A Hazel Haven

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"What's taking you guys so long?" Henrietta said over the booming music and thrilled hollers. The soft lights emanating from down below caught in the fine, stone studded leather fashioned into a mini skirt and strapless bra that barely clad her thin body; the lights dappling past Uche as she walled off the room's entrance illuminated her heavily painted face. Pegged between two fingers was a cigarette which she motioned with. "It's been over an hour."

"Five more minutes," replied Uche, unfazed by Henrietta's obvious disgruntlement, wincing because the music soon incited a headache that matched its rhythm.

Henrietta huffed. "Five is five. Any longer and we will come up here and drag you both down. Better act now while we're playing nice. I have a busy week ahead of me. The sooner we're done with this the faster I'll get started." She walked away in a spur of black and gold shimmers, hips swaying.

Bitch. As Uche closed the door, she thought Henrietta seemed particularly upset---not that it mattered to her. Plopping down on the bed, she reached under her pillow for a container of pills half empty and shook out one while cautiously watching the curtain as Huma dressed behind, ensuring she wouldn't be seen. "You heard what she said," She slipped the pill into her mouth and dry swallowed, replacing the container. "Do fast abeg." The effects were almost instantaneous.

The jean she'd settled for stopped just below her knees, complemented by a loose T-shirt that had a lion's head caricatured at the center. Outside, the fast-tempo music screeched from one song to another, Infrequent hollers occasionally piercing its loudness.

So tired, Uche thought, as she angled her neck for relief of the tension there. Her muscles ached. Rather than waste time with the rowdy bunch, she would have preferred to slump back on the bed and, taking advantage of exhaustion, will herself asleep—she was hardly ever this beat. Either way, she couldn't. Party or not, the noise made it impossible.

The food coolers were set near the door, the extra plates piled atop it. Jollof bulgur and Ugu she had prepared was a much requested evening special on Thursdays at the restaurant she'd formerly worked in. The ingredients had taken quite a toll on her pocket, though. Prices of things experienced overnight increment these days. Soon only the rich would be able to afford food and catering services.

Again, Huma's intentional deficiency crossed her mind. It irked her that a mother—an African one, particularly—would dismiss cooking as unnecessary, depriving someone of Huma's caliber chances of being more self reliant. What about situations like this when she was living with someone else? If they didn't cook she would starve? Or perhaps she'd spend her allowance on procuring food every single day.

Whatever. It wasn't her business to meddle in the family matters, too.

"Are you done?" The place was empty. "Huma?" She tried the bathroom door and found it locked. Seriously? Right now?

Just minutes ago she thought she'd done a good job calming her down. The girl was, in a manner of speaking, petrified, which seemed ridiculous to Uche because Huma had been schooling for years with strangers and now stayed with one. "Come on. We don't have time for this." The door didn't open. Uche swore silently, rubbing her forehead.

This reminded her of a peculiar boy from a special need primary school her team frequented. No matter how often they came by or encouraged, they had never been able to coax him into partaking in the activities alongside other children. He would retreat to the back of the class where he watched them guardedly, played by himself; sometimes, cried.

"Listen," Uche began. She scratched her head for inspiration and patience, puffed out air. "They know, so no one is going to be insensitive. It's okay if you don't want to go, though. No one is going to force you. I'll just tell them you caught a cold or something. But if you can survive the night,"—she rolled her eyes—"my face is yours to do whatsoever you want with it. I'll even drink your tea."