Song of the chapter: Dig A Little Deeper.

“Are you mad?!”

Long decorative insults followed after a neatly dressed woman asked a man in faded attire. The scene from the Yoruba movie Niyi was watching didn't please him. It reminded him too much of that tall slender woman called Sewa. He roughly picked up the television remote and changed the channel to Nickelodeon.

However, Charlotte from the comedy family series Henry Danger just yelled, “Never tell a woman to calm down!” Grumbling, Niyi changed the station to sport station PFL. Let him see how a woman would yell at a man on the football field. Calmed, Niyi couldn't still get the image of Sewa out of his head. The threat still lingered in his mind. He wished he had a sleeping pill so he could have a blank dream and not think about her.

“Niyi,” Elijah greeted as he stomped into the living room. “So there's a match and you can't call me to watch with you?”

Niyi gave him a dry look, “When I told you you were to cook lunch today, what did you say?”

“So because of food, Niyi?” Elijah chuckled.

“What?” He answered in Yoruba before pleading, “Please, please, go and cook.”

“Will you go to the market to buy ingredients?”

“Give me money,” Niyi held his hand out.

“What about your own earned money?”

“Who is cooking?”

“Who is eating?” Elijah retorted and sat down beside him.

“Let's join money together then.” Niyi proceeded to poking Elijah.

“Guy, stop. I'm trying to watch match,” Elijah said, annoyed and swatted Niyi's poking fingers. “All right. What do we even need?”

“Chicken wings and beer!” Niyi exclaimed, with childlike excitement.

“If I slap you, you will turn to M.K.O Abiola. Beer ko, palm wine ni. You will buy one kilo of  chicken wings, three cups of Garri, four dried Panla, one hundred naira worth of okro, and a pack of Knorr Chicken seasoning cubes.”

“Abeg write am down!” How was he supposed to remember all those figures?

“Did you have to shout?”

“Yes, because I can,” He said, with a cheeky grin. Niyi tore a small sheet of paper out of the notebook beside him. After placing the sheet of paper on top of the notebook, he uncapped a blue ball pen. They wrote down the list of groceries and calculated the total amount to be spent.

“Three thousand naira,” Elijah said. “Bring one thousand five hundred, I'll bring mine.”

“Couod we use the remaining change to buy drinks?”

“Buy Lipton not beer.”

“How about Chivita?” Niyi suggested, not pleased by the idea of the Lipton drink.,

“Fine. Don't stay out too long. I'm starting to feel hungry.”

Niyi shot off the red leather couch in the middle of the living room and hurriedly dressed to go out. Money in pocket, he stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him yelling, “Bye.”

He made use of the public transport he boarded at the nearest bus stop to go to the Alaye Saturday Market. He arrived to a familiar chaotic but organized scene. Men on their bikes whistled at prospective customers, street vendors hung around buses or harrassed people until they bought their wares. Meat sellers whose products just arrived from the abattoir chopped meats into small pieces according to the customers' desires.

At his far right, women and men selling dressing attires rang their small bells and yelled, “Come and buy your clothes. Affordable clothes. Come and buy your Azonto shoes. Come and buy your crazy jeans five hundred naira upwards.”

To Niyi's left, people sold household equipment and at the center, others sold foodstuffs. He delved deeper into the market buying off things in the list. He reached his final destination, the frozen foods store where he would buy the chicken.

He brushed shoulders with a few people who also wanted to buy either chicken, turkey or fish. After purchasing the one kilo of chicken wings, he placed the wrapped purchase inside the big black polly bag he held with his left hand.

Roughly, someone in a similar t-shirt to Niyi's bumped into him before disappearing into the crowd. Cries of “thief, thief” began to ring out. A woman he has never seen in his life ran to him and held him by his t-shirt collar. A crowd gathered around them and muttered to themselves. Some brought out their phone whole others threatened to kill him if he did not confess his crime.

“Thief, I have caught you today, bastard,” and other curses were sprung in Niyi.

Confused and innocent for the first time, Niyi shook his head and pleaded innocence. “I didn't steal anything. I just bought frozen chicken from the cold room.”

“Go and bring tyre and fuel!”

“Kill him!”

“Thieves don't deserve to live!” The crowd thundered.

The stronger men were just about to pounce on him when a loud shout made them pause.
“He didn't steal anything!”

Grateful, Niyi sighed in relief. That was, until the person stepped forward after pushing her way forward. Of all the humans on earth to defend him, her?

“He didn't steal anything,” she pleaded again, her long blue skirt swishing around her ankles.

“Do you have proof?” One of the spectators asked.

“Do you have proof he stole anything? Were you there?” Sewa retorted. “Since you all are so sure he stole something of hers,” She looked to the accuser with disdain, “Why don't we check what is inside the bag?”

The accuser stepped forward, her huge breasts bouncing matching her arrogance clear on her face. She snatched the black nylon bag and brought out all the contents, throwing them to the ground. She shook the bag furiously emptying it and found nothing. A look of shame and fear crossed the accused's features. She quickly covered it up and muttered sorry before walking off.

The people in the crowd one by one apologized to Niyi. Sewa gloated, “Can you see? Innocent person is who you will kill for something he didn't do. The real thief, you did not find him. Find out proof first, they will not listen.”

The crowd dispersed leaving the two to themselves. Minutes of awkward silence passed between them.

“Why did you do that?” Niyi finally asked. Was she following him? Somehow, he felt it was better he had been killed by the people than facing Sewa.

“I didn't want you dead or imprisoned because you still got to pay me my money,” Sewa replied.

“Wow, and here I thought you did it from the bottom of your heart.”

Niyi noticed her dimple peeking when she gave a short laugh, “From where? That will never happen.”

“Are you following me? If you are, please stop. I will repay your money, I promise.”

“Promise? I thought there was no honor in thieves. Anyway, I can't be following you up and down like I got no job to do. Coincidence, dear. It's all coincidence. Bye!” She whirled around, her skirt blowing behind her and walked off.

“No honor among thieves,” Niyi mimicked her tone and scoffed. He picked up his groceries from the dusty ground and left the market. God forbid he steps foot into the market again and if he sees that woman that accused him, he definitely will commit murder.

When he arrived at the front door to the apartment, he called Elijah's name. As he walked in, he began his tale and emphasized on how Sewa thought she could be a hero when he had it under control.

“And she said she didn't want me in jail so I could pay her her money blah blah blah.” He marched into the living room still scowling and clutching the black nylon bag. He screeched to a stop at the uninvited guest in the sitting room.

“So... Who is this lady you are talking about?”