Page 89 of Cursed Daughters
And he was gone, rushing past Ebun, out into the bright afternoon.
IV
“Did you sleep with him?”
“No.”
Ebun paused for a beat. In that time, Mo held her breath, hoping that none of her tells would betray her. Ebun was studying her carefully. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips bent into a frown. She wiggled her nose.
“What do you think you are doing? He is married.”
“He shouldn’t be,” Mo answered as she patted down her dress.
“But he is.”
“I don’t need you to judge me, Ebun.”
“Somebody has to. You are clearly unable to control yourself.”
“Says the pregnant woman.”
She picked up her knickers and stood up, trying to maintain her dignity as she did so. She pushed past Ebun and went to the kitchen. Her cousin followed her.
“He isn’t worth all this.”
But he was. If anyone was worth it, Golden Boy was.
“Look. It was just. I don’t know. We both needed it. And now it is done. And he will be racked with guilt and I won’t hear from him again.”
“He has a wife, Mo. And a child.”
“I heard you the first time.”
“All those Mills & Boon novels have fried your brain.”
Monife poured herself a glass of water. She kept her back turned to Ebun; she didn’t want her to see her hand shaking. This day waslong overdue. She was never going to be able to live up to her cousin’s expectations. She had never really been the person Ebun looked up to. She was just a babe trying to survive.
“Well?” Ebun continued.
“Well what? What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me you are done with him.”
“I am done with him.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“That’s your problem, not mine.”
She wiped her eyes, but there were no tears. She was tired. She had no idea how she had gotten to this place. Or what she could have done to change her fate.
This had only happened because she and GB were in the wrong places, living the wrong lives. She hated thinking that he might be regretting what had taken place between them.
They heard the front door open, and then Aunt Kemi wandered into the kitchen. She was whistling, which meant she had probably just received a payout from one of her exes. Her outfit was also a dead giveaway. She was dressed in a tight-fitting blouse and white trousers, her red nails freshly polished, and she was wearing her most expensive jewellery.
“? káàbò,” said Ebun.
“? ?é,” Kemi said. She looked from Monife at the sink to Ebun standing at the table. She could clearly sense the tension. “Everything okay?”
