Chapter 11

Caro, after leaving Beryl, had trekked very little and enjoyed much. For the first time in her life, she had five thousand naira all to herself, in no one's house and under nobody's supervision. It occurred to her to indulge herself a little, so she purchased sardines, corned beef, soft drinks and everything else that she had always looked forward to eating all her life. Within a few days, she had broken several records and consumed things she never would have hoped to consume if she was still in her father's house. Running away had a lot of perks, to be sure. For once, she could spend freely and without thinking too much, even giving some change to beggars. Though her birthday was still many weeks away, she felt like treating herself like a queen. It was wonderful how easily you noticed beautiful things when you have money. To make things more splendid, she had not encountered any trouble so far and finding abandoned or unsecured shops to sleep in was no problem.