She paused at his sight. Thank God it was him. He was sitting on a block, his face buried in his palms and she could hear his sobs.
Oh no! He was crying. It was the most pathetic sight she could remember ever seeing. Who could ever thought that Adnan could ever cry like this? She saw the silhouette of a boy who was dejected, rejected, lonely and dolorous.

The things her father said kept resonating, and she could see the impact on the poor boy. She saw how he walked out, and something drifted out of her. She could not let him go like that. She knew Adnan.He could leave forever.
She had to sneak out and go after him. She ran, went the wrong way, came back, searched before she finally saw him. Now as she saw him, she assured herself that nothing would ever take him out of her heart. They could only take his body away but not his love. Never!

" Adnan!" She called. He raised his face, trying to wipe off tears.

She lost it.
It was wrong.
She knew it.
But she lost it.

She ran to him and embraced him, dropped her head on his shoulder and cried.
He wanted to push her away. He had never come close to a woman like this. Then he remembered that no one had ever embraced him with affection. He had never experienced motherly or fatherly love.
No one ever showed him care.
So he lost it too. He let her hold him while a fresh stream of tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I am so sorry, Ya Hayati (My Life)." She said amid sobs. " It is all my fault. Please forgive me."

" Shhhh....stop saying that." He said trying to control himself. " I should be the one to ask for forgiveness. I came and caused a family rift. I should not have come. I don't have a family but I know it's value. I am sorry."

" No, Hayati. Stop saying you don't have a family. What am I? Have you let them separate us? Have they broken the bond that was made in heaven? Have you forgotten how our hearts met on a star? You will break my heart the more if you say you don't have a family. I am sorry for all he said. They don't know you. They can't judge you."

" I don't blame them. Man judges with words and actions. Only Allah sees the heart and intentions. They have the right not to want me near you. Can't you see that everyone there has an identity except me?"

" You have an identity. There is a reason for everything. You did not choose this upon yourself. Allah has a reason for making you come into this world this way. And He knows your identity. Don't let them judge you, or destroy your spirit. You have made mistakes but that should not be your end. You realised and made a better part of your life. Please don't leave me. Please Hayati.
I need you to be strong. I need you to remain steadfast. Remember all the things we planned? Our voyage to aljanna insha Allah......"

" I will never leave you, Miss Sunshine." He said. " Whatever happens, never revolt against your parents. Respect and obey them. We should pray about it. Just hold on tight to Allah and we shall be alright. Whatever happens, if anything happens to me, please never stop praying for me because I have no one else to do that for me."

" Stop saying that! Nothing will happen to you, please, in the name of Allah. Do not scare me, Hayati."

She held him tighter, crying.

" Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un! " Zayyad exclaimed. " Audhubillahi ! Haram! Adnan, so this is your evil plan? Muhammad! Sa'eed! I have found them!"
Muhammad, Sa'eed and Abdul-Rasheed appeared at once as Zayyad flashed his flashlight on them.

" Abba said it!" Zayyad said. " He said it with the wisdom of an old man."Muhammad grimaced." Naairah, you idiot! Get off that pig!" Muhammad shouted. " So you plan to take our sister away, huh?"

" If you think you are a bad boy," Sa'eed said, " we have seen devils!"

" Are you still there, Naairah?" Abdul-Rasheed said angrily and moved towards them. He grabbed Naairah, pulled her violently and she let out a sharp scream.

" He must not escape!" Muhammad said.

Abdul-Rasheed sent his hard palm which smacked Adnan on the back head. He dropped off the block and received a kick before he landed on the ground.

Naairah screamed.

" Dan Allah ku kyale shi ( Leave him for the sake of Allah)! Please leave him. He did not call me here."

" Shut up!" Muhammad said and moved on to Adnan to join his brother.

Kicks.
Slaps.
Punches.

She could not take it anymore. She ran, made her way roughly through them and covered Adnan with her body.

" Kill us both!" She screamed. "Kill us both!"

Sa'eed pulled her violently, and then held her.

" Deal with the idiot!" He said .

Her reaction got Zayyad mad. It seemed she was obsessed with this street hoodlum. This was not a good thing. Then an idea dropped into his head.

Naairah pulled her hand and released herself from Sa'eed's hold then broke into a run, screaming and crying.
Zayyad guessed she was going to seek for help. He had to do something fast. It seemed he would never stand a chance once this rogue was alive. He put his hand into his pocket and removed a short sharp object, a part of the nail-clipper which served as key holder.
He was going to act as if he was trying to stop them. A sharp stab at a delicate place would solve the problem. There was nothing he wanted more than Naairah and anyone coming between them was a sworn enemy.
It was better he settled this now.
He moved towards them.




Slowly Zayyad moved close to where Sa’eed ,Muhammad and Abdul-Rasheed were roughening Adnan. He held the weapon so tight he felt it hurting his hand. He was really determined to end this. He could not believe after everything she would still come after him.
What was wrong with her? If the doofus was killed, she would have to come back to her senses. He joined them, acting as if he was trying to stop them, then he got a perfect chance. The chest would be a good target.

“ Stop it! Stop it!”

Alhaji Mukhtar’s loud angry choice brought them to a stop. Zayyad turned to see Alhaji Mukhtar coming with Naairah who was crying, panting and gasping.

“ What the hell are you doing?” He came as the boys were stepping aside, leaving Adnan in pains as he lay on the ground wriggling in pains.

