*** ONE ***

Chief Rotimi walked casually into his plush livingroom. He put his briefcase on the sofa and picked up the TV remote from the center table and turned on the massive TV set. A woman, wearing a large headgear, was casting the 7 pm news on a local channel. Chief strolled to the wine cellar and picked up a bottle of champagne. He poured himself a glass and took a sip. Then he went back to the sofa and opened the briefcase. He took out some papers and scanned them briefly

Ireti must be in the kitchen, he thought. He could perceive a sweet aroma coming from the kitchen. Having suggested to her, many times, that they should get a house help, Ireti had insisted on doing all the house work by herself, saying there was no need for a house help.

Would she be pleased with his surprise? Chief wondered. Anyway, whether she would be pleased or not was immaterial. It was more about the baby than her, Chief reassured himself. He would do anything for his son and his first duty as a father was to make sure that his son was born in one of the best hospitals in the world.

With the papers in one hand and the glass of champagne in the other, Chief Rotimi headed to the kitchen. He stood by the door and watched quietly as Ireti dished the soup for their dinner. She was such a workaholic around the house, despite her heavy tummy. They were having amala with efo riro soup, garnished with smoked catfish, goat meat and pomo, for the evening. She hadn't seen him yet.

"Hello Love!" He called out.

"Hey you," she turned and smiled at him. "How was your day?"

"Great." He stepped forward and kissed her on her cheek. "How are you two doing?" He put the glass down on the kitchen counter and caressed her tummy.

"We are okay. As you can see, we are trying to fix you a nice dinner. And ow! He has given some horrific kicks today."

Chief chuckled. "That's good to know," he said, nodding. "But you are the only one cooking here. My son won't cook for anybody. He could become a world best footballer or something. That's why you should allow him do some practice in there, okay. By the way, your dish looks and smells good."

"Sure. Hope it tastes good too," she said, eyeing the papers in his hand. "What are those?"

"Oh, they are your travel documents for an overseas trip. It's time you went on a little vacation, honey. I'm sure you'd like that.The papers were processed by a travel agency. You are going to be delivered of our son in France, by some of the best hands in one of the best hospitals in the world. You will love it there. And since you love to speak French, you will have the opportunity of learning the language firsthand while you are in France. How do you like that?"

There was a moment of silence as she rinsed her hands in the washbasin. Then she turned to him and said calmly, "That's not necessary. I don't have to travel abroad to give birth to our baby. We can have him here."

"No," he countered. "I want the best for you and our child. We can't take chances. You know how long it took us to get pregnant. Six long years. So, to welcome our first child into the world after six years of waiting, I felt the least we can do is to have him born in the best place possible." He spoke looking straight into her eyes. As she made to respond, he placed his index finger across her lips. "Shh. You can see that the travel documents are ready. You will be due for delivery few weeks from now. So you leave next week, to return after you have put to bed. You will receive special medical care. You may also shop as much as you want in Paris and have quality rest which your body really needs. You can start getting your things ready."

Chief picked up an apple from a bowl containing about a dozen and took a bite. She just stared at him without saying a word. "I need a cold shower before dinner," he said and walked to the door. Ireti kept staring until he was out of sight.

*** TWO ***

Money poured like torrential rains into the coffers of Chief Dele Rotimi. Chief prospered greatly over the years and became a popular business magnate in the country. He had spent most of his life, since his youth, building a business empire which had come to be known as Delaroti Group. A hard working man and an astute investor, he owned a textile company with factories in five African countries, a transport and logistics company that operated nationwide, a leading micro-finance bank with branches in 18 states, amongst other businesses.

Before he became a father, Chief was unfulfilled as a man, despite his accomplishments, because he had no child of his own. Then finally, he became the father of a bouncing baby boy and that made him feel like he had it all. But he didn't, as it turned out.

At the birth of their son, Abe, the joy of Chief Rotimi and his wife, Ireti, knew no bounds. At last they were proud parents too. To give his first child a grand welcome into the world of the Rotimis, Chief had made sure that he was born in one of the best hospitals in Europe.

