Gobe...

Hhhhhmmmm...quite ironic...You guys couldn't call me to......


I never knew the food is ready.........
*sits down on the Couch that is meant for the VIP,and sips the mirinda*

I still dey follow ooooo

CHAPTER 2 Part 5

"Ah ahn, which time we enter wey Mighty Joe don begin dey call us?" Chinko said aloud before answering the call.

"You guys should get out of the place quickly, the some policemen are coming there now," Mighty Joe said hurriedly.

"Chai, Mighty Joe say make we comot now o, police dey come here," Chinko announced to the rest of the boys in the parlour, Nazaretha who was inside his parent's room also heard the announcement.

Sunday was the first to rush to the door, but he quickly rushed back in. "Them don enter the compound," he said.

"Make we wait na, shebi we no con steal?" Charly put in.

"Guy, you no sharp o. If police catch you for here, them go hear say you no con steal?" Chinko said, going to the door to peep.

"Make we pass back," Nazaretha said and led them to the kitchen where they came out from the backdoor. The backdoor led to the front yard of another house which was built just like the Ogbighe's. The way their houses were structured left no space enough for privacy, the soak away pits of both houses were located close to each other with small spaces of one squared meter between them.

They began to walk hurriedly away, trying their possible bests not to arouse any suspicion, the people from the other house were just going to church, so they met with the boys; two girls of the family and their mother. The mother tried to speak with Nazaretha but he only greeted her and hurried off the house.

++++

"Hello, who's at home?" Ogbighe called as he led the police into his house. After calling thrice without getting a response, he turned back to one of the officers. "They would have gone to church, I don't know why the door is opened." He said.

"But is this how your house is?" The officer asked, staring at the parlour which looked scattered.

"No," Ogbighe answered thoughtfully. "Those children did not arrange it before going to church."

"So the rest of your family went to church while you're in the cell abi?"

"My wife came to see me yesterday night and I instructed her to be in church and take all the children with her," Ogbighe answered, staring straight at the officers face. "No matter what you're facing in life, you should not allowed anything disturb your service to God."

"Just move to your room jare, na who dey give you mouth to preach? Your family dey go church even on Saturdays," The officer scolded.

"Officer, there's a special service today, we're inviting a powerful preacher from another parish to ours," Ogbighe said.

"Just move," the officer said coldly.

Ogbighe proceeded towards his room, he was thrown into shock when he met the door opened widely.

"Na inside this room you say your son keep am?" An officer asked, noticing his shock.

"Yes, that's me and my wife's room." He answered still wondering why the house was left with the doors opened.

"Ehen, make we enter na." The officer said. "Walahi, if we no see the file for your house ehn and if Monday reach and the bank confirm say you know about the money wey them cash, your eye go see pepper."

"Oga, e be like person enter this house o." Ogbighe said speculatively.

++++

"You dey sure say them no see una?" Nazaretha asked Chinko and Sunday.

"Lailai, them still dey far when me I peep." Chinko said.

"Them no see me sef," Sunday added.

"Okay,' Nazaretha said before balancing himself on the window of the uncompleted building.

"But why you sef dey run? dem no fit catch you say you dey inside una house na," Charly said to Nazaretha.

"See you o," Chinko was the one who replied. "Person wey dem dey suspect say na hin carry the cheque before; hin con enter house without key again, wetin you wan make dem think?"

"No mind am," Nazaretha joined, giving Charly a sharp awkward look.

There was total silence for some few minutes, until Charly spoke again. "But una know say we never safe sha?"

"Na true," Sunday who had been thinking joined. "Person fit don see us o, con tell the police people."

"Nobody see us," Nazaretha cut in.

"What of that woman wey dey Una backyard? She see us with her two girls na," Chinko said.

Nazaretha gave a short hiss, "that one no fit talk anything."

"You sure?" Chinko questioned.

"The police men are gone," a deep masculine voice said, approaching from one of the rooms.

All the boys sighed but they made it low enough for Mighty Joe not to hear their expression of disappointment in him.

"Hey guys, that was close," he said with a smiling face as he entered the room of the uncompleted building where they were seated. They didn't reply him but their looks gave them away; he could read from their faces what was in their mind. "Hey, don't blame me for that, " He said, "the plan was perfect but I'm not God; so I never knew that the police would show up."

"Mighty Joe, we no dey blame you," Chinko was the first to speak but his face still showed his disappointment.

"See guys, now let's just thank God that the police didn't meet you guys inside; they got to find out that some people broke in but they didn't know who it was. You guys would follow me to the house now and Nazaretha would change his clothes, then you will all go the Nazaretha's church where they are having the program and join the congregation like normal people."

"No o," Nazaretha objected, "what if the police comes there?"

