Disclaimer- mild swearing and drug use.
That Monday morning, I woke up to Aunty Goodness's gentle knock on my door. I slept late last night so I'm a little hazy. I got ready half awake. It took me longer than usual, my body was not fully awake and I was on my period.
I greeted Aunty Goodness and sat for breakfast. The bread and fried egg left a nauseating taste in my mouth. I forced myself not to gag. Maybe it's my period. Or maybe it's the knot in my stomach threatening to come loose.
The familiar bus horn blared. I dropped the half eaten food and picked my bag. Aunty Goodness followed me outside and waited till I'm inside the bus before leaving.
I greeted Uncle Ben and Aunty Florence, they answered my greetings perfunctorily. Unlike before, Uncle Ben didn't wait. He started the engine once I was seated and drove off. At the estate gate, the security guards stopped the bus to don their flashlights on us. I can see one of them counting. They slammed the door and we left.
We had barely gone ten minutes before Uncle Ben asked, "Err Kelechi, any news on your friend?"
Everybody turned to me. "No." My voice was hoarse from lack of sleep.
He shook his head while Aunty Florence kissed her teeth.
"This country has turned into something else."
"Nigeria na wa o!" Aunty Florence exclaimed. "Is this how they'll just be carrying people off the street."
"I'm so sorry dear." She said to me.
I nodded and shut my eyes. Sleep refused to come, despite my exhaustion. In front of the bus, Uncle Ben and Aunty Florence discussed how Nigeria had changed for the worse, how nobody was safe anymore, how people were being kidnapped everyday. How herdsmen and 'unknown gunmen' were destroying lives and properties.
I was one of the first off the bus when we got to school. Ever since the incident, students and teachers had got the not so brilliant idea to stop me at intervals to 'check on me and on Theodora’s case'. I was sick and tired of it.
The conversation in class stopped as soon as I entered. Olivia and her friends refused to meet my eyes.
I was walking behind them last week, trying not to listen to them discussing Theodora's case.
"I mean this things happen. That's how my cousin left school and went to her boyfriend's house in another state without telling anybody. Unfortunately for her, her mum came to her school that weekend and started looking for her. Next thing they were sending missing posters everywhere. When she came back, my uncle chased her out of the house. Said she should go back to where she's coming from."
"Abi oh." Stephanie agreed. "She's probably chilling in one man's house while everybody is looking for her."
They had turned back laughing and froze when they saw me.
I sat down and immediately rested my head on my locker, pretending to sleep till the bell for assembly rang.
The rest of the day passed in a haze. It was the busiest time at school. Interhouse sports practice had started. The senior class at school SS3, were preparing for O'level exams which left us, SS2 in charge. Mrs Obi had placed me in charge of organising the track and basketball teams for my house, yellow House.
It was time for practice and I was hiding away in class, pretending to be asleep. I felt a shadow loom over me and ignored it.
"Kelly hi."I recognised the voice and sat up.
Alex, my basketball co-captain stood in front of me. Alex's black eyes were friendly. Her hair was in rough plaits. Her stocky build had made her the subject of bullying in junior school.
"I thought I'll find you here. How are you?"She facepalmed.
"Don't answer that. Stupid question."
"I feel like shit." I replied.
"You kind of look like it." She smiled.
"If that was a pep talk, you failed woefully."
"It was not, trust me."
She continued, "I won't try to understand how you feel. It's crazy."
She sighed. "But just know that she's coming back. The kidnappers, it's money they want. Once the ransom is paid they'll release her. It happened to my uncle when he travelled to the East. He's okay now. Do you understand?"
I nodded, she smiled and continued.
"In the meantime, interhouse sports is coming up fast. I'll like an easy win quite alright, but when blue house comes first, I want to beat you fair and square. I don't want anybody saying my house won because you weren't at your best."
"Once again. Bad pep talk skills."
"Moping will get you nowhere. It's best to have your mind occupied so you don't run mad. Because the way you're going, you will."
"Your house is a mess. They are struggling without you. Don't make yourself too easy for me to beat you."
She turned to leave.
"Alex." I called. She stopped at the door.
"Blue House shouldn't even think of the first position this year. It's already occupied."
I got up and walked out of the class, Alex hot on my heels.
We got to the field where yellow house members were practising and I winced on sight. She was right. It was a mess.
She patted my back. "The Lord is your strength my dear. You're in for it."
"Well I have to bounce. Good luck."
"Thank you Alex."
"Anytime ." She said, walking off.
I looked at the field in front of me and sighed again.
The rest of school that week passed in a blur of practice and classes. Alex was right, organising the junior student for their games helped take my mind off Theodora’s case. With all the shouting, running, cajoling and threatening I did, I didn't have time to think of her.
