Infinite Love 90

Musketeers Reunited

They were young again all of them. Lying down on the wet grass and watching scared grasshoppers leap out of their hiding leaves.

Onos jumped at the sight of a grasshopper flying his face and Dayo laughed at his comical reaction. He plucked a few grass blades from the ground and threw towards Onos slightly covering him in dirt. He jumped up and went after Dayo as he ran and Michael and Angela laughed as the two boys chased eachother and dodged and darted this way and that, all in slow motion.

Across from him, laughing while sitting on the grass, Michael saw the greatest sight of his life. Her teeth bright and beautiful, her face even more radiant than the afternoon sun behind her and her body propped up elegantly by her left hand, Angela; the greatest sight he ever saw; was her. The wind picked up and her school uniform flapped along with her hair as the sun’s beam radiated her every inch; Angela, she was always his dream. She turned to look at him, away from the boys and her mouth closed, the corners lifted up and her eyes gazed upon him like a dream, Angela; he always knew she loved him. He got up and got down on one knee. Dusted away the dirt as he reached into his pocket for the little ring like his father’s, he got down on one knee;
“Angela; will you marry me?”


She cupped her mouth in shock of it, the boys came from behind clapping their hands, still in slow motion and all smiles.
“Oh, Mike.” She gasped
“Mike! Mike! Mike, wake up were here!” Dayo nudged him again until he stirred awake.
“Oh, okay. I’m awake. Have we arrived?”
“Yes, we’re here; Yenagoa Bayelsa.” Michael looked around as they got down from the interstate luxurious bus that they chartered overnight because they had been nearly chased out of town by police and soldiers. They chartered it after they had left that Princewill guy’s car in a nearby garage though Dayo put up resistance in leaving the car. He was ready to drive another guy’s car from Lagos to Bayelsa. Michael was not that brave, or crazy.
“Hmph!” he exhaled sadly he had always imagined himself leaving Lagos for the first time with his father. He had always put off any sort of interstate travel because it was always a dream of his dad to see the country together. It was one of their dreams together, never meant to be fulfilled. Although, they could not have fulfilled that dream, he was determined to fulfill his father’s best hope for him and that was why they were here in Yenagoa. He gazed at one of his best friends. Well, Dayo had in many ways been like a slightly elder brother to him, so it made it less sad that his first time was with him.
“What is that address, we are going to again?” Dayo asked him.
“Yeah, it’s er…Ekeki Housing Estate Phase 1.”
“Phase one? That sounds expensive. Do you think maybe Onos could be wealthy?”
“We’ll know when we get there.” And they grabbed the bag, the only luggage that they managed to save during their chase and headed out to look for a taxi.
…
They found the place easily. Apparently, Ekeki is a popular housing estate for rich politicians as told by their very loquacious taxi driver.
“Ah, bros, Ekeki. Na correct estate be dat o oga. It is the first and still the most expensive estate Yenagoa. Na big big politicians dey live for there. Who you go dey find for there?”
“We are going to look for our friend from school.”
“Ah, your life is already better and ya problems are already solved because…your friend is now a big man if he is living there.”
Dayo laughed “Onos! A politician? That’s impossible! Onos couldn’t put a single conversation together to a girl when we were in secondary school and when talking to boys he stammered so much that you would think he was tap dancing with his feet. That’s funny, but no not Onos.”
Micheal thought for a second “Well…” he said finally “It’s a little difficult to imagine Onos as a politician really.”
“Okay, alright but I dey tell una say anybody living in that place must be a big man, maybe your friend dey live there inside one oga politician for him boys quarters as a worker sha.”
“That makes more sense.” Dayo said flatly.
“Anyway, please ehn…in case you hear say dem dey find driver for there abeg, please I will give you my phone number and you fit call abeg…na my dream to find work for there.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah, we’ll do that.” Dayo said wondering how a situation such as that would arise but promising to make the poor man feel better anyways.
“Please don’t forget me o! If I find work for there, my entire family life don better be dat. Chei! God o! Helep my hustle.” He shouted out loud and they all laughed all the way up to the crystal white gate that left both Michael and Dayo speechless at its sight and the sight of the grand edifice behind it.
“You see! BIG MAN HOUSE! Anybody wey dey work here don make am! Your friend, even if im be houseboy for here, im don make am! Abeg o, no forget my gsm number if you here say dem dey find driver o!” their taxi driver said leaving them standing speechless wondering what in the world Onos would actually be doing in such a house. It was while they were staring that the security man shouted at them through the square box peep hole.
“Hey, wetin una want for here?”
It took them a while to discover where the voice was calling out to them from before they replied.
“We’re looking for our friend Onos.” With that the square box slammed shut and a man emerged from behind the pedestrian side of the gate.
“Oga Onos? From where? Who are you?” he asked with intense curiousity.
The boys exchanged looks wondering in what context Onos was actually anyone’s ‘oga’ before saying their names and as the man disappeared into the enormous house with all its lush garden and trees surrounding a beautifully crafted ancient Roman styled mansion.
Then he emerged.
Walking slowly, even from afar they all knew each other. They knew. As they had known each other all those lifetimes ago when they were boys. There were few people in the world who knew every inch of hair, every step and gait, every chord in their voices as these three brothers from another mothers knew each other. They recognized him as he walked, even with the shiny black Italian shoes they recognized they way he used to walk, even behind the starched smooth pants and tucked in shirt, folded above the elbow they recognized his chubby body and of course the round spectacles could not hide the tiny almost Chinese looking eyelids that they had been fond of for many years. They both recognized him well, and at the same time, they did not know him at all.
He dismissed the gateman and proceeded to unlock the gates himself;
“Michael? Dayo? Wow!”
Michael couldn’t find the words, he was choking on air, it was until the man grabbed him into a bear hug that he finally exhaled and he could breathe again.
“Oh my God!” he whispered finally, he could not tell how long that had held each other until he noticed Dayo glaring angrily at them both and then he let go to allow Dayo hug him too. But Dayo being Dayo, did what Dayo would usually do.
“THWACK!” he smacked him hard across the face.
“ONOS! YOU STUPID MONKEY!” he cried as Onos stumbled from the force backwards into Michael.
“Oh God! This boy again!” he said.

Infinite Love 91



THE BULLY

“Dayo, why did you do that?” Michael said.
”You th-this guy would never ch-change.” Onos said wiping his glasses clean with the whitest handkerchief that both of them had ever seen.
“Oga, weti

n happen? Shey na dem beat you? Make I beat dem?” said the gateman who came running out to defend his boss.
“No, Pa James. It’s alright. These Neanderthals are like brothers to me.”