"The police cannot come there, even if they come it won't be to arrest you; your father would not want to implicate you. But they may want to ask you some questions about how you kept the bag though," Mighty Joe said.

"Ehen, shey I no go con enter trouble like that?"

"No, you no fit enter trouble like that, na if you no show face at all you go enter trouble; them go begin think say na you carry the money." Mighty Joe explained.

There was silence for few seconds as Nazaretha and his friends pondered on what Mighty Joe said. "Oya, let's go to my house now," he said, urging them to get up quickly.


...to be continued

Read Chapter 3 Part 1 on www.youngicee.com

Ride on

Keep it coming

Nazaretha and his people are in for it. Thumbs up Oyinprince.

Chapter 3 part 1

Nazaretha and his friends were singing the hymns alongside with the congregation without even looking into their hymn books; they couldn't even tell what hymn they were reciting, they just followed the rhythm with their mouths while their minds were far away. They were all seated on the same row, at the first four seats close to the aisle, Nazaretha was seated at the rear.

Several times did Nazaretha's eyes meet with his mother who was sitting on the left side of the congregation occupied by females; it was that kind of church where the males sat at a different side from females.

"Nazaretha, we dey go police station go see Papa today after this service o," his sister, Covenant who was an usher in church said to him in whispers after nudging him.

He froze and his heart throbbed in fear at his sister's words. She didn't wait for his reply but walked back immediately to the position she was supposed to standing. Nazaretha could feel the eyes of the other three boys on him, he knew what they wanted to ask was what his sister told me.

"She say I go follow them go police station after service," Nazaretha said in low tones.

"Ehn, you go go na," Chinko responded in low tones also. "Remember say Mighty Joe say make you no run from police questioning."

"Na true o," Sunday joined.

"Hello boys," a male usher with a thick voice interrupted their conversation. "Remember service is going on," he said and returned back.

The service closed soon and some of the congregation began to break into groups while most of them went their way to their various houses.

Nazaretha and his friends waited outside the church, expecting his mum or elder sister to come out. The first person that came out of the church building was Patience, all Nazaretha's friends shifted back from him immediately they saw her walking towards them. They knew she had troubles, so they always avoided her like a plague.

"Nazaretha, Mummy is coming and we are all going to the police station now," Patience said to him.

"Ehn?" Nazaretha didn't process quickly what his sister said and wanted to blast her in pidgin but then he remembered that they were in church and his father always wanted them to speak correct English there.

"I say m..."

"No worry, I don hear." Nazaretha cut her short.

She felt disrespected with the way he answered but not wanting to cause a scene in the church environment, she let it slide. Her eyes met with the three boys at the back of Nazaretha but they quickly took their faces away, she hissed and eyed them wickedly, she had the belief that they were the ones teaching and leading Nazaretha into bad things.


**At the Police Station**

Nazaretha had confirmed contrary to his fears that his father had not mentioned anything to implicate him, rather he had tried to take the whole blame for the missing file; Mighty Joe was right after all. Nazaretha was being questioned by the police and he answered cooperatively , wanting the quick freedom of his father.

"You were the one that your father gave the bag to keep?" The officer asked.

"Yes," Nazaretha replied.

"And you kept it inside your room?"

"Inside his room," Nazaretha corrected.

"Okay, but nobody entered your house until this morning na?"

"I'm not aware of anyone that entered into the house, I just heard about this morning's o when I came here." Nazaretha said.

"Okay," the officer replied and paused. "You see what I believe is that those who broke into your house today are thieves who heard about the five million scandal of your father, so they thought that he could have kept the money at home or even have something valuable in the house, that's why they broke in."

Nazaretha stayed mute, unable to contribute or make a comment on the man's assertion.

The man continued to speak after a minute, "My boy, do you what I'll advice you to do now?"

"No sir," Nazaretha stared at his face eagerly.

"I want you to confess and bring out the money where you kept it," the officer stated.

"Haba! I can't take that kind of money, I'm not a thief."

"I'm not a thief," The officer mimicked him. "With the kind of bad boy hairstyle on your hair?"

Nazaretha touched his head to confirm what hairstyle was on it, it was the low "galas" haircut he just had few days ago which he knew his father would be strongly against but had not just noticed it, only his sisters and his mum had noticed his haircut and his mum had advised him against it.

"This is just an hairstyle officer, I recently changed it."

"Well then, if you say you are not the thief, you have to advice your father."

"Advice my father?" Nazaretha questioned.

"Yes, advice him to cooperate with us. The reason you've not seen several marks of beating on his body is because the DPO knows him. The DPO is a member of your church and vouches for him that he can't steal. But your father's boss has insisted that it was your father who withdrew the money, he said that his account manager mentioned his name."

