Tade, Shade and Julianna, 1999

It's three months already. Time for Julianna to go check if her parents' inlaw is back in the country. Knowing her mother-in-law, Julianna could just imagine how worried she would have been, wondering what happened to them if she came and saw how almost all the houses in her neighborhood had been burnt down.

She would surely want them to start living with her so she could keep an eye on them like she had suggested when Segun died. The problem now is that Julianna didn't want to go back. Whether there's now peace in Kano or not, Julianna has made up her mind never to live in Kano again because the city had taken from her, more than it had ever given.

Julianna had a life in Lagos now. The Bensons are good people who made her feel like part of their family. She's also gradually building a new career for herself. Shade advised her to go to culinary school since she was a very good cook.

The idea of having her own business appealed to Julianna especially when her diploma certificate from the Polytechnic has been burnt down with the house in Kano

***

Tade took Shade and Julianna to the park where they would be taking the night bus to Kano. While the bus was loading, Tade was checking Julianna out and thinking to himself...

'Shade was right, this girl is indeed attractive. Those boobs and ass, hmmm... Was I blind before?' He wondered as his eyes followed Julianna to where she went to get some snacks for the journey.

'She looks like she's still in college. Who would ever believe she was once married and had ever given birth?'

"Like what you see, you naughty boy!?" Shade whispered into Tade's ear, startling him and they both laughed. He was so engrossed in ogling Julianna's curvy body that he didn't hear her come up behind him,

"You bet! I never noticed she's this attractive...and luscious before. When are you going to discuss with her?"

"Easy tiger... When we come back from Kano."

"No now! That's not good enough... What if she now decided to stay back in Kano?"

"She won't trust me. I've already convinced her otherwise, don't worry."

"Are you sure she will agree?"

"Now who is anxious?"

"Not my fault jare. It was you who made me discover this hidden jewel, now I'm loving what I'm seeing." Tade's interest had been peaked towards Julianna, he knew her thoughts would now occupy his mind till they come back from Kano.

~^~

Julianna hardly talk all through their journey back to Kano, thinking about how she would convince her mother-in-law to let them stay back in Lagos. She knew convincing her won't be easy because they were both devastated when Segun died and she might not want to be far from her only grandchild.

Shade and Julianna with Abby arrived Kano in the afternoon and hardly rest in their hotel before Shade insisted on going straight to her inlaws house. She was anxious and needed to get it over with.

They arrived at the estate gate and according to protocol, the estate security agents asked for the house number so they could confirm from the owner of the house before they would be allowed to enter.

"I'm sorry madam, there's no one living in that house now." The security man said after going through his records.

"No one living... Oh, do you mean they are not back?"

"I mean nobody is living there right now. It has been vacant for the past two months."

"No, you must be mistaken, my husband's parents live in that house. They just traveled out of the country, they didn't vacate the house."

"House number fifteen right? The security man asked patiently."

"Yes, number fifteen," Julianna replied, nodding her head in confirmation. "They only traveled out of the country and should be back by now." She added.

"I don't know if they traveled as you said, I might not be on duty on that day. What I'm certain of and which I have in this record is that house number fifteen has been vacant for the past two months now. In fact, it's currently on the market to be sold and interested buyers have been coming to check on it."

"For the past two months now... Julianna repeated in confusion." But she told me she would spend three months, she should just be coming back to the country by now, why is the place now vacant!?"

"I'm sorry ma'am. Maybe you could go in and see for yourself." He asked one of the security men to follow them, probably to make sure they are not up to any funny business like breaking up someone's home. Since they are two women with a baby."

Truly, there was a 'for sale' sign hung in front of the four-bedroom bungalow that her inlaw had lived since she married into the family.

She couldn't get any information from the security agent who insisted that they didn't live any forwarding address, even if there was one, he wouldn't disclose any private information to them.

"What about their friends, family members, anybody from their place of work maybe?..." Shade asked Julianna who was now looking dejected

"I don't know anybody with them but I've been to their Church once. Today is Wednesday, I don't know if they would be having any weekday service?"

"If you know the church then let's go and find out, who knows we might be lucky." Shade said and they took a taxi to where the church was located outside the estate. The two women were both shocked by what they saw when they arrived at the church premises or what was left of it.

The big cathedral she once knew has been turned into a pile of rubbles. It was obvious the church was also affected by the crisis three months ago from the burnt timbers and rubbles that that was being pulled down by the bulldozer currently at work. Julianna looked towards Shade

"Now what?..." She asked tiredly