"Thiane, open up."

"No, I'm not crazy. You're going to kill me if I open," Thiane replied.

"THIANE!"

A rip-roaring cry interrupted Thandie, who had to abort her assassination mission to tend to her child. She hurried to the room where her youngest stood in the dark, holding the bars of her bed and crying.

"There, there, why are you crying? Did I scare you? I'm sorry," Thandie said as she picked up the infant.

"Mama."

Thandie took Belle Ange, who clung to her tee, and went to sit in the living. One wouldn't know who comforted who as she hugged her baby. The mother saw her anger diminish despite herself. Her children were her soft spot; Thiane knew it and used the moment to come out.

"I'm sorry."

Thandie looked to the living room's door with where sister stood. She shook her head in negation, rolled her eyes, and kissed her teeth at Thiane, who stepped into the living room but remained at a reasonable distance.

"Why did you do that, Thiane? I told you, I don't want to be on an app like some leftover woman."

Thandie raised a brow and lowered her head, "Is that how you see me and those around you who use apps? Do we seem like leftovers? We're having a ball. I've met many interesting people. I don't sleep with every man I meet. There are other apps for that, and not everyone has such intentions. It's just about not being lonely."

Thandie shook her head, " I can't date someone, I'mㅡ I'm."

"You are not married. You are not somebody's wife."

"Thiane."

"It's true, Thandie."

Thandie cocked a brow. Her sister only called her by her name if she had something crucial to say.

"Why is this so important to you, Thiane? I'm good like this."

"No, you're not, Thandie. You won't make me believe you're happy." Thiane stopped speaking. How could she convince her sister that life wasn't just about responsibilities and dedication? "Tha, you should care about yourself. Moses is gone and living his best life somewhere. Your children are with you now, but they'll leave you someday. What will you do then? You don't need to prove yourself to anyone but yourself. You owe a good life of fun and joy to Thandie Olamide."

Thandie gasped; it had been years since she heard her maiden name. She who thought she would die, Mrs. Chiroma was back to square one.

"You are beautiful, my sister. You have so much love to give. You deserve to receive just as much."

Thandie sighed, "You don't understand, Thiane. I've got two jobs and two side hustles. I can't afford to date. I neither have the money nor the time to do it. I'm not over my marriage. I lived and loved one man for years. I can't erase that in one go and move on to the next. Do you think my kids will accept it? I'm not alone in this."

"Your kids love you, Tha. I'm sure they'll want your happiness. You must tell them Moses is with someone else. You can't keep on pretending and telling them he'll come back. They need to know this so you can all move on."

"It's not that simple. Can you imagine the shock and trauma? I can't break their hearts that way."

While Thandie gave her circumstances, Callum filled out the questionnaire. Their five minutes of conversation were up, and the man had hoped until the last minute Thandie would return to finish the chat. He guessed she was busy; she had children, after all.

He replied to the questions and kept his fingers crossed that Thandie wouldn't swipe him out from her suggested profile list. He settled down with a book, but all he could think of was her. Callum felt dumb but also a little guilty as he realized for how long he had a crush on her. Thandie was still married when he started to seek her stare. He acknowledged he couldn't help it. There was just something about that made Callum want to see her more from the moment she began to pass his bakery to take her kids to school.

Thandie became visible from the moment Mr. Chiroma disappeared. Callum felt the man kept his wife like a secret; the stay-at-home mom rarely came out. Callum remembered the Friday nights when he saw the couple after their date. Thandie's heels would click on the driveway while she clung to her husband's arm. Why did they divorce? Curiosity plagued Callum's thoughts.

"I hear you, Tha, I understand, but you'd be surprised, kids know. All have told me how Moses was before he left."

"What did they tell you?" Thandie said, suddenly seized by panic.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is what you do now. I hear you, but I wouldn't be so sure about one thing, though. There are men who know your situation and still want to meet you."

"Thiane."

"Did you read the messages from Oppo?"

"Yes, and?" Thandie replied, rocking her head from side to side and stopping when she remembered her braids were new. Drastic head movements pulled on her edges.

"Do you know who your match is?"

Thandie shrugged, "No, it's just a random bloke, right?"

"No, he isn't random. Actually, he lives across the street from you. You don't even need to waste gas, a tube ticket, or a taxi fare to see him."

