Dedicated to Rambling_Thoughts ❤️❤️

The bus skidded to a stop in the busy park and Ore didn't waste time in clambering out and paying her transport fare. Only God knew how she had managed to survive a good fifteen minutes in the suffocating bus mixed with different sweaty bodies. Ore's legs were close to giving way and she felt the weight of her bag press her shoulders.

As she walked past a boli seller, her nostrils perked up at the delectable scent of roasted fish and plantain. Her stomach grumbled in protest and even though she didn't have enough money, she couldn't pass by without getting at least a small portion. She retraced her steps and stood in front of a middle aged woman whose face was blackened by hardship and untold suffering.

Ore began to feel pity for the poor lady because she could tell how difficult it was to raise one's children with the meagre pay she received at the end of her daily sales. Her cousin, Yemi, had gone astray and gotten pregnant for her boyfriend and Yemi's parents being hardcore christians didn't waste time in sending her packing. Now, she was at Woji street in Portharcourt, selling bole and fried fish by the roadside.

The smoke rising from the charcoal used in the preparation of the roasted delicacy, made her eyes water and she sneezed invariably.

"Sorry my pickin," the bole seller said concernedly.
[Sorry my child]

Ore merely nodded her head as she felt weak to her bone marrow. She gave a shaky smile in assurance that she was okay.

"Madam, I need bole two hundred naira," Ore stated as her eyes drank in the sight of how yellow the plantain looked and how delicious it would be when she mixed it with the tasty fish stew.

The bole seller didn't waste time in replying her as she had been waiting for quite a while for a customer to buy her food. "Which one you want?" she asked, poking a plantain with her middle finger to bring it closer to the fire.

Ore watched the lady closely. "I want only plantain abeg," Ore stated, furrowing her brows. She had a perculiar dislike for roasted yam and the only exception was potato which was sweeter than the former.

The woman took out the sharpened knife that was by her side and picked out three pieces of plantain from the blazing heat and began scraping out the blackened edges. The lady winced as her roughened palms came in contact with the hot food and Ore muttered an apology for causing her much duress.

Ore absently scanned her environment as she waited for her dish to be packaged in a cellophane bag. Her phone began to vibrate in her bag but she paid no attention to it. The person calling must be mad for disturbing her by this time of the evening, she thought irritatedly. Ore could count the number of buses that was in the park at present because it was approaching the wee hours of the evening where the drivers closed for the day and drove to their homes.

The park was littered with pure water satchets, used can drinks, empty nylons and food wrappers. The drivers were nonchalant about the whole messy area but were instead concerned with the total pay of students who came on board. They had zero neatness culture but all they were good in was bickering amongst themselves and shouting for each other at the top of their voices. They often quarrelled on which bus was the next to load and who was to depart and what not.

Ore was going to try her best in avoiding their wahala as she wasn't thinking of becoming the next bait. As students hurried through the gate entrance, a tired voice brought her back to the present.

She brought out a two hundred naira note from her small purse and handed the money over to the sweaty lady who used the edge of her apron to clean her oily face. The woman collected the cash and immediately tucked it into the pocket of her jeans trouser before handing over Ore's meal to her. Ore thanked her and sighed as she slowly took the short walk to her hostel.

Ore was tethering on the brink of relapse and wasn't expecting to see Mercy with two strikingly handsome dudes. One of them was dressed in a black tailored slacks and a tight fitting jacket while the other was busy typing away at his phone without sparing her a glance. Ore wasn't appalled. This wasn't the first time she was ignored and it was certainly not going to be her last.

The snobbish guy looked rich in appearance compared to the former who was on a low cut and had bushy beards lining the side of his jaw. The first thing that called out to Ore was the golden ring that was on the bottom of his pink, luscious lips. His hair was neatly trimmed and his stubble was sparse as if he just came out of a fresh shave.

His white collared shirt was a bit rumpled but the lined edges stood out and his black, sleek shoes gleamed in the glimmering rays of the sun. Ore stood transfixed at the mesmerizing sight. She didn't notice that her mouth was agape and spittle was drooling down her chin. Mercy seemed particularly close to the other dude as she held him by the arm and smiled sunnily at him.

Neither noticed her presence as she slowly approached them. "Mercy," Ore called out, feigning ignorance.

Mercy stopped mid sentence and turned to stare at her intruder. But her furrowed eyebrows relaxed and she gave Ore a toothy grin as she walked over to where she was and gave her a bear hug. That left Ore wondering why Mercy was so excited. Mercy linked arms with her and dragged her to where the guys were.

They stood at least a good metre apart and were both leaning on a shiny black car that she was only just noticing. Mercy introduced a dark skinned boy with dimpled cheeks as her brother. His name was Philip and he was a three hundred level student of Engineering.

Ehhnn, so Mercy been get brother before and she never mentioned it, Ore thought amusedly. She shrugged the thought of her mind as Philip pulled her in for a hug. The whiff of his perfume was intoxicating and Ore felt like leaning on him forever. But, they had to part before she would invariably lose her senses.

Ore snickered at the funny image of her running mad and dancing like a masquerade in her mind's eye. Her antics ceased when she locked eyes with the seemingly snobbish dude. She sucked in a sharp breath as his piercing gaze burned like fire in her subconscious. It seemed as if the world was drawing her in and her tired state was momentarily forgotten.

However, it was only for a minute before the dude hissed at her appearance and went round to open the car door. The loud slam brought her back to her senses and Mercy tapped her on the shoulder, asking if she was okay. Her brown eyes were filled with concern and her face was scrunched up in anxiety.

Ore nodded sagely, assuring herself and Mercy that she was beyond fine. She smiled and muttered something about the lines of her feeling dizzy and disoriented. Philip's deep set eyes roved over Ore, a feeling of pity washed over him and he pulled Ore closer to his body and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Ore felt her eyes brim with tears as Mercy patted her back and gave her brother a knowing smile.

Later that night after Ore had successfully changed her heating pad and showered, her dreams were filled with a tall, handsome stranger who wasn't Phillip.

        
       _____________________________

Author's note: Now that Ore and Dami have met, what do you think is going to happen next? Do you think Ore is stupid for liking Dami even after snubbing her?