Ajimka held his gaze, her heart uneasy. Then he turned and walked away.
Madame Agatha adjusted her wrapper and went back to her seat as if nothing had happened.
“Why are you standing there?” she snapped. “Go and serve the food.”
Ajimka and the other waitresses moved quickly, but her mind continued to replay what had happened.
That evening after work, Ajimka was walking home slowly. Her legs were tired from a long day at work. As she walked, she saw someone sitting by the roadside.
At first, she did not pay much attention, but after a few steps, she slowed down. Something felt familiar. She looked again, this time more carefully. As she moved closer, she narrowed her eyes. Then she stopped.
It was him, the same old man from the restaurant that morning.
He was sitting on the pavement, holding his plastic plate. His head was low. He looked even weaker than before.
Ajimka stood across the road for a moment. Then she looked away and continued walking, but her steps became slow. Her mind would not rest.
She remembered how he had stood at the restaurant in the morning, how the water had been poured on him, how he had said nothing.
She held her handbag tighter. Inside it was the little money she had left, the only money she planned to use to cook something for herself.
She took a few more steps. Then she stopped again.
She spoke under her breath, almost as if she was arguing with herself.
“If I reduce the ingredients I want to buy for the soup, I’ll cook this evening. The soup will still come out fine.”
She shook her head.
“No, things are already hard.”
She walked again, then stopped. She closed her eyes briefly.
“But I will soon collect my salary. It won’t hurt if I manage for a while.”
She turned. This time, she walked back. Her steps were faster now. She had made up her mind.
“If I leave him like this, I will not be at peace,” she said quietly.
As she got close to where he had been sitting, she slowed down. Then she stopped.
The spot was empty.
She looked around. She turned left, then right.
“Where did he go now?”
She took a few steps forward, stretching her neck, trying to see if he was nearby, but the road was already getting dark. People were passing, but the old man was nowhere to be seen.
She stood still for a moment. Then she let out a quiet breath.
“God, I hope he finds something to eat tonight.”
She looked once more, just in case. Nothing.
Slowly, she turned and continued her walk home.
The next morning, Ajimka arrived at work early. She tied her apron and went straight to work. But her mind was not there.
As she carried plates from one table to another, her thoughts kept going back to the old man, whose name was Ogbon. The way he stood there. The way he said nothing. The way he looked at her before leaving.
Even as customers spoke to her, she had to force herself to listen.
“Waitress, my drink,” one man said.
“Yes, sir,” she replied quickly, snapping back.
She moved faster, trying to keep up, but deep down, something would not settle.
By afternoon, it was time for lunch break. The staff usually gathered at the back to eat. Ajimka stood up slowly. Then something came to her mind. She turned and went straight to the kitchen.
The cook, a middle-aged woman, was serving food into plates.
“Ajimka, come and take your food,” the woman said.
Ajimka hesitated for a second.
“Please, can you help me pack mine in a takeaway plate?”
The cook stopped and looked at her.
“Takeaway? Why?”
Ajimka forced a small smile.
“It’s just a personal reason.”
The cook narrowed her eyes slightly.
“You, this girl. What are you up to?”
“Nothing, Ma. Please just help me,” Ajimka said softly.
The cook shook her head.
“Okay.”
She packed the food and handed it to her.
“Thank you, Ma,” Ajimka said quickly.
She took the food, placed it inside a small nylon bag, and stepped out of the kitchen. Her eyes moved around carefully.
She walked to a table close to the exit and bent down, pretending to clean it. Quietly, she slipped the nylon bag under the table. Then she picked up a hand towel and started wiping the surface of the table. Her eyes kept moving, watching, waiting.
Customers talked quietly at their tables. Waitresses moved up and down, carrying plates from one side to another. Madame Agatha sat in her usual spot, watching everything like she always did.
Ajimka wiped the table slowly, trying to delay.
“Not now. Not yet,” she said softly to herself.
Then suddenly, Madame Agatha’s voice rang out.
“Who served this food?”
The room went quiet. People turned to look. One waitress stood still, confused.
“Ma?”
