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She woke up to the phone ringing, her heart skipped a beat, as she reached out shakily for it. 

Hello, 

Sorry Mr Duniya, 

Mr Duniya? A sales call. She dropped the phone and went back to sleep.

The phone rang again.

She ignored it,

The next thing she heard was a loud banging and a large exploding sound. 

She jumped out shaken, headed for her get away bag hidden in the kitchen pantry at the bottom of the 100 kilo bag of rice. 

She didn't open to check. She knew exactly what was in there. A passport, some prepaid cards, cash, a change of clothes, windup radio with a torchlight, underwear in a black cheap plastic shopping bag, she changed quickly to her cargo pants and sneakers. Tag her veil and was out the back gate of her neighbour's house.

She was unnaturally calm. She knew where she was going, paranoid that she was she did not head there but jumped on the first public transports bus squeezed between civil servants returning to work after lunch, market women with the basics of product and young street people jumping onto the open bus door and jumping down again while the bus was moving with no regard for traffic rules focused on they were on the immediate threat of the bus conductors catching a them for stealing a fare.

This was perfect Duniya thought she would be seen but could not be touched. At least not here and she could also see her pursuers if they were any. She couldn't detect anything at first. 

She woke up with a start. 

The sun had gone down and the air cooled significantly. For a moment she was disoriented, her head hurt, mouth dry she was dehydrated. 

She was in a small room with no electricity, it was the better part of town power shortages were not that common.

She looked at her phone, battery at the 20%.

She called a number saved on her phone as a bikini 👙emoji.

Hello? She said cautiously. Waiting for the network to kick in after the delay. 

Hello an older said quietly. 

"Inna wuni" Duniya said the greeting cautiously. It was the standard evening greeting nothing a miss with it. 

"Lafiya lau", the elder returned.

"Ya ya Iyali", she asked about the wellbeing of the family. 

"Sunnan lafiya", the elder responded in the affirmative. 

"Hajiya tanan lafiya me"? The elder asked about her wellbeing. 

"Alhamdulillahi", Duniya responded. 

"An yi baki ne?, Duniya asked if she had had visitors. 

"Ae!" The elder said in the affirmative. "Sun zo 

sunyi barnan su sun tafi".  

Duniya's heart skipped a beat. "Barna?" What damage could she mean. 

"Ae! Har ma sun passa baban kofan gidan". The strangers had broken the front gate. Duniya tried to be calm. 

"Wai wa suke nemane?" She wanted to know if they were looking for her but she did not want to come out right and say so. 

"Ba su yi wani magana kamman haka ba", the elder responded as clear as mud. 

Duniya didn't want to raise any alarms. "To

shikenan, na buga ne muyi gaisuwa". They both knew she was lying. She hadn't call just to say hello. 

"Toh, the elder responded in her steady voice. "Yaushe zaki dawo gidan?" 

When would she return home? Was that code? Was someone listening on the line? 

Duniya decided to play to the unseen audience if there was one. 

"Wallahi kin san aki nan nawa, akwai tafiya". Duniya said blaming her unknown time of return on work schedule. 

"Toh, Allah ya dawo dake lafiya", the elder responded wishing her well.

Duniya was about to cut off the line when she caught the elder saying almost as an after thought. 

"Yafi ki dan huta a chan kafin, ki dawo gida". An invitation to take a holiday before returning home. 

Then the line was dead. 

Duniya, sat in the dark room with mosquitos swarming around her exposed ankles. 

It could be nothing. She could just be overreacting. She should check her social media see if there were any messages. 

Ten percent battery life left on her phone. She thought not.

If she was staying her she needed to get some provisions. 

She walked down the corridor of the abandoned apartment block. It was a modern building in an up an coming neighbourhood. Ordinarily it would have been rented out, but due to the pandemic the AirBnB business had come to a standstill. The owner had not bothered to put any electricity in the prepaid meter and the security had not been instructed to put on the generator. 

In a way she was glad of the darkness, she was safe enough covered head to toe in a dark veil. There was nothing about her to draw attention to herself. 

She walked around the estate until she came to the Mallam kiosk, he was a Fulani speaking economic migrant from Niger with pidgin Hausa. 

She remembered her friends once remarking about how Hausa was the only language you were encouraged to speak badly. You weren't judged on the grammar. 

