Chapter 2: The Mandate Of Mama G

Femi pressed his ear to the door and whispered, “Empty… for now. Give it five minutes.” He motioned for Adanna to stay low.

“Five minutes?” she hissed. “Femi, we just closed the door! It’s been less than two minutes since your Mama declared this room a monastery! What exactly are we waiting for?”

“Aunty Ngozi,” he said grimly. “She runs the night shift. She’s like a human motion sensor… but for lust.”

Adanna dropped her small leather clutch onto the nearest bed with a dramatic sigh. Shock was giving way to irritation. She picked up a laminated sheet lying on the pillow—a tiny printed schedule.

“Oh, look at this,” she said sarcastically. “The Official Sacred Quarters Occupancy Protocol. I thought this was just a family story.”

Femi leaned over, careful not to touch her. Restraining himself already felt exhausting. “Read the fine print,” he said.

Adanna held it up. “Rule One: Chaste Separation. Occupants must keep a respectful distance in the Sacred Quarters at all times. Beds must stay apart. The stool is not for sitting—it’s a reminder of the space between sin and salvation.” She snorted. “Dramatic.”

“Keep going,” Femi said, close enough for her to smell his expensive cologne—a sensory torture.

“Rule Two: The Chaperone Schedule. Ah, here we go.”

The schedule listed all thirty days of the month, color-coded, with exact times and who would be on duty outside their annex door:

Time Slot Chaperone

8:00 PM – 11:00 PM Aunty Patience

11:00 PM – 4:00 AM Aunty Ngozi

4:00 AM – 8:00 AM Cousin Ifeanyi

“Aunty Ngozi is on the overnight shift for the full three months,” Femi said, tapping the grid. “One time, she caught my cousin sneaking a bottle of wine during his trial—and he wasn’t even engaged yet.”

Adanna’s eyes widened. “Five hours… five critical hours where any accidental touch could ruin our entire plan.” She tossed the schedule onto the bed. “This is worse than a shareholder audit.”

“Wait until you see the final rule,” Femi said, pointing.

Rule Five: Morning Audit. Chaperone Ifeanyi will inspect the quarters at 7:50 AM daily. Beds must be perfectly made. Any evidence of shared occupancy—a rumpled sheet, two pillows on one bed, or the Stool of Separation moved—is grounds for immediate trial.

Adanna felt a surge of adrenaline. This wasn’t tradition—it was psychological warfare. The rules weren’t just about chastity; they were designed to create tension, test patience, and challenge teamwork.

“Okay,” she said, her voice turning firm and businesslike. “We can’t leave the compound yet. So the ‘out of the quarters’ rule is too risky tonight. We have to take control of this room.”

Femi looked at her, a mix of awe and desire in his eyes. “Take it how? We’re trapped in a chastity box.”

Adanna glanced at the four-inch gap, then at his anxious, tempting face. “The rule says no physical contact. It doesn’t say no non-physical intimacy.”

She pulled her laptop from her bag. “It’s 8:00 PM. Aunty Patience, the hard-of-hearing one, is outside. Let’s look respectable, Femi. Our first date starts now… virtually.”

Femi raised an eyebrow. “A date? With two single beds and a stool between us?”

Adanna gave a slow, wicked smile. “We can’t touch, but we can talk, we can look, and we can remember exactly what we’re fighting for. Get comfortable, my love. Put on some mood music. We have a long night ahead.”

As Femi watched her turn on the laptop, frustration and excitement mixed on his face. She was right—the battle lines were drawn. And the only thing more agonizing than the four-inch gap was the brilliant woman sitting just inches away, promising him everything with her eyes while the whole family listened at the door.