"But my father would never do that," Nazaretha cut in.

"Calm down boy before we label you an accomplice, what you need to do is tell your father to cooperate with us now and tell us where the money was kept, so that we can release him with ease but if we confirm on Monday from the bank that he was really the one, " the officer stopped and made a scary face to threaten Nazaretha.

+++

"Then say na my Papa name den use collect the money o," Nazaretha lamented to his friends. They were all present in Mighty Joe's house except for Charly whose mother had sent him an errand.

"But you sure say your Papa no fit do anything like that?" Mighty Joe put in.

"No, my papa na Christian and even if hin no be Christian sef, he no go carry the money con stay like that, e for don ja tey tey," Nazaretha replied, using "ja" a slang meaning "run away".

"Then who fit con use hin name?" Chinko said.

"I no know o," Nazaretha replied.

"Well, if the person uses his name, he can't use his face. They will confirm at the bank that it isn't your father who came to get the money."

"Ehen..."

"Yea, so go and put your mind at rest."

"Okay," Nazaretha said.

After about two minutes of silence, Chinko spoke, "Mighty Joe, shey we don't need to go to Nazaretha's house again to search?"

"Yes, we don't need to go there anymore. Nazaretha father and the police searched for the same thing and did not find it." Mighty Joe replied.

"Okay na, since we sure say police go confirm say no be Nazaretha Papa carry the thing, me I wan go play ball." Chinko said, standing up.

"No problem," Mighty Joe said and then turned to Nazaretha. "You too go with them and relax, put your mind at rest, no yawa." Mighty Joe said.

Nazaretha got up reluctantly and followed his friends, Mighty Joe watched them as they left.

**

Not too long after walking down the street did Nazaretha and his friends meet with Ibukun buying some snacks from a store. She also saw them and smiled at Nazaretha.

"Nazaretha, when would you come and use your remaining time?" She asked with smiles on her lips.

Nazaretha was speechless for a while, he didn't even remember if he had more time to use in the café. His friends' eyes were on him, expecting him to give a quick reply especially now that the girl was sounding like she liked him already.

"I kept your ticket for you and it'll expire this night, so you better come and use it today." She said and walked away from the store back to her café.

"Guy, she dey follow you talk, you no fit answer?"

"I don forget say I get time for there before and I no even dey in the mood." Nazaretha said.

"Which mood you no gree dey? Shey na your Papa own dey worry you? Shey them go soon confirm say no be him take the money na. You better dey in the mood o, this girl don dey in the mood sef. You no fit talk sef, anything fit happen for inside her shop now sef wey light no dey." Chinko said.

"For inside her shop?" Nazaretha asked.

"Ehn na," Chinko replied, " for inside her shop, na that kind place e dey sweet pass."

"Ehen," Nazaretha hummed with his eyes rolling with expectations, temporarily forgetting his father's troubles.

"Oya, make we go jor." His friends encouraged him.

Read chapter 3 part 2 on www.youngicee.com

Nazaretha! Opportunity cumz bt once o. U beta use dis one well.

Inside the shop we go

The Missing File - Chapter 3 part 2






All Episodes Of The Missing File



"So you finally came?" Ibukun said with a kind smile.


"Yes," Nazaretha smiled back and sat on the same seat he sat the previous day.


"No, come sit here." Ibukun said, pointing him to a seat close to the master computer.


Nazaretha obliged and moved to the seat she pointed him.


"You don't look happy today, what happened?" She asked as she gave him the ticket.


"Nothing," Nazaretha replied with a sigh.


"Nothing? But your face looks like that of a person who is in big trouble."


Nazaretha hissed briefly and sniffed in, "I just have a little trouble; it's not that serious."


"Okay," Ibukun said and sat on the seat beside him. "You actually wanted to tell me something yesterday before your sister came, didn't you?"


"'Ermm... Yes," Nazaretha answered thoughtfully, trying to remember if he mentioned anything like that.


"Okay, when are you going to tell me?"


"Ermm," Nazaretha took a look at the other people sitting and browsing in the café. "I can't tell you here now," he said to her. He didn't know how to begin anymore, he had forgotten all the steps he read the previous day.


She looked at her customers too and sighed, "Okay, should I give you my phone number?"


"Ermm... My phone is bad, it's at the repairer's shop." Nazaretha said.


"When are you going to collect it?"


"On Monday, it should be ready."


"Hmm... But do you come out at nights?" She asked, pouting her lips.


"Yes, sometimes."


"Okay," she smiled, "maybe we can see today, I close by 8pm."


____


None of Nazaretha's friends were at the uncompleted building when he returned, they had gone to their various houses. Nazaretha began to think of the best option to take, whether to go to his house or to Mighty Joe's place. He didn't want to face the constant nagging of his mother as he knew would be inevitable until their father is released, so he decided to sneak home and take some clothes before returning to Mighty Joe's place.


