I walked into the inner chambers of the ATM hall to make a withdrawal; low and behold, an ATM card was in the mouth of the machine. Was that the mouth? I guess not! The mouth should be where it vomits the cash. So I can call it the eye, or ear....or....okk, not that! you know what I mean shaa...a card was in the card-entrance of the machine. The machine was blinking and sounding a light warning note, like a notification for the card waiting for collection. It wasn't hard to decode what had happened. The last person to use the machine must have collected his cash and zoomed off without collecting his card.
I looked left and right, the other two machines were occupied. No one seem to notice what was going on. There was no queue, the fourth machine opposite mine was still empty. I pushed the card back in slightly. For the next 9 seconds or so, my mind was wondering what will be next. The machine welcomed me...or welcomed the owner of the card with name displayed on the screen; prompting me for a password.
Passwords!
I calmly punched in the numbers... 1:2:3:4 and pressed enter key.

Wrong Password!

Well, what was I thinking! Which dunce in this information age will use such a weak password. Would have been surprised if it worked.

"Do you need more time for your transaction?"

The ATM machine was prompting me to proceed or get-the-fvck out of its presence. I pressed the no button and it ejected the card. The other two guys making withdrawal from the other machines left. The hall was empty, just me and 4 ATM machines. I decided to get adventurous.

I looked at the ATM card in my hand. The name of the owner was written fully. I brought out my phone and searched facebook for the name. 2min later, I got the owners full profile and date of birth.

This was gonna be fun!

Born in 2nd february, 1979, there were only 2 possible password combinations and after that, no more!

2:2:7:9
1:9:7:9

For some unknown reason, I tried the second one first...it worked!

I was staring at the control panel of the account...Balance, Withdrawal, Inquiry, Transfer, Statement....

I heard the footstep behind me and my heart nearly jumped out of my mouth. I turned around just in time to see a man walk into the hall. He looked at me with a cold eyes, like he was about to jump at me. I felt a hard notch down my throat, like a fist trying to suffocate me. The man was approaching me calmly like he knew I had no place to run to; like a cat backed on the walls! I prayed the earth would open and swallow me! I was almost having a heart-attack; or a stroke whichever one kills faster. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. I swallowed hard and felt my throat ache like I hard burning coal in my throat.
Then, all of a sudden, the man walked past me to the nearby ATM machine. He stared at me one last time like he knew I wasn't all right; then he faced his machine and started his transaction.

"Do you need more time for your transaction?"

The ATM was asking me once more.
Then I got confused! What was I doing? Adventure at first, but now this was crime! Pure crime! There should be a boundary between adventures and crime: I think I just overstepped the boundary. I wondered what would have happened if that man was the original owner of the card?! Well, the name on the card and the facebook profile was that of a lady. Could still have been the owner! A lady will raise hell if she happened on someone trying to rob her. A guy might be understanding but a lady will sure raise hell.

"Please take your card"!

The machine was tired of my bullshit. It vomited the card and continued its light warning note for me to collect the card. I contemplated on leaving the card there: just the way it was when I met it. On a second thought, another person may stumble on it and wreck more havoc. I decided to hand it over to the bank security still on duty. One last thought occurred to me as I was walking towards the security post: I checked the owner's facebook profile again and her number was there.
Well, if I was going to be a good samaritan, I better get some acknowledgment and a vote of thanks.

I dialed the number and she picked on the second ring.

'Hello?'

It was a rich voice with no accent.

'Hello...' I replied and informed her she had forgotten her card in the ATM machine at the bank premises.

'Really?' She asked nonchalantly.

'Yes ma' I replied.

There was silence on the other line...

'Hello?' I wanted to make sure she heard me alright.

'Yes, I'm still here.' She said.

She informed me she was on a car to an urgent function and can't turn around immediately.

'I will call you later in the evening for it.' She concluded.

