Main isuues

Sarah's father laughs loudly as he reads through a newspaper; laughing aloud as James approached Sarah's house, then he paused:

"This girl's father is around", "but let me try my luck", he moved closer and knocked once.

"Who?" Chief asked with a scary voice.

"God forbid, not me and this Chief." he took to his heels immediately: "Sule!, Sule!" Chief called.

Sule ran outside: "Yes sir, here I am sir." he replied and ran closer, while James observed through the gate small window.

Fixating his ears to the gate he heard: "Do I have to tell you your job?"

"Where were you when someone was knocking?"

"Sir"

"Quiet!" he shuns.

SARAH suspected James, so she stylishly asked Chief to allow her check the person and then scolded Sule too.

"Don't mind him foolish boy."

"Let me rather check father".

She opened the door but James had already moved far away from her house gate where he stood and looked out for Sarah, watching her with a warmth feeling of love and interest to possess her in a second as he stood admiring her from a distance, while she kept looking both sides over her shoulders for the person.

It was late in the evening when James got home, and the thought of Sarah starts to feel his head. He has been thinking of how to tell her how and what he was feeling. He didn't know his mother had been watching him closely. She came closer that night.

"My son what is the problem?" "Look, if it is this Sarah girl, you have to stop thinking too much about her."

"How did you know I was thinking about her in particular? Anyway, I'll be fine mama!" he quickly interrupted

"Stop worrying about me!"

"How can you, tell me to stop worrying; you know you didn't take anything into your stomach since you came back, I hope you know it is not good for your health?" now you have switched into thinking mood, so suddenly.

James kept quiet, as she continues:

"You had better be careful; you know we are managing resources in this house." And your father does not like that Chief, so let that girl alone.

"Mama, I know, but you don't have to love for money…money is not really the problem here." Because with the way I see things, mama money is not the problem at all. This girl is someone one should not miss the chance of taking her home as a wife." She loves me the way I am. Oh please forget about papa.

"So what's the problem? Why are you always thinking?" She asked impatiently. "Mama, the kind of love I have for her is what is bothering me, I don't know if it's sensual or natural.

"Here you go again, to start talking like a pastor is not your problem at all." She literally commented jokingly on a lighter note. "And like you know she is the first girl I am happening to have feelings for." "What do you think?" Mama asked. "What kind of love do you want or expect from a girl who shows you such cares and affections and like you said, likes visiting you at work even at odd unexpected hours?"

She paused and continues:

Buys you clothes and left you thinking all day and night. Here you are talking about natural and sensual." "Can any girl be natural in this present world?"

"Mama I don't know. That's the problem, I don't know what she wants, she's driving me crazy and I think I'm losing my mind." James talked in qualms.

"You know mama, you know I want to serve God and that is all I've had in mind. I don't even know why I approached her in the first place. James reprimanded himself. Mama kept quiet. Sarah calling on James family phone line, as he gazed at the phone which rang twice before receiving the call.

"She's calling me" he said to mama.

"Hello." She says on the phone.

"Hello Sarah." he received.

"I came to your house earlier in the day. But…" James reported but she cuts him shut: "Thought as much, so why did you run?" she laughs on the phone. "Well, I needed to and what's amusing you? I told you I cannot withstand your father, I mean I'm not comfortable with your folks." SARAH can't help but keep laughing, pausing once in a while.

"Look, it's not a laughing matter, let's get serious." James told her sternly

"I can't come to your house again. James informs.

"Why are you sounding like this? Like it's my fault, but I told you I was going to come over to your house, by the way, why did you come when I wasn't expecting you?" She challenges

"Well. Am sorry, don't mean you get angry. I thought of paying you a surprise visit, myself. I needed to see you again" James said softly.

"It's ok, I've told you times without number, you don't have to be scared of my parents. Once again my folks are people you can associate with wholeheartedly." "All right so, how do we see now?" He asked quickly.

"May be at your workplace."

He objected instantly: "No" "Why?" "I don't know, I guess I'll be too busy all the way." "So, where then? Or do you want me to come over to your place, I mean your house?"

"No, that's a real bad idea." Mama listeningalso signaled that he should object Sarah's suggestions

[Communication silence]:

James feigns: "Oh! Bad signal." "But there is network on the phone" he commented faintly into the phone, as he was about to drop the conversation. He said again; "She must have dropped the call." I guess she was angry.

