The Smell of a Secret

^{Image imagined with Meta AI}

I was all alone in the room with frustration written all over my face. I was sweating profusely and using my small blue handkerchief to wipe the sweat every now and then, trying to get a good position of my face in the video I was making. It was a video of a song I had practised for the Hive Open Mic community and I was determined to post that day no matter how the whole event played out hours before.

I was in my hometown together with my siblings and other relatives but thankfully, there was no one to disturb me in the room as my fellow occupants (two sisters) had gone back after the New Year's festival. The house was becoming silent with just a few people left and it was a perfect time to get my video done without noise anywhere.

On this day, I had locked myself up in the room. Unfortunately, there was no light and I was in a dilemma too. My laptop was going off and I needed to get done with the stuff I was doing because it was serving the purpose of playing the instrumental beat while I used my phone to record myself, but the more I recorded myself, the more mistakes I made. When I checked, I had deleted over 30 videos that were full of errors and it made me frustrated, and about to give up.

I don't know when the electricity will be restored. I was constantly checking the time as I would be called upon in a few hours to come and prepare dinner for the family. I wanted to give up. My laptop was going down and I wasn't near any progress.

The worries got my heart beating faster and I was restless, making me sweat the more. Going outside to make the video for a clearer reflection and for fresh air wasn't a good idea as those passing by and talking loudly over their voices would distract me.

Eventually, my laptop shut down by itself, the battery was dead and I couldn't achieve anything. I became more angered at myself and was in a hurry too because it was just some minutes left to finish up with whatever I was doing to attend to the family for dinner.

I had an idea, "Let me borrow my sister's phone for the instrumental beat", I thought to myself. All attempts to call her name from the room, perhaps she would hear me as my window was adjacent to the room she was in proved abortive.

I kept shouting her name but no response still. Angrily, I stood up from my bed and slammed the door loudly behind me as I left for her room. When I got there, I discovered she was on the earpiece watching a movie with one of our cousins who were both sharing the room.

"Didn't you hear me shouting your name? I said annoyingly as I placed my left hand on the edge of the door.

"No ma, I didn't. I am sorry. What do you want?" She replied back softly seeing how I was fuming with anger and noticing how frustrated I was.

I calmed down for some seconds trying to put myself together before I continued, "Okay. Please, give me your phone for a few minutes. I need to do this video now and my system has shut down".

In an instant, she said, "Okay" as she stretched her hands towards my direction to hand the phone to me. As I was about to take the phone from her, something was off. I perceived an awful odour which made me stand comfortably and I began to sniff silently to know where the smell was coming from.

"What is this odour I'm perceiving? Why is your room smelling like this? Both of you are girls for God's sake. What is this?" I kept throwing a series of questions at them, expecting an answer.

At that point, my cousin had sat up on the bed and was frowning her face, then she teased and said, "Aunty Busayo, leave us alone and go to your room oo"

"Go where? I don't think you guys are serious" I retorted back immediately and was heading towards where the smell was coming from.

As I took one step toward their wardrobe, my sister nearly jumped off the bed to stop me. I was drawn back in astonishment as I wondered what could make her jump so fast like that. She immediately stood in front of the wardrobe and blocked me from going further.

With my face lit up, I asked, "What are you both hiding? If you don't get out now..."

Before completing the sentence, my cousin too had joined her and they both stood like guards protecting the wardrobe.

"Hmm. You are hiding something, right? I need to go report you to mummy now" I threatened.

"Aunty B, please. Don't do that" My sister with an inch, moved closer and held me tight to her body but I quickly released myself from her so I don't fall for their trick of pulling me away.

I finally gave up my video and was interested in where the smell was coming from. "You guys have a skeleton in your closets. Did you put the head of a human being there?" I interrogated.

"Ahh ahh, aunty Busayo. Do we look like someone who can kill?" My cousin asked with a sheepish smile.

"Okay, if you don't want me to report you as I can see my strength cannot carry both of you away from the way, open the wardrobe in peace now" I insisted.

After some seconds of silence, both of them opened the wardrobe in slow motion as if it were planned. I, also was patient because I had concluded no more videos that day till the next time. Lo and behold, as they opened it, the horrible smell that came out was totally unbearable. I almost vomit.

"Oh my God" I screamed as I covered my nose and mouth with my hand, shocked at the whole corner of the wardrobe, "you both are so dirty. What is this nonsense?", pointing at the heaps of dirty clothes and plates they'd used for days, some still with leftover food.

"No wonder we've been missing plates in the house, thinking they'd broken and thrown away, but here they all are" I angrily said and was mad at them.

"...and why haven't you washed all these? Since you both came two weeks ago, I haven't seen you wash your clothes and I wondered how you were doing it with different clothes on" They both stood and were silent all the while like prisoners waiting for the verdict. They knew what they did was wrong so there was nothing to defend their atrocities.

"Now, take those clothes and plates out. You are washing those today, not tomorrow, else, no food for you both", I ordered.

"We are sorry ma" they chorused.

"Sorry for yourselves" I replied as I turned my back and left the room slamming the door so hard at them.