AREWA (Story)

Fingalickin' at AdeolaOdekustreet  was relatively empty considering the hour. Most offices were closed for the day. There was a couple seated towards the far end of the restaurant, they seemed to whatever might be  happening around them. Another group of young men where chatting away as they finished up their drinks. They must have had a good day at work. Work hasn't been fantastic, I closed really late after editing and re-editing various manuscripts. I just wanted to finish up my food and go home to collapse on my bed. Somehow the young lady seated alone at table far across from me seemed to hold my attention. I had noticed her right from the minute she came in. She had this aura around her and worked with a kind of confidence that was rare among the female folk these days. I must have burnt a hole in her well tailored jacket with the way I stared. She had been waiting for about fifteen minutes all the while typing away on her phone. I wondered if she had an appointment. For a moment she turned and I had to stop my gazing. I didn't want to appear ride just in case we might have a talk later. She called for the waiter and her voice was just as elegant as she looked.

 I knew I had to talk to her. Just as she finished up her drink, I walked up to her table. Pointing to the seat opposite her, I asked, 'is this seat taken? '. She shook her head, still sipping from her glass. Taking my place on the empty chair,I introduced myself 'Hello, my name is Tade ',. She looked up at me, and for a moment I thought I would be snubbed. With an expressionless face, she replied, ' hi '. I continued the conversation trying to make it as smooth as I could without being too forward. We seemed to be getting along fine, with her laughter and mine interjecting at different points. After about fifteen minutes of random talk, she told me she needed to be on her way. That was When I asked for her number. ' Sorry I don't give my number to strangers '. The words hit me hard. ' Okay, but how would I get to see you again then? ' 'I would leave that to fate '. ' Can I at least get a name along with the face? ' ' Sure, my name is Arewa '. ' You are indeed a beauty to behold '. 'i hear that a lot, but thanks anyway. I need to get going '. And she made for the door. I just stood there wondering if ever I would see Arewa again.

For the next few weeks, I couldn't get the image of this beautiful lady out of my head, she seemed to be like an obsession to me. I visited fingalickin' a couple of times in case I would bump into her. I even tried asking one of the waiters if he knew the lady in question. There was a night I dreamt about her, she had somehow found her way to my office which was a few blocks away from the restaurant were we had first met. As I stepped out into the reception, there she was in all her glory seated cross legged in one of the chairs. 'I found you ' she said, smiling her megawatts smile. I  cannot begin to describe my disappointment when I woke up to find out that it was a mere dream. I hoped and prayed that this dream would become reality someday soon. As the weeks became months, I began to lose hope of ever song her beauty again.

Work was going well at the office and I didn't want anything to disrupt that.  My Manner assigned me to a project for which I would have to travel to Abuja to give the proposal to the board of directors at one company. I really felt reluctant about going, but since there was none else for the job I had to go. The trip to Abuja was uneventful and I knew that, all things being equal, I should be back that evening.TheCeo's personal assistant was meant to be around for some reason, but apparently she couldn't make it. We went on with the presentation in her absence. I rounded up the presentation, thankful that it went well and the directors were pleased. Just as I made for the door, she walked in. I couldn't believe my eyes. She apologized for her absence and proceeded to the CEO and whispered something to him. As she straightened up making to leave the office, I tried to get her attention and walked up to her. She turned back towards the room and seeing me, she gave that smile that could make even the toughest of men become weak at their knees. 'Arewa' i said, ' fate has surely planned for us to be together'.'

Three years, five months, four days and a few hours later, my Arewa was walking down the aisle with her father to meet me. In just few minutes, she would be my lawfully wedded wife. I Couldn't believe how lucky I was to have such a woman in my life, her mischief, brains and beauty. She is never a bore to be with. Even as she got to the altar and I looked into her eyes, the sparkles in them. She was blushing like a little child that had received a bag full of candy on Halloween night. I made a mental note to ensure that she would always and forever have that smile on her face. '....o have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow.', I completed my views never being more sincere than I was at that very moment. ' You may kiss the bride '. I leaned forward and our lips met. In my minds eye, I could see a life with her full with love, peace and all theinbetweens.

Kunmi

Fingalickin' at AdeolaOdekustreet  was relatively empty considering the hour. Most offices were closed for the day. There was a couple seated towards the far end of the restaurant, they seemed to whatever might be  happening around them. Another group of young men where chatting away as they finished up their drinks. They must have had a good day at work. Work hasn't been fantastic, I closed really late after editing and re-editing various manuscripts. I just wanted to finish up my food and go home to collapse on my bed. Somehow the young lady seated alone at table far across from me seemed to hold my attention. I had noticed her right from the minute she came in. She had this aura around her and worked with a kind of confidence that was rare among the female folk these days. I must have burnt a hole in her well tailored jacket with the way I stared. She had been waiting for about fifteen minutes all the while typing away on her phone. I wondered if she had an appointment. For a moment she turned and I had to stop my gazing. I didn't want to appear ride just in case we might have a talk later. She called for the waiter and her voice was just as elegant as she looked.