When mother and baby arrived in Nigeria one week after, a very elaborate ceremony was thrown by Chief to celebrate the new addition to his household. Most part of the festivities, which lasted for a whole week, was held at the deluxe De Capriccio Hotel. It had cost Chief over one hundred million naira to finance the events. The Rotimis played host to numerous friends, relations, business associates and many creme de la creme of the society. Amongst the prominent personalities who came to celebrate with them on the arrival of their bundle of joy were the governor of Lagos state with his wife, some of the leading business tycoons in the country, two senators and some top Nigerian celebrities. Some foremost music artists were on hand to thrill the guests with superlative performances, for as long as the festivities lasted. Assorted choice food and drinks were in constant supply.

Those were the happiest days of the life of Chief and his wife.

But after nearly two decades of being a father, things had changed completely with Chief Rotimi's fatherhood and he could not help but wonder what really went wrong. All he had done was to try and be the best father a son could ever have. But his son, on the other hand, seemed very keen on being the opposite; the worst son a father could have.

Chief and his wife had watched their son grow from an infant to a toddler, then to a healthy and lively little boy. He was like every other normal child, except that he enjoyed certain privileges due to Chief's enormous wealth. As an only child, Abe was overly pampered and protected, especially by Chief.

Ireti was the only one who had initially tried to instil some discipline in Abe. But Chief rebuked her anytime she scolded or spanked him for doing something bad. When Abe was about three years old, Chief forbad his wife to ever beat or talk to him with a harsh tone of voice, for any reason whatsoever. That, according to Chief, was child abuse. He often said that a child who was scolded or beaten grew up to be timid and gullible.

Then as Abe grew older, reports started reaching Chief and his wife about his bad behaviour, first from the school authorities, then their neighbours, then the police. The reports varied from Abe's acts of mischief to his involvement in criminal activities. Abe had got uncontrollable. He was expelled from school many times; two times in the primary school, three times in the secondary school and two times within two years of university before be decided to drop out of school. It had taken much of Chief's money and influence to keep Abe out of jail. For all his reputation, Abe was just nineteen years old.

*** THREE ***

Abe always believed that he could have anything he wanted. His father had told him, again and again, that if he wanted anything, all he had to do was ask. Chief had repeatedly assured him, even before he could understand anything, that nothing was beyond his reach. Accordingly, Abe had grown up in the midst of lavish luxury and extravagant gifts from his father.

For his fourth birthday, Abe had asked for a real car of his own and his father had bought him a brand new Porsche 911 and got him a personal driver. He had been taken to school in the Porsche, amongst other cars owned by his father, until his fifth birthday when he got a Jeep Wrangler after asking for one. He had asked for many things from his father and got them all, including some robot toys, Superman and Batman costumes, even a roller coaster. He was twice taken to Disneyland in the USA, amongst other exotic fun places.

One day, while he was still in the primary school, Abe had seen a colourful wristwatch on one of his classmates. He instantly liked it and wanted to have it. He had asked the boy wearing the watch to give it to him but the boy refused. Abe felt disappointed. He had never been refused anything he had ever asked for. Why denied a mere wristwatch, he wondered. He was unhappy, until later that same day, when he was approached by two boys who told him they could get him the watch. Yes! He had always got what he wanted, Abe beamed. The boys also told him that if he wanted anything from any boy or girl, he should tell them about it and it's all his for the asking. The boys even offered to be his "bodyguards".

Good idea. He could use some bodyguards too, Abe decided. He had seen some people with bodyguards in the movies. His father also, on some occasions, had what seemed like bodyguards. Only they didn't look like the ones in the movies. Neither did the boys standing in front of him. Still, he could use them anyway. He nodded to them and they left him. They returned shortly after and handed the watch to him. As reward, Abe gave them chocolates and bought them ice cream and promised to bring them more gifts the next day.

