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Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Literature / The Greatest Risk. (3108 Views)
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Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 9:30pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
Sweetdreamer:wow thats good,can i have the menu list |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 9:34pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
prettydiva89:haha, i'll whisper to the waiter now.... Thronekid where re you? |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 9:37pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
Sweetdreamer: Nw, we'r up nd runnin |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 9:44pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
Sweetdreamer:be quick in doing that...am seriously hungry |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 9:48pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
Sweetdreamer:*pantx into d thread,just escapd narrowly frm B.K* Nw,i'm here! Place yr orderx |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 9:51pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
thronekid:ice cream and chicken will do for now |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 10:08pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
prettydiva89:Owk! .[servex it t ha,little did she knw ther's an engagement ring inside d cream.] |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 10:16pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
thronekid:lolz |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 10:25pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
prettydiva89:I serious o |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Fembleez1(m): 11:55pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
Op,............you've got a nice story bro,just chillax,dun rush,space your work and punctuate so your work can be neat,apart that,you are doing a great job here. More ink to your pen. Update please,patiently waiting |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 11:57pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
ormorlehwah , grocery , christybabe , ice4jez , pwettynini , chijudith , fluffyp , blesynluv , kennylizzy , lilypet , bibiolu , gra890 , unibenstudent , tuddiies , peacynelson , olasunbophummie , debbysky , aprilwise , maputohq , shaks97 , rmfunky , benz4pimp , Hyfe , mohjisolah , bdaniel178 , muniratAbolanl , ziziola , bumsiee , spotmataz, ogunsiji , zikyke , mohjisolah , larteefah , hnkan , mitchelle55 , HelenBee , Oluwatyna , preciousberry , mary haam , lyzee21 , ebonyme890 , ifedinna ,eielalove , alayormii , rudepen , sebak , chistar , kingphilip. fembleeze1,Fatalveli,Shaxee,harjibolar10,d9ty7,bluestarry,kinwayne,onemansquad,tekno4life,athanatos,nitefury,chistar01,Teebashy,crowny1,kayemjay,tiffanyj, TiffanyJ and a host of others,you guys are all invited! |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 11:58pm On Jan 08, 2015 |
Fembleez1:thank you very much... I'll try and work thinqs out... 1 Like |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Onemansquad(m): 11:49am On Jan 09, 2015 |
Mehn dis story go swit lyk tom tom #followin bro |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 11:51am On Jan 09, 2015 |
Onemansquad:thanks bro!! |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by samsondavid(m): 8:44pm On Jan 10, 2015 |
My Oga. thanks for the invites. we dey your back till d end... #Following.. Abeg we fit get Alomo and Suya here.. |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 9:06pm On Jan 10, 2015 |
samsondavid:lols, you welcome to the house, thronekid... Provide his need la.... |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 9:12pm On Jan 10, 2015 |
Sweetdreamer:Owk boss. ' . Can you please make your request again? @ samsondavid |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by samsondavid(m): 9:24pm On Jan 10, 2015 |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 10:05pm On Jan 10, 2015 |
thronekid:samsondavid, thronekid is waiting for your requests... |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 10:07pm On Jan 10, 2015 |
samsondavid:no bear? Lols, i guess you need juice right to top the suya |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by samsondavid(m): 10:35pm On Jan 10, 2015 |
Sweetdreamer: I don't take alcohol.. d drink is OK. thanks |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 10:48pm On Jan 10, 2015 |
samsondavid:alright bro... I'll update this story tomorrow when am less busy... |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 4:29am On Jan 11, 2015 |
samsondavid:U statisfied now or anyfin else u nid? |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 8:08pm On Jan 20, 2015 |
“I know what you’re going to say. I heard about it.” “I’m not going to say anything. I’m just wondering about this loss. It sounds suspicious to me. No tools or computers stolen. I still don’t think we’ve got the whole story here, and that could mean non- disclosure. In which case we could VOID the policy ab initio.” “Marty. Get a grip. Bad losses happen to good underwriters. It’s not your fault, and I know that. Leave the investigation to the Claims Department.” “Okay. I faxed the broker to get the line security in there or else face the hammer.” “That’s all we can do. Now blow it off. You’ve had bigger losses than this. Besides, it builds character.” “It builds my stress level is what it does.” Leaving Gerry to her managing, he returned to his cube feeling dissatisfied. It was a mystery, that was for sure. But if he were reading this mystery in one of his detective novels, he would’ve put it down by now. Too boring. Something about this was not right, but it wasn’t really his place to intrude. Let the Claims Department do their work. They were thorough, Jason’s bluster notwithstanding. If there was something to find, they’d find it. Time to shake this off with a little caloric input. He