She opened her eyes as soon as she heard movement in the room, it was her sister Ashabi and she was glad that she is home, she watched her dropped a large sack on the floor and her face brightened immediately she saw her awake, it is been four weeks since they left the hospital after spending four weeks on the hospital, the doctor told her she was lucky that the abortion didn’t do further damage in her and she was recuperating slowly and she didn’t even know how long she would be on the bed.
“Anti mi, ...” Ashabi said and moved closer to her and watched her sister raised slowly from the mat where she laid down initially.
“Yes ... How is the market today?” she said and her eyes was fixed on the sac that her sister had dropped in the corner of the room.
“Fine, Anti mi, have you eaten?” she asked her and her sister shook her head .
“I stopped by at the market and get some food stuffs.” She said and stood up to get ready to cook.
“Ashabi... Where did you see the money to get all these...” she asked and pointed to the sack in the corner of the room.
“You know you have not told me where you got all the money to pay for the hospital bills.” She said
“Where did you get the money from...” she asked further and her sister just stood silently, she didn’t know what to say to her sister.
“Now start talking ? What did you do?” She said to her.
“I... “ she didn’t even know how to start.
“Who gave you the money?” She asked her sister
“And don’t even think of lying.” She said to her younger sister whose gaze was on the floor.
“There is no way you will get such money...all by yourself.” She said
“Anti mi... Is that necessary?” Ashabi asked.
“Yes, it is and I have the right to know.” She said and her heart was beating faster as she waited for her sister to start talking.
“There is a man...his name is Adigun... He sell cement ...” She started and her sister opened her eyes wide
“Adigun? He has a store close to the market ...?” Her sister asked to be sure and she stood up sharply not minding how weak she was .
“Yes... He is my customer ...and he gave me the money, ... He also gave me some money to buy food stuffs.” Ashabi said
“What did you for him, he can’t just give you something like that free of charge... ?” She said and Ashabi shook her head in sharply.
“No, I didn’t do anything for him... “ she said not looking at her sister.
“Adigun don’t give anyone anything for free... Tell the truth now.” She said
“I am telling the truth... “ Ashabi said , she know she could not just tell her sister the truth, it is best she didn’t know.
“I will go with you to him tomorrow to ask ...” Her sister said to her and her heart missed a beat.
“is that necessary , I can’t believe you didn’t even trust me, what did you want him to do for me... “ Ashabi asked feigning ignorance and her sister stared hard at her.
“How do you know Adigun?” she asked her sister who looked away...
“Are you sure he didn’t ask you to do anything ?” Shade asked her further and she shook her head.
“No, you can go and ask him if you want to...can I go prepare dinner?” Ashabi asked and her sister nodded. She went towards the sack and brought a tied nylon out, she opened it, there was rice in it.
“Would you like rice or Amala, I got some Elubo too.” She asked her sister.
“I grounded some pepper as well and there is some meat.” She asked further and her sister swallowed hard.
“Are you sure, you haven’t heard anything to do with Adigun?” her sister asked again and she nodded.
“You said you will go with me to find out, perhaps you will believe when you meet him. I don’t know what else I can do to convince you.” Ashabi said and went out of the room to start dinner. Even though she didn’t show it, her heart was beating faster. She was not sure what her sister would do if she meet with Adigun.
She know she just have to see him first and let him know about it. He also don’t want people to know about them.
“i don’t know if she will come.. Just tell her there is nothing between us.” She said to him and he smiled at her with a nod.
“No problem ... When will you come over now ... I have missed you.” He said to her..
“It is been two weeks ...”He said to her.
“Let us meet during the weekend.” She said to him and he smiled and hit her buttocks.
“Stop that ... I don’t want people to see ..” she said to him
“Just tell them I am the owner ... You don’t have to keep hawking around. I don’t want so much men to see you and touch you ...” He said and she laughed.
“You are a jealous man.” She said.
“I have to go home now...” she said to him and she left the store and ignore the kisses he blew at her.
Slowly with her empty pocket, she walked down the road to her house ...
“Pure water ...oh it is finished .” she heard a familar voice and looked towards the voice, he was in his car looking at her.
“Yes, it is finished ..” she said to him.
“Am I still owing you any change?” she asked him as she stood a bit from where he parked.
“Oh no, and since there is no water for me today, you would not be owing, do you remember how you threw the money at me the other day?” He asked her and she swallowed hard.
“I am sorry... “ she said to him
“I was angry at something the other day.” She said to her and he nodded.
“Alright see you later, then.” He said and watch her walked away while he waved at another young lady selling some pure water too.
Having being sick for a while , it was not easy maintaining her job, her boss changed her the second week she stopped coming and there seems no way for to get a job,
“We aren’t recruiting.” They would tell her, it is been six months now that she had been jobless and things seems to be so difficult now as she have to join her sister with the pure water selling and that was not bringing much, she do barely sell two bags in a day… but what she keep wondering is how her sister sometimes who brag about how she was able to sell ten bags!
She just keep getting money she could not explain and she was scared that are sister is already keeping bad companies. She now take care of her skin and her dressing anytime she goes out and this was not what she was used to..
She took a deep breathe at the thought and rested her hands on her cheeks as she stayed in front of their grandmother house, it was almost seven in the evening and her sister isn’t back yet …
“Yes, that is the house…” she heard a voice and traced the direction of the voice a it moved closer and saw four women coming towards her house.
“I will beat the hell out of that shameless girl.” She heard them said and they walked towards her.