I walked back to the atm machine. I still needed to make some withdrawals. I inserted my card and completed my transaction. Then, out of inquisitiveness, I decided to check her account balance. It wasn't like she will be notified that someone checked her account balance: it was only during withdrawals that such notification is sent.

I inserted the card, punched the numbers, selected balance inquiry and then...

I needed to get closer to the machine to get a clearer picture: it was 8 digits in the savings account, another 8 digits in the current account.

Cool, solid cash in millions! So many thoughts rushed through my mind. I had to remind myself the difference between crime and adventure and to stay on the other side of the line. Moreover, I had made the call with my phone line.

"Do you need more time for your transaction?"

Damn this ATM machine! I was sure it had some evil spirits inside it. Who knows if it actually caused that innocent woman to forget her card.

'Please take your card'

'Fool...' I cursed it before walking out of the bank.

Skimpledawg:
Oga Mazi az come again o with a blockbuster series! Wia my pipo...alberto2k (alberto del rio), kenwins n suxxman! I don reserve seats for una!

suxxman:


I don show..... *Rushes in...... lifts him off his seat and sits down, Skimpledawg relaxes on the floor...... Calls boo(s) Olashas and Kenwins.....*

olashas:

suxxman:


Hello dearie.... Seat beside me...... Or u want me to 'lap' u??

suxxman:


I don show..... *Rushes in...... lifts him off his seat and sits down, Skimpledawg relaxes on the floor...... Calls boo(s) Olashas and Kenwins.....*

Skimpledawg:

Dz same tin made me use a guy's skin for suya durin ma service year @ Warri! Careful niqqa! Olashas darlin! Wia av u bn!

olashas:

I've been around

olashas:

. I'll sit beside you. Thanks

Skimpledawg:

Dint ce ya arnd via out d xmas! Tot u went to villa with Standd! Newaiz, welcome bk! Since u ar bk, come n sit, leme stand...*pulls out a gun n shoots suxxman*

suxxman:


*Pulls a Xavier-like stunt and evades bullet*....... Too easy...... One bullet no fit kill me naa.

bTW, where's my Miss Standd??

Skimpledawg:

U wnt run for ever bro! *just stay away from ma lady*!


Guess Standd aint arnd cos if she is, she'd be sweet enuf to say hi! Calm down, she go soon return from villa

Skimpledawg:

U wnt run for ever bro! *just stay away from ma lady*!


Guess Standd aint arnd cos if she is, she'd be sweet enuf to say hi! Calm down, she go soon return from villa

suxxman:


*Pulls a Xavier-like stunt and evades bullet*....... Too easy...... One bullet no fit kill me naa.

bTW, where's my Miss Standd??

olashas:

I've been around

standd:


Lol
Guys...Ayam here oh

standd:


Lol. Mr standd

standd:


Lol
Guys...Ayam here oh

I spent the better part of the day contemplating on the choice I just made. My carnal mind was at war with my moral mind. I love adventures, but not so keen on crime. I have a natural phobia for crime; especially when it involves robbing innocent people. But millions of naira? What more could be adventurous?

It was a long boring day. I had traveled down to Ph enroute home to attend a wedding and spend some time with my friends at the city. My friend was still at work: his holiday was just the 25th and 26th. I was lucky with 2 weeks break from work. Ph hasn't been all that fun since I arrived. I was already running short of cash from endless hanging out due to boredom. I could really make do with some money but I wasn't going to steal some.

Since I got nothing much to do, I decided to probe more into the lady who owned the card. With such millions lodged into an account, she must be wealthy.
I did a little background check and it was obvious she was active in the social media. Her facebook wall was updated regularly with recent events. I browsed her profile fully: she was the ceo of a beauty spa at Abuja: she lives in Abuja and had two salons at different areas in the town.

