PROLOGUE
‘DAYDREAMING’
Looking out through the window in his room; the burglar bars obscuring his view, Ola struggled to get a good view of Sharon; his neighbor.
She was downstairs at the back of the house spreading clothes; her tee shirt wet from fetching water for washing; the water basin a willing accomplice to his fantasies, dousing her with its contents as she went back and forth.
Her firm buttocks straining against the small wrapper she tied around her waist.
Her breasts jiggled as she went through the motions of spreading the clothes; her nipples visible from beneath the wet tee shirt which clung to her massive breasts like latex gloves on the hands of a surgeon.
‘Ohhhhh’ he groaned as she finished up her chores and stretched out before sitting down on a small concrete slab, giving him ample view of her cleavage as she did.
He imagined his hands all over her fair smooth skin; his tongue wrapped around her nipples
‘I wonder if she has dark or brown nipples’ he said to himself as he stared at her, his eyes peeling off her clothes —piece by piece.
Sharon stood up as she released and tightened her wrapper around her narrow waist to reveal fair smooth thighs.
Ola looked on longingly even when she was out of view; closing his eyes and breathing in deep as if to capture her essence in his mind.
He often dreamt of the day he would hold her in his arms and whisper sweet nothings in her ears as she laid on his chest; praising his virility, her soul reaching out to him in the afterglow of their energetic lovemaking.
The James Hadley Chase novel he was reading fell as he sat on the worn out sofa by the bed, he paid no notice to the scantily clad girl on the cover as he picked it up and flung it onto the pile of other novels by the portable disc player on the rug.
He loved to read detective and spy novels, but that couldn’t cure his itch right now.
He smiled and closed his eyes. He needed to day dream a little—he had never craved for anything so much before.

CHAPTER 1
KONGO
Sharon frowned as she walked into the flat she shared with her uncle and his family.
It was a rather bare looking two bedroom apartment.
The house was located in Agege, an ageing slum in Lagos.
An area that housed a growing and blooming middle class became a slum due to the erosion of the middle income earning bracket in the country.
The Economic downturn brought on by a failed Social Adjustment Program (SAP) hit hard and most residents of the area, much like the rest of such places across the country, lost jobs and grew accustomed to a diminished income.
Squalor was evident and obvious for all to see.
The building was known as Ile Agbalumo, named after the previous owner who had made a fortune back in the days from trading in farm produce, especially the Agbalumo.
Traders would come from far and wide with trucks and other vehicles to purchase goods.
It was a beehive of activity until Baba Agba, the owner passed on.
His children squabbled in court for decades and by the time the case was settled, the business had run aground and the squalor in the neighborhood deterred his family from settling back there.
A caretaker was hired and the once beautiful house was renovated to fit three apartments; a single room and two bedroom flats, the imposing courtyard a constant reminder of what once was, the trees long gone and the grass replaced with parched earth.
Sharon’s uncle worked in a carton manufacturing company as a machine operator.
He made a modest salary which was inadequate for a family of five children not counting Sharon and Mama Ogechi, his wife.
Sleeping arrangements were settled at the end of each day as only her uncle and his wife had a permanent room, the others had to jostle for space in the other bedroom.
Sharon had since learnt to sleep in the living room to spare herself the hassle. She had been brought from the village to get an education here in the city but the JAMB qualifying exam which she had to pass to get to the university had put her dream on hold for the moment.
After three unsuccessful attempts, her uncle had told her to find a way to pay for it as he couldn’t afford to waste his hard earned money on her any longer thus her present predicament of chores, chores, chores and more chores all day long.
Ogechi was the eldest child of the family and she had four younger siblings; Chinyere, Chinedu, Amara and the last child Chisom who was just two years old.
They were all female children and Mama Ogechi continuously reminded her husband about trying for a male child much to his consternation and anger.
‘Are we going to feed more children with sawdust?’ was his usual retort but they usually retired to their room early; the sounds of their lovemaking barely masked by the volume of the old television set in the living room.
Sharon went into the bathroom to take a bath and as she turned the tap waiting for the water to fill the bucket; she secured the door with the latch and took off her wet clothes, setting them aside by the door.
She admired herself as she ran her hands over her firm breasts; slightly grazing her nipples, the action sending mini shock waves down to her feet.
Sharon was of average height and her fair complexion, large breasts and thick thighs always drew stares from the men folk in the neighborhood.
She gently massaged her breasts with both hands; kneading them softly as she pinched her nipples, her eyes closed as they grew hard, the areola around them standing erect like a Braille text; a soft moan escaping her full parted lips.
She reached for the bar of soap and lathered herself from head to toe; spending more time on her fleshy lower lips, parting them with her fingers and exposing her inner flower which had become aroused.
Sharon grazed the nub ever so gently eliciting a moan which was louder than she wanted it to be.
As she ran her fingers in gentle slow circles around her ever growing desire, she thought of Uche; her one true love who had taken her innocence and made her a woman.
Thoughts of their passionate time back in the village sent her pulse racing harder, she could still feel his mouth on her nipples, his warm breath caressing her breasts as he sucked on them tenderly.
Her knees trembled as she leaned back on the wall; its cold damp surface a stark contrast to the heat from within.
When she opened her eyes everything felt hazy and it took a minute to clear her thoughts; she sighed as she reached out and poured water on her body, rinsing the lather off her most intimate parts.
Pa Ogechi looked on from his hiding spot behind the window; thick smoke drifting out of his nostrils as he took a large drag from the cigarette hanging between his lips.
‘Come rain or shine, I will taste this kongo’ he said to himself as he walked away, his cock itching to be free of his tight shorts.