Only minutes later, the class teacher learned about the snatching of the watch and reported the case to the school's headmaster. An assembly was called as a result. Abe and the other two culprits were were flogged six strokes of the cane each, on their buttocks, in the presence of all their schoolmates.

Later that evening, when Chief Rotimi heard what had happened with his son in school, he was furious and lamented that his son and his entire family, by extension, had been publicly ridiculed. Chief was blind to what his son had done to attract corporal punishment, he was only bothered by the "public disgrace" to his name. The following morning, Chief Rotimi stormed the school with five armed mobile policemen and got the headmaster arrested. He also pulled some strings and had the school shot down permanently.

Since that incidence, Abe began to regard himself as a special kid who could do anything he wanted and if anyone got in his way, his "powerful" father would come to his rescue and take care of the person afterwards. So when he was enrolled in another school, Abe threw some money and other gifts around, and before long, he got himself three "bodyguards" from his class. They became his henchmen with whom he carried out all sorts of nefarious acts.

When he was thirteen years old, in junior secondary school, Abe gave himself the alias "Money Speaking". He became the leader of a gang of boys who perpetrated various vices within and outside the school. They smoked cigarettes, molested other students especially girls, stole other people's things and gambled. They did all these things for fun. Money was never an issue for Abe. His father had tons of it and he could get as much as he wanted. But there was a sort of thrill he got from snatching other people's things. He didn't take any of the ill-gotten items for himself but always left them for the other boys in his gang.

At age sixteen, Abe got his first real gun. He was already frequenting night clubs and living the fast and loose life. He smoked marijuana and used hard drugs. He was initiated into a secret cult and introduced to high profile robbery. He had brushes with the law on many occasions and was bailed each time by his father.

Abe had been in and out of a number of secondary schools, having been expelled several times from school. Though he didn't complete his secondary schooling, his father had secured admission for him into one of the universities in the southwest. Abe chose to go to that particular university after refusing his father's attempt to send him to school abroad and another attempt to put him in one of the private universities in the country.

Soon after he turned nineteen, Abe decided he was done with school. That was after he had been rusticated twice from two different universities. The second rustication came after he had narrowly escaped death in the hands of members of a rival cult. Two of his buddies, Newton and Collabo were killed in the attack which happened right in Abe's off-campus apartment. He had been in the bathroom when the assailants burst in. Newton and Collabo with Collabo's girlfriend had been watching a movie in the parlour that evening. Abe didn't hear them kick the door to the parlour open. He became aware of the uninvited guests when he heard some hoarse voices demanding, "Where is he? Where is he?" Then there were deafening sound of gunshots. Abe had escaped through the bathroom window with only a towel. Following that incident, he was declared wanted by the police.

Shortly afterwards, when Abe came home one evening, his father, who happened to be home that evening, queried him about the bloody incident. He didn't answer but made to walk out on his father. That was when Chief's anger flared up and a row ensued between the two of them. Chief Rotimi was dazed when Abe pulled out as handgun and threatened to shoot him. Then Abe said he was moving out of the house to stay on his own. Chief cried, asking what he had done to make his only child turn out so callous. Abe went into his room and hastily packed a few of his things into a Holdall bad. He dashed back into the livingroom, carrying the bag. He looked at his father and said, "Adios amigos."

"I regret the day you were conceived," Chief muttered under his breath as he watched his son walk out the door.

is anybody loving this story or otherwise? please let me know.

*** FOUR ***

He drove out of the gate of his father's house, one of the most magnificent mansions in Banana Island. Abe had taken his favourite car, a 2014 Porsche Panamera. Traffic was a bit light, so he drove at a substantial speed. He was heading to Capital Hill Hotel in Victory Island. He became a regular patron of the hotel since the previous month. The hotel had been the rendezvous for a blind date set up for him by one of his pals. The lady who showed up turned out to be a popular Nollywood actress who was fourteen years older than Abe. They had a romance which lasted only two weeks. But while it lasted, the affair had received much publicity especially in the gossip magazines and the social media.