I kept searching: from her recent updates, she was in ph for an event: a wedding ceremony. She was a mother of two; no info about her marriage history or her husband. Just some random pix of she and different men. She had two facebook pages, all devoted to beauty tips; make-ups, wears, trending fashion tips, pictures of she and a lot of celebrities, mostly from the movie industry. She also had some others I suspect to be politicians. She had pix of her trips out of the country: there was Dubai, London, Paris, Doha, South Africa and the Seychelles. Then there was a third facebook page which was for a closed user-group. Didn't know what the content were as I couldn't access it.

I kept searching:

She was on Instagram so I took the liberty of digging further. Her walls were filled with nice pix of her and her daughters. She had pix with celebrities. It was obvious she was the fun-loving type, rich and gorgeous.

When I was bored of checking up on her, I decided to head to my friend's place. He wasn't back from work yet so I watched some movies with the laptop.

By 6pm, she hadn't called yet. When it got to 7pm and I didn't get a call, I decided to give her a call. When she picked, it was obvious she was at a noisy place.

"Who am I speaking with?" She inquired as she picked the call.

"The guy with your atm card." I said confidently believing I would pique her interest.

"Oh, you again!" She proclaimed like I was bordering her life. I swallowed hard and allowed her to continue.

"I'm in a function and I can't speak right now, I will inform you of what to do." She said categorically and cut the call.

I stared blankly at my phone for some minutes and could hardly make out sense in the situation.

Just then, my friend returned from work and I told him all that happened. As usual, he didn't have any useful advise to give.
"Just do what you feel is right." He answered casually.

What I felt was right? Should have flung the damn card away!

Some minutes later, a text message entered my phone:
'Drop the card with the receptionist at Hotel Presidential, tell them its for the occupant of Rm 19D.'
How convenient! I thought to myself. Now I'm a courier guy delivering lost cards. What else won't I do for her! Maybe I should just flush the card down the toilet!

"Did I tell you I had her password?" I asked my friend who was busy playing Winning Eleven with the laptop.

"What do you want to do? Steal from a poor woman?" He asked.

"She's not poor, she's rich and there were millions in her account!" I said to him.

"Do what you want to do!" He said again.

I thought about it again. It was more annoying than I anticipated. There was little more that I could do at the moment. There was no way I would be going to the Presidential Hotel to deliver an Atm card in absentia like I was a delivery boy.

"Can you imagine these guys mandated that I come to work on the 26th?" My friend asked, looking up to me. Typical of him, he doesn't have any useful advise to give when you inform him of something but expects you to listen to his whining about work.

"I can't wait to leave this company!" He lamented again.

That has been his watchword since he got this job. He's been with the same company for over 3 years now, whining about how he hates his job but makes little or no effort to leave them.

"Do what you want to do!" I replied him.

"Fool!" He lamented and I smiled.

The only time we have a meaningful conversation is when we talk about girls. Nothing takes his mind away from playing games in the laptop except the talk of girls and when you give him a listening ear to his whining about job: that and when he was very hungry.

I picked my phone and replied the message.

"Call me when you're ready to get your card."

At noon the next day, she called my line.

"You can meet me at Genesis Restaurant in the next 20mins." She said.

"I can't be at Genesis in 20mins!" I almost shouted on the phone. Who the fvck did she think she was speaking with? A bank security man?

"How long will you take to get here?" She asked.
I wanted to tell her she should come get her card, wanted to take charge and stress her a bit but somehow, her profile was starting to intimidate me.

"I don't know, but I will try and see if I will get there within the hour." I said and she hung up.

Her bluntness was annoying! It will be pretty nice to see her face and tell her how rude she's been to the one person who found and tried contacting her for her lost card.
As usual, there was no light in the house, the laptop battery was drained and I had nothing doing in this boring town. So I dressed up and headed to Genesis, one of the exotic restaurants in the town.
Inside the car, I was wondering what the conversation with her would be like. She might actually change and be appreciative for once when she sees me.

I was wrong.

