She wasn’t quite sure she was ready to meet her mother yet. It had been horrid since the past few months after she revealed her decision to abandon her bank job for bartending. It was not much of an unwise decision as she felt everyone thought it was. “People should be allowed to do what they love,” she thought. Notwithstanding the fact that she studied for a number of years to achieve that banking feat. It was more of a feat to her because she had worked so hard all those years and rarely even slept at night. Sometimes, when she remembered how hard she worked for it, she almost gave herself a hard knock on the head despite everything, she had abandoned banking. It was no wonder it drove her mother wild when she began bartending; the poor woman wondered why anyone would leave the King’s meal for a beggar’s empty plate.

Stopping at the door to peep at her wristwatch, she felt her heart skip a beat and her legs become wobbly. She knocked at the door slightly, listening with rapt attention for any reply. She wasn’t sure she heard any. She turned the doorknob quietly, and the door gave way. She stepped a foot in and stopped to think for a bit, then she glanced in. The sitting room looked cleaner than she had left it just a couple of months ago. She had already forgotten what a neat freak her mother was. She stared at the vase on the table for a while. She couldn’t help thinking its position had changed. She entered and tugged the door shut behind her still she heard nothing.

The sweet aroma of fried plantains filled her nostrils. She walked to the kitchen and heard the sizzling sound of the plantains in hot oil. That was very much like her mother—always eating fried plantains. She walked back into the sitting room, looking around like she was searching for something. She heaved a sign when she noticed that her mother had removed all of her pictures and portraits from the living room. All that was left hanging on the walls and resting on the stereo were the pictures exhibiting the rest of the family. She was in shock when she finally saw a family portrait without her in it.

She couldn’t believe her mother took the fight as far as erasing her existence from the family’s records. It meant a lot that her mother hadn’t changed, and if she really hadn’t, it meant trouble for her. She heard drips of water at that instant, nearly jumping out of her skin, she turned around. It was Sam. He had pushed over a cup on the table. The water spilled across the table and began to drip onto the floor. Her mother still kept Sam, and the ferret hadn’t changed a bit. He purred as he saw her and licked his paw.

“Look what you’ve done to the table,” her mother’s voice rang across the silent living room as she rushed in with a rag to wipe the table feebly. She noticed Gina standing just a few steps away from the kitchen, looking terrified. She must have noticed that Gina was tense because she went back to wiping the table with a lot more energy this time as she thought of how best to act.

“He must have mistaken it for milk,” she said, looking at Gina as she wiped the table.

“Oh dear, my plantains!”

She walked briskly to the kitchen and turned the cooker off.

Gina became a little less tense, but she wasn’t ready to speak. Her mother’s reaction shocked her. She expected something fierce and brutal. Maybe her mother had changed after all.

“If you care for plantains, you are going to have to fry them yourself. You know I don’t share these.” She smiled at Gina as she spoke, carrying her plantains on a paper plate across the living room to the dining table. Gina felt her fear disappear. She sunk her tired body into a nearby sofa. She was not hungry earlier, but after the tension she felt, she wanted a whole lot of food. The room was quiet for a while until her mother spoke. “I prepared some noodles. You should be hungry.”

Gina smiled thankfully and made her way to the kitchen. This was going far better than she had even hoped.

“It’s been a while, Gina. You disappeared without a trace.” Her mother’s voice sounded dry as Gina appeared with a plate of noodles.

“I’m sorry, Mum.” She put the plate filled with noodles on the dining table and took a seat. Her mother laughed lightly at her words.

“You are sorry. For what?” She took another plantain and added it to the one she was already munching. Gina tried to avoid her mother’s prying eyes and focus on her meal.

“If you are rendering heartfelt apologies for what you did months ago—quitting a bank job to become a bartender, ‘I’m sorry,’ won’t do the trick. You’ll have to do better than that.” She took the last plantain with her fork. “But if the apology is for disappearing for a couple of months, then I don’t think it’s necessary.” She pulled the plantain with her teeth and chewed effortlessly.

The room became quiet once again. Gina did not know how to reply to her mother. This was the exact same reason she had left home over seven months ago. This same issue was back to haunt her.

