Cold At Dusk

Chapter Twenty Three

Emergency calls did not always scream "help! " It could even be a strange, "I love you " from an unexpected person at a very odd hour. Some how, no matter the phrase, it still conveyed the urgency of the situation. That was the reason, Maka cancelled all her plans and booked a flight to Owerri not minding what she had to pay to get on the airplane that same evening she got Kamsi's text. Her daughter's nanny had come over to relieve her of her duties while she was away.

She was fortunate that someone missed the flight so there was an empty seat for grab.  It was a woman according to the name. It could also be a woman like herself who did not know to work with time and then get stuck in traffic. She could not count how many times she had missed her flight especially when coming down to the east. She had never been more grateful for Lagos traffic like she was that day.

She barely slept that night and her appetite was replaced by more worry as Kamsi was not picking up her calls. She paced about the small space of her hotel room, from the window to the door and back again.

Absent mindedly, she opened the small fridge hidden inside the cabinet. It was empty as expected. She slapped her forehead in frustration. She wanted something to calm her nerves. Kamsi was not someone she liked to be hurt, to her Kamsi was too fragile, too tender. Even though they were of the same age,  she was like the senior sister and Kamsi willingly took the office of the younger sister. It had been like that all the years of their friendship.

She tried calling Kamsi's line again. This time it was now switched off.

"Ah, God! " she exclaimed falling back on the bed.

She still wanted to drink something but other things had overshadowed that want. She thought of things she did not want to.

Could it be.. Could it be..  Filled her thoughts.

It was that night , time chose to be a snail. It crawled so slowly for Maka who could not wait for morning to come. She managed to close her eyes and each time she opened it, the time had only moved thirty minutes further. No part of the bed seemed comfortable for her. She did not want to dwell on the thought that something bad had happened to her friend but she was not picking up her phone to disapprove.

Maka hardly slept but was up like a soldier once she saw it was four o'clock. For the first time in a long time, she woke up before her alarm which was to ring at five o'clock. She had packed light. All she had was a big hand bag which contained an extra pair of jeans , polo , underwears and her spray.

She got to the park when it was still dark.  She waited in the Uber till six. The driver could have only be grateful for time wasted which kept adding her bill with time.

Maka made it to Okigwe before nine o'clock. She half ran, half walked as she walked to the house from the junction where she had jumped down from the bus. She had not been talking to Kamsi as often as before. She blamed it on work but she was actually  lazy at keeping in touch over the phone . When Kamsi stopped calling like before, the communication reduced by little. Now, she regretted not checking up on her as often as she should have.

We're always distant until a person dies then we're bringing flowers of regrets to their grave.

She opened her hand and hit the gate with force so it could rouse even a sleeping man. As she waited for the gate to be opened, she shook away the ridiculous quotes and thoughts that were hunting her.

The gate opened and she was greeted with the face of a gateman that was different from the one she met when she visited the previous year.

"Good morning. Who you dey find? " he asked, pulling up his trouser which was folded at the waist.