Zayyad grimaced. What the did this girl do? This could have been a perfect chance and the blame would have been on her brothers.
She ruined it. He wished she could realize that all he was doing was for her good. She had no future with this primary three boy who definitely bought a GCE result. Her future lay with him. He loved her immensely, and had enough money to give her the kind of life she wanted.
He could not understand what she saw in him. It was just a matter of time. Now he was sure Alhaji Mukhtar would not let Adnan marry her and that was so consoling. How many guys could afford to give their girls a diamond ring on her birthday? He did that for her and he was sure Adnan could not even afford a GL.

“ I asked a question! Who asked you to do this? "Alhaji Mukhtar was yet to complete his sentence when he saw Naairah run past him and bent over Adnan crying and checking his health.

He saw a determined love and guts that scared him. From what he saw, a lot had to be done to separate this baby couple.

“ Abba, we met them in the dark in an inappropriate manner.” Abdul-Rasheed said defensively.

“ So you decided to put the law into your hands, huh? What if you had killed him?” He said angrily. “ Come here, Naairah! Get out that place.”
Still crying, she reluctantly got up and took just a step backwards with all of her attention on him.

“ Young man are you hurt?” Alhaji Mukhtar asked not moving closer to Adnan.

What a stupid question! Adnan thought.

“ I am okay.” He said amid pains.

“ I am sorry for their madness. I did not ask anyone to do this. Let me get you something for treatment.”

Adnan sat up, rested his head on his knees, and found his breath getting calmer.

“ I don’t need any treatment for now.” He said. “ I just want to go home.”

A car suddenly pulled up there. It was Hajiya Fatima. She could not run along with them and thought there may need to rush him to hospital.

She alighted the car with alacrity.

She saw Adnan sitting on the ground, his clothes were insalubrious, but she saw no visible injury. She rushed to him and held him.
It was the first time a mother would come close to him like that and checking on him.

“ I guess you need to go to hospital.” She said with immense care . “What did you kids do? What got into your heads?”

“ I am okay, Mama.”

There was a way he pronounced the Mama that touched her.

“ You can’t be sure.” She said. “ There could be internal injury.”

He shook his head.

“ If I am taken to hospital, they would ask questions. I don’t want to complicate things. They are Naairah’s brothers and that means a lot to me. They are your children and that also means a lot to me. Allah is in control. This is my fate. I did not bring myself to this world but I a suffering the consequences. I pray it a test I can pass.”

Hajiya Fatima felt a stream of tears cascading down her cheeks.
Alhaji Mukhtar did not like this. It was not as if he had anything against Adnan personally. All he detested was having him in a relationship with his daughter. His only daughter! She deserved better than this.

“ I think we have to go back home.” Alhaji Mukhtar said. “ Thank you young man for your kindness and once again, I apologise on behalf of my children.”

Adnan only nodded. Hajiya Fatima said nothing. She did not want to break down. She loved this boy but she could not tell why.

“ It shall be well with you, insha Allah.” She said softly. “ Leave your case to the creator.”

“Thank you Mama.”

“ Don’t mention, my son.”

Zayyad felt like exploding. What was wrong with this woman? Whatever, she was not the one that would give out ut her hand in marriage and the person who had the power to do that was behind him. He was confident Naairah would come to her senses.
It was just that youthful exuberance, infatuation and childishness.

Adnan got to his feet to assure her he was okay.

“ Thank you , ma.”

“Please take this.” She offered him some amount of money. “ And don’t you dare reject it. Don’t try the anger of a mother.”

When she saw his reaction, she cringed for a split second. She did not mean any harm.

It was the word’ mother’. She had referred to herself as a mother. This was strange to him.

He went and collected the money, his eyes so wet.

“ No one ever referred to herself as my mother.” He said with a groggy voice. “ You just made my life meaningful.”

She smiled.

“Thank you for accepting it and obeying me.” She said. “ And if Allah says Naairah is your wife, no one can stop it.”

Zayyad's cheeks puffed.

“ We have to go.” Alhaji Mukhtar said.

Adnan took a few steps before he turned and looked at Naairah. She wove at him, and their eyes spoke to each other. A language only comprehended by the heart.

He walked down the street after putting the money in his pocket. He took a corner , eager to get home and change his clothes. Hajiya Fatima’s act made him felt at ease. At least there were people who cared for him for who he was.

“If the man had not intervened,” a voice said from behind him, “ Daxy would have come in and there would have been four dead bodies lying on the ground.”

Adnan turned to see the hunk of a tomboy.

“ What did you just say?”

She showed him a gun.

“We would have come and kill those bastards roughen you if the man had not come in time.”

“You guys use guns?”

“Have you not heard that Fulani heards men use guns when rearing?” She said. “ So why are you astonished. This world is crazy so you gotta keep your eyes wide open and wide shut.”

“ But I never ask anyone to protect me like that.”

“ I ain’t protecting you because I love your face. ‘You ’is important to ’we’ and any one fuckin* with you is fuckin* with us. And what the hell was that all about? I heard something about you not having an identity.”

“Leave my personal life out of this!”

“Who said you have a life? Now get your butt into this car.”she said. “ We got something for you.”

“What?”

“ You know I won’t talk here.”

“ I am going home. I need a good wash.”

“ We got Jacuzzi if that is what you want. We got an assignment for you and like I said, we got something new for you.”

Adnan hesitated.

He recalled the humiliation and insults he received. He looked at her, then nodded.

“ Let us go.” He said. “ From now on, I am in if you will give me what I want.”

He got into the car and they drove off.



From a dark angle, a man came out like a spirit. He was very short, thick-set with a massive head. He watched the car recede into the darkness until the taillights vanished.

He picked his phone.

“ They took him away.” He said. “There is a word about him not having an identity.”

“What?” A thick voice said from the other end.

