All these are sneak peaks.
A story that shows the typical experiences of widows in our society. To read, click on the image
The story of a man who is willing to do anything for the woman he likes, even things unspeakable. to read, click the image
What do you do when you have been abused and you it is difficult to find true love? A story of two people who found love again. Click on the image to read.
Vooclis
bar was the hottest hang out spot in the city. It was a sure spot for ‘big boys’
and ‘big girls’ in town. They offered goods and services that were top
standard, making customers always come back for more.
That night was not a letdown. The
place was filled with people and was more lively than usual because it was a
Friday. ‘TGIF’ was in full swing. There was eating and drinking in galore as
customers ordered what they wanted to take. Those who didn’t want to stay
inside had seats and tables arranged for them outside. DJ Zoom also added
flavor to the night. He seemed to know the mood of the customers per time and
entertained them with different genre of music ranging from dancehall to R
& B. Those who were in the dancing mood danced to the different genre with
or without their partners in an empty portion in the centre of the bar made for
dancing.
At a corner of the bar sat three
young men; Jide, Kofi and Effiong, drinking and chatting. They were in their
late twenties and had been friends for some years. Though they had different
careers in the city, they still found time once in a while to hang out and
catch up on what had been happening to each other since their last rendezvous.
“Life is good,” Jide said, taking a sip from
his bottle of stout.
“On your side,” Kofi said. “My work is not
paying as much as I want.”
“But you live in a well furnished flat,”
Effiong pointed out to him.
“Yes but some people have duplexes and
estates,” Kofi replied him.
“You also have a Honda.”
“After three years of working? There is still
more to be done.”
“You need to be thankful for what you have,”
Jide said.
“Or you quit your job and join me in my
business,” Effiong told him.
“Nooo. Import business is very risky.”
“Thank God you know. The latest issue now is
that the ship carrying my goods has not been in touch for five days now.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. We don’t know whether the ship sank or
was hijacked by pirates or whether the passengers diverted it.”
“Don’t be pessimistic.”
“It may be in a harbor on a coast somewhere
due to bad weather.”
“And my goods there are worth 7.5 million
naira.”
Kofi whistled in disbelief.
“Meehn!” Jide exclaimed.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“So what are you doing about it?”
“I have done the much I can. I am hoping it
eventually gets here.”
DJ Zoom started playing a popular
dancehall music.
“Let’s dance,” Jide suggested.
“Good idea but we don’t have chics,” Kofi
said.
“We get new ones for the night.”
They look around the bar.
“All the chics here are with their men,”
Effiong pointed out.
“Come on, let’s dance without the chics,”
Jide said.
“There has to be a single one somewhere,” Kofi
said and kept looking. Then he spotted a lady at a corner of the bar. She was sitting
alone, sipping her malt. From the little he could deduce from that distance,
she was endowed. She had a finely cut face et al. Kofi called the attention of
Jide and Effiong to the lone sisi.
“O boy!” Jide exclaimed. “She is too fine.”
“Shoot your shot man,” Effiong said to Kofi.
“What if her guy is around somewhere?” Kofi
asked
“Are you twelve? Is this your first time
chatting up a chic?”
“No, but there is something about this one.”
They watched the lady for a while.
“What are you waiting for?” Jide asked him.
“I want to see if she is truly alone.” Kofi
replied.
“Go talk to her. If her guy comes, apologize
and bow out.”
Kofi
couldn’t move his feet. He just sat and looked. Once in few minutes, a guy
would try to talk to the lady probably ‘excusing her dance’ but she kept waving
them off.
“See,” Kofi pointed out, “She is not in the
mood.”
“You don’t know for sure till you try,” Jide
said to him.
“And I think she likes you because I noticed
she has been stealing glances at us,” Effiong added.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Kofi rushed his drink, adjusted his
shirt and got up.
“Where to?” Effiong asked him.
“To try my luck.”
He walked towards the lady,
rehearsing what to say to her in his mind. Jide and Effiong watched. When Kofi
got close to the lady, something about her took the wind off his sail. He
walked past her and went to the male restroom. In there, he hissed and slapped
himself.