It took him fifteen minutes to get home, he had not even gotten to the entrance at all when he started to hear shouting voices from his house, it seemed his mother was involved in an argument with someone, a man.


Lydia, his mum was the direct opposite of Ogbighe when it comes to gentility in character, she was a kind of person that would not take nonsense from anybody, even if it wasn't nonsense and only looked like nonsense; she would not insult the person until the person begins to regret ever arguing with her.  It would be worst if the person was someone who had kept a dirty secret with her; that was the day the cat would be let out of the bag, like the Yorubas say "The wind will blow andthe fowl's buttocks would be opened for all to see."


Nazaretha moved closer to the entrance and paused, he could recognize the voice of the person arguing with his mum.


"...woman, you better listen to me and..." The man was trying to say before his mother cut in.


"Shut up! It is you and your whole family that would go to jail; all your children and your other brothers. St*pid man! It's because of your wickedness that you have a hole in your head."


"Okay, keep arguing; I don't have your time." The man said and walked out of the house. He almost collided into Nazaretha.


He and Nazaretha gave themselves a cold look and the man hurried away.


Nazaretha's mum was still cursing when he entered into the house. He didn't bother to greet her because she might just transfer the aggression to him. He began to walk straight towards the room; the room where his sisters slept, that was where he also kept his luggage but he and his elder brother used to sleep in the living room, until the elder brother left the house and left him all alone. Since then he had always felt lonely in the house, since he and his brother used to be best of friends. One could easily confuse them for each other as they looked very much alike just like identical twins; both of them took after their father.


Nazaretha discovered that Magdalene was the only one at home with his mother, his elder sisters were not in the house.


"Nazaretha!" His mother shouted before he got to the door to the children's room, sending chills down his spine. "Nazaretha," she called again before he turned back to answer.


"Mummy," he called back and reluctantly went back to meet her.


"You see what you have caused," she began in an aggressive tone. "Now your fatheaded uncle has refused to help us, he refused to help us get a lawyer or even follow us to the station, he said we should go and beg your father to confess. Can you see?"


"Ehn but it is not my fault that Uncle Uche has refused to help us na," Nazaretha replied.


"Shut up! It's your fault that the bag was not kept properly." His mother said.


"See Mummy, we're not supposed to be arguing about how the bag was kept, the question should be who took the file that was supposed to be in the bag?"


"You alone can answer..."


"See, we don't have to argue over and over again." Nazaretha said and left the house without taking his clothes again, when he saw that his mum wasn't ready to speak amicably.


___


"Be at rest, there's no way they can find out. We framed him up already and there's no way the police can find out, the money is for us to enjoy," the first man said.


"So how are we going to be sharing the money?" The second man asked, he looked sad and uncomfortable.


"I thought that was a done deal already, I will take two million, you two million," the third man explained, pointing to the second man. "And you one million naira," he said to the first man.


"Then I'll return to Kaduna immediately by night," the second man said.


"Yes, you have to return immediately, to reduce the risk of anyone seeing you in town; that could put us in trouble."


"And then when is the money going to be shared?" The first man asked.


"Before Tuesday we should share it," the third man replied.


"Please o, it should be before Tuesday o," the first man said.


"But I'm still feeling bad about this whole thing," the second man said in an unhappy tone.


"Don't pity Ogbighe," the third man said, patting the second on the shoulder.


"But he's still my...." The second man tried to say.


"Shh..." The first man hushed him, "Don't speak, you have to be wise. A person that considers all these you are doing will never make it in life."



...to be continued




Read Chapter 3 part 3 on www.youngicee.com

Nice update...still following.

Hmmm

We're waiting ooooooo... Don't leave us in suspense!!
cc
Oyinprince

CHAPTER 3 part 3

It was 8.11pm, Ibukun was seated on the bench in the verandah, waiting for Nazaretha to show up like they earlier agreed. The cafe was still open but her boss had taken over from her and she was supposed to be going home. She kept glancing at her wristwatch from time to time, the time rolled by slowly.

It was already 8.25 when she spotted Nazaretha coming from behind, she rose up and stepped out of verandah.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Nazaretha said and extended an handshake to her.

"It's okay, but it's just that we are not going to have enough time to talk again. It's already late," she said and adjusted the rope of her bag.

"Sorry about that," Nazaretha said she moved closer. They began to walk up the road side by side.

"Do you smoke weed?" Ibukun asked an unexpected question.

"No," Nazaretha replied, his face clearly showing his surprise.

"But you're smelling weed," she accused.

