Chapter Four

Aminat pumped strength into the force she was using to cover the adamant cooler. There was too much food stuffed in the cooler, so she found it a bit difficult to cover.

The sound of generator immediately erupts the peace whole house. It's dark already, she needs to get going before Alhaji tears up again. And besides, the route to her house from Yemisi's place is not that safe.

She suite everything inside the bag and made move to leave. She strolled down to the gate when Yemisi's car flashlight and horns stopped her. She must have been waiting for her to leave the gigantic gate so that she drive out.

She quickly took the main entrance out immediately the gateman opened the gate. The cold breeze hit her fragile body so hard that body shivered. She managed to take her Infinix hot 5 out of overstuffed bag while she kept fastening her steps to get home quickly.

She switched on the phone and the slammed her eyes tight at the rays coming from the screen. It was 9:30pm already. So fast? One can easily forget home if you get to Yemisi's place.

A car she believed to be Yemisi's drove to her side. She gently moved to a side to her space. She stopped walking when the rays were too much for her to see where she was threading.

Azeez and his boys stood at a route that was thirty minutes away from Alhaji Abdulkareem's house. There's no way Aminat would avoid that path. Azeez himself stood at a place that was more darker, under an oak tree with a sharp knife in his hand. If she decides to misbehave, he would quickly end her life.

His boys were five, including him, making six. One of the boys who knew Aminat wondered how six boys would rape the girl without ending her life. The most greedy of them all stood at the front, checking if anybody would pass with a huge plank on his hand. Others held planks and handkerchief to stop her from shouting.

Azeez could not himself from smiling often as the huge thick smoke came out from nose and lips with his other hand was holding a cigarette.

"Azeez! Are you sure the girl is the coming or she has not taken another route?" An impatient boy asked, coming to Azeez under the oak tree.

"If you know you're tired of waiting, you may go. Others will narrate their enjoyment ordeal for you tomorrow" Azeez replied, smirking when another huge smoke struggled to escape his nostrils.

The boy went back with optimism to guard the road. Some of them were doosing while standing. But at the thought of them enjoying an educated virgin, they'll sprang back to life.

Yemisi rolled down the glass and bent over to a frightened, cold Aminat. It was late already, she couldn't bear the sight of watching her trek home like that. That's not how to treat a wife for crying out loud.

"Come in, it's late already let me drop you home." Yemisi offered thrusting the car keys to it's hole, starting it.

"Ohhhh. You shouldn't have bothered about me, I'll be fine. I'm almost home already. Thank you ma." She politely declined the offer, moving away.

Yemisi moved towards her again, stopping her.

"I won't take no for an answer. Get in and let me take you home" Yemisi insisted.

Aminat bent over to her to convince her.

"I'm almost already. There's no point in taking me home. It's something I'll do in the next few minutes"

Yemisi gave her suggestion a second thought and let go. She agreed and turned back home.

Aminat kept walking home swiftly little did she know that death awaits her few steps away.

Her buzzed and she got a notifications from her best friend, Hadiya.

She'll attend to all notifications when she gets home. She decided, along with numerous notifications from Wattpad, numerous votes and comments from her new book.

A car rushed to her side again and stopped abruptly. It was Yemisi again.

"I don't want to hear your opinions. Get into this car now!" Yemisi instructed and she obeyed instantly. It was blank trying to argue with her.

Azeez and his boys kept checking right and left. Their mind was filled with optimism of getting their prey. A car strode away from them, smashing the water that stored inside the portholes at them.

They hissed and continue watching, rich people with their arrogance.

Yemisi dropped 'Ayo's future wife' and bade her goodbye before driving back home. The sight of Azeez and his boys a gave her concern as she commended her action.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Ologi de o!" A woman who was popularly known for selling corn made pap yelled with the edge of her throat, waking Aminat from her not so sweet sleep.

She groaned in fraustration when she heard Kafayat still snoring. The girls were paired three per room. But it was remaining Kafayat and her because their third roommate got married six months ago.

Kafayat made the night a nightmare for her with different styles and sounds of snores. She can't wait for her to get married to her Ibrahim and spare her these nights DJ sounds. But the fact was that Alhaji won't let Kafayat marry before her. He often claimed that as an abomination.

She remembered how Alhaji was infuriated yesterday but had calmed down when he saw that she was with Yemisi all day long with an evidence of her dropping her home.

Almost everyone was waiting for her to bring food home. But her full-blooded brother, Hassan gave up and went to bed before she came home. She kept some for him though, she'll gently go and wake him up from the boy's side to warm it since she'll be doing some laundry at Rachael's house.

She stretched her stiffed joints and yawned loudly before sprawling up. She bent down and tapped Kafayat on her waist thrice before she groaned in protest.

"What!" She snapped back at Aminat, making a funny face which her made chuckled. Her body still aches because of the wooden, outdated bed.

"Wake up jor! But you promised to go and do some laundry with me this morning? Or aren't you interested anymore?" Aminat questioned, rolling her eyes at her.

"Be going, I'll join you as soon as possible. I need to get more rest" she groaned and rolled back on the bed.

Aminat sighed and head for Hassan's room. She tiptoed gently to where he sleeps and tapped him on his back. Azeez was beside him, fast asleep after him and his boys have waited to no avail yesterday till dawn. He was stressed out, so he might used the whole morning to sleep.

