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Some of the characters in this chapter will speak in Yoruba, their native language and I'll be putting the translation of their words in English in a bracket next to them for understanding.

This is to avoid confusion when you get there.

Happy reading!

Chapter Thirty Two

CYNTHIA

We finally arrive at a neighbourhood I never knew existed in all of our area.

I've always been surrounded by high buildings, fine restaurants, exquisite malls, beautiful mansions that I've forgotten that some people somewhere don't drive in exotic cars and live in mansions. They don't enjoy the luxuries that we often overlook.

I look around at the surroundings, feeling ashamed that sometimes I don't eat just because I don't have appetite and yet, I can see hungry looking children who might not even know what having no appetite means. Some looks the same age as Sam and they look far from healthy, they are probably suffering from nutrient deficiency.

At that moment, I couldn't blame Tayo's stepbrother from wanting to take money from Michael by force.

What if the last time he ate was the day before yesterday? Or days before that?

We get down from the car and Tayo walks in between Michael and I, holding one of our hands as she leads us to where she and her mum stays.

When she opens the door to her place, it took a lot for me to not burst into tears. The door opens into a room that looks so small, my bathroom at home is almost bigger than it. The only things in the room is a mattress, bags containing the few clothes they own, two buckets, a kerosene stove and pots.

And on the mattress, Tayo's mother lay, shaking from what is probably a cold. She opens her eyes to see who entered and when she sees us, she tries to sit upright. I quickly rush over to help her and I almost yank my hand back with how hot her body is.

"She needs drugs badly, I think she has a cold and probably malaria and typhoid since Tayo says she vomits." I explain to Michael and he turns to Kunle. He removes some money from his wallet and gives it to him.

"Get her some food and drugs. Narrate to the pharmacist what Cynthia has just said and buy the appropriate drugs." Michael tells him and he nods. "Make sure you get back quickly." He adds.

"Alright." Kunle replies and goes out of the room.

"Tayo, egbon e nko?" (Tayo, where is your brother?) The woman asks Tayo in Yoruba and Tayo goes to meet her. It never occurred to me that she might be unable to speak English.

"Awon eni yin ti mu won lo ago olopa. Gbogbo owo ti won koko ko fun mi ni broda mi tigbalowo mi." (These people have taken him to the police station. All the money that was given to me at first has been collected by him.) She explains.

"Se awon lo koko fun e lowo to fe fi bami ra ogun tele ni?" (Were they the one that gave you the money that you wanted to use to buy drugs for me before?).

"Beeni ma." (Yes ma).

"Je n teteya dupe lowo won nigbanaa." (Let me quickly thank them then). The woman tells her and Tayo nods her agreement.

At the moment, I can't be more grateful to Nanny for teaching me how to speak and understand Yoruba. It would have been a shame if as a Yoruba, I can't understand what Tayo and her mother were saying.

"Eyin omo mi, ese modupe o. Ee mo miri sugbon e se nkan to toeleyi fun mi. Modupeganni, oluwa a ma ran yin lowo." (My children, I'm very grateful. You don't know me but you still did something as huge as this for me, I really appreciate it. God will surely continue to help you too).

"Mummy, ko tope ma. Emi ri Tayo gege bi aburo mi ni, oun lo je ki n se nkan ti mose fun. Inu mi o si dun pelu ipo ti mo bayi hin. Kilode ti e fi n gbeiru ibi?" (Mummy, it isn't up to that ma. I see Tayo as a younger sister and that was why I did everything I did but I'm not happy with the situation I've met you. Why are you living in this kind of place?)"

I stare at Michael in astonishment as he speaks the language fluently, leaving me very impressed. He just keeps surprising me today by showing me different types to him. But he is clearly not happy about their situation and I'm also upset with it.