Nazaretha stopped to smell his clothes and confirmed that he was really smelling, that was a result of Mighty Joe's heavy smoking before he left the house.

"Somebody was smoking where I was before, I must have gotten it from there." Nazaretha explained.

"I thought you were coming from home," Ibukun said with a note of doubt.

"No, not from home."

"Hmm, that means you really stay outside late. But are you sure you don't smoke?"

"Yes, I don't."

"But why do you go to places where they smoke?"

"No, I was just there for some particular reasons today."

"Please, don't go there again," she said in a pleading tone. "I really hate smokers."

"You hate smokers?"

"'Ermm... I don't hate them but I hate whatever has to do with smoking. A friend's elder brother damaged his lungs with excessive smoking."

"Hmm... I see. I'll try to avoid that place." Nazaretha said.

"Promise you won't go there again," Ibukun said in a childish tone.

"I won't go, I promise." Nazaretha said, even though he knew he was returning to the house of a smoker that same night.

"Okay," Ibukun took a brief pause after they turned into the compound of the uncompleted building. "Let's go straight to the point, you wanted to tell me something. I'm all ears now."

Nazaretha's heartbeat suddenly increased again, his lips began to tremble as his eyes met with hers, his head was empty.

"Come on, tell me," Ibukun urged.

Nazaretha closed his eyes briefly and opened it again, all his rehearsed lines were gone, even the verses from the Bible he planned to use were gone.

"I've...been...seeing you...for... sometime now," Nazaretha began with his stammering lips, he became more confident as he continued. "I just like everything about you."

"Is that all?" Ibukun cuts in after a brief silence.

"Ermm, I want you...to be my..." Nazaretha tried to speak but wasn't fluent as he wanted.

"Your what?" Ibukun said impatiently, checking for time on her phone.

"My... friend," Nazaretha said timidly.

"Is that it?" Ibukun asked.

"Ermm... Yes," Nazaretha replied, scratching his head.

"Okay, we are friends already," Ibukun said and began to walk away.

"Wait na," Nazaretha said and hurried after her. "Let...me see you off."

"Don't worry," Ibukun said and stopped. "I won't like you to go past this place," she said, pointing to the uncompleted building.

"Why? Are...you angry?" Nazaretha replied, his lips were still visibly shaking.

"No, but my house is just behind this place. I won't like for my parents to see us together by this time of the night." Ibukun said and tapped him on the shoulder. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Nazaretha mumbled in reply and watched as she left. His heartbeat was still at its high speed until she finally walked out of his sight.

He knew he had messed up again, his friends would make him an object of laughter. The fear of being rejected had made him fail even when it was obvious that the girl was ready for him.

He stood still for some more seconds before turning back and heading for Mighty Joe's place.




"How far?" Mighty Joe asked as Nazaretha walked in. Nazaretha stopped and looked around, his friends had left to their houses already.

"I'm fine," Nazaretha replied even though he knew Mighty Joe wasn't asking about his well-being.

"How about the girl you went to meet?"

"Fine," Nazaretha answered briefly.

"Fine? Wetin be her response?"

"She talk say she go think about am," Nazaretha lied. He sniffed in and took his seat opposite Mighty Joe, the smoking in the house had stopped but the odour had not completely vanished.

"Why are you lying to me?" Mighty Joe asked after some seconds of silence.

Nazaretha stared blankly at the wall without replying, he knew it was the fear heard in his voice that gave him away.

"Did she insult you?" Mighty Joe pressed on.

"No," Nazaretha replied.

"Or you didn't tell her?" Mighty Joe asked in a low voice.

Nazaretha heaved a sigh, he hated to admit it but he knew he wasn't daring enough and needed more boldness. "I only asked her to be my friend," he finally opened up to Mighty Joe.

"Girlfriend?"

"No, ordinary friend." Nazaretha answered.

"Why? I thought your friends were saying you wanted her to be your girlfriend."

"See Mighty Joe, I no know wetin do me jor, I no fit tell the girl. I dey hear my Papa voice for my head."

Mighty Joe gave a loud chuckle and then licked his lips. "You're hearing your father's voice or you're timid?" I heard your friends saying that you used to be the boldest person in school but when it comes to other things, you're a sissy."

Nazaretha had no reply, he kept staring at Mighty Joe's face.

"I used to be like you," Mighty Joe continued, "even worse. I was something worse than an introvert but everything has changed now since I..." Mighty Joe suddenly paused and stared at his face. He smiled and twitched his lips. "I'll save that for later, I don't think you're ripe enough to hear that now." He added and got up to his feet. He picked up something and moved close to Nazaretha.

"I know something that can calm you anyways, it can help you if you use it wisely," he said and then stretched forth the wrap of weed to Nazaretha. "Just take it slowly, I'll teach you."


