Nikki May > 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

“He didn’t have a clue what her job involved – fashion was beneath his notice, marketing wasn’t a proper job and anyway, she didn’t have a degree – to him, she was an embarrassment.”
― 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

“I’m so jealous,’ said Ronke. ‘Sexy French husband. Adorable child. Huge kitchen. If I didn’t love you so much, I’d hate you.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Quick,’ Simi said. ‘If Ronke gets hangry, we’re in for it. She’ll bitch-slap us with these tacky menus.’ Ronke patted her menu as she swallowed down another twinge of annoyance. Hanger was a real thing; she’d read an article about it in the Sunday Times just last week.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“When you’ve wasted your life on a string of losers who treat you like shit! You’ve never had a real relationship. You don’t understand how they work. You have no idea of the sacrifices I’ve had to make. No two people have the same dream. My career matters. My freedom matters. You really think Kayode is the one? You’re stupid! Deluded.’ Simi didn’t realize she’d been shouting till she stopped. The noisy men had fallen silent and were staring. Even the waiter looked attentive.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Plus, Ronke’s biological clock was deafening. And when it came to marriage and babies, she had backward, African, views – all women wanted to be mothers. Anyone who didn’t was a freak.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“How long before they dripped out of her mouth like poison into Sofia’s sponge-like brain? A kid who said ‘Merde’ might be called precocious. One who said ‘Fuck’ was a chav.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“reckon my dad did the I am a royal prince – my father is the Akarigbo of Remoland. Marry me and you will be a queen routine.’ She sat back. ‘Mum would have lapped it up.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“I’m always myself.’ Ronke tugged her hair. ‘Don’t you think it’s a bit weird the way she’s all over us? I mean, we barely know her. What do you need support for anyway?”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Wear suits instead of sweats. Talk about deductive theory instead of the tooth fairy. Go to meetings instead of smelly soft play centres. Get a cleaner.”
― 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

“But no. Because according to QB, Simi’s urban (black) roots made her a shoo-in for the Chitrita Phaishan launch. Chitrita was a Bombay designer and Phaishan her first diffusion (cheap crap) range for a Spanish high street chain.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Isobel’s Boo was bored, frustrated and put upon by Didier the tyrant. Simi thought this was utter crap. Didier was a saint. He did almost all the cooking, most of the shopping, his fair share of tidying and he was brilliant with Sofia.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“She’d be in and out. Airport, taxi, interview, taxi, airport. Ronke had a job. Boo had a child. Isobel forgot that not everyone lived in her rarefied bubble. Mere mortals had real lives, mortgages, jobs, alarm clocks. Still, despite Isobel’s faults she could be relied on for a good night out. And Simi needed to get pissed.”
― 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 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

“Boo shook her head. The world had gone fucking mad. She was the only sane person left.”
― 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

“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

“But the dazzling sun made it worse and her earlobe was sore – her new earring was gorgeous, but heavy. The cheek of Ronke. Primark! Honestly! At least Isobel knew it was Phoebe Philo for Céline. Ronke just didn’t get”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Well, that’s one problem I’ll never have. I’m the first-born, the chosen one. My mother is the only woman Dad ever loved, his tsarina. I remind him of her. He looks out for me – that’s why I’ve got Vadim. To keep me safe.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“Simi could feel her ‘not-lies’ pushing her down. The birth control pills. The other pills. The interview for the job she wouldn’t get. The Facebook picture. She picked up her glass and sighed. Martin was going back to New York on Tuesday. Let sleeping lies lie.”
― 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

“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

“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

“You’re being dramatic. Some families are Waltons and some are Lannisters. We got the short straw, Didier got the long. That’s life. It’s not all bad.”
― Nikki May, Wahala

“They pitied the poor souls with one solitary culture, who used fake tan (or worse – bleaching cream). They were proud of being half Nigerian and half English. They loved jollof rice and fish finger sandwiches”
― 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

“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