Before

Before Father and Akunna started their evening stroll, I and Akunna also used to go on ours. Akunna would call me out of the house and tell me to put something on before coming out because we were going on a stroll.

"You should learn to socialize and not lock yourself in the house all day because we may need help one day and it's these people we would call." I didn't argue when she said that because I know it's true and because the story of Mama Ose's neighbor still frightened me. Mama Ose had told us one day while we discussed before the customers came from work.

She had been preparing for the day's work when she just started like she had just remembered we needed to discuss it or like she wanted us to learn one or two lessons from it as she used to say.

She told us of a neighbor who hardly come out and do anything. The woman was a spinster and all she did was go to work. When she was home, she remained indoors and wouldn't come out to socialize with the other neighbours. The women gossiped and many said she was raising her shoulders up and claiming to be above their level. She was showing them she couldn't mingle with such low lives (even though she had never opened her mouth to utter such) because there was no other explanation for such an attitude. When she came out was when she was summoned for the environmental sanitation they had once a month. And when she did come out, she didn't speak to anyone but did her own portion and before you knew it, she was already back to her room to lock herself in till another environmental sanitation.

"Doesn't she eat?" I had asked that day Mama Ose narrated as she stirred her food while I, Akunna and Ose took care of the dishes. While Akunna washed, I and Ose rinsed the plates and at intervals, his hand would gently brush past mine and I used to love the feel of his black cold hands on mine. Maybe because his Mother kept on emphasizing that I was his wife or maybe because he was the first guy who had shown interest in me even when Akunna was standing not too far away.

"My dear, only God knows." She answered.

This spinster would continue her ghostlike life until the women in the compound lost interest in discussing her and children didn't even realize someone stayed in that room. Then one day, they would be having another environmental sanitation and they had knocked on her door to come out and join them as she usually did but no response. They knocked and knocked but the door remained shut from the inside. The men were left with no option but to break down the door and the disturbing smell of death and rot would fill the whole compound and remain for weeks. No one knew the cause of her death and no one knew what family member to call because she had also hadn't had any one who came visiting while she was alive. They had had to call on the landlord and he was the one who had helped her to be transported to a mortuary. Everyone couldn't breathe and still found it difficult because the smell seemed to have soak into everything in the compound.

"Since you people couldn't feel her presence when she was alive, at least she left with a lasting impact that left you all with a long smell of her." Akunna said and Mama Ose sighed and I felt she was sad that Akunna would joke at such a story that ended with death because death wasn't something one found humour in.

"It's a pity." I said looking at Mama Ose looking unbalanced and thoughtful. You would think she had been related to the late lady.

"I'm telling you. This life, we all need each other because no one can survive without the other. Only God knows how whatever happened had happened." She said. I thought of this young lady, trying in my mind to capture her but it was difficult for me to because I had no idea who she was, but I could guess. Maybe she had had her own reasons for not wanting to socialize, maybe she had been hurt in the past from numerous socializing and so on but whatever it was, it left this long lasting feeling and fear of dying alone and unloved in me that I had to fight so hard to overcome, after all I had parents and if they weren't around both at that moment and in the world in general, I knew my sister would forever be with me. Or that was what I thought.

The strolls started from the same place: our house and ended the same place before we turned and walked back home in anticipation of our parents' arrival. As usual, there were the whistling and calling of "fine girl" from the guys and thugs that loitered the area. Sometimes I get afraid for Akunna because of the numerous rape cases that kept on springing up and when I shared my fear with her, she laughed (always) and say "they should be scared of me instead." I usually wonder what gave her such courage but I didn't ask. We would walk past the filling station that rarely opened, we would walk past the Hausa traders and past different shades and shops as we strolled.

"Ama," Akunna called me on one of the numerous strolls we had.

"Yes?"

"Would you betray me if you had the chance?" I was surprised and wondered why she would ask that.

"I don't understand." I said. Sincerely speaking I had no idea what she meant by that question.

"If there was an opportunity for you to betray our sisterhood, would you do it?" She rephrased.

"Why would I do it? You are my sister for crying out loud." I said with exasperation. Akunna nodded slowly and held my hand firmly. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason in particular but you know you can never predict life and people."

I didn't respond to what she had said because I was thinking what must have prompted such a question from her. Had she committed a crime and was trying to get my solidarity? Or something was wrong.

"Is something the matter, Aku?" I asked. somewhere someone was shouting and insulting a motorcycle rider, children were running around in their compound and different songs were playing from a barber's shop.

"It's all fine." She responded causally and smiled. I tried to reciprocate her action but the smile on my face was like it had been plastered. I would go on to finally understand why she had asked that question but when I did, a lot of damages would have been done and a life would have been lost too: a dear life.