A CHRISTMAS COMPETITION: Chapter 2.

Chapter 2: SILENT NEIGHBOURS

“Did the Abuja visitors come to your house too?” Ike asks Ife. They were sitting in front of a locked shop not far from their houses.

“Yes oo. I think they visited every house here in the Estate to inform about their magazine feature.”

“Alright, naa. Goodnight, Ife.”
“Goodnight.”
The two bid each other as they proceed to cross the shops that leads to their different houses.
“And, where are you coming from?!” Mrs Omode shouts as she sights her daughter coming from the other end of the road.
“Good day, ma.” Ike greets as he hurries to open the door of his house.
“Ehn? Come, come. Come, come!” Mrs Omode calls Ike back as she shuts the door behind her.
Ife reduces her pace as she leans and squeezes herself to the wall of their house.
Ike stands still.
“Were you just with my daughter?” Mrs Omode asks.
Ike looks around as Ife signals him to not say anything.
“Answer me!” Mrs Omode yells as she moves from the door.
“And what is going on here?” Mrs Raimo asks as she comes out of her house and stands in front of her son.
“I was just asking Ike what he was doing with my daughter!” Mrs Omode was fuming.
“Ehn Ehn, eh eh.” Mrs Raimo claps her hands slowly. “Do not shout at my son like that. You need to ask your daughter what she was doing with my son.” She moves a bit closer to Mrs Omode.
At this point, Ife and Ike had gone closer to their mothers, tapping them slowly and signalling them to stop.
“Mama Ike, move out of the way and let me ask your son what he was doing with my daughter by this time.”
“Your daughter is standing there! I do not understand why you have to shout at my…”
Mrs Raimo takes more steps further in a haste and as the two proceed, they suddenly notice a Santa Claus air balloon floating on the air in a distance with Christmas lights shimmering from the corners of a house, two buildings from theirs.

“What is…that?” Mrs Raimo asks as she struggles to make out what she was seeing.

Ike and Ife both entered the house.
Mrs Omode’s mouth was wide open in shock and confusion.
The two of them started walking slowly towards the light they were seeing from afar. They held each other’s hands as they crossed over to the other side of the road.
On getting to the front of the house, they saw some people carrying big boxes into a house and they both looked at each other wondering what was happening.
“Mama Ife, are they moving in?”
“Yes… This house has not had occupants for so long now. I think they are moving in.”
“New neighbours! And they already have all these Christmas decorations everywhere?!” Mama Ike blurted this out loudly.
“Sssshhhhh!” Mama Ife was trying to quiet her down when she noticed an overly joyful woman walking towards them.
“Is she coming to meet us?”
“I think so. Be nice!” Mama Ife says as she locks hands with Mama Ike.

“Hello, good evening to you two. ” The woman said with a broad smile.”
They both responded.
“We just moved in. Are you our neighbours?”
“Yes. And are you the one that set up this Christmas decorations?” Mama Ike asks very quickly.
Mama Ife let out a big uncomfortable smile.
“Yes, we always go all out every Christmas.” The woman replied.
Mama Ife smiled again.
Mama Ike smiled too.
“Goodnight, neighbours.” The woman said as she turned and waved.
They both replied and began dragging each others hands as they head back to their houses.
“Do you think they know about the magazine feature? Christmas is in the next six days. Is that why they came?” Mama Ife asks Mama Ike.
“I don’t know. All i know is that they are sneaky, silent neighbours!”
“All i know is i and family are winning this and getting on that magazine.”
“No! My family!”
The two women looked at each other and then quickly separate their hands and headed back to their houses, slamming the doors behind them.

WRITTEN BY, GOODNESS FELIX-ADEBAYO.