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Very near the heart of the city of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria in a peri urban neighbourhood which some people over the years have nicknamed 'Kpako community', the large yellow lightbulb at the front of a bungalow-type house is fervently emitting rays that wholesomely spread to bathe the entire ambience of the compound. It is currently deep into the night, yet the light emits so much radiance that it casts a reflection on the strollers passing by along the street, and enables anyone within the house to easily identify some passers by or any stranger loitering or standing around. There is something peculiar about this house also, that makes people colloquially call it a 'face me-I-face you'. Unlike many other bungalows across the city which have highly secure concrete fences around them decorated atop with barbed wires, and within, a living room, bedrooms, an indoor kitchen as well as personal bathrooms, this one has no fence around its compound and is internally structured somewhat like a linear housing unit. It has a central passageway that leads from the entrance down to the back door, which only the tenant who serves as the house caretaker holds the keys to. On each side of this passageway, there are five rooms, one for each tenant. There is a small concrete single toilet and bathroom at the back of the house for each tenant to share, and a some slightly separated concrete kitchen units for tenants who would like to cook there rather than out in the open backyard, as is usually the preference and considered quite relaxing by most than the stuffy air in the charcoal blackened kitchens.

Across the street about two houses away, is a small shop which unlike many other shops in Benin City remains open past seven o'clock in the evenings and stays in business whilst playing loud reggae music up until past 9:30pm. Currently playing in the background of the cool evening air is a song by Gregory Isaacs, 'Night Nurse'. The shop is owned by a man named Wesley. He sells movie and song CDs and DVDs of various kinds, genres, denominations and nationalities from across the world. Nollywood, Bollywood, Hollywood, KDrama you name it, you can find it here. Although unlike before, these days, many people simply download and watch movies and TV shows online or on streaming services, so customers are not as abundant as before. Nevertheless, a number of people in and around the neighbourhood still patronize this shop a lot, especially those who don't have smartphones, stable access to the internet or enough money to pay for subscriptions to foreign streaming services or mobile data which costs a literal fortune to sustain in any significant capacity. Wesley also sells cold soft drinks and beer as a form of diverse business endeavour, and this makes him an additional asset to the young adults of the neighbourhood who consume lots of soft drink and beer. His shop is always the next stop whenever a guy is taking his girlfriend out on an evening stroll, after they've first stopped at the junction of the street to buy some sliced deep roast beef or mutton and kebab called 'Suya' from the Aboki who barbeques them every evening. Shola Ojo is one of those people in the neighbourhood who frequents these two spots whenever they have some money to spare or would just like to have a good time.

Back in the house, Shola is inside the fourth room apartment on the right, where he, his father, his older cousin and his little brother also stay. Right now, he is the only one in the room squatting on the floor to mix some eba in a large plastic bowl with a wooden ladle for dinner. Ever since his mother died six years ago from poorly treated systemic lupus, he has been making sure to assist his older cousin, Eki, to prepare evening meals for the family and a lot of times also, lunch. Depressing as the thought may be, he always likes to joke about how one of the skills he has come to perfect since his mother's death is how to cook like a pro. More than anything, he values those memories of her, always forcing him to come and take a look at what she was doing in the kitchen and learn how she prepared all the wonderful means she made. "Cooking is a life skill! It doesn't matter whether you're a boy or not, or whether you want to become a chef or not." his mother would always say. And now like always, whenever he remembers her, her witty, warm and enlightened words, he smiles widely and some tears begin to gather in his eyes. Taking a quick blink, it disappears and he continues mixing while turning sideways to look at the news on the television. It is currently sitting on the floor by the wall, a very small and cubic television with two silver coloured antennas protruding from behind it. Apparently, a statement is being made on the news about university post-UTME examinations for new college applicants. Shola finished highschool four years ago but only started schooling officially last year because each year he had applied, due to immense competition and other factors, he ended up not getting an admission to study the course he wanted, which was Chemical Engineering. In his first year of application, he got admitted instead to the Mathematics department. In the second year, he got Adult Education. However, he rejected them both. He had initially vowed to keep writing the JAMB and Post-UTME examinations each year, until he finally got to study the course of his choice. However, in his third year of trial, he got Computer Science, and at this point, his father had grown impatient. He did not want Shola to waste another year of his life waiting and allow the third opportunity given to him to get a reasonable higher education slip away. This caused immense conflicts between the father and son, to the point where Ehigie threatened that if Shola didn't accept the new admission opportunity for Computer Science, he would not pay another dime in the future for application or school tuition fees. After the tumultuous altercation subsided, Shola eventually agreed to accept the admission for Computer Science and begin schooling whilst still seeking internal college course transfer options and preparing to write subsequent UTME exams again, in order to potentially get a shot at studying his dream course.

With the sound of a prolonged creak, the hinges of the room door slowly unwind and the wooden menace along with the old pale white curtain behind it gradually opens. Eki walks in with a medium sized charcoal encrusted pot. Using her back and elbow, she closes the door with expert grace and then walks toward Shola where she bends down to slowly drop it on the floor. Rolling up the torn rag she used to carry the handles of the pot, she asks, "Will the eba be enough?"