 I knew I had to talk to her. Just as she finished up her drink, I walked up to her table. Pointing to the seat opposite her, I asked, 'is this seat taken? '. She shook her head, still sipping from her glass. Taking my place on the empty chair,I introduced myself 'Hello, my name is Tade ',. She looked up at me, and for a moment I thought I would be snubbed. With an expressionless face, she replied, ' hi '. I continued the conversation trying to make it as smooth as I could without being too forward. We seemed to be getting along fine, with her laughter and mine interjecting at different points. After about fifteen minutes of random talk, she told me she needed to be on her way. That was When I asked for her number. ' Sorry I don't give my number to strangers '. The words hit me hard. ' Okay, but how would I get to see you again then? ' 'I would leave that to fate '. ' Can I at least get a name along with the face? ' ' Sure, my name is Arewa '. ' You are indeed a beauty to behold '. 'i hear that a lot, but thanks anyway. I need to get going '. And she made for the door. I just stood there wondering if ever I would see Arewa again.

For the next few weeks, I couldn't get the image of this beautiful lady out of my head, she seemed to be like an obsession to me. I visited fingalickin' a couple of times in case I would bump into her. I even tried asking one of the waiters if he knew the lady in question. There was a night I dreamt about her, she had somehow found her way to my office which was a few blocks away from the restaurant were we had first met. As I stepped out into the reception, there she was in all her glory seated cross legged in one of the chairs. 'I found you ' she said, smiling her megawatts smile. I  cannot begin to describe my disappointment when I woke up to find out that it was a mere dream. I hoped and prayed that this dream would become reality someday soon. As the weeks became months, I began to lose hope of ever song her beauty again.

Work was going well at the office and I didn't want anything to disrupt that.  My Manner assigned me to a project for which I would have to travel to Abuja to give the proposal to the board of directors at one company. I really felt reluctant about going, but since there was none else for the job I had to go. The trip to Abuja was uneventful and I knew that, all things being equal, I should be back that evening.TheCeo's personal assistant was meant to be around for some reason, but apparently she couldn't make it. We went on with the presentation in her absence. I rounded up the presentation, thankful that it went well and the directors were pleased. Just as I made for the door, she walked in. I couldn't believe my eyes. She apologized for her absence and proceeded to the CEO and whispered something to him. As she straightened up making to leave the office, I tried to get her attention and walked up to her. She turned back towards the room and seeing me, she gave that smile that could make even the toughest of men become weak at their knees. 'Arewa' i said, ' fate has surely planned for us to be together'.'

Three years, five months, four days and a few hours later, my Arewa was walking down the aisle with her father to meet me. In just few minutes, she would be my lawfully wedded wife. I Couldn't believe how lucky I was to have such a woman in my life, her mischief, brains and beauty. She is never a bore to be with. Even as she got to the altar and I looked into her eyes, the sparkles in them. She was blushing like a little child that had received a bag full of candy on Halloween night. I made a mental note to ensure that she would always and forever have that smile on her face. '....o have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow.', I completed my views never being more sincere than I was at that very moment. ' You may kiss the bride '. I leaned forward and our lips met. In my minds eye, I could see a life with her full with love, peace and all theinbetweens.

Kunmi

CURIOUS CASE OF A YAHOO BOY (1)

CURIOUS CASE OF A YAHOO BOY (1)

(Confession of a fraudster)

I know God is not a man, if he is a woman I wouldn’t know. I know God made a mistake for sending me to this part of the world, even my family and friends agreed to this.

They always call me ‘Oyinbo Brain ‘, meaning a ‘white man’s brain’, otherwise meaning I am very smart. My name is John and I am indeed very smart and my smartness saw me through secondary school, saw me through university and helping me as I run my ‘PHD on the Street’. The street is very strict that I know and I always have in mind that life is too short like ‘MI the rapper’ so I learnt not to waste my time unnecessarily.

