Unedited chapter

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•••
Adanma's POV

The taxi stops in front of a small compound and I sigh in exhaustion. I still can't believe all that happened on the mere thirty minutes ride here.

It was initially a very quiet ride. Joseph sat in the passenger's seat while I sat at the back, sandwitched in between both women.

Mrs Helen and Joseph were busy looking out the window at the cars passing while Mrs Loretta snored softly beside me.

The taxi smelt of old wood and detergent. Really nauseating. The car's windows were wound up causing the hot air to mix with the smell, settling on us like a heavy blanket.

"Do you mind if I turned the windows down please?" I asked Mrs Helen.

"Oh nwam. Of course not. Let me help you." She had replied, slightly using her bum to push me while she tried to whine the glass down.

"Baba this your window get fault o." She said to the driver in between struggles.

The old taxi driver looked at Mrs Helen through the rearview mirror before replying, "Push am up. Ehen like that. No, no push am too much o. Ehen you don get am."

After Mrs Helen had followed all the instructions, the glass of her own window was finally down and little air entered. The other windows were still closed making me dissatisfied. This place was still too hot.

"Joseph." I called to him. "Your window, bring it down." The driver looked at me through the mirror. I looked away.

"My glass no good o. No spoil am complete ejoor." He muttered. Joseph looked at me and I signalled that he brought his window down anyway.

There was a handle sort of that you had to turn around to either whine the glass up or down. Joseph held the handle and immediately he turned it, it broke.

"Ahh. Shey you see? Shey you don see am now?" The driver immediately wailed loudly.

"Ogini? Ogini mezie?" Mrs Loretta asked jumping from her sleep.

"Joseph, why now?" Mrs Helen yelled at Joseph.

"It was not strong. It was already about to break." He defended, sounding unbothered.

She shot him a deathly look and he turned away. "You go pay o. I no fit gree o. You go pay for that thing." The driver said in rage. He stopped the car and the tires screeched.

Before I knew it, the driver got down from the car, shouting and creating a scene. What's all this drama for please?

"Baba calm down ejor." Mrs Helen said, also coming down from the car.

Because of ordinary handle? I was honestly confused.

Mrs Loretta came down from the car and leaned her frail body against it. "What is it now?" She asked, sounding tired. She had been sleeping after all.

Joseph had an expression that said 'why the drama?' I'm pretty sure I also had the same expression. We both got down from the car and saw that the man had managed to pull the attention of about five passersby.

"What is the matter?" One of them would ask and the driver would point at me and then say something in Yoruba.

This happened over and over again. Mrs Helen kept on begging the man, saying she had no money to give him. She already spent all her money on my bills and on the transport fare. Joseph was just somewhere pressing his phone. I was starting to get fed up.

The sun was scorching and my armpits were already getting moist, my hair was sticking on my sweaty neck and my body still hurt from the accident.

"What's the meaning of this rubbish? You charged us a whole lot for a ride in this dead car and now you're trying to make us pay for one of your old damages? That is not going to happen sir. Get us out of here now." I screamed all of a sudden, slamming my palm on the taxi. Mrs Helen that was so close to getting on her knees and the taxi driver that folded his arms stubbornly turned to me immediately.

"Get us out of here now." I said again in a threatening voice. Something felt right about doing that.

"Abi shey oti ya were ni?" The driver asked using his index finger to touch the side of his head. "E be like say you don mad abi? Shey ofe ka ma gba eleti ni? Wó tigba gba e," He yelled, taking alarmingly large steps towards me. I stood unmoving as if daring him to touch me.

My heartbeat, however, picked up pace as he came around the taxi towards me.

"Abi orie ti daru ni? You dey mad? I be your mate? Who you dey follow talk? See I go slap you." He shouted once he finally got to me.

His face was now in clear view. He wasn't even an old man. I was sure he wouldn't be up to forty. Stress must be responsible for the wrinkles and his overall old-man looking appearance.

