Scars (Romola 2)

22: Home Sweet Home

The bell tolled in the distance as a pastor's voice filled the air with messages of repentance. Lolade's lagging feet kept her back. but there was no way she could leave Lolade in the room without her roommates blowing their heads off. Pulling Lolade along was more work than carrying the bread tray under her armpit.

"Hurry up. I will be late to work."
Romola struggled to find her footing as the sun rays struggled to throw off the shackles of the dawn. They arrived at the narrow path that led to the house and Romola hurried towards the door. She stopped short of the porch, looking around as she set down the bread tray. What if that wicked man was home? She had not forgotten how high he raised his machete the last time she had seen him.

"Are you not coming inside?"

"No." She reached into her purse and drew out five one thousand naira notes, pressing it firmly in her sister's hand. "This should be enough for the bread. Don't tell mummy where you got it from, okay?."

"Don't go na." Her sister began to whine.

"Ssh." Romola held her sister at arms length. "You'll wake somebody up. I'll come back and get you."

"No. You won't"

Romola picked up the bread tray and dared to walk closer to the house. Lolade fixed her feet on the floor, folding her arms and shaking her head. Romola grabbed her sister's wrist, dragging her towards the front of the house. Her hands reached from the door when she heard a manly groan from behind her.
"Sunbo, is that you?" Romola found their step father pointing at her.

"Daddy, it's not sumbo. It is-"

"Keep quiet." Romola whispered.

A part of her wanted to flee but her legs refused to obey the command from her brain. The man staggered towards where they stood, taking a few steps forward and swaying left and right. Golden brown liquid sloshed out of the half filled bottle in his hand. "My own precious Sunbo. You left daddy, abi?"

The man walked up to them on the porch and he stared at her. Her eyes squeezed together as he peered at her while his alcoholic breath warmed her face. She held back a cough as his face twisted. She turned her face aside, waiting for his slap to land but all that came was a loud laughter.

"I must be dreaming." He tried to reach for her arm but she pushed him.

He staggered backwards, groaning. He pinched his eyes shut, then shook his head. "The two of you, stop spinning."

The net door beside them opened and her mother ran out of the house. Romola saw this as her chance to escape. She bent down and crawled towards the right corner of the house. She hid behind the wall and peered from the side while her mother tried to aid her step father towards the house.

"Look at the time you are coming. I was worried."

"I go.. I go.." The man's eyes travelled back to where she had stood as he let his hands fall upon his wife's shoulder. Romola saw her mother bend and wince under the weight of his arms but the woman hoisted his arm around her shoulder. "Why did Sunbo disappear?"

"Where did you see that naughty girl?"

"Foolish?" Her step father's thirty two teeth were on display. "I go where I want."

"Yes you do." Her mother tried to move him forward but he stood still then pointed to Loalde who stood skin to skin with the wall.

"Romola is there."

Her mother's gaze pinned themselves to the wall. For a minute, Romola was afraid her mother would look towards where she stood. "That is just Lolade. Olode, can't you see me struggling with him. Come and help me."

Lolade looked at Romola with a frown on her lips. Romola shook her head. If her mother detected her presence, the whole community would be set ablaze. Lolade let the bread tray clatter to the floor and then hurried to her father's right arm.

He swung the bottle in a wide arc over Lolade's head. A wide arc whose trajectory ended on the other side of her arm.

"Don't.Take.My.Bottle."

Her mother caressed his back, ignoring the whines of her child. "Nobody is taking your bottle. Let's go inside before someone sees us."
"Sunbo?"

"She's not here." Her mother barked, before grabbing Lolade by the ears. "You are too slow. Go and open the door for me jhoor."

The party of three moved into the house, coming to a stop briefly at the door that Lolade held open.
Romola shook her head. There had been no mention of her sister's absence from the house the night before. She had hoped their mother would show some concern but apparently, a drunk man had more issues than an eight year old girl who stayed out all night.

"Sunbo." A tap on her back had her jumping.

"Jesus."

"Keep quiet." Smudgy hands, drenched in the smell of chicken feathers, slapped her lips.

She tried to rub the dirt off her face.
Her attacker peered closer, like her step father had but instead of alcohol, something stronger- smokier assailed her nostrils. "Oh, it you."

"Do you want to kill me?"
Jide peered past her towards the door. "Is baba inside?"

"What are you doing outside?"
"I'm working. You?" Jide cradled a black lumpy nylon to his chest. "Is baba home?"

"Where's Sunbo?" Romola held his arm.

The yellow glow of the day began to steal the dark blue away from the sky and she could see that his eyes were tinged with red.

"Jamb question. She no dey your house?"

Romola bit back her acidic reply. "And Lolade. I heard she was missing."

"Missing?" Jide raised a brow, his eyes going skywards before retiring to her face alert. "Oh. She was not in the house last night."

"And nobody looked for her?"

"Am I the one that born her?"

A loud crash followed her mother's scream.

Her step father yelled. "I said, don't touch my bottle. Don't touch it. Don't touch it."

"Well, this is the time for me to enter. If anybody asks, you did not see me and if you have some more naked pictures, send them. My friends are making an offer."

Her fist missed his head as he duked and ran into the house.

Jide had not changed at all.
There was more sounds of cries and shouts from the house before a long cry like the sputtering roars of a dying engine dominated her ears. Lolade's cries heralded the arrival of the sun and a lone tear slipped down Romola's face. She had to get her sisters- both of them- away from this disastrous hom