The lives of katie brown

It rained that morning and it was the strong winds of the rain that woke ellie up first that morning before she crawled back to bed. She had worked too late that night that she needed the nap. But by 7:30am, that morning the popular afro hip-hop from Nigeria joha, by asake which she had use as her ringing tone had woke her up. Her mother hates it but ellie's did not mind,lina greene hated alot of things.

Groaning, deciding if she should just ignore the call,go back to sleep or pick it up.

Who could be calling her by this time of the day?, Eversince she broke up with Blake, she had buried herself into work and her lives have not been real fun in anyways and this had bothered her mother the more.

There are so many things lina disapproved about her daughter but ellie have learned not to take her mother seriously and just ignores her continuous complaints about her way of life.

Snatching the phone off her shabbily looking table, she clapped it to her ear.

“Ellie greene speaking. her voice sounding so hoarse.

“Sorry did I woke you?“

“Of course you did, ellie replied trying not to sound harsh but her voice still came out harshly.

“This is Tommy…..

He said like she was supposed to know who he is.

“ You told me to call you if I had any information for you, tommy said.“

Oh tommy, she remembered him now. Tall, blond pale looking teenager. Tommy is seventeen and one of the runaways who ellie just meet a month ago when she was trying to writes about kids and drugs. Tommy have actually made her drop it. On a normal day she won't have forget who he is. His face came to her mind. Even if his face are hard and tough, those deep brown eyes of his have kindness in it.

“Tommy, am sorry. I am having a tired morning. How are you?“

“ Good, you good?, He asked.“

Just like his nature when she meet him, he seem to care alot about people but desperately tried to hide it but it just slip off him.

“Yeah, nothing a little coffee won't fix, ellie's said. I have been trying to reach you. Your number wasn't going through.“

“I switched lines, tommy said…..

“ Ooh, are you okay?, Where……

“Ellie, you need to know this first, tommy said. There is urgency in his voice.

“What is it tommy?“

“Katie brown is dead.“

“Oh, I gasped. So?“

People died every day, even celebrities.

“They are going to say it is natural but it either suicide or murder. Tommy said.“

“How do you know this tom?“

“I will talk to you later.“

“ Tom…tom..

The line went off, ellie tried it back but it is not reachable.

She stood there dressed in her oversize pyjamas in her tiny apartment staring down at her phone.

________________

All Ayo could think of that morning is the comfort of his bed, how warm he had left it. He smiled wildly at penelope, their new recruit before proceeding to chat with drey his friend and partner.

“Tell betty I will drop by the house by weekend. Ayo said and how are the boys coping with starting school?.“

Drey is married to betty a nurse. They are the most happy couples Ayo knows. Betty who is a very cheerful woman compliment drey who always grumpy almost all times. They have two bright three years old which Ayo is happy to be their godfather. He spends most weekends he is not at his mother house at betty and drey places, they are like family and their house is like home to him.

“Good, betty really want to homeschool them, drey said. She said something like mother guilt. But we are letting them try it for a while, if they don't fit in we can homeschool.“ Ayo is aware of how much struggles it is for betty to finally let the boys start schooling. She had managed being a work mom with her mother who recently is planning to retire and move to a smaller town to spend her few years in her words in peace. Ayo mom have heavily critized her for not being a good grandmother enough, when with his mother nearly fourty years here, she seem never to fully adapt to the americans way. Before ayo could explain to her, mrs bamidele had picked the phone and called betty to offered her support and told her she is ready to babysit the boys if needed since her only son have refuse to marry and birth her some grandchildren.

“That good. Heading home, needed to catch up on sleep. When are you going?.“

“Soon, just need to pick something up, drey replied. And ayo, there is a funny way all of his friend's and colleagues call his name since his name is Nigerian, they never get the pronunciation well and mrs bamidele have refuses to give any her children an english name,her reason was she never want them to forget for once where their root is. betty is trying to set you up with one of her cousin and she is mean.“

Ayo laughed. “ You not talking about your cousin_in_law that way.“ drey makes that face when Ayo get too nigerian but Ayo is always Nigerian, his mother makes sure of that.

“Nah, she is shit. Don't know why betty think she will be a good match for you. Maybe she thought you will bring some good out of her and I promised you that woman got no good in her.“

“Thanks for the heads up, ayo said. I gotta go.“

“Drey,ayo the chief want both of you now.“ Susan said and she walked back to her office.

They both groaned.

The chief was sitting behinds the desk when they walked in, his eyes glasses perched on his nose and he look up immediately he order them in.

“I just got a call, pick some boys and head over to Katie brown. She is a big time celebrities and she was found dead this morning. Susan will forward all what you need to know before you get there.“

“ But sir we are off today, drey said. I am supposed to pick my kids up from school.“

“Have someone do that for you drey, I need you both. You can take all the time you want after this case is closed.“

“But sir…..

“You can go now, the chief dismissed them.“

“ I swear I hate this work, drey complained after they out of the chief office.

“You can go pick them up, I will cover up for you.“

“Thanks, drey said. Betty is gonna kill me if I said I can't.“

“You know she won't.“

And they both laughed together.