Onos said to his gateman thoroughly confusing him into thinking that Neanderthals were like a tribe and smacking people was their own of greeting people.
“Okay, sir.” He said disappearing back into the house but Dayo wasn’t done yet.
“You-you-you had ALL THIS!? And you let us SUFFER in Lagos!? Do you have any idea how PAINFUL, these last fews years had been for us? Especially, Michael and you just STAYED HERE!? Lavishing in luxury all by yourself? YOU’RE SO SELFISH, ONOS! I never thought you would ever do something like this! Michael’s dad died and YOU DIDN’T EVEN CARE!!” at this Onos instantaneously, gave Dayo a big smack of his own right across the head.
“Hmm, that’s right oga, greet am well well.” Pa James said from inside the house startling the three of them.
“HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME?” Onos yelled “Never in your life, EVER SAY THAT TO ME AGAIN! Mr Gabriel was like a father to me, Michael and the rest of his family were the only kindness I ever received in Lagos. It was tough for me in Lagos, it was lonely my aunty that I was living with always ignored me. It was Mr Gabriel’s little words of encouragement that usually motivated me and I never forgot any of them. All those stories about how he survived Lagos as a young boy from Imo to working in the airport were everything to me. I never forgot them and I never forgot that it was Michael’s textbooks that I used to study and it was his desk that I shared until I graduated after mine was destroyed and my aunty refused to pay for another one.”
“Oh spare me, you can’t tell me that you had all this…” Dayo said pointing to the mansion “…while we almost had nothing and you just kept quiet. You never called!”
“Actually…he called me a few times.” Michael said taking a few steps back.
“WHAT!?” Dayo said moving threateningly towards Michael, who took a few more steps backwards.
“Erm…just a few, not…many times.”
“Why-didn’t-you-tell-me?” he said slowly.
“Because I asked him not to.” Onos said and Dayo turned and faced Onos again.
“Why not?”
“Because I was going through a tough time and telling you probably wouldn’t have helped.”
“What tough times could a fat mansion owner like you could possibly have been going through? What, your Mercedes were getting scratched by the poor people’s cars on the public roads?” Dayo sneered.
“THERE! RIGHT THERE! THAT’S WHY I didn’t tell you!”
“What?”
“You never take me seriously! You are always making fun of me!”
“So, what? That was high school. Kids made fun of each other and you always made it so easy to make fun of you. You couldn’t talk to girls and you always stammered whenever you were talking to even other boys. You always carried around that stupid dictionary and were always memorizing big old nonsense words all the time as if you were going to become the grand Verbose Chief of Nigeria or something. It was ridiculous and you made it impossible not to laugh at you.”
“Dayo, what is wrong with you?” Michael said getting upset.
“Not Michael, its fine. He has always been like this. I didn’t expect him to change after all these years. I hoped but I didn’t expect it.”
“What?” Dayo said.
“Do you know why I couldn’t to girls in school and why I always stammered whenever talking to other boys? It was you!”
“bumfph…yeah, right. You’re blaming me for all your problems? Nice.” He said laughing.
“That’s right I’m blaming you. Not for all of it but most of it in high school? Yeah, I’m blaming you.” He said pointing a finger right into the centre of Dayo’s forehead “I couldn’t talk to girls because of you. Don’t you remember? You used to call me Dadu the monkey.”
“Oh Dadu, I haven’t said that in years.” He said smiling
“NO! That’s not funny. Not funny at all! I couldn’t talk to other people because whenever I tried all I heard in my head was…Oh, Dadu, try not to mess up. You monkey. Oh, Dadu, your big nose is full of pimples today OR oh, Dadu, did you eat all your aunt’s crayfish this morning because your breath smells.” Onos said glaring at him.
“Yeah, I remember saying those they were funny.”
“No, they weren’t. They were mean.” Michael said seriously. “We all at some point made fun of each other but you intensely focused on Dayo, for like…every single day.”
Dayo was stunned by this but he added “But wait a minute. You knew I was only making fun, I never meant any of those things I said. YOU KNEW THAT!”
“NO, I DIDN’T. I took every single thing you said seriously and buried it as facts in my subconscious mind. My confidence was dead because of you.”
Dayo instantaneously became silent.
“You were the smartest one amongst us. So, of course I believed it. I was almost a stranger in Lagos, I had my aunt but I was still a stranger to them because they never accepted me. I only had you two; just YOU and Michael. And I believed every single thing the both of you told me.”
Dayo could only stare.
“You think you were the only one who had a hard time after high school? I got admitted to DELSU and while studying I had to sell palm oil to survive during a full time program. Do you have any idea how stressful it was selling palm oil and still attend classes in the same school? I would attend classes and students would slowly go to another seat because of the smell. And sometimes, they would even make fun of me.”
“I didn’t know that, you could have told…”
“You? How could I have told you anything about that? I thought that you would have made even more fun of me as you usually did!”
This stung Dayo and he looked away shrinking in realization of how much pain he could have caused his best friend unknowingly.
“Oh, but all that was nothing. After 200 levels I found it easier to make money by writing notes for fellow students and taking their tests for them and a lot of times writing their projects for them. I was always working and I never had a holiday. But all that was nothing compared to what happened after I graduated. I got a job into this secondary school as a English teacher because I love teaching and the owner; Mr Edineh, I will never forget that man. He made me the class teacher, of two different classes, added Maths and Business Studies and he still wouldn’t pay me unless he was owing at least three month’s salary.”
“WHAT!?” Dayo gasped.
“Yes and the crazy thing was and I was the school’s bursar! I collected the school’s fees for him. It was another one of the few jobs that he gave me.”
“What?” Michael gasped.
“YES! That was how bad it was and who could I have turned to? No one!”
“Onos, don’t say that. You could have told me, anytime.” Dayo said painfully.
“I wanted to…but after not calling you for a long time, I thought it would be wrong to just call you about all my problems. But I tried one time. Do you remember? I called you but you only hung up after I told you my name. Do you remember that?”
“Yeah…I was…just angry with you for…not calling earlier.” Dayo said shamefully.
“I know. And I didn’t take offense really but it really pained me when I called Michael and he explained to me everything that was going on with his dad and his mom. I was hurting because he was hurting and I wanted to help but I just didn’t have any money to help him with. I made up my mind to get money for Michael. That was when I lost the teaching job.”
“How did you lose your teaching job?”
“I went to collect my salaries, all of them, everything that he owed my boss owed me and he refused. So I left his office and took out one of the student’s desk and broke it. I removed the top part of the desk and smacked it across his head and I shouted; GIVE ME MY MONEY!”
“Wow!”
“What?”
“Yes!”
“So, did you get it? All your money?”
“I did. That slowpoke had a secret drawing underneath his desk where he kept cash all the time so he gave me the money and told me never to come back to his school again.”
The boys laughed heartily but then Onos said seriously “But…when I got home. I realized that my rent was over due and I couldn’t afford to not pay my rent. So…I used the money to pay my rent instead.” And with his head bowed Onos added. “I’m so sorry Michael. I should have sent you that money but…I…” he said shamefully.
“No, no don’t be like that! Of course, I didn’t expect you to go homeless. How would that have helped me? I know that you would have if you could have. I don’t blame you for anything at all. And besides Dayo helped a lot. So, it was a bit easier.”
Hearing that Onos brightened up again. “Phew,” he exhaled “I had carried that guilt with me for many years.” He and Michael embraced while Dayo looked at them sadly.
“I really, didn’t know that I was so mean to you, I swear. I was angry a lot because my sisters at home then always annoyed me and I took it out on you and sometimes Michael. I really wish one of you had said something to me back then, I would’ve stopped. I know I would have.”
“Nah, we couldn’t. We were a little intimidated by you and your sharp wit.”
“I wish you had.” He sighed “I feel so bad right now.”
“Hey, come on. It’s in the past.” Onos said.
“Yeah, man. That was years ago.” And the two guys hugged him.
“I want you to two to know, that I LOVE YOU BOTH, VERY MUCH!” Dayo said.
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?” Onos gasped.
“ARE YOU SICK?” Michael put a hand on his forehead to feel his temperature and Dayo took it away.
“I’m fine! Leave me. I know I can be difficult.”
“Very difficult.” Onos added
“Don’t rub it in.” Michael said “He never gets emotional.”
“I just…want, no…I need to start letting you guys know whatever is bothering me instead of holding it in and lashing out at you two. I am SO SORRY for that all these years. You two deserve to know that I love you. You are the brothers I never had and if I had to sell a kidney to save any one of you? I would do that, gladly.”
“Oh, I love too. You stupid monkey!” Onos said hugging Dayo tightly.
“Yeah, I can’t believe you got soft in your old age. I love you guys.” Said Michael hugging the other two while the gateman kept looking on wondering what kind of culture these people from Neanderthal land had, first beating up his boss and later hugging him.

Such an emotional update, eager to know what would happen next. Kudos adeabdul2, enjoying every bit of your story.

Thank you so much

Missmossy:
Such an emotional update, eager to know what would happen next. Kudos adeabdul2, enjoying every bit of your story.

@adeaabdul2 your story is so touching and getting tense on every update, I wish its doesn't end soon. ��

Bros, thank you so much but...I am tired and so The End is Near!

Wow what a nice update. Their reunion is really touching.

Thanks boss

OTOBO IS COMING

Yes he is!

The Thanos Of Bayelsa is coming!

Infinite Love 92
The Broke Millionaire

Afterwards, after all the hugging and grabbing with a little bit of friendly smacking, Onos said;

“I am really happy to see you guys. I swear its been too long.”
“Yeah, it has. But you haven’t changed a bit.” Dayo said patting his tummy and Onos laughed heartily. “I know. I tried sit-ups but after a while, I gave up. Who needs a six pack?”
The others joined in the laughter “Come on, let’s go inside.”
He turned away the gateman and opened the gate himself because he wanted to personally treat them well, they deserved it. He took their only bag and led them in.
“Wow, this is such a big house. Congratulations man!”
“Yeah Onos, its awesome.”
“Thank you, please let’s go inside.”
“Your floors are amazing! And your ceiling, its gorgeous!” Dayo said turning side to side and up and down.
“Thank you very much! Here, have some water.” And he gave them bottled water “My wife will be home soon with the kids, then we can have some lunch.”
“SPLURMMPH!” Dayo splattered water all over the beautiful floor.
“COUGH! COUGH!” while Michael choked on his water.
“Oh sorry, sorry guys. Are you both alright?”
“Michael, I want to insult him. Can I please insult him?”
“Hold on first, Dee.” Michael said hold Dayo’s hand.
“But he got married without TELLING ME? Did he know? Did he tell you?”
“No, he didn’t…hey. You didn’t tell me you got married!?”
“I wanted to guys erm…but…”
“Seriously, Michael. He deserves some bullying right now. How could you not tell us you got married?”
“Dee…look” and Michael pointed to the family photograph on top of the huge plasma screen TV.
“and you GOT BUSY!?”
“I’m going to kill him now.”
“Hold on, Dayo. He has a family now so we can’t suffer his family by killing him.”
“But I can at least bully him again?”
“No, we’re already past that.”
“Insult him?”
“He has a kid, so technically im na person papa and so we can’t do that either.”
“So…he just gets away with it?”
Onos with his two hands in a plea said “Guys, it’s a long story and I promise I’ll tell you all about it…just tell me about you two first. What’s been going on?”
“You’re lucky I just repented from bullying you, Michael you tell him, I’m tired.”
Michael started from their high school graduation and subsequent admission into their universities. Then Michael’s father’s accident and his mom’s health issues with Dayo’s job at the bank and the Tafa files and later escape but he tried to leave out the part about Angela but Dayo put it in.
“Really? You met Angela again? How is she?”
And Dayo went on and on about how she and Michael got back into their normal half friend half boyfriend and girlfriend routine and wasting time until some sharp idiot proposed to her and now, she is getting married God-knows-when.
“Oh, man! I’m so sorry, Michael! That’s terrible!” Onos said.
“Hey, what’s there to be sorry for? She’s getting married congratulations to her.” He said nonchalantly but his friends looked at him closely, he wasn’t fooling them and them continued on the issue while he was hoping that they would just drop it.
“I blame him totally; he should have done that as soon as he saw her again instead playing the slow game. He’s just too slow.”
“I hate to agree with Dayo, Mike but…he is right this time. I mean, why didn’t you make your move? It’s been almost fifteen years already.”
“Move? What move? She’s a celebrity and what am I?”
“You’re Michael!” Onos said.
“Damn right, you are. You’re the best Michael I know!” Dayo agreed.
“And I’ve got nothing for her. Nothing except my near poverty, sick mother and probably bleak future!”
“Michael, don’t even think like that…listen to me.”
“NO, I WON’T! I’m not here to talk about Angela. We came here for a reason and that is what we are going to focus on, okay?”
The others kept quiet for about a minute before…
“Why are you here?” Onos asked
“I’m here because I want to go to Zaria and I need your help. I need both your helps.”
“Zaria? Do you mean the Wilbur…?” Dayo said
“Flight school, yeah.”
“That’s your father’s dream. Are you ready?”
“I think I am but I am scared…I am so scared guys.” Michael confessed “All my life my father has been the one pushing me, driving to do this and do that. I always got angry about all his pressures but now that he is gone. That is all I can think about. His drive. I don’t have his type of drive. I am not like him. I don’t think I could ever crawl from a small boy grinding pepper for people at Oyingbo Market to and educated senior staff at the airport. That man was incredible! And with him at my side I achieved so much in such a short time. Ever since he died, I’ve just been lost, sidetracked and aimless. I have failed. I failed myself and worst of all my father.”
“Hey, hey, hey that’s not true!” Dayo said coming to sit beside him. “You’ve done a lot with your life.”
“Dee, I work as a laundromat in a slum neighborhood…”
“…and you’re a damn good laundromat. Don’t put yourself down. You have done a lot already.”
“Yeah, Mike. After your dad died, aren’t you the one who took care of your mom and paid all your medical bills?” Onos asked.
“Yea…but that was nothing. What else could I have done?”
“No, wait a second.” Dayo chipped in “Who financed your brother’s education and got him his clothes?”
“Me…but that is not a big…”
“Shut up! Who got your family the apartment and paid all the rent and kept you guys fed?”
“Guys guys guys, I did all that. But that’s not what I’m talking about. All that is something I did that had to be done. There was no other option. I’m talking about accomplishments; I have done nothing with my life. I am a nobody!”
“Michael, we know you. You are not a nobody!”
“Yeah, all those things you did? They are all INCREDIBLE!”
“Yeah, don’t you see? What you said ‘had to be done’ was done Only because you chose to do it, another person could have easily abandoned the responsibility. You did it because you are an amazing person. And your family’s survival is one of your greatest accomplishments. You have faced odds even your father didn’t face. Your father had only himself to take care of as a boy. You had to take of everyone else first before taking care of yourself.”
“You have had…a much tougher life than he did and so you have already achieved a lot more than he had at your age.”
“He would be…PROUD OF YOU!”
And with that, Michael felt instantly better and more capable of doing anything and he was so glad they decided to come see Onos.
“Thanks, guys.”
“Of course…”
“You’re welcome.” They said nudging his ribs and slapping his thigh. The door opened and a pregnant woman and a young boy came in.
“Hello, dear we’re home.”
“Hello, darling welcome home.” And Onos went over to peck his wife on the cheek and hug his son.
“Oh my God, she’s already pregnant again.” Dayo whispered to Michael as they stood up.
“I’m surprised he doesn’t have a dozen kids already.” And they both giggled.
“I hope you guys are not making fun of a pregnant woman?” she said approaching.
“Oh no, not at all.” Michael said.
“We won’t do such a thing. Not us.” Dayo added.
“Hmm,” she said unconvinced “don’t think I don’t know you two. I know you two well, brother Michael and brother Dayo.” She said pointing to each of them when calling their names.
“Oh wow!” they said surprised and she laughed.
“He talks about you all the time.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Hello, little guy. How are you?” Michael greeted the young boy.
“Fine, sir.” He said bashfully.
“Hey, shake me. What’s your name?” Dayo asked.
“Dami.” He said still looking at the floor, shyly.
“You both must be hungry. I’ll go get dinner ready. Come Dami.”