As I entered the restaurant, I dialed her number to inform her I had reached. She told me she had to run-off to see a friend and will be back to the restaurant in no time. I was so angry at myself. I asked why she didn't inform me on time only to realize she had long cut the call.

Well, I'm in it already, I can as well see it through. I thought to myself.
The attendants at the restaurant approached me to take an order and I informed them I was waiting for a guest. I sat at a corner watching the tv show: keeping up with the kardeshians. It suited the moment as I tried to keep up with this annoying lady who had turned me into a delivery boy.
Minutes turned to long frustrating hours before she finally showed. It was easy to recognize her from the pix I saw earlier. She was indeed gorgeous: richly dressed with expensive jewelry adorning her back neck and wrists. She had opulence written all over her. I watched her dial my number and I waved from the corner with my phone. She moved to my direction and sat opposite me. I couldn't help but notice her sweet fragrance covered the entire room. She had a tiny gold nose-ring tucked in her nose.
All of a sudden, I forgot all the rage that had been boiling inside me all through the day.

"Hello, sorry for keeping you waiting." She announced as she sat with a smile on her face. She introduced herself and I did too.

"Why didn't you drop the card like I requested?" She queried.

"Because I'm not an errand boy." I answered.
She smiled, waved at the receptionist who came towards us.

"What difference did it make bringing it to the hotel and bringing it here?" She asked.

I told her it felt better handing it over to her.

"Why? Isn't it the same thing?" She pressed further.

"Its not. Now I get to see your face and you'll get to thank me in person for my good deed." I answered.

"I could have done that over the phone, I had your number." She insisted.

I then had to tell her it seemed rude and unappreciated asking me to drop it off.

"Do you know that if the wrong hands had picked it up, you would have been robbed?" I asked, hoping my question will make her see reason.

"The person will need a password." She insisted, trying to play smart.

At that moment, the receptionist came forward. She asked what I would take and I informed her. She placed an order and the receptionist left.

"So you see, its not a big deal since the person will need a password." She said.

I thought for a while. She was trying to make my heroic quest look so common; like I didn't have a choice. She was even smiling at her own wise sense. I had to spoil the fun for her.

"1-9-7-9" I said.

Her eyes lite in unbelief. She stared at me for some seconds.

"That's smart, how did you know that?" She asked.

Now I was the one having the last laugh.

"Let's just say I have my ways." I said, smiling at her. The look on her face gave me the satisfaction I needed.

The receptionist brought the drinks and set them on the desk before us and left. She took a deep breathe and exhaled.

"All I'm saying is that someone with half the wits I have could empty your account."

"How much do you think you could have withdrawn from the account?" She asked.

"Per day!" She reminded me before I could alter a word.

I thought about it for a while. She was right. The daily withdrawal limit was somewhere within 120k. It was obvious she wanted to proof her point by making my sincerity look common.

I decided to indulge her.

"120k" I answered.

She couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was obvious she was enjoying the challenge.

"After one day's withdrawal, I will receive alerts on my phone. Just a phone call and my account officer will deactivate the card." She said with pride.

"120k will still be a big deal." I said, trying to get a soft landing.

"I had taken 80k that day. So you'll be left with 40k only until I deactivate the card. What will 40k do for you?" She asked.

I looked silly and it gave her the satisfaction she had always wanted.

"Well, a simple thank you would still be okk." I eventually gave up.

The look on her face was that of satisfaction. I wished I could smack the smile off her face. I brought out the card and handed it to her.

"Thank you." She finally said.

"How did you know my password?" She asked again.

"Well, it isn't rocket science; people chose passwords they can easily remember. Its always the easy 1-2-3-4 or the birth year. Mine was a combination of my birthdate and year." I informed her.

"How did you know my birth year?" She asked again.

I felt uneasy discussing how I had ransacked her facebook page for the details. It would be hard to prove I didn't have any intention of robbing her after spending quality time digging up stuff about her.

"Like I said, I did some digging." I told her. She looked impressed.