As he passed her a small loaf of bread, a tin of peak milk, a box of cabin biscuit and box

of Lipton teabags she wondered how she would make tea without electricity. She hadn't checked the stove was gas or electric powered or even if there was any gas.

Normally she would have called ahead but she had been so paranoid. And terrified if she was

honest with herself. 

She needed to start being honest with herself. She had been so deep in self reflection she had not noticed the corridor was lit. Had the electricity returned? Was is a power outage rather than an unpaid electric meter?

Her steps slowed as she reached for the metal security door to the apartment. She should flee but she was tired of running and tired of fear. With an burst of adrenaline she walked through the door with purpose. 

Lah! She exclaimed I didn't expect to see you here. She almost burst into tears in relief but held herself back. 

You must have known I would come after sending me a text like that Kyakyawa said. Standing by the dinning table in the middle of the well lit room. 

You brought food, Duniya's stomach growled loudly and she dropped her miserable provisions on the glass topped table. 

There were expensive looking food warmer sets and food flasks. 

You brought enough for an army, Duniya said almost tearfully. 

It was the site of the delicious array of food, "maasa da miyan taushe", rice and stew, "balangu" charcoal grilled mutton, cold "tsobo", "kunnun zaki", delicious aromatic sweet tea. 

Where do I start? Duniya asked. Standing by the table like a lost soul she felt she was. 

Kyakyawa walked towards her carefully almost as if any sudden movement would make her bolt right out of her skin. 

"Zo ki zauna", she said gently seating her down. She poured a cold drink in a glass that and handed it to her. Her hand slightly shaking, Duniya took a sip. The too

sweet dark red liquid giving her a sugar rush. 

Water, she said. 

Kyakyawa opened a cooler and brought out a chilled bottled water handing it to her. She

watched as she gulped the water down until Duniya felt self conscious, and wiped the water that had trickled down the side of her chin. 

They sat there staring at each other. The silence uncomfortable until Kyakyawa took a dish and began putting a selection of food on the wide flat ceramic dish. 

Ever the hostess Duniya thought bitterly. Trying not to let her resentment and bad feelings overwhelm her. 

She was not mad at Kyakyawa but she was the closest person to her. The only one she could lash out. 

They had not parted in good terms and had not been in contact for months. For once Duniya was glad of it. 

Her phone beep a warning reminding her to charge it. 

Do you have a charger? She felt shy suddenly. She was so prepared she had forgotten to pack her charger.

She would do better next time. 

Next time she thought her mood plummeting. 

She felt a hand on her own, gentle unclasping her fingers from the folk she was holding in a

death grip. She let go and looked up. 

Eat first Kyakyawa said deliberately loading bit of food onto the fork. 

Open, she said and Duniya complied chewing slowly as she watched Kyakyawa load some more. 

Her stomach felt less tight and the queasiness eased. God she was beautiful, the thought cropped into her psyche and her body reacted. 

Must she be such a primal being? Food, tears, sex? 

Open, Kyakyawa said again. Duniya was glad she was dark skinned as blood rushed to her

cheeks. 

She saw Kyakyawa's pupils dilate, mirroring her arousal. Duniya watched her as she continued to chew.

She was hungry. 

They sat together in silence. Kyakyawa feeding her choice morsels of food. Duniya quietly chewing, watching. 

She watched as Kyakyawa painstaking gathered the last bits of food on the almost plate and lifted it to her lips.

She opened her mouth, stuck out her tongue to meet fork, closed her mouth to the food, fork and held still for a moment before letting go. 

Kyakyawa left, the table. You need a hot bath she said.

It wasn't clear to Duniya if she was hurrying away from her. Duniya reached for the bottled

water her throat suddenly parched. 

She got up to take the dish to the sink. She looked at the warmers full of food with worry. Should she put them in the fridge the food was

to good to go to waste and though Duniya appreciated good food she was an atrocious cook.

Kyakyawa will know what to do. She thought as she walked towards the bedroom and enjoining bathroom suite. 

What should I do about the food she called out as she walked into the bathroom where Kyakyawa was filling bath with hot water and bubble baths.

You really take care of your guests don't you Duniya said, thinking about the dripping hot water and bucket she used to bathe in her own home. 

Kyakyawa, smiled I like good things and so do my guests.