Naya and Vince

58

After school, I dreaded going back home but I knew I had to. I could only hope that Dinma was home so that she could scold me now instead of scolding me in the night when she would probably be drunk.

When I knocked on our shabby door, Paulo was the one who answered it. Somehow, the guy was still lingering.

"Where you been dey since yesterday?" There was a cigarette stick in one of his hands.

Ignoring his question, I sidestepped him and entered the room. It reeked of cigarette smoke. I noticed a curtain that started from the left wall to the right wall concealing almost half of the room. That was new.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Nao, no be you I ask question?" Paulo asked coming to where I was standing.

Ignoring him once again, I went to hang my school bag in its usual position. Why was he acting like he cared?

"You just commot you no even tell anybody? You don dey see man?"

"Wetin concern you?" I fired back, fed up with his act of false concern.

"Oh, so you don dey see man?" A voice said behind me. I turned and saw Dinma emerging from behind the new curtain and she looked very pissed. "Na man you go see yesterday ehn?"

"I just went for a sleepover at a friend's place," I told her–mumbled actually– not looking at her.

"And you no bother to tell anybody." It was Paulo again. I glared at him, having half the mind to tell him to fuck off.

"Sha you sef know say your matter no dey too freak me. Na Paulo dey disturb himself since yesterday."

This time I looked at Paulo who was taking a drag from his cigarette. He had actually been worried for me? I didn't say anything because I just didn't know what to say.

"If you dey go out next time, at least tell person," Paulo said blowing out smoke.

I waved a hand in front of my face to dispel the smoke. "I will," I said honestly. It was nice to know that someone gave a damn, even of it was one of Dinma's flings.

Dinma eyed me briefly then retreated back behind the curtain.

"Why is this thing here?" I asked Paulo again.

"I tell your sister make we put am so you sef go get privacy when we dey do our thing. Make e be like two rooms, you grab?"

I tilted my head and stared at Paulo, surprised. He did this for me. None of Dinma's flings ever thought about me. His action would have brought tears to my eyes if I was a very emotional person. But I was still grateful for his concern so I passed him a small smile.

"Thank you," I said.

"Abeg, no too reason am," he said  returning my smile. Then he disappeared behind the thick curtain.

Somehow it felt like my life was just turning around for better. I needed to talk to Richard. So after comfortably changing into one of my house wears and stealthily keeping Dinma's heels back, I dialed Richard's number.

"Baby girl, how far?" Came that slightly bass voice that belonged to Richard. It made a bittersweet feeling settle in my heart and that feeling lasted from when I heard his voice to even after the call ended. I had almost forgotten how good it felt to talk to Richard and I missed my friend.

*

On Saturday, I was not able to go to Vincent's place because Dinma grounded me. She said it was my punishment for staying out without informing her.