“At least tell me why you quit banking? You weren’t asked to resign….”

“You don’t know for certain if I was sacked. I had a lot going on in my life, Mother. I had no other choice but to give up banking for bartending.” She looked up fiercely at her mother, who was staring at her intently.

“Why did you return?” she asked calmly as if counting her words. Gina had nothing to say. She slowly stopped eating her noodles and dropped her fork on the table. She had lost her appetite for her food. She was upset. Her mother stood up and picked up her paper plate, which was now empty. In her left hand was her ferret. “If you think I will accept you back as a bartender, then you must be out of your mind. My daughter is a banker. That is the Gina I know, and if that isn’t you, then leave. Allow me to mourn my daughter in peace,” she said with so much hate in her voice and left for the kitchen.

Gina was right. Her mother had not changed, and she could feel a pang of hatred in her mother’s voice as she spoke. She had to brace for the challenge of living with her mother again even in her refusal to forgive her for quitting her bank job.

She stood up in a bid to check how bad her room looked. It had been seven months already.

“Oh, sugar!” she exclaimed as soon as she turned around.

“You didn’t think I would be coming to see you, did you?” There was scorn in someone’s voice as she spoke.

Gina stared at her in shock. “Galena!” she exclaimed.

Gina thought Galena looked so different. She looked so beautiful in her chiffon blouse tucked into a grey pencil skirt like a formal lady. Was it her mind playing tricks on her or had Galena lost weight? She loved what Galena had done with her hair. The curls fell down her back so perfectly and that lipstick shade created a glow for her supple skin.

“Seven months later and you creep up behind me to scare the wits out of me. How nice,” Gina said with an unsure smile.

Galena laughed lightly and sat on one of the chairs at the dining table.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” Gina said truthfully, avoiding eye contact with Galena.

“You couldn’t have. You don’t expect me to jump into your arms and give you a great big hug, do you?” Galena asked in a snarky manner, looking at Gina who was seated comfortably across the dining table, listening with rapt attention.

Galena was Gina’s twin sister. She was the perfect one who always had everything fall in the right places. For one, she was married with two children. Her husband was well to do, and her marriage was in perfect condition. She was a proud mother, wife, and medical doctor. Talk about perfection—she had it all.

Gina, on the other hand, could not even get herself a decent boyfriend. She stuck with Craig because she was rather lonely most of the time as she could not even maintain a good relationship with her family. Craig was her boyfriend from her varsity days. They used to go clubbing together. They had even received an award for "couple of the year" during their final year in school. Gina knew they had no future together because Craig could not keep his manhood in check despite that she tried to satisfy his sexual desires as best she could. Besides, he had no job or any house to call his own. He depended on his parents, Gina, and a few friends to meet his every need.

All he did daily was gamble with some thugs, and he had a taste for any woman who caught his attention. But he was the last person in Gina’s life, and she could not bear to lose him yet.

“You quit your banking job and gave us no reason whatsoever for doing so,” Galena said. “When mother and I showed how displeased we were with you, you took off and suddenly returned after several months. What did you expect, a party?” Galena asked wide-eyed in a displeased tone.

“Would you believe me if I told you why I quit banking?” Gina asked calmly.

“I don’t care!” Galena blurted. “I am just here to ask if you’re ready to take on another bank job?”

“No, I am not. I am here to reunite with my family,” Gina stated clearly.

“How is the reunion going for you?” Galena asked with a cackle.

“Listen Galena. I am twenty-eight, not eight. I make my own decisions and live my life how I deem fit for me. I appreciate your concern, but I need you to stay out of my way and mind your business. Go back home, boss your husband and children around like you should, but you cannot do that to me. Not anymore. I will never let you or Mother drive me nuts with your forced opinions anymore,” Gina concluded with an angry face. She felt victory surge through her bones like electricity. Galena was quiet, staring like an injured kitten.