Half an hour later, Abe was shown the luxury suite where he would be lodging. He would be staying in the hotel indefinitely. He had paid for one month upfront. Money would never be a problem because apart from the two million naira monthly allowance which was credited to his bank account by Delaroti Group, straight from the company payroll, he also had the ATM card to one of his father's personal accounts which gave him unlimited access to money. In two different transactions, two weeks before, Abe had transferred a total of two hundred and sixty million naira from that account to his own account via ATM, without his father knowing about it.

He placed an order for food and drinks. He lit a cigarette and smoked as he went about inspecting his new accommodation. The place was cosy enough for him to live in for the time being, he thought. The Jacuzzi was inviting, it had to wait until he had had some food and drink. He went into the living area and lit another cigarette. He put on the TV and slumped into a couch. Just then, he heard a knock on the door. Abe stood up and opened the door for the room service man. He showed the man where to put the food and drinks and tipped him with a crisp #1000 note.

His cellphone started ringing as he opened a can of Red Bull. It was his right-hand man, Simple Face.

"Hey, Simple." He said into the phone, coolly.

"What's up, man?" He heard Simple Face inquire from the other end of the line.

"I broke up with my folks. I'm now camping at Capital Hill, all by myself. That's what's up."

"Are you fighting with your old man? Tell me what's going on."

"We can talk about that when we meet. Where are you now?"

I'm at Surulere, with Hazard."

"That bastard. What are you guys up to?"

"Hazard got the new season of Game Of Thrones, so I came over to see it."

"Why don't you guys come to VI? We can go check out a new club in Lekki."

"Did you say you're at Capital Hill?"

"Yeah. How soon can you come?"

"ASAP. We will hit the road now."

Abe put the phone on the couch and drank the whole Red Bull in one gulp. He didn't feel hungry. Food could wait, he thought. Deep down, he felt a strong sense of independence. Damn his parents and their house which was nothing but a glorified cage. He would live his life the way he wanted, where he wanted and nobody would tell him what to do. Not even his father.

Then the idea hit him again. It hit him very hard this time. It was something he had contemplated doing before, but in the first instance, he had dismissed the idea because he thought it was ridiculous. This time, he would do it to prove a point to his father. And it would be fun. Yes, he could have anything he wanted and this time he would take from his father something that was extremely precious to him. He was going to teach the old man a lesson.

One hour later, Simple Face and Hazard were with him in his hotel room. They opened a bottle of Bacardi. Simple Face and Hazard were two of the closest friends he had left. A third one, Luther, was in South Africa at the time, on a business trip. Luther dealt in hard drugs. Abe had lost some of his pals along the way, the last being Newton and Collabo who were shot dead by members of a rival cult. Some of his buddies, four at least, were rotting away in jail, where he would have been if his father had not intervened in his case. Abe was the youngest of all the people he associated with, some of whom had been in their thirties and forties. But they all held him in high esteem because he was the one who spent the mega cash. And he had been highly generous to them all.

"So how long are you going to be staying here?" Asked Simple Face.

"As long as possible. I'll move to another hotel when I'm tired of this one. Then I'll move to yet another and another."

There was a moment's silence in which Simple Face and Hazard tried to figure out the possibility of their man living the rest of his life in hotel accommodations.

"There's no place like home, you know," said Hazard. "You have to go back and sort things out with your dad. If you cut off from him, who is going to bail your ass when you run into some shit?"

"I'm a grown man, Hazard. I can take care of myself," retorted Abe. He sipped from his glass of Bacardi while Hazard and Simple Face watched him, doubts boldly written on their faces. "I need you guys to do something for me," Abe said, giving them a piercing look. "I want to pay my folks a surprise visit and I want you to join me. The old man has something I want. We can go in by the weekend. Luther can join us. He should be back from South Africa tomorrow. What do you say?"