After dinner and after they had showered and changed into a few of Onos’ smaller t-shirts because his regular sized t-shirts were big for them, they lounged on the sofa in a corner talking while Onos’ wife and kid watched TV.
“So, what’s the plan for flight’s school?” Onos asked.
“Well, I already know how to get started on it with the admissions and follow ups, my dad already taught me that many times. I am here because…erm well…” Michael hesitated.
“He’s here because he needs money and you’re the only one we know he can get it from.” Dayo said bluntly and Onos stared surprised.
“Oh…me?”
“Yes, you. He told me that you’re connected to politicians here and from the looks of it, you are making big bucks. You must be a politician yourself!”
“What…? Not at all.” Onos laughed nervously.
“I know that it’s a lot to ask and I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t serious and you know I would pay it back as soon as possible. I’m good for it.” Michael said.
“Oh…it’s not that, Mike. Dayo what about all the money you took from the bank, can’t you give Michael from that?”
“I gave it all to the people who owned it. I never took any of it for myself.”
“Oh…I see.”
“Onos, what’s going on? Don’t you want to help Michael?”
“Of course, I do!”
“Then what is it?”
“Its just that…”
“What?”
“Guys, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t have any money.” Onos said and the two became so confused.

How come you don’t have any money Onos?? I need to understand

����

Lol
You think say na every big man you see get money?

Missmossy:
How come you don’t have any money Onos?? I need to understand

Onos can't be living in such luxury and doesn't have money. Maybe am mission something.

Maybe you should read on.

Infinite Love 93

Disruption

Both Dayo and Michael exchanged looks.

“I’m sorry I don’t we understand. What do you mean ‘you don’t have money’?”

Dayo asked in a frown.

Dayo asked in a frown.

“Um…yeah, what he said.” Added Michael.

“Guys…um honestly…I don’t have any money. Actually, no…I have money, of course I have a few credits in my bank account but…nothing quite as vast or even near the amount Michael needs for flight school.”

They both exchanged another look.

“BUT YOU HAVE THE HOUSE!”

“AND
THOSE CARS!”

“AND
THOSE CLOTHES!”

“AND
YOU LIVE IN THIS ESTATE!” they ran all the major points that indeed proved that
Onos was a rich but still he insisted.

“Yeah,
but…most of it is not mine. They are for…my wife.” He said finally and the
others sank in their chairs.

“Huh!”
Michael said feeling a headache starting in his head from the confusion.

“You
need to explain.” Dayo said.

“Okay…”
he said pulling a stool to sit closer, in front of them “…I’ll start at the
beginning. Do you guys remember, Ejiro right?”

“Your
criminal cousin who lives off of scamming people in the U. S? Sure!” Dayo
responded.

“Yeah,
him. Well…he came home a few years back after I lost my job at that stingy
man’s secondary school. I was living in penury at the time and I was so glad to
see him. I thought he was going to be my salvation because I was broke and out
of options back then. I was so down financially, that I couldn’t even afford to
buy soap for bathing. I would get into the bath and scrub extra hard with the
sponge alone.”

“Oh!”

“Yeah,
so when he came, he took me under his wing. He would take me to where ever he
was going; hotels, lunches, bars, restaurants and meetings. Everyone was happy
for me. I was happy myself. My cousin was back from America and he was loaded.
I begin to dream of all the things I was going to buy, my house in an estate,
my cars even start my business. It all seemed to real to me and so close to
coming true because he was taking me out with him everywhere. We would go see
businessmen both local and expatriates, politicians, senators and various
beautiful women in different colours. And I saw how much money he was moving
because I used to handle a lot of his documentations for deals and stuffs at
these places. I said to myself ‘Onos, it is your time. It has finally come.!’
But after a while, after about three weeks, I realise that I was no richer
being with my cousin. In fact, I was becoming poorer because he hardly gave me
money for transport to and from his locations. I, was the one borrowing money
from people to go to him and he always put forth an excuse saying ‘he will see
me later or another nonsense like that’. So, I eventually got to talking with
him about my condition. Do you know what Ejiro told me?”

“What?”

“He
told my condition was my own doing, that I caused all of my problems for
myself. All those years that I wasted in secondary school and the university
trying to get an education while he kept calling me to come and join him in his
business in America…”

“By
business, did he mean..?”

“Fraud!”

“Oh,
okay.”

“He
told me that I should use my certificates to save myself that he, was in fact,
not able to help me.”

“Wow.”

“You
see he came home because he was on the run at that time, the police or someone
was chasing him and all those people that he was giving money; politicians,
gangs, businessmen were all crooks that he was paying to bail him out and try
to get him back to his business.”

“Business?
You mean…”

“Fraud!”

“O-kay.”

“He
gave me a few cash that day. So, I continued following him because I didn’t
have anything else to do, I was broke but at least at his places I could always
eat my fill instead of going hungry at home. But eventually on one of those
outings, the Odafe family were having a party; their grandfather was turning
seventy or something and I was there with him. I remember someone asking Ejiro
who I was and if I was into the same thing he was into and he laughed. He said
I was a poor bookworm who likes books more than more money and they all laughed
at me. I nearly died of embarrassment that day and I swore that I would never
follow him again. I realized then that he was never going to help me. So, I
avoided him and his calls no matter how often he called me. But one particular
day, he called me so much that I decided to pick up out of curiosity.”

“He
yelled ‘Go to Number 3 Tamuno Street and tell them from Ejiro, they are
expecting you.’ I later found out that someone at the Odafe family’s party
overheard that I was a bookworm and they needed a tutor for someone. So, they
called my brother and he called me. So, I got there and I met Clarice.”

“Who’s
Clarice?”

“That’s
me!” Ono’s wife signaled from the couch in front of the TV “I’m Clarice.”

“We
met and that’s how we fell in love. During tutoring.”

“Wow,
man. Good for you!”

“Thanks.”

“Your
wife is amazing. You’re very lucky.”

“Thanks
guys. But it wasn’t easy. These Odafe guys don’t play when it comes to their
family. Almost every girl has been slated to marry some specific guy and they
make sure that such marriage happens. Clarice was supposed to marry some…some…darling
who was that guy they wanted you to marry again?”

“

“Mitaire!”
she responede.

“Yeah,
yeah, Mitaire! I think he was some chief’s son?”

“He
is Chief Etareri’s son.” She said coming over to join them and leaving the TV
on cartoons for Daniel.

“Yeah,
that chief’s son.” Onos continued.

“We
haven’t even met before.” She added.

“Really?
Not at all!?” asked Michael.

“Not
at all.” She said thinking “Although, we spoke on the phone like, one time, I
think? That was it! My family just kept telling me to stay away from boys and
boyfriends, that I already had someone I was going to marry.”

“Wow!”
Dayo gasped.

“Yeah,
you see. Her family doesn’t joke with their family members. You know rich people
and their greedy ways?”

“Hey,
that’s my family you’re talking about mister!” his wife said frowning.

“Oh,
sorry dear and I love them very much. You know I do.”

“Okay.”

Then
Onos added in a low whisper “Her family claim to be into oil which is only half
true because they will happily accept money from crooks like my brother and
front for shady businessmen.”

“I
heard that mister!”

“But
you know that I love you and your family very much.”

“Okay.”
She said smiling and Dayo admired them and thought for a brief moment that it
might be nice to also have a wife until he remembered that he grew up with five
infuriating sisters and perished the thought of ever living with a woman again.

“So,
it wasn’t easy for us. Her family were completely against it. Seeing as they
had someone for her, who I don’t think was all that interested in her because
he was somewhere in the UK with no intention of coming home anytime soon. But
still, her family preferred to have an absentee son-in-law than a broke
bookworm like me. So, they threatened and threatened until Ejiro heard about
it. And for God knows why, he actually defended me. He told them that they
should allow me marry their daughter or else he will remove all his investments
from their companies. That’s when they let us be.”

“Oh
dear, I also think that they saw how much we were in love and meant for each
other as well and that is why they agreed to our relationship.” she added and
Onos responded.

“Yes,
darling.” But he covered his face from her and whispered “No, way!” to the others.

They
laughed “So, your cousin actually helped you out?” Michael asked.

“Yes,
if you can believe it. He helped me. For once, for the first time that I have
ever known him, he helped me. And he in fact, practically paid for the wedding
from the U.S while her family gave her, her, not me, this house and the
car and about how much?”

“Thirty
million naira plus.”

“30
million.

“30
million? Nice!” Dayo whistled.

“Yeah
and they kept monitoring my every movement and especially that money to see if
I would steal it and run, since they believed that I was a gold digger.”

“Wow,
that’s tough.”

