♟️🍒♟️🍒♟️🍒 '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

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

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

09:53am Mide wouldn't stop pacing around the vast living room and Eartha was starting to get worried. He had been doing that since they came back from the teaching hospital and that was several minutes ago. 'Mide, sit down na,' she cajoled. He stopped pacing and stood still. Eartha thought he had heard her and relaxed back in her seat. But he didn't seem to have. He combed his hand through his hair and looked deep in thought. "I mean, how is that even possible? How couldn't we have noticed?" He turned to stare at Eartha. Eartha cringed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It wasn't as if guilt wasn't eating up her own insides as well. Mide continued pacing. 'Alacrimia,' he muttered. "But nobody ever had in our family.' Eartha sighed, slightly annoyed at his peevishness. 'Mide, didn't you hear anything the specialist

Lastborn shifted against his seatbelt in the backseat and continued nudging at the back of the seat in front of him. The boy's mind was occupied with troubling thoughts. After spending almost an hour crying he had given in to sleep. He had just woken up to see the car making it's way through the village.  And as much as he liked the idea of being home again he was still sad because he knew he'd probably never leave the village again till he was to start senior secondary school. He'd probably never see Eniiyi again.  He knew his father very well, Baba would never agree to have him leave the village again. He was probably skinning the pankẹ́rẹ́* he was going to use give him the beating of his life for running away from the village with Eniiyi. His uncle suddenly turned to look at him as if he'd just remembered there was someone else in the car. 'Are you okay, Dashing Dand