Several passersby gave Ige the stink eye as she entered the bus from Sangotedo to Ajah. Her journey was still quite far and she was cashless and half-naked. If it were night, Ige would not have been bothered- he was right, she was used to walking around half naked but for some reason, wearing a male shirt that barely covered anything without making her feel sexy made her uneasy.

"Under Bridge!"The conductor called out her stop.

It was still windy, she fought endlessly with the shirt that wanted to carry itself with the breeze. The whispers were getting louder as she stepped out carefully into the buzz of city life. The hawkers that started their mornings with smiles on their faces at the prospect of a new day with heavy traffic sounded alike with their chant of cold pure water and bottled water. Bottled water minerals! It had always sounded more like coal pear wata bottu wata mineras to Ige.

Her leg was still hurting but still, she crossed the road carelessly, too busy checking her purse to see if her ATM card was intact. The passenger walkway to the Ajah market was crowded with people. Little children whose parents were beggars, tugged at the bags of people, following them till they were given money or dent away with harsh insults from the victims of their assaults. One of them held onto her shirt, exposing her buttocks a little. "Ṣe oti yà were? Àbí nkan ṣe é lori?" She spat, slapping his hands.

A woman behind her snickered the gossiped loudly in Igbo to her friend knowing that she won't understand.

Ige got to the entrance of the market. The sellers were setting up their stalls. A lot of them lay raffia mats on the floor or old sacks and placed their wares on them. Some of the Igbo men who sold jeans already hung them out, some were folded in the sacks. Customer- each one of them called out to her as she passed by. An agbero reached out to slap her buttocks but she caught him in time and slapped his hands away.

Don't touch if you can't pay was her slogan.

"Person no fit follow you play?" he mocked in pidgin English.

The ATM stand was empty, save for a security guard who was embarrassed to look at her. His skin was very yellow and dry- almost caked like a lizard's. "Good morning madam," he had said to her after clearing his throat noisily.

She nodded at him and withdrew cash of ten thousand nairas, knowing fully well that if she were to buy clothes at Ajah, she was going to spend a lot. The greedy Igbo sellers who sold fake designer items at costly prices were everywhere- no less than the haughty Yoruba women selling okirika at ridiculous prices that threw insults at a customer once if they priced an item.

She looked around for a stall that sold underwear.

After getting what she needed, nearly exhausting half of the money she withdrew, she walked out of the clothes market and went directly to the bus terminals; entering one that was headed to Obalende. When the bus finally took off, she fell asleep.

*+*+*+*+*

Unilag junction was almost empty, she had to wait a while to find a Keke maruwa going in the direction of the University of Lagos so she could drop at the other side leading to Bariga. She pulled out her phone and rolled her eyes at the numerous notifications from WhatsApp.

One was from a chief who was a regular customer. Can you stay the night?

She read it and ignored it, not in the mood to fulfil anyone's weird fetish for a while. Ige squinted her eyes at a new text message from an unknown number.

Did we use a condom last night?

Shit. No. Are you clean? She replied as quickly as she could; knowing that it was Akande and scared of contracting any STI- that was her only fear of being a prostitute. She didn't mind getting pregnant - abortion; although illegal was an easy route. Moreover, she was on birth control pills.

Yes. Are you?

Hmm. You're pretty careless.

She looked at the message and scoffed, not bothering to reply.

Another text came in from him. If this is your job, you won't last long. What if I had HIV or sth?

She deleted the messages and blocked the number. She had dealt with several rude customers in the past and none of them had bothered her so she couldn't help but wonder why his mean statements prodded her heart. On getting to where she lived, a one story building in that had been divided into two three bedroom flats. The old landlord and his problematic wife who was perhaps thirty years younger than him lived in the flat below, while she and a group of girls who were in the same line of business took the other flat. She caught sight of one of someone she knew from the University of Lagos.

Once upon a time, Ige would have been ashamed and hidden from her or any of them but she didn't care anymore. To her it didn't matter if the circumstances around her convocation were scandalous, because she was better of- unlike the lot of them scurrying around with waterproof envelopes containing CV's; living life below proper standards which they still couldn't afford.

"Ige," the girl- Tomiwa called out in greeting. She had a sheepish smile on her face. "How is everything nau. See how your face just dey shine."

Ige faked a smile. "Everything is alright. We bless God."

"So I'm looking for job, and a place to stay." Tomiwa eyed the storey building they stood in front of. "I've been seeing you around o."

Deep down Ige was burning with anger. The girl before her was one of those who had shamed her when her sextape got leaked. Now here she was, dropping subtle hints like a proper Nigerian.

"If you have accommodation or you know someone that has vacancy somewhere, just let me know."

Ige scoffed, trying her best to contain the thoughts of her heart within her. She so badly wanted to ask if Tomiwa could date to do what she did. She hated how Lagos girls wanted an easy life but too self righteous to open their legs; yet they wanted help from those who did- all the while shaming them. "Keep praying to God." She said sarcastically and walked off.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Àkàndé heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing her response, however, he still wasn't quite sure whether she was being truthful or not but from her initial reply that conveyed fear, he hoped that she was honest.

His hand travelled unconsciously inside his sweatpants, to his penis, stroking it slightly- trying to relive the pleasurable sensation he felt yesterday when her warm mouth was around his member. He took a deep breath, continuing the rhythm but could not feel what he had felt.

A call from his housemate interrupted him. Chibuike sounded frantic. "Guy be like say we don't enter one chance o. Chief... Odogwu called me now now, my man is angry."

"Relax. Wetin sup?"

"I go deliver charlie for chief's boy last week na. Odogwu kan tell me say the boy don miss."

"No be out fault. Shebi Odogwu know say we deliver." Akande was a tad bit frustrated. About six hundred thousand was at stake. "Abi he no speak with the boy for phone in your presence?"

"Omo..." Was the only thing Chibuike could say.

"Why Chief dey para self? I'd he not above six hundred?" Akande hissed, cutting the call. He dialled chief's number immediately. "Odogwu."

"Come to my house today o. We have scores to settle. I don't know how you people want to do it but find that boy and my charlie."

"Yes sir," Akande rolled his eyes.

"Also I have another business we have to discuss. Don't allow Chibuike to run it. He's not smart like you."

"No wahala. I'll be at your house by six thirty."