“Yeah,
it is. Whenever, they see me or her they keep asking about my movements and
what I have done or was planning to do or some other nonsense like that. It
gets very annoying. Luckily, I got another teaching job at a community college
in Sagbama, so they can’t accuse me of joblessness anymore.”

“So,
you just left all that money lying somewhere?”

“No,
I…um we…decided to start our project.”

“What
project is that?”

“We’re
starting our own school. It is actually his idea but I love it and we’re using
the money for it. Actually, we have already used most of it and of course I
told my parents that it was all my idea…”

“…but
of course, they made sure that the entire project is in her name but…I’m fine
with that. I’m actually excited about starting a school. I love teaching!”

“That
suits very much.”

“Right?”

“Yeah,
you would make a great teacher.”

“Thanks
guys.” And he paused a bit before adding “So, I’m afraid, I don’t have that
kind of money, like I said. A government teacher’s salary is not enough to
finance flight school.”

“Wow.
I guess not.” The three of them were silent for a minute trying to come up with
ways of raising the money to no avail and failing deeper and deeper into
hopelessness when she said.

“Hold
on! Maybe we don’t have the money but we know someone who does.”"You do?" Michael asked excitedly.

"You do?" Michael asked excitedly.

“We
do?” asked Onos.

“Yes,
dear.”
"Great!" Dayo exclaimed.

"Great!" Dayo exclaimed.

“Who
do we know that can give us that kind of money?” Onos asked cautiously

“Gerry!” she said flatly.

“Gerry?” he asked then added. “OH NO!”

Thanks for the update man. More please

Okay boss

Infinite Love 94

Gerry!

“What…what
do you mean by ‘Oh no’?” asked Dayo.

“Yeah, is this Gerry guy difficult?” asked Michael.
“It’s not what you think, it’s not a he, it’s a she and yeah, she can solve all your money problems very easily. It’s just that…” Onos hesitated.

“What…?”

“Well, Gerry is complicated.” Added Clarice “You see, she is the daughter Chief Irikefe E. Odafe , my uncle.”

“Yeah
and Chief Irikefe is even wealthier than Clarice’s dad. I mean like hotels and
private yachts level of rich.”

“Nice!
So if this Gerry can give us the money then what are we waiting for? Let’s go
see her right away!”

“Hmm…it’s
not that easy.”

“You
erm…need to understand the situation a bit more before making any moves.”

“What
is it guys? Just tell us.”

“Okay.
Gerry, like all her other siblings were engaged to other wealthy or well
connected people, you know, normal rich people type of style of doing things.”
Onos said. “Yes but for some reason, when Gerry got engaged to Timi the…erm,
darling what did Timi do again?”

“He
sells boats.”

“Yeah,
the guy was some kind of millionaire who assembles and sells all kinds of boats
and exotic yachts, we all thought it was a done deal, he was rich, young and he
could take her anywhere in the world. So, when about a week to the wedding…she
called the whole thing off…we were all shocked!”

“She
broke off the wedding?”

“She
did.”

“Why?”

“No
one knows but that’s what she did and it created more than a scandal because it
was unheard of, that kind of rejection in these parts. When something like that
was agreed upon by both families, it was usually a done deal but often, rarely
but often the guy might change his mind that could happen but for the girl to
reject? That was just crazy!”

“Wow!
So, what happened next?”

“Only
God could understand what happened next because normally such a girl would have
been ostracized from society but then the family…got another proposal!”

“Yeah,
another one.”

“From
who?”

“Some
guy…”

“Femi.”

“Yeah,
him. What did he do again darling?”

“NIMASA!”

“Yeah
the guy was some maritime rich boy who was then the head of the government’s
maritime sector. They courted for a while and then we heard that marriage plans
were on going. But a few weeks to the said wedding…”

“Let
me guess.” Dayo said “She broke it off again.”

“YES!
She did! We were even more shocked than the first time and definitely thought
that it was over for this girl. We thought that nobody was going to even
mention her name anymore much less court but next thing we knew, there was
another, then another and another and so it when.”

“I
don’t understand. How?” Michael said.

“Neither
do we.” Clarice answered “Nobody understands it or …her. But her father kept
pushing her proposal to any suitable bachelor…”

”…rich
bachelor…”

“Chief
Irikefe kept telling people that his daughter wasn’t the problem, those guys
were simply found to be incompatible with her later in the courtship. We don’t
fully understand the situation ourselves but somehow, Gerry became competition
for two kinds of suitors. One; the first kind wanted her as a status symbol,
simply to get the title of the guy who finally married the girl that rejected
everyone. The next wanted her for the loot. There were rumours that every
fiancé who she rejected had given her gifts, money and jewels worth billions of
naira was still piling up. A marriage jackpot that was still growing and every
greedy idiot out there wanted to try his luck.”

“I
think I like this girl.” Dayo said and Michael smiled not surprised.

“And
then there was this last guy, Otobo.”

“Last?
Do you mean she married him?” He asked feeling disappointed.

“Not
a chance!” Clarice said.

“Me?
I knew she wasn’t going to marry the guy. Everybody knew she wasn’t going to
marry the guy, everybody, except for maybe the guy himself.”

“Me
I wasn’t sure she wouldn’t marry this particular guy because he kept on
showering her with gifts.” Said Clarice “I would go to their one day and I
would see jewelries; gold, precious stones all over the furniture. Her mom and
dad would spread them all before and keep saying; ‘Gerry, this is your husband
o! He is the right one! This one must not go o! Do you hear?’ I went another
time and they told me he had bought her a whole yacht with the promise of a
private plane after the wedding’ Her mother wouldn’t let her rest that day. They
were practically shouting at her in their home.”

“But,
she didn’t marry him right?” Dayo asked feeling anxious for some reason.

“No,
she didn’t!” Clarice said.

“The
world almost ended that day!” Dayo added. “Her mother was hospitalized and
their family were terribly embarrassed but she didn’t. And the guy didn’t take
it well at all! He swore that she must conclude his marriage with her or else
she would never marry.”

“Ah,
he just sounds like a sore loser.” Dayo said in light way and Onos and his wife
exchanged a look and made a quick decision not to say much further.

“But
I still don’t understand…” Michael said “…how I get my money?”

“Well,
you erm…ask her.” Onos said.

“Really?
Yeah.” Clarice nodded.

“But
I don’t even know her. How do I ask her for such a huge amount of money? Can’t
you guys ask her for me?” he nearly pleaded.

“Well,
we actually…think it might be best that you do it. At least, one of you. If I
ask and the family got wind of it, things could get extra difficult for me. You
understand right, Michael? And, it would be more believable if it came from
you.”

“But
how do we know if she would even give it to him?” Dayo asked.

“I
think she might.” Onos said.

“Yes,
Gerry is somehow…different from the rest of our family.” Clarice added.

“Yeah,
she is nice. She was actually the only one that didn’t look down on us for
getting married. I like her. You just have to be honest. Don’t play games with
her, she’s very smart.” Onos warned.

“Okay,
then when do we go see her?” Michael asked and the couple exchanged looks once
again.

“Luckily,
there is a chieftancy title ceremony one of her father’s brothers, her uncle tomorrow
morning at the Ruby Hotel in Ekpoma. She is bound to be there.”

“Great!”
Dayo said.

“Hold
on! So is the rest of her family. We will introduce you, so you will have a few
minutes about fifteen minutes tops, to convince her and get the money before
her parents notice. They are very protective and after that it may be impossible
to reach her again.”

Michael
was having that headache again “Wait, wait…so let me get this straight. You are
saying that I…”

“We!”
Dayo corrected.

“…we!
Will have only fifteen minutes to convince a girl who doesn’t know us and who
has rejected almost all the most eligible men in town, to give us money?”

“Yes,
and you have to do it without her family noticing and without her family
knowing that I brought you to her, if you can, please.” Onos put his hands
together in a plea.

“Wonderful!”

“Honey,
it’s late. It’s time for bed.” Clarice said and she went over to the couch and
turned off the TV and carried her son off to bed. “Goodnight guys.”

“Goodnight,
madam. Thank you so much.” They said.

“See
you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,
see you.”

“You
guys best head off to bed too. You have a very exciting day tomorrow. I’ll show
you to your room.” And with that Onos took his bestfriends to bed and said his
goodnights to them and turned off the lights. But as he climbed into bed beside
his sleeping wife he wondered if he should have mentioned that Otobo was also
going to be there tomorrow and he had vowed to kill any suitor or man that
comes near Gerry. And Niger Delta Warlords that specialize in oil bunkering,
pipeline vandalization and kidnapping, do not make empty threats.

Gerry
was either going to save his friends or she was most assuredly going to get
them both or possibly all three of them, killed! Onos tried in vain to get some
sleep.

Gerry better come through for Michael. Thanks for the update.

Gerry has ... unique issues. Just wait till you meet him.

Hope you dey alright

I was just tired boss. Thanks for asking. Update is today by God's grace!

Infinite Love 95

A Dangerous Line

The next day, Onos woke them up bright and early,

partly because he himself didn't
couldn't fall asleep as he was too restless about their task of the day.

His
instincts dictated that it will be far from easy. So he woke them up and got
them ready for the day. He got them proper traditional outfits for the occasion
and he lent them the other car to the event while he drove his wife while they
followed him in the other car.

"Thank you very much for everything, Onos. You have
been so helpful. I will always be greatful for this." Michael said as they
arrived at the event hall of The Evergreen Ruby, the foreost luxurious hotel in
the heart of Yenagoa. It has a two low
rise 12 story buildings connected by a circular domed hall at the centre facing
the city at the front and behind it faces the Atlantic Ocean directly.

It boasts of a tennis roof, a helipad, olympic sized
swimming pool, undergroud casino and aquarium with many yachts and boats
cruising out into the sea for distinguished guests. It is situated right at the
centre of the city, surrounded by all the other services and amenities therein.
The view of it alone took the boys breath away as they arrived.

"Wow! I feel
like we just entered another country! Do you mean Nigerians built this
place?" he asked incredulously.

"Yep! Welcome to the Evergreen Ruby, it was built by
the very best of corrupt money." Onos replied.

"WOW! Corrupt money or not. It certainly takes your
breath away." Michael added.

"Do you come here often?"

"Yes, unfortunately. Clarice's family are always
looking for an excuse to throw a party here so they can show the world how much
money and influence they have. Their parties and aso ebi is the reason I am
usually in debt and my teacher's salary cannot cater to it."

"So you mean all these old aso ebi clothes that you
borrowed us are quite expensive? How much are they?"

He sighed "You don't want to know. Now, let's go
inside. We're here on a mission, not for sightseeing."