"Omo mi, nkan ti agbara wa ka ni. Baba Tayo, ise kapenta lo n se. Gbogbo owo to ba siti pa ni o n ko lo ile oti, to si fi n ta tete. Omo ti iyawo akoko e si bi fun ko je a ri imu mi, gbogbo owo ti a ba ta ni ibi ti Tayo bati kiri bread lo, oun lo ma gba. Baba Tayo de re, o le ma wa ile fun odidi ose kan, motiri bayi o ti le ni ojo meta." (My child, it is what we can afford. Tayo's father is a carpenter and all the money he makes from work he spends at a beer parlour and uses to gamble. The child his first wife bore for him doesn't give us peace of mind also, all the money Tayo gets from hawking bread, he collects and Tayo's father might not come home for a week. I haven't even seen him since the day before yesterday). She replies.

"Se eyin o nise owo ni? Gbogbo awon egbe Tayo lo wani school, se oun o ni lo ni?" (Don't you have a trade work that you can do? All of Tayo's mates are in school, won't she go?).

"Mo ma n lo school. Aunty Wura ma n ko gbogbo awon omo to wani adugbo wa bi won se ma n ka iwe." (I go to school. Aunty Wura teaches all the children around here how to read). Tayo butts in and I realize that's how she knows how to speak English and she must be very smart for her to speak it fluently like that.

"Iseowo wo ni ele se, Mummy?" (What kind of trade work can you do, mummy?).

"Ise aso riran ni moko." (I learnt how to sew clothes.) She replies.

"O ti da nigbayen. Ti eni to ba lo ra ogun yin ba de nisin yin, te de beresini lo latieni lo, pelu agbara olohun, o ye ki ari ayipada di e la tiola lo. Ti o bawa di ola, ma ran eyan wa la tiwa mu Tayo lo si school, ti o wa lo bere sini ko iwe gidi bi awon egbe e se n se. Ma si bahin gba shop ati ile si ibi to da ju ibibayi lo, ke le ma se ise Tailor yin be, ke de ma riowo die fi tojuara yin. E ma si ronu ara yin loriowo school Tayo, ma yanju gbogbo iyen." (That's good then. If the person I sent to buy drugs comes back and you start to use the drugs from today, by God's grace there should be improvement from tomorrow. So when it's tomorrow, I'll send someone to take Tayo to school so she can register and start to learn properly the way her mates are learning. I'll also help you open a shop and get a house at somewhere that is better than this, so you can work as a tailor and earn money to take care of yourselves. You should not bother about Tayo's school fees. I'll take care of all that.)

As soon as Michael finish saying all that, Tayo runs to him and gives him a hug and I can't help smiling. Tayo's mother also bursts into tears as she begins to thank and pray for Michael.

"Ose omo mi o, olohun a ran oniran lowo si iwo naa. Gbogbo ibi ti o ti n mowo bayi konigbe. Ahh, olohun o se o, pe emi naa a rialanu, modupe o." (Thank you my child, God will also send a helper to you. Everywhere you are taking money from will not run dry. Ahh, God thank you o, so I can also see a helper, thank you o).

Michael sits Tayo on his laps and plays with her and I watch them with a smile. He has continued to surprise me today and these sides to him make me realize that apart from being bothersome, troublesome and conceited, he also has a good heart.

Michael's bodyguard arrives at that moment, and gives Tayo's mother the food and drugs. She collects it with a smile of gratitude and calls Tayo over to join her in eating.

Michael then brings out the card that he has previously given to Tayo and some money and gives it to her mother, "E pe mi ti o bati di aro ola. E de fi eleyi ra ounje si ile ki o to di ola." (Call me tomorrow morning and use this money to buy food at home before tomorrow).

"Ese gan o. Modupe." (Thank you very much, I really appreciate it.)

"O ti to ma." (It's okay ma.) Michael says and stands up. "Oda ma, a wa tife ma lo." (Alright ma, we want to start going.)

On hearing that, she also tries to stand up but I stop her, "E ma da ara yin lamu, mummy, e jeun ki e lo ogun yin ki e le tele Tayo lo si school e lola." (Don't bother yourself mummy, eat and use your drug so you will be able to follow Tayo to her school tomorrow.)