“He seems to be a boy with unknown identity. I have a feeling it is Adnan. His name is also Adnan.” He said.

“ I don’t want to believe it.” the other man, Doctor Abbas said. “ Addy said he saw someone like him but I discarded it. Follow him.”

“I am sorry they left but I got a link.”

“A link?’

“There seems to be a family he knows.” He said. “ I will get him, sir.”

“ Please do that. This is not good.” He said. “ We have come too far to make a turn now. I hope you know what I am talking about?”

“Yes, sir.”

“ I chose Addy over him, remember?”

“Yes.”

“ And we can’t make a change now. It is too late. There has to be only one Adnan and that is Addy. We can’t throw nineteen years of struggle down the drain. I want to be sure he is the one. He has a mark on his knuckles. How do we know that?”

“First thing is about locating him.” Said the short man. “ Then leave the rest to me.”

Dr Abbas grumbled.

“ Gajere.”

“Sir.”

“ Do that fast. You know what is at stake, right?”

“I do.”

The call ended and Dr Abbas saw Addy standing and staring at him.

“ I was right, huh?”

Dr Abbas puffed air.

“ We are not sure.” He said .” We want to confirm.”

“ Now I need an explanation.” Addy said. “ How can you prefer me to your son? What is going on and why am I treated like a king? Why am I so important and making billions without working hard?”

“ You are not ripe to know that. The elders will let you know. And do not say you don’t work hard. You have undergone rigorous trainings.”

“Why was I named Adnan Abbas? You are Abbas and you named him Adnan. Why do you need two Adnans and who is the Abbas that I bear his name? Who are my parents?”

Dr Abbas puffed air again. He took three steps and sat on an easy arm chair which overlooked his gargantuan aquarium.

“Sit down.” He said.

Addy went and sat down. He rested his arms on his thighs.“I am not in the position to tell you now but what I will say is this: You are a world figure.” Dr Abbas said calmly. “ Your real parents died in a plane crash in Bolivia…..”



“ You never told me that you and Alhaji Ibrahim worked for your brother.” Hajiya said .

“ Yaya brought us up.” He said. “ You know that.”

“I know he lifted you but the details were so murky.”

Alhaji Mukhtar smiled.

“ I told you that he gave me six million naira when he came back from abroad.”

“Yes.”

“ Okay, it was I and Ibrahim. We also helped him took care of business. We started the importation thing and we got a lot of commission. Yaya is more of an academic so we handled the business aspect. He also got us connected to the government where I won a lot of contracts before getting an appointment.

And you can see how far we got. So what is wrong if I decide to make our union stronger by getting Naairah married to Zayyad?”

“ Is that what it is all about? Arranged marriage?”

“ Arranged but not forced.” He said. “ We will give her time to love him. You did not fall in love with me from the start, remember. It took some time. Guess your daughter will do the same.”

“ You know you will never force my daughter to marry someone she does not love.”

“I just said that. But be careful.” He said. “ She won’t marry that boy.”

“That is for Allah to decide.” She said. “ Where did your brother stay abroad? You have never told me that.”

“ Bolivia.”






It beeped and read fifty feet.
Walter had been in the hummocks since morning searching for the EBM. He was sure it was very close. He moved forward and pressed again.
Three feet.
He turned his head and saw it. It was lying close to a rock.
At the sight of the small electronic box, some images began to form in his head.
This time, he saw a round table, suits and uniforms: Army, Marine and lab coats. He could not make a sense out of it but he was sure he knew this thing.
If it he was found here and EBM was found here, not a distance from the ocean, then there could be more to find here.
He moved deeper, and after another one hour, he found the debris of a crashed plane. It seemed no one had found it. It was fatally crashed.

“ Aadilaaahh! Hold on tight! I got the boy! We will make it! Insha Allah!”

Insha Allah?

Was he a Muslim?

Parachute!
He frowned.
They were in a plane and there was someone else.
A pilot!
A parachute!

Yes! The pilot left in a parachute! It was not an accident. Someone wanted them dead.
Why?

Nice story u have here Bro, it's so touching and full of of lessons. Keep it up.

Hmmm... Thanks sokodobo

Why I like this thread
1. It’s full of strategy
2. Full of mystery
2. Shows love’s not only for the rich
3. Full of. Suspense

Can't wait for another update u re really killing my with all these suspense

Profdon:
Nice story u have here Bro, it's so touching and full of of lessons. Keep it up.

Thank you

MhizFavour:
Hmmm...
Thanks sokodobo

BOSSkesh:
Why I like this thread
1. It’s full of strategy
2. Full of mystery
2. Shows love’s not only for the rich
3. Full of. Suspense

anneboy02:
Can't wait for another update u re really killing my with all these suspense

More updates coming

M patiently waiting 4 more!

California, USA.

“ The EBM beeps!” a lady screamed, her face on a computer screen. “ The EBM beeps.”

A bald headed man rushed to her and paused.

“What?’

“It beeps.” The lady said excitedly.

“Are you sure it is his?”

“ Yes.” She said . “ But he kept the code secret. I know the wave length.”

“Good Job, Gwen.” He said. “ But I am not completely convinced. What is the location?”

She turned at her computer and did some manipulations.

“ 16.2902 degrees South and 63.5887 degrees West.” She said. “That is Bolivia.”

The bald headed man frowned.

Bolivia!

Oh no!

“When did you discover this?” He asked her.

“ The first beep was yesterday morning but I could not get the wavelength. “She said. “ Then it came up again this morning and kept coming. I deduced that there was a distance between the EBM and CS. Like the CS was been used to locate the EBM. The last beep showed they were relatively close.”

“ Hmmmm…..” It made a lot of sense to him.