And with that he ushered them inside and he and his wife
went excused themselves to go over to greet celebrant of the occasion, Chief
Irikieri, who was getting chiefainted for yet another unnecessary flamboyant
title. Michael and Dayo learnt the meaning of the expression "stupid
money" that day. Which meant rich people wasting money just because they
can and they enjoyed doing so. The boys witnessed extravagance the likes of
which they would probably never see again in their lifetime. They also saw a
glimpse of how Clarice's family treated Onos, they practically snubbed him even
when he was right in front of them greeting them more respectfully than they
deserved. They felt for him. They hated seeing the way they treated him and
worse, they hated thinking that he could treat them with all the respect of the
whole nation and still they wouldn't recognize him. To them he was just an
outsider who didn't belong.

Onos came over to
join them afterwards.

"Man, are you okay?" they asked.

"Me? Oh, you mean about the way they...nah, I'm not at
all bothered about that. Really, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm
married to their daugther and there's nothing they can do about it. They can
turn their noses all up to the sky at me and still I would be married to their
daughter." he said cheerfully and they felt better for him.

As the event was filling up with more and more people ,
Clarice suddenly turned up beside them;

"She's here, dear!"

"She's here?"

"Gerry?"

"Yes!"

"Where?"

"Over there. Look!" she pointed in the direction
towards to the hall entrance and they all turned their faces in the direction
of her finger and to the surprise of Michael and Dayo especially, they were
surprise to see a lady, slim and casual looking. From her head to her toe
nothing spoke of the high class that her family were practically screaming with
their vagrant display of wealth. She didn't wear any headtie like the rest of
the women were wearin as indicated in the dress code and her small round
haircut not quite an afro was showing. She was dark skinned with a small oval
face and had on glasses. In

No trace of makeup could be seen about her face. And wore a
small jacket on top of her pink blouse instead of the floral lace blouse that
rest of the 99% women were wearing at the occasion. The only item of clothing
she had on that was from the dress code was her skirt, dark pink and long that
stopped at her ankles and she wore black flat slipons instead of shoes. She
obviously didn't care about looking different although she wore the central
colours of the occasion, she just turned
downn the extravagance of it and wore casual alternatives. She secluded herself
from the main party and sat at a table close to the door away from the rest of
the guests that were chattering nonstop and obviously having the time of their
lives. She was near royalty in status but she disregarded it or did't care for
it. Dayo instantly, like her.

"Come on, let's go say hello."

And as his wife hurriedly trudged off towards Gerry, Onos
almost dragged them along.

"Gerry! Hello!" she said immediately they got
close enough.

"Oh, hello Clarice! How are you?" she said getting
up to greet her cousin with a hug.

"I'm fine, thank you and how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, every...is everything alright?" she asked
eyeing the men suspiciously.

"Oh! Yes, sure. You remember my husband, right?"

"Good morning, Gerry." Onos said holding out his
hand and she took it only lightly and briefly, still suspicious.

"Yeah, er...these are my brothers. I mean...friends, my
bestfriends but they are more to me. They are brothers, I mean...they are like
brothers to me. I believe these guys and I trust them completely...er and you
can too." Onos said weirdly, he was obviously nervous and his wife had to
pet him to calm him down. It was as if he wasn't used to talking to her.
"Sorry. Thank you, darling. This is Dayo." he touched Dayo who was
right beside him "And this is Michael. I have known and trusted these guys
since secondary school."

"Hi!" Dayo said and he held out his hand for a
shake but she only corked her right eyebrow, obviously still suspicious of them.

"Erm...yes, Gerry we would appreciate it if you would
just...listed to them for a bit. It's important. We know you don't usually like
this sort of thing but please just listen." And with that Clarice dragged
her husband away and left DAyo and Michael alone with Gerry.

"Right, Miss Gerry. It's nice to finally meet
you." Michael said and she gazed from her cousing Clarice in the distance,
wondering why she would leave two strangers alone with her and looked at him.
She regarded them both for a minute and simply sat down and opened her small
handbad to bring out a pencil and a notepad wherein she started writing
something.

Michael was a little shocked at this. He stopped talking
because he was't used to being ignored in such a dismissive way before. He was
discouraged and doubted that she would ever help them in the first place. But
Dayo, made a hand signal that meant continue to him and he continued talking.

"Erm...yes. My name is Michael and this is my friend;
DAyo. We have come along way, all the way from Lagos, to get here and now it
seems that it might be..."

She continued writing in her notepad and still kept ignoring
him.

"...only you." he stopped again totally disturbed
by behaviour but Dayo still kept signalling his hand in a circular motion for
him to continue and so he did.

"You see, it might be only you in this entire state who
might be the one that can help..."

"Excuse me. Why do I have two strange men standing over
me?" she asked without even looking up.

"...erm, well as i was about to tell you. We need...erm
I need help and you might be..."

"Whatever, you have to say. One of you can say it. I don't need the
both of you here. One person should step away and the other can stay and talk
to me for five minutes." She said all this without looking up and she kept
writing with her pencil and at this Michael gestured silently at Dayo meaning
'what now?" Dayo gestured silently 'It's okay, just continue talking to
her' and he proceeded to withdraw so that only Michael continued talking to her
when Onos who was still nearby, pushed Dayo towards the table that Gerry was
writing on;

"Sorry, so sorry Gerry. Please continue." he said
and he dragged Michael away leaving only Gerry and Dayo. Dayo watched as Onos and
Michael backed away and he instantly became tense.

He gestured to Onos "What are you doing?"

Who responded "Don't worry, go ahead and talk to
her."

He began "So madam, Gerry? Are you a madam or should I
call you miss?"

She made no response or even movement.

"Okay, just Gerry then. I and my friend Michael, we
came all the way from Lagos because we need help. We erm...we need money."
He said quietly almost not audible with the money part because was embarrased
to be asking some twenty eight year old girl that he knew nothing about for
money. He almost thought she would say something rude but still no reaction as she
kept on writing and so he turned back towards Michael and Onos for support who
in turn gave him the thumbs up for 'continue' and so he turned back to her.

"So, like I said we need money and you see...my friend,
he needs it quickly because we have registration...Will YOU DROP THAT PENCIL
AND LISTEN TO ME?" he snapped irritated and instantly regretted it as she
stopped writing and raised up her head to face him corking her right eyebrow in
curiousity.

Michael and Onos didn't hear what he said but they
recognized that tone and knew that Dayo was losing his patience with her.

"Oh, no!" they said fearfully.

"Why, did you pull me away? You know Dayo is not good
with people? And he doesn't even like girls!" Michael asked feeling
hopeless.

"I just...feel that she would respond better to Dayo
than you."

"Why?"

He shrugged "It's just a feeling." Michael shook
his head "My future depends on Dayo winning over a girl? I'm doomed!"

"Come on. Let's have faith in our boy. He may be
annoying but he has his strong points."

"Yeah...he does, doesn't he?"

Onos looked at Michael's depressed looking face for a minute
and asked.

"Mike? Are you okay about...Angela getting
engaged?" he asked gingerly.

Michael looked at him curiously "Yeah, of course. I'm
happy for her! I wish her all the best!"

"Mike? Come on, it's me! Remember?"

Michael regarded Onos for a minute before finally saying
"Did you know I was finally going to tell her? I was right there, about to
tell her how I felt and some guy...had to go and steal my thunder." he
laughed.

"God must be messing with me. And what's worse it that
I keep having this dream about us."

"What dream?"

"I keep dreaming...we...all of us were back on the
grass, the one by the chapel where we used to hang out and I would propose to
her, like I should have done all those years."

Onos sighed "You really should have done it all those
years ago, Mike."

"Don't you think I know that? Anyway, it's done now.
It's in the past and I have to focus on my future and on here and now. We have
to focus on Dayo right now. Look it seems that they are arguing."

"Do you think that you're the first person to ask me
for money? I get money requests every week because of that stupid rumour.
People have told me so many stories that I can fit in my head, all lies. How is
yours any different?"

"Well, mine is true!"

"Congratulations! The last dozen people also said the
same thing." she said flatly.

"Listen, my friend's dream is to become a pilot and
with your financing he can finally do that. And you will get your money plus a
100% return on investment plus dividends when he completes it starts making
money."

"Okay, how much are we talking about?"

"Fifty million naira."

And she laughed bearing her front row teeth that she
hurriedly covered with her hand. "YOu mean to tell me, that I should give
you 50 million? Five Zero million for your friend and i will get my money back
IF...he becomes a pilot?"

"No, not IF...when. When he becomes a pilot."

She was still sniggering, she couldn't believe the story
that she was hearing, others have come up to her with money requests but few
have been so brazen about it, with an even more ridiculous offer at that. She
thought she was getting punkd!

"No."

"No?"

"Yes, no. As in, No, I will not give you fifty million
or any money for whatever reason."

"Wha...why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Bu...I don't understand Onos said that you would
help."

She looked up at him curiously "I seriously doubt he
would have said that since he doesn't really know me. And let me advise you, it
would be best if you go away from me. You really shouldn't be seating with me
over here."

Dayo was stunned, he knew begging her wouldn't work and for
the life of him, he couldn't think of what would make her change her mind.
Suddenly, he couldn' breathe. He unbutton his to shirt buttons. Michael was
counting on him and he didn't know what to do. He got up for a bit and flapped
his top shirt collar to blow air into his body. She watched him carefully, wondering why he was acting so strange at her
refusal. Surely, he didn't expect her to just hand over fifty million to him.
Then her eye caught something around his neck.

"Can I see that please?"

"Hmm?"

"I said, can I have a look a that please?" she
said pointing towards his neck and he removed it and gave it to her. It was his
stopwatch, the one Mrs Aiyedade had given for helping her get her money back
from the bank. It was an old thing, probably worthless but it was priceless to
him.

"This is an antique stopwatch!"

"Is it?" he asked not quite hearing her.

"Yeah it is." she
examiined it more closely. "It is a Victorian antique, probably
crafted in the 15th century,"

"So that thing is very old?"

"It is super old! Where did you get this?" she
asked suddenly more relaxed with him and warmer too.

"A customer gave it to me. I helped her with her
account and it was all I could accept as gratitude."

"Really?"

"umh hmm"

"Wow! How much do you want for it?" she asked and
he suddenly realised that her small wristwatch was similar in age to his
stopwatch. She also had on an old jacket, her handbag was old fashioned and
slightly worn out too though well maintained, even her hair pin was of an
ancient style and she was writing with a pencil."

"You like...old things don't you?" he surmised.

