Before Relief.

The argument had not started today that was the thing about it, It had started months ago longer and today was just the day it finally had a body. Kemi was folding clothes when Seun came in, He did not greet her, He dropped his keys on the table the way he always did when something was sitting on his chest that clatter that she had learned to read over three years.

She kept folding, "You called my brother." Seun said It was not a question. "I did." Kemi replied, "Why." Seun asked.

Kemi placed a shirt on the pile, Turned to look at Seun. "Because you were not talking to me Seun, Because you had not slept in four days, Seun,Because I did not know what to do"
He laughed, but there was nothing funny in it. That short, dry laugh that meant he was more hurt than angry. "You went outside our house."

"I went to your family."

"Same thing."

Kemi sat down on the edge of the bed. Outside a hawker was calling pure water, pure water, and somewhere down the street a generator kicked on. This was Lagos noise, The kind that fills silence but does not fix it

"I am not going to apologize for caring about you, Seun." Kemi said.

Seun stood by the window with his back to Kemi, He had lost weight. Weight, the kind that happens when someone stops eating properly and hopes nobody notices, Kemi had noticed, Kemi had been noticing for weeks,

"I just needed time." Seun told her.

"You have been having time Seun. Plenty of it. In your head carrying whatever this is like it does not affect me too Seun." Kemi replied

Seun turned then,and said "It does not affect you, Kemi, It is my problem, My fathers debts my family's palava, my -" He stopped, Pressed his fingers to his forehead, The way he did when words were failing him.

Kemi got up, walked to him, Not to touch him, She knew better than to touch him when he was like this, Just to be closer to him .
" When did we start dividing things like that" Kemi said, Your problem, my problem, When did we start doing that" she questioned.

Seun did not answer, "I married you, Seun, Not just the good version of you that has everything Seun, i married this too Seun. Whatever this is, " she said

The hawker outside had moved on, The generator hummed steadily, Seun's jaw was tight in the way it got when he was trying not to feel something in front of someone,
"I do not want you to see me like this" finally. Seun said in a low voice, Almost like he had not meant to say it loud .

There it was, The real thing underneath all the things, Kemi reached out, Held his hand, he did not pull away, "I already see you, I have been seeing you Seun. That is why I called Emeka, Not to expose you, Because I see you and I was scared" Kemi said.

Seun looked at Kemi for a moment. Something in his face shifted, not relief but the thing just before relief, That moment when a person stops holding their breath.

Seun sat down on the floor there back against the wall, Kemi sat beside him, They did not say anything for a while

Outside Lagos carried on, Indifferent, relentless, Lagos, In that small room, in that flat in Surulere, two people sat on the floor together and let the weight be shared, That was enough.

_{Image gotten from Chatgpt}

Aikay👾