CHAPTER 2
‘NYEM 3 FILMS’
Ola was bored; he threw down the Sherlock Holmes he had been reading and went through the rack of DVDs’ on the floor of his room looking for something to pass the time.
He never bothered to read the newspapers anymore, all they ever wrote about were the elections that had just been concluded.
For the first time in Nigeria’s’ history an incumbent president had been voted out; he wondered if truly change was afoot.
His university was on their usual bi annual workers strike and he had come home to find an empty house.
He stayed with his elder brother who had now been transferred to another city, leaving him in the rented apartment alone and bored.
He had never been a ladies’ man and even though he had the gift of garb; he still lacked the confidence to make the first move on a lady, his only sexual conquest coming at the hands of Ella, ‘toto schilachi’ as she was known in coded lingo.
Ella was a cheerful giver and didn’t need much persuasion to open her legs; it was rumored she had once bedded fourteen boys in a single night, some boys going more than a round each.
Ola lifted his 6 foot frame off the bed and slipped on his jeans, he wondered how he could still be a size 32 waist after all these years. It was as if he hadn’t grown in years.
He stood in front of the small wall mounted mirror and combed the small stubble beneath his chin, smirking at his reflection he smiled and remembered his friend Bobby Ray from school; the Italian smile Bobby called the half smirk, half smile.
He laughed out loud as he put on a tee shirt, lifting his shoulders to look broader.
‘Not bad for a 22 year old’ he said to himself.
Ola slipped on his well worn sandals and headed towards the video club down the street and as he passed by the Aboki’s kiosk, he saw a pretty girl seated there and decided to get a closer view.
She looked even more stunning up close and as he bought his usual five sticks of cigarettes he wondered how best to start a conversation with her.
The girl wore an armless top that seemed a few sizes too small for her breasts; the flesh from her breasts spilling out from the space under her armpit, he wished he could just caress it.
‘Collect your change nah’ Umaru the Aboki said, disrupting his day dream, he glared at the Aboki and unable to approach the girl, he walked off feeling like he had lost a good catch.
Ola stopped by an abandoned carpentry shed to smoke a cigarette and looked around at the people that walked by.
This was Agege, an area that had a mix of working class people of limited means.
He wasn’t expecting to see a Ferrari drive by.
He could see Pa Adesina as he drove past in his run down Nissan that looked a million years old; Mama Dayo or Iya Eleyin as she was fondly called walked past carrying her eggs on a tray.
A sudden shout rent the air and as he had thought, Baba Eleso stood in the middle of the street with a hand held microphone attached to a small speaker advertising his herbal cures for all ailments
‘ E wa ra jedi, opa eyin, mokole, odara lara o mu inu dun, e ra agbo yin o’ he bellowed and before long was surrounded by a few men and women jostling for space around him to buy the various herbs which were wrapped in small transparent polythene bags.
He wasn’t surprised to see the friendly neighborhood scammer ‘Olumopo’ at the edge of the crowd.
He wore his usual attire of a red linen shirt that looked like it had been washed ashore during high tide and a white pair of jeans adorned with what must have been cutouts from an old hairy rug.
Ola dropped the cigarette stub on the floor, crushing it under his feet. He didn’t want to be noticed by Olumopo, the guy always seemed to have a get rich quick idea to discuss with him.
As he made to leave, from the corner of his eye he saw the same girl walk past him and he stepped out and walked behind her.
Her buttocks swayed with each movement she made, her tight jeans in obvious distress as they tried to contain the flesh underneath. She looked back and he smiled at her trying to catch her attention;
‘Hello’ he said to her ‘can I talk to you for a minute’ he continued,
She looked at him with a blank expression and looked away.
He felt discouraged but a second look at her buttocks seemed to inspire some confidence in him and he increased his pace to catch up with her; she must be some sort of model or maybe an actress he thought to himself and he made up his mind to talk to her at all costs.
She didn’t look like all those broke ass shaku shaku girls that he usually met in the area.


