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After finishing her bath, Linda wrapped herself with her towel and lifted the ‘mobile’ door of her bathroom. She was startled to see Bashiru, a dark-skinned male co-tenant, standing right in front of it. On his waist was a small towel, and beside him a bucket of water. He wore a mischievous smile on his face.

Linda: Bashiru!

Bashiru: Linda!

Linda: What are you doing there?

Bashiru: I was waiting for my lovely princess to finish.

Linda: How did you know who was in there? (Looking worried) Did you peep?

Bashiru: Of course not. I recognized your voice while you were in there.

Linda: That makes sense, but … I don’t remember talking or singing while I was in there.

Bashiru: You must have said something. Maybe you’ve forgotten. Well, even if I peeped, you have no cause for concern, because your body is very shapely.

Linda smacked his head and pushed him into the bathroom.

Bashiru: Ouch!

From inside the bathroom, Bashiru called out.

Bashiru: By the way, Linda, I was the one that greeted you this morning.

Linda: I know. Pervert!

Linda marched away. After a few steps, she almost tripped over the culvert at the back door of her residence.

Little Child: Sorry Auntie.

Linda: Thank you, Peace. Wait a minute, why aren’t you in school today?

Peace: Today is a Saturday.

Linda: Oh, I forgot. Well, greet your parents on my behalf. I’m going to the Central Cafe after I dress up.

Peace: Auntie, please buy something for me.

Linda: All right, sweetie. I’ll buy you something nice.

Linda went back to her room to change. She picked up the note left by her mother and the money folded inside it. Something inside the note made her smile. Then she left the room and locked it behind her. As she turned to leave, she heard Bashiru’s voice from the room next door.

Bashiru: Linda, is that you leaving?

Bashiru poked his head out of the room and stared at Linda’s T-shirt and Jeans trouser.

Bashiru: Girl, you’re looking pretty today. Why not let me accompany you?

Linda starts to leave.

Linda: No.

Bashiru: Please, please, please Linda. I promise to be good.

Linda: You’re wasting your time, Bashiru. A boy like you can’t impress a girl like me.

Bashiru: Aw, you broke my heart!

Yet, as she walked away, there was a smile on her face that shouldn’t have been there.

Linda: Bashiru, Bashiru. You’re nothing but a joker, and that’s what you’ll always be to me.

Orikinla, I didn't mean to insult you as a person. Sorry.

But really, if you want to promote the advantages of professional publishing, that would be better than talking as if self-publishing is something done by children of Satan only. Instead of saying "thou shalt not self publish" why not say, "if you choose me as a publisher so and so is what I'll do to make your book a success"?

Orikinla's persistent "please don't self-publish" is entirely self-serving, since he's a book publisher.

Theres nothing wrong with making self-serving statements as long as they aren't portrayed otherwise.

apoligies to my dear friend Orikinla about the thoughtless way this post was expressed

Keep it up!

Linda is a character in the Nijarita story. She's a studious JAMBite who lives with her mom.

Ms. Bella is Linda's single mother. She's hyper-active but good-natured.

Bashiru is Linda's self-proclaimed 'soul mate'. He's a prankster and joker by nature.

[[to be updated]]

Linda woke up at 6:00am to the sound of a GSM phone alarm. Naturally, she switched it off and went back to sleep. Beside her, on the same small bed, her mother was also sleeping.

Later in the morning, she woke up again. The room was bright. She checked the time on her phone. It was 11:30am already! She snatched a large, faded towel and a bucket, and rushed towards her bedroom door.

Linda: Today is the day.

She opened the door of her room and almost collided with her mom who was about to enter at the same time.

Mom: Linda!

Linda stepped back.

Linda: Sorry mummy.

Mom: What's chasing you so early in the morning?

Linda: It's JAMB, mummy.

Mum reached out to pull Linda out of the room, towards herself.

Mum: My daughter is going to be a medical doctor! Neighbors, come and rejoice with me! Today is my day!

Linda: Mummy, please, you're embarrassing me.

Mum: "Mummy please, you're embarrassing me." My daughter already talking like a respectable doctor!

Linda: Mummy, please.

Mummy released her hold on Linda.

Voice From Corridor: Good morning Madam Bella.

Mum: Ah, good morning my son.

Corridor Voice: Linda, how are you today?

Linda: How are you yourself.

Linda: Mummy, please let me check my result first. Then we can start celebrations. Let's not count our chickens before they are hatched.

Mummy placed her hands on her hips

Mum: Everybody listen to Dr. Mrs. Bella: "let's not count our chickens before they are hatched!"

Mummy looked up as if to pray.

Mum: For my intelligent daughter, God, I thank you.

Linda: I'll just go and take my bath before going to town to check my result.

Linda walked out of her single-room apartment towards the well in their 'face-me-I-face-you' flat. After fetching a bucket of water, she marched towards the bathroom to wash herself. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait on a queue because the fellow-residents had all taken their baths earlier in the morning.

A story of people like you and how they are facing and overcoming life's challenges.