SUNNY WEDNESDAYS: ATINUKE (Chapter One)

                 

 N570

            

Pushing the ruggedly looking tortoise car as trickle of sweat beaded into the sides of her vanilla rosy cheeks, "cherish this family heirloom" her grandma sweet voice was clear as day, she snickered at the thought of her still having this mechanical deformity of a car by April.

Pushing through the busy street of Lukwe with the last fuel the battered car could muster, Atinuke drove into Pa Kem's Filling Station, the only existing one in the whole of Luwe Community.

"How much PMS, Ma?" Bugo asked, her voice smooth but laced with something sharper, the chubby fuel attendant stood with one hand on her hip, her uniform clinging to curves that told stories of long days under the sun and hurried meals between shifts. 

Though the word ‘Ma’ left her lips, it was delivered with a flicker of something less respectful, an almost imperceptible sneer that curled at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes, dark and watchful, scanned Atinuke like a puzzle she didn’t trust but wanted to solve.

Atinuke knew Bugo never liked her but she could not place her fingers on why. 

What did she have that made Bugo hate her so.

Atinuke dug into the neatly concealed pockets of her royal blue, off-shoulder gown, its cap sleeves resting gently against her arms, the fabric a quiet cascade of grace amidst the worn backdrop of the gas station. 

She pulled out a bundle of crisp NGN5,000 notes, their edges sharp and new against her fingers. Holding them out with poise, she spoke with soft clarity,

“Nine litres, please.”

Bugo eyes widened as she spat out her next words,"Madam, please look at the pump rate as of this morning"

Atinuke screamed, “Five hundred and seventy naira for a litre of fuel?”

Bugo rolled her eyes with exaggerated flair, the cloudy blue of her cheap contact lenses glinting awkwardly under the harsh sunlight, "Pa Kem's price is very much affordable Ma, perhaps you can drive out of Luwe to get cheaper fuel"

Scrambling through her purse for NGN130, she handed it over to Bugo and watched as the family heirloom sucked in the fuel.

Giving an hesitant 'thank you', she hurriedly drove through the exit gate of the station and into the busy street of Lukwe.