The day drew to a close over Oakley road market. What had during the day, been a sun-kissed sky, now turned red as though blushing; after spending the day smooching with the earth’s hottest star. The market, now almost deserted, was strewn with abandoned crates of apples, tomatoes and courgettes, among other items of unsold merchandise.

As the stall owners packed away, a young man strolled past them almost unnoticed, until one of them called out.

“Oi, Fela, Fela.”

The young man stopped and turned to see who it was blaring out his name for the whole neighbourhood to hear. If it wasn’t for his short-sightedness he would have sworn it was…

“George!” Fela looked at the man in disbelief.

 The chubby figure was half jogging, half waddling as he came towards the young man. When he reached him, his cheeks had turned red and he was breathing heavily.

“What’s happening, Fela?” said George, grabbing Fela’s hand and pulling him into a warm hug.

“What are you doing back here, G?” asked Fela. “I thought you went back to Greece for good, so that woman could make an honest man of you, what happened?”

“Yeah, well, it’s a long story Fela, one that ends in tears, and I haven’t got the time or the tissue to tell it right now.”

Even though George smiled as he spoke, Fela saw a hint of pain flash across his eyes.

“So I guess you can say you’re back on the market then?” Fela joked, trying to lighten the mood. They both laughed.

“I see you’ve still got that cheeky wit,” said George. “I can see you ain’t changed in that department.” George paused and eyed Fela inquisitively. Fela had grown a lot taller since the last time George had seen him but, apart from that, his features had not changed much. He still had the same dark thick lips (though they were now dressed with a moustache), the same bony nose and well-defined cheekbones. His eyes still had that comely brightness but as George looked into them he could see something that he did not recognise. He saw that there was something different about Fela; he seemed wiser, like he’d been through a lot, since they had last seen one another. “What’s been going on while I’ve been away?” 

“To be honest, I’ve been away almost as long as you.”

“Yeah, where did you go, did your mum finally send you back to Nigeria? Hah, hah, hah! I remember when you would get in trouble and she would threaten to.”

“ Nah, I never got sent to Nigeria,” Fela shifted uneasily. “I’ve been inside for four years.”

George stared back at Fela in shock. “Don’t tell me that, bruvs,” the concern was evident in George’s grey eyes. “What happened?”