Cold At Dusk

Chapter Thirty

Maka admired her surroundings as she waited for the door to be opened. She looked at how bland the environment was. For the first time, she realized that it lacked the touch of nature. She could not decorate the whole estate with flowers but she could plant flowers around her own house. It could even serve as a demarcation for her as she did not have a fence. It also be a mark of distinguishing her house from the other similar white storey buildings with brown roofing.

Oluchi opened the door. She was a young girl in her early twenties working as a Nanny while she waited for admission into the university.

"You are welcome, ma" She greeted

She immediately bent to collect Maka's bag but she held on tightly to it. The young girl loved to do extra things outside her job of taking care of her daughter and she did not want that.

"How are you doing? " She asked, walking into the house.

"I'm fine, ma. Blossom is sleeping " Oluchi replied slowly walking behind her after hurriedly bolting the door.

"She returned home early" She stated.

"She did not go to school. Her midterm break started on Wednesday "

She did not know. She could not have known when she returns home at evening just when Oluchi was leaving. She would always put a cartoon for her little girl and then go up to work on some cases.

"You can go now" Maka said without looking at the girl.

Maka slumped in a chair and kicked off her black stilletoes. She had left the house very early for the court just for her client to call and say he fell off from the bed and broke his neck and leg. It was not funny to her but the impossibility of the flimsy excuse made her laugh so hard.

"So, Sir do you sleep on a bunk? " she asked.

"No, my foam, my bed. " The man had replied.

"You see" She said, "You can not be the one to make me appear mad. You will have to find another attorney. Bye"

She did not wait for him to say another word before she ended the call. She should have known that she was actually coming to defend a liar. She did not mind defending a liar but she preferred the 'liar' being honest to the lawyer. That was how her plans for the day changed and she did not want to go back to the firm.

Oluchi comes out with her big bead handbag containing the clothes she always brought to wear while she took care of the baby.

"There's nothing else you want me to do for you? " She asked.

"No, I will do the rest by myself. "

She stood and followed her to the door.

"Here, for your transport" she said handing her some money.

"Aunty, there's no need. I have my transport money " Oluchi refused.

"Abeg, when will you stop all this your drama. Collect money joor. "

"Auntiee.." Oluchi laughed then collected the money.

"Don't bother coming tomorrow " Maka said before she closed the door.

"Okay ma. Thank you ma"

Immediately she went back to the parlour, she picked her phone to call Kamsi again.
It was Friday. The day that marked the three years anniversary for Mark and Kamsi. Maka always called Kamsi on that day each year to congratulate her and tease her a little. It had never been a big ceremony for the couple. They never threw a party or had an outing but Maka knew Kamsi would have loved all that. She had been trying to call her all morning but she was not picking up. Somehow it got her scared. The last time Kamsi's phone had rang for so long and she did not pick up, something had gone wrong .