Before you go

Chapter One

Bello Kabir.

I can see MD's frown as she watches me ask for lip balm to moisturize my lips. Why she expects me to do the people's biddings is beyond me. I'm not comfortable with licking my lips like a hungry werewolf on live TV!

"No makeup today again?" Sarah asks and I nod with a sarcastic smile, she knows the answer to that. I don't think I'll ever be able to wrap my head around the reason why they expect me to change my mind about things that are just unnecessary ridiculous. They don't even have any reason so there's nothing for me to wrap my head around.

"We're live in five minutes!" That has me glancing at the wad of papers in my hand one last time before heading to the raised platform with a projector behind it, our intro displayed on it.

MD runs over everything one last time before the camera begins to roll with me sitting on my usual chair and the camera man counting down the seconds before we go live.

The moment he says one, my face immediately contorts into a small polite smile, my teeth slightly on display.

"Good evening Nigeria, this is news at ten from Tenths Network. I am Bello Kabir. Today's headlines." I pause and smile, just like every other day before stating out the headlines, glancing at the papers in my hand from time to time.

After about ten minutes, we go on a commercial break and I head off to have a cup of water. I enter my office, glancing at the manuscript on my desk I'm yet to edit. I decide to not think about it, I'm leaving work early today, so I'll have enough time for my other jobs.

I head towards the water dispensers where one is smoking hot and the other is ice cold. I pick up my cup and take half cup each from the two dispensers before gulping it down. Unless the water is lukewarm, I'm not going to have it.

My phone rings from somewhere in the room and I almost throw my head back in annoyance. I am so glad I sometimes forget I have a phone but whenever I do remember, I have too much to do on it. So forgetting about it is more of a disadvantage than an advantage.

I look at my disoriented table and sigh, I'll have to find time before I go to arrange it. If it was arranged, finding the phone wouldn't be a problem. But right now, it looks like it's going to be a problem.

I finally catch the glimpse of a flash from the phone as the incoming call becomes a missed call, no doubt an umpteenth one. I just hope it's not Abu calling, he'll have my head on a silver platter if I miss his call. Good thing he doesn't call during work hours.

I lift the papers I don't even want to look at right now and shift them away, just enough to see my phone screen blink with a message. I pick the silver device and the face unlock immediately recognizes me and unlocks.

"We're back in five." I hear a voice say from behind me and I turn to catch a glimpse of someone walking away.

I drop the phone, hoping I don't forget about it again, and head back to the platform.

It takes me another ten minutes to finish up and then someone takes over. I head back to the office, my phone once again long forgotten. That is, until I start clearing the table and it's vibration fills the once quiet office save for the low hum of the air conditioning system.

I pick it up and swipe at the green icon, not even bothering to wait for true caller to identify the owner of the number. I don't have that time.

The line is quiet and all I can hear is low breathing.

"Assalamu Alaikum warahmatullahi." No reply comes. The person is probably not a Muslim.

"Hello?" Still no reply. But I can still hear the person's breathing.