Read Chapter 3 Part 4 on www.youngicee.com

CHAPTER 3 Part 4

"Nazaretha, Nazaretha, Nazaretha..." He was called and his body was tapped softly and hard several times but he still didn't wake up until some quantity of water was spattered on his face.

He opened his eyes slowly on the three seater sofa where he laid, the first thing his eyes met was the wall clock, it was 11am. The time didn't make any sense to him at first, he thought it must be wrong until he began to hear a faint sounds of a nearby church's choir humming the closing hymn. That was when he realized that it was a Sunday and that the time must be correct.

He tried to get up but couldn't. An heavy headache accompanied with his empty stomach restrained him, then his mind flashed back to the event of the last night.

He saw Mighty Joe helping him to light it and encouraging him to take a drag, then two and then more, slowly. He couldn't remember how many drags he took but he could remember hearing Mighty Joe hail him and commending him for being strong, saying that there was a large quantity of supper awaiting him.

"I'm coming, I'll get you something to eat now." Mighty Joe said, awaking him from his reverie of thoughts.

Then he saw Mighty Joe face clearly and came to the terms that he wasn't even in his father's house, then all the circumstances that led to his coming there returned to his mind, he also recalled his ordeal with Ibukun the last night. Mighty Joe was the one who spattered water on his face, it looked like he was just returning from an outing. He was putting on yellow shirt on yellow trousers, a yellow handkerchief was also tried to his forehead, then the dressing was completed with a yellow supra. Nazaretha thought at first that it was yellow day's celebration at Mighty Joe's church but then he recalled that there was nothing like yellow day and that Mighty Joe wasn't even a churchy person.

Mighty Joe left the living room and went into the room first. He returned a minute later after taking off his shirt, the handkerchief tied around his forehead and his shoes. He went out into the kitchen and returned three minutes later with a tray of rice, a cold bottled water, five-alive juice pack and a glass cup. Mighty Joe had always given him good food but today's own was different, maybe because it was Sunday or because Nazaretha needed the food after the last night's ordeal.

The aroma from the food gave Nazaretha enough strength to sit up, Mighty Joe placed the food on the centre table and dragged it to his front, Nazaretha began to consume it immediately.

Mighty Joe began to walk back into his room, he paused at the door and glanced back at Nazaretha who was devouring like an angry lion. He shook his head slowly and made a faint evil smile, if only Nazaretha knew what would have happened to him the last night.

*

It was after finishing the food and taking into his stomach two cups of juice and water that Nazaretha came back to his senses. The guilt of missing Sunday church service for the first time in his life overpowered him, he was sad and he felt weakened by the thought of it. He thought of what prayers he could have made in church that would have allowed God intervene in his father's case and even help me in getting Ibukun, but he had missed all of them now just because he took something strange the last night.


"Are you going to remain there all day?" Mighty Joe said when he returned into the living room after thirty minutes and still found Nazaretha sitting in the same place.

Nazaretha sighed and got up, he picked up the tray and proceeded outside to the kitchen. He returned four minutes later after taking care of the dishes.

Electricity had just been restored when he returned and Mighty Joe was putting on the TV in the living room. He turned back when he noticed Nazaretha's entry.

"Bro, you don baff?" Mighty Joe asked.

"No, I never baff yet. I no get clothes wey I go wear na." Nazaretha replied.

"Go baff abeg," Mighty Joe said, throwing a towel, new sponge and soap to him. "Water dey for my drum outside, I go find clothes for you before you come back."

Nazaretha obeyed and left for the bathroom. After a total of fifteen minutes, he returned to meet Sunday and Chinko inside Mighty Joe's living room.

"Oh boy! Dem don dey find you o," Chinko said immediately Nazaretha stepped in with only his boxers on, trying to dry his body with the towel.

"Who dey find me?" He asked.

"Your mama and everybody," Chinko replied.

Nazaretha raised a brow and gave Chinko a questioning look, desiring to know what he meant by 'everybody'.

"Your sisters, your Pastor and church members," Chinko said, understanding Nazaretha's voiceless language.

"How you take know?"

"I go your church na," Chinko said.

"Wetin you go do for there?"

"Na me and Sunday go, we think say you go come ni," Chinko replied, tapping Sunday who was busy with his nokia phone.

Sunday was jerked off by Chinko's tap, "wetin una talk?" He asked absentmindedly.

"We dey discuss your papa na," Chinko said.

"Wetin una dey talk?" Sunday ignored his remark and continued with the game on the Nokia C1 phone.

"Shey we no go Nazaretha church today?" Chinko asked, tapping him on the knee again.

"Yes, we go na," Sunday said after pausing the game. "Omo, that your Pastor first pikin fine no be small. Her backside big like caterpillar," he remarked, licking his lips.

