MAY

21: DESPERATE HOUSEWIFE.

“Don't go through life, grow through life.”
—Anonymous.

Evening came by quickly. She dialed Mama and spoke to Maryam, telling her how much she's missing her. Maryam in return, told her of all the wonderful food she's gotten to eat in Mama's house. Telling her mother that she was missing out.

"Mummy, you need to taste Grandma's Akara (bean cake) and moin-moin. It is very delicious. She makes buns and beans pie too." She spoke through the phone with delight. May could sense it.

May laughed. "So just a week that you've lived there, you know all these foods already?."

Maryam smiled. "Grandma feeds me alot. Even when I say i'm full, she still won't believe me."

May heard Mama chuckle and say, "This girl won't kill me." in the background.

"Maryam I have to go now. Someone wants to buy orange and I need to attend to him." She told Maryam as she placed the phone inbetween her ear and her shoulder while she used her hands to collect a black cellophane.

"Okay mommy, take care, I love you."

"Em, don't give your grandma headache oh. Remember to be of your best behavior. You hear me?" asked May.

"Yes ma."

"Okay. I love you too. Goodbye.."

"Goodbye mum."

"Sorry. That was my daughter." She told her customer.

The young boy always buys a good quantity of orange from her that it makes her competitors jealous. May doesn't mind. It was expected.

"So aunty you have a daughter? You didn't tell me." The young boy, Uche, from ibo, tried to start up a conversation with her.

"Em.. Uche It's not like that." May didn't know how to respond to his question so she quickly changed it. "How much orange do you want to buy?"

The fifteen year old, fair, tall boy smiled. "The usual."

She smiled too on hearing that. Joy dancing its way into her heart. Whenever he said 'usual' mean't he wanted whatever was left of her orange. She had half a basin left.

She sold it to him and watched him leave. She didn't know why he always buys the last oranges from her. It was baffling but she's never asked him why he buys so much, what he does with them or who he buys it for.

All she knew was that she was done for the day.

She got home before the time struck 8 o'clock in the night. The door was locked which mean't Edric wasn't at home.

She unlocked the door and pushed her tired legs inside with her two empty basins on her head. The house was dark. She took out her phone from her pocket, pressed a button so the screen light will flash on.

Using it, she found her way into her room. Took the candles that was inside the locker. She lit it using the matches she found in the kitchen.

She kept one on top the sitting room table, one in her room and the other, in her husband's room.

May was starving. She prepared noodles, but she suddenly lost her appetite after she had given Edric five missed calls. He didn't pick or return the calls. She covered the plate and kept it on the dinning table, deciding that she wouldn't eat alone. She would wait for him to come home just like a good wife would so they would eat together and maybe retire to bed together.