The Mortehn Expressions

They both sat down and Romoke scrolled through the phone before telling Tomi to sit down beside her and watch. It was an X-rated video and Tomi cringed inwardly as she watched. She started to feel uneasy and Romoke was giggling. She told Tomi that what they were watching was what the seniors they passed on their way came to the class to do. Tomi’s mouth opened in amazement. All her life, she had never seen or witnessed anything like this though she had always heard about it. Back home before her mother died, they had always watched Mount Zion movies and she only had clean friends. Things were gradually changing for Tomi. Uncle Lanre's children all had phones except for the last child who was barely eight. Tomi's mum had not seen any need for her to have a phone and she never complained. She was a good child who always adhered to whatever her mother felt was right for her. Everything seemed wrong in her uncle’s family. She had caught the oldest son several times at the backy...

Tomi was inconsolable even though the neighbours tried their best to console her. Tomi's neighbours collected the number of her mum's relatives from her and informed them of the incident. Since all of them stayed in Lagos, they came to carry her corpse very early the following morning amidst tears and loud wailing. Arrangements for her burial was hurriedly made and she was buried in the evening. Tomi's uncle came to the house with her to get her belongings because she was going to start living with him now that her mother was dead. Their properties were put up for sale; it wasn’t much. It consisted of a 15-inch flatscreen tokunbo television, a DVD player, a two-seater sofa, a rug and a 4 by half mattress which was put on the floor. Tomi knew where her mother kept her money, she had no bank account. It was in one of the things that were going on sale that morning and she was hoping for a chance to take it without her uncle’s knowledge. She was afraid that he might collect ...