WOMEN OF HONOUR

Chapter One

****************************

"So what do you want me to do?"

Madame Bose finished counting the naira notes and rolled them into a thick bundle. Bending slightly, she stuffed it into her shirt and patted her bosom tenderly.

"What do you want me to do?" She repeated, layers of flesh trembling as she clapped her hands together.

"Madame abeg" mama Rebecca went down to her knees in a slow motion. "Just borrow me 10 thousand naira to buy the forms for the two of them abeg"

"Chei!" Madame Bose laughed and shook her head humorlessly. "Mama Rebecca look at you"

She gave the kneeling woman an up and down look. The fact that mama Rebecca was wearing a faded t-shirt and wrapper with more patches than not increased the ridicule in Madame Bose's eyes.

"You want to borrow you ten thousand naira. When will you pay me back? 10k no be small money o"

"I will pay you in one week's time"

"Okay o" Madame Bose reached inside her shirt again and pulled out the money she had tucked inside. "It is because it is you o. If not i will not give. Oya take"

Mama Rebecca's face dimmed.

"But Madame, this is 5k now. I want.."

"What you want is not my problem o. It is not my Wahala at all"

Madame Bose made a move to snatch back the money and hissed when she missed.

"This is all i can give. If you don't want just give me and look for it somewhere else"

"No, thank you ma." Mama Rebecca stood and tucked the naira notes safely in her purse. "Thank you very much"

"Useless woman" Madame Bose spat violently, escorting mama Rebecca's back with a vicious glare and returned to counting another set of cash.

A commotion in the front of the shop caught her attention and she roseto her towering height with a frown.:-O
Everyone that came to Madame's shop knew Madame's rules and knew to not cause any trouble or face her "security"

"Ah Alhaji it is you"

Her face split into a grin as she saw the man clad in white bubba riga.

"What happened...." her words died as her eyes caught the glaring stain of red on his cloth.

On his shoulder, some grains of rice laid comfortably and on the floor, two pieces of meat.

"Who did this?" Madame was beyond livid. "I said who did this?"

The restaurant quieted immediately, even the music had stopped.
Madame's anger was not to be joked with.

"Sorry Madame" Mama Rebecca knelt immediately to clear the mess on the floor but rose immediately again to wipe Alhaji's body.

"Are you stupid?" Madame pushed her away seeing the wiping was doing more harm than repair.

"Alhaji kayi hakuri, sorry fa" she looked at him in a flattering apologetic way. "I will pursue this stupid woman from this shop immediately"

She turned to glance at Mama Rebecca who was still standing, tray in hand. "What are you still waiting for? Will you keep my money and leave this place?"

"Madame calm down" Alhaji spoke, his eyes not straying from Mama Rebecca. "It was just an accident. Leave the woman alone"

"But Alhaji"

"Leave her" he insisted and looked at Madame. "Let us go inside and talk. I am very hungry so give me the usual"

He took Madame's arm and pulled her into the inner room of the restaurant reserved for Madame's special customers.