“ Who else knows this?”

“ No one.”

“ Good work.” He said, looked round then pressed her neck, and with a single twist, he broke it and left her lifeless body on the floor.

He went to the CCTV camera and unplugged it, then removed the tape. He knew where it was. He was part of those who set it up.
He dialled a number, waited for the call to be picked.

“ I got bad news.” He said in a low dangerous tone. “ It seems Abbas, the Nigerian comrade is alive. There has been beeps from his EBM. Location: Bolivia. Get prepared. We are going to Bolivia. I hope he is not alive. This is not good for us.”

“ What about Aadila?” A female voice said from the other end.

“ I am not even sure it is him. Gwen discovered the beeps.”

“She is going to talk.”

“She has been settled.”

“Dead?”

“What else do you expect. I am going to lay it Van. She is not a problem.” He said and snorted like a pig. “ I will get in touch with Tiger 606. I hope it is a wrong information.”

“But only he knows the code to the EBM. I am scared.”

“We ought to be. The sky will tear apart. But Tiger 606 got the boy.”

“ Holy Mary!”

“ Get ready, Maya.”

He ended the call, and then stared at the computer in front of the dead girl. He deleted some things, removed the hard disc, then went out silently.

“ Gwen just fell. Come clean the mess before anyone finds out.” He said into the mouthpiece as he left the Organization's secret building.

I just pray dat this is not all 4 2day. ; thanks 4 the update tho

This story is captivating.

SEVEN

" What a coincidence!" Nadia said over the phone. "You are going for SWEP (Student Work Experience Program) in their place?"

"I was seriously surprised."

" I guess Abba does not know Adnan works there, he could have made them change it."

" I pray he never knows." She said. " At least I will get a glimpse of him daily."

" Are you saying he has stopped talking to you?"

" No but....he does not come to my house anymore. Not after what they did to him. And I can't go to his house."

" Naairah dear, you are so in love."

"You can say that over and over and over again my dear."

They chuckled.

" So now you have gotten the chance to see more of him."

" Yeah, even though he is a distributor and rarely stays around. But I will be glad to see him even if it for a minute."

" Are you sure about this?"

" About what?"

"Falling in love with someone and there seems to be no future between you."

" I don't know."

"The more you fall in love, the more it becomes more difficult to pull out. Can't we face reality?"

" That is reality dear. I love him and I can't just stop.....even Mama Loves him. She has not officially given me a green light but I know it. I don't want to pull out Nadia."

" I am not asking you to pull out. I am just scared of what will happen if Abba decides to marry you off to someone else."

" He won't force anyone on me."

" Yes but he can stop you from marrying the person you want."

" Till then."

" Okay dearie, what if Abba agrees that you should get married to Adnan, have you considered his financial status? How can he take care of you
with distribution of bread?"

" He is entitled to two loafs of bread daily so we would survive."

They laughed.

"You are making a joke out of it." Nadia said.

" Okay, I don't care. Adnan is not a lazy type. We will survive besides he is just nineteen and I am eighteen. We are not getting married tomorrow. He still has the chance to grow."

" Grow without education?"

" He has a GCE certificate and can still further his education, besides, what matters most is achieving your goals. MarK Zuckerberg started Facebook in the dormitory in Harvard. Facebook was originally meant for Harvard Students. When it expanded and its popularity exploded, he packed up his bags and relocated to Palo Alto, California, forever leaving behind Harvard.
He is the fifth richest person in the world today and very young. Tom Hanks also dropped out, same as Harrison Ford, Tiger Woods. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard just two years after entry and became the richest man in the world. And you dare not call them illiterates.
It is not everyone that is bent on using certificate to make it. Get the knowledge. I am not saying we should not go to school or having a certificate is not important but don't write off someone who has no certificate or consider him a failure.
So if anyone thinks Adnan, my Adnan is a write off, I say ntoooh, insha Allah....."

Nadia laughed.

" Ntooohh?"

" Yes. Like lolling tongue with widened eyes. But seriously I don't care what anyone thinks. I am perfectly okay with Adnan and I find joy, solace and satisfaction in him."

" Okay, this is the point where I give up and give you my blessings and support. Bring your head closer..."

" Bless who? When did we become age mates?"

Naairah swung the car out of the high way and climbed a boulevard.

" Now I'm sure my friend is in love." Nadia said. " And it seems there is nothing anyone can do about it."

" Mark that, stamp it, seal it, and store as a theory."

" Whoa! Okay, I have heard."

" See you dearie."

" Sure. My regards to....."

" Hayati."

"Toh?"

" I am sorry I never told you. I have been calling him that for long."

" Hmmm...so you have been keeping this from me..."

" I saw you as part of those who were not too keen on the relationship. I know you are just trying to protect me and you have your reasons so do not think I am reproaching you. I just want to be left alone to love and feel loved ."

" You have been left alone. I am solidly behind you."

" Okay baby, I think I am almost there. My heart is already beating faster. I am going to see him...."

" Just be careful.""I am. Bye."

" Bye."

She drove into the premises and parked the car in the parking lots. She alighted, locked the car doors then walked into the administrative building. A security man smiled at her.

" I guess you are Miss Naairah Mukhtar, the SWEP student?"

" Yes."

" The CEO has been expecting you." He said. " You will be taken to his office."

"Thank you." She said. Another man who looked like a messenger led her to a big, palatial office where the CEO sat majestically.
She stood for a while, watching in befuddlement as he smiled at her.

" What is going on here?" She asked with a frown. " What are you doing here?"

He broadened his face into a wolfish grin.