"Yes." she said smiling warmly with him for the
first time. "Yes, yes I do."

He liked her warm smile. It transformed her face somehow.
Suddenly, the icecold uncaring royal snub was gone and now she looked totally
different as if he was talking to someone else.

"Fifty million!"

"What...?"

"I will only sell this stopwatch for 50 million
naira." he said grabbing it from her hand.

"You can't be serious!"

"I am...very serious."

"I will give you fifty thousand naira for it."

"No!" he said getting up to leave "It's means
a lot to me considering I lost my job (which technically I hated) and a crazy
policeman and soldiers nearly killed me for it."

"WHAT!"

"Yeah!" he said and she regarded him for a moment
trying to find any trace of dishonesty in him. Finding none, she said...

"Sit down, have some water and tell me all about
this." and she offered him bottled water from the table. He regarded her
sudden interest and asked...

"Why are you so interested? Are you a journalist?"

"Yes." she said opening her notepad to a fresh
page and began taking notes again "I write for the BBC Africa. Now, tell
me all about this event."

Normally, Dayo could care less about other people in his
business but there was something about the way she was smilling at him. She was
eagerly awaiting his story with her dainty oval face and round eyes. She had
puppy dogs, cute and pleading, that were hard for anyone to say no to. And as
she smiled at him one more time, he couldn't imagine being anywhere else in the
world except sitting down with her and receiving her smile. The whole world had
melted away for DAyo. The friends he
knew; Michael, Onos and the dangers he was yet to confront; Otobo. All of it,
disappeared. Only Gerry, with her bright white smile and him existed in the
entire world. But Onos, was still nervous for his friend.

"Come on, Dayo." He thought "What are you doing? God, I hope Otobo
doesn't show up soon. Dayo was seated way too close to Gerry. If he saw them
together like this. Dayo, was as good as dead.

Dayo better be fast cos otobo is coming for him. Thanks for the update.

Infinite Love 96

OTOBO

From afar Michael and Onos watched the strange occurence unfolding before their eyes. They didn't understand it. They couldn't even hear them but something in their body lan

guages made them realise that something different, something unusual was happening between those two, especially with Dayo. He didn't have his normal stiff exterior on infact he was, kind of...enjoying himself. And Dayo never got along with other people, especially not girls.

"Hahaha" laughther floated over from Dayo and Gerry's table towards Michael and Onos.

"Was that laughter?" Onos asked.

"You heard it too?" Michael responded even more surprised.

"YES! Is Gerry laughing at something Dayo said?"

"I think they're both laughing at something he said."

"Incredible! So...Dayo can get along with girls! When did he develop this ability?"

"I think he could do it all along he just...didn't want to?"

"So, he was pretending to be a monk all these years?"

"I...think...so, maybe? I don't know."

"That monkey! I'm going to kill him!"

"HAHAHA!" their laughter interrupted them once again` and they stopped talking and continued watching the miracle in silence.

...

"Wait, so let me get this straight." Gerry was saying after Dayo had told her everything that happened at the bank and the crazy policeman in pursuit with the soldiers. "You broke every rule in the banking sector; including but not limited to: stealing passwords, hacking accounts, invasion of privacy, embezzlement of funds and broke client confidentiality in order to get that old lady her money?"

"Yeah, you forgot invasion of privacy, betrayal of trust, misrepresentation and identity theft. I did all that too, just to get her, her money."

"Wow! This old lady must have been really special." Gerry said resting her elbow on the table and cuppingh her chin in her hand, easing more into him.

"Nah, she was okay. But I think it was the despair on her that I witnessed that got into action. You should have seen her. She was utterly helpless. The way she held herself up even though her soul was distraught was...I don't know. I just had to do something."

"Wow! But what happened once it got out, what you did?"

"Well, it was scary. The real embezzlers of the funds sent soldiers and I thought I would spend the rest of my life in a soldiers cell somewhere."

"And so what happened?"

"I got help. From my my friend Michael and someone I never expected it from. I never even thought that he liked me. Black Santa Claus."

"Who?"

"My bank manager, Mr Bamidele. I always thought that he was this fat and lazy guy who got to where he was due to his connections and I always made things difficult for him, so when he helped rescued, I was shocked."

"Fantastic! Was it just him only from the bank that rescued you?"

"Yeah, just him. The rest were either too angry or too scary to help me. Which is why, helping took more guts than I thought he ever had possible in his fat erm...gut."

She laughed at this and Dayo found himself wondering how nice her laugh sounded like, how white her teeth were and the way her eyes seemed to spark behind his glasses with anticipation and delight at his story. He wished he had a longer tale to tell her, if only to keep her smiling for long.

"Okay but you realise that you can no longer work in the banking industry right?"

"Yeah and thank God! I think one of the reasons I was able to do what I did was partly because I hated my job so much. That place made me hate banking with all their haughty attitudes to the customers while after hours they are just as much lowlifes as bank robbers. Seriously, after this, I will never step into a bank ever again. I will keep all my money under a carpet."

She giggled again and Dayo was in such awe of her. Smart, curious and straight to the point. She was amazing!

"I think you're amazing! Your teeth are so white and your handwriting is impeccable! Seriously, I have never seen anyone write with so much skill and beauty in my life, and with your left hand! In pencil!"

She retracted, it felt as if his words had stung her. She was used to compliments all her suitors did it and she knew their words were of little value but coming from him, his words carried so much weight and feeling that it surprised her. She quieted down. He noticed, he never meant to make her uncomfortable he hadn't even intended to say what he had said. He was only thinking it and next minute the words were coming out of his mouth.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I said something wrong. I didn't even mean to say those words, they just came out. My friends tell me that I say the wrong things all the time. I'm sorry if I offended you."

She regarded him for a minute before continuing.

"No, it's not an offense. I was just surprised to hear you say those words. I wasn't expecting them. You didn't say anything wrong." she assured him.

"Great! So, please tell me how you got to have such a nice script."

She hesitated before she opened up. She was not used to opening up to people, not even her immediate family members but something made her feel safe with this stranger, safe enough to tell her anything.

"Well, I never really attended a school for it or anything, I just really like pencils."

"Really?"

"Yes, I love them."

"Wow. I remember getting to primary three and being superexcited about leaving pencils and sharpeners and erasers behind me." Dayo said.

"Me! See I was sad about that. I still remember that day when my mom packed my school bag and wanted to leave out the pencils. I protested! Until she gave them to me. She was convinced that I would get over once I got to school but I didn't."

"I refused to use pens for a long time and even then I was very particular about the pen."

"Buy why pencils? They're such a hassle. They break and you would have to sharpen them and so on and so on."

"I never cared about that. I don't mind the sharpenings. I just prefered pencils because they always seemed to make my handwriting look nice. Almost all pencils make my writing look nice but many pens have ink problems or they are too drippy or something."

"Oh I see."

"Yeah, but everyone was made at me. My mom didn't enjoy the complaints from the school. My father thought I was an unnecessary embarrasment and the school thought I was just being too stubborn. Only my grandmother, Lawlaw Adinoe our family's matriarch, who listened to me and intervened. She got my father to negotiate with the school to let me use pencils for all my classwork but for exams I always used pens."

"Nice. Your grandmother sounds great. Is she at this party?"

"No, she died...about eight years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Were you to close?"

"Yeah, we were very close. She was the only one who made me feel like I was really a part of this family. She made me feel like I mattered. This family was bearable because of her. It was her who encouraged me to do whatever I set my mind on. She was the one who first encouraged me in designing greeting cards for money after I made one for her. Because of her I was able to get card designing gigs and I was able to make some money from designing elaborate cards back then. She was the one I went to when I wanted a job during our school strikes or holidays. She got my father to get me a job right here at The Evergreen Ruby back then."

"You used to work here? As what?" Dayo asked.

"I used to work at the front desk. My father thought I was just being another complete waste of his time but I was proud to be working and I even enjoyed it for a while."

"Nice! But now you're a journalist for the BBC. Did your father help you get that job too?"

"No, I got that myself. I was contacted by the BBC after I wrote a news article about Etairoke a riverine community here in Yenagoa. Etairoke has become under attack by the state government because it is a shanty town, made mostly by wooden shacks contructed directed above water. The government tried to demolish it many times in order to build a more modern real estate at the seaside. But if they had then the occupants would have no place to go. So I wrote about it and dilemma of the people of Etairoke. It was picked by the BBC and it became a quite a thing. Long story short, I was able to help stop their evacuation at the time."

"That's great!"

"Thanks, Law law was so proud of me but my dad..still considered it all a waste of my time."

"I'm sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. It's not your fault. All my father ever considered me to be was a waste of time. He had two wives and thirteen children. The boys he adored but us girls were meant to listen and be quiet. He didn't understand why I was doing all that I was doing when I was eventually going to be married off. Law law made it bearable being a member of this family but after she died, then it all became so tiresome. My father restricted my movement and all he ever did was talk to me whenever he found a suitor for me. To him, my entire worth was just to help him acquire more wealth and status by being married into another wealthy family and I never had a say about it. It never mattered the source of wealth, embezzlement of public funds, fraud, or even outright kidnapping. I was for a time resolved to being married off when they got me my first suitor, but after I realised that I could never live that life they were marrying me into. I called it off and the idiots haven't stopped coming ever since. I have rejected proposals after proposals but the men for some reason, just keep coming. Even the worst ones. I can't ge trapped in this life. I would run away but I don't have that kind of courage yet."

She sighed and in that moment Dayo felt for her and without even thinking about it he reached out and touched her shoulder, but her reaction surprised him. She jerked it off.

She was alarmed "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Oh sorry I just...wanted to comfort you."

"AND WHO ASKED YOU TO DO THAT? I DIDN' ASK YOU TO DO THAT!"

"I ...er I know I just thought you needed it."

"This was a mistake. I asked you to leave me alone earlier, so please go. Go away!" she said alarmed and he was totally confused but she looked over his shoulder and saw someone.

"OH NO!" she sank into her chair. "Hey, quickly before he sees you, quickly walk away."

"Who?" he said looking around.

"Don't look! Are you insane? It's my last fiance!" she whispered heavily "OTOBO IS HERE!"

"Oh, but that's not an issue. You guys broke up. It's over right?"

"Yes but not for him. He has threatened to kill any man that comes near me."

Dayo laughed "It's fine. That's just things some people say when they break up! Am sure he would have calmed down by now."

She looked at him curiously and asked "Do you even know who Otobo is?"

"No. But I'm assuming that he is another one of those rich businessmen that your father for you."

