the battle
958 Words
For a second, I forgot how to breathe. The cup of water felt heavy in my hand.
My mind screamed, She knows.
I forced a shaky laugh. "No, Aunty... I just dey pass. Mama no even know I came here."
Her smile didn't move, but her eyes... sharp like blade. "Hmm. Is that so?" She leaned back slowly, tapping her long nails on the counter. "You just pass my shop from your side of town? Na so?"
I swallowed. "Yes, ma. I... I went to buy something from the market."
She didn't blink. The air between us felt thick, like heat pressing on my skin. My eyes wanted to look at the scarf again, but I kept them fixed on her face.
Then, suddenly, her smile widened. "Okay. You children of nowadays... always waka waka." She waved a hand. "Drink your water."
I nodded, pretending to relax. My heart was still thumping like ogene drum in church. I sipped the water, but my mind was racing. I needed to get the scarf fast.
She turned away to attend to another customer, bending low to reach a carton under the counter. I used that moment. My hand slid forward, quick, like I was just adjusting myself. The scarf was soft, light. I pulled it into my lap, folding it small under the nylon bag.
"Take," she said suddenly, turning back with a small packet of biscuits. "For you. On the house."
"Thank you, ma," I said, forcing a smile.
She studied me for a few seconds more, then shrugged. "Greet your mama for me. And tell her..." She paused, her voice dropping lower again. "...that some battles no be for children."
The words chilled my spine.
I stood quickly, the scarf hidden in the bag, and mumbled another thank you. My legs felt like they would fail me as I walked out.
The sun outside was blinding, but my skin still prickled. I didn't dare look back until I crossed the road. She was still at the counter, watching me.
I didn't run not yet. I walked fast, my breath uneven, until I reached the okada stand. I climbed on the first one I saw. "Oga, abeg, carry me go Iweka Road, near Union Bank. Quick."
As we sped off, I kept glancing behind. No one was following, but I couldn't shake the feeling that she knew exactly why I'd come.
By the time I got home, my hands were shaking. Mama was waiting in the kitchen, her face tense. "You got it?"
I opened the bag and pulled out the folded scarf.
She took it like it was glass, careful not to drop it. Her eyes glistened with relief. "Thank God."
I wanted to feel safe, to believe it was over. But as Mama called Aunty Rose to say we were coming, her words from the shop kept replaying in my head
Some battles no be for children.
And I had a terrible feeling... she was right.
Christiana sat quietly in the back seat as the keke bumped along the rough road. The evening breeze brushed her face, but instead of calming her, it stirred up the storm inside her chest. She replayed the last conversation she had with Tunde over and over-his words still cutting like fresh blade.
"So after everything, na me you wan blame? You no even wan hear my side..." she had told him.
But the man just stood there, jaw tight, eyes cold.
She shook her head now, almost laughing bitterly. "God, abeg, if na lesson You wan teach me, make it quick," she muttered under her breath.
The keke stopped at her junction. She paid the driver, stepped out, and adjusted her small bag on her shoulder. The street was unusually quiet, almost too quiet. Normally, by this time, kids would be running around with bare feet, women gossiping in front of shops, and the sound of generators buzzing from different compounds. But today, it felt like the whole area was holding its breath.
As she approached her gate, she noticed the front light was on. Strange. She was sure she turned it off before leaving in the morning. Her heartbeat picked up.
She pushed the gate gently-it wasn't locked. "Hm... wetin be this one again?" she whispered.
Stepping inside, she froze.
There, sitting on the wooden bench by the wall, was Mama Esther, her mother's closest friend. The older woman looked up slowly, her face lined with worry.
"Christy, you don come," she said softly. "We need to talk."
Christiana's throat went dry. "Ma... is something wrong? Where's my mum?"
Mama Esther looked away for a moment before speaking. "Your mama... she... she no dey house since morning."
Christiana blinked. "What do you mean she's not been home? She told me she wasn't going anywhere today."
Mama Esther sighed, her hands trembling slightly. "Somebody come look for her. Man wey talk say na your father's old friend. Since then, she just... disappear."
The words hit Christiana like cold water. She could feel the hair on her neck rise. "Old friend? From where? What's his name?"
Mama Esther shook her head. "He no gree talk. But... Christy, e get as the man look. Like say him know wetin we no suppose know."
Christiana took a slow step back, her mind racing. Tunde's coldness, the strange man, her mother's sudden disappearance-it all felt connected somehow.
Her phone buzzed in her bag. She fumbled it out and saw an unknown number flashing.
She hesitated... then picked.
"Hello?"
A deep voice came through the line, steady and calm, yet carrying a weight that made her skin full of goosebumps.
"Christiana... if you want to see your mother again, you will do exactly as I say."
- Writer