" I am the CEO of this place which we just acquired." Zayyad said proudly. " Welcome Miss Naairah Mukhtar. I hope you would enjoy your SWEP
here. I will personally see to that." He pressed a switch and talked through an electronic messenger.

" Please let my messenger bring cappuccino." He said. " Please sit down."

" What is this all about?" She asked. " Was it you and Abba that made them bring me here?"

" Let us say it is just a sheer coincidence." He said. " Please sit down and I would appreciate it if we keep personal issues aside and be more professional. You have something important to do here. Our report matters."She reluctantly moved and sat down at a chair opposite him.

" Can I have your letter please?"

She opened her bag, brought it out and passed it to him.

There was a knock before the messenger came in. Naairah had never seen such a uniform. It was badly sawn and made oversized. The Cap was like a paper cap children made in primary schools but this one was so shapeless you could hardly tell if it was a face cap, beret or bowler hat.
Then the word 'messenger' was boldly written on the chest.
He brought in a big percolator and dropped it on the table.

" Thank you ....messenger." Zayyad said.

Naairah was shocked to see that Adnan was the messenger.

Nice update

Zayaad is trying everything to frustrate adnan
but I believe he will fail .

Listen to me young man, " he said, " I do not want to see you with my daughter again. You are not compatible. Two different worlds. You must have noticed that from the introductions. I advise you to go and look for a girl who was raised in an orphanage so you could be with her.
If it is food you want, do not come to her. I will give you food allowance every month. Ten thousand Naira. I have nothing against you. I am willing to help you, but please stay away from my daughter."

o my goodness, I barely comment on stories but this story is lit. Your use of Muslim words and Hausa is phenomenon. your mode of update is outstanding. infact I have been laughing helplessly at the office especially at the page where adnan had to act up outside the bakery. thumbs up dearie. I think u got a fan here. waiting patiently for a the next update.

Walter closed his eyes and felt as if he was falling from the sky, he could hear sound of wind, roaring engine, woman screaming and he was holding on to something or...someone.
He opened his eyes and looked at the debris again.
Aadila fell into the ocean, he was almost certain. Who was Aadila? He knew the name and she was there but why?

Parachute.

Pilot.

Let him go! Let him go!

He frowned.

There was a boy, an infant with him. What happened to the boy?
He rummaged through the debris but found nothing substantial. He checked again, trying Hard to remember something, just to give him a clue of his identity. Then he saw a small bag. He picked it, opened it and saw a small cradle.
The cradle sparked up some images in his head.
He could see a woman holding an infant, and the infant was crying, and a man was with her, smiling and then kissed her.
He looked at his reflection on a fallen glass. Was he the man with the woman?
Was that Aadila? What happened to the boy?

Hold on to me! I have him! I have the boy!

Aadilaaaaaaaa!!!

She fell into the ocean.

Then the boy?

The pilot jumped off with the boy. A boy in a cradle.

But he could not remember where they took off from or how he came into this country. Where were they going to? This was a private jet.
He remembered mentioning private plane to Dr Mark. That was before he saw this.
He carried the bag and put the EBM inside. There was nothing more to find. He could not remember what the EBM was used for but he knew it. He had subconsciously used a code to open it and something told him that the code was very private and important.
He walked down the slope and headed towards the ocean. Unknown to him, the bald headed man and Maya were on their way to Bolivia.

Gajere sat near a tree and lit a stick of cigarette.

" Good morning doctor."

"Morning. What did you find?"

" I followed the girl and she led me to a confectionery. I am afraid the girl is your niece."

"What girl?"

"My lead to the boy. I told you about a family that knows him."

" Hmmm...."

" The boy works there. I think it is going to be easy."

"How?"

" Alhaji Ibrahim Tofa bought the place for his son, Zayyad. It would be easy to plant someone."

" They must not know what we are into." He said. " Just keep the boy on watch. I just want to be sure he has that mark."

" I will doctor." He said. " Have you talked to Addy."

" Yes. " Said Dr Abbas. " He is in the loop."

"Very good, sir. Bolivia is a long time from now."

" Now shut up!"

" I will shut up. It is part of my duty." Gajere said. " I think I have an idea....."

It was lunch break, Naairah walked gorgeously and men stared tantalizingly at her. There was a time that it meant everything to her but not anymore. She appreciated being admired and making her feel attractive was good. At least every woman did want that but she was beginning to have a different perspective.
She saw him sitting alone on a chair, sequestered from the workers who were eating around the canteens. Naairah saw a guy split bread into two, then poured zobo juice and groundnut in the middle part then munched.

What!

Another held the bread, and then compressed it until it became so dense and looked very small. He had dan-wake by his side and a palatable meal was in place. Naairah realised that this was a place where bread was taken in various styles.
The men began to gawk at her.

Whoa!
What a chic.

“ My guy,” one of them said to his friend in a low tone, “ this kind girl dey mess ( do such a girl fart)?”

“ How fine girl go mess ( how can such a pretty girl fart)?” his friend replied.

“She go mess only when she chop bread.( She would only fart when she eats bread)” A third guy said sarcastically. “ Idiots.”

“ O boy, money good o ( oh boy, money is good). I hear say na the new oga get am( I heard she belongs to our new boss).” The first guy said. “ Dem say na SWEEP she come sweep ( They said she came to sweep). Which kind subject be that for ogba( What kind of subject is that in the university)? Wey fine girl go come sweep ( making a beautiful girl to come and sweep)?

The two other guys laughed.

