Homeless.

Pete was at least glad that she had her documents with her, and he was grateful that she hadn't passed the night in the house, and most especially that he hadn't left Amanda there with her. The last thing he wanted was for Amanda to experience something like this.

"I'm sorry about your house." Pete said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Thank you." She said rather stiffly as she fished inside her handbag for her wallet and handed Iya Yekini, Five one thousand naira notes, "Please help me give this to your husband. Tell him I'm very grateful. Thank you very much, I'm really grateful." Kathleen said before walking away with her box.

"Miss Okorie, please wait!" Pete called as he hurried after her, "Where are you going? Maybe I could give you a lift." He offered with a concerned frown.

"Why? Are you suddenly feeling guilty that you caused this?"

"Does it matter why? Just stop with the attitude already and get into the car." Pete snapped at her angrily and snatched the box from her hand.

"I'll just go over to my friend's house. I think I'll squat with her until I can sort myself out." Kathleen said with a shrug.

"You can't just barge in on your friend, you have to give her a call first and be sure she can accommodate you." Pete reminded her.

"Sharon won't mind. We have been friends since forever." Kathleen said confidently.

"The lady with you at the mall?" Pete asked when he remembered he had heard that name before.

"Yeah. That's Sharon."

"Fine, just get into the car. You can call her while I drive." Pete suggested with a sigh as he dropped her box in the backseat beside Amanda, while Kathleen got into the front seat of the car.

"Where does she live?" Pete asked as he drove out of the street. He wasn't sure he wanted Amanda around that Sharon. Sharon seemed too razz and was always speaking pidgin. He didn't want her to influence his daughter.

"Abule egba."

"That's far from the office and even farther from my house." Pete protested, but Kathleen ignored him as she dialed Sharon's number.

"How far? Your room was affected by the fire, abi?" Sharon asked the moment she took the call.

"Yes. I was hopi..."

"This girl, where were you when your house was burning? Abi you go vigil come sleep for pastor house?"

"I was at my boss' house babysi..."

"Wait! That your handsome boss? You slept at his house?" Sharon asked with a joyful screech making Kathleen wince as she tried to reduce the volume so Pete wouldn't hear what Sharon was saying.

"It's not what you think." She explained in a small voice.

"Allow me to think what I want to think o. If it's not what I think, we will make it what I think." Sharon said excitedly.

"That's not why I called, can I squat at your house until I sort myself out?" Kathleen asked with a sigh.

"Ah! That one will be difficult. I'm living with my boyfriend now and you know the kind of person you are, you can't live with us..." Sharon said apologetically.

"Oh! I understand." Kathleen murmured, the last thing she wanted was to stay under the same roof with two fornicators. How could everything just change in one night? She couldn't believe that she was homeless.

"What about your boss? You can stay with him and just keep babysitting, you know?" Sharon asked conspiratorially making Kathleen hang up. She bit her lips nervously as she thought of what to do. She didn't have enough money to lodge in a guesthouse, and the only person she could live with was Sharon.

Pete could guess that she had just been disappointed by her friend when he saw that her face had fallen.