She Was Long Gone

K was baffled. He has heard of clowns, but he never thought he would meet one this worst. It seems the young man did not hear him at all. How could someone just cook up something. There was no woman selling Kuli Kuli where the young man had asked him to go. That was the same direction through which he came.

K walked back to the first apartment. He knocked several times but the teenager did not come out to open the door. He became frustrated. He went back into his car and sat down inside. He held his phone in his hand only to see he had missed 5 calls. All were from his mother.

“Once I’m done with this shit contract, I’m leaving this country. At least I won’t get disturbed often. I will make sure they can’t contact me”. K said. It was becoming tiring to him now. He suddenly felt his parents were burdening his life by trying to control it. He was sure his mother was calling him to come so they could have lunch together and he will end up spending some time with Ify. But then, there wedding day was fast approaching. He wondered if he should ditch her or just go ahead and marry her for peace to rain. He has come to realise that he brought this trouble upon himself without thinking. How could he have known that she his father would threaten the life of Lanre?

He sat with his hand resting over his eyes. He did not know when Lanre walked past. She had even stood to look at the car wondering who owns it. But she could not see if someone was inside because of the tinted glass. So she went in thinking it could be a friend of one of her neighbour.

By the time K removed his hand from over his eyes to check the time, Lanre was long gone into her apartment. He bit his lip wondering if he was really in the right place. After waiting for an hour, he decided to leave. But after starting the car engine, he changed his mind. He got down from the car and went back to knock on the door of the first apartment. He knocked for long before the door got opened. It was the little girl again.

He opened his phone and showed her a photo of Lanre on his phone screen. “Does she live here or not?” K asked Chidinma.

“Dinma, who is that?” Lanre asked from inside. “I don’t know! I will….” Chidinma wanted to say she will find out but before she could complete her sentence, K pushed her aside and went in. He had recognised Lanre’s voice. He missed that voice. But then, how could he tell one from the other, whether it was just his desire to have her, or he actually wanted her by his side always?

“Lanre!” K called on getting to the living room. Lanre felt it odd that a male voice would call her name in such a rough manner , and that too one that sounded like that of Kehinde.