"You no go sense, sinner!" Chinko jeered at Sunday.

"See this one o, no be you first show me the girl when she dey waka?" Sunday said, laughing.

Mighty Joe who had been listening quietly to them and smiling got up and went into his room, he returned few seconds later with a neatly folded trouser and shirt for Nazaretha.

"Me I just dey show you say na usher." Chinko retorted. "I no say make you dey look her back."

"Na lie, you wey your 'thing' don stand," Sunday accused, "you think say I no dey look your trouser?"

"Una two be werey o," Nazaretha mocked both of them. "Na girl back una go dey find for church."

"Walahi, no be girl. Me I like your Pastor preaching no be small." Sunday argued.

"Make una tell me who dey look for me jor," Nazaretha said, applying cream to his body.

"Una Pastor wan pray for your family, dem con dey find you," Chinko said. "Why you no come sef?"

"Na something happen jare," Nazaretha replied in stressed voice, showing his unwillingness to discuss the reason he was absent from church.

"Well, me I hear your mama dey tell the Pastor when dem come out of him office say na tomorrow go determine your papa fate."

Read Chapter 3 Part 5 on www.youngicee.com

Nice one oyinprinc BTW oyin wetin mighty joe mean by say nazaretha no know wetin for happen to am in the night abi him cult pple do meeting for him house?

O boy...so na so Nazaretha join Archangel...ha ha ha ha.poor boy

nazareтнa тaѕтe aм ѕнa.

CHAPTER 3 part 5

It was Monday, the first working day of the week, Nazaretha had to remain in Mighty Joe's house. Mighty Joe left for work before 7.30am, after giving the key to the door of the living room to Nazaretha but didn't drop his bedroom's key; he always kept it close to himself, Nazaretha suspected that he was hiding something there or maybe he didn't just like sharing his room with anybody.

Nazaretha got out of the house by 8.30am to join his friends at the site where they were working with the bricklayers, doing the 'labour work' and sometime mixing the mortar used to bind building blocks or even the course aggregates.

He walked straight down the street, his destination was Efinga, two streets after his. He remembered his discussion with his friends the last night as he passed the front of Tayonet Cyber Cafe. They had asked him about his discussion with Ibukun and he suddenly became dumbfounded. His friends knew he had failed again and immediately began to throw jabs at him until Mighty Joe came to his rescue.

"Make una shut up jare!" Mighty Joe had cut into their conversation. "Una no expect say make hin dey think about girl when him papa get problem na." That had been Nazaretha's saving grace, the guilt he saw on Sunday and Chinko's faces suggested to him that they'll never ask him about Ibukun or try to make fun of him in Mighty Joe's presence again.

Nazaretha decided to clear off all thoughts about Ibukun and resume them after his father returned home that day, he was sure that was going to happen as he prayed very hard that morning and believed that God would help to prove his father's innocence.

*

Thirty minutes past nine, the work at the site began. Nazaretha and his three close friends were working with four other boys of the same age range as theirs, the boys were from that street, Efinga. The team of workers was led by two senior bricklayers who were both friends and partners, they lived at the same street with Nazaretha and his friends, one of the bricklayers lived with his family in the same building with Chinko but different apartments, and that was how he told Chinko of the job, then Chinko in turn told his other friends.

"Oya na, fast fast," Baba Paulo, one of the bricklayers hurried up the boys mixing the coarse aggregate meant to be used for the columns of the three bedroom flat which they were building. The house had gotten to lintel level already and the carpenters had done their parts of job, constructing the side woods that would act as the support and shapen the concrete. The welders had also binded the reinforcement steels together, only the bricklayers' job was left.

Chinko and Charly were mixing the coarse aggregate on one side of the place while Sunday and one of the boys from Efinga were mixing at the other side. Nazaretha was part of the four boys which were split into two groups and were carrying the mixture to the two bricklayers who were working at the opposite ends of the building. The bricklayers had chosen to work on different sides to make the job faster and easier.

Three hours after working tirelessly, the workers decided it was time for a break but each group made sure their mixture was used up before pausing work.

"Iya Afusa no come today o, wetin we go do?" Baba Paulo said aloud but to no one in particular. Iya Afusa was the food seller who always hawked food on a tray to their sites.

"Make I call am," Baba Paulo's partner said taking out his phone. "Her phone dey switched off," he announced after trying for a minute.

"Make all of us go chop for outside na, we go come back before 2 o'Clock, una hear?" Baba Paulo said.

"We don hear," all the boys replied in unison. The groups broke to form another. The boys from Efinga clinged together while Nazaretha and his friends also clinged together.

"Shey una sabi where to chop for this area?" One of the boys at the other side asked Nazaretha and his group.

