“Jackpot!!!!””I don make am oooooo!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, his left hand clutching his falling trousers, his face glistening with sweat. The night air was still and humid, the night flies swirling lazily as if they too were exhausted with life.Inside the gambling house, noise reigned supreme as hot sticky bodies…

“Shush!” It was a refrain. Oh, the hands on my lips, warm and sticky, had become a detested symbol to me. My life was shrouded in mystery. Secrets upon secrets, I had lost my identity. Lost??? I questioned myself as I sat on my bed that humid afternoon, the rickety fan swirling slowly and tiredly…

Tick tock! Tick tock! In the silence the clock chimes resonated loudly, piercing my heart, striking fresh arrows of pain as I sat, dejected clutching Teju’s picture. Who knew time could inflict such pain.  I wiped the tears coursing down my face with my sweat-stained blouse. I looked around my room with a heavy heart….