Teju I wouldn’t be a burden to you. It would just be for a few months. I wouldn’t stay in your house for long.

Segun And then what? What would you do? Get a job? Without a visa? It’s not so easy, Teju. You can’t just start a new life –

Teju Why can’t I? You did.

Segun It’s different for me.

Teju How?

Segun I’m a doctor.

Teju So? They no get-ee professor na England?

Segun You’ll be lucky to even teach in a primary school. To be a janitor. They don’t care for our qualifications na England!

Teju I don’t care. Anything is better than this, Segun. Anything would be better than looking over my shoulder. Shaking through my body every time the doorbell rings.

Segun What about Wunmi?

Teju She’s already left me to the dogs –

Segun I’ll give you the money.

Teju What?

Segun Five million Naira, was it?

Teju Yes, but –

Segun I won’t be able to write a cheque but I can transfer the money to my Nigerian account and take it out for you. Just this once.

Teju But it won’t be once, Segun. You know the police in this country. Na Lagos! They’re ruthless. You think if I give them this money once they wouldn’t blackmail me again?

Segun You don’t know that –

Teju They’ll hold me to ransom for years. For the rest of my life if they want to! Your money won’t help me long term.

Segun You can be discreet, can’t you? For god’s sake, Teju! Just stay away from men like that, this Wale and that your Isaac. These wayward men. Stay away from temptation.

Teju Isaac?

Segun Just pay them the money and keep your head down. Don’t go to any parties like that again and everything will be fine. You can call Wunmi, straighten things out. If you weren’t doing anything there they can’t prove it and the rumours will pass. You can’t uproot your whole life because of one foolish party. This thing will blow over. These things always do. Everything will go back to how it was.

Teju Segun, how did you know about Isaac?

Segun You . . . you mentioned him, just now. When you were talking about Wale.

Teju No I didn’t. I said University. I didn’t mention anyone’s name.

Pause.

You knew? All this time. You knew about me and Isaac.

Segun I saw him, one morning, sneaking out of your dormitory. There’d been rumours about it. You two were very close, people would say. You were hardly discreet! I was actually coming to your room to speak to you about it when I saw him.

Teju Did he see you? When did this happen? Did you say anything to him?

Segun Yes Teju! I told him to stay away from you. I told him to stop carrying on like that with you. Or . . .

Teju Or?

Beat.

Or what Segun?