‘Hello’ he said once again
‘My name is Ola’ he started off in his most pristine English with a hint of faked British accent;
‘What’s a beautiful girl like you doing around here’ he asked,
She looked at him like he was from another planet, paying quite a bit of attention to his worn sandals and frayed jeans before looking away again; her nose wrinkling up as she did.
He felt deflated and slunk away, looking around him to see if anyone had caught his embarrassing situation.
Pretending to receive a call, he stopped by the side of the road; giving the girl time to walk away and as she turned the corner he took one last long look at her buttocks as it shook to the rhythm of her footsteps.
‘A day in the life of…’ he said to himself as he shrugged and made his way towards the makeshift container shop that housed Emeka’s DVD store;
‘My guy’ Emeka shouted out as he walked in, raising his hands in mock salute.
Ola laughed and enquired about any new films when he heard a shrill voice with a thick accent he found a bit unnerving.
‘Nyem three films nah’; he turned his head in irritation to look at the person and lo and behold it was the same girl he had tried in vain to approach just minutes earlier.
Emeka looked at her with a degree of annoyance and reeled off what couldn’t have been pleasant back to her in Igbo language, hissing several times in the process;
‘No mind am o’ Emeka started as he brought out some new films for Ola
‘Na so she go come here collect film no go pay waka’ he continued
‘She think say I be anamu, common English she no fit speak sef’ he hissed under his breath while handing the films over to him.
Ola smiled as he walked out of the store
‘Shaku shaku no be by face o’ he thought ‘all na packaging’.
He laughed as he walked off
‘Nyem 3 films indeed’

CHAPTER 3
‘THINGS FALL APART’
‘Sharon’ Pa Ogechi called out as he stepped in the apartment
‘Sir’ she responded, wondering what he wanted at this time of the night.
He had just come in from work and from the smell of alcohol that accompanied him into the hot apartment; it was obvious he had stopped by at Sisi Claras’ beer parlor on his way home.
She stood up from her makeshift bed on the small worn out sofa and quickly tied her wrapper more firmly around herself; it had been a hot night and with no light in the neighborhood, she had slept without any underwear.
She stood there in the dark living room waiting for his instruction but instead he looked at her for a little while and walked off towards his room; refusing her entreaties to carry his bag for him and slamming his door shut as he barged into his room.
Perplexed at his behavior; she lay back down but with her sleep already disrupted she knew it would take some time for her to drift off to sleep again.
She sat there in the dark and imagined how different life could have been had she not lost her father to the cold hands of death.
‘Nne’ he would call out to her in his deep voice as he came in from the farm. He would then carry her on his laps while singing his favorite Osita osadebe song ‘osondi owendi o’.
Tears formed in her eyes and she wiped them away with her wrapper; she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep still hearing the song as she did so, the mosquitoes humming around her ears like an old microphone at a musical concert.
Pa Ogechi sat in his room and stared at the sleeping mountain which was Mama Ogechi; her snoring in tandem with the sounds of mosquitoes as if in a live band rehearsal.
She had bore him five healthy and beautiful children but the attraction was not as before; her once slim figure replaced by years of abusing beer and pounded cassava— more of the latter he thought.
Her once voluptuous breasts now replaced by heaving bags of flesh which rested comfortably on her laps whenever she sat down, much like a sleeping child;
‘Things fall apart’ was the nickname he had given them.
His thoughts were instead with Sharon; his niece
‘Ohh what a kongo’ he thought to himself, a low whistle escaping his lips
He imagined his calloused hands all over her big breasts and his manhood in her feminine parts.
It wasn’t as if she was related to him by blood, he often told himself, her mother was from the same village as him, Awgu in Enugu State.
Once she was done with her secondary school at the catholic school in the town, she had been sent to him to help further her education.
He couldn’t say no as her mother was instrumental in getting him to marry Mama Ogechi, his wife. With all her other suitors in the village, he hadn’t stood a chance but she had pulled through for him and for that he felt he owed her a favor.
She had blossomed right before his eyes into a gorgeous and well endowed girl; if not for his work bag which he used to hide his manhood, she would have noticed the growing bulge in his trousers earlier.
He stood up and took off his clothes; looking at his wife as she lay there, gently removing her wrapper to expose her unclothedness; he didn’t need her to be awake for this.
He stroked himself with the images of Sharon’s bathroom antics in his mind; the veins on his neck straining as he climbed on top of his wakening wife; plunging into her sweaty wetness.


