The rest of the day was spent having more fun. When they left the funfair Mrs Okenwa took them out for lunch and then they went to the cinema.
So, it was very dark by the time they arrived home. Mrs Okenwa quickly fixed them a meal and they all dug into it with gusto. Then they packed their dishes to the kitchen and Lastborn washed them, while Eniiyi went to turn on the TV.
China changed the baby's diapers and went to the laundry room to wash some clothes.
'About what I said in the morning, that Baby Kanayo will say my name soon? I want to start working on it tomorrow,' Eniiyi said when Lastborn came to join her at the TV several minutes later.
'Sha be deceiving yourself there.' He rolled his eyes. 'You think it's that easy? He hasn't known us for that long to memorize our names—'
'Be talking like you know babies more than me.' It was Eniiyi's turn to roll her eyes.
'What? I do. You forget where I come from. You, is it that stuck up pl
The school was bustling with stale students resuming to a new session and mostly fresh, new students and their parents.They stopped at the admin office where they were given files to fill later and identity cards. They were also given a special form to fill, because, apparently, they were registered as temporary students.Then they were directed, along with several other new students to the junior secondary school one block. Their names were pasted on the notice boards outside each class and Eniiyi found out that she had been put in class 1C while Lastborn was in 1A.There China bid them goodbye and promised to come for them by four.In the class nobody was quite settled. Some loitered around in small groups, chatting, some sat alone at corners and read a book or slept while some had brought out their lunch and were already devouring what was meant for the afternoon.A short gir
The annoying buzzer rang again, this time signalling closing hours.Why did everything have to be harsh in secondary school? She thought, rolling her eyes.If she knew how a dying chipmunk sounded, the school buzzer's sound wasn't very different from it.The ICT teacher packed her books and bade the class goodnight. Eniiyi paused from doodling in her ring-binder jotter and packed her books in her backpack.'Do you live far away?' the twins asked.She shook her head and strapped on her school bag. 'It's eighteen minutes away by private car,' she said, remembering what Mrs Okenwa had said earlier.'Really? We live far away. About thirty minutes from here,' said Chidera, the boy.'Oh,' said Eniiyi, not knowing what else to say.The first class they'd had that day was Maths and the teacher had made each person introduce t
01:41 pm, October 5Tokyo, Japan.'It was our utmost pleasure doing business with Pengine Motor Corporation and we hope to have many more in the nearest future,' the head of the board of directors said.'The pleasure is ours,' Mide replied, shaking hands with the man.At this all the board members stood up and shook hands respectively with the two representatives from Pengine.'On behalf of the whole board of directors, may I interest you in a light dinner party at the company's conference center, later in the evening?' the head further said.'To celebrate our success inthe collaboration of our companies,' the CEO explained.Eartha looked at her husband and he nodded his affirmation.'Of course, sir. We're much obliged to attend,' she replied, smiling.'It's our utmost pleasure,' the board replied.
♟️🍒♟️🍒♟️🍒'Home, sweet home!' Eartha threw her arms around and breathed in deep. 'Do you smell that?'Mide, who looked grumpy reluctantly sniffed at the air.He hadn't slept well enough before they had had to head to the airport for their flight to Nigeria, and he hadn't been able to sleep well on the nineteen-half hour flight either, so it was no surprise that the poor guy was dead tired from lack of sleep.'Smell what? All I smell is the damn airport,' he said, tired. 'Babes, please, can we go look for our car now?''You're a spoilsport,' Eartha chided playfully. 'Smell the Nigerian soil joor.''This early morning? I'm tired sef,' Mide murmured, running a hand over his eyes.Eartha took a proper look at her husband. 'Ehya, pele dear. Did you sleep at all?''No!''Sorry o. Let's get goin
'I know, right,' Eartha agreed, already reaching for the door. 'Do you think something happened?''I don't know.' Mide turned off the engine and undid his seat belt, pushing open the door, too.Eartha realized that it was now very dark outside and couldn't see her feet except by the car interior lights that were still lit.She shuddered, turning on her phone flashlight and started towards the older woman sitting at the porch.'Good evening, Mama. Ẹ́ káalẹ́ mà,' she curtsied very low in front of the woman.Silence greeted her in reply.'Welcome, ma,' Taiwo said, prostrating on the porch. 'You didn't tell us you were coming o.' He chuckled nervously.He had a sickly sweet smile plastered on his face and Eartha's inner warning bells immediately went off like a bullet. She could practically hear the peals echoing in her cranium.
It was well past eight when Olumide pulled up in front of the motel described to them by a passerby. By then he'd finished telling his wife the whole story and in that timeframe, she'd cried and calmed down.He booked them a room overlooking the parking lot and ordered for dinner to be served at nine. Then he started to dial the number on the piece of paper.Eartha splashed cold water on her face in the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror above the washbasin. God, did she look a pathetic mess!She sighed and scrubbed at her face again then dried with a towel. Yes, she had on a cool demeanour now, but it was all for show. Inside she was a panicked mess, she'd only forced herself to calm down for her husband. He did have do much on his shoulders already, and she didn't want to add her own problem to it.So she knew she had to be strong for herself. For her husband. For Adekunbi. After a
Very early the next morning they signed out of the motel and got on their way to Enugu State. Mide drove the car, while Eartha dialled the police station. The call went through quickly, now that they were well out of the town, almost on the highway.They both sighed in relief as the call got picked.'Yes? Nsukka Police Station.''Good morning, officer,' Eartha started. 'We called yesterday night, concerning the case of two missing children but —''Ho ho, it's you! But a different number called yesterday, and then I heard the call got disconnected because of poor reception. We've tried the number many times since then but it was saying switched off.'Eartha turned to give her husband a quizzical look. The latter blinked in confusion and reached for the phone. 'I didn't know it had died,' he whispered.'We are sorry, sir. The phone was dead.' 
05:59 am, October 10.Very early on Thursday morning, Eartha and Mide happened to be the first couple to pass through any of the roads leading to Enugu State. But that wasn't a feat they were going to sit back and revel in.As soon as they arrived at Nsukka, they headed for the police station where they were being expected. There the police officers confirmed that, indeed, they were the parents of the lost girl.Then they were given some forms to fill and then the contact and location of the couple the children were with and told to expect their call anytime soon. Apparently, the couple had been informed since that Monday of their imminent arrival.Although it wasn't daybreak yet, they still insisted on heading for uptown, where the couple resided, all the while waiting for the their call.None of them had the energy to drive, they were both terribly washed out and drained of ene