Leah Yeah?

Tara I told you it was easy. All you needed was some one-to-one tuition . . .

Leah Are we going to dance like that at the wedding?

Tara Yeah! That’s the whole point.

Leah I don’t mean ‘Candy’. I mean, you know, proper. Like that.

Tara Yeah. If you want.

Leah We never dance like that.

Tara OK.

Leah We didn’t tonight.

Tara What happened to being dyspraxic?

Leah What about it?

Tara You said . . .

Leah That’s not why we don’t do it.

Tara We can dance however you want babe.

Leah OK.

Beat.

Is it alright that they’re not going to be there?

Tara Who?

Leah You know who.

Tara God. Yeah, it’s fine.

Leah Yeah?

Tara I mean . . . yeah.

Beat.

They probably will come.

Leah You think?

Tara Maybe.

Leah They haven’t RSVPed yet

Tara That doesn’t mean anything.

Leah I don’t think you can count on them coming.

Tara Can we go to bed?

Tara turns off the music.

Leah You don’t want to talk about it?

Tara No, I’m just . . . I’m tired. All this dancing!

Leah OK.

Tara And teaching. Teaching is exhausting!

Leah Fine. Let’s go to bed.

Tara We’re going to practise more in the morning though! And every day before work, until the wedding day.

Leah What??

Tara Yeah! When I’m finished with you, you’re going to be sliding in your sleep.

Scene Five

The North Star.

Yetunde Babatunde Oluwaleti Gbenga Akindeji!

Babatunde Do not use my full name, Yetunde.

Yetunde You are going to agree to this. I will pull rank if I have to.

Adebisi You can’t pull rank!

Yetunde I can! I am the most senior Ancestor of this council of guidance –

Adebisi No!

Yetunde Am I not the Ancestor of the North?

Adebisi That doesn’t mean anything. Baba said it’s just nominal –

Babatunde It doesn’t mean you’re in charge here, Yetunde.

Yetunde My last life predates yours, not so?

Adebisi That does not denote rank here.

Yetunde Oh? It does not? Please – Babatunde come and collect your niece because I don’t know which land and which people she dey hail from –

Babatunde Yetunde.

Yetunde She is clearly no relative of mine.

Babatunde Listen to us!

Yetunde Is it not at the deepest core of our values in the Yoruba tribe to respect our elders? To respect the wisdom of our forebears –

Adebisi Yes! In Aiye!

Yetunde And in Orun too –

Babatunde We are not in Aiye or Orun now, Yetunde.

Adebisi In matters like this, in matters of guidance, we need to take the proximity to our descendants into consideration –

Yetunde Proximity?

Adebisi Yes, now!

Babatunde Ade arguably has a closer tie to Tara. Being her great-great grandaunt.

Adebisi And Babatunde! He has a direct route to her lineage, being her great-great-great grandfather.