[…CONTINUED]
"Taaah nothing dey happen. Na
just say I don old for that. I no fit follow small boys carry laptop."
Suddenly,
Dave froze.
"Wetin happen?"
Ben asked him.
"Na my classmate they enter here o," he said pointing in the direction of a well
dressed young man entering the bar. "Where
I go hide now?"
"Hide for what?" Ben asked him.
“I no
want make e see me laidis na.”
Ben and Charles looked at him queerly,
still confused.
"You
no understand?” Dave asked,
still acting tensed up. “Wetin I wan tell
am say I de do na?"
"Mcheeeeeew," Charles hissed
Ben waved him off and sipped his
drink. Dave kept trying to hide his face as the young man kept coming close to
their table on his way to another side of the bar.
"See
as my guy fresh,” Dave continued. “Person
wey I dey help write assignment that year.”
"Na so life be."
“Kai
life no balance at all.”
The young man came close to their
table and caught a glimpse of Dave. He stopped, trying to figure out if Dave
was who he was thinking he was. After a while, he called out to Dave.
“Daveo,” he said, a bit unsure.
Dave knew that his cover had been blown,
so he feigned seeing the young man just then.
“Ah ah Edu,” he said as he got up from his
seat.
“Daveooooooo,” the young man said joyfully
and went towards Dave.
“Edu my maaaaan,” Dave said and went towards
him.
They shook and hugged.
“Where have you been?” Edu asked Dave.
“I have been around o,” Dave answered.
“Around where? In this town?”
“Yes o.”
“And I have not set my eyes on you?”
Dave shrugged.
“O
meeehn see as you fresh,” Dave said to him, admiring him. “Your face show guy, your shoe shine.”
“My
brother wetin man go do na.”
Dave remembered Ben and Charles and
proceeded to introduce Edu to them.
“Guys, meet my friend Edu, my very good
friend from secondary school.”
He turned to Edu and said, “Meet my
friends from Uni, Ben and Charles.”
Edu shook hands with them.
“Daveo
na my paddy that year,” Edu
said to Ben and Charles. “Times when them
de pursue me for school fees, na em de help me write assignments. Even when I
wan turn bad boy, na em still make my head come down. I no fit use am play
lailai.”
“Dave is a good guy,” Charles said. “But na ju man.”
“Yea” Ben agreed
“Na Edu de fight for me that year,” Dave
said, smiling.
“Remember when I broke Aliyu’s nose.” Edu
said laughing.
“Yes oo,” Dave said. “And he and his bullies
left me alone.”
“Guy I don miss you oo,” Edu said and shook Dave again.
“Grab a chair and join us na,” Charles
offered Edu
“I
would have loved to,” Edu replied. “But I have booked the VIP lounge for me and
some of my guys. They should be here any moment.”
“VIP lounge,” Dave said in wonder. “Guy you
de on soft oooooo.”
“My brother wetin man go do?” Edu said.
Dave and Edu moved a little from the
table.
“So what are you doing now?” Edu asked Dave.
“Nothing bro,” Dave said. “I don find job tire.”
Edu looked at him for a while and
shook his head.
“What a country,” he said. “Brilliant and
hardworking guys like you find it difficult getting a job.”
“It is terrible.”
“It dawned on me after watching my father
suffer in what he called ‘job’ even with all his educational qualifications, so
I decided to do something else for myself.”
“Guy,
show me the way na,” Dave
pleaded.
They heard someone call “Edu Brazil”
Both of them turned towards the entrance and saw some equally well
dressed young men coming towards them.
“Those are my guys,” Edu said.
“Wow.”
The guys came to them and shook Edu.
They acted as though Dave was not there. Edu called one of the waiters and told
her to take them to the VIP lounge.
“Go and start,” Edu said to them.” I will
join you soon.”
“No
waste time o,” one of them said to him. “You
know say we get a lot to arrange.”
“And we
gaas turn up for Okosisi today too,” another said.
“Go
place order first, I de your back,” Edu reassured him.
They went with the waiter.
Dave watched them go and then turned
to Edu who was looking at him and smiling.
“This
life eeh,” Dave said.
“Life
na opportunity and determination.”
Edu said. “On how person show you the way
and you come get mind, finish.”
“Eehh
na why I want make you show me the way na.”
Edu looked at him as though trying to
figure out something.
“Abeg,” Dave pleaded.
“No need to beg me,” Edu said and sighed. “I go show you way but I no know whether na
wetin you fit do o,”
“As e
be me now, nothing wey I no fit do o.”
Edu sighed again and shook his head.
“If you say so,” he said.
Edu saw one of his guys impatiently
beckoning on him to come join them.
“I will give you a number to reach me with,
then I will tell you where we will meet and discuss.”
“Ok”
“Do you have paper and pen?”
Dave searched his pocked and saw a
piece of paper. He looked around frantically for a pen and did not see any.
Then a waiter passed, holding one and he requested for it. Edu called the phone
number and he wrote it down.
“When should I call?” Dave asked.
“Anytime next week,” Edu said. “This week is
already choked. From business meeting to business meeting, function to
function.”
“Nawa, Edu meeeehn. I am happy for you o”
“Na God.”
