child."

"A neighbor's child who left such a big impression on you." Then Rita smirked. " You sure it's just that? Not that it would look good on your CV?"

Uche couldn't help but grin. " Can't deny it."

"There's that smile. You barely do it. Sometimes I forget that you're actually capable of a smile. Then I remember the way you laughed when we officially met for the first time. I thought it was beautiful. You should smile and laugh more." Rita was quiet for a moment. She exhaled. "Thank you for sharing. Means a lot."

The children were looking at them now, making different guestures.

"What are they saying?" Rita asked.

"You look funny."

Rita's lips tightened. "Uhuh, and now?" Huma was nodding to something they had told her, looking at Uche.

"They want their treats. We did promise them something for cooperating." Uche responded. It was a lie. They had just communicated to Huma that her light skinned friend had the most beautiful eyes they'd ever seen.

The time to leave soon came and everyone bade them farewell. Rita caught sight of the boy who'd touched her earlier, standing in the doorway. He waved at her. Smiling, she waved back.

"I see you've made a friend." Uche commented beside her on seeing the exchange.

Rita shrugged. She had a feeling the boy had startled her on purpose. "Seems I have,"