Chapter 10: The Freezer

"You don see my wife before?" Baba Musa order meat and beer.

He look my face, eye dey scan. I swallow spit, reply soft.

"See am once for corridor."

I form casual, dey avoid eye contact. My mind dey run.

"How you see am?"

He dey press, voice deep. I smile, reply.

"She fine—madam na correct babe."

I talk am with respect, dey try shift focus.

"You no dey wonder how person like me fit marry that kind fine woman?"

He dey laugh, but na forced laugh. I gree, shake head.

"No o, Oga Musa. You get business, money, skill. Nowadays, e no easy for man to even feed himself, talk less wife."

I talk am like street, dey hail am. For my mind, I dey pray say e buy my story.

Baba Musa smile. "You, na only game you dey play for house? You no wan find work?"

His tone soft, e dey test me. I smile, raise shoulder.

I smile, form confidence. "Game na work. You no know say people dey pay me to play for them?"

I act proud, try impress am. I dey hope say this line go hold am.

Baba Musa reason am. "Like person no cook, but hire chef."

He dey smile, voice calm. I nod, dey play along.

"Exactly."

He laugh small, tension drop. I breathe relief.

Baba Musa begin relax, gist normal. I think say I safe for now.

We talk football, talk about area boys, laugh for meat. Na so he dey test my body language, but I dey hold ground.

As drink dey go, Baba Musa begin complain landlord wicked, wan chase am comot, wan even collect him staff and buka business. I ask am wetin he go do. He talk say as outsider, he no fit fight local people, so he wan go back him hometown, stop everything. I understand—he wan run.

His voice soft, eyes red. He dey talk slow, dey remember village. I dey nod, dey reason my own life. For Lagos, na so e dey end—one fight, one wahala, na so person pack.

"How e go be? Then this area no go get better food again." I hail am.

He smile, tap me shoulder, say 'na you go miss me pass.' I gree, laugh, try lighten mood.

We no drink plenty for five hours. None of us wan drunk, none fit drunk.

The night drag, beer dey warm, meat dey cold. We both dey reason our next move. For my mind, na only God fit save me.

After we go house, I lock door, peep the wall hole again.

My heart dey beat, I no trust anything again. I off light, move curtain, look through.

Baba Musa dey sit for bed, dey smoke, dey look freezer. Nobody else for room. After one cigarette, he open freezer. Inside, na arm with pink cartoon pajamas. Baba Musa look inside, face strong and blank.

As he open freezer, him hand steady. He see Amaka arm, no blink. E be like say he dey process pain, or him mind don break. For that freezer, na Amaka arm I see. My heart stop—Lagos no dey show mercy.

I no sleep that night, just dey look ceiling.

My own soul dey roam. I dey count my blessings, dey fear my shadow. For my mind, Lagos na jungle—if you survive, thank God.