The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2026 - Issue 39

bitetheatre Jaja’s African to handle it herself becomes unmistakably clear. “Listen, I am not breaking my fingers today. Long micro braids? She is going to be in here all day.” Aminata’s lottery scratch cards reveal her hopes of a big win, but Bea warns her that she’s chasing wasted dreams. Marie heads into the back room to check on stock levels. Left alone, the two older women gossip that Jaja’s new marriage is for papers, and the hus- band is already married. “Heh! Jaja and her white man! You can’t tell her anything. ‘Oh, Steven and I are going to buy an apartment downtown. We are looking at places.’” Ndidi (Bola Akeju), a Nigerian woman in her late twenties with beaded cornrows, enters with over- sized headphones on. Dressed like a sporty teenager, she is oblivious to the room until Miriam forces a greeting. Bea’s irritation with her is relentless, even extending to breakfast orders. When Ndidi defends herself, Bea doubles down, accusing her of stealing clients. “Your chair is temporary. If your shop hadn’t burned down and Jaja didn’t feel sorry for you, you wouldn’t even be here. So, mind yourself, yeah? You should be grateful.” The two older women gossip and laugh about Jaja, her presumed sham marriage, and Bea’s own expe- rience of marrying for legal status in America. True to form, Bea steers the conversation back to resent- ment, predicting Jaja’s future will collapse within months. She then returns to her familiar refrain: the shop should have been hers. “Because I couldn’t get all of my money together in time, she went ahead. Hmph. I’m telling you, this place should be called Bea’s African Hair Braiding.” The high noon scene change arrives with mood lighting and a burst of synchronised choreography from the women. Jennifer settles in with her laptop, clearly eavesdropping, while Miriam keeps braiding. Ndidi and Miriam work steadily with their clients as Bea and Aminata dance to music, until a phone call wipes the joy from Aminata’s face. Her love life is in turmoil: her husband is in the doghouse, begging for reconciliation, but Aminata isn’t having it. Franklin (Demmy Ladipo), a smooth‑talking sock seller, breezes in to Jennifer’s delight. We in the au- dience recognise this type of character all too well Hair Braiding Images courtesy of Bread and Butter PR