Ola couldn’t sleep; the mosquitoes were playing a ballad of songs in his ears and despite his battery powered fan which was at full speed, heat enveloped him like a blanket; sending beads of salty water trickling down his face to his back and unto the bed sheet, turning the color a darker shade of brown.
He sat up for the umpteenth time that night; swatting the mosquitoes away with his hand fan which he kept close by for such occasions.
He got up and stood by his window looking out at the stars above; thinking of the struggle to get into the university and now it was another struggle just to get out.
He shook his head and wished for better times ahead; he was tired of thinking of the solutions to Nigeria’s problems, the leaders knew what to do but it seemed they just didn’t care.
He sat back on the bed with an air of dejection; all he could do was to try and make his own way and hope for a better tomorrow.

CHAPTER 4
‘OTABA AKPA’
Mama Ogechi stood up at dawn and looked down at the sleeping form of her husband; her brow wrinkling up as she did so.
He lay there sprawled out like a hawk killed in the line of duty, his privates laid bare as if preparing to be circumcised.
His shriveled scrotum reminded her of the little snuff bag her father carried around in the village.
‘Wetem obele akpa Otaba’ her father would shout out to her; usually after a heavy meal followed by prolonged coughing
‘Pschewww’ she hissed as she tied her wrapper around her body
‘Foolish man’ she thought, remembering as he had climbed her roughly the previous night,
‘Whenever you don go drink your ogogoro, you go dey do like Mumu’ she said as she left the room.
She had to go and wash up; his seed was everywhere on her inner thighs, spilt before she even had a chance to enjoy the act.
She had been roused from her sleep the night before by his poking and prodding only to realize he was busy humping away in between her thighs; he had not even put his manhood in properly and while holding unto it trying to insert it, he had spilled his seed all over her hands and thighs and promptly slept off.
‘Chineke’ she exclaimed as she left the room
‘I don suffer o’ she thought to herself;
‘If no be for brother Chidi wey don travel’ she said under her breath, remembering her Thursday trysts with the choir master Chidi; who had now been posted to another parish.
‘See as this one dey sleep’ she said to Sharon’s sleeping form;
Noticing the wrapper had fallen off the girl’s body exposing her youthful breasts and firm thighs, she remembered her youth and how the young men would stand gazing at her voluptuous body as she made her way to the stream.
The thought made her angry and she slapped Sharon hard on her thighs
‘Wake up’ she shouted
‘Lazy thing’ she continued as she made to slap her again; missing her face by mere inches as the girl stood up dazed, tying her wrapper around her body as she hopped about while she itched the red spot on her thighs where the slap had made contact.
Mama ogechi made her way to the children’s room and roused Ogechi and Chinyere; the eldest ones from their sleep, gently admonishing them for waking up later than usual.
‘If no be for una school wey dey holiday una for still dey sleep like this?’ she asked them
She walked back to the bathroom which they all had to share; locked the door from within and tossed her wrapper aside, revealing her unclothedness underneath.
At 38 years old she didn’t look too bad she told herself.
She had gotten married at 23 and started child rearing less than a year later, she remembered mixed feelings when she was introduced to her husband to be.
She had always pictured herself with a dashing rich young man who would sweep her off her feet and give her the life she wanted.
She stood at full length and looked down at her massive breasts; holding them with both hands and massaging them slowly, her nipples immediately peaked at her touch and she closed her eyes
‘Ohhhhh it has been so long since they were touched tenderly’ she thought as she lifted them up and squeezed tightly.
She took water from the tap and cleaned off Pa Ogechi’s semen from her laps and as she did; played with the delicate flesh in between her thighs, feeling the wetness of her juices start to trickle out.
The mixed feelings never truly left her mind and it left her bitter.
She sighed as she rinsed off her hands; tied her wrapper and made her way out of the bathroom making a mental note to call Chidi later that day.