sat in the lunchroom quietly munching his sandwich. People came and went, mostly going back to eat at their desks, or going out for lunch. Martin was a fixture in the lunchroom: same time, same lunch, everyday. Lunch was about giving his mind a break. No magazines or TV, no conversation, no stimuli. It wasn’t a Zen thing: be the sandwich, one hand clapping, or whatever. It just felt good to decompress and not think about anything, if he could manage it. Concentrate on the flavor of the sandwich, and the chocolate bar. It was the chocolate bars that gave him the spare tire, he felt, but he couldn’t stop. They were an addiction. He was about 5'10", pudgy, especially around the gut. The old hairline was slowly retreating on him. At 38 years old, this was right on schedule. Par for the genetic course. Thanks, Grandpa. But it didn’t help that the media was always bombarding women with images of the ideal male, an ideal he couldn’t live up to. Calvin Klein underwear ads had set his self-esteem back a pace, he could admit it now. He poured another cup of coffee and went back to the cube. He tried to get back into the flow of things, but the stupid loss kept bugging him and he ended up just staring off into space for long periods of time, just trying to crack the code of this puzzle. That was how George, the bicycle courier who did their head office mail run every day found him, lost in thought at his desk. “Hey, buddy,” he said, picking up the name plate on his desk and flipping it over in his hand, tapping it on the desk. “Where’s my envelope?” “Hey, go easy on the name plate.” “Sorry about that. I don’t want to break the last link to your sense of identity.” “Don’t worry, my name’s sewn into the backs of all my shirts.” “There you go. You’ll be fine.” “All right, just let me collect it up.” Martin got up out of his chair, glad for something else to think about and a chance to shoot the breeze with George. He had been doing the pick- ups at their office for a few years now and he and Martin had been out for drinks a couple of times after work. He was a good guy, despite his scary appearance. Tall, sunglasses, white man’s dreadlocks, tattoos, pierced this and that… he wasn’t like Martin’s insurance friends, but that’s what he liked about him. He was different. |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 8:11pm On Jan 20, 2015 |
“No rush. I’m ahead of schedule today,” said George. George came with him into the mail room, and talked to him as he gathered up all the envelopes, memos, and various other correspondence, packaged and weighed it all, and wrote out the receiving slip. “So, rough day, or just hungry?” said George. “It’s been one of those days. Started out okay, but it all went quickly downhill this afternoon.” “Sounds like a pretty normal Monday.” “Yeah, I guess. Well, here it is. Signed, sealed, and now just to be delivered.” “Thanks. We going for drinks tonight, Marty?” “Not tonight, but maybe some night this week.” “Just say the word.” George put on his sunglasses as Martin walked him out through the office and over to the main door. “See ya.” “Bye, George,” called Janice. “Bye.” The door closed behind him. “Whew, he’s cute,” said Janice. “Do you know if he’s single?” “Um, yes. I mean, yes, I do know he lives with his girlfriend.” “Too bad. Such a hottie! He can deliver my package anytime.” Janice was kind of a hottie herself, in that secretary way. Single secretaries exude this air of availability and eagerness, like bridesmaids. She was no supermodel, which Martin didn’t mind. That type of woman intimidated Martin, anyway. They always looked so severe, so hard, with angry-looking cheek bones. He always imagined them as martial arts experts, capable of knocking his block off if he so much as looked at them. No, she was solidly built, pretty, and seemed fun to be around. Shoulder length blond hair product hair, small features, fair- sized bust and hips. Looking very fertile. In her early 30's, he guessed. But she would probably say no. Look at him. Why would she go out with him? He wasn’t much to look at. And even if they did go out once or twice, something would happen and the whole thing would go to hell, and it would hurt. Then he wouldn’t be able to look her in the eye here at work the next morning. Always have to pretend to check out the paint job on the walls as he walked by her desk. And face the shame of a failed office romance. It wasn’t worth it. Quietly back across the office, shy glance around, wishing he could turn himself invisible, wanting to escape people’s notice and make it back to the safety of his little cube without anyone confronting him. Feeling strangely persecuted, as if everyone were against him. Couldn’t seem to face anything or anyone right now. |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 3:02pm On Jan 21, 2015 |
When George threw a leg over the handle bars and popped his toes into the clips, he felt like the bike became a part of him, part of his movements, the smooth motion of his legs compelling his forward momentum in a way he now found more natural than walking. A low tech cyborg. He positively flew on the longish trip north, his powerful legs carrying him faster than all the six-cylinders-in- V-formation, power-of- two-hundred-horses metal monsters lined up every block from Front Street to the 401 along Yonge Street, the trunk of the tree that grew into the longest street in the world. Passing Bloor Street, Rosedale, the three long, slow inclines of “heartbreak hill” leading up to the Chum FM radio building, and then on past St. Clair to the long stretch of greenery in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, finally pulling up for a red light at Davisville Avenue. Catching his breath a bit, he stood on the pedals, balancing the bike and looking up ahead at the giant triangular neon strawberry on top of the Canadian Tire building across from his destination, and thought about ten floors of white collar desk jockeys pledging daily allegiance to that