"A da fun e, omo mi." (It will be well with you my child), she responds with a smile. I stand up and walk towards Michael and give him a smile that he returns.

"O dabo, ma". (Goodbye, ma). Michael says to the woman.

"O dabo, omo mi." (Goodbye, my child). She replies.

"What's your name?" Tayo asks just as we turn to go.

"My name is Michael and she is Cynthia." Michael answers and gestures to me.

"Okay." She replies with a smile. "Bye bye, Uncle Michael and Aunty Cynthia."

"Bye, dear." I reply while Michael waves.

We walk out of the room and into the open, few of the children are running around but most of them are just staring into nothing, probably with no strength. They probably have nothing to eat.

That's when I get struck with an idea.

If Michael is helping Tayo then I should help her friends. I'm going to provide them with foodstuffs that will last them a month before the week runs out, that way they'll save money to buy more. I give myself a mental reminder to tell Nanny once I get home.

I glance at Michael and see him watching those children with sadness. Today, he has showed me the softer side of him. The way he had interacted with Frank, someone he had beaten and the way he interacted with Tayo, someone he hardly knows makes me realize just how sweet he can be.

"We are here. Now we can finally go to school so you won't be marked absent." Michael mentions as we get to the car and I say nothing and look at him with a smile.

"What are you looking at?" He asks, smiling too but I still say nothing.

Everything he had done today seems to overwhelm me and without thinking, I close the distance between us and embrace him.

He stiffens as my hand goes around his waist and he doesn't return the hug, even though it took a while for me to let go.

I realise then that hugging him might have been a mistake and I probably crossed a line

"Thank you for what you want to do for Tayo and how you treated Frank." I say in an attempt to redeem myself and he only nods.

I enter into the car awkwardly but he still stands outside, staring into space. As soon as I'm in the car, I hit myself in the forehead and almost scream out in humiliation.

Why did you hug him in the first place, idiot?

I watch him from inside the car wondering what he must be thinking and it isn't until Kunle taps him on the shoulder that he blinks back to reality. He enters the car and sits at the far end of the seat. I give him a curious look but he doesn't even look at me, he only stares out the window.

Is he ignoring me now?

Well, you should never have hugged him.

But what's the big deal? He has never been hugged by a girl or what?

Then don't complain now that he is ignoring you.

I don't get it. He flirts with me, tries to kiss me, gives me long looks but there is nothing wrong with that. But I hug him and he closes off.

No, think carefully. Does he not close off when he flirts with you sometimes?

My inner voices argue with themselves and I want to ignore them but I can't shake off the last sentence so I decide to think carefully.

I can count on one hand the number of times he has suddenly stopped talking to me during lessons only for him to continue talking to me like he didn't just ignore me when it's lunch.

He had done it previously today too, when we were talking on the stairs at the hospital. He was the one who squeezed my cheeks with his palm and he was the one that ran off.

But if all that is true, then what the hell is his problem?

I'm still trying to think of what could be going on in his mind when Kunle announces that we are at school. I thank him and without waiting for Michael, I get down from the car.

I walk to the school gate and I'm about to enter when Michael suddenly grabs my hand and pulls me back. I wrench my hands from his grasp and glare at him.

"What's your problem?" I ask, the words coming out harsh and he looks at me, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you suddenly grab my hand?"

"Because if I hadn't grab your hand, you will be explaining to the school's security how you got out of school." He explains and realization dawns on me. "We have to get in the school the same way we got out."

I nod and gesture for him to lead the way which he does with a smile.

Oh, so he is smiling now.

I say nothing, following him and we go around the school until we get to the entrance that he and his friends made.

"Do you want to go first?" He asks.

"I will."

He shrugs, "Okay."

He pushes the wall inside the school so there's an entrance and gestures for me to go through.

I do so and wait patiently for him to do so too.

When I'm sure he has safely gotten into the school, I turn around to start going to the class.