“Come here,” Madame Agatha said sharply.
Immediately, all attention shifted to them. Ajimka froze for a second. Then she saw it.
This was her chance.
Without wasting time, she bent quickly, picked up the nylon bag, and straightened up. She walked calmly at first, then faster, then faster.
Within seconds, she was out of the restaurant.
The hot afternoon air hit her face. She held the nylon bag tight.
“I hope he is there today,” she said under her breath.
Her steps became quicker. She turned the corner. Her eyes searched ahead. She slowed down slightly and stretched her neck, looking.
Nothing.
She moved forward again. Maybe he was just out of sight.
She kept going. Her eyes scanned both sides of the road.
Still nothing.
When she got to the exact spot where she had seen him the previous day, she stopped.
He was not there.
She stood still. Her shoulders dropped a little. She looked left, then right.
No sign of him.
She let out a deep breath.
“So all this effort wasted just like that,” she said.
For a moment, she felt tired. Not just in her body, but in her heart.
She turned slowly, about to leave. Then she paused.
Something caught her attention across the road on the other side. She narrowed her eyes. There was someone sitting there.
She looked again carefully. Her eyes widened slightly.
“That’s him.”
Without wasting time, she looked left and right and crossed the road quickly. As she got closer, she slowed down.
It was him.
Ogbon was still holding that same plastic plate, still looking weak.
Ajimka walked up to him.
“Good afternoon, sir,” she said gently.
The man looked up. Their eyes met again. This time, he did not look away.
Ajimka stretched out her hand and gave him the nylon bag.
“Please take this.”
Ogbon looked at the nylon bag, then at her. He did not collect it immediately.
“For me?” he asked slowly.
“Yes,” she replied. “It’s food.”
He still did not take it.
“Why?” he asked.
Ajimka blinked.
“Why? What?”
“Why are you giving me this?” he asked again.
Ajimka shifted slightly.
“I saw what happened yesterday,” she said. “What my madam did. I felt very bad.”
She paused for a second.
“But I could not say anything. If I had spoken, I would have lost my job immediately.”
Ogbon kept looking at her, his eyes steady. No reaction.
Ajimka continued, her voice a bit faster now.
“This is my lunch, but I’m sure you need it more than I do. I will find a way to sort myself out.”
She stretched the nylon bag closer to him.
“Please, just take it.”
This time, Ogbon slowly reached out and collected it, but his eyes did not leave her face.
“You may not eat this afternoon because of this,” he said.
Ajimka gave a small, quick smile.
“I will be fine.”
There was a brief silence. Then he spoke again.
“What if helping me brings you trouble?”
Ajimka was caught off guard. She frowned slightly.
“Do not worry about me,” she said. “Right now, you need to eat.”
Ogbon nodded slowly, as if he was noting something.
Ajimka glanced back toward the road. Her eyes widened.
“I need to go,” she said quickly. “They will start looking for me.”
She took a step back, then another.
“Please eat it before it gets cold.”
Ogbon said nothing. He only watched her.
Ajimka turned and began to move fast, her steps quick, almost running. Her heart beat loudly in her chest.
“I hope nobody noticed,” she muttered.
She reached the restaurant and slowed down. She adjusted her face, took a breath, then stepped inside.
Everything was still busy. Voices. Movement. Madame Agatha was still talking to the waitress from earlier.
Just as Ajimka walked back into the restaurant, she straightened her apron and tried to calm her breathing.
A voice stopped her.
“Ajimka.”
She froze. Slowly, she turned.
It was Azuka, one of the waitresses. She stood by a table with her arms folded, a slight unfriendly smile on her face.
Azuka looked at Ajimka for a moment, then her eyes dropped to her hands. They were empty.
“Where are you coming from?” she asked.
Ajimka hesitated.
“Nowhere,” she said.
Azuka moved a little closer.
“Nowhere,” she repeated.
Her voice was calm, but there was something firm in it.
“I saw you. You stepped out with a nylon bag during the break,” she said.
She paused, then looked at her again.
“So, where is it now?”