Thandie's eyes grew wide, "Who are you talking about?"

"He's your guy next door if you want. You know your kid's favorite baker."

Thandie would have fainted if she wasn't seated, and Belle Ange didn't sleep in her arms. It was incredible how her child could sleep through any yelling from the moment she was in her mother's arms. The same went for the rest of her children. The older ones learned to sleep through any noise. Whether it was their father laughing with his pals or their parents arguing, the kids knew better. They remained in their rooms and forced themselves to sleep.

The worst part was during COVID-19. Moses was like a lion in a cage. The man couldn't stay in place. He became cold and had irrational reactions. He would lock himself in the office for hours and shout about anything. Moses showed a frightful, different nature. Thus, the kids made themselves small and tried not to upset him. Thandie did the same; Moses changed, yet he was her husband. She attempted to adapt and accept when the man decided to sleep in separate rooms. It was understandable; no married couple spent twenty-four hours together for months.

Where COVID-19 reinforced some couple's sentiments, Thandie's and Moses' couple cracked like eggshells. The tiniest things about each other annoyed them. Moses hated hearing how Thandie munched her dinner, and Thandie hated hearing Moses gargle his mouthwash. Moses would spend hours sitting at the end of their garden speaking to someone, and every time he entered the house after one of those calls, he returned a more distant man.

The painful period haunted Thandie daily. She knew better than anyone how to play the mascarade of a relationship. If marriage wasn't a warranty, dating was the hell hole of multiple deceptions Thandie didn't wish to experience.

Thandie's heart began to thump full regime, "HE'S WHAT?"

"You heard me, the baker."

Thandie chuckled, "Stop chatting rubbish. You won't make me believe you spoke to my neighbor in my stead, and he replied."

"Well, it's the truth. Look at your phone and read his messages. He's a man who knows you have children, yet he contacted you first."

Thandie laid Belle Ange on the sofa and grasped her head, "It's even worse, Thiane. He lives across the street from me. He knows every one of my moves, and he'sㅡ."

"ㅡHe's?" Thiane prompted.

Thandie took a deep breath and lowered her voice to say, "he's white! Do I look like a woman who dates white men?"

Thiane shrugged, "So, you could. There's no law against it?"

"So, you say. The man isn't my type, and he lives across the street from me."

"He's tall. You like tall men. You always have," Thiane retorted.

"No, look at Moses," Thandie replied with what one could mistake as pride.

"He was an error. You let that shortbread serenade you with his words."

"I don't date white men."

"You've never tried. The baker likes you, Tha. I only spoke to him a few minutes, but he fancies you, and I'm not sure you're not as indifferent to him as you pretend to be."

Thandie chuckled and clapped, "Look at this one here talking nonsense."

"I'm not talking nonsense, Thandie. You're always complaining about how he's always staring at you and how he's always out at night with his dog."

"It's just information. You're the one who wanted to spy on him last night."

"Well, you're well informed about a man you don't care about. I know when you're lying, Tha, your cheekbones peak like someone who swallowed too much hot fufu."

Thandie blinked once and repeated the gesture with her most slitted gaze in stock, " Listen, Thiane, I'm going to say this once. You got me into this mess. I don't care what you do, but get me out of it."

Thiane sighed and grabbed the phone Thandie handed her. The app displayed the questionnaire, "You have to answer a few questions about the conversation."

Thandie crossed her arms, "I didn't talk to him, you did. You deal with it."

Thiane slumped on a chair; her sister was so stubborn. Thandie could say all she wanted, but she noticed the baker, too. It was child play; everyone knew that sometimes, the person we criticize or comment on the most is probably someone who interests us the most. Thiane was sure it was Thandie's case. Also, she didn't like the way Thandie rejected Callum because of his color. Hence, she replied to the questionnaire with her impressions.

"There, happy, I submitted the form. You have two other matches, their POC, if that can reassure you."

"Thiane, don't talk like that. You'd think I'm racist. I have the right to have preferences."

"It's a bias. You don't even know the man. You haven't even given him a chance. It's not like he's worse than a black man. He's just a man. There's no better or worse. You shouldn't color-block people."

"I'm not color-blocking."

Thandie didn't want to admit she feared the unknown, but she also feared her heart, which raced with apprehension and excitement.