"Otobo is the current Leader of The Niger Delta Militants."

"Um...what did you say?"

"Fifteen white men were kidnapped from an Exxon Mobil oil rig last month and he demanded one billion for their release."

"Ehn?"

"Exxon Mobil contacted the Federal Government for help with their rescue and...the Government told them to pay him."

"What..?"

"Soldiers can't beat militants in their creeks."

"Oh!"
"Now, do you still think that kind of person would have calmed down by now?" She asked as he slowly got up getting ready to dash out of Bayelsa state when he saw someone coming towards their direction surrounded by what could only be called guards. He prayed fervently against all for him to be anyone else except him when he heard...

"Major Otobo. Long may you reign!" And the angry looking man coming towards him raised his right hand in salute without looking away but dead straight ahead towards him.

"Oh God! Otobo!" He said peeing his pant a little, but he was still coming.

adeabdul2:
Infinite Love 96

OTOBO

From afar Michael and Onos watched the strange occurence unfolding before their eyes. They didn't understand it. They couldn't even hear them but something in their body lan

guages made them realise that something different, something unusual was happening between those two, especially with Dayo. He didn't have his normal stiff exterior on infact he was, kind of...enjoying himself. And Dayo never got along with other people, especially not girls.

"Hahaha" laughther floated over from Dayo and Gerry's table towards Michael and Onos.

"Was that laughter?" Onos asked.

"You heard it too?" Michael responded even more surprised.

"YES! Is Gerry laughing at something Dayo said?"

"I think they're both laughing at something he said."

"Incredible! So...Dayo can get along with girls! When did he develop this ability?"

"I think he could do it all along he just...didn't want to?"

"So, he was pretending to be a monk all these years?"

"I...think...so, maybe? I don't know."

"That monkey! I'm going to kill him!"

"HAHAHA!" their laughter interrupted them once again` and they stopped talking and continued watching the miracle in silence.

...

"Wait, so let me get this straight." Gerry was saying after Dayo had told her everything that happened at the bank and the crazy policeman in pursuit with the soldiers. "You broke every rule in the banking sector; including but not limited to: stealing passwords, hacking accounts, invasion of privacy, embezzlement of funds and broke client confidentiality in order to get that old lady her money?"

"Yeah, you forgot invasion of privacy, betrayal of trust, misrepresentation and identity theft. I did all that too, just to get her, her money."

"Wow! This old lady must have been really special." Gerry said resting her elbow on the table and cuppingh her chin in her hand, easing more into him.

"Nah, she was okay. But I think it was the despair on her that I witnessed that got into action. You should have seen her. She was utterly helpless. The way she held herself up even though her soul was distraught was...I don't know. I just had to do something."

"Wow! But what happened once it got out, what you did?"

"Well, it was scary. The real embezzlers of the funds sent soldiers and I thought I would spend the rest of my life in a soldiers cell somewhere."

"And so what happened?"

"I got help. From my my friend Michael and someone I never expected it from. I never even thought that he liked me. Black Santa Claus."

"Who?"

"My bank manager, Mr Bamidele. I always thought that he was this fat and lazy guy who got to where he was due to his connections and I always made things difficult for him, so when he helped rescued, I was shocked."

"Fantastic! Was it just him only from the bank that rescued you?"

"Yeah, just him. The rest were either too angry or too scary to help me. Which is why, helping took more guts than I thought he ever had possible in his fat erm...gut."

She laughed at this and Dayo found himself wondering how nice her laugh sounded like, how white her teeth were and the way her eyes seemed to spark behind his glasses with anticipation and delight at his story. He wished he had a longer tale to tell her, if only to keep her smiling for long.

"Okay but you realise that you can no longer work in the banking industry right?"

"Yeah and thank God! I think one of the reasons I was able to do what I did was partly because I hated my job so much. That place made me hate banking with all their haughty attitudes to the customers while after hours they are just as much lowlifes as bank robbers. Seriously, after this, I will never step into a bank ever again. I will keep all my money under a carpet."

She giggled again and Dayo was in such awe of her. Smart, curious and straight to the point. She was amazing!

"I think you're amazing! Your teeth are so white and your handwriting is impeccable! Seriously, I have never seen anyone write with so much skill and beauty in my life, and with your left hand! In pencil!"

She retracted, it felt as if his words had stung her. She was used to compliments all her suitors did it and she knew their words were of little value but coming from him, his words carried so much weight and feeling that it surprised her. She quieted down. He noticed, he never meant to make her uncomfortable he hadn't even intended to say what he had said. He was only thinking it and next minute the words were coming out of his mouth.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I said something wrong. I didn't even mean to say those words, they just came out. My friends tell me that I say the wrong things all the time. I'm sorry if I offended you."

She regarded him for a minute before continuing.

"No, it's not an offense. I was just surprised to hear you say those words. I wasn't expecting them. You didn't say anything wrong." she assured him.

"Great! So, please tell me how you got to have such a nice script."

She hesitated before she opened up. She was not used to opening up to people, not even her immediate family members but something made her feel safe with this stranger, safe enough to tell her anything.

"Well, I never really attended a school for it or anything, I just really like pencils."

"Really?"

"Yes, I love them."

"Wow. I remember getting to primary three and being superexcited about leaving pencils and sharpeners and erasers behind me." Dayo said.

"Me! See I was sad about that. I still remember that day when my mom packed my school bag and wanted to leave out the pencils. I protested! Until she gave them to me. She was convinced that I would get over once I got to school but I didn't."

"I refused to use pens for a long time and even then I was very particular about the pen."

"Buy why pencils? They're such a hassle. They break and you would have to sharpen them and so on and so on."

"I never cared about that. I don't mind the sharpenings. I just prefered pencils because they always seemed to make my handwriting look nice. Almost all pencils make my writing look nice but many pens have ink problems or they are too drippy or something."

"Oh I see."

"Yeah, but everyone was made at me. My mom didn't enjoy the complaints from the school. My father thought I was an unnecessary embarrasment and the school thought I was just being too stubborn. Only my grandmother, Lawlaw Adinoe our family's matriarch, who listened to me and intervened. She got my father to negotiate with the school to let me use pencils for all my classwork but for exams I always used pens."

"Nice. Your grandmother sounds great. Is she at this party?"

"No, she died...about eight years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Were you to close?"

"Yeah, we were very close. She was the only one who made me feel like I was really a part of this family. She made me feel like I mattered. This family was bearable because of her. It was her who encouraged me to do whatever I set my mind on. She was the one who first encouraged me in designing greeting cards for money after I made one for her. Because of her I was able to get card designing gigs and I was able to make some money from designing elaborate cards back then. She was the one I went to when I wanted a job during our school strikes or holidays. She got my father to get me a job right here at The Evergreen Ruby back then."

"You used to work here? As what?" Dayo asked.

"I used to work at the front desk. My father thought I was just being another complete waste of his time but I was proud to be working and I even enjoyed it for a while."

"Nice! But now you're a journalist for the BBC. Did your father help you get that job too?"

"No, I got that myself. I was contacted by the BBC after I wrote a news article about Etairoke a riverine community here in Yenagoa. Etairoke has become under attack by the state government because it is a shanty town, made mostly by wooden shacks contructed directed above water. The government tried to demolish it many times in order to build a more modern real estate at the seaside. But if they had then the occupants would have no place to go. So I wrote about it and dilemma of the people of Etairoke. It was picked by the BBC and it became a quite a thing. Long story short, I was able to help stop their evacuation at the time."

"That's great!"

"Thanks, Law law was so proud of me but my dad..still considered it all a waste of my time."

"I'm sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. It's not your fault. All my father ever considered me to be was a waste of time. He had two wives and thirteen children. The boys he adored but us girls were meant to listen and be quiet. He didn't understand why I was doing all that I was doing when I was eventually going to be married off. Law law made it bearable being a member of this family but after she died, then it all became so tiresome. My father restricted my movement and all he ever did was talk to me whenever he found a suitor for me. To him, my entire worth was just to help him acquire more wealth and status by being married into another wealthy family and I never had a say about it. It never mattered the source of wealth, embezzlement of public funds, fraud, or even outright kidnapping. I was for a time resolved to being married off when they got me my first suitor, but after I realised that I could never live that life they were marrying me into. I called it off and the idiots haven't stopped coming ever since. I have rejected proposals after proposals but the men for some reason, just keep coming. Even the worst ones. I can't ge trapped in this life. I would run away but I don't have that kind of courage yet."

She sighed and in that moment Dayo felt for her and without even thinking about it he reached out and touched her shoulder, but her reaction surprised him. She jerked it off.

She was alarmed "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Oh sorry I just...wanted to comfort you."

"AND WHO ASKED YOU TO DO THAT? I DIDN' ASK YOU TO DO THAT!"

"I ...er I know I just thought you needed it."

"This was a mistake. I asked you to leave me alone earlier, so please go. Go away!" she said alarmed and he was totally confused but she looked over his shoulder and saw someone.

"OH NO!" she sank into her chair. "Hey, quickly before he sees you, quickly walk away."

"Who?" he said looking around.

"Don't look! Are you insane? It's my last fiance!" she whispered heavily "OTOBO IS HERE!"

"Oh, but that's not an issue. You guys broke up. It's over right?"

"Yes but not for him. He has threatened to kill any man that comes near me."

Dayo laughed "It's fine. That's just things some people say when they break up! Am sure he would have calmed down by now."

She looked at him curiously and asked "Do you even know who Otobo is?"

"No. But I'm assuming that he is another one of those rich businessmen that your father for you."

"Otobo is the current Leader of The Niger Delta Militants."

"Um...what did you say?"

"Fifteen white men were kidnapped from an Exxon Mobil oil rig last month and he demanded one billion for their release."

"Ehn?"

"Exxon Mobil contacted the Federal Government for help with their rescue and...the Government told them to pay him."

"What..?"

"Soldiers can't beat militants in their creeks."

"Oh!"
"Now, do you still think that kind of person would have calmed down by now?" She asked as he slowly got up getting ready to dash out of Bayelsa state when he saw someone coming towards their direction surrounded by what could only be called guards. He prayed fervently against all for him to be anyone else except him when he heard...

"Major Otobo. Long may you reign!" And the angry looking man coming towards him raised his right hand in salute without looking away but dead straight ahead towards him.

"Oh God! Otobo!" He said peeing his pant a little, but he was still coming.