At least it helped at school. Till I got home and looked at the posters all over the estate. Till the bus dropped me at my house and I couldn't avoid looking at the house attached to mine.
Thursday afternoon, I was staring at their house when the front door opened and Isaac, her second brother stormed out shirtless, his face choked with anger. He slammed the door of the house and walked around muttering to himself. Then he kicked the bin.
I must have made a sound because he turned. He scowled at me with bloodshot eyes, as if trying to remember who I was. I mumbled a greeting and started walking sharply to my front door.
"Hey. Wait." I could hear his feet pounding after mine.
He stopped in front of me.
"You're her friend. Kelly or something."I nodded looking at the floor.
Isaac towered over me. He was like the male version of Theodora with a darker skin tone. Same eye colour and facial structure. Well toned muscular shoulders making my face grow hot.
"I'm sorry you had to see that. Today was not a good day."
All traces of lust cleared from my eyes.
"What happened? Is it about Theo? Is she okay?"
He sighed. "I really hope so."
He looked like he was debating with himself before he sighed.
"We got a ransom note today."
"Oh!"
"Yeah."
"Well that's good. All we have to do is give them the money and she'll be back." I smiled.
He shook his head, muttering something under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. Never mind."
"Once we raise the ransom, she'll be back. Amen."
"Amen. Is your mum in?" I asked.
I hadn't been to see Theodora’s mum in a while. Apart from the short visit mummy and I made when Theodora was confirmed missing, I had avoided Theodora’s house like a plague.
Mummy and Mummy Timi had a huge falling out last year. Usually I stayed at Theodora’s when Mummy travelled. One day, she and Mummy Timi fought and Aunty Goodness started sleeping at my house whenever Mummy wasn't around. Theodora and I mostly hung out outside our houses or in school. Or she came to mine.
Theodora's house was similar to mine, from the position of the staircase to the room sizes. The only difference was in the decor. Theodora’s house was more lived in, there was always noise and chatter. Books, clothes, strewn over the place. Theodora's brothers always had friends over to play video games.
Mummy and Daddy Timi were in the living room. In the sofa next to them was Timi, their first son, and a man in a police uniform. Mummy Timi, normally tall and huge had shrunk to a smaller size. Her husband didn't look any better.
"Good evening ma. Good evening sirs. " I greeted them.
Isaac led me to the dining room where I sat. I could still hear the discussion from where I was.
"Inspector, I keep saying it. How did such a thing happen?"
"Mr Ogazie, I've told you. We're in very dangerous times now. We just have to be careful. You won't even know someone could have been tailing you and your wife from work. They will monitor your going out and coming in, so they'll know you well. Next thing, they'll carry somebody and ask for ransom."
"We had a similar case last month. It was even the people in the bank that were working with kidnappers. The man came to invest some money, they gave his details to those evil men. This country, only God will help us."
Mummy Timi came into the dining. "Hello my dear. Sorry about that."
"No it's okay. I just wanted to check on you."
"So thoughtful of you. Thank you." Her tone was clipped.
We sat in awkward silence for a while before I stood up. "I'll better be going."
"Okay dear. Greet your mum for me."
I remembered that day like the back of my hand. Aunty Goodness had left since Mummy was coming back that evening. Theodora had stayed the night and left the next morning before I was awake. She had taken my Nirvana tee shirt and one of my most expensive sneakers so yeah, I was pissed at her.
I had about two hours before mummy came back and I was in my room, in a marijuana induced state of happiness when I heard the knocking on the door.
If what I was hearing could be called that. Whoever was at my door was trying to tear it down. Only one person could do that. I opened up a Mentos packet and popped two in my mouth, heading down the stairs."
"Calm down. You know..."
The remaining words died in my mouth when I saw who I was talking to.
"Mummy Timi good evening."
"Tell your friend to come downstairs now."
"Theo isn't here." It was eight pm on a Saturday night and I was annoyed at the interruptation.
"I don't know what nonsense the both of you are playing at, but you better tell that girl to come downstairs right now!"
"Ma she's not here." Shit! I was so fucked. Did my clothes smell like weed? I started chewing on the sweet in my mouth faster, cursing when I bit my tongue.
Ignoring me, she stormed past me into the house shouting her daughter's name. When she was done, she walked to me.
"Where is your friend?"
"Ma I don't know. I thought she was at home."
Suspicion etched her features. "When was the last time you saw her?"
"Yesterday night." Theodora had come over after school as usual. She did her maths assignment and I copied it. Then we watched Netflix till we slept off. I had woken up to see her gone, which wasn't unusual. With her house right next to mine, she could leave at anytime and still get home.
"So she didn't come here this morning."
"No ma."
"Whose house would she have gone to?"