But I don't take two steps when I'm suddenly grabbed at the arm and I'm pulled back so he grabs me by the waist and I'm pressed against him.

I ignore the accelerating beats of my heart and try to look unaffected by how close to him I am all of a sudden.

He is staring down at me with so much tenderness and gentleness that I swallow nervously.

There's seriously no way I can know what goes on in his head.

The emotions in his eyes change to that of confusion and he leaves my arm and brings his hand to my cheek, carressing it.

His soft touch causes a zap of electricity through my entire body and I find myself leaning into his caress, my eyes closing on it own.

"What's happening to me, Cynthia? What are you doing to me?" He asks, his voice barely a whisper.

I should be asking you that same question, Michael.

What are you doing to me? Why do I feel this way when we are close to each other? Why do I feel the need to kiss you the way I feel the need to breathe air?

I open my eyes to look at him and I see that he is still looking at me, something akin to longing in his eyes.

We stay there like that for what must have been minutes before I begin to hear footsteps.

"I think someone is coming." I mention, breaking the moment and taking a step back. His hands fall from my face and waist and I immediately miss them, the warmth that eminates from them.

"Are you sure?" He asks, looking around to see if there's someone coming indeed.

"Yes." I reply and he glances at his wristwatch.

"Well, since it's just two minutes to closing hours. It's not really surprising." He tells me nonchalantly and my eyes widens.

"Two minutes?! Why didn't you say a word?!" I ask alarmingly and without waiting for a response, I begin to run towards the class. I'm a fast runner but I forget that the distance of the fence to the school compound is a long one. Being a fast runner doesn't help me as the bell rings when I begin to climb the stairs.

My steps falter as I hear the bell and I climb the stairs resignedly. I'm absent in school today according to the register and I'm sure John and Grace have already found out that I am not in school.

I get to our class entrance just as the students begin to file out and I stare surprisingly at Grace who is also coming out of my classroom alongside John and she is carrying my schoolbag.

She glances at my direction and sees me then sighs with relief but it wasn't long before her expression changes to a reprimanding one.

"Where were you and why do you look like that?" She asks, staring at me intently.

"I went out of the school." I answer her first question.

"With who?"

"Michael." I reply quietly, mainly because John is standing next to her. "We went to see Frank." I add quickly but her expression doesn't change and I refuse to meet John's eye.

"Are you sure that's the only thing that happened?" She asks, her eyebrows raised in curiousity.

"What do you mean?" I reply defensively.

"I don't know. You just look a bit in a daze." She comments.

In a daze? Seriously?

"Don't tell me you two..." She trails off and my eyes widen when I realize what she is insinuating.

"That's definitely not what happened." I deny quickly, sparing John a glance. "I ran all the way to the class and that's why I'm definitely out of breath."

She chuckles at my expense before finally speaking, "I was just pulling your legs, I know whatever happened is far from that."

I sigh with relief.

"You can of course trust me- Agh!"

I don't finish my sentence because of the pain I feel as someone yanks my hair from behind.

I grab the person's hand and twist it, bringing the person forward. It doesn't surprise me to see who it is.

"Where did you go with my boyfriend?" She asks angrily as she tries to free her arm but I twist it further by bringing it behind her and she winces but doesn't make a sound.

The students who are leaving their classes to go home don't bother anymore as they gather to watch another drama unfold.

"Your boyfriend has three friends and it didn't occur to you to meet them and ask for his whereabouts." I reply heatedly and she laughs.

"I'm not dumb like you, fool. I asked them and they told me they don't know where he went to. But it didn't take long to put two and two together seeing how you were also absent in school. Who gave you the right to go out with my boyfriend?" She asks again and glares at me and I twist her hand further.

All of a sudden, she burst into tears. Wailing and crying like she had just been flogged twelves lashes of cane. I leave her in surprise and it isn't until I hear Michael's voice that I realize the reason for her fake tears.

"What's going on here?" He asks, turning to me.

"Ask your crying girlfriend." I reply coldly, not liking how it sounds like he is taking her side. She practically flings herself at him.

