The atmosphere was cool and smelt of damp sand, evidence of the night's rain; dew hung suspended in the air like clouds of smoke and made for poor visibility at a distance. At seven am the staff quarters of the University of Calabar was deserted except for a couple of akara (beans cake) hawkers and a handful of cleaners.
The cleaners arrived work at some minutes to seven. Of course, today was no exception. Mercy moved to her allotted spot, leaving the other four cleaners, of which she was the youngest, to retreat to their own allocations. The staff quarters was built like a suburb, a connection of tarred roads, houses of the same size, style and hue with a lot of trees. Her spot included a stretch of the tarred road and one of the houses. She had to sweep this stretch of road and the compound every day for a paltry salary.
