CLEO “Hey baby, sshhh…” Cleo nuzzled Amanda’s soft shoulders, inhaling the warm scent of her daughter’s onesie. Car rides weren’t Mandy’s favourite unless Axel was in the backseat with her, kicking his legs and offering a running commentary about the clouds or trucks they passed. After dropping Axel off at daycare, Mandy had started screeching […]

TARA  Tara: Hey, mamas! Any plans for Mother’s Day?Cleo is typing… Cleo: Nothing yet. What are you thinking? And I hope it doesn’t involve the kids. 😣Tara: No idea yet. Maybe we should brainstorm together when next we meet?Esther is typing… Esther: Hopefully, something I can film for my YouTube channel. Tara nearly sent the […]

ESTHER  Esther was frustrated. She had been trying to film a Day in My Life vlog for the past three days, and her son was not cooperating. He’d been fussier than usual all week, so clingy that she hadn’t been able to do her self-care routine, not even the basics. Her face felt like an […]

CLEO Cleo tiptoed out of the bedroom where her daughter Amanda was sleeping. She leaned against the door and exhaled deeply once she felt it was safe. Was it terrible to admit that the only time she truly enjoyed being a mother was when her kids were asleep?Of course, she’d never say that out loud, […]

TARA Anyone free for a coffee date? I’ve got some free time to kill. The message landed in the WhatsApp group with a heavy thud, and Tara immediately regretted sending it. She considered deleting it but then the group would get that telltale This message was deleted, and that would raise more questions than just […]

At first, Teni couldn’t believe her ears. The fact that her sensible friend – Eki of all people – had gone to see a psychic. A psychic. In Lagos. For goodness’ sake, what even was a psychic in Nigeria if not a babalawo in a different outfit?  “She wasn’t a babalawo,” Eki said, when Teni […]

Teniola wanted to get married. It was her 2025 Goal—capital G—right there on her vision board, alongside Visit Zanzibar and Apply for scholarships. But unlike the other goals, this one felt heavier, more urgent, like an unfinished assignment she had been carrying for too long. The way she saw it, all the other goals were […]

ANYAI search Toria’s face for clues that she’s joking. A waiter weaves between tables, the aroma of baked pastries trailing in his wake. But I’m barely aware of any of it. Her words keep ringing in my ears: I’d have to pay for my plane ticket to her “destination” wedding.“You’re hilarious,” I say, forcing a […]

TORIA I can tell it’s pissing Anya off, the fact that she knows very little about my relationship or impending wedding. I pretend to be focused on the food in front of me, keeping my mouth full to keep the smile of satisfaction off my face. I am not very good at lying and Anya […]