RED LINES

Chapter Eight

Bekere's car sputtered to a halt in front of her gate.

Alighting from it, she reached for her phone, pulled up her call log, and called her mechanic. She had called him earlier when she couldn't get it to start at the Argungi market; he promised to come over and check it when she got home.

"Hello, Sule, I'm home now, please come and carry the car."

Sule asked a couple of questions and raised some likely issues that she addressed.

"I had a little difficulty getting it to start after I parked it at Argungi, I only got it to start after some boys helped push it," Bekere said. "When it did start, it smoked and made some kind of screeching sound."

Sule said some mechanical jargon she didn't understand.

"Just come and carry it, please," she said when he promised coming over to check it.

Bekere was halfway into putting away her groceries when her phone buzzed. Thinking it was Sule at the gate, she hurriedly reached for the phone but found Alice's smiling face on a video call.

"What's up, ma dude?" Alice yelled excitedly, her smile infectious, Bekere smiled back.

"Hey, babes! Jeez, I miss you, sha o," Bekere averred, she did miss Alice, Alice was the kind of friend you missed.

"Gurl, Dubai is lit!!!" Alice said, pointing the camera so Bekere could see her environment.

The screen that hitherto had Alice's smiling face was filled with high rise buildings and spoke very much of a city steeped in affluence.

"I can imagine," Bekere smiled.

"See, the next vacation will be taken by us both," Alice said. "Tony is always busy; he's either in one meeting or the next. It's mostly Ty and I to ourselves."

Bekere hummed and smiled some more. Alice returned the camera to herself, her face reflecting none of the sadness Bekere perceived from her voice.

"Oya babes, gist me, did Obinna call?"

"Hmmmmmm," Bekere chided, making faces at Alice.

Alice laughed. "I confess, ma, I gave him your number, you know I can't lie. But come on now, you needed the push jor; if not, you'll commit all your life to that school and those voluminous books you read."

"So, you and my mom, huh?"

"Whatever babe, so gist me now, did he call?"

"He did."

Alice's eyes lit up with mischief and excitement. "Ehen, and what now, come on, girl, spill."

Bekere smiled cheekily at her, then made a pout. She planned on making Alice die of anticipation.

"Hello...," Alice said, then shook her phone. "Abi na network? That Naija sef and bad network. Hello, Bekere, talk na."

Bekere laughed when she saw Alice raise her phone, desperately, trying to get better connectivity.

"Hello, can you hear me, Beks," she said, still with her phone raised.

"Chick, I can hear you," Bekere laughed. "You too like gist, Amebo."

"Bekere, if I catch you, so you were holding out on me on purpose," Alice rolled her eyes amusedly. "Talk, jor!"

"I'm meeting him today at Jazz Mart."

"Jazz Mart?" Alice gaped in wonder.

"Yep."

"Guuuuuuuurl, that's amazing o. Abi, he wan propose?"