Galena had always been the smart one. She was the one with the brains to study medicine at the prestigious University Downtown. She was always right. Their mother always agreed with her. She always put up a good argument during every fight. Gina felt caged, locked away, and abandoned every single time. She had lost all hope of a bright future at a young age as she was terrible at almost everything. She barely made it through school. All her decisions were influenced by her father because he loved her and knew of her insecurities, and her need to be loved and respected like her sister. After he died, she lost everything and everyone. Her source of inspiration and will to fight on died with him.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Gina broke the silence that had already enveloped the sitting room as she stood up and made to leave, leaving her sister alone at the table recovering from Gina’s words.

Gina pulled at her car door, the only prized possession she had obtained for working at the bank for four years. Sometimes she wondered how far she’d have gone if she had not quit the job; but she had to, it would not have gone well for her; at least that was what she thought. Besides, she loved bartending, a strange passion. She peeked into her ringing phone as she fastened her seat belt; it was a strange number.

“Yes,” she spoke after she pressed the receive button.

“Hello,” came the reply from the other end; “I need to speak with Gina please.” The man said, his accent was distinct, Gina thought she might have heard him speak somewhere before.

“You have her on the line already.” Gina replied reluctantly.

“This is Downtown Police; we have your brother at the station; he was brought in this morning for theft and has asked that we call you.” He said rather calmly.

Gina was in shock for a few seconds; “what!” she exclaimed when she finally found her voice. “We have your brother_”

“Sorry, I think you got the wrong number.” She replied very quickly, interrupting him. Her whole thoughts were filled with disbelief.

“Ma’am, you are certain Andrew Johnson is not your brother, Alright; came the reply from the husky voice at the other end of the phone; “have a pleasant_”

“Wait; Gina interrupted him again; “Oh my dear God.” She muttered under her breath; she was totally taken aback by the situation; “he is my brother.” She finally replied, lowering her voice in shame.

“Downtown Police Station, I’ll be there in a jiffy.” She concluded with uneasiness and the line went dead.

“Urgghh! The fool!” she bellowed, hitting her fist against the car horn. She didn’t want to have anything to do with the police; but if her brother didn’t get her involved, then who else would?

She started the car and stepped on the accelerator swiftly. Andrew could have called Galena; Gina couldn’t understand why he chose to call her.

She had not set her eyes on her brother, Andrew, for three years; this was why she was surprised when the man at the other end of the phone claimed Andrew was at the Police Station. He was diagnosed with kleptomania three years ago; he broke into a neighbor’s house shortly after and then vanished. No one had seen or heard from him ever since. He left their family house flooded with inconsiderate reporters trying to make a story for the papers, the cops didn’t make things any easier. For a moment, her family was in the spotlight; this was Gina’s view as she looked from the bright side. She didn’t care much back then because she’d wake up early and leave for work at the bank just before the reporters and the cops began to troop in. Now she cared because this was one of the most critical moments in her life; everyone was against her for quitting her bank job.

She pulled up in front of the police station, grabbed her purse to see if she had a lot of cash in it; she’d always interpreted the cops to be extortionists. She stepped down courteously and put her dark glasses on, she needed it for a little twist in identity; it would be embarrassing for anyone to recognize her in some other place as the relative of a thief. She ignored everyone around her as she got into the police station and marched right on like she knew where she was headed. She gave up pretending to know her way around and finally went back to the front desk to ask for help. The young man with dark hair and hazel eyes at the front desk answered her so sweetly, she couldn’t believe it was a police station. He put a call through to the Police Chief from the landline and she was soon following behind, struggling to meet up as he walked very briskly yet smartly.

Lightly, his knuckles met with the door they were standing right in front of and his other hand immediately bent the doorknob to let them in; on the door was written boldly, ‘The Police Chief.’ The office was a beauty to behold; the floor shone quite differently from that on the outside of the office, it appeared to be marble-like, and the room was freezing cold. The table at the center of the room had so many files on them but they were sorted so neatly and piled up into one big stack. Below the table was a little dustbin that contained a few mussed papers and an apple core. She rubbed her hands together, she was cold; she walked right up to the table and sat in front of the young man at the opposite side of the table. He was having a conversation over the phone and was speaking in a dialect she had not heard before. She let her eyes run from her ticking wristwatch to the small clock on the wall and then to the art on the other side of the wall.

