Roseline and Emeka

"He's not picking up," Roseline said to her sister Anu. They were in the kitchen, Roseline was attending to a pan of frying plantains with a fork in one hand and her mobile phone in the other.
"Should I call again?" she asked
"Roseline, his your husband, you should call if you want to call," Anu said her voice slightly tinged with irritation and her eyes watering from the onions she was chopping "It's eight twenty seven," she said looking at her watch "what time does her normally get home?"
"Eight, sometimes nine or ten, eleven..." Roseline sighed "he comes home whenever he wants o"
"Are you serious?" Anu asked scattering the chopped onions into a pan of hot oil "Since when? Is he the only graphic designer in the whole of Lagos? What kind of work is he doing that his sleeping at the office?" she said this partly in jest
"Anu, allah I don't know what to tell you." Roseline said turning around to face her sister, she began to say something then stopped and licked her lips "I mean...obviously...like he cannot be working that late abi, but what can I say...?"she said, with her voice shaking slightly
"Well for starters you can ask him why he comes home so late." Anu responded pouring into the simmering pan a small bowl of pureed tomatoes.
"Anu listen, he works hard, he provides, he does not come home drunk, he has never raised his hand against me, what right t do I have to complain."
"Oh please Roseline, don't make me slit my wrists open" she held a knife to her wrist for dramatic effect "if not being beaten up is all I have to look forward to in marriage, then I think I'll just stay single for the rest of my life."
Roseline gave her sister a dirty look and hissed "You cannot understand until you get married. You've never even being in a proper relationship, you cant understand."
"Oh spare me, if I cannot ask the man I'm with a simple question about why he comes home so late then..." Anu trailed off and looked up in time to see the pained expression on her older sister's face "I'm sorry," she said softly "I didn't come here to fight or-"
"Judge me?" Roseline said cutting her off
"Rose!" Anu said, raising her voice a little "we both know that I'm in no position what so ever to judge anybody, talk less of you."
Roseline stood quietly shaking her head "I don't know what to do Anu, I don't know what changed or what I did wrong..."
"If you've never listened to anything I've said before," Anu said her voice softening again "please, please listen to this," she begged " don't you ever start blaming yourself."
Roseline nodded, she was silent as she took out the blue ceramic serving dishes from the cupboard, dinner was ready.
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They had finished their dinner about three hours ago and had moved to the living room to talk. Anu had fallen asleep on the black leather sofa right in the middle of a conversation about their father. Roseline had watched her snoring away for some time. Only Anu could pull lace leggings and a short Ankara dress, only Anu would be brave enough to put it on in the first place; Roseline thought fondly, admiring the orange and green fabric of the dress which had ridden up her sisters thighs.

She got up, stretched and walked to the dining table to clear up they plates they had eaten out of,she placed the plates in the sink and ran some water over the soapy sponge, preparing to wash them. But then she heard the sound of wrought iron gates being pushed opened and a car driving into the compound. She peeked through the curtains and saw Emeka's silver Camry backing up into the drive way. She quickly rinsed and dried her hands and put the plate of food she had dished out for him into the microwave, then she rushed to open the front door.
"Welcome dear," she said, hating how raspy her voice sounded, she cleared her throat and asked "how was work?"
"Um...tiring," Emeka said sliding the strap his heavy black laptop case off his shoulder and giving Roseline a quick kiss on the forehead.
"Eeyah," she said trying to rub his shoulders as he walked ahead of her "are you hungry?" she asked "I fried some plantains and Anu made the stew." Anu was the best cook in the family, nobody could eat anything she cooked without smiling from sheer content.
"She's here?" he asked un-enthused

"Yes I'm here." Anu yelled from the living room, she got off the couch, stretched and walked towards the hallway where Roseline and Emeka stood. She placed her hands and on her hips and gave Emeka a look of deep contempt before asking " how was 'work'?" her tone was clearly sarcastic and it caused Roseline to give her a warning look, to which she said "don't worry I'm leaving." She grabbed her over sized purse from the side table in the hallway, slipped her high heeled sandals on and gave her sister a kiss on the forehead.
"I'll call you tomorrow." she said before brushing passed Emeka as she left the house.

A moment later, they heard her car drive out of their compound, Roseline laughed nervously and said "don't mind her, you know how she is when she just wakes up."
Emeka shook his head saying "listen, I don't care. Shes your sister not mine."
"I know, I know but..." she was walking after him as he walked up the stairs to their bedroom
"aren't you going to eat?" she asked his back
"I'm not hungry," he responded "I already ate."
Roseline angrily wiped away the tears that ran down her cheeks as she ran down the stairs, she stomped into the kitchen, jerked open the microwave and flung the hot plate of fried plantains into the shiny stainless steel garbage bin.