“ Chai! Ado, you no go kill me( Damn! Ado, you will not kill me).” The second guy said. “ No be SWEEP na SWEP(It's not SWEEP but SWEP). I no know the full meaning but e be like say na workshop something something wey them they do for university JSS2( I don’t know its full meaning but it has something to do with workshop which is usually done in university JSS2)”

“Which one be university JSS 2 again( What is university JSS2)?” the third guy asked. “ 200 level.”

“Thank you.” Said the second guy. “ But I remember, the time wey we live near Ekpoma, mostly na for school them dey do am (But I remember, the time we lived near the university of Ekpoma, it was mostly carried out in school.) .”

“ I for say o.” Ado said. “ O boy, see belewu! E be like say she dey measure her steps, you no se say e dey equal? “

“If you like no chop your bread, sit down dey look something wey pass poor man power.” Said the third guy.

“ Wetin she dey find here nah?” Ado asked, all of his attention on her. “ Wait o, nah Adnan place she come o”

“ Na lie.” Said the second guy.”

“ Maybe e want send am. Adnan don become messenger nah.” Said the third guy.

“ Chai! Person wey we dey say don promote go distributor come back to messenger with uniform wey be like Captain Kolo own.”

They burst into laughter.

She went straight and sat next to him. The way she looked at him, and the smile that radiated from her eyes was an epitome of love and affection.
The men there were more than shocked.

“ I have been looking for you.” She said.

“ It was lunch time and we usually have lunch here.”

“ But you are not eating.”

“ I had a swell breakfast…..”

“ That is not true Ya Hayati.”

The way she pronounced the name was so sensuous, infectious; compassionate which made Adnan felt a swirl of love that erupted like a blizzard, so powerful it could clear all obstacles.

“ I know you are perturbed.” She said. “ Don’t let Zayyad’s childishness get over you. The more they try to take me away from you, the more I feel more attracted to you. If you feel so bad, you can resign. I will find something to keep you going.”
Adnan looked at her, and his eyes expressed brio, affection, sensitivity and glamour. She loved him more than she could imagine. There was no man she had ever felt this for and she was scared she would never again. She prayed that he should be the one that she would call hers.

“ I cannot resign now. You are still a student and all you get is from Abba. I don’t want to live on that. Zayyad is bent on destroying me. I lost my night job..”

“What?”

“ Yes. Some materials were stolen and I was summoned. It had never happened and I was accused. The manager wanted to get me arrested so Zayyad moved in. How did he know? He promised to pay for what was lost and he paid.
I was now homeless. He took me to a house, and asked me to clear a room where I could stay. It was used as a poultry. I have no savings. I just finished paying my debts so I had to swallow my pride. I swept the room, washed it and moved in.
He also made his father buy this place just to get at me. He sacked me before given me an offer of messenger. I never told you because you would be disturbed. Now , he feels I am completely under him.
But there is something he does not know. I got that place wired and automated. I saw them stealing the things. Zayyad organized it. I have it on record. I could have electrocuted them if I wish. That is how I have been guarding that place. Anything weighing more than two kilogram cannot go there without my PDA notifying me and I can control it from a distance of three hundred kilometres.”

“ What? How? Wait, Why did you let them go away?”

“ Because there will be questions. How did I do it and I have secrets. I have a past. It was a period I called the micro-chip era. It will not be healthy for you to know the details. I have something that if it gets into the wrong hands, there will be disaster. It was also destroying me so I let it lie low. I have never told anyone this. I trust you, totally. So I let Zayyad fool himself. I will hang on for a while.

Miss Sunshine, even when I try to leave, go far away from you, scared that if you are given to someone else I would be annihilated, hoping to forget you and move on, not because I want to, because I have to. I see a wall in-between us, unbreakable, impenetrable, inscrutable, and I fear what will happen if you are made to leave me.
But now my heart is ebulliently filled with zestful love which I find so indestructible, unshakable, undeniable, and indubitably spread out for you and just for you. This love for you that I feel inside me can destroy that wall. I am not scared anymore. I am going to fight for you. We have to fight for what we want and Allah will be our helper, insha Allah. I love you, Miss Sunshine”

She was speechless for a few seconds, trying to register his words which were just stimulating inside of her, along with a sweet sensation, and invigorating wave which merged to make her heart so sacchariferous.

“ I don’t care about your past. We all have past mistakes. What really matters is the present and future. And deep down I trust and love you. Whatever it is, I want you to know that I will always be there for you. I am willing to be there whenever you need me.”

“ I know this sounds crazy but….okay, I know we are so young and I am not in the right position to ask this but…..” he hesitated, “ I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Can you marry me or…..will you marry me?”

The time was here.

She covered her face in shame, with a smile. She was trying to say something when a voice interrupted.

“Messenger!”Zayyad called and his jaw clenched. His heart rate increased and he felt hit internally. He was finding hard it to control himself. The manner at which they sat, the expression on their faces showed a serene lovely moment of two people madly in love.

Adnan looked up shocked.
Ado pointed his mouth.

“ O boy!” he whispered. “ E be like say na action film we dey watch here. Na dis part wey you go hear ghen ghen! Ghen ghen ghen ghen!”

“ Adnan don enter gbege.” Said the second guy “ the girl go enter him senses now.”

“ E be like say Adnan and the chico don sabi each other like tey tey. The kind munye munye wey dem dey do no get part two. E be like say na Leonardo Caprison( Leonardo DiCaprio) and Kate Henshaw ( Kate Winslet) dem be. Then oga na Cal Hockey ( Cal Hockley portrayed by Billy Zane).”

The second guy chuckled.

“ E’e na Leonardo Bobo and Mercy Johnson no be only Kate Henshaw.”

Adnan looked at Zayyad . Why must he come at this moment? What was wrong with this guy?