Minutes later, he walked out looking
away from the lady to avoid making eye contact with the source of previous
embarrassment. He got to his table and received the scorn of his life.
“What was that about?” Jide asked him, while
Effiong kept laughing at him.
“My brother I can’t tell what happened there
o,” he replied, scratching his head. “I just couldn’t muster the courage to
talk to her.
“This is not your first time now,” Effiong
told him.
“Jide go and try na?” Kofi told him
“I am not in the mood. I have other things to
think of now.”
“If you no get the liver, bone her na.” Effiong told him.
“Abi?” Kofi said.
“But am just liking this girl. I don’t know what it is about her but she gets to
me.”
“Go and talk to her then.”
“Let me try again. But how am I looking?” he
asked adjusting his clothes again.”
“Sharp.”
“Watch me make my move now,” he bragged.
“We are watching,” Jide said
“Make sure you don’t enter the restroom again
o,” Effiong added.
They burst into laughter
“No mock me na. Watch and learn.”
Kofi walked towards the lady again.
When he was getting close, another guy appeared suddenly and tried talking to
the lady, obviously on the same mission that Kofi was on. He was too close to
just turn back so he went ahead and entered the restroom the second time.
He got another dose of laughter from
his guys yet he didn’t give up. He decided to try again. On the next attempt,
he walked past her and went to the bar counter and ordered a bottle of drink which
he wasn’t even sure he would take.
“Mehn am done with doing this,” he told his
friends when he got back to their table.
“O boi,
see liver cottage.”
“I am too embarrassed to stay here. Make we drink up comot.”
“Kofi my man relax. You have many girls at
your beck and call na. Why worry yourself about this one that you couldn’t get.”
“I no know why the guy they bother himself. Some days are like that.”
“I no
get other girls na.”
“Since when?” they laughed at him.
“Make I mention their names?”
“Leave those ones. It was nothing serious.”
“Na you dey dull yourself. You can have
anyone you want.
“You be fine boy with cash.”
“I have not been lucky with girls. Moreover, this my work no dey give me chance at all.”
“Okay bro.”
“Drink up na make we comot na.”
“Wetin I dey go house go do now?”
“Make we go my house.”
“Do wetin na.”
“Watch match or play video game.”
“hahahaha. Na so the thing reach?”
“Look,” Effiong said to Kofi, pointing. “Your
chick is on the move.”
They watched the lady pay a waiter
for her drink, pick her handbag and got up to leave.
“There she goes o.” Jide told Kofi.
“Go try again.” Effiong told him.
“No am done with that,” Kofi said.
“Go na. She is leaving.”
Kofi sat where he was and watched
the lady leave the bar.
“Opportunity missed,” Jide said.
“She for fit you wela.”
“Let it be,” Kofi said. “I will not make a
fool of myself.”
In his mind, Kofi was flogging
himself for not being a man and mustering the courage to just talk to the lady.
From his assesment, he was very much in her class and better than the other
guys who had tried to talk to her. He
was still thinking about that when Jide called his attention.
“She has come back,” Jide said pointing at
the lady who had entered and sat at a table closer to the entrance/exit than
where she was sitting before.
{to be continued}
(c) 2021. Nedu Isaac
PhotoCred: Canva.com
Okezie sat on the bench in front of his house as he wondered what he would do about the situation he had found himself in.
“They will find out.” He said to himself and sighed.
It happened that few months before, he had gotten a new job as a cleaner in a government office and was excited. Even though the pay was small, it was enough to cater for his little needs. He lived in a one-room apartment in a relative’s house and so he didn’t pay rent. Feeding was not a challenge also because his village was 30 minutes drive away so he went to get food stuff from time to time from his grandma who was still an active farmer. There was nothing much he needed money for at that time so he worked with all his heart, hoping for something better.
With time, he won the affection of his employer and the workers there because of his diligence to work, his cheerful disposition and his integrity. On few occasions when he had seen money or documents left carelessly, he kept them safe till the owners claimed them. They loved and trusted him. Things were going smoothly until he met Nkechi, a tall chocolate-colored girl with dimples which made her smile endearing. At first sight, he fell in love with her.
