He stood there for a long moment before finally returning inside.
The compound became quiet again.
A new message arrived.
“That was close.”
Then another.
“This ends tonight.”
I stared at the screen.
“You’re married, Joy. Nothing should start in the first place.”
Several minutes passed before her reply came.
When it did, it was different.
“You’re right.”
The next morning, I stepped outside expecting awkwardness.
Instead, Mummy Joy greeted me normally.
No winks.
No strange smiles.
No secret messages.
A week later, Bro Kola announced that his company had transferred him to another city.
Within a month they moved away.
As the moving truck pulled out of the compound, Mummy Joy glanced at me one last time.
She smiled.
Not the mischievous smile from before.
Just a quiet smile that seemed to say:
“Some stories are better left unfinished.”
And that was the last time I ever saw her.