“You’re lucky.” The police chief stated as he hung the phone up and faced Gina; “forgive my manners. Gina am I correct?” he asked.

Gina nodded her head in affirmation. “Your brother, he began speaking again much slowly this time; “he stole from a mall downtown, but you are lucky because the mall’s owner isn’t going to press charges.” He stated, giving her a big smile.

Gina forced a smile; for a moment, she wished the mall’s owner was ready to press charges. She felt like she knew the Police Chief somehow, but she couldn’t recollect properly.

“I’ll let him go, he said in a whisper; “I cannot throw so much importance on theft at the moment because there are cases way bigger than this that I need to trash out; theft is a huge crime, but your brother was unarmed and did not resist arrest. I can pretend that this never happened.” He reached into his drawer and drew out an empty A4 sized paper; he pushed it across the table to Gina. “I would need you to put down a written statement including that you have collected Andrew; don’t forget your name and signature at the end of the statement.”

“Thank you very much, I know this is a major favor.” Gina said softly as she pulled her pen from her purse; thinking about how she didn’t even have to pay a dime.

He left her scribbling notes on the paper and appeared minutes later with Andrew; the Police Chief was right; they were too busy handling a lot of other cases to handle Andrew. He looked good as new. She could not believe her eyes for a moment; she had not set eyes on Andrew in three years; he looked so muscular and handsome. His hair was trimmed low, his broad chest stood out in front of him. He had neither lost that chiseled jaw nor his cute look. She didn’t want to come down heavily on him, it would be the case of the pot calling the kettle black. Her life was almost as intricate as his. She curved her lips into a smile and stood up to hug him.

“Galena.” He called out in his husky voice as his arms went around Gina. He still hadn’t figured the difference between his twin sisters. This had always been a problem for him since childhood.

“It’s Gina.” She corrected as she unlocked herself from his warm embrace, her ears still felt ticklish from the effect of his deep voice. “Thank you very much.” She said to the Police Chief who stood at a corner, observing the duo and smiling.

“Gina, have we met before?” the Police Chief asked, moving closer to her.

She had strongly believed so when she walked into his office earlier, but she didn’t know any longer. “-I don’t think we have.” She replied cringing her eyes.

“It’s just; you look really familiar” he said.

The conversation was beginning to seem awkward, especially with her brother in the middle of it.

She drew out her car key from her purse; “wait in the car; the red minivan right in front of this building.” She said to Andrew gently. He took the key from her and left the office.

“I met this lady, Gina;” –the Police Chief folded his arms and rested on the table trying to recollect vividly; “-she had gotten in a fight with her mother and had a problem getting to her friend. I remember giving her a ride. You bear a resemblance to her and you even share her name.” he pointed out.

It struck Gina immediately; she remembered. The night she had the heated argument with her mother just before she had disappeared months ago. She had left home in the middle of the night and wandered absentmindedly on the streets. His car had almost hit her that night; it seemed he was also lost in thoughts. He finally helped her get to Craig’s house and they shared their problems as he drove through the cold night. He had told her that his wife had absconded with their nine year old son. He had no clue why she left; she left him no notes or messages and disappeared without a trace.

“I remember; she smiled, “Monte’s the name, right?” Gina asked him still smiling.

He nodded; “it’s nice to see you again; I never knew you were the Police Chief.” She added.

He laughed; they left his office and began walking out of the police station. She engaged him in a conversation for he was so easy to speak to. He got her phone number just as they got outside the station. As he bade her goodbye and spoke to her about sitting for a cup of coffee, she suddenly stopped in her tracks in bewilderment and began to mutter strange words as she looked around. She turned to Monte, her eyes filled with horror like she had just seen a ghost, her lips parted to let the words out of her mouth.

“My car; she screamed almost going out of control; “It was right here, I parked it here…. Andrew…I gave him the keys…the idiot stole my car!!” she was in a fit of a stammer. She could not believe it; her car was gone.

Monte could barely understand her fully, but he could see that something was terribly wrong for she had even removed her glasses and her expression was that of pain. Her heart dropped; this was it for her, she had finally lost everything.