Ola stood there frozen with fear as he watched Mama Ogechi touch herself; he had come down at dawn to smoke a cigarette and take some fresh air when he heard the sound of the tap running in his neighbors’ bathroom and his curiosity had gotten the better of him.
He didn’t imagine it would be Mama Ogechi; with grown up girls in the house he had assumed it would be one of them— he had wished it were Sharon.
He couldn’t believe the size of her breasts; it reminded him of the black rubber gourds they used often times to fetch water from the well in his boarding house, slim at the top and big towards the bottom as it filled with water.
He was surprisingly aroused and wondered how such a skinny old man could satisfy such a woman; the age difference between them had to be at least 15 to 20 years,
‘Choi’ he muttered under his breath as he walked away.
His briefs had become tight and uncomfortable.

CHAPTER 5
THE CARETAKER
Pa Ogechi woke up as the gates to the compound were being dragged open; the main gate was hardly used as neither occupant possessed a vehicle and thus only the pedestrian gate was used.
He got up and looked through his bedroom window as a bus loaded to the brim drove in; flanked by several people and he strained his eyes to see if he recognized anyone to no avail.
He looked down and wondered why he was naked; he noticed the semen stuck to his c**k and memories of the night before came back to him slowly.
‘Sisi Clara no go kill me’ he muttered under his breath as he walked over to the pile of clothes inside the laundry bin, tipping the lid over as he rummaged through it.
He picked out a pair of shorts and a white tee shirt that had an image of an elderly woman on it. Looking at the image he remembered it was one of the souvenirs given out at his late mothers’ burial ceremony.
‘Amarachi Stella Ogheneku’ he said to himself, calling out her full name,
‘Rest in peace mama’ he continued as he lit a cigarette and stepped out of the apartment.
He breathed in the fresh morning air and as he looked up noticed the thick form of the caretaker waddling into the premises.
Mr. Amaechi was a difficult man to describe; his ill fitting shirts only gave credence to his rumored love for alcoholic beverages, his stomach looked like something that would have been worshipped were he on another planet.
He didn’t like to be called a short man; if only the flesh along his waistline could be added to his height he would probably be the tallest man in the neighborhood.
He was sweating profusely as he struggled to keep up with the middle aged man that walked alongside him; taking two steps for every one the man took, his discomfort very evident in his eyes.
‘Hello Pa Ogechi’ Ameachi said, smiling as he met Pa Ogechi’s outstretched hands and shook them warmly, his hands were sweaty and Pa Ogechi had to wipe his hands on his shorts, throwing away his cigarette as he did so.
‘This is your new neighbor Mr. Akintunde’ the caretaker continued
‘He is moving into the vacant two bed room next to yours with his wife and daughter’.
Mr. Akintunde looked like a well educated man; his well starched short sleeved shirt was tucked into his khaki brown trousers and he wore a pair of expensive looking leather sandals.
He smiled as they shook hands; the gold watch he wore on his right hand rattling slightly as he did;
Turning to Mr. Amaechi he said
‘Please after you’ and walked towards the apartment; he walked in such a dignified manner and as he turned to follow him, the caretaker whispered
‘Na pastor o, he’s a very good man, e no get problem at all’.
With that he hurried over to the door; unlocked it and then gave it a good kick before it opened, a nervous laugh accompanying his actions.

CHAPTER 6
‘CHOIR PRACTICE’
‘Brother Chidi was in town!!!’
Mama Ogechi’s joy knew no bounds; she sang and danced as she went about her chores, she even patted Sharon on her back as she washed the dishes used for lunch.
‘Is mama ok?’ Ogechi asked Sharon,
‘She has been behaving strange all day’ she continued, looking at her mother as she sang and danced from the bathroom back to her bedroom.
‘She is always so excited to go for choir practice’ Chinedu added as they all sat huddled in front of the TV; Sharon shrugged and set Chisom down on the floor , giving Amara the last spoon of rice on the plate before packing the dishes and taking them to the kitchen.
‘Tell your father I have gone for choir practice’ she said as she walked out of the apartment.
She waved a greeting to their new neighbor Mr. Akintunde as she left the compound, his eyes following her every step till she was out of view.
Mr. Akintunde looked on as his neighbors’ wife walked away, he had been in the house for just over a week and she always seemed to look at him a certain way.
He knew the ways of women and his heart told him this tall voluptuous woman was wayward; he could have her easily if he wished to.
He glanced at his watch; stood up from his seat and walked back into the apartment.
He had to prepare his sermon for the upcoming concert.