Nkechi was a lovely girl, fine and elegant. She was a third year student of Microbiology in the university in town. She had come to the office where Okezie worked, to see her uncle. Okezie made a move on her when she came the second time. She didn’t like him but Okezie persisted and kept trying to woo her. He got her phone number and kept calling her. He even traced her to her hostel. She kept putting him away but he kept making advances. After weeks of trial, Nkechi was not falling for him; Okezie was frustrated. He expressed his frustration to Ebuka, his friend, when the later came visiting one day.
“I don’t know what else to do,” he told Ebuka.
“Leave her if she is not responding,” Ebuka told him. “There are many fish in the sea.”
“Not this one o. I don’t know why I feel this way about her.”
Ebuka thought for a while and then asked, “Have you bought anything for her?”
“No o,” Okezie responded. “Where did I see money?”
“That is the problem. Girls are moved by gifts.”
“But I don’t have the money.”
“If you really want her, then find money somewhere. Borrow if you have to.”
“Do you have?”
“I don’t have o. Even if I did, since I know what it is for, I won’t give you because it will turn bad debt.”
“I don’t have anybody else to borrow money from.”
Ebuka looked around to be sure they were alone and then whispered into his ears, “Then take it.”
Okezie shuddered.
“God forbid,” he said.
“Reduce your voice my friend. God forbid ko, forbid ni. Then forget about the girl.”
Okezie clicked his fingers.
“Where will I take it from?” he asked in hushed tone.
“From your office of course,” Ebuka said.
“I will never do such a thing.”
“Then forget about Nkechi. You will never get her.”
“What if I get caught?”
“Are you a learner? How will they catch you?”
“They trust me o.”
“Exactly why they will not suspect you.”
“Chai, steal because of woman. Something wey I never do before.”
“Nothing is too much for a woman you love.”
“Think about it. It is either you want the girl or you don’t. Let me be going.”
Ebuka got up to leave.
“You are not seeing me off?” he asked Okezie.
“Guy be going,” Okezie said still in his confused state. “We will see later.”
“Water don pass garri,” Ebuka said laughing as he left. “Life na choice.”
That night, as Okezie lay on his bed, he couldn’t sleep. He kept seeing images of Nkechi and picturing how wonderful they would be together. He thought of other ways he could win her affection but came up with nothing concrete. After long thinking, he made up his mind to try what Ebuka had suggested.
“Just this once,” he said to himself, rolled over on his bed and went to sleep.
The following day, Okezie was in the office early as usual to clean up the place before anybody came. There was no one in the office so as he cleaned, he carefully checked the drawers whether someone had left money there. He did not have peace of mind as he did it but the thought of Nkechi spurred him on. This made him spend more time than usual in the cleaning. Soon, staff started coming. The first to enter was the office secretary.
“Good morning ma,” he greeted her in an uneasy manner.
“Morning Okezie,” she answered. “You are still cleaning?”
“I..i..” Okezie didn’t know which excuse to give. He had lost track of time as he was more focused on the search than on the cleaning.
“It is okay. I guess you came a bit later than usual today. Just hurry up before our oga comes.”
“Okay ma. Please don’t tell him.”
“Don’t worry. I will not do that.”
“Thank you ma.”
Okezie heaved a sigh of relief and rushed his cleaning before others came. His plan did not work that day. As the nature of his job was, he hung around the office till they closed, doing cleaning from time to time as and at when required and the final cleaning at the close of work. All through that work day, he still battled with his mind on whether to do what Ebuka suggested or not to do. When he saw how well they treated him, he decided to forget about the idea.
The following day, Nkechi was among the first people to come to the office. She came to see her uncle as usual.
“Hi” Okezie
said, grinning at her.
She responded absent mindedly and walked past him before he could try making conversation. He was angry and the desire to ‘take something to impress her’ rose up again. Nkechi did not waste time that day unlike before when she would hang around the office for a while before leaving. She barely answered him as she left.
