Chapter 18

That morning when I woke up, I received a call from my Aunty. The one Tella stayed with, to be precise.

From her brittle voice that progressed into a wobbly tone and the way she occasionally took in ragged breaths to steady herself, I knew something was wrong. The way she even muttered incoherent words further confirmed my notion.

For a second, I wished I had not woken up so early that morning. I wished I was still in the peaceful and quiet land of sleep when she called. I would have gathered enough mental strength to handle what was about to come.

She wheezed and coughed shortly afterwards and it disturbed me on so many levels. I had never heard her sound this way. She was one bubbly and happy person I knew. For her to call me when she was in this mood, meaning the information she was something I needed to be aware of and would probably affect me. I had been listening quietly, waiting for her to break the bad news. My mind kept popping names up in my head. Was som