Chronicles of a Runs Girl - S01 E04

Story 2 years ago

Chronicles of a Runs Girl - S01 E04

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 4

Full frontal

The thing with getting used to suffer-head is that the slightest luxury feels strange – suspicious even.

When I went to sleep, there were at least five of us in the room: Kike, Mama, one Tolu girl from next door, Clara, and myself. But now, I was stretching all over the mattress without touching someone’s breasts or having my leg pushed away by someone’s arms. It felt wrong.

I woke up to bright light. But even as I anticipated the pain from opening my eyes in the lit room, I knew it wasn’t morning yet. I rolled over on the mattress, away from the glare of the 100 watt light bulb, and I slowly cracked my eyes open.

Mama was by the door, in pants and bra, and a hairnet and nothing more. She was holding a phone in front of her face with both hands. I looked where she was focusing on the other side of the bed and I saw Kike, naked as she was born, spread on the worn bed sheet in what she must have thought was a sexy pose.

I closed my eyes and rolled over.

But how can you go back to sleep after you’ve just seen your roommate taking naked pictures of your cousin?

I threw the cover cloth off my body and sat up on the mattress just as Mama clicked, the camera flashed, and Kike grabbed a piece of cloth to hide her body.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Kike avoided my face, embarrassed, obviously, and pulled the cloth over the rest of her bum that was still exposed.

Mama on her part barely lowered the phone. “Oya now,” she said and hissed.

I reached out and tried to pull the cloth away from Kike. Had I been dreaming or was she really having Mama take naked pictures of her?

“Oh! Leave her now,” Mama said.

I put up my arm to silence her and didn’t let go of my grip on the cloth even as Kike held on tight to what remained of it on her body.

“Kike, what are you doing?”

Mama answered for her: “What does it look like? We are taking pictures to send to her boyfriend.”

“What boyfriend?”

“You know now. That her new bobo.”

“He asked you to send them?”

Kike had gone mute but Mama was more than willing to keep answering for her.

“Look, Amaka, this thing does not concern you. Shebi you were sleeping?”

I pulled at the cloth to get Kike’s attention. “Did he ask you for naked pictures?”

She looked at Mama before answering me.

“No,” she said.

“So why are you sending them?”

It was not the naked pictures I had a problem with, but the fact that Mama appeared to have captured her face as well.

Again she looked at Mama and I suspected she’d taken advice from her. I looked at Mama.

“Was this your idea?”

“What is your own? Go back to sleep.”

I got up and walked over to her. “Let me see the pictures,” I said.

She hid the phone behind her back and I was in no mood to struggle with her sweaty naked body.

“Have you sent him any?” No body answered me. “Kike, have you sent him any?”

“Only one.”

“And did your face show in it?”

I was busy lecturing Kike on the folly of sending naked pictures of yourself showing your face when her phone rang. She checked to see who it was and her face brightened. She pleaded with her arms for Mama and I to be silent then she took the call.

It lasted all of one minute during which she said ‘baby’ intermittently: fondly, at first, then gradually in the manner of pleading and trying to get a word in.

When with the last, ‘Baby? Baby? Baby?’ it was obvious that baby had said what he had to say and ended the call I asked her what the matter was.

“He said he’s coming here,” she said.

“He knows this place?”

“Yes?” But she looked distraught.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know. He said he wants to talk to me.”

“What about?”

“He said he would tell me everything when he arrives.”

“Did it have to do with the picture?” It was a longshot but she was giving me little to work with. Clearly some sort ofyanwahad gassed, and if he was bringing it to our home I wanted to know what it was and how to prepare for it.

Mama was working with another theory. “You steal for him house?” she asked.

Kike didn’t even bother answering her.

We heard a key turning in the lock. The door opened and Janet peered in. She looked shocked to find us still awake.

“Ashawo, you don return?” Mama greeted her.

Janet nodded at Mama, nodded at me, saw how Kike and I were facing each other and she asked “What happened?”

Mama brought her up to speed: “Her bobo said he’s coming here. The girl don go shit for him house.”

“Ehn? He’s coming here? Kike, he told you he’s coming here?”

Kike nodded.

“Why?”

Whatever it was, I didn’t want Kike to share it with the rest of them. I told her to let’s go outside and talk.

“When did he tell you he’s coming?” Janet asked. “Did he tell you why he’s coming?”

“I told you, the girl has gone and shit in his house,” Mama said.

Kike got up and started getting dressed, obviously in anticipation of her man arriving.