Hazard was the first to answer. He was apparently surprised by what Abe had just proposed. "That's the silliest thing I've heard in a very long time. You want to steal from your own father? As in, rob your own dad?"

Abe nodded. "That's exactly what I want to do. I need to pass a message to the old man," he said.

"Don't be an idiot, Abe," chipped in Simple Face. "What kind of message are you going to pass by robbing your own dad? The man will give you anything you ask of him. He always has."

"He won't give me this one."

"Then forget it," snapped Hazard.

Abe lit a cigarette and puffed some smoke into the air. He looked at his two pals squarely before he spoke again. "I'm going to do it anyway, with or without you. My mind is made up." He paused and examined his cigarette. Then he asked very calmly, "Are you two in or not?"

Following

*** FIVE ***

Money, with all the luxuries it could buy, had never been a priority for Ireti Rotimi, even though money was the driving force of her billionaire husband, Chief Dele Rotimi. She had been born and raised in a poor home. Her, father who had been so obsessed with money, had very little. And just when fortune smiled at him and piles of money started flooding in his direction, he suddenly came down with stroke and died, without enjoying the money. Ireti had married Rotimi, not out of her own freewill, but because her father, having seen that Rotimi had a lot of money, had cajoled her into marrying him, before he died. Ireti had been nineteen years old when she got married to Rotimi. At that time, Rotimi was thirty-nine.

Chief had always wanted Ireti to adopt the sophisticated lifestyle. He wanted her to always dress and look classical in a way that exuded glitz and glamour, especially when they were attending social functions or entertaining guests. But she maintained her simple ways and that had sparked off arguments between her and Chief on many occasions.

But the major disagreement they ever had had occurred as a result of her spanking their son, Abe, when he was still very little. Chief had been so mad at her and even threatened to send her packing if she ever spanked or scolded the boy again. Hence, she had watched in silent agony as the character of their only child went from bad to worse as he grew up. She cried many times when she heard of Abe's unwholesome deeds. She felt hopeless and helpless knowing that there was nothing she could do about it. Ireti totally resigned to fate. Life, for the most part, became meaningless to her until she found consolation where she least expected it.

Soon after she turned forty, Ireti decided, one rainy morning, to visit an orphanage on the mainland. She had driven to the orphanage by herself. Ireti was deeply moved by what she saw that day. All the children were well-behaved even though they had no biological parents. They looked contented and happy. Ireti admired the matron of the orphanage for doing such a great job with the children. Before leaving, she wrote them a cheque for five million naira and promised she would do whatever she could, on a monthly basis, to help with their upkeep.

Strangely, as she drove back home from that visit, Ireti found peace deep down in her heart, for the first time in years. She felt as if a heavy burden had just been lifted off her shoulder. She turned on the car stereo and the song that was playing from the FM station moved her to tears. It was Alison Krauss' Simple Love. It was a magical moment for her. From that day on, she committed herself to humanitarian service, supporting the less privileged especially children and the disabled. Her life was never the same again. She had finally found something to live for; giving and never asking back.

A few years later, she had extended her philanthropy to other parts of the country. She had been away, visiting an orphanage in Port Harcourt on the day Abe had a confrontation with his father and took a few of his things and left the house. Upon her return home, she had found a devastated Chief Rotimi. Chief had taken to heavy drinking. She found four empty bottles of vodka and one of Scotch which her husband had consumed within two days. He stuttered as he told her how his own son had threatened to shoot him with a gun. He was almost delirious as he explained to her. "We... We... have no child," he had said finally.

In their twenty-six years of marriage, Ireti had never before seen her husband so broken. Apparently, he needed help, urgently. She called the phone of his personal doctor asking him to come quickly. She was calm, even though tears was running down her face.

More coming...

