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No sooner had Sade stepped into the shower and lathered her entire body with soap than her cell phone started ringing. Why did that always happen? She wondered. Still wet and soapy, she quickly wrapped her towel around her waist, and tiptoed back into her bedroom. Normally she would have finished her shower before checking up on missed calls, but something told her this could be Tosan. She had eagerly been waiting to hear from him, so she wanted to catch his call as soon as it came. Without bothering to check the caller ID she picked the call. “Hey baby”.

“O ga o. Since when did your mother become baby?”

Struggling to hide her embarrassment, Sade kept her voice light.

“Good afternoon mummy. I thought it was someone else.”

“Someone else? Is your phone screen broken? And why didn’t you come quickly to your phone? It has been ringing since!”

“Mum, I was in the shower. E ma binu ma.”

“Okay o. Anyway, I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow’s family Christmas party. And of course, we are not expecting you to come alone. I hope your “baby” is aware and will be there tomorrow?”

Sade sighed inwardly. Mummy and her endless drama. “Mum, I already told you – he is coming.”

“Eh hen, better. It has been long, and every time I ask you people to come home together it is always one story after the other – either he is working, or you are busy. Make sure he comes with you tomorrow, or you might have to start looking in a different direction for a more serious man. Time is going o!”

Sade sighed again. These days it was difficult to have a pressure-free conversation with her mother. If anything, she couldn't wait to get married so that she could get the woman off her neck.

“See you tomorrow, Mummy. I love you – bye!” She ended the call, put the phone down and returned to the shower.

Thirty minutes later, there were still no calls or messages from him. She wanted to end the tension and just call him - but she reminded herself to be patient. He could have had a flight delay from Abuja. He could have run out of calling credit. In any case, he'd already promised to call her, and she had to take his word for it. An hour passed, and when there was still no word, she called his phone. Switched off. She called again. And a third time. Still switched off.

Not long after, her phone rang. Excitedly she reached for it. It wasn’t him. It was Henrietta, her best friend.

"Babe, how far? Are you at home?"

“Yes,” Sade responded, trying to hide her disappointment. “What's up?”

“Come and open the door joor!”

“What! I've told you several times about unexpected visits...what if I'm in the middle of something?”

“Whatever you are in the middle of will wait. You are not a British woman, and all these protocols you are trying to set don’t apply to me. I won’t do that to you. My friend come to the door o jare!”

Sade rolled her eyes as she opened the door for her best friend. Henrietta held what looked like a picnic basket.

“What’s that?”

“Food. Because I know you won’t be bothered to cook anything for us. Madam busy boss lady.”

“Whatever. Bring your behind inside, let me close my door.”

As they ate the meal, Henrietta noticed her best friend’s agitation.

“Babe, what's wrong? You’ve been glancing at your phone every two seconds.”

“It's Tosan. He was supposed to have called me since this morning, but up until now, nothing. Not even a WhatsApp chat. I tried reaching him, but his number has been switched off. I hope he's okay…” She choked back tears.

Henrietta put down her Coke and wrapped her arms around Sade. “Don't worry too much babe. He's okay. Maybe his battery ran out or something. He will call.”

“But that's unlike him! He's not the kind of person who doesn’t keep in touch. He’s the one who fights me if I don’t keep in touch. I pray he hasn't gotten into an accident o!” She burst into tears.

“Oh, come on. Don't think the worst. Even if something has happened, like you said, he would reach out. Relax.”

“So why hasn't he called? Mummy has called threatening hell on earth if he doesn't come to the family Christmas Day lunch tomorrow.”

Henrietta chuckled. “Oh boyy. Mama is on the in-law parole already?”

“Already o my sister.” Sade sniffled.

“Hmmm. This would probably be the worst time for him to abscond…” Sade glared at her. “Sorry...I was just joking. He isn’t going anywhere.”

“What kind of useless joke is that one now?”

“Babe, sorry, okay? I was just trying to cheer you up.” Henrietta sighed. “So, what do we do now? Have you called his sister?”

“I don't want to bother Misan. If there is indeed no issue, I would have made her worry unnecessarily. She’s just had a baby, and I don’t want to put her under any strain.”

“Okay. So what next?”

“Ughhh. I don’t know. Tomorrow is Christmas Day. I need to hear from him, or else I won't go to the party. I can’t handle mummy’s wahala abeg.”

Henrietta stared at her in disbelief. “Are you a joker? You won’t go to the party? Your mum would just kill you!”

“It's better than being stuck in this limbo. I have no idea what to do next. Is he coming? Will he be there or not? Why is he unreachable? This is driving me crazy!” Sade tugged at her hair in frustration. Her friend squeezed her hand in sympathy.

“It will be fine, dear. Don’t stress. Oya stop crying and finish your rice. Do you know how many hours I spent cooking it?”

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