Chapter 23

Months later.

It's been months since the encounter between King, Baba Sege and Joe. That also meant it's been months since Leah and King had spoken or seen each other. Leah became a lone wolf all these months. Her character had changed but in good ways and surprising ways too, and some even in bad ways. She was able to cook now, she spoke pigin once in a while, she gave some technical hacks to her parents like picking of locks, leaving everyone wondering where she had learnt it from. She had changed, but the only thing that remained the same was her feelings for King. Victoria, Mark, Esther and Simi were all seated in Leah's parent's living room. All chatting.

"…just forget that man. He is a clown" Mark said.

"please, you guys should leave my Akin for me o" Victoria said with a smile.

"nobody is holding him now. But excuse you, "your Akin" in my very presence" Mark said, faking an angry tone. Victoria laughed.

"what's that thing Leah has been saying these days?" Victoria asked.

"Jealousy is an ugly colour" Simi and Esther answered in unison.

"exactly. So my dear sweet heart, you need not worry" Victoria said.

"really? That's not how you react when you suspect young girls are sliding into my DM, looking for sugar daddies" Mark said, expecting that the conversation will be more than it was, given she is always attacking him when it comes to his own turn.

"that's because you have all this sugar daddy vibes going on" Victoria said in between laughs.

"and you don't? You too have sugar mommy qualities" Mark said.

"please, hold it, I'm not old" Victoria said.

"it's not about age, those were your exact words" Mark said, trying to stand his ground but that was clearly not going to work. Not with his wife, she was a twister of situations. Simi and Esther are laughing all the while as Leah's parents went at it.

"Mr. and Mrs. Onoja, you guys are just funny" Simi said.

"it's just love o. It's love that is causing all this misbehaviour" Victoria said. Esther and Simi continue laughing. "see how you are making people's children laugh, you want their throats to come out?" Victoria asked jokingly. Mark looked at her, baffled. He was not the one who started this.

"but… you…" he tried saying but Victoria looked at him and then he hands up in surrender. Esther and Simi laugh shortly. As their laugh ends, Victoria speaks.

"but you guys, on a serious note, I'm worried about Leah, she has changed since… well we know since when" she says and they all sigh. "what, you are all thinking it, I'm the one who is saying it".

"this issue was months ago" Mark said.

"but the effect is still on till today. Leah has not travelled for once, even when begged to by her sponsors. Save for that one video she did and that was it" Victoria said.

"that's because she has been trying to put all her effort into the company" Mark said.

"true" Esther said in agreement with Mark's point.

"but it's not today that Leah will start being hardworking now, bawo ni o ṣe jẹ bi vlogger irin-ajo (how did she make it as travel vlogger). What are we saying now!" Victoria stated.

"true" Simi said, agreeing with Victoria's statement.

"I mean the two most surprising things are that she now cooks and speaks pigin. ọmọbinrin mi (my daughter). Leah. Something went during that four months she was gone and she has not told us. Maybe we should take her to therapy" Victoria suggested, gaining a reaction from everybody.

"ah! Therapy ke? mommy Leah ko ni sise o. Iyẹn jẹ fun awọn eniyan funfun (mommy Leah it will not work o. That's for white people)." Simi said.

"but we need to something, my baby has lost her spark". Victoria said and sits in a thinking pose and is shaking her head. as she turns to the side she sees Leah coming down then she clears her throat, alerting everyone. They all go silent as Leah gets down.

"mom, carry on and don't pretend like you were not just gossiping about me" Leah said as she got into their midst.

"gossip, me ke?" Victoria said.

"me and the girls are going out" Leah said.

"ah, sure, sure, that's why we are here" Simi said with a smile. Always excited for an outing.

"oya na. Me I have other places to go" Leah said. Esther and Simi get up and are getting their things.

"where else will you be going darling?" Mark asked.

"the office" Leah replied.

"you work too much my dear" Mark said.

"blame it on my father. Na him teach me. Oya, hale-le, let's be going" Leah said and Mark laughed.

"cool your blood now. Oh, you think because you are now speaking small-small pigin, here and there, you na think we are mate. We no be mate oh" Simi said to Leah, in response to her rushing them. Leah chuckled.

"I will not be long dad, I just want to get something, I'll be back before you know it. And you, are you two not the ones that came to drag me out. I was on my own, you came to my house, nobody sent you" Leah said, in response to Simi's statement.

"ehn, is that why you should now have attitude?" Simi asked.

"two of you should not start please. Since you both became pigin buddies nobody will hear word again" Esther said already getting tired of their constant bickering. Before that used to be her and Simi, not it's Simi and Leah. And now she could totally understand how Leah used to feel, being in the middle of all of that.

"e dey pain you?" Simi asked playfully.

"move and talk people, move and talk" Leah said to them as they had not moved from where they were, but had been talking.

"see this one. With your cut and join pigin" Simi said.

"ehn, leave it, I like it like that. Bye mom, bye dad" Leah said, ending the whole discussion as they started to leave the living room.

"bye sweetie" Victoria said.

"bye Mr. and Mrs. Onoja" Esther and Simi say in unison.

"bye girls" Mark said. They continued talking even as they were leaving, and their voices were still loud that Leah's parents could still hear it from the living room.

"look, I'm dropping you girls on the road after the outing" Leah said, causing the girls to stop.

"for why now?" Esther asked.

"because I'm driving" Leah answered.

"if it's like that, let me drive now, so I can drop you guys on the road. Look we are coming back to your place to stay sef, so all this gara-gara should stop" Simi said. Mark and Victoria laugh as the girls continue talking as they leave.

* * * *

After Leah drops her friends off, she goes to the office. As she enters she is greeted by the security personnel's she sees on the way and by some staff too. She goes to her office and picks the documents she came to pick and checks something on the computer then turns it off and leaves with the documents. As she is about reaching the main entrance, she sees someone familiar. She looks at the person again as the person is walking and then immediately remembers where she saw him. He was the man by the road-side who was looking at her when Baba Sege's men stopped them on the road. She calls the security personnel closet to her.

"well done. Please do you know who that man is?" she asks points at him as he is talking to someone.

"ehn, he comes here from time to time to see sir Jude" the security personnel answered.

"oh, okay, thank you" Leah said to him and looked at the man again for some time then leaves.