"Daddy! Daddy!" whispered Pamela  
             "Yes Pam" come Mr Phillips booing voice. " My friends are coming tomorrow for a visit" she hesitated, twisting her palm before she continued "And one of them has a party at home, You know her, she Nwanju. May I attend ?"
                Mr Phillips a dark complexioned six footer, know that not granting his daughter wish would spoil her Christmas holiday. She had never been this happy all year long until yesterday when the issue of traveling to Lagos to visit her Anuties, Regina got settled, She started to dancing, cleaning up the old Christmas cassettes, arranging flowers at every Conner of the house of the house and obeying every command. At breakfast table that morning, she barely touched, her food
 She was so excited that nothing exce Iipt the thought of Christmas was intriguing to her . Pamela was a dark chocolate colour four feet, two inches plum child. With a long jaw and chubby cheeks which her friend termed "extreme quality" . She had deep set brown eyes her face indeed was an epitome of beauty like that of her father. She was the youngest child of a family of three children and was age nine. Mr Phillips sincere wish, was for his daughter Christmas to be bright and he honestly hoped that her anxiety would not be short lived, hers was getting out of hand after all the saying goes. "A happy man in the morning should beware of a sad dawn"
              Pamela noticed the frown on her father's face and his silence. Pleasing she cried out "Daddy please
           Mr Phillips jerked from his daughter, nodded his head positively and left the sitting room , smiling. 
             Pamela got happier washed her teddy bear , then decided to have a nap, she needed to savour every minutes of her evening outing and be ready for the midnight mass as was customary on Christmas Eves.
           She thought about the next day activities as she lay on her bed.
    "After breakfast, we will go out with daddy, then I will have a party with my friends" unconsciously, she was counting her fingertips.
        "Thirdly we will go to uche party and we willsh go to Chary and babes. " She was interrupted by her mother intrusion.
      " Pam what are you counting? I thought you wanted to grab a nap" she winked leaning on the door gainfully busy" Frame. " because if you are not , I can keep you gainfully busy " was
      She smiled, an equall beautiful five footer, her mother was not nonsense woman who could be really hard if you make her angry or sweet as her as if you please her. Evelyn was
 like in beauty and in character.
              " No mum, I am not idle" just counting my self to sleep. Bye she held up her sleeping cover not wanting to give up her sleep.
                 "I think I have a better idea" her mum threatened, walking into the room but she halted when she heard a scream.
              "Mummy! Help", Evelyn cried out and jumped up pointed to the ground.
                  Before anything could be done, the knockout had exploded the shrapnel hit David on the cheek , there was a little bloodless cut.
                  The person who fired the knockout into the compound was of course out of sight. Many of such incident occurred within the premises.
                 Anxiously, Pamela ran to the sitting room and peeped out side. She winced when she imagine David small cut . After a while everything seems all right again. The other members of the family, who were outside, started walking towards their apartment, so Pamela ran back to her room.
                Outside the compound the day was a bustling one. Many stores and shop especially barbing saloons were open playing music, dancing and making fun of the people who were on the Christmas Eve visiting round the day was really full of fun and excitement.
               She dived into her bed and tried to think straight but could not, " All right then, let me get some sleep now" she said as she shut her eyes tightly, but sleep did not come she allowed her thought to stray far, and then remembering herself and tried to get some sleep, but sleep was elusive. She became restless. Calling to her mind what her teacher taught her in school, she concluded that she was suffering from insomnia, her heartbeat grew faster and her eyelids got weaker finally restless sleep overtook her.
                  However she woke later with a start thinking that someone called her because it was time to go out but it was her elder ones laughing. Disappointed, she went back to bed. To fall asleep again, she attempted an exercise of counting from one to hundred. As she kept on counting her eyelids grew heavy and so she fell into oblivion.
               A day to the New Year, Pamela was put on a return bus to Benin after spending quality time with her maternal aunt, Regina. During Pamela stay in Lagos, her aunt bought her a lot of new shoes and clothes. Regina a twenty eight years old spinster was a chattered accountant and like Mr Phillips she had a plump and a round shaped face.
                 They were the only girls of their late mother. Aunt Regina was not really beautiful but her sweet manners pathetic and caring nature made up for it. They spent a jolly nice week in Lagos attending function and visiting friends.
                 Pamela was extremely pampered and fussed over and so when it was time for her to return home for the New Year celebration, she felt sad . Life was so busy and exciting in Lagos quite unlike Benin where almost every where was always cool and dull.
                Her Aunt gave her lots of present to take home for the other members of the family. Amidst prickly tears she entered a bus at a public line and waved to her Aunt whom was busy paying her fares to a shrewd looking motor boy who hung to the frames of the red bus . sitting at the back seat of the bus, she watched her Aunt disappear into the throng of idlers at the motor Park. The bus had an inscription boldly written on both sides of it. "THINK NOT OF TOMORROW".
                On her right was a girl of about her age possibly an lbo girl by tribe, this she easily perceived because of the girl accent. What perplexed Pamela most about the fair lbo girl who was that at her age she so engrossed in kicking her right thumb . The girl had a very thin face but fat body. With double line on both sides of her face chin, possibly a tribal mark. On her left sat a shot drawn old woman with a black set of teeth. They were just the three passengers on the back seat with scattered foam and broke straws. 
                 Their journey though uncomfortable was nice and smooth until the bus grinded to an abrupt halt.
               Puzzled, the passengers alighted and decided to give the bus a push but the bus just kept jerking.
                     Oga the driver what is the matter " questioned a nonsense looking man. The driver check the car engine ceremoniously barked at the driver for not making arrangements for servicing the car before putting it on the road.
               "Give me our money Oga drive " demanded from the passengers.
               The driver paid deaf ears to them and left his bus conductor behind. He walked as fast as his legs could carry him until he got a lift.
               While gone some passengers threatened to beat him up should he fail to turn up in an hour time. a few walk around grumbling, buying drinks and snacks. To while away time, Pamela decided to be friends with her timid lbo seat partner.
                "Hi, my name is Pamela, Pam for short , friends call me Pam"
               "Hello, my name is Egowani, just call me Ego"
               There was an uncomfortable silence as each child sought what to tell the other. Ego dark eyes lit up mischievously, her mouth turning up at the corners. She drew her friend hand pointing to her right.