Let Me Not Catch You Girls

Lanre had gotten to the hotel she was lodged in. She got inside with her bag. She felt exhausted. She has been holding in the tears. It was the hardest fight she ever got to fight. Immediately she got into the hotel room, she burst out crying. She cried uncontrollably, a result birthed from having holding it in for long. Her cries had covered her ears that she did not hear her phone ring.

It was later after the cries had died down and she had gone to wash her face, that she returned to see several missed calls on her phone. Two were from K and the rest was Ify’s mother.

She decided to call back Ify’s mother. She felt it was important she calls back the elderly woman first. She may decide not to call K back. She dialled Ify’s mother’s number.

“Ma, good day ma!” She said repeating the “ma”. The woman replied her greetings. “Are you crying?” The woman asked her. She told her she was not that something got caught in her throat that was why she was talking the way she did. The woman knew Lanre was crying. She was not a kid and by that implication, she was experienced and has met different people, including people like Lanre.

“If you say so! Please give the phone to Ify, I have been trying to reach her but her phone is unreachable”. Ify’s mother said. Lanre kept mute for a while trying to think. She had just finished crying. So at the moment, her brain was trying to relax and would not respond fast to anything.

“Lanre!” Ify’s mother called. “Sorry ma! The network is breaking”. Lanre said. The woman sighed. She asked Lanre where she was at. Lanre told her that she had gone to school to get some files signed.

“Lanre are you lying to me?” The woman asked. Lanre told her no. Ify’s mother told her that if she leaves Enugu to Nsukka and found out that she and Ify are yet to resolve their problems, she would arrest the both of them and they would both miss their project defence and she will make sure they both have an extra year in the school.

Lanre knew the woman was capable of doing that because she had s lot of friends who were lecturers in the school. So she decided to the woman that she already paid for a hotel for five nights and has only spent one night. She said if she leaves, her money would go to waste.

“How much did you pay?” The woman asked. Lanre told her that it was six thousand for a day. Ify’s mother ended the call. In less than 15 minutes, Lanre received an alert of fifty thousand naira. Then the woman called her again.

“I have paid you the money you paid for that room and I have as well added your transport fare back to your apartment. Let me not catch you girls tomorrow”. The woman said and ended the call.