Ilemona had just returned from the market and was about to start preparing dinner. The sun was setting and Baba would be home soon. He didn't like that he had to wait for his evening meal. She had to hurry. The little children in their family compound played with an old car tire, taking turns moving it with a stick while the older children played Whots. They had started arguing that Ocheja had cheated at the card game and that they should start a new game. Ilemona smiled as she watched them bicker. She missed the times when she and her best friend, Unugwa, would argue over trivial matters like this. But Unugwa was now married and living in Lokoja with her husband. The news of Unugwa's engagement had come as a shock to her. Unugwa had never mentioned that she was getting married even though she had known it for a long time. Ilemona did not understand this; she still hasn't done it. They told each other everything. She had told Unugwa when she started having secret meetings with Oyidi under the cashew tree on her father's farm. They were returning from the Iye Ele kiosk when Unugwa broke the news. “I'm going to marry Ile,” she said, looking at the reddish earth. She examined the sand like someone seeing it for the first time. She seemed defeated. Ilemona burst out laughing. She thought it was one of Unugwa's jokes. She once lied that she was pregnant with Adejo, the pastor's son. Ilemona was so worried that she didn't eat for days. She could only think of what Unugwa's parents were going to do to her. Her father was a retired soldier and she was an only child. At the time, they were about to graduate from high school. But what could have inspired this new lie? Maybe it was the Mex... in the middle of the paper... hungrily that night. The gods knew she needed everyone to sleep soundly. She told them so. She didn't take much. She only took some clothes and some food in case she got hungry on the way. She also took some of the money Yahaya had given to her father. He had hidden it in an empty pot in their kitchen. She wouldn't take everything. His father had to eat. She waited for the rain to subside before going to her mother's grave. She didn't know the next time she would be there. She knelt and prayed for guidance. Their dog was watching her. She was looking at him too. She would miss him but now was not the time to be sentimental. She knew what she wanted. Ilemona had big dreams. She didn't turn around and ran towards the parking lot. She saw Odu-Ofomu disappear from her life on their way to Ibadan. The village was dead but she was alive. She was about to learn the way.