Papa had wasted so much of his lifetime believing and singing ‘E go better’ and I learnt early in life that ‘E go better nah poor man prayer’. At the tender age of 12 I learnt never to trust anyone or depend on anybody, but myself. Not even God, because sometimes God play games I don’t have the luxury of understanding. I never believed in doing bad or doing good, I believed in doing the right thing at the right time. Whether good, whether bad, just let it be right. I knew so many things were wrong with my family and my life. I was not there during creation norassisted God in project ‘human’, but I wished I was His secretary I would have reminded Him of so many things I think He forgot to add in my life and the country He should have send me to, definitely not Nigeria. Papa for instance goes to work around 5am and comes back 10pm and every day we listen to his monologue of how ‘e no easy to be a man and his e go better’ speech. Mama on the other hand, the obedient and patient wife, always inconvenient herself so we could have enough to eat. This worries me always, and I wondered why we never had enough. I wanted to blame Papa, but I realized he was just like every village boy that believed Lagos was a bed of roses and after finding himself on the harsh street of Lagos, he realized ‘e no easy for anywhere’. Mama on the other hand could not be blame for our situation. That would be like blaming her for marrying Papa, though sometimes I wished she had not. A young village girl whom had gotten married to Papa at the age of 13 and started giving birth at the age of 15, could not have known enough so could not do much. I was the first child of my parent, followed by four other children, Samuel, Martins, Joy and Junior; all of us are all ‘street graduate’, despite my effort for them not to enroll in this school called ‘The Street’.

My parent like every Nigerian parent believed if they could send me to school, I would graduate and earn money and then send my younger ones to school. I believed if I studied hard and graduate with first classI’ll be employed by a big cooperation, but ‘O Y O’ (own your own) was my case. After I graduated for more than three years I searched for job, its either am ‘over-qualified’ or ‘no more vacancy’. I became the ‘charity cases’ of newspaper vendors around my locality, since they knew I could no longer afford to buy the papers and in their mercy call to tell me of any vacancy on paper.

Thousands of students graduate from the Higher Institution every year and the numbers of jobs available are laughable compare to the number of people in the unemployment market. In Nigeria Accurate unemployment rates are difficult to obtain and generally mean little in a society where many who work are marginally employed and where begging is a socially accepted occupation. Many has turned ‘Professional Beggars’ on the streets of Nigeria and the youths on the school of ‘street’ studying how to ‘survive,’ has now turned to ‘crime’ to be their ‘professor’ so they can graduate with first class. Those that resisted this ‘professor’ cannot survive long, it’s either you join his class or you are contented with hardship.

Nigeria long had an agricultural economy but now depends almost entirely on the production of petroleum, which lies in large reserves below the Niger Delta and yet Nigeria remains among the world’s poorest countries in terms of per capita income. Oil revenues led the government to ignore agriculture, and Nigeria now import farm products to feed its people, so much of a nation that is the giant of Africa.

Two years ago, April 17th a day I will never forget in my entire life. I was walking with my CV tucked under my armpit, when suddenly a car splashed dirt water on my ‘starched white’. I did not realize I was the one that the water had splashed on; maybe I knew but did not want to believe it. Not until the car revised back and splashed the water on me again, this time intentionally. This time the dirty water splashed on my face and some escaped into my mouth, as if trying to tell me to taste the bitter taste of being ‘a loser’. I charged towards the car like a wounded animal and I was stopped half way, dead on the spot as the window wined down.

Obodo was smiling at me from the driver’s seat. Obodo? Small Obodo?Wonders shall never cease to ‘tie wrapper’ I thought as I stare at him. Obodo is the first child of Mr. and Mrs. Nweke and always run errand for people in the compound so his family could have some food on the table. His father a pensioner was used to spending half of his salary on his sickle cell wife. The pension was even a stipend and it barely survived a week, thus the family depends on Obodo for support. But now Obodo was smiling at me from a Range Rover. How long has it been now, I tried to remember, 11 years I guess. He came down and to my surprise he bowed down in greetings. That same old humility that made everyone loved him. Maybe he was just a mere driver I thought, as he bowed before me, but as he rose again I was convinced otherwise. He had three pieces of shinning gold necklace on his neck. My eyes scrolled unconsciously to his hand and what I saw in those hands could change my life from ‘e go better ‘to ‘e don dey better’.

 He carried me in his car and we spent time talking and catching up on old times. He looked older than I remembered and was more matured and experienced on the ‘street’. He knew exactly how I felt without me trying to explain, one could tell that he had been where I was before. It felt good knowing that he understood my situation and was willing to help me. He used to be the boy and me the man, but now I was the boy and he the man. After one hour, thirty minutes I made the decision that changed my life and whatever was written of me in Heaven. I decided to be a ‘Yahoo Boy’, a ‘Fraudster’. (Watch for part 2)

Des