~Joanna
The drive to Grandpa Benedict's house was tense, each passing mile stretching the silence between us. I had finally convinced Lanre to come with me, but it had been no easy task. The uncertainty in his eyes and the tension in his jaw told me that something had shifted. Why had he agreed to come, only to be so withdrawn?
As we left the main road and wound through the country paths toward the estate, the deep greens of the countryside blurred past. Lanre's demeanor hardened further, his back straighter, his hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel.
“Are you okay?” I ventured, trying to break the weighty silence.
He didn't look at me. His voice was rough, clipped. “Fine.”
I wanted to press him, but the sharp edge in his tone made me hesitate. “You seem tense. Are you sure every