"Don't worry, I'm not eating much this evening."

"Ah.. Wetin happen?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just not very hungry. I was at Osas' room just now and a friend of mine bought suya and bread for all of us."

"Hehe.. enjoyment! Wey my own?" Eki inquires with a smile.

"I be dey call you that time nau. But you no answer me."

Eki bursts into laughter, "Okay.. Issoryt. I will meet Osas later.. and ask him why you guys would be eating and not even remember anybody. But if na to come beg me for food nau or to cook, una go remember sey I dey exist."

She opens the pot and the deliciously aromatic fumes reveal some partially bubbly egusi soup. Pieces of both smoked merluza fish, boiled beef and shredded vegetables are seen afloat in the soup. And from the aroma alone, it's easy to tell that it is spicier than ever, as usual. Everybody in their home loves food with enough pepper and salt.

"Hah.. Eki, you don still go cut this meat like maggi cube. Wahala. You dey sell am?" Shola echoes in his first laughter since she entered.

Eki laughs in response, "Look at you! Meat is not cheap o. Don't you know the kind of country you're in? You no even happy sey you see both fish and meat inside soup, you dey complain. Mtchew.. Go sit down!"

Shola continues jocularly, "Ahh.. But no be Nigeria still cause dis one nau. See the kind small meat wey you share into twenty pieces. One week, we neva finish dis meat o."

"Don't worry, after the first three days, if we still have any meat left, you can take everything."

Peter enters the room as they divide the family dinner into portions for each person and the door closes. He is putting on a small carton brown towel with sprinkles of water all over his body. A lengthy sponge is hung around his neck and he drops the large bucket in his hand beside the door and narrow wardrobe cabinet. 

"Daddy has not come back?" he asks.

"Not yet." Shola answers. Then he turns to Eki, "Did he tell you where he was going?"

Eki takes a breath, "He went for the funeral of one of his colleagues or so from work. He told me this afternoon and said they would close late."

"Which person is that?" Shola inquires.

"One Mr. Sado or so .. I'm not sure."

Peter quickly changes into his shorts at the corner of the room and then removes the towel. Hanging his sponge on the nail beside the door, he moves to the opposite end of the room to hang his damp towel on the tied rope by their window curtain. Afterwards, he comes to sit on the large mattress stationed on the floor of the room and joins the pair who are now equally seated and eating dinner. 

"How was the match today nau?" Shola asks Peter.

"Brooo.. It was mad! My leg got injured like three times, but I no fit comot for match because no sub dey."

"Like sey you for comot if they ask you." Shola respond.

Peter laughs, "Ahh.. No, I for comot o. See my leg." He shows his brother several scrape injuries.

"Shet.. Sorry. Dem Eghosa and Osadolor play?"

"Yeah. Although today, de just dey play rubbish. We scored like three goals in less than twenty minutes."

"Whaaat?? That is serious.. That is serious" Shola laughs and then continues in joy, "..No wonder you just dey smile as you dey come back today."

"Yeah, I be see you and.. Nancy." Peter responds. 

Shola's countenance immediately changes, but then he tries to form a smile again and changes the topic, "Yeah.. Shebi you and Godfrey come together? E don tell you the price of the laptop?"

"Eeey.. I forget to ask am o. Anyway, tomorrow sha.. I will go to his house." Peter responds reassuringly.

Eki's eyes are glued to the television the entire time. As the news eventually ends, the popular TV show she has been waiting for finally begins. It's called ‘Joe and Alice’, a screen adaptation of a book of the same name. At the sound of the opening theme song, they all rejoice with excitement, continue to converse endlessly and burst into laughter at intervals while they eat. This dinner time exudes all the hallmarks of a very humble yet emotionally content, socially secure, healthy and heavily bonded family.

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Glossary:
"Wetin happen?" - "What happened?"
"Wey my own?" - "Where's mine?"
"I be dey call you that time nau. But you no answer me." - "I had called you earlier at that time, but you didn't respond."
"But if na to come beg me for food nau or to cook, una go remember sey I exist." - "But when it comes to begging me for food or to cook for you guys, you'd remember that I exist."
"You no even happy sey you see both fish and meat inside soup, you dey complain." - "So you're not even glad that you actually have both fish and meat in the soup?"
".. but I no fit comot for match because no sub dey." - ".. but I couldn't leave the match because there were no substitutes."
"Like sey you for comot if they ask you." - "Like you would've left even if they'd told you to."
"No, I for comot o. See my leg." - "No, I would've actually left. Look at my leg."
"No wonder you just dey smile as you dey come back today." - "No wonder you were looking so happy as you returned today."
"Dem Eghosa and Osadolor play?" - "Did Eghosa and Osadolor play in the football match?"
"Yeah, I be see you and.. Nancy." - "Yeah, I had seen you and.. Nancy."
"Shebi you and Godfrey come together? E don tell you the price of the laptop?" - "You and Godfrey came together, right? Has he told you the price of the laptop?"
"Eeey.. I forget to ask am o." - "Oh my.. I forgot to ask him."

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