Zara was still standing by the gate when her phone rang again.
She glanced down, expecting maybe a message from her mother or Nancy checking in. But the name on the screen made her smile slightly.
Sophie.
Zara answered quickly. "Hey."
"Finally," Sophie's voice came through the line, warm and energetic. "I've been calling you since morning. I figured you'd be in the interview."
"I just finished," Zara said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The sun had softened slightly, but the heat still clung to the air around her.
"And?" Sophie asked immediately. "How did it go?"
Zara exhaled slowly. "I honestly don't know."
"That bad?"
"Not bad. Just… stressful. Lagos stressful."
Sophie laughed softly. "Where are you now?"
"Still outside the building. Lekki Phase One."
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.
"Perfect," Sophie said. "I'm not far from you. Wait there, I'll come pick you up."
Zara hesitated. "You don't have to—"
"I know I don't have to," Sophie cut in playfully. "I want to. Besides, I need the full story and you sound like someone that needs cold air and food."
Zara smiled despite herself. "Okay."
"Don't move," Sophie added. "I'll be there in ten minutes."
The call ended.
Zara slipped her phone back into her bag and leaned lightly against the gate. Cars passed steadily on the road. A bike sped by, its rider weaving impatiently between vehicles.
Ten minutes felt longer when you were waiting.
Just as she began to wonder if traffic had swallowed Sophie like it swallowed everything else in Lagos, a silver car slowed beside her.
The window rolled down.
"Madam interviewee," Sophie said with a grin. "Enter."
Zara opened the passenger door and slid into the seat. The air conditioning hit her immediately, cool and sharp against her skin.
She leaned back slightly and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.
"You look like someone that survived battle,"
Sophie said lightly as she pulled back onto the road.
Zara laughed, rubbing her face briefly. "It felt like one."
"Was it that bad?"
Zara turned toward the window as traffic thickened ahead of them. "Let's just say I now respect anyone that has a job."
Sophie chuckled.
As they merged into traffic, she reached for her phone and unlocked it with one hand.
"Let's hear it properly," she said. "I'm calling Nancy and Kamsi. We'll meet at my place."
Zara nodded quietly. She didn't argue.
Right now, familiar voices sounded like the best idea in the world.
Sophie's house sat inside a secluded estate off the main road. The moment the gate closed behind them, the noise of traffic faded like it had been pushed far away.
Zara stepped out of the car slowly, glancing around.
The compound was neat, the pavement clean. A small tree stood near the corner, its leaves moving gently in the evening breeze.
Inside the house, the air felt cooler.
Not just because of the air conditioning. The whole space carried a calmness Zara rarely felt at home.
Sophie dropped her keys on a small table and kicked off her heels.
"Sit anywhere," she said, heading toward the kitchen. "I'll get water."
Zara lowered herself onto the couch, stretching her legs slightly. The cushions sank comfortably under her weight.
She hadn't realized how tired she was until now.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
Nancy walked in first.
She tossed her handbag onto the nearest chair like it had personally offended her and spread her arms dramatically.
"Interview survivor!" she announced loudly.
"Come and tell us everything."
Zara laughed, sitting up.
"Relax," she said. "It wasn't that serious."
Nancy raised an eyebrow. "You're smiling now but I know Lagos interviews. They'll ask you questions like you're applying to run the country."
Before Zara could respond, the door opened again.
Kamsi stepped in quietly.
Her smile was there, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Hi," she said softly.
"Come and sit," Sophie said from the kitchen, returning with glasses of water.
They settled into the living room together.
Zara sat cross legged on the couch while the others arranged themselves around her. Nancy leaned back comfortably on the armchair while Sophie sat beside Zara.
Kamsi took the single chair near the window.
For a moment, they simply looked at Zara.
"Well?" Nancy said impatiently. "Start."
Zara took a sip of water before beginning.
"I woke up early," she said. "But Lagos traffic decided to humble me."
Nancy nodded knowingly. "That one is normal."
"So by the time I reached there…" Zara continued, "…I was already late."
"Ah," Sophie said.
"The HR woman literally called my name in front of everybody and announced that I was late."
Nancy winced. "That's embarrassing."
Zara laughed weakly. "Tell me about it."
She continued, explaining everything step by step.
The waiting room.
The people rehearsing answers.
The tension.
The interview questions.
Then she described the second round practical test.
"And then this one girl," Zara said, shaking her head slightly, "she decided to impress them."
Nancy leaned forward immediately. "What did she do?"
"She grabbed the remote," Zara said, trying not to laugh again. "Connected her phone to the screen, stood confidently like a news anchor…"
"Then her heel caught the edge of the rug."
Nancy's eyes widened.
"She slipped," Zara continued. "Like fully slipped."
Nancy burst out laughing.
"Anything for the bag!"
Zara laughed too. "I almost laughed inside the interview room."
Sophie smiled, shaking her head.
"But you did well," she said firmly. "From everything you're saying, you handled it well."
Kamsi nodded gently. "You really tried, Zara."
Zara shrugged slightly.
"I don't know," she said honestly. "I came late.
That alone might have ruined everything."
Nancy waved the idea away with her hand.
"If they like you, they like you," she said simply. "If not, life goes on."
The tension in the room eased.
They began talking about smaller things — traffic, job hunting, the strange behavior of Lagos employers.
At some point, Zara noticed something.
Kamsi had barely spoken since she arrived.
She was staring at her phone, her thumb hovering over the screen as if she expected it to light up any second.
"Kamsi," Zara said gently.
Kamsi looked up.
"You've been quiet," Zara continued. "What's wrong?"
Kamsi hesitated.
Then she sighed softly.
"It's my boyfriend," she admitted. "He hasn't been replying me. It's been days."
Nancy didn't hesitate.
"That one?" she scoffed. "He's gone. Accept it."
Kamsi frowned immediately. "Nancy."
"I'm serious," Nancy continued. "Men disappear like that when they're done."
"He's just going through something," Kamsi said.
Nancy leaned forward.
"They're always 'going through something' when they don't want you anymore."
"Okay," Sophie said calmly, cutting through the tension. "Let's relax. Not every situation needs shouting."
Zara reached for Kamsi's hand.
"Whatever it is," she said softly, "you'll be fine. Just don't blame yourself."
Kamsi nodded slowly.
But the doubt in her eyes didn't leave.
The conversation shifted again after that, moving toward lighter topics.
Time passed faster than Zara expected.
When she finally checked the clock on the wall, she sat up suddenly.
"I should start heading home."
Nancy groaned immediately. "Already?"
"It's getting late," Zara said, reaching for her bag. "And Mushin is not exactly next door."
"That's true," Sophie said, standing. "I'll drop you at the bus stop."
"Or stay here tonight," Nancy added casually.
Zara shook her head quickly. "My mum will worry."
Within minutes, they were back outside.
The evening air had cooled slightly.
Sophie drove her toward the bus stop, the streetlights beginning to glow faintly as the sky darkened.
When the car stopped, Zara turned to them.
"Thanks," she said.
"For what?" Sophie asked.
"For today."
Nancy waved dismissively. "Go and get that job first before thanking us."
Zara laughed.
She stepped out of the car and watched it disappear into traffic.
Then she turned toward the bus stop.
The road was busy again.
People rushing home.
Cars honking.
Lagos moving without pause.
She slipped her phone out of her bag and checked the screen.
No message.
Zara locked the phone again and stepped into the crowd heading toward the buses.
Tomorrow, maybe.
Or maybe not.
But for now, all she could do was go home and wait.