Justin Ekudo is a 5 year old boy just like Emmanuella who lives with his family within the same compound as Emmanuella and her Aunt. He is the second son and the last among three children. He has an elder brother Jason who is 9years of age and an elder sister Joana who is 7years old.
Emmanuella was aware there were three other kids living in that flat but she never had any chance of meeting or playing with any of them , most times she will have to peep at them through the window when they were either going out or coming inside. This is because her aunt hardly allows her go outside to play especially when she is not around, her reason been that she wants to be sure the girl is safe from any kind of bullying and molestation, for her to have finally met one of them made her happy. She was going to be friends with him, they both stay in the same compound and would probably see and play more often at least, so she thought.
"Justin it is really nice meeting you but you have not told me why you are here alone crying" Emmanuella said hoping he gives an answer to her question. She noticed the sadness which suddenly fell on his face. She became even more eager to hear him speak up.
" I was scholded and made fun of again" he reluctantly answered
" I do not understand that part made fun of,can you....." she had bearly finished her statement when she heard her Aunty's voice calling on her.
"Emmanuella!!!, Where have you gone to?"
It downed on her that she had been gone for too long that her Aunty had already noticed she was not inside the house.
"Your aunty needs you" Justin said looking towards her flat where the voice came from.
"Justin am sorry I have to get going right now, I have to go answer my aunty , I will come back later in the day so we can chat when am done with what I was doing with my aunty"
" It's okay, we will see later" he replied
Emmanuella ran back to meet her aunty who was standing at the door side looking at the clothes she had dropped there earlier with a worried look on her face. She was wondering where the little girl must have gone to as she was not anywhere inside the house.
"Am here mummy" she said as she climbed back the small stairs opened the boglary and entered back inside. The look she saw on her Aunty's face told her the woman must have been too scared thinking the worst.
On sighting Emmanuella a sign of relief fell on her
"Where on Earth did you go to you this small girl, you almost gave me a heart attack" she said rubbing her hands over Emmanuella's head.
" Mummy I just stepped outside to the back of the flat at that other end" she replied with a smile
Aunty Augusta became curious to know what she had gone there to do. She herself rarely goes to that end so what could have taken emmanuella there.
"Tell me dear what did you go there to do " she gently asked squatting down in front of Emmanuella.
Emmanuella narated everything to her starting from when she heard the sobbs and decided to go find out who was doing that.
She went ahead to tell her about Justin who she just met.
" That's okay dear one, just make sure to let me know anyother time you would step out like this so that I would know you are close and not in any danger, that way I will not have to panic the way I just did" Aunty Augusta adviced
They went ahead to finished the house chores they were doing. Aunty Augusta decided to take her along with her for the shopping she wanted to do so she would be learning more on how to shop.
They had gone to a super market first to get some items which were not food stuffs after which they went to an open market to buy all the food stuffs needed in the house.
The market was busy and crowded as usual. Some moving fast others moving slowly, some sellers shouting to attract customers, others dragging people both on their clothes and their hands so they would come patronize them, barrow pushers here and there with the items loaded on their barrows struggling to find their ways even with the crowd hereby shouting at everyone they came across and threatening to hit you with their barrows if you don't give them way fast. Some even go to the extent of carrying out the threat by hitting whoever they feel was blocking their movements with the front side of the barrows. The worst been the pocket pickers and the phone snatchers. These are individuals who come to places like markets and motor parks just for the purpose of stealing other people's phones and money. They have special ways of taking either your phone, your money or even you purse and wallets and not get noticed.This was how a typical Nigeria open market is, one just have to be strong, fast and ready for such experience whenever you decide to visit any open market, be it inside townships or inside villages the experience is always the same.
It was Emmanuella's third time of going to an open market. First was with her late mother, second was with her grandmother and now aunty Augusta had taken again. There was no doubt about her excitement but she had to struggle to meet up with movements as they had to move very fast at some points either to run away from barrow pushers or to move away from chocky places where things like pepper and other things were been grounded into powder.
They had stopped at a particular shop, Aunty Augusta began to price some items with the seller as it was normal when you come to a shop. While there two other persons, a man and a woman came to the same shop, the lady began to price as well. She stood beside aunty Augusta while the man stood directly behind. One would think they really came to buy things but they had other plans.