Griiii Griiii.

The annoying alarm sound on the right head side of my bed woke me from oblivion.

"Damn it, why did the day break so easily?" I muttered to myself. staggeringly lazily from my small three by seven bed, a bed small for my muscular and bulky shape. I had no choice, it's was better than the worn out mat, I slept on in the past. Grabbing my soapcase from under a creaked shoe rack standing on one leg. I made my way to the only bathroom serving a face-me-I-face you apartment . I had to wait in line with four people ahead of me waiting to take their bath.

"Oga sly, good morning," Iya basira the gossip of the house whispered with a smirk on her chubby face, as usual the smudged lip on her flat lips were there.

"Morning Iya basira, hope you slept well?" I answered uninterested in the usual conversation she was trying to pick with me.

"Fine oh, Oga linus," she replied, turning back to the tray of bread, she sold every morning in the front of the house nicknamed "Mogadishu barrack" because of the many occupants living in the house.

I turned back to my already cold bathing water, impatiently waiting for others to take their bath so I could go search for my daily bread.

Finally taking my bath, and escaping the usual leering gazes of some people whose usual hobby was sitting every morning and commenting on the body structures of each occupants waiting to take a bath. I was surprised they didn't wake up early. I shrugged and entered the one room apartment I was managing. Finding comfy clothes to wear was never a big deal, I slipped quickly into a worn out pair of jeans trouser and a coffee colour long sleeve shirt. grabbed my phone and saw several missed calls.

I knew it's was calls from my ex wife reminding me that today was our hearing in court pertaining our divorce and custody of our kids. I found myself hissing out loud. I was going to teach that woman a lesson in court today

Because I was poor didn't mean I lost my sense of reasoning, because she had found a dirty old man spending heavily on her.

She now wants me to sign our divorce papers and push the children custody to me because she wants to remarry. When I was begging and pleading with her to allow the children stay with me in the first place She refused because she knew the kids were my weak point. Now that I got a job that keeps me busy from morning till night. I wouldn't be home 24/7 to look after them. And I wasn't ready to remarry or get my children a stepmother who would maltreat them in my absence.

I left the house and luckily I saw taju, the jovial taxi driver who lived on our street heading out. He gave me a lift and dropped me at my working place.

I had to seek my boss permission before heading out for the court hearing. My boss was the nagging type, but what could I do? The paycheck at the end of every month was okay. A large chunk of it went to my kids feeding and education, so I couldn't afford any mistake to be fired so easily.

As usual, meeting in him in the usual grumpy avatar, I asked for his consent and he gave it to me but in return. I would work two extra shift. A deal I happily obliged to.

Reaching the court, I saw my ex-wife in a deep conversation with her lawyer, nodding my head. I went past them and sat on the chair waiting for the judge call.

"Good morning, dearest," the voice of dorathy my ex-wife greeted him in a cool voice.

Looking up, I saw her smiling sweetly at me. Another one of her dirty tricks to me succumbed to her wish. She had forgotten the ill treatment she meted out to me and my family when I was begging her to reconsider the issue of divorce and allow us stay together for the kids. She knew I detested it even during our dating days, but who knew the tables would turn on me. And I would be what I hated most.

"Morning," I replied her in a cold voice. and continue staring down thinking of tatics and strategies to win my case before the judge.

"Do you mind if I sit close to you?" Dorathy asked, not minding my cold treatment towards her.

I pointed at the seat close to me, an indication of telling her to sit. She did and spoke out softly.

A character she never exhibited during our marriage days, Dorathy's voice was always pompous and commanding.

"Sylvester, I know you're angry with me, since the crashed of our marriage. But I'm not getting any younger, I need to move on and live the life, I always wanted, dreamed of and now that it is coming to light. You want to be the obstacle standing in between me and what I always dreamt of. I have a new man in my life, he has given me the life, I always desired and more. The life you couldn't give me. He wants to bring his people for a formal union and wants us to get married in a few months time. Please stop hurting the both of us and sign the divorce paper, and take the custody of the kids forever," Dorathy spoke in a tone without remorse.

My heart sank on hearing her cruel words. Looking at her face, Dorathy could pass off for a teenager and not the mother of two beautiful kids. But listening to her, I wondered why I was just realizing Dorathy was a gold digger in disguise, a monger for material things. During our marriage, she was never satisfied with what I got her and always compared herself with her friends whose husbands were rich and wealthy husband.