Edu shook him and went towards the VIP
Lounge. Dave watched him recede into the distance, lost in thought. It was Ben
who called his mind back.
“Dave!” Ben called.
Dave sighed, shook his head and went
back to his seat on the table.
“E
shock you?” Charles
asked with a little bit of sarcasm,
“No be
small,” Dave said. “Imagine Edu don
turn big boy, Daveo still de find work. This life eeeeh…”
“E no
balance,” Ben finished it for him.
“Na
this kain money we for make from the last election,” Charles said. “Una just dull everything.”
“Abegi,
which kain money?” Dave countered him. “Wey
wan take your life join.”
“No way dey easy guy.”
“So Dave,” Ben called his attention. “wetin he de do?”
“He no
tell me.”
“Hope
say you tell am make em show you way?”
Charles asked with the sarcasm still in his voice.
“Of course na. He gave me his phone number to
call him. But he first looked at me strangely and asked me if I was sure I
could do it.”
“No
dull on this one oo,” Charles said. “If
you no wan do am, link me up abeg.”
“Let me hear him out first and see.”
“Ok when are you calling him?”
“Next week.”
“Next week cha?” Ben asked.
“Yes o. He said this week choke for am.”
“Our
food and money don finish o.”
“He go
go em mama house being foodstuff na,”
Charles said, referring to Dave.
Dave burst into laughter, “you no well.”
Ben and Charles laughed too.
“Na
she be our sure plug na,” Ben
said.
“E de
shame me abeg.”
“Person
wey gaas survive no de shame o.”
“I don
tire abeg.”
“When will things get better in this country?”
Charles asked rhetorically.
“When we rise as youths and ensure the right
people come into power,” Ben answered. “For now, we youths dey go where belle
face and we end up campaigning for and voting people who forget us and focus on
‘my family my family’. They end up enriching themselves, their families and
loyalists.”
“I believe that one day we will get it right
in this country,” Dave added.
“E no
fit happen. Things don spoil. Na survival of the fittest we dey now. Na scavenging
things. As you see opportunity, grab as much as you can while it lasts.”
“E fit
happen o. When the people get so backed to a corner, a time comes when they
revolt against the status quo and rise to take action.”
“That
time still far.”
They sat there a while longer
discussing the issues in the country and how there were no opportunities for
young people with genuine intentions. Then they decided to leave.
“I suppose go see one senior man like that,”
Charles said. “Make I see if anything go come out.
“Abeg make something come out o,” Dave said
Ben’s phone rang. He looked at who was
calling and smiled.
“Who
dey call you wey you de smile like this?” Dave asked him.
“Na my babe o,” Ben said.
“She
wan bill you, you de smile like goat wey de ontop fire.”
“I suppose
see am today, I forget.”
“Guy
see eh,” Charles said touching
his shoulder. “Man wey no get money no suppose
dey get erection.”
“One
thing must kill a man,” Ben
said.
They burst into laughter.
“This
waiter no wan collect money,”
Charles said.
“See am for there,” Dave said. “Make I call am.”
“Call who?”
“The waiter na.”
“Mcheeew. This
money wey I wan give am now dey pain me.
E de do me make I use style go piss, from there jakpa.”
“They
know you for this area na,” Ben
said laughing. “You go still pay.”
“Na
una two dem go hold for the meantime.”
The waiter came close to their table,
attending to other people. Charles beckoned on her and she came.
“How much is our bill?” Charles asked
reluctantly.
“Oga
no worry,” the waiter said.
“Hmmmm?”
“No
worry about the bill,” the
waiter repeated.
“Wetin
happen?”
“That
man wey come before say make I put una bill on am.”
“That must be Edu,” Dave said.
“Oh ok,” Charles said and relaxed.
“So if we decide to take another round, will
the bill still be on him?” Ben asked.
“Yes o. He
say anything wey una take.”
“You
no quick talk this thing,” Charles
lamented. “And time don go.”
“I fit
dey o,” Dave said. “I no get where I wan go. Na una two get
appointment.”
“Taar,” Ben said. “Who go cook wetin we go chop this night na?”
“As
wetin na? As una cook abi wetin?”
Dave feigned taking offence.
“No naaa,” Ben said. “the thing be say na only you sabi cook among us. Na why.”
“See
wetin we go do eh,” Charles said. He called back the waiter who had turned
to leave. “Reserve one bottle each for us
and add am to em bill, you hear. We go come another day drink am.”
“Hmmmm, I no know how em go feel o” the
waiter said.
“You
no go tell am na,” Charles
said. “Just give am the bill. Finish.”
“Abeg
na,” Ben pleaded. “You know say we be
regular customers.”
“Make
una take the canned one na,” the waiter said.
“No
na. beer no de sweet for outside bottle.”
“And
beer no de sweet outside joint.”
“Abeg
naa.”
“Ohhhhhhm,” the waiter still showed
reluctance.
“Oya
put small something inside the bill for yourself.”
The waiter thought for a while and then said, “If wahala come out, I go say na you o.”
“Ehe
na,” Charles said. “I go chest am.”
“Ok,” the waiter agreed and packed the
bottles on the table.
Dave, Ben and Charles got up and left. As they stepped outside the
bar, they saw mobile policemen everywhere.
TO BE
CONTINUED…
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