"Maybe Tami." I frowned as I said it. Tami and I had been chatting that afternoon and she never mentioned Theodora at her house.
"Call her then."
"Let me get my phone."
The moment I was upstairs, I called Theodora. Her number was switched off, which was weird.
I texted her on WhatsApp. "Where r u?" "Your mum is here." "She's fucking pissed." "Call me ASAP abeg." All the texts showed a single tick. She wasn't online.
I came downstairs to find Theodora's mum pacing in the living room.
"I know you went to call your friend. Better tell me where she is."
"Ma I don't know."
I've covered for Theodora several times when she went for parties or to see someone she liked at the moment. Normally, she and I would run through her alibi till it was iron clad. This was strange, she hadn't told me anything.
"I can't reach her. Her phone is switched off."
"Call the Tami person."
"Doing that now."
"And put it on speaker."
"Hello?" Tami said through the phone.
"Hi? Is Theo at your house?"
"At my house ke? Me that went for wedding."
"Did she call you today?"
"At all. Come to think of it, she was offline most of today. I just thought she didn't have money for data."
"Okay. If she reaches out to you just let me know."
"Okay. Don't sound so stressed, you know how Theo is. That babe too like waka."
"Alright. I'll talk to you later."
"K. Bye!" I ended the call.
"Jehovah jireh give me strength. Kelechi I know you know where she is. You better start talking before I land you a dirty slap!"
"What's happening here?"
Of all days to be back early, Mummy chose today. I got my height and figure from her. Apart from that, she is my polar opposite. Light-skinned, brown-eyed, breathtakingly gorgeous, never a hair out of place. Her heels clack on the floor as she walks towards us frowning, hands folded at her waist.
"Good evening Chika. I'm looking for Theodora." Mummy Timi replied tightly.
"Is she here?"
"No, but ..."
"There are better ways of handling it than screaming at my daughter."
"Do you know where Theodora is?" She asked me.
"No." I answered.
She turned back to Mummy Timi. "I've had a long flight and I'm tired. I suggest you leave my house."
"My sixteen year old daughter is missing and unreachable by this time. And that's all you have to say Chika?"
Mummy sighed. "Kelechi go upstairs."
I couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. I ran to my room and shut the door, sagging against the floor.
I opened my eyes and the blunt I was smoking earlier stared back at me. I jumped up and quickly tidied up, opened the windows to let the smell out.
When I was sure I had hidden everything, I opened the door softly and crawled to the top of the stairs.
"She's just acting up. Trying to get your attention." Mummy said softly.
"Well she has it. She has it now."
"Come on. We did worse things at their age."
Mummy Timi kissed her teeth. "I don't know what's suddenly gotten into her. She knows how hard things are for me already. With Odi's job situation, and this nonsense Gabriel got himself into. I'm stressed. I don't need another difficult child."
"She'll be back. I'm sure of it."
"That's easy for you to say Chika. Your own child is upstairs, safe and sound in her room." She retorted.
The two of them are silent. "I'll talk to Kelechi. Find out what she knows."
"I'll appreciate that. I'll see myself out."
As quietly as I came out, I crawled back to my room.
Later that night, mummy came to my room. "Theodora is still not back. Has she spoken to you?"
"No."
"Do you know where she is? Where she may be?"
By then I had called all our friends. All her friends I knew. Even Kenzy our plug. The only useful information he could give me was me and Theo owed him 15k for the last supply. Even Bankole, the guy she was seeing currently didn't know where she was.
Mummy mistook my silence for defiance. "You have nothing to gain by not saying the truth. The country is not safe. Especially for young girls. Even if she's in man's house. Or at a club. Let's know where she is. Let's know she's safe."
"Mummy I'm serious. I really don't know. I've called everybody I know. Tami has called people. They haven't heard from her. Like I honestly don't know I'm worried too."
Mummy sighed. "Okay then. Let's pray we see her tomorrow."
"Amen."
Tomorrow came with no news from Theodora. Then it turned to two days, then one week, two weeks.
I had been holding on to vain hope that Theo was hiding somewhere, that I would come back from school and find her in my room laughing at me. She would tease me for getting worried and laugh it off.
The ransom call had changed that. Theodora was being held by dangerous evil people. People who would hurt her. I could hear her screaming in my head, begging for mercy. I imagined her in a dark, dirty room, tied up and scared.
I fell to my knees and started praying."God please let them not harm her. God please let Theodora come back safely. Send your angels to surround her. Amen and Amen. I cover her with the blood of Jesus. In Jesus name. AMEN!"
I updated my WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat stories with her posters. I reposted the video Tami and I made on my Tiktok.
Feeling even more useless, I threw my phone on the bed and settled in for another sleepless night.