He said all this in pretense, so as to allow Sarah to know he was short of words to continue the conversation.

He went to bed warning everyone not to seize the phone because he might receive Sarah's call in any moment as she didn't say goodnight to him. To make sure no one takes the phone he kept it under his own pillow next to his twin.

In the bedroom, around 10:30 pm James couldn't sleep as Jack during the night, talked gibberish disturbing him. He vomits, as a result of excessive beer intake and he was smelling alcohol all over. Jummi, their younger sister brought him a cup of water and washed his face for him. Sarah calls again on the phone.

"Hello James, I am sorry for the way I dropped the call the other time on you." "It's ok!" James said. "I knew you will call back." Sarah continues: "Well it's because of my love for you, anyway, I am thinking of you and I hanging out tomorrow morning, and all expenses shall be on me." "Ok, where and when?" James asked and was excited. "I will call you!" She said. "Don't worry; all expenses shall be on me."

Mama was awake in the earlier hours of the morning, thinking in a worrisome state about the affairs of the family. JACK is fast asleep again, dosed off immediately Jummi washed his face with a cup of cold water. Then, intermittently his friend SCOLARI called him on the phone.

James refused picking. Who is this? James peeps into the phone screen. What a name! He says. He claimed he did not like the name Scolari, let alone the person, a person who he has not even met before so he chooses not to pick, perhaps maybe he did not want to be rude. James later looked at Jack and listened to him as they converse after he received the phone from him.

Jack wakes up by the noise from the phone, picked up the cell from James. "Hello. Where are you?" Scolari asked. "Are you not coming for the clubbing again?"

He was startled: "Club!" Oh! Club, do you know that I've forgotten?" He sprang up from the bed and quickly moved out immediately to catch up with his friends.

The following morning James mother was disturbed seriously. In the parlor she sat engaging their father, Papa.

"Papa twin, there is something I want to discuss with you." Mama said. "Yes, what is it? Hope there is no problem? Go ahead, as long as it doesn't have to do with money." He spoke drunkenly. "If I knew I would receive I would have asked. But you know I hate to disturb myself about asking you for money these days; because there is no need asking and wasting saliva in asking."

"Thank God you know I don't have." "Anyway what have you called me for?"

"It's like you've not been noticing what's happening to your boys."

"Are you telling me something or you are blaming me of something?"

"I'm not blaming you of or for anything, it is just that I'm worried with the way Jack and James have been behaving. Your sons." She added

"My sons or our sons? Woman, watch your statement!" he reacts angrily.

"How do you mean my sons?" "Whatever. I'm afraid; Jack is always behaving like a drunk; he smokes; drinks; comes home late, even on a car, fanciful one at that; and my fear is beginning to rise. I hope he is not an armed robber. I'm beginning to get worried; I just hope he does not associate himself with these criminals around."

"Mama Twin, are you done talking?" Papa asked

Mama kept quiet. Papa continued: "You have observed well, and it was good to raise this alarm. But If I may ask you, what is wrong in smoking and drinking?" Mama opened her eyes, and said. "Oh! Oh!" She exclaimed. "Oh! Because I drink and I smoke you bring this to my table and now want me to caution him or are you saying I'm the custodian of his predicament?"

"No my husband. She says softly. Papa twin, you know I can't talk to him, and you know you're their father, please and please, kindly talk to them to change. Please! Am begging you"

"Oh! No wonder, you want to now say he is my son and not our son. You can equally change him if you want to or don't you think so?" "A child smokes and you want to change him, imagine that."

"Not even the Federal Government of Nigeria can, they can only warn them of dying young. Who are you to stop them? Try it and see." "Ok oh, I've said the little I can say oh!" She stood up. "What about James? I hope he has a clean sheet?" Mama sits back.

"Lest I forget. That one is always talking about a girl and as a matter of fact has fallen in love with this chief's daughter."

"What chief?" angrily in anticipation, he asked. "The chief we had problems with on the farm. The chief of …village. She gestures as she described.

Quickly he spat to the floor: "I'm out of it!" He spat to the floor.

"It won't work! God forbid, over my dead body!"