Azuka looked straight into her eyes. Then she added, her voice lowering slightly.
“You should remember something, Ajimka.”
She leaned in just a little closer. There was a long silence. Then she spoke.
“Just so you know, I have my eyes on you.”
Ajimka did not respond. She only stood there still.
“Any small mistake you make, I will make sure you suffer for it,” Azuka said.
Ajimka’s chest felt heavy for a moment, but she did not show it.
There was a brief silence between them. Then Azuka stepped back, picked up a tray, and walked away as if nothing had happened.
Azuka had never liked Ajimka.
From the very beginning, something about Ajimka annoyed her. Ajimka was always praised for her hard work. Customers liked her. They smiled at her. Some even gave her tips.
That used to be Azuka. She used to be the one everyone noticed, the one customers liked. But since Ajimka started working at the restaurant, things had changed. Now it felt like she had been pushed aside.
She did not like it at all. She resented Ajimka for stealing her spotlight.
Ajimka stood there for a moment. Then she picked up her tray and went back to work. She chose not to think about what had just happened. She was just glad she had not been caught giving the man food.
Later that night, after Ajimka returned home, her body felt weak from the long day at work. The room was quiet.
As she sat on the mat, she heard something. A low rumbling sound came from the sky. She paused. She looked up at the ceiling.
Another sound followed, louder this time.
Rumble.
Ajimka closed her eyes for a moment.
“No,” she whispered.
Her heart dropped. She already knew what was coming.
Not long after, the rain started. At first, it was light. Then it grew heavier, then louder.
Within minutes, water started leaking through the roof.
Ajimka stood up quickly.
“Not today,” she said under her breath.
She rushed to the leaking spots and placed bowls underneath so the water could drip into them. Water kept coming in from different spots.
She sat on her mat and sighed deeply.
“Once I get paid by the end of this month, I will add it to the money I’ve saved and fix this roof. I will fix everything. All these leaks must stop.”
Then suddenly, she heard another sound behind her.
She turned. Her eyes widened.
Water had started falling right where her mat was.
She bent down and moved the mat to another part of the room where there was no leakage. She stood in the middle of the room, looking around at bowls everywhere and water on the floor.
It was frustrating.
The next morning at the restaurant started like any other day. Noise. Movement. Customers placing orders.
Ajimka worked quietly.
When it was time for lunch break again, she walked to the kitchen. The cook was already serving food to the workers.
“Ajimka, come and take your food,” the cook said.
Ajimka walked closer and whispered.
“Please, Ma. Can you serve mine in a takeaway?”
The cook stopped and looked at her.
“Again?” she asked.
Her eyes narrowed.
“You did the same thing yesterday. Why?”
Ajimka forced a small smile.
“It’s just something personal, Ma.”
The cook sighed.
“Okay.”
She packed the food into a takeaway plate and handed it to her.
“Thank you, Ma,” Ajimka said quickly.
She took it and left.
Ajimka placed the food in a nylon bag and waited until everyone was distracted as usual before stepping out of the restaurant.
Outside, the sun was hot. Ajimka walked fast, her eyes searching as she got closer to the usual spot.
She saw him, Ogbon.
But something was not right.
He was not sitting upright like before. His body looked weak. His head was low.
Ajimka moved closer.
“Good afternoon, sir,” she said.
Ogbon lifted his head slowly.
“Good afternoon,” he replied.
His voice was weak.
Ajimka frowned.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He shook his head slowly.
“I’m not feeling well, my daughter.”
Her face changed.
“What is wrong?” she asked.
Ogbon sighed.
“My body is hot. I feel very weak.”
Ajimka quickly handed him the food.
“Please eat this first.”
He collected it slowly.
“Thank you, my daughter,” he said.
Ajimka watched him for a moment. Then she asked,
“Have you taken any medicine?”
Ogbon shook his head.
“No. I don’t have money for that.”
Ajimka went quiet. She drifted into deep thought. She looked at him again.
“How long have you been feeling like this?” she asked.
“Just since this morning,” he replied.
Ajimka pressed her lips together.
“This is not good,” she said softly.