*** SIX ***

In the morning of the following day, Chief Rotimi woke up feeling a bit better. His doctor had given him several injections, including a dose of sedative. He had slept for ten hours straight, something he had not done for a very long time. He was able to think clearly. He could even recall vividly the strange dream he had had during the night. As he walked slowly to the bathroom, he felt very hungry. Chief had not had any decent meal for two days on a row. But within that period, he had consumed more alcohol than he would normally take for a whole year. He could feel the hangover and a bitter taste in his mouth. Before anything, he needed to take a cold shower.

After shower, while taking his breakfast of oatmeal with toppings of some special ingredients prepared by his wife, he phoned his secretary and asked about office. Chief had not been to the head office nor answered his personal phones since the episode with Abe and there had been over a hundred missed calls and numerous messages on his phones. The secretary told him that he had missed no fewer than ten appointments and meetings and there were loads of important official documents and correspondence waiting for his attention. Chief instructed the secretary to cancel all pending appointments for the day as he would not be coming to the office until the next day.

Chief Rotimi thought he had to sort out some things back at home first. That strange dream he had, what could it possibly imply? Wasn't that dream meant for his grandmother alone? Why have that ominous dream at that point in time?

His grandmother used to had a particular dream when something tragic was about to happen in her family. Anytime she saw her own grandfather in her dream, sitting on a particular wooden armchair under a kolanut tree in front of their mud house, a family member, either home or away, surely died a few days after. Chief remembered that armchair, also the kolanut tree. He had lived with his grandmother, in a village near Sagamu, while he was growing up. As a boy, he never sat on that armchair because of what was associated with it. In his dream the night before, Chief Rotimi had seen a very old man sitting on that armchair under the kolanut tree.

Having spent most of his childhood with his grandmother, Chief still held some superstitious beliefs which he had picked up since then. Though he didn't profess any religion, he believed there was a higher power that controlled human destinies. He also believed strongly in cause and effect, that a man reaped what he sowed and in commensurate measure. His many years as a businessman had opened his eyes to that fact. But as far as dreams were concerned, his dreams, in his sixty-four years of existence on the face of the earth, had never been of any consequence to him or anyone else. However, dreaming of a very old man sitting on that armchair under that kolanut tree was no ordinary dream. If anything, he was a witness to what happened in the wake of such dream when had by his grandmother. The dream signified death. So, was the grim riper about to visit his home? Anything was possible, he decided. If his own son could draw a gun for him, then, anything was possible.

He stood up from the dining table and went into the livingroom. There were many portraits and picture frames of family members hanging on the walls of the livingroom. He removed a large picture frame of himself with his wife and three-year-old Abe. He held it close and gazed at it. They were all smiling cheerfully; a happy family. He realized, sadly, that they could never again have another family picture like this one, where everyone was happy.

The picture brought back memories of the good old days when he had little to worry about. Life had been very good to him, rewarding his efforts with huge success. He was, no doubts, a man of extraordinary accomplishments by virtually all standards of wealth and prestige. He commanded the respect of so many, both at home and abroad. Starting with very little, he had worked so hard to acquire a great legacy that could last for generations. But who was going to continue the legacy? Certainly not Abe.

Chief looked at little Abe in the picture and shook his head. He had failed as a father. It fully dawned on him that he was the architect of what his son had become. He had failed to raise Abe to become a responsible and respectable person. He had failed to train him and inculcate discipline and moral value in him. As a result, Abe had drifted out of control and become a bane of the family and of society. If only he could go back in time, he would raise his son differently. It hurt him so much knowing that there was nothing he could do about it anymore.

Chief cast his mind back to the dream. Was someone really going to die? If so, who would that be? He thought of himself as a likely candidate. Maybe that was how he was to be punished for being a bad father to his only child. Abe, given his dangerous lifestyle, was also highly eligible. He already had a close shave with death before and now he was out in the world on his own; a world where he had many sworn enemies. As for Ireti, he thought she was the least likely among them all to be taken out. At least, she deserved to live to continue what she was doing with the orphans.

