~adamma~

"Aren't you going to eat?" Frank says, gesturing at my plate of noodles. My plate of noodles that I have only been able to take just two bites out of.

"No, I don't like it." I reply without as much as a second thought.

"Really?" He asks with a small snicker. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's bland and soft. You can have it if you want." I offer.

"Oh." He exchanges a look with his sister who had been busy feeding her son from her plate of noodles.

"Shouldn't you have added some other spices or something?" I ask her, using my fork to turn the noodles a little.

When I get no response, I look up from my food to see both siblings with the same expression on their faces. Only that I can't quite read their expressions.

"It's almost three o'clock. We should leave now." Frank says, breaking the small silence.

I nod and rise from the small dining table we were gathered.

When we get outside, Frank closes the door behind us.

"You-" My tummy rumbles loudly, interrupting whatever Frank is about to say. Heat rushes up my neck as I feel utterly embarrassed.

"Was that your tummy?" He asks and I feel even more embarrassed. "We should get you something to eat." He says with a deep chuckle.

I follow behind him and he reaches into his pocket, pulling put a two hundred naira note.

"Do you have any money on you?" He asks.

I shake my head sideways. Mrs Helen had given me only a hundred naira this morning. I used it to buy donoughts.

He sighs. "Okay. That means we'd have to trek."

We pass the spot where the three gossips had been gathered. It is now empty. The only signs they had been here are the three chairs here.

Something they had said earlier tugs at me and before I can help myself I ask, "How old is your sister?"

"She's- wait, why are you asking?"

"Nothing, I'm just curious."

"Oh, she's- I think, she's going to be twenty-two this year." He says, looking thoughtful.

"You're not sure of your own sister's age?" I ask with all seriousness but he laughs like I just cracked a joke.

"It's not that I'm not sure. You'll not understand sha." He says with a smile that I find myself admiring.

"You have a really nice smile." I compliment. His smile widens and he turns to look at me.

"I know, babe."

A foreign flutter takes place in my tummy.

Babe? Okay.

"You were meant to say, thank you." I say, trying to distract myself from whatever feeling that was.

"Thank you's are for compliments. You, however, stated a fact." He says with so much cockiness, a laugh finds it way out of me.

"Oh really?" I ask, still laughing.

"Yeah, really."

                            ~Frank~

The so melodious sound of Kene's laughter rings in my ears, urging me to continue making dumb jokes.

"You should have just left the change with him." She says admist laughter.

I was just in the middle of telling her an encounter I had with a bus conductor. A little exaggerated but anything to make her laugh.

"Oh look, we're here." I say, upon noticing the small canteen. She limps a little, making me to once again feel bad for letting her walk the distance all the way here, you know, considering the accident she was recently in.

"Hey, sorry again for making you trek this much in your condition."

She chuckles. "This is like the thirteenth time you're apologizing. I told you it's fine. Besides, my legs don't hurt anymore. See." She makes a show of hopping from one leg to another before walking a little far ahead of me.

"See?"

I smile before replying. "Alright then."

We walk into the canteen side by side when I hear Mummy Seun, the owner of the canteen call out to me. "Oko mi!"
[Trans: My husband]

"Good afternoon ma." I greet bowing my head a little as a sign of respect.

"You came with our wife." She sends Kene her famous– or in this case– infamous, open-toothed smile.

Kene responds with a stiff nod before tugging lightly on my shirt sleeve.

"Is this where we're eating?" She says.

"Yes. What happened?"

She gulps before looking around the dimly lit canteen. "Nothing. What are we buying?"

"Ejoor ma, help me with rice, one-fifty ati pomo ookan." I say to Mummy Seun.
[Trans: Please ma, help me with rice, #150 and one cow skin]

I would have bought two plates but I have just two hundred naira with me. That'd be enough to get an okay meal for Kene. We always came here anyways. Kene loves the food here. I hope that hasn't changed.

"Aren't you getting anything?" She says to me.

"Oh no, I'm fine. You, eat."

I drop her tray of food and watch her eat hesitantly at first then more comfortably later.

"Wow. The food here is so good." She draws out sounding pleasured. I smile in satisfaction.

While Kene eats, I absent mindedly look around at the half-packed canteen, occasionally admiring the cheap and slightly fading murals.

This canteen, which is really close to our tutorial, has been our hang out spot for as long as I can remember.

By 'our', I mean, just Kene and I.

Kene starts to talk but something just outside the canteen catches my eye. A man wearing white singlet– brown actually– is in some kind of confrontation with an older man, who is equally razz looking. Both have the appearance of hardened criminals.

I can't make out what they're saying from here but it seems to get heated as the seconds pass. The man wearing the white singlet turns in my direction at that moment and I recognize him immediately.

I used to see him around my house so many times. I later found out he sold drugs to my sister. Not only that, he also belongs to some kind of cult. Which means whatever is going on outside can turn ugly any minute.

"Kene, are you through? Let's go."

"Why? I'm not even half done with my food." She pouts adorably. My heart does the usual flip and I chastise myself. Apart from the fact that Kene sees me as a brother, we're also in a most likely dangerous environment. This is not the time for heart flips.

"Okay, hurry up." I say to her, my eyes darting back and forth from Kene to the two angry men. They start shoving each other roughly, at the same time cursing at each other.

You would expect people to have started gathering around them but instead, the crowd disperses from the area. Bike men speed off, hawkers wander off. Even Mummy Seun looks like she wants to close the canteen.

"Kene, let's go." I say to her as I feel cold sweat start to break on my forehead.

I hope nothing bad is about to happen.

"Why are you hurrying? We just got here."

"You dey mad?" I suddenly hear the older man yell out, at the same time swinging a punch at the drug dealer.

There's no time wasted as the punch is reciprocated. Kene seems to now be aware of her surroundings as she stands abruptly.

"What's happening?" She asks with worry.

Fear runs through me as the fight scene is so close to our current position. If we're lucky, we can make it past them before things get uglier. I hope we can.

"Just come this way." I hold her hand guiding her a little away from the men.

The drug dealer turns sharply into the canteen, stopping my heartbeat for a few seconds. Kene and I watch him snatch a Sprite bottle from the counter before smashing it on the floor.

Kene gasps beside me. Jesus.

The few people in the canteen start to run out and I pull Kene along, running with the crowd.

From the corner of my eye, I see the fight get more violent. Blood splatters from somewhere, causing bile to rise up to my throat.

More voices are heard cursing as more men from God knows where join their fight.

"Frank!" Kene yells out when we start to hear gun shots.

Oh God.