Aminat have no idea about what he was planning though, but she was avoiding him because she knew how much he hates her. Everything about her sucks him off.

Hassan groaned and opened his eyes at his sister.

"Wake up! There's food inside mum's room, go and warm it before it gets rotten" she whispered carefully, throwing glances at Azeez.

"Okay, oya go before he wakes up" Hassan replied. He too cannot deny Azeez's hatred for his sister. It's better she gets going right away.

Aminat left the room and went to her mum's. She packed all the dirty ones before going back to her room to pack hers. Hassan stopped her with some jeans in his hands.

"Do you expect me to be washing clothes for you at this your age?" Aminat sneered. It's like the whole house was still asleep.

"C'mon, you know I'll still come and join you. You can't do this alone" Hassan pleaded, slowly pushing the clothes to her.

"Sha give me like that, and don't bother to come to where I'm washing the clothes oo. Don't worry I can do it alone. Stay home and study for your upcoming quiz competition" she said, stuffing the pile of clothes into a basin.

Hassan stared at his workaholic sister as she left for where she usually do her laundry. He shook his head in pity for the both of them and hoped for a sunny day.

Maybe God would change his father's mind not to marry her off to his aged friend and leave her to find greener pastures in the city just like every other graduates.

Aminat have not informed his brother about what she agreed to do with Yemisi anyway. He sighed and went back to his room to get his maths, physics and chemistry textbook and workbook before going to his mum's room to go and read.

He dared not study in his room. Azeez can just wake up and tell him the room needs scrubbing. Something he should leave him to do when he's done with his academic work.

Aminat gently placed the basin on the ground and head to the well to fetch some water before starting the laundry. Hadiya came by with her two children and sat with Aminat's basin. She later stood up to help her friend to carry the water she fetched her to where the clothes are.

Aminat backed her friend's youngest child before settling down to start washing. Hadiya had complained about her washing a pile of clothes and backing a child but she insisted on backing the child.

Hadiya's children looked poverty stricken and uncared for. Her father had married her off to a friend's son. The so called husband spends every dime he gets on alcohol and gets home to beat his wife every night.

Mofe strolled down there and Rachael finally came out, making it a complete set of gist buddies.

The four friends started gisting about random things about what's happening around the village but as usual, Rachael bumped in with the news of her celebrity crush, T-lay.

She can die at the mention of T-lay. She had always dreamt of him kissing her in her dreams. Her whole world stopped at his name.

"Please oo. I heard T-lay is a Muslim, is that true? What will happen to our white wedding like this?. You know my daddy is a pastor, and he won't allow me to marry a Muslim" she pouted.

Hadiya and Mofe burst into laughter but Aminat only smiled.

"Don't worry dear, your white wedding is still safe. He's a Christian" Aminat assured a disappointed Rachael before she sprang to her feet in triumph.

"You better stop crushing on T-lay and crush on niggas like us. He'll never get to see you because he has alot of hot American, Jamaican and many other countries girls tripping over him" Mofe laughed at her.

"Don't mind my friend, dreams do come true" Aminat convinced Rachael.

"See there are many rich, hot and beautiful girls that are swimming on his DM and you, an Ibadan village girl wants a place in his heart, which model of brain are you using gan-na?" Hadiya added, making Mofe to stick his tongue at Rachael.

He brought out his phone and showed everybody and Rachael in particular the latest news about the artist.

"See..." He said showing everybody. Aminat left the clothes to see her "future husband".

*T-lay flaunts his new baby mama, Fana after surprising her with a brand new car on her birthday at Davido's concert yesterday

A hint of jealousy flashed through Aminat's eyes when she saw T-lay hugging Fana from the back. All of them later went back to their seats as Aminat resumed her laundry.

"Is he dating Fana?" A confused Hadiya asked.

"No Fana is just his baby mama, but I'm suspecting him and Kismet" Aminat replied honestly, admitting the fact that he might be dating Kismet.

"He's neither dating Kismet, they're just friends." Mofe stated.

"They're just friends but he slaps her butt on stage the last time they performed together" Rachael argued.

"One thing is that all these things you guys are talking personal are just for fun to him" Mofe educated the girls.

Rachel rolled her eyes at him.

"All I know is that one day, I'll go to one of his concerts or any concert he'll be performing. I'll now stay at the back stage, he'll now be coming, I'll now do as if I didn't saw him coming. He'll now bumped into me, our eyes will now meet, we'll fall in love and I'll now invite you to our wedding to come and eat cake" Rachael narrated her dream to her friends childishly.

The three others could not help falling off, laughing. Aminat was the first to stop.

"Too much of India movies!" Aminat exclaimed.

"Mama, go and sit down. It can never happen" Mofe added.

Hadiya could not say anything, she kept laughing. Little did they know that trouble was busy knocking.

Mofe played his latest hit for them. They quickly brought out their phone and quickly xend it. Rachael hummed the song for the rest of the time they spent together.

"That's him! I'll kill him today if I can get him. He wants to spoil my daughter's life. Mofe abi kín'n wantipe"

Ologi de o: the papseller is around

Mofe abi kni'n wanti pe: Mofe or whatever they call him

Sha: like that

Note: difficult words are translated as used in the chapters