“She comes to collect money from her mother’s brother.” He said to himself after she left. “So if I give her something, I will get her attention.” He hoped an opportunity would come out that day and he would ‘take something’ to impress her. He was alert but throughout that day, no opportunity came up. He hissed and went home.
Days passed by and no opportunity came up. Nobody committed lose-guarding. From time to time, Nkechi came around and stirred up his passion to ‘take something’. Then one day, an opportunity presented itself.
Okezie was cleaning as usual when he noticed a brown envelope in a drawer. He looked around but no one was there. He touched the envelope and it felt like money. He went and locked the main entrance door so no one would come in suddenly. Then he went back and picked up the envelope. It was not sealed so he opened it and was shocked by what he saw inside it; bundle of five hundred naira notes. He thought of what to do, whether to take or not.
“This is the opportunity you have been waiting for,” a voice told him. He remembered what Ebuka had suggested. Thoughts of Nkechi falling for him flashed through his mind. These made his resolve stronger. Immediately, he removed some notes from the money and put in his pocket. Then he kept back the envelope properly and finished the cleaning in a hurry.
Moments later, office staff started coming. Okezie thought of how he could avoid being caught.
“If they start looking for the money,” he said to himself, “they will ask me first because I was the first to enter the office.”
He decided to feign sickness so they would let him go home. He sat at a corner and shook his body as though he had fever. He barely responded to greetings.
“What is the matter with you?” they asked him.
He managed to say he was not feeling well.
“Oga is not here yet,” Damian, the second cleaner told him. “Maybe you will wait till he comes then he may let you go.”
“But who will clean for me in the afternoon?” Okezie asked him.
“Don’t worry. I will do that for you.”
“Thank you so much.”
Okezie turned his face away and smiled to himself. He just hoped the missing money would not be discovered till he was gone.
Soon the oga’s assistant came and he permited Okezie to go. Okezie shivered mechanically and left. When he was far away from the office, he walked fast and kept looking back to see if someone was running after him to call him back. At the major road, he entered taxi drop back to his house. In his house, he locked the door, brought out the money and counted it. It was Nine Thousand Five Hundred naira. He thought about what to do with it, whether to give it to Nkechi like that or to buy something with it. After a while, he picked his ‘torch’ phone and called Ebuka who told him to hold on till he comes.
After Okezie left the office, office work continued as usual. No one noticed any wrong doing. The office accountant came later in the afternoon and that was when the missing money became an issue. She needed to take it to a bank and brought out the envelope. The envelope was not exactly how she left it the previous day. She was surprised. She hurriedly opened the envelope and counted the, and noticed that some money was missing. It was then that she raised an alarm.
“Some money is missing from here,” she announced.
All the staff around were shocked.
“Where did you keep it?” One staff asked her.
“Inside this envelope in this drawer,” the accountant replied, pointing.
“But there is money in the envelope,” another staff pointed out.
“Yes but it is not complete.”
They wondered what had happened to the money. Their Oga heard the shout and came out of his office.
“What is happening here?” he asked.
“I left some money in the drawer yesterday,” the accountant said. “Now it is not complete”
“Why didn’t you pay it in yesterday?”
“By the time we were true, it was late and I didn’t want to go home with it. So I left it in the drawer”
“And you locked the drawer?”
“I think I did.”
“Are you sure of what you are saying?”
“Very sure sir.”
The Oga asked every staff one by one but they all denied knowing anything about the money.
“Who was the last to leave the office yesterday?” he asked.
The accountant accepted being the last. “I wanted to be sure no one else was left here because of the money I left behind,” she said.
“Then who was the first to enter here today?”
“It is either Okezie or Damian, the cleaners,” the secretary told him.
“Call them here immediately,” he roared.
The junior staffs scampered out in search of the duo. Damian was found in mama Janet’s kiosk sipping dry gin ‘on code’. He was taken aback by the way he was told that oga was calling him. He threw away the remaining gin and rushed with them to answer the oga.
“Sir..oga..good afternoon sir..” he stuttered, when he came before the oga.
“Where is the other cleaner?” their oga asked, ignoring his greeting.
“He went home early in the morning sir,” Damian answered.
“Why?”