symbology--in the elevators, on every door, on their business cards and letterhead, and on their paychecks. Chuckling to himself at this foolishness, he put his legs to the task at the turning of the light, and took off bearing north again, pulling up in less than a minute outside 2161 Yonge Street. He locked up the bike and took the seat with him onto the elevator to the 7th floor. Opened the double doors and announced himself. “Courier.” “Oh, just a second,” said yet another receptionist. “I’ll get it.” George stood by the reception desk. The office slaves were giving him the surreptitious once and then twice over. He cut a dashing figure in his courier get-up, and he was used to turning heads. The bicycle shorts and zip front shirt were skin tight, and left little to the imagination. You got used to having your wobbly bits on display. Besides, he was in fantastic shape from all the riding and he collected stickers and buttons from all the offices that he visited and displayed them on the strap of his satchel, which was emblazoned with the logo, Matrix Messenger Service. “Here you go. 385 King Street East, as fast as you can go.” “If you’ll just sign here.” On with the Ray-Bans. Had to have the shades if you didn’t want to get bugs in your eyes. “Thanks.” Out the door. On the bike. It wasn’t about the money, which was shit. It wasn’t entirely an aversion to the office or even factory environment, although that was part of it. It was all about this, the wind in his hair, the bike... this feeling. For the trip south, he decided to do the Gothics tour along Church Street, since it was on the way. He pushed east along Soudan, and then south on Mount Pleasant, past the rear gates of the cemetery, along past St. Clair, and then riding the pedals all the way down the hill past the David A. Balfour Park. Got over onto Church and then continued south. First the beautiful “Bishop’s Palace” rectory just after Dundas with its awkward third story added like an afterthought 50 years after the main building was finished. Completely compromises the original structure, and doesn’t even look like it fits, but as always, it’s efficiency over aesthetics. Definitely something we can relate to in the 20th Century. Then the back of St. Michael’s Cathedral and its “Victorian Gothic” cruciform shape. George had to pause to admire the soaring tower, spire and the dormers, which were designed by a different firm of architects after the original structure was completed, in about 1850 as he recalled from his class tours. Onward then, to beautiful Met United, the “Cathedral of Methodism” in the High Victorian Gothic style, 1875 approximately. This one, with its massive tower and four smaller spires, was more his taste architecturally, although he kept riding in the interest of time. |
Re: The Greatest Risk. by Nobody: 3:08pm On Jan 21, 2015 |
The last church on his mini tour was at his turn onto King Street: the St. James “Cathedral Church” and its single, massive, 300- foot-high tower and spire—the tallest steeple in Canada. It was built by architects Thomas Ridout and F.W. Cumberland round about 1850. He tried to imagine how it must have looked when the majestic spires of these churches dominated the skyline, when the scale of buildings was low. Then, as if the city knew he needed a break from all the gloomy Gothics, there was the exuberant St. Lawrence Hall and all the feathers, swords, and bugles you could imagine. William Thomas, 1850’s, Renaissance style. The names of these architects like childhood heroes from bubble gum trading cards. All of it seeming so long ago now. He stopped in front of 385 King, locked up his bike, and made the delivery. After the last drop of the day, he retired to the favorite watering hole. It was a biker bar on Temperance Street, which is to say, bike courier bar. They all hung out there with their bikes leaning up against the patio railings, trees, and the walls of stores next. The shit was shot, tired limbs rested up on the tables, and they all partook of libations care of the fermented grape, sour mash, barley and hops. Except for George. “Pellegrino. No ice.” “Oh, sure. Do you want that with a twist?” said Big Eddy. “Yeah, how about a twist of bite me.” “Awww, tough day, honey?” “When isn’t it? The time I waste standing around, waiting for people to put things in envelopes. Meanwhile, the radio’s buzzin’ with other pickups.” “Boo-hoo,” agreed Eddy. There were two Eddy’s: Big and Little. Little Eddy was actually the taller of the two, but rail thin and quiet... a.k.a. Long John Sliver. Big Eddy, on the other hand, was built like a fire hydrant: short, but a physically- imposing specimen. He was all biceps, pecs, deltoids, and no neck. His thighs were like two big paint cans, both from the riding and the working out. He always wore a World Gym t- shirt, but despite the “dumb jock” appearance, he was actually quite intelligent, and was the undisputed leader of the group. Chet broke in then to one-up him. “Oh, poor you. I had another knockdown today. Cabbie, of course. Bastard didn’t even stop.” Nobody had more knockdowns than Chet, but whether this was the cause or result of his utter stupidity was always up for discussion. Everyone craned their necks to admire the fresh cuts and abrasions. “Whoeee. Gonna need a skin graft?” “That’s some scrape.” “Why are cyclists invisible to cabbies?” “Don’t forget to save any medical bills for your taxes.” “Are you always this much of a weenie, Frank?” “Save them for his lawyer, more like. Did you get the plate?” “Hey, he’ll thank me come tax time.” When they all had a drink, George proposed the nightly toast. “Gentlemen, let’s charge our glasses to the deity who preserves us and keeps us safe from harm, keeps body and soul together, a shield against the cabbies, the pot holes, the sewer grates, and the bloody tourists walking against the lights. “To fleet-footed Hermes, Messenger of the Gods. “To Hermes,” they all agreed. |
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