The Waiting Game

chapter eight

Hi, I've decided to bring back regular updates of The Waiting Game (because let's be real, if y'all have to wait for me to finish writing the book before uploading it, you'll be waiting years).

I need the motivation to write and hopefully finish this book this year. The updates will be two chapters every two weeks Monday (I wish it could be regular but I have uni to deal with).

Without further ado, let's get back into the book.

Recap: Joshua and the geng are still trying to figure out the recent murders.

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The Phillips had a family tradition, one that was non-negotiable. They could go almost the whole year without speaking to each other but there were certain days in the year that the whole family had to meet, it didn’t matter if a particular day turned out to be very busy for one of them, everybody that was considered family had to be there. The special days in question were birthdays.

Remilekun Phillips and Dinah Phillips had five children and four grandchildren; it made up to ten days to meet, well, ten until Remilekun died two years ago. In August, there was a total three birthdays – Dinah’s was the first, Joshua’s followed after two days later and finally, Taiwo and Kehinde’s birthdays; his older sisters who happened to be twins.

Dinah’s birthday was in a few hours.

“Hey, it’s your mother’s birthday in like two hours.” It was the first thing Amina said when she entered his office, as usual as if she owned the place. She never knocked.

The glass doors slid close the moment she entered.

“Hello,” She stretched the word. “Are you even here?”

Joshua shot her a sour look. “Here as in this office? Because the last time I checked, I have not developed the ability to teleport from one space to the next.”

Amina didn’t laugh like he’d expected. It was another trick that could never work on her; using jokes to distract her.

“Very funny, anyways, why are you still here?” She asked, coming to sit down in the chair before his desk. She took the textbook on Tax Law in front of him and flipped through the first few pages and Joshua watched her read the lines. Her head was cocked to the side though, expecting his answer.

Nothing, my whole family still hate me for killing my father and it makes for very awkward family dinners.

“Why do you care? If you want to tell me something, go ahead and do so.” He said instead, choosing his words carefully, he didn’t intend to make her angry but he was curious. He didn’t understand why Amina was asking him questions recently, questions about his life as if she really wanted to know the answer. His lack of understanding gave way to wariness.

Amina raised her head to meet his eyes, she didn’t answer right away, she just leaned forward and reached for his phone, his own hand swiftly went out to stop her. Joshua glanced down on his hand on top hers; he didn’t remove it because it felt like losing whatever game she was playing with him.

“You have been more distant than usual,” She said. Her voice was even, monotone even and giving no indication what she thought or felt. “What’s wrong?”

His first impulse was to argue but he bit his tongue before he could. He leaned back in his seat and spun his chair around. The room spun in his eyes like a lottery wheel, he caught the air-conditioning up on the right wall where it was installed; it was old and faulty half of the time. Joshua didn’t mind the heat – since the rest of the Dome was like the North Pole. He squinted at it, knowing the real reason why he hadn’t gotten rid of the old thing. When Joshua had become the new leader of The Orion Project, his father had directed it to be installed – it had been a recent model back then.