"You googled my name?" She asked.

"Something like that." It was obvious she was beginning to understand how I got her details. She shook her head lightly like she disapproved.

"You are smart, and I like smart people." She said. "What do you do?" She asked.

I told her a little about myself; enough not to bore her. She seemed interested in all I had to stay.

"What else did you find out about me when you googled?" She asked.

It could have been a trick question so I thought carefully before answering.

I told her about her beauty salons at Abuja, her children and her trips. She didn't look surprised. She smiled at the end of it all.

"Where did you stay for your trip at the United Arab Emirates?" I asked trying to make the conversation more lively.

"Rotana hotel." She answered. "Spent 3 weeks there." She continued.

"Where and where did you visit?" I asked again.

"Everywhere." She answered.

"Saw the Burj Arab?" I asked again and her face lite up once more.

"Yes! Have you been to the Emirate before?" She asked.

"Yea, took some vacation early this year."

"Where did you stay?" She asked.

"Ajman."

"That dry boring place?" She exclaimed.
She was not wrong; Ajman was one of the least lively places at the UAE. Aside the beach, nothing peculiar about it. Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi had lots of fun places.

"Why did you chose Ajman of all places?" She asked.

"Accommodation was cheaper there. Moreover, it was just 15dirham from Ajman to Dubai, so I didn't miss a thing." I replied.

We spent the next 30mins discussing about the Emirate: all the attracting tourist centres. She had visited all the places I had been to and many more.

"Which of the places you visited enticed you most?" She asked.

"Dubai Mall." I answered. It was the best I had seen. One can easily spend the entire day at the mall without getting bored.

"Then the Burj Arab." I added. The Burj Arab hotel was exquisite. Built in the middle of the water, I was awed at its architecture.
She told me of her exquisite stay at the Emirate. I could relate with all she had to say. UAE was a fine place no doubt; a place to enjoy most when you had the cash the spend. Unfortunately, I didn't have much when I went there so I practically avoided the big places. Had to settle for clubs and cheap shopping centres like the Gift shop.
When she was done, I told her of my adventure with a native girl. It was all I had to say after listening to long tales of her shopping experience.

"You fvcked a native?" She asked in excitement.
"You would have lost your dckk in the process!" She exclaimed.

"I love adventures." I told her with a smile.

"That's a crime! Not an adventure!" She was almost screaming and we both laughed. She was right, Emirati natives were adored at the UAE. You hardly see them; the guys much more their ladies. Anyone I tell the tale of my adventure with Aisha finds it hard to believe. I find it hard to believe myself. It was the most risky adventure I had taken in all my life. It left a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth and each time I think of her, I always yearn to return to the Emirate.

"So you love adventure?" She asked.

"Yes, life will be boring without them." I answered, staring her in the eyes.

"I love adventures too, and I like people who are adventurous too." She announced.
The receptionists brought the bill and she prompted to pay with the POS machine. The receptionist brought the machine and she brought another atm card for the payment.

"How many more cards do you have?" I teased her after she had made the payment.

"Just the two." She answered with a smile on her face.

"It would have been better you had just one." I said.

She asked why and I told her it would be better since she was always careless with cards.

"I run three big shops in Abuja. I have strings of businesses and contacts all over the country. No one can take my dime!" She said categorically.

" I almost took your 40k". I reminded her.

"That's all you could have taken. It will take a dozen of your kind to take anything more from me." She boasted.

I smiled at her. She was so sure of herself. What a proud arse!

"I have four more days to spend in this city before I return to Abj; and I want to spend them with you." She said categorically.

"Why will I spend four days with you" I asked.

"You will have the fun of your life and will forget all your past adventures." She replied with a smile.

I nodded my head with a smile.

She smiled back at me, staring at me like she was seizing me up.

While her mind was roaming in the adventure she was going to have in the next four days, I was calculating how much I was going to make from her proud arse in four days time.

Game on!