Episode 5: A Night Without Sleep
756 Words
Sleep refused to come.
Chuka lay on his king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling.
The city lights slipped through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting silver lines across the room.
Usually...
He loved nights like this.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Untouched by the noise of meetings, reporters and endless phone calls.
Tonight...
The silence felt different.
It wasn't peaceful.
It was loud.
Too loud.
His eyes drifted toward the leather wallet lying on the bedside table.
Inside it...
Folded carefully...
Was Amara's photograph.
He clicked his tongue.
"This is ridiculous."
He was thirty-two years old.
CEO of one of the fastest-growing companies in the country.
People fought for appointments with him months in advance.
Yet here he was...
Unable to sleep because of a woman he had never met.
Or...
A woman everyone insisted he had.
He shut his eyes.
"Do you remember your tenth birthday?"
Samuel's voice echoed inside his head.
Chuka sat up immediately.
"No."
He wasn't doing this.
He reached for his phone.
2:17 a.m.
Without thinking, he pressed a familiar contact.
The call connected almost instantly.
A sleepy voice answered.
"...If this isn't life or death..."
"...I'm blocking you."
Chuka smiled for the first time that night.
"Tobi."
"I know it's me."
"What do you want?"
"I can't sleep."
A long silence followed.
Then—
Tobi laughed.
Not a polite laugh.
The kind that came from deep inside his chest.
"Oh, this is beautiful."
Chuka frowned.
"What's funny?"
"You."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Tobi yawned.
"The great Chuka Eze is calling me at two in the morning because he can't sleep?"
"I made a mistake."
"No, don't hang up."
Another yawn.
"I've waited years for this moment."
"I hate you."
"I know."
"But continue."
"What happened?"
Chuka got out of bed and walked toward the window.
"I met someone."
There was complete silence.
Then...
The sound of something crashing.
"Tobi?"
"My phone fell."
"You dropped your phone?"
"You said you met someone!"
"I didn't say that."
"You literally just did!"
"I meant..."
Chuka rubbed his forehead.
"It's complicated."
"Oh, I'm awake now."
Tobi's voice suddenly sounded full of energy.
"Tell me everything."
"I haven't met her."
"..."
"You've lost me."
"I have her photograph."
"..."
"And an old man says I knew her years ago."
"..."
"And apparently I can't remember part of my childhood."
The silence on the other end lasted much longer this time.
When Tobi finally spoke...
His joking tone was gone.
"Are you pulling my leg?"
"I wish."
"You've never forgotten anything."
"I know."
"You still remember the amount of money I borrowed from you in university."
"You still owe me."
"I was hoping the memory loss covered that too."
Despite himself...
Chuka laughed.
A real laugh this time.
"You'll never change."
"I have no intention of changing."
Tobi became quiet again.
"Listen."
"What?"
"If something feels wrong..."
"Don't ignore it."
"You've trusted your instincts in business."
"Trust them now."
Chuka looked down at the photograph resting in his hand.
"I think someone is hiding something."
"I think so too."
"But here's the scary part."
"What?"
"I don't know if they're protecting you..."
"...or protecting themselves."
The call ended.
For a long time, Chuka stood there without moving.
Then he made a decision.
Tomorrow...
He would find Amara.
Not because his parents wanted him to.
Not because of marriage.
But because he was tired of everyone else knowing pieces of his life that he didn't.
...
Across the city...
Soft music floated through Amara's tiny apartment.
She hummed along as she stirred a pot of jollof rice.
The rich aroma of tomatoes, peppers and spices filled the room.
She smiled to herself.
"If this doesn't taste good, I'll blame the onions."
The rice, of course, couldn't answer.
So she answered for it in a dramatic voice.
"Madam, leave me alone. You added too much pepper."
Amara burst into laughter.
Living alone had taught her one important skill.
If nobody was around to make you smile...
You learned to do it yourself.
Just then...
A knock came at the door.
Three quick knocks.
She frowned.
"Please don't tell me Ada wants to borrow sugar again."
She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and walked to the door.
When she opened it...
No one was there.
Only a small brown package rested neatly on the floor.
No name.
No address.
No sender.
Her smile slowly faded.
The music continued playing behind her.
But somehow...
The apartment no longer felt warm.
It felt watched.
Slowly...
She bent down.
And picked up the package.
- Writer
