Wahala Quotes

“Urban was her way of saying black. Simi had downed her champagne through gritted teeth. She wanted to win because she was good – smart, creative, persuasive – not because she was black.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“And if you took risks, you had to accept responsibility when things went wrong.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“If you were angry or stressed, you’d taste it.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“You don’t need a degree to succeed,” he’d said. “You’re smart and strong. You can be whatever you want to be. You just have to believe in yourself half as much as I believe in you.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“By the time she was nine, Simi understood how the world worked. In Lagos being light-skinned was far more important than fine eyes, clear skin, a waist or a brain.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Ronke had been brought up to respect her elders without question. Three months of living with Nancy and Dennis put her straight. Not all old people were wise. Some were cold, xenophobic and mean.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Simi believed it was impossible to be racist if you were mixed. The more of us the better. If only the world would shag racism into oblivion.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Thank you to my Nigerian and British families for the wonderful gift of two cultures. With a very special mention for my sister, Victoria Oyegunle, who believes (wrongly) that I can do anything. Everyone needs an alobam; she is mine.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Ah! Boo was a bonus. I confess I didn’t know she was my half-sister. When she told me her dad was Dele Babangari, I nearly fell off my chair. You can tell her from me, she’s not a real Babangari. Just another of his worthless bastards.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“was in her closet; I used to like it in there. I heard them talking about how they’d run away together. She was going to leave me. Leave me for some nobody – a pauper dentist. I couldn’t let that happen. I told Dad what I’d heard. I knew he’d put a stop to it. We’re very similar.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Isobel’s eyes were hard. ‘Look at your pathetic little face – the same stupid expression as when I got you kicked out of Ikoyi Club. It was so funny watching you scrambling around for your cheap flip-flops, trying to pretend you couldn’t hear us laughing. You’re a joke.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“I don’t get how anyone could lie about their mum being dead. She had me fooled – there were real tears in her eyes.’ ‘She’s a monster,’ said Simi. ‘It’s over. We never need to see her again.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Boo couldn’t speak. She couldn’t breathe. Isobel had known for months. She’d quizzed her about her father. All this time, she knew they were half-sisters. ‘I need to pack. Come on – you can help.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“You ungrateful little bitch!’ Isobel exploded. ‘I treated you like a sister. I took you under my wing, wasted my time and money trying to raise you out of your miserable little life with your fat wimp of a husband and your ugly brat of a child. I should have known better. You’re nothing. Just another coconut bastard. I wish you unluck for the rest of your pathetic life.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Boo tried to see Simi. She suggested coffee, dinner, drinks, chill at mine or at yours – but Simi had retreated into her shell. Boo knew she regretted telling her about Martin. Simi couldn’t bear it when people weren’t dazzled by how wonderful her life was; she despised sympathy.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Her perfect dad was a lie. The man she had idolized all her life was a cheat. He was sleeping with another man’s wife. He had planned to abandon Mum, Ayo and her. He’d broken Mum’s heart before he died.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“It concerns your friend, Ronke. Her father’s death was not an accident. He was having an affair with Irina and when Dele found out, he had him killed. He bragged about it to me. Boasting, banging his chest.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“It is me who let you down. I am a fool – an old fool – and that’s the worst kind. I should have supported you when you left Bristol, but I was too arrogant. Every day I regret the way I handled it. Simisola, I am so sorry. It is you who must forgive me.’ Dad sounded emotional. He”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“I’m not jealous of her, I’m sick of her. There’s been nothing but wahala since she arrived. Your dad was right about her. Now go. Just go.’ Ronke slammed the door.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“No! I went to Lagos for a holiday. She turned up at our house, told Mum she was my fiancée. Caused a scene. Crying, screaming, threatening to kill herself. It took hours to get rid of her. We were on the verge of calling the police. Ask Yetty if you don’t believe me. She was there.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“He won’t marry you, Ronke. Girls like us are for messing around with. Not for keeps.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“what, Boo? For not being able to look at me? For sending your daughter home with Ronke? For being miserable? Or is it trapped?’ Didier put his head in his hands. ‘Talk to me, Boo. Je comprends pas.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Fuck the lot of them. Having fun wasn’t a crime. She collapsed on top of the bedcovers. If Sofia could go to bed with her clothes on, so could Boo.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Ronke was amazed. Stressed! Boo-time? Tubby hubby? What was wrong with them? Was Boo having some sort of breakdown? And she wouldn’t send her child home with a steroid-pumped Russian. Would she?”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Ronke blamed her for everything – for dating Kayode, for Boo’s sleeping with her boss, for Simi’s lying to Martin. She knew she was being unfair. The Isobel–Kayode thing was an unfortunate coincidence and her friends were both grown-ups. But fact was, pre-Isobel, their friendships had been rock solid. Now there were cracks.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“She realized how much she missed the old threesome – the way things used to be. They had celebrated all their milestones together – first jobs, promotions, break-ups, engagements, weddings – they should share this too. She tried to arrange lunch with Ronke and Boo but they both made silly excuses. So she visited them separately.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Oh, I emailed him,’ said Martin. ‘Told him we’d help with Olu’s MBA but we couldn’t stretch to the full ten grand. He has a real problem with your friend Isobel – he’s more worried about her than the money. He wants me to warn you off her.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“You need to own this,’ said Ronke. ‘You can’t make it someone else’s fault. And you’re not a people-pleaser – you’ve never cared what anyone thinks. What’s happened to you, Boo? It’s as if you don’t care about anyone else. Not me. Not Didier. Not even Sofia. Remember when Akin cheated on me – you saw how much it hurt. You were there.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Boo knew she could join in – she was half Nigerian, for fuck’s sake – but it all sounded so foreign. For once she was envious of Ronke. Her own waste-of-space father had stolen her heritage – she’d been left with half an identity. No wonder she felt like an intruder in her own life.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Typical,’ said Isobel. ‘They hate black people. You should see them in Nigeria. There’s a Chinese restaurant in Lagos and it’s segregated. I’m not joking. There’s a separate area for Nigerians. You don’t even get the same food. And this is in our own country, where they are the fucking visitors. You couldn’t make it up.”
― Nikki May, Wahala