"She bent my hand so bad. I think my elbow is fractured." She complains amidst crocodile tears and Michael glances at me with a questioning look. I roll my eyes and look away, only for me to make eye contact with John.

Before I can say a word to him, he grabs my hand and pulls me towards the empty class down the corridor. He closes the door, drops my hand and turns his back to me.

I watch as he runs his hand all over his face tensely but say nothing. What am I even supposed to say to him?

"What do you think you are doing?" He asks and turns to me. I stare at him uncomprehendingly.

"What do you mean?"

"Were you marked present in class today?" He asks and I shake my head, knowing I didn't.

"What if the class teacher calls your nanny and asks of your whereabouts?" He asks and my eyes widen.

I didn't think of that.

If she really does that, I'll be in big trouble. Nanny should never know that I went out of the school during school hours, no matter what the reason may be.

I turn to go out of the classroom so I can meet our class teacher and tell a lie to excuse my absence in class but John pulls me back.

"You don't have to go." He says quietly.

"What do you mean? I have to explain things to her so she doesn't call Nanny." I reply in agitation.

"Grace spoke in your stead when your name was called and the teacher didn't look up so she marked you present." He explains and I sigh with relief.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" I ask accusingly.

He looks at me sadly.

"Because I want you to know how disastrous it can be when you take decisions without thinking." He answers and I fall silent.

"This isn't you, Cynthia. The Cynthia I know will never leave school during school hours, she will never do something without thinking and she will never do something that can be dangerous. But you are changing and it's all because of him. He is changing you and you are letting him."

"No, it isn't like that. We went to see Frank, the guy I took to the hospital-

"Who hit Frank so bad that you had to take to the hospital?" He interrupts me.

"Michael." I say. "But he really isn't like that. You should have seen the things he did today, he is kind-hearted."

"You're beginning to dance to his tunes, to believe the stories he winds up. I'm telling you, he isn't what he seems to be. Don't let him fool you." He tries to convince him and I sigh.

But he wasn't there to see it so I don't blame him. There's probably no use in explaining things to him when he is so fixed on his opinions about him.

"It's okay, I've heard all what you've said and I don't want us to fight over something like this. I don't want us to fight at all." I tell him and he smiles.

"It'd have been much better if I could lay a claim to you. If only you had agreed to bf my girlfriend, I'd have a solid reason to punch him in his face for taking you out."

"John-" I start to say but he interrupts.

He looks a bit unsure of what he wants to say next, "Are you still worried I'm not the one for you? Do you still need more convincing that we are meant for each other?"

I hesitate before replying and that seems to be enough response for him because he looks a bit hurt and sad.

I open my mouth to talk but he beats me to it, "You don't have to say anything, Cynthia. My mind hasn't changed, I'm still going to wait for you and will keep trying to convince you until you realise we are meant to be."

I look at him and wish I can just tell him here and now that I'm willing to give him a chance if that would make him happy buy the words doesn't leave my mouth.

Maybe because deep down I know I'll be making a big mistake if I should tell him that.

"You had me worried, Cynthia." He changes the topic. "I knew you were alone with him but I didn't know what he could be doing to you and I really don't trust him."

I give him a reassuring says smile, "I'm sorry for letting you worry."

"No, sorry alone doesn't cut it." He immediately shakes his head. I begin to get a bit anxious but then he smiles. "You have to pay a price." He adds playfully and I raise an eyebrow in question.

"What pri-

He kisses me on the corner of my lips before I can complete the sentence.

"That." He says tenderly.

I stare at him, surprised and he grins.

"Next time, it might really be your lips." He adds but I only look at him, I raise my fingers to touch where he just kissed and he smiles.

"It's nice to know I have such effect on you." He leans forward again. I stare at him, watching his every move and wonderinh what he is about to do again.

"Don't worry, I won't kiss you again. That kiss has made my day already." He whispers.

He tilts my face up to look at him, smiles and walks out of the classroom.

***