"No worry, we go find." Chinko replied sharply like the leader of the group. The both groups went their separate ways, Chinko led his friends to a not too far place where they filled their bellies with "Ewa agonyi" and bread.

They returned fifteen minutes before 2 o'clock, Baba Paulo was the only one they met at the site, even the women and younger kids who were fetching water for them were not back yet. They decided to sit at a corner and gist before the rest of the workers returned. In five minutes time, most of the other workers returned except for the boys from Efinga.

"E be like say some boys dey fight for front," Baba Paulo's second said to him, resting on the neatly arranged six inches blocks.
"Ehen, wetin do them na?" Baba Paulo asked with very little interest.
"I no know jare, na them sabi."

Five minutes later, two of the boys from Efinga returned to the site. They were panting and they looked very worried.

"Wetin happen and where the rest two?" Baba Paulo asked with a scrutinizing look.

"Baba Paulo, gbege don shele o." One of the boys said.

"Wetin be that?" Baba Paulo asked.

"Wait! Shey no be from Monibow una come?"

"Yes, na from Monibow o."

"Make una better dey run go now cos na person from una side go press or our area presido wife breast and yan*sh."

"Ah!" Baba Paulo exclaimed.

"Make una dey go o, dem go soon reach down here o," the boy said in a warning tone to all of them who caree to listen. He turned to Chinko and his friends. "Wait! No be una go chop beans and bread for Iya elewa place?"

"Yes," Chinko replied, shocked about how the guy got to know.

"Them don see una o, I hear them dey talk about you," he said specifically pointing to Chinko. "Them talk say that yellow boy wey look like Chinese dey chop bread and beans and them know say you be from Monibow...."

The boy had not finished talking when Nazaretha and his friends began to pack their clothes, they didn't bother to put the clothes on or even clean the cement dust infested bodies.

Chinko was always the problem amongst them, most times he was also the source of blessing too. He was his friend's unique identification. For example, when a person in Monibow or its environs wanted to describe Sunday to another, they would describe him as that short boy wey dey follow Chinko, or that short boy wey dey waka with Oyinbo. So there was no way they weren't going to be identified as people from Monibow.

As they rushed to get out through the gate of the site, they began to hear the noises drifting near. As they stepped out from the gate together, they saw some boys several metres away, holding whips and broken bottles, at the front of Iya elewa's shop.

"... which site dem come from na?" They could hear one of the angry boys shout. And within a twinkle of an eye, the angry boys were looking towards Chinko and his friends.

"Na that Oyinbo be that," one of the boys shouted angrily and that surged forward towards them.

For the first time in their lives, the four boys had to go their separate ways; each running in a direction he thought he could find safety.

Read Chapter 4 Part 1 on www.youngicee.com

#HappySunday

This part got me laughing. Weldone Oyinprince

Oyinprince:
CHAPTER 3 part 5

For the first time in their lives, the four boys had to go their separate ways; each running in a direction he thought he could find safety

Nice..happy sunday

Oyinprince,
*in Charly's voice* I don land for this tori gidigba and bin kon dey follow you bumper to fender.

Am loving this
ride on!

Thanks for the mention oyinprince

Hello guys, I was about to post yesterday and I discovered that some of my typed documents had been lost. The documents includes some chapters of my completed stories, some of my already typed work on Tarasha 2 and the concluding chapters of the missing file.

Sorry, but there ll be a brief stop in updates.

Oyinprince:
Hello guys, I was about to post yesterday and I discovered that some of my typed documents had been lost. The documents includes some chapters of my completed stories, some of my already typed work on Tarasha 2 and the concluding chapters of the missing file.

Sorry, but there ll be a brief stop in updates.

Chai.nah work be that o....eeyah,take your time bro

Oyinprince:
Hello guys, I was about to post yesterday and I discovered that some of my typed documents had been lost. The documents includes some chapters of my completed stories, some of my already typed work on Tarasha 2 and the concluding chapters of the missing file.

Sorry, but there ll be a brief stop in updates.

Chai! Which kain winch be kon thief am na? Oya fall and die by fire!

Oyinprince:
Hello guys, I was about to post yesterday and I discovered that some of my typed documents had been lost. The documents includes some chapters of my completed stories, some of my already typed work on Tarasha 2 and the concluding chapters of the missing file.

Sorry, but there ll be a brief stop in updates.

sorry about that bro. but lemme just suggest u should be keeping all in ur mail draft. it's safe der

hefelove:

sorry about that bro. but lemme just suggest u should be keeping all in ur mail draft. it's safe der

Thanks

Sorry bout the loss bruv.

Sorry @Oyinprince
When should we be expecting the remainder ? It's October already....