SIX WEEKS LATER  Imade felt familiar emotions churn up in her as she boarded an airport taxi from the Benin airport. She couldn’t believe how much she had missed Benin since she left six weeks ago. She couldn’t believe the decision she was about to make – she trembled with excitement and nervousness at the […]

They were in her kitchen – Yvonne had convinced her to come over so they could try their hands on a new carrot cake recipe she had found online. Imade had agreed largely because she had missed their friendly chats and also because she needed something to distract her from the constant loop that was […]

Imade was due to return to Abuja in two days. Mixed feelings were running through her, she had missed Abuja, but she loved who she was in Benin. There was a sense of fulfillment she got from working with the orphanage. It wasn’t a paying job, yes. There were no corporate clients to kiss their […]

Imade had never been great at handling big emotions, mostly because when growing up, her parents were big on poker faces, so much so that even if they were going through turmoil underneath the surface, they maintained an unwavering exterior. When her parents fought, her mother pinched her face into a frown and answered her […]

Dapo went on his knees in his office, his hands thrown up in gratitude.   “Thank you, Father. Oh, thank you!”  It was big victories like these that made the small setbacks fade into the background. If there was one thing he’d seen in his years as counselor and team lead, it was unbelieving believers. They […]

It was 6am when Imade’s phone rang and Mrs Osakwe cried hysterically that the police had called her to the station.  “I don’t want to go alone,” she cried. “Please Imade, come with me.”  “But what did they say? Why do they want you to come?” Imade asked, sleep fogging her eyes.   “I don’t know. […]

“You can’t leave Benin now,” Mrs Ajayi said to Imade on the phone, the next day. “I can’t imagine how chaotic it is over there. What are the police doing about it?”  “I really don’t know. They said they’re looking for her, trying to retrace her last steps. Honestly, I don’t have much faith in […]

The atmosphere was rife with tension, fear, and accusations. Mrs Osakwe had hidden herself in her office after calling Imade to tell her about Lara. When Imade saw her, head in hand, she looked smaller, like she had shrunk within the space of a few hours. On the phone, she had sounded frantic, out of […]

The bad thing happened, but it didn’t happen until a day to the outreach. It didn’t happen until other tiny, good things happened in Imade’s life.  Good things like exchanging Whatsapp chats with Dapo. Like laughing over funny little anecdotes with him and sometimes, Yvonne. Good things like visiting the orphanage, sometimes rolling up her […]