Breathe, Emma, breathe! You can do this. Don’t lose your nerve now! She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Schooling her features into a practised smile, her expression revealed nothing of the raging battle she was engaged in internally, willing her thumping heart to slow down and coaxing her breathing into a seemingly regular … Continue reading Suitorcide*
“Tari. Tari, wake up!” I jerked awake as Ade shook me vigorously. “What’s the matter?” I scrunched my eyes, lifting my hand to shield them from the brightness of the lights which Ade had turned on. “Didn’t you hear the banging? It sounds like someone is about to break down our front door.” He asked … Continue reading The Unwelcome Guest Part 2
“This is a waste of time,” my husband’s mother said, as my unimpressed 7 month-old daughter spat out the butternut squash and potato puree I spooned into her mouth. “Jo, give her some amala and ewedu instead of this concoction.” I almost retched at the thought of feeding my child the thick brown paste made from blended yam skins … Continue reading The Unwelcome Guest Part 1
“Koko, are you listening to me?” asked Atim as she realized that her cousin had not responded to anything she had said to her in the last few minutes. Looking up she noticed the faraway look in Koko’s eyes and panicked “Koko, is it the baby? Are you in pain?” she questioned as she grabbed … Continue reading Double Trouble
Rose woke up to the sound of the shrill alarm. She groaned, asking herself for the umpteenth time why she didn’t simply replace the blasted alarm clock with one that wasn’t made to startle the dead. She reached over and turned it off without even opening her eyes. She didn’t need to; she knew exactly … Continue reading Widowed