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Rainbow fires flew out of the gas cooker and a big pot descended on it, covering its presence as if it won’t later burn everything to hot.

Iyawo poured some rice into the pot and made to turn around. Flabbergasted, a slap from nowhere smashed her face.

“Ahhhhh! Ayooooo. Madam!” Iyawo screamed, rubbing one part of her jaw to show that it was a slap of fire. Her body was very close to the fire and quickly she shifted and fell on the closed door. Tears started splashing again. It wasn’t a new thing but that day touched the viper in her. Anger from the East, West, North and South possessed her mouth that she didn’t know when she spoke.

“Madam. Madam. Wetin I do. What is your problem to slap me like this?”

For the first time she questioned the many slaps and punches that she has been receiving in her workplace as a maid. A couple who lived like two angry birds always fighting and also fighting her.

“Iyawo. You have guts to talk. Eh? You dare open your mouth in front of me. Ask me again what you did. Oya kneel down. Kneel now!”

Out of freight and I-love-my-job, she reduced to her knees, still rubbing her face.

“You want to know what you did. OK. How many times did I tell you to raise your legs when you are walking around my house. Every time fla….fla….fla around the house with this your dirty slippers and you just woke me up from my beauty sleep. Are you mad?”

“Sorry Madam. I forgot it. That is how my legs is trained…to walk like that.”

“Oh. I see. Just know that those cockroach legs of yours will begin another kind of training in my house. Try it again. Nonsense”

Mrs Madam adjusted her big chest and walked out of the kitchen. Iyawo’s tears were still forming and falling. Her face looked like pity itself. She jacked up, opened the pot, the rice was boiling. She closed it and walked through the back door. She was murmuring something sad again and there was only one person who knew all her painful ordeal.

Ekene jumped out of his room. He left his position at the gate when Madam was shouting at Iyawo. He would always do that to know the every-every that was happening inside the building. He ran to Iyawo who was standing in between two giant flowers at the back of the building.

“Hei! Wetin you do again this time? What have you done to deserve this alone. Sometimes I want to start cooking in the kitchen with you so that we can be sharing slaps. This thing is too much o.”
He was holding Iyawo in consolation.

“This thing is too much. This house is wicked” Iyawo managed to say.

“That’s true. Me I can bear the slaps. I am a man but for them to be slapping my beautiful angel anyhow. Ooooooohm. I dey quick vex o.”

“Don’t worry. No need to vex. I don cancel this work. I will go find another work. From now on I’m fired. I have fired myself Ekene you can stay and continue your gatemanship. I dey go carry my bag. That rice must burn.”
Iyawo was sounding serious.

Ekene shifted.
“Wait o. You serious?”

“Yes I serious.” Iyawo said.

“Heeeeh! Na wetin I been dey wait for. But no be today. First cook the rice and chicken make we first chop well and e no good make house burn. Cook first after we chop finish you go. Don’t come again. Then tomorrow I go submit my resign letter. Some times Oga think say me I no feat resign. Tomorrow morning na me go tell them say we don work finish to find another jobs”

Iyawo smiled. “OK”
Ekene hugged her from the front. “Yes. OK. Angel” He laughed stupidly while Iyawo ran back to the kitchen.

When Iyawo got home and complained to her mother for the hundredth time about her Madam, her mother waved it off as usual and advised her to continue with the work seeing how poor they were. She took the advice reluctantly. There was no way to reach Ekene but she hoped she met him in the morning to tell him not to continue with their plan.
Ekene left with his things that night and didn’t report to work the next day. He used three days to rest at home then he went to a phone shop and bought a Nokia phone for Iyawo. He planned to go to her house with pride like someone who just afforded a reasonable commodity unaware of what was happening.

He met Iyawo’s elder sister selling recharge card in front of their house.
“Stella. How far. Your Mama dey house?”

“No. Anything happen to my sister? Eehhhh? Talk......


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