CHAPTER TEN

TADE

Tade waved at the security officer as she drives

into the parking lot of Sunrise Mall, it's been two

years since she discovered Pheecoz Beauty Salon, their customer's service, neatness, specialty in all styles, and the fact that the salon is mostly patronized by celebrities, made her choose the Salon as her final bus stop. For Tade, the primary reasons for going to the salon on a Friday can only be to get the right connections and get explicit celebrity gist. Getting her hair done is just secondary. If the gist being shared is juicy, Tade doesn't mind to voluntarily swap her turn with another customer just to buy more time to enjoy whatever topic of discussion it is in the gossip mill to the end. As a regular, she enjoys the privilege of not even booking ahead before fixing an appointment, Tade walks in brightly into the salon, and rather than the usual busy state of the salon, she is welcomed by serenity and some free-spirited attendants.

"From Friday, we will know how the weekend will turn out to be" she mutters to herself as she takes off her dark sunshade "Good Afternoon ma" some stylists greeted her with smiles while she returns the pleasantries "Tina, what's going on? Why is it so dry in here? Is your boss not around?" she asked her favorite stylist who walked up to her "Madam dey, bet she rush commot go settle police matter" Tade's eyes widen in shock "wetin happen? Hope say no be robbery?" she checks around the salon to see if anything is missing "Robbery keh! Na Oga Madam matter, everything turn yam pepper scatter scatter this morning wey we open shop, Aunty Tade sidon make attend to you" Tade takes her seat, it looks like the day at the salon wouldn't be boring after all, the supplier of gist has turned out to be the topic of discussion today "Interesting! Oya dey loose this hair, you go wash am, come weave am after" Tina brings out a fresh towel and places it gently on her neck "okay ma". "wetin con carry your madam go station wey she suppose dey her shop dey attend to customers? She wan send all this her celeb customers wey no dey gree make stylist touch their hair commot?" Tade asks Tina as she begins to loose her hair. "Na one celeb customer carry her go station oo! E get one Instagram influencer wey dey always do like person wey no dey shit anytime she come here, you fit know am sef, you don jam her for here like three times. Remember that day wey one babe vex dump expensive wig onto say no be madam wig am? Wey she dash another customer wey com do hair" Tina narrates to Tade who remembers this scenario clearly as it happened right in her presence "Oh! Oh! Oh! I remember! no be thickgurl abi wetin be her name for instagram"

"Ehn ehn! You don get am! Naso she come do hair this morning o, buy bone straight 42 inches, ear to ear frontal 40 inches! fix those long cardi b nails, do facials, as she wan pay, na Madam Oga ATM she carry give madam" Tade grabs Tina's hand and stares shockingly at her through the mirror "Iro oo!"

Tina bursts into laughter "Naso madam sef shock oo! She first ask am for pin, make she dey sure if she tiff am ni, the girl talk pin, naso madam land am slap for cheeks" Tina dramatizes while Tade shows all manner of expression on her face as Tina fills her in "all this influencers wey dem go dey live large like say na only them dey work hard, na another man money dem dey use foot the bill! Infact na married men plenty pas, aunty Tade! Madam beat am ehn! I no go lie, me sef join hand" Tade expresses shock again and again "and that man I don meet am for here well well now, the man be like saint for my eyes" Tina interrupts her "saint? Aunty Tade you fall my hand. Any man be saint for this life? Unless you never catch them o! I no go lie you, na madam dey feed her family with this work wey she dey do, Oga no get shishi! All the money wey madam keep for Oga madam account na e Oga madam dey spend ontop all this girls wey their leg be like chicken skin"

"AHHH!" Tade shouts while Tina continues "Madam just dey honour am with the head of the house title, na she gan gan be the head of the house, everything na Madam neck e dey, na why e pain her reach bone, na God save the girl, Madam for kill am"

Tade comments disappointedly "Na only God sabi marriage and life wey dey perfect o, me wey I dey use her marriage beg God for my own! Marriage na overhyped rubbish, Make I continue my baby girl lifestyle" Tina laughs at Tade's comment

"Because man no good e no mean say you no go

marry. You go marry, born, come give yourself

better life, invest for yourself and pikin, no send

man at all cos dem no send you. I don loose am

finish, oya make we go wash am" Tade is

impressed at the advice an uneducated Tina just gave her, Education perhaps doesn't define smartness and intelligence. They certainly share

the same philosophy of life; she smiles at Tina as she stood up to wash her hair.