“ Sir?” Adnan replied. “

“ I need you to go and wash my car. I want to go out.”

“ It is lunch break time, sir and washing of cars is not part of my duties.”

“Ghen ghen.” Ado said excitedly but making sure he was talking low.

“ What? Did you just say that to me?”

“ Have I said anything wrong, sir? I am a company messenger not a personal house help.”

“ But I own the company you idiot! How dare you talk back at me you street tout!”

“ I know your father bought the company.”

“At least I have a father who can buy this for me!”

“ Zayyad what is wrong with you?” Naairah cut in. “ You are acting rather childish. Can’t you see that you are ridiculing yourself? If you made Abba work my SWEP here in other to humiliate him, or get me closer to you, then you have failed because you end up humiliating yourself.
He is not your personal cleaner and this is lunch time and we need to be together. Can you please leave us alone?”

“ Kpakam!” Ado exclaimed. “I no dey wey e happen!”

Naairah turned at Adnan.

“ Yes, I will marry you my Adnan.”

Adnan smiled.

What ? Zayyad could not take it anymore. He was boiling. He took quick steps and went to where they sat.

“ You idiot, I saved your ass from the people you stole from! I gave you a job and a home!”

He raised his hand attempted to slap Adnan who quickly blocked him and pushed him.

“ I respected her brothers and never fought back.” He said. “ I don’t think I will do the same with you.”

“Are you trying to fight me? “ Zayyad asked.

“ What is wrong with you? I can’t believe you are like this!” Naairah said.

Adnan removed the shapeless cap and placed it on Zayyad’s head.

“ Have your cap! I am out of here, Damn your job. And I will leave the chicken cage you put me.” He said, even though he had nowhere else to go but he could not take it anymore. It would not be his first time of being homeless. “ And mind you, I know you and your thugs moved those items. You were dressed in brown top and white chinos. I can tell you how you did it in details. I got it on tape. That place is wired so be careful how you rant.”

“ What?”

“It is a shame, Zayyad.” Naairah said. “ I guess I am out of here. I am not doing any SWEP here. I am going to do it in school. Have a nice day.”

She turned at Adnan. “ Please let’s go, Hayati…..my future husband insha Allah.”

They left him standing there.

He picked his phone and began to dial a number. Alhaji Mukhtar must hear this but…..did Adnan just say he has the moving of things on tape? He had correctly described the scene. Okay, he had to play it more tactically. He ended the call.

God! This just happened in the presence of his members of staff.

Naairah and Adnan left in her car after he carried his belongings.

“ So, what's next?” she asked.

“ I need to move my things to safe place.”

“Where ?”

He kept quiet.

“ I will figure it out.”

“ I can give you some amount of money to stay in a hotel for at least one week before we sort things out and get you a permanent place.”

“ Yeah but…..”

“Please don’t go there. I understand your ego and I know a lot of ladies who help men later turn out to say things like ‘I took you out of the gutter, I did this and that,’ at the slightest provocation but this is different. I will never do that. You did not ask for it. I offered. We are meant to lean on each other, help each other when in need.
Please let me have the honour of being there for you. I just want to help and I consider it a privilege.”

“ Do you know my problem with you?”

“ No?”

“ You are too sugary.”

She blushed.

“Thank you.” She said. “ And I loved the way you put the cap on him and guess the crazy thing I did..’

“What?’

“I got the picture on my phone.”

They laughed.

“ About the marriage, did you really say yes or that was just to piss him off?” He asked.

“ Now you will be the one to piss me off if you ever think that was a joke.”

He kept quiet.

“ I told your father that I could not remember the people who adopted me.”

“Yes. And I wish you did. You could reconcile and let them stand for you.”

“ I do remember them.”

“What?”

“I saw his son, who bore the same name with me in your house one day.”

“Addy?”

“ Yes?”

“He is my cousin.”

“ What?”

“ He is the son to Dr Abbas, my father’s elder brother. Wait! Ya Salam! You mean you were with them? Adnan Abbas. Is that the Abbas you bear?” Then something nudged her brain. “ The mark! I told you I have seen it before! Addy has the mark. Same point, same mark.”
Damn! Adnan now remembered some strange things that happened when they were kids.

“ They must not know that I am alive.”

She was forced to stop the car abruptly.

“ What is going on? It is getting spooky.”

“ I was young but I noticed some things. I cannot figure it out but they would not be happy to find me alive.”

A blue car drove past them. Gajere was at the passenger’s side door.

“Move on.” He told the driver. “ They might get suspicious.”




" Tell me more about Addy." Adnan said as he arranged his laptops in a wardrobe of the hotel he just checked into.

Naairah was sitting on a chair, playing a game with her phone.

" What do I know about him? Addy has always been a mystery. Okay, we were based in Lagos when I was a kid but their father came back from Bolivia and based here in Abuja. I never met Addy until I was eleven and he was twelve. He had always been taken so special by his parents. I guess that is why I never met you.
The father is stupendously rich and Addy attended all his schools abroad. He never schooled in Nigeria. A grade school kid in America. And he never really mixed up with kids. His siblings were normal kids but he was not.
But when we met, we used to play and his father would call him. He had a personal playground which was like an amusement park. It was during those times I saw the mark. So I know little about him and being the person I grew up to be, I never cared to give him a second look.
He bought a car worth two hundred million naira for his eighteenth birthday, brought in Raymond G from US to perform along with Di Crystals.

So he got this class that makes him feel on top of the world. And his father was the one who raised my dad. I was told that things were rough for us. My elder brothers told me how they would 'smoke' garri thrice a day. So Abba has a lot of respect for him. Addy is currently in Nigeria but travels out frequently. I don't know what to say more."