His chest moved up and down as he continued to breathe heavily. His blue shirt that had 'Adieu Mama' prints on it was already soaked up with sweat.

My gaze on him was already faltering as the corner of my lips quivered. His threat to slap me didn't seem like ordinary bluff. I could hear how devastated Mrs Helen sounded as she begged the man to leave me.

I let her begging coupled with the distant pleas of the small crowd to however fade into the background while I focused on trying to not look intimidated in front of the rather intimidating man.

"If you-"

"Oga abeg no vex." Joseph suddenly cut me off, coming in between the both of us. I sighed within me.

He handed some naira notes to the driver who muttered some insults, got in his car and drove off.

"Joseph, so you had money all this while?" Mrs Helen shouted from where she stood. I turned to her and she already had tears all over her face. How emotional can this woman get?

"Mummy please, not now." Joseph said as he trekked ahead of us. The crowd had already dispersed, leaving us to ourselves.

Joseph hailed another taxi and thankfully, that one looked new. It didn't smell as bad as the previous one and the windows were down.

"Please don't get yourself into trouble like that again." I heard Mrs Helen say close to my ear. I replied with a hum.

Back to the present. We already entered into the house and I'm currently standing in the sitting room. The really small sitting room.

"We all live in this house?" I ask no one in particular.

"Yes, we all do."

Wow.

•••

Kene's Pov

I keep trying to think of possible explanations to what's happening. Why is she taking my place? Why did she leave her own family?

"There's two of you?" Rebecca asks bringing me out of my thoughts. "So...I get it now. You're not crazy." She says more to herself than to me. Well, nice to have that cleared up.

"I'm going in." I say to Rebecca and make my way down the street.

"Wait," She calls out to me. "Time has gone. Please let's come back tomorrow."

Come back tomorrow? Come back- Why will I come back tomorrow?

"Rebecca, please just leave me alone." I tell her and continue on my way.

"Please, I'm begging you. Time has gone. See, it's already six-thirty. Before I get back to the house, it'll be around that eight. Please let's just go now." She pleads.

What's this one saying?

"Wait Rebecca, did I tell you I was following you back? That's not my house. This is my house. I'm going home." I tell her sternly.

"Yes, I understand but you just have to follow me back and it has to be now. I don't want to lose my job."

"Okay, see you can follow me in, clear this whole thing up then you can go back with your real madam."

"No now, it's going to take a while. That's why I said we should come back tomorrow." She replies sounding desperate.

"Oya just go. You'll not lose your job, don't worry. Just tell them what happened." I say, growing very impatient.

"Are you even listening to yourself? They're not going to believe anything I say. Adamma, your father will kill me if I don't come back with you."

"Rebecca, shebi it's two of us that saw Adamma entering that gate now. My name is Kene please."

"Kene o, Adamma o, whatever the name is, let's just go back. Don't be stubborn. We'd come back tomorrow."

"No, I'm going home. And I'm going home now." I tell her with finality. She doesn't say anything as she only has an expression I can't quite read.

I turn on my heels with my mind made up. I'm halfway there when Rebecca's voice stops me.

"You know, you're both the same. You're both selfish and heartless. Whether you're Kene or Adamma, it doesn't make that much of a difference. You don't care if I lose my job. After all, you'd get what you want right?" She says and scoffs. I turn to see her already walking off.

I look from my house to Rebecca's retreating figure. The lights in my house were already turned on. I could make out movements in there through the windows. My family was in there.

I stare back at Rebecca. She's slowly getting lost in the crowd of the busy street. What she said comes ringing in my head again;

"You're both selfish and heartless."

I groan, "Stupid conscience." I take one last look at my house before running after Rebecca. I guess I'd have to wait till tomorrow.

•••

A/n

Don't forget to vote and comment. The Yoruba I used in this chapter might not be really correct so please help me adjust it if you can. You can do so by pointing it out in the comment section.

See you in the next chapter❤️