Chief felt proud of his wife. She had been a good woman all along. He had been the one who prevented her from raising their son in a sound manner. Otherwise, Abe may not have turned out so bad. Look what she was doing for the less privileged. She was using her money for a most worthy course. Initially, he didn't regard what she was doing as something worthwhile, but he could see things differently at the moment. He decided he was going to support her humanitarian work, as much as he could.

He put back the picture frame on the wall. Then he took his cellphone and dialed the number of one of his lawyers. "Barrister Dino, I need to see you urgently," he said when the lawyer came on the line. "I want to change my will."

Chief Rotimi tossed the phone on the sofa after talking with his lawyer for about two minute, then he strode to the staircase and climbed to the first floor. He walked through a broad passageway leading to the master bedroom. He entered the master bedroom and stopped in front of a large photo portrait of himself which had been painted in Italy. With his two hands, he gently removed the portrait from the wall, revealing the lock to a wall safe. The safe was operated by an electronic keypad. Securely locked inside were some of his most valuable personal effects. He had not opened the safe for nearly six months. He punched some keys on the keypad and the safe clicked open.

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Will do @MusicMusica

*** SEVEN ***


"What I want to take from the old man is locked in a wall safe in the master bedroom," Abe announced with an air of authority. "He has some of his costly stuffs in that safe. But all I want are the diamonds. Just the diamonds. All of them." He bit his lower lip and cracked his knuckles.

Abe and his cohort were inside the living area of his luxury suite at Capital Hill Hotel. It was Saturday evening. Until that evening, he didn't tell them what exactly he wanted to seized from his father.

Except Luther, Abe's men were still uncomfortable with his intention to stage a robbery attack against his own father. Since he first told Simple Face and Hazard five days earlier, they had both made several attempts to make him have a rethink. Only Luther seemed okay with the idea since Abe filled him in upon his return from South Africa. For Luther, their man needed a little help, and what were friends for? Plus, he didn't see anybody getting hurt in the process.

"When are we going in?" Asked Luther.

Abe looked at his wristwatch. "It's now seven fifty-five. We move two hours from now. I want the man and his Mrs to have chilled out for the night when we go in like bam! Surprise surprise!" He giggled. "I can imagine the looks on their faces."

"These are your folks you talking about here, Abe, your own father and mother. They are your blood," observed Simple Face.

"Do you really want to do this, Abe? There may be another way to get that thing from your popsy. And what are you going to do with the diamonds, anyway?" Hazard demanded.

Abe gave Hazard and Simple Face a stern look before answering them. "If you two want to chicken out, fine. You can go ahead and chicken out. But today, I'm going into Chief Dele Rotimi's house to collect his diamonds and nobody can stop me. This is my life and I will do whatever I want." He was almost barking at them. "And you, Luther, if you want to chicken out like these ladies, you can go ahead. I can run the show solo."

"I'm with you, man," Luther replied firmly. "I'm with you all the way."

"Not that we are afraid or anything. You know that," said Hazard. "If you must do this thing, then we all go together."

Abe described to them what the operation would look like. Apart from the gateman, there were usually three armed mobile policemen guarding Chief Rotimi's house. But they would have no problem entering the building. Abe would drive them into the compound and lead them into the master bedroom. They would hold Chief at gunpoint and get him to open the safe which was operated with a pass code that only Chief knew. After taking the diamonds, they would gag Chief and the wife and and tie their hands and legs so they can't speak or move. Then they would drive out of the gate as if nothing had happened.

Hazard suggested that they wore masks during the operation because it would be really traumatic for Abe's father and mother to watch their own son rob them with arms. Even if they would find out later that Abe was involved, he said, it wouldn't be as agonizing to them as it would be if they knew at the time of the robbery.

After a fleeting debate, they reached a conclusion that they would drive in through the gate, past security, without the masks on. They would put them on when they entered the building, but before anyone inside saw their faces.

As for firearms, each one of them would carry a handgun which might not necessarily be loaded with bullets since they were not going to shoot. They all agreed that it would only be a facade, after all, and not a typical armed robbery operation.