“He was sick so he left. I worked for him today. I cleaned everywhere for him today,” he added, trying to curry favour.
“Who permited him?” He looked around at the staff.
“I did,” his assistant said. “He was so sick, I let him go.”
The oga turned back to Damian and asked him, “You said you cleaned all the offices?”
Damian answered in the affirmative, grinning and expecting a pat on the back.
“Then you should know what happened to the money that was left in the drawer this morning.”
The grin on Damian’s face disappeared.
“Money?” He said confused.
“Yes, money.”
“From where sir?”
“What kind of stupid question is that?” The oga was getting angry. “Where did you keep the money you took from the accountant’s drawer?”
“Sir..i did not clean the office sir?” Damian was shaking at this point.
“But you said you cleaned everywhere?”
“Sir…no sir…I…”
“Rubbish. Security!”
“No sir. I swear I didn’t clean this side. Okezie cleaned this office before he left.”
Two of the security men in the compound came to the office and stood waiting for the next instruction.
“What are you looking at?” the oga shouted. “Arrest this man.” He pointed at Damian
Damian went on his knees begging.
“Sir I think we should also ask Okezie,” the assistant said. “
“I thought you said he was sick and had to leave?” Oga asked him.
“It may have been a plan to escape.”
“So how do we get him? Who knows where he lives?”
“His address is in his file,” the secretary said.
“Go get him immediately. Try calling him first”
“No sir,” Damian said. “If you call him, he may know that something is wrong and may run.”
“You call him since he is your friend.”
“Sir…”
“yes. Don’t let him know we are after him. One of you must go in for this.”
Damian brought out his phone and dialed Okezie’s number. It rang but Okezie did not pick. He dialed five more times but did not get any reply.
“Maybe he is too sick to pick,” Damian said.
“Sick my foot,” the oga thundered. “Guilty conscience will not let him.” He turned to his assistant and said, “I don’t care what it takes, make sure Okezie or whatever his name is, is brought here and the money recovered.”
“Yes sir.”
He went back into his office and banged the door.
“How much is missing?” the assistant asked the accountant.
“Nine Thousand five hundred naira,” the accountant replied.
“Only?” Damian blurted out.
“Shut up,” one of the security men said and hit him on the head. “Thief.”
“It is not about how much was taken,” the assistant said. “We do not condone stealing here.”
He turned to the security men and said, “keep him in holding, then you come let us go and pick up Okezie.”
“Yes sir,” they replied and dragged Damian out.
“Tell the drivers to get their vehicles ready,” he told one of the staff.”
“Yes sir,” she answered and left.
In less than five minutes, they were on their way to apprehend Okezie who was busy planning the best way to impress Nkechi.
{to be continued}
(c) 2021. Nedu Isaac
PhotoCred: Canva.com
“Abike someone is looking for you?” Blessing said as she entered the room.
Abike was engrossed in the music she was listening to. She was lying on the bed with her eyes closed and headset on.
“Did you hear me?” Blessing nudged her.
Abike removed the headset she had on and asked, “What did you say?”
“I said one man is looking for you?” Blessing said.
“Man ke? Please describe him.”
Blessing described the man who was looking for Abike in an insulting manner.
“Oh that’s my father?” Abike said, sitting up on the bed.
“Your what?” Blessing asked, confused.
“My dad.”
“For real?”
“Yea.”
“Sorry about the way I described him o. I was thinking he is one of your father’s drivers.”
“I know. I get that a lot whenever people see him.
“So sorry.”
“Please where is he now?”
“He is standing under the tree outside the gate.”
“You did not let him into the compound?” Abike asked with eyes wide open.
“I didn’t know he was your father,” Blessing said with plea in her voice.
Abike jumped out of the bed, wore a free gown over the singlet and bum-short she had on and rushed out. Blessing scratched her head and leaned against the wall, not knowing what to make out of what just happened. She was squatting in Abike’s well furnished one-room ‘selfcon’ and had been there barely a month. She had nowhere else to go and so was worried Abike might send her out for disrespecting her father.
Abike met her father outside, standing with arms folded across his chest.
“Daddyyyyyy” she called as she hugged him.