“Is that her?” One woman pointed at her and her heart missed a beat.
Who could they be looking for?”
The women starred at her and hit her on her head.
“Yeeee…” she screamed in pain and held her head as she stood up sharply.
“She is not the one?” One of them said to others.
“,Where is that useless girl Ashabi?” one woman asked and she looked at the three women in shock!
Useless ke?
“I don’t know what you are talking about… what did my sister did to you?” she asked and she got hit on the face by one of the women and the other hit her on the back. And as if planned the other women descended on her gave her the beating of her life and she thought that was how she would end up her life…
“What is happening here? Did you want to kill her?” She heard mama kekere voice and some other neighbors came to help her out.
“They are harlot… her sister had been disturbing our husbands , twice I have caught her and send her away and she still do go meet him in secret…” One of them said.
“Harlot! Are you married to the same husband?” Mama kekere asked .
“No ooo.” The women said
“so you mean Ashabi is having an affair with each of your husbands?” she asked to be sure and the women nodded affirmatively.
“That is nonsense! Not my sister.” Shade said and was about to be hit by one the women but she was held by some neighbours.
“Please, just leave, it would not happen again…” Mama kekere said pleading and the women rained a lot of curses before they finally left and slowly the crowd got dismissed and Shade sank on the pavement where she was before.
“I hope those women did not injure you?” she was asked by Mama kekere.
“If this is true, you better talk and warn your sister… and where is she now?” the woman asked her and was told she was not yet back.
“You see, what decent girl would stay out this late… Iranu…” the woman said and hissed before she returned back to her house and tears fell down Shade’s eyes.
If not for the death of their parents she know all that would not happen.
Ashabi returned home by quarter to nine , her sister was still outside waiting for her, as soon as she saw her sister's face under the bright moonlight , she know she and a lot of questions to answer.
“Anti mi..
“Let us go in.” Shade said and took her by the hand and drag her into their room.
“Where are you coming from?” She asked as soon a s they got into their room and there was no reply…
“Are you deaf?” She shouted at her sister.
“Stop shouting at me … I am doing all these because of us, everything I am doing is for us to have better lives …” Ashabi said with tears in her eyes.
“Stop asking me questions and pretend like you don’t know…” she said to he elder sister who was shocked at her sister proclaim.
“Did you know how much I paid while you were at the hospital? Did we discussed about your pregnancy or you think I was not told .. did you not do an abortion and ended up at the hospital…. Do you think those people I got the money for free?”
“Whatever I am doing, Is for us to save and leave here… I am tired of this life….” She said.
“Does that warrant you to start sleeping with men? Some women’s husbands?” her sister asked
“If those women are satisfying their husbands, they would not come to me.” She said and her sister covered her mouth I surprise, she didn’t expect such from her sister.
“Now, you speak so much like them …the harlots… the prostitutes … have you learnt nothing from what I went through … I was on the sick bed for close to four months … did you think I am proud of what I did, I never did any abortion, it just happened?” She said to her.
“I did it to save grandma… I gave that man my body to get money for her drugs … and that didn’t even save her … we lost her … and I got pregnant … did you think I am proud of it…” She asked her sister and there were tears in her eyes.
“I didn’t say it because I was not proud of what I did… we spent thrice the money I got from him to save my own life .. aren’t you even scared of sexually transmitted disease… what if you ended up getting pregnant … we cannot even take care of ourselves left alone a child … or do you think these men will leave their wives for you?” Her sister said
“Ashabi , please use your head … please I am begging you … I don’t want any money , I will look for a job… we will be fine …please stop whatever you are doing right now… I thought you say we should move closer to Allah… we haven’t prayed in a while… let us resume that… please tell all these men off ..
Their wives are looking for you… I was disgraced this evening …Please sis, you are only eighteen, you have a whole lot of future ahead of you… even if I don’t have one, I will get you one … as long as I am alive… stop selling yourself please …” She pleaded with her sister who seem so confused for she sat down on the floor and cried.
“I can’t sell pure water again, I can’t … I have made so much money already.” She said to her sister, she had had so much encounter with several men in the village and had made so much money, the pure water she do sell was just a camouflage and everyone seem to know her in the whole village.
“We can leave this place… “ Her sister said …
“Stay in door for a while and let me perform my duties as a sister.” Shade said to her sister and hugged her affectionately.
“If only Dad and mum were to be alive …” Ashabi said with tears.
“Hush… don’t say anything …” She said.
“What do you mean you are not doing again?” Adigun asked her,
“Is that why I didn’t see you for two weeks … why are you doing like this… I have missed you … I know you are giving other men too… but I don’t mind … “ He said and move her closer to himself .
“Leave me …” she said trying to free herself from him and she realized coming to his shop might not be a wise decision .
“Okay, I will double the amount for you… remember that phone I want to give you …I will get it for you once I go to the city. A very nice one.” He said to her as he made an effort to cup her breast in his hands and that was when she finally Fred herself from him.
“I am not doing that … anymore… “ she said to her sister, even though it was a difficult decision for her to make especially that she was getting use to it but she didn’t want to make her sister cry anymore. They have been through a lot and the last thing she wanted was to make her sister cried because of her.
She took the almost empty bucket in her hand, there were few sachet in it , she has barely sold one bag that day and she was getting tired, it was the first time she would come out to sell, her sister insisted she stayed in the house to clear her head and each time she want to leave in the morning to sell, she made sure she locked the door so that she would not be able to go out …
And funny enough, she accepted the punishment in good faith.