Chapter 5

Rahab

"God! Pay day! Finally!!" I almost shout with joy as I enter the store. At last, I can get some food stuffs, God knows we need it. 

We have been living off of the handouts mama Tunani has been giving us for the past two weeks, and i'm not one to complain but she's a woman with a purpose, she doesn't just give things away without a reason, besides she has been getting awfully close to my dad, giving flimsy excuses to talk to him (...and touch him, when she thinks I'm not looking) if I didn't know better, I'd think she was flirting with him, but do I really know any better?. Even as I think this, a shudder runs down my spine Ew!

I mean, I guess you could say my dad was handsome—er is handsome. Also very well built, not bad for a man his age. He was a professional boxer once, a long, long time ago. Was quite a big deal, that is if his press appearances back then were anything to go by but I didn't inherit his love for pain and stuff happened over time.

I'm outside our boss's office now, I wish he just paid our salaries into accounts like every other employer of labour, but no, he prefers counting it out (that goes to show you how very little we earn) before proceeding to hand it over to us. I count the seconds slowly before entering the office.

I don't want to do this, I feel a little pressure in my skull, might be a headache, I sigh, shoulders tense. My palms are sweaty again and it feels like my lungs are too small to take in air, but I have to do this, I need the money like yesterday.

Puffing out my chest, in hopes I look more confident than scared and silly. I pray for some measure of courage, but, immediately I open the door, i shrink, quite literally, hunching my shoulders, wanting to fold in on myself as I meet his eyes.

"What do you want?" He shouts impatiently eyeing me. This part's always as expected. We've done this particular dance many times before.

"S-sir, p-paym-ment" I will my self not to stutter but it doesn't really help. I sigh mentally growing weary of myself and hating the way my voice sounds small in his large office.

He opens his drawer, brings out a bundle and proceeds to count it turning his back on me to block my view, not that I'd be interested, I focus instead, on my shoelaces burning a hole in my converse.

"Here" he grunts tossing selected notes across the table to me. I reach down and pick them up... Something feels wrong, they look even less than last month's pay, I don't need to count to see that much, but I do it anyways.

"Hurry up and leave!" He orders I shrink a little more causing me to miscount. I immediately start again, God! I really am useless.

"S-sir, it's n-not comp-let-te" I am trying real hard but the anxiety is making this a lot harder.

"That's your pay, you were away for 5 days, that's why you're getting this" he gestures at the money in my hand.

"S-sir I was-ss s-sick" I try again, my voice to shakes, and the room feels dizzy, I feel faint.

"Then you should have called to inform me" he counters 

I would've, but I don't have a phone. I want to yell this out to him but instead I stand silently, opening and closing my mouth before deciding against the entire course of action.

"And besides, we slashed the salaries, the farmers market isn't making what it was" he grumbles the last part shrugging as if to say 'what can I do'?

'You can't do that, you can't! You have to give me my full money or else—or else... Or else, I'll I pour out half a bottle of kerosene—or maybe the entire bottle who knows? and burn your entire office!'. But of course, I don't say any of these out loud, I simply stare at my hand clutching the money tightly, willing myself not to cry, this is much harder than it sounds.

But, come to think of it, I can actually burn his office down, there's a filling station not quite two streets away, i could buy kerosene from them and there's a little green lighter on his table, with all the papers in his office, reducing it to ashes shouldn't take long.

You can leave now!" He says harshly, forcing me out of my reverie. 

"Call in the next person" he orders as I turn to go, bowing my head I take my unsaid words and arsonist tendencies with me.

There's no one outside his door, i don't need to tell him that though. I arrived at his office early enough. Seeing as I am actually the only worker here who actually anticipates payday this eagerly, everyone knows I need this job more than it needs me, that's why quitting isn't really an option.

I pace sluggishly outside his office, trying to decide what to do with my meagre pay and er—other tendencies.

I take in the empty hall way, good... no use crying in front of people, I think to myself. I should wait till I get to the restrooms before crying but the more I think on this, the harder it is to hold back, so instead I lean my head against the cool wall and sob quietly.

It must've been minutes, hours even, who knows?, before I finally scrub my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt and turn around. That's when I see him, damn!

Segun regards me for what feels like eternity before I break the stare tugging at my work tee-shirt self consciously. Why does he always catch me at a bad time? I wonder silently, my despair turning into anger, not at him, not really... More at myself. 

I school my face into a frown and  storm off hastily. Stupid boys! Stupid paychecks! Stupid bosses with balding spots! Stupid pretentious farmers market!

...

"H-hams-sin ne" 

"Kai, haba aunty, ki kara shi"

"H-hamsin zan b-biya k-ka, kaj-ji?" I haggle with the bike man for the better part of a minute before finally giving up and sending him on his way. 

Every 50naira matters, every.single.one! Especially with what I received today. I sigh for what feels like the hundredth time, if I sigh any harder, my soul might leave my body. 

"Rahab!" I hear and don't acknowledge it. Only one person can be calling me at this point, and as it stands, I am not in the mood to talk. I flag down the next bike I see, but he has a passenger. I shouldn't have sent that other one away, I mentally face palm myself for it.

A hand wraps firmly, but not painfully, around my arm and I flinch at the contact, drawing away. He sees this, he notices, but there's nothing I can do about it. The silence is all around us and engulfs us both for minutes before he finally breaks it.

"I—er, we could drop you off" he says simply

"W-we?" I don't miss that part.

"Uh, I and Joyce, i'm dropping her home also, she started newly"

That was probably the voice I heard over the speakers the other day, It's been so long I can't remember what she sounds like.

As far as nemesis go, Joyce is pretty much what I get, but she's also Segun's girlfriend which puts me in a painfully awkward situation.

"I'd r-rat-ther w-walk home!" Hearing my voice this loud and this forceful, shocks us both, but Segun laughs, playing it off easily. I don't think I meant that as a joke though.

"C'mon, I don't mind" he persuades wearing me down... every 50naira counts I repeat in my head

"Ok-kay" I say, finally giving in

*  *  *

"H-hams-sin ne" - its 50naira 

"Kai, haba aunty, ki kara shi"- Aunty increase it

"H-hamsin zan b-biya k-ka, kaj-ji?"- its 50naira I'll give you, have you heard?

(Kai and haba are exclamations I don't really know how to translate😅)