“My baby,” he said.
“Mmmmmm,” she answered still holding him tight.
“Easy o before you suffocate me o.”
Abike laughed and let go of him.
“Daddy how are you?” she asked.
“I am fine o,” he replied.
“This one you came to see me.”
“I can’t come to see my daughter again?”
“But I was home last week. Just say you are missing me,”
“I miss you everyday.”
“You see.”
“But actually, I drove my oga to a street close by so I said I should rush and see you before he is ready to leave.”
“Ok. Come in let me find something for you to eat.”
“There is no time for that dear.”
“It won’t take time.”
“My oga may need me anytime.”
“But he has your phone number. He will call you when he needs you.”
“No oo. It is bad work ethics; to leave the car and go out. It is unsafe for the car and risky for my work.”
“If you say so daddy.”
“Besides, seeing you is enough for me. When you come to the house next time, we will have time to eat and discuss long.”
“I miss you and mum so much.”
Abike hugged him again.
“You refused to live with us,” her father said.
“I needed to be on my own so I can manage my life, school and work properly,” Abike said.
“I totally understand my dear, and I am so proud of you.”
“Thank you daddy.”
They stood for a while grinning at each other.
“Let me get going,” Abike’s dad said to her after a while.
“So soon?”
“Yes o before my oga looks for me and fires me.”
“Mcheew,” Abike hissed. “That young man you call ‘oga’ sef. You are old enough to be his father.”
“What can I do? As long as I am getting money, I will swallow the shame. Since government has refused to pay us our pension, let me manage this work. Moreover, I am still fit.”
“By now, you need to be resting and not working hard to make money like you did when you were younger. This country sef. After working for years, nothing to show for it.”
“I have you and your siblings to show for it o. At least I was able to train you the much I can.”
“I wish I am making money enough to take care of everybody so you can stop this demeaning work.”
“My dear, that time will come but for now, as long as I am getting money to cater for the family, especially your younger ones, I will not stop.”
“Daddy don’t worry, all these insults will soon be over.”
Abike put her hand over his shoulder. She was as tall as he was so it was not a challenge for her.
“Let me go back,” Abike’s father said as he moved.
“Let me see you off to the junction,” Abike said as she walked with him.
“So when am I meeting him?” Abike’s father asked her.
“Who?” Abika asked, looking at him inquisitively.
“You know who I mean.”
Abike burst into laughter.
“Daddy, don’t worry,” she said. “You will soon see him.”
“I want to start getting return on my investment in you o,” Abike’s father said.
“Ah daddy,” Abike said and gently nudged him. “I am not civil service where you invested your years of service o.”
“I can’t wait to call my kindred and tell them I am giving my daughter out in marriage, and not every week, somebody would be inviting me for his daughter’s own.”
“I feel the same way too o. I am tired of being invited to weddings by my friends. I should invite them also.”
“I don’t mean to pressure you o but…”
“I understand. You know how much I tried in the past but they kept disappointing me.”
“I know. The last disappointment made me feel very bad. I really liked Kayode as a son-in-law.”
“Well, things happen. Long story short, I am still single.”
“For now…”
“Yes for now.”
“Don’t give up on love ok. Someone who will treat you like a queen will soon come. I believe it.”
“I believe it too daddy, but for now, I am focusing on making enough money to help you pay family bills and train my younger ones in school.”
“I know but the presence of a man makes it easier.”
“Let’s keep praying and waiting then.”
They got to the junction.
“Go back now ok,” Abike’s father told her.
“Ok daddy,” Abike replied. “I will come next weekend. By then I will be free. I have school work to tidy up and some jobs I am doing till then.”
“Ok. I will inform your mother. Your favorite soup will be waiting.”
“Yeeeeeei, thanks dad.”
She hugged him and he walked briskly towards where he had parked the car. Abike turned and went back. She was not the social type so she didn’t bother greeting people she saw on the road.
When Abike got into her room, Blessing jumped up from the bed where she was sitting nervously.
“I am really sorry,” she said, “making to kneel.”
Abike rushed and held her….
{to be continued}
PhotoCred: Canva.com