Adnan closed the door to the wardrobe, standing with hands akimbo, he smiled.

" You have said enough." He said.

" So why do you think they would not want you to be alive?"

" I just feel there is a form of impersonation in play." He said. " But I can't figure it out now. As a kid, they used to collect my blood yearly, and some part of my hair. A white man used to do this. I dared not ask why. But as I grew older, I became more inquisitive.
It was the first time I heard the word DNA and that single word led me to science world. I was eight years old then. One day, after collecting my blood, I hid and heard them talking about sending Dr Abbas' blood too.
Then they called Addy in, induce my blood into his arm. I don't know how they did it then. It was later I realized it was a trick. The induced blood would be at a trapped vein which they used some tubes to trap, then they shot a video of them collecting his blood whereas it was my blood they were collecting.
They were sending my DNA somewhere. And they would also send DR Abbas'. I just can't figure it out."

Naairah frowned.

" This is spooky."

" Many things about my life is." He said. Adnan believed that Dr Abbas was trying to make whoever he was sending it to believe Addy was him. And if he sent his, could it be that Dr Abbas Was his father? If that was true, then Naairah was his cousin and her father his uncle! No! He took the thought out of his mind. There had to be an explanation.

" I guess Abba does not know this."

" I don't think so but the first time I saw him, I knew the face was familiar then it added up the day I saw Addy. But he would never recognise me. He rarely visited the house then and any time he came, he went into Dr Abbas' chamber and I dared not go close to that place."

Naairah was silent for a while.

" I always felt something strange about Addy. He was just not a normal kid and I wonder how he made so much money though his father is rich. I mean rich and he made Zayyad's father a governor. He is politically strong. All he did was to flick a finger and Abba was a strong man in the government."

" What was he doing in Bolivia?"

She shrugged.

" I don't know. He was in America before we went to Bolivia." She said. " I was not born when he was in USA. They said he came back one year before my birth."

Adnan thought of what Bash told him. Some conflicted with what he heard now while some correlated. There seemed to be a lot of mysteries and he was bent on finding out. He had to know who he was.
Adnan thought for a few seconds and then went into the wardrobe and brought out a PDA.

" This is the peak of my trust for you, Miss Sunshine." He said as he handed it to her. It was an Apple product. " I am going to teach you something. Something I have never trusted anyone with. But you must promise me that if......if anything happens to me, you will destroy it. Burn it because if this goes into the wrong hands, there would be turmoil in the world."

She frowned.

" Now, I am confused."

" It is confusing and do not bother asking about technicalities." He said. " I will only teach you its application and how to use it. You will be the only one, apart from me who knows about this." He put on the PDA.

It looked so ordinary to Naairah. The applications were conventional.

" Look at this." He said.

" What?"

" Can you see this dot?"

She looked closely.

" Yes."

" That is an icon."

"What?"

" That is an application that I would not sell for one hundred billion dollars. If it falls into the wrong hands, like I said, the upheaval and atrocity that will follow will be extremely destructive. I have not been using it myself. It was what led me to the micro-chip era.
Only I can control it. That is why I said if anything should happen to me, burn this PDA." He said. " That PDA is customised. I upgraded it and changed some devices. It has a RAM of 1000GB. The speed is supersonic. You can download thousands of movies within seconds. I don't use it for movies. It is far deeper than you can imagine.
I will not bore you with technicalities. I have a mini of it on me. I will teach you how to use this. I think it will be important. I am dealing with some people I don't trust but I have decided to play along.....cause they have some answers to some of my questions. I must find out who I am. Please do not ask me of details.
Knowing will not be healthy for you. I don't want to get you in trouble. Getting my crazy ideas to this level took almost all of my time and resources. See why you see me with crazy textbooks and numerous laptops with a maverick nature.
Please never have a best friend you will tell this. This is like handling my life to you. And there are codes, and biometric measures needed to use the app. Only you can use it."

She sighed. This guy was more enigmatic than she had anticipated. Who could have thought that the bread seller and 'maigadi' was an ICT wizkid?

" I don't get the part of if you are no more...... what are you keeping? Don't tell me you will die on me.....are you in trouble? Are you expecting your death?"

Before he could explain, she broke into tears.

He had never dreamt of having someone who would miss him when he was gone so he did not care much. Now, as he saw the fear and care on her, he felt tears in his eyes. He had a life now and he wanted to live it. He wanted to be there for her.

" No, Miss Sunshine." He said. " I am just nineteen. We will get married on 10th of March, four years from now, insha Allah. Mark that."

The words which he said with seriousness and consolation made her glance at him. Amid tears, she blushed and smugly smiled as she wiped off tears.




Gajere was sitting in a car outside the hotel.

" I think he has settled in." he said. " We will find out tonight, sir, if he has the mark or not."

Nice story God dey, following back to back.


Please do you have a site where one can read your stories from?

Most interesting episode so far.sokodobo you are da best.many thanks for making my day.

Oboiiii see tori. Whenever I come to nairaland to read stories I'm like damn it Naija has got talent. This one is something else

Op keep it up

wow, thanks for the long update..... anticipating the next update.

SokoDobo has such raw talent...wow

don land ooooo,




OP u try gan ni ooo.. more of GOD ooooo

When i started reading dis part, i prayed 4 it nt to end, but alas...





Waiting 4 the next update.

SokoDobo:


Haaa!!! Suicide!!! Abeg ooo. No go dia.

Thanks for the complement.

Bro ur story no novel iz too much.More grease 2 ur elbow.Very intriguing,hilarious and enlightening.

Leonardo caprison ke

Sokodobo.......Awesome writer