“Mummy?” Nkechi hurried towards her.

Her mother stood beside the vegetable stand, breathing heavily.

“What happened? Where have you been?”

“I was selling ma .” Nkechi said 

“Selling where?”

“Down the next street ma .”

Her mother looked at the almost-empty bowl. “You sold everything?”

“Yes ma.”

She took the money from Nkechi’s hand and counted it. Then she looked at her daughter.

“Did anybody disturb you?”

Nkechi hesitated.

“No ma “

Her mother frowned. “Nkechi.”

“Ma? Nothing happened ma.”

Mama Nkechi sighed.

“Go and buy garri for the house.”

“Mummy, I…”

“Go now .” Her mom said 

Nkechi picked up the money. She wanted to tell her. She wanted to say: John asked me to enter his house.

She wanted to say: He said he would give me money.

She wanted to say: He tried to touch me. But she looked at her mother’s tired face.

Her mother had been standing under the sun since morning. Her wrapper was stained with tomato juice. There was sweat on her forehead. And Nkechi thought about all the things her mother had to worry about. So she kept quiet.

That evening, when they got home, her father wasn’t there yet. Nkechi helped her mother prepare food. Around 10 p.m., her father finally returned. He was exhausted. He ate quietly.

Then he asked: “How was business?”

“Fine,” Mama Nkechi answered.

“School?”

“Fine,” Nkechi said.

Her father nodded.

“Good.”

Nobody mentioned John.

The next morning, Chinedu left before sunrise. Mama Nkechi went to the market.

Nkechi prepared for school. Everything looked normal. But it wasn’t. Because as Nkechi walked to school, she saw John standing across the road.

He smiled at her but She looked away.

He waved. She kept walking. Then he shouted:

“Nkechi! Tell your mother I want to buy vegetables today.”

She didn’t answer. But as she entered the school gate, she noticed something strange.

Her teacher was standing outside the classroom.

And beside her was the same man who had been watching John the previous day.

The teacher called her name.

“Nkechi, come here.”

Her stomach tightened.

“Yes, ma.”

The teacher looked at the man. Then back at Nkechi.

“Do you know this man?”

Nkechi shook her head.

“No ma I don’t .”

The man spoke quietly. “I need to tell you something about the man who sells drinks beside your mother’s stall.”

Nkechi’s eyes widened. “Uncle John?”

The man nodded.

And then he said something that made Nkechi’s heart begin to race.

“I’ve seen him do this before.”