I sniffed lightly as I rubbed my sweaty palms on my neck and closed eyes, and it was so hot. It felt as though someone was tap dancing in my skull, the headache was killing me, cons of crying for hours. I turned on my bed, and that was when I felt a wet object on my forehead. I touched my forehead and felt that it was actually a wet towel. Now, who put it there?

I felt a hand moving on my bare waist, and I could hear a silent voice, it almost felt like the voice wasn't there, but as I paid more attention I could hear the voice more distinctly.

"1, 2, 3...14, 15, 16." The voice counted and stopped at the number sixteen, then it started counting from one again. I listened attentively this time.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16." It stopped at sixteen once again and started counting once again from one, the sound of the voice counting and the tap dancing in my skull made me wish I could just bang my head.

I opened my eyes slowly and what I first saw was Ademide's face peering down at my waist, he was seated on my bed and was paying outmost attention to my waist that was bare now since I had pulled off my gown and wore a short and tank top before sleeping. He was wearing a pair of glasses, which was very funny. He had on a white shirt that was only buttoned up halfway, clearly to show off his chest, or maybe because of the heat since there was no light. I raised my head a little and looked at what he was doing, I saw him playing with my waist beads, and it turned out he was actually counting my waist beads. They were sixteen in number, which explains the reason the number stops at sixteen each time.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up. This had the towel falling on my lap, and him looking at my face immediately.

"Counting...what does it look like?" He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"What are you doing in my room?" I asked, this time anger slipped into my voice. What I really wanted to know was if his girlfriend or maybe slut has left, but who cares? I do, literally.

"I came to check up on you, you haven't eaten your food since morning, why?" He asked pointing at the plate of rice that sat moodily on my side stool, definitely forgotten.

"I wasn't hungry," I said with my lips puckering up to show my distaste at the fact that he was in my room, and on my bed.

"You also have a fever." He moved closer and touched my forehead as he said this, I thwarted his hand away but him being him took hold of my hand, such an annoying jerk.

"Why do you care? Leave my room." I jerked my hand away from his as I said this, actually yell. This made the tap dancer in my skull pick up pace, making me wince.

"I told you to stop screaming," he said massaging my temple with his forefinger with the most attentive look. I would have actually fell for this if not that I remembered the way he had looked happy with that girl sitting on his lap.

I jerked his hand off my forehead and turned my face away from him, "leave my room."

"Did I do something to annoy you?" He asked quite innocently. Damn, he looked so innocent with those spectacles of his.

"Just get out of my room."

"Okay." He stood up from my bed and picked up the plate of rice, I was about questioning him when he gave me a look that had me shutting up. "This food has been opened for hours, if you're hungry go to the kitchen, I prepared something for you."

And after saying that he left. I sat there wondering why he was doing this, and there was only one explanation, it was his way of luring me into his trap.

I stood up from my bed and made my way to the sitting room to get something to eat, but I almost fell because of some stupid book that was lying on the floor, this actually reset my brain. I glanced around my dungeon of a room with one thought in mind, that Ademide had been here, and he had sat down in this room. Embarrassment washed through me, but not for long, I just couldn't afford to care anymore.

I walked into the kitchen that was when I remembered something, tomorrow was Thursday, my twins birthday and Samuel already ate the cake I baked for them. This had tears welling up in my eyes, you might not understand why, but I've known those twins since they were two, and they would be clocking five tomorrow. They were my ex pastor's kids, and I had promised to give them cake, like those kids cherish me a lot and they actually cry when I don't check up on them. Now one baffoon ate their cake, what was I gonna do now?

I went into the sitting room with anger, and I was glad when I saw my target. Samuel was sat near Ademide who was working on his laptop, I must say he looked damn serious and cute with his glasses on and the attention he was giving to his work.

"Samuel!" I yelled.

"What!" He yelled awarding me a glare.

Ademide looked up at me and then Samuel, probably wondering what show he would have to enjoy now.

"Do you know the gravity of what you've done?" I asked with anger.

"How I'm I supposed to know?" He asked rolling those stupid eyes of his.

"You ate the cake I baked for Emmanuel and Esther, tomorrow his their birthday and now I have to make another one. How do you expect me to do that?"

"Sorry, I did not know," he said looking quite remorseful. The fact that he apologized made it hard for me to do anything to him, so instead I walked to the kitchen and started opening all the cabinets bringing out cake ingredients.

It was after bringing out everything I realized I didn't have butter, so I did the only thing I could do, I slumped down on the floor, and cried my eyes out for the second time that day. I cried because of the cake and because I just needed another reason to cry.

I felt a little helpless, there was no way I could make the cake, I had no money on me again to buy butter, and I would need to get eggs again. I just wanted to slap that stupid boy.

I looked up when I heard a sound in the kitchen to see Ademide standing at the entrance of the kitchen, looking at me curiously as if he wanted to know what sort of creature I am. I stood up from the floor and walked past him into my room, I slammed the door one more time that day.

I stood behind my door thinking of what I could possibly do for my babies, that was when I heard Samuel and Ademide discussing.

"Don't you think you should go and apologize to her?" Ademide asked.

"Apologize? When she is in that mood, its like you don't know my sister, if I go to her now she will pound me into the cake she needs. And I'm not ready to die." I heard Samuel say, and it was quite true. Turns out my brother knows me well.

"But she's crying, she was running temperature before and with her crying it will only increase it." I heard Ademide say again, and he sounded very concerned. It was getting hard to actually figure this guy out.

"Leave her alone oo, angry Mary is not so cute as you think. Have you ever wondered why I call her little witch."

It was this time I blocked them out, I walked over to my bed and fell flat on it, and fell into another round of crying sleep.

*****

I stood up from my bed when I heard my mum call for me at around 10pm when she got back, what I felt immediately I stood up was my empty stomach. I was damn hungry, but I didn't feel like eating anything.

I went out of the sitting room and Ademide was seated on a couch still in his glasses and working on his laptop, makes me wonder what had him so busy till now. He looked up as I came in, looking at my face attentively, I'm actually starting to notice that he stares at my face a lot. I ignored him and went to the kitchen to meet my mum. I wondered where Samuel was though.

She looked at me immediately and felt my forehead, she touched my neck and peered into my eyes. Now what was Doctor Adenaike looking for?

"What is wrong? Are you okay?" She asked with concern, like the mother hen she was.

"Nothing I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Mide told me you were sick, he looked so worried about you, said you haven't had anything to eat since morning." She said again.

I was actually shocked at Ademide being worried about me, but I don't even care now. My mum being worried like this would only initiate more sermon and agbo, and I don't need it.

"Mummy, I'm fine, perfectly alright."

"You are fine, okay oo. Eat this," she said pushing a plate of fruit towards me. "Once you are done come and take anti malaria in my room."

I almost ran mad at this, will someone tell this woman that self medication is harmful. No, she won't listen. I'm so tired.

"Okay," I said plopping a bite of watermelon into my mouth.

"And, you are going to shop tomorrow, I have to go to work." She said leaving the kitchen. Hearing her say this actually made me happy, I needed to leave this house, who knows I might get to see Aisha again. I've missed her so much, and she only comes to shop when her mum was going to market, I just pray her mum goes to market tomorrow. I ate the fruits quite happily and went off to my room, still ignoring Ademide, who looked at me still with that curious gaze.

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© Mary Aden