Abeg try update your site I don refresh tire

Hahahaha...This was the motivation I needed. Thank you so much boss!

mokoh:


Abeg try update your site I don refresh tire

Infinite Love 97

EGBERIPOPO ONE OF BAYELSA[i][/i]



He saw the menacing stare of Otobo headed towards them and in that last moment, out of pure instinct, he turned back towards Gerry and began to pack the bottles and cups from the table and as loud as he could muster, he said;

“WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO GET YOU MADAM?” making Gerry look at him quizzically.


But in that moment Otobo had already reached them, he spun Dayo around punched himin his left knee cap…

“AHHH!”
Dayo yelled and instantly dropped the bottles and cups that he was holding.

“SPLACK!”
they broke into pieces.

The
kneecap punch was particularly painful because Otobo hit him with his heavy
iron ring on his right middle finger. But before Dayo could even yell fully,
Otobo gave him another punch to the throat with his left hand.

“GYRK!”
Dayo muttered holding his throat in pain.

“NO
DEY NEAR HA!” he barked. “NO MAN MUS NEAR HA EVER AGAIN!” and as he said so
immediately about three guys grabbed Dayo, two on either side of him, holding
his hands while the grabbed his shirt collar from behind ready to drag him off
in their pickup vans to the land of no return.


“OTOBO,
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” Gerry yelled standing up.

“HEYS,
SHURRUP DIA! I don warn you say, no man go nia you again, EFA!” he said and
Gerry looked so angry and helpless in that moment. “I go show u wetin I fit do
person wey find my trouble!”

“koff…koff.
Excuse me…” Dayo said coughing and trying to speak with a bruised throat.

“SHURRUP!”
Otobo slapped him across the face

“…please
I have to get back to work..”

“…work?”
Otobo said perplexed.

“Yes,
I have…koff.. a lot of people to serve…”

“serve?
You dey work here?”

“Yes…koff…yes
sir.” And he tried to move away from.

“Wait,
dere! You dey mad? Abi you dey zuzu?” the skinny one holding his right hand
said.

“Otobo!”
Gerry said as she had decoded Dayo’s ruse “Won’t you leave this poor waiter?
All he did was bring me water and…and you beat him up! Is it every single man
who comes near that you must punish? What is all this nonsense, sef?”

“I
SAID SHURRUP! You don dey craze! I no say you don craze tey tey if not, how you
go cancel me if you no well? You tink say I be mumu for creek, abi? This one
wey you dey call service boy, why he no wear him uniform? Why e con dress
normal normal?” he retorted and Gerry was forced to keep mutet as she didn’t
know how to respond to that and Dayo himself couldn’t come up with a response.
To make matters worse a real service was walking past them at this very time
and he was indeed wearing a uniform in the form of a green jacket on top of his
regular clothes and she was about to panic.










“Eh
hen!” said Otobo triumphantly “No be real service boy be dis? Come bros!” and
the service guy came over and as he got closer Dayo dropped his head so that he
wouldn’t get a good look at him and recognize him thereby sealing his doom. But
the Otobo went ahead to ask the service boy…


“Abeg,
shey you know dis guy?” he said pointing to Dayo.

Dayo
who most definitely did not work there began to pray against all odds for a
miracle because he had never been so scared and a little piss had began to
trickle down his leg out of fear and the ‘real serviceboy’ responded.

“YES,
SIR! This is my boss Mr David!”

“What!?”
Dayo thought and he instantaneously lifted up his head to look at the service
boy.

“You
sure?” Otobo asked once more.

“Yes
sir, I’m sure. This is Mr David. He is our catering erm…supervisor.”

“Then
why e no con wear ‘im own jacket now!” Otobo asked sounding confused.

“That
is because he is a supervisor sir.” The service boy responded and added “They
don’t wear jackets like the rest of us.” And with that Otobo signaled to his
boys to release Dayo who nearly fell to the floor due to his painful knee. The
serviceboy instantly got down together with him and said;


“Sorry,
sir. Let me help you up.” And Dayo couldn’t help himself but smile. The service
boy was Micheal. When Dayo had asked Gerry ‘What else would you like me to get
you, madam?’ Michael had realized what was going on and when Dayo had claimed
to be a waiter and Otobo did not believe him Michael and Onos had ran over the
corner of the servers and casually grabbed a jacket before showing up around
them.










“Oh
my God! Can you see yourself? Do you just see it now?” Gerry said again.

“E
kan go.” He said finally and Michael grabbed Dayo and helped him away from
there.

“See
how much embarrassment you have just caused. You just embarrassed yourself and
me for nothing.” Gerry said hoping to distract Otobo’s attention to allow
Michael get him to safety. She did not understand how or why that service boy
said Dayo worked there, but she was going to try to get them time to get out of
Otobo’s sight. “You are just a troublemaker. You are nothing but an overpaid
thug!”










“I
SAY SHARRAP!” he barked and tried to hit her but she avoided his swipe just in
the nick of time.

“EMBARASS
WETIN? I go show you embarrassment! As long as I dey live. No man go EVER near
you. All ya mate go dey marry, dem go dey born but na only u go remain for ya
papa house like broom. All ya sisters go dey born but na only u go dey dia dry
like bone. Wen all their pikin don grom finish and ya don old, na den you go
know de meaning of embarrassment! ” and he took a bottled water off of the
floor and opened it and threw the contents in her direction wetting her body.
“Oya baff am! She dey zuzu well well!” he commanded and the rest of his boys
all grabbed any bottled drink that they could find and opened throwing the
contents at her wetting her thoroughly.










“OTOBO!
TOBO! TOBO! TOBO! TOBO!” his men chanted.

“OTOBO
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ALL THIS NONSENSE?” came the voice of Gerry’s father
Chief Etareri, followed by her mother and Chief Irikefe who was the celebrant
of the occasion. “WHY ARE YOU HUMILIATING MY DAUGHTER LIKE THIS?” he asked
indignant.


“Hey,
I go treat your pikin anyhow I fit becos she, you and all of your family use
me!” he retorted. “You play me wayo, collect my money and now she talk say she
no wan marri me? All of una don craze well well!

“Otobo!
Otobo! You had better behave yourself! Have you forgotten where you are and who
you are talking to?” said Chief Irikefe.

“I
no forget. Im na thief!”

“OTOBO!”
Chief Etareri shouted. “Be careful. Be very careful what you say here.”

“NO
DEY SHOUT FOR ME! I AM OTOBO! I BE CORRECT WATER PIKIN! I BE WARRIOR! NA MY
NAME EVEN SOLDIERS DEY FEAR! I DEY CHOP MY ENEMIES! EGBERIPOPO ONE FOR YENAGOA!
NA ME BE DAT!” and he brought out a gun and fired it at the ceiling.

“OTOBO!
Have you forgotten where you are? You are at the prestigious Evergreen Ruby that
belongs to all Bayelsans. And majority of the great chiefs are also here for
this chieftaincy ceremony. How dare you bring a gun here!” Chief Irikefe said
“And don’t forget that you wouldn’t be where you are today if not for the great
peoples, particularly the great chiefs of Bayelsa. We are the ones that always
shield you from your enemies. Whenever the soldiers come looking it is we who
hide and it is we who forwarded the issue of amnesty for you and your boys to
the federal government in the name of freedom fighters. And now you have
disgraced us here today.”










Otobo
looked around and saw the faces of many of his town’s chiefs and even some of
its sorcerers and chief priests that he gets his charms from. He realized that
if he offended these men, he might lose access to all of the supernatural
powers that he had been gathering from them through most of his militant
careers. It was them who made him so formidable a foe. He quickly put two and
two together. If his bulletproof charms; the ones that makes his body
untouchable by bullets or the one that makes his invisible to his enemies, or
any of his many array of authentic juju were to become defective, then he might
not survive his next encounter with the federal government soldiers or even his
competitors within the militancy, those that have been waiting for any sign of
his weakness and losing his assorted Niger Deltan Juju would definitely make
him weak. So, as a sharp guy he quickly composed himself, he did not become the
number one Ogolonto in the entire Oshofredi village by being stupid and
immediately began political damage control.










“Oh,
Great Bayelsans!” he said thrusting his fist into air while the rest shouted
“GREAT!”

“Greatest
of de greatest Bayelsans!” he did it once more and “GREAT!” they too responded
once more.

“Ever
greatest of the greatest Bayelsans o!” he did lastly “GREAT O!” they yet
responded even the Chief Irikefe that was chastising him, this was a good sign.
Niger Deltas never abandoned their own no matter how bad he had gotten.

“Please,
we no fight todaye! Dis na day of joy. Make celebrayet the crowning of our new
tribal chief in person of Comarade Irikefe.” He said with the brightest smile a
fake politician could ever muster and he received a big round of applause in
response and he was led to the high table of the occasion, leaving Gerry
soaking wet, sad and alone at her table.







…

As
soon as Otobo was led away, Dayo and Michael who were cowering at a corner went
to join Onos in the kitchen. As soon as Dayo set eyes on him, he screamed;

“WERE
YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?” Michael immediately held on to him.

“Calm
down and keep quiet someone might hear you out there!”

“He
knew! HE KNEW HER EX WAS A MILITANT PSYCHO but he didn’t say anything!” he said
and lunged for the neck of Onos while Michael quickly grabbed him backwards.

“I know. I’m sorry but I thought that if you knew then you wouldn'thave the guts to talk to her and so I just warned to wrap everything up with her under fifteen minutes.” Onos said pleading. “And God is my witness I was watching out for Otobo, I was
going to warn you in case he arrived. I was going to tell you to run away.”

"So then, why didn't you?" Dayo asked tearing himself away from Michael.

"Why didn't I what?" Onos asked.

"Oh dear God, why didn't you try to warn me once Otobo was around?"

"Oh? Well..erm that was because you and Gerry were acting weird.

"Weird how?"

"Yeah it was so weird. You were enjoying being together, almost like... you too liked each other. " Michael added.

"So...Dayo, do you like Gerry?" Onos asked.

"What are you two talking about? I never like anyone! Especially, not that crazy guy Otobo!"

But still Dayo got to be thinking about Gerry, about how she has been treated by her family and how Otobo had treated and he felt that same sense of courage he once felt before.

"Well...we tried I guess." Michael said sadly "We should be thankful that the situation didn't get any worse than it did and nobody got hurt. So, now..." he took a deep breath "...it's time to go back home."

The three friends dropped their heads in sadness. They had come so far to get to this moment and now that they were so close, they had nothing else to do but to give up until he said.

"Maybe not. It's not over yet. I've got a plan." And Michael and Onos exchanged puzzled looks.

Boss abeg when be your update time for your site

Sorry boss. I don't have one