Mama Ogechi danced and clapped throughout the rehearsal; her joy obvious for all to see, even the other choir members were amazed, she hadn’t seemed so happy in quite some time.
By the end of rehearsal, she was bathed in sweat as a result of the singing and dancing and she bade the others farewell, telling them she had to use the bathroom to freshen up.
She walked the short distance from the small children’s hall where rehearsals were held, past the generator house and church lawn, the water from the sprinklers felt cool on her skin as it sprayed her. She entered the main auditorium, making her way to the private restrooms used by the senior church workers.
Brother Chidi was already waiting and as she unlocked the door with the key he had given her earlier, he pounced upon sighting her, grabbing a handful of each breast from behind.
She shrieked in mock terror as he did so; laughing and swatting his hands away,
‘You no even fit call me’ she started but he was already getting undressed, his briefs flung away as if infected with a virus.
She smiled and untied her wrapper; grabbing unto his large c**k and watching in amazement as it grew hard and filled her hands, throbbing as it did.
Their love making a perfect blend with sounds made by the taps which he had turned on and before long Mama Ogechi’s moans filled the restroom; her knees buckled as she clenched her teeth, the tremors starting from her feet as her innermost desires came rushing out of her; leaving her panting.
‘I don miss you o’ she said in between mouthfuls of his cock as he remained silent; his eyes closed as he tried to calm himself in the aftermath of their quick, rigorous lovemaking.
‘I will be going back tomorrow evening’ he said ‘but I should be back by the end of the month’,
‘Ehn’ she shouted ‘month ke? How will I cope’,
He smiled as he took one of her large breasts in his mouth; the thick black tips disappearing between his lips as he suckled like a child denied the joys of breastfeeding.
She stroked him and was glad to see he was already responding but the sound of voices coming towards the restroom put paid to their adventure and they hurriedly dressed up, sealing their rendezvous with a goodbye kiss.

As Mama Ogechi walked home; she felt like she was floating on a cloud; brother Chidi’s seed mixed with her juices stuck to her thighs as she walked and all she could think of was his thick c**k;
‘Johnny Rambo’ she said to herself and laughed, oblivious of the strange stares from her neighbors as she entered the apartment.

CHAPTER 7
JOHNNY RAMBO
Chidi Ishiguzo was born in a small town not far from Abakaliki called Effiom; his flight to the big city was as a result of necessity.
Born into a family of seven; with no means of income for the family, poverty stuck to them like feces on a child’s buttocks and being the only male child, it fell to him to bear all the responsibility after his father’s untimely death.
There had been no will because everything his father owned could be found within their small mud house, his hunting rifle being the only thing of value left behind.
Chidi had two things going for him though; a large c**k and a sonorous voice, a voice which drew the single ladies in the small town to him and before long he had put more than one girl in the family way.
For a boy of fourteen, the pressure was unbearable and he fled in the thick of the night; the burden of committing an act of abomination too much for him to bear, the fear of punishment putting wind in his sails and leaving his ailing mother to deal with the aftermath of his actions...........

Chidi watched from the small window as Mama Ogechi walked away; something caught his eye as she turned the corner, like a flash of white around her right ankle but he just shrugged and instead turned his attention to the money which she had given him;
He smiled as he put the money in his pocket, adjusting himself properly before stepping out of the restroom.
He walked to the small church lawn and sat on one of the benches there; fishing out his phone, he dialed a number from memory
‘Hello sister Funke’ he started
‘May the lord be with you’ he continued
‘And also with you sir’ came the reply
‘I have the money you requested for, will you be available to pick it today?’ he asked
‘Yes sir, thank you very much sir’ the excited voice on the other end replied
‘I will find a way to come’ she responded ‘I will be with you shortly’.
Brother Chidi smiled as he ended the call; his c**k itched a little bit and he realized he hadn’t bothered to wash up after his earlier tryst.
The girl had begged him for assistance with her exam fees, he intended to help her but he wondered what extent she would go to get it, the thought filled him with a dark desire and he stood up to prepare for his young visitor.
CHAPTER 8
THE SPECTATOR
Ola watched in amusement as Mama Ogechi walked past him into the house; he couldn’t believe what he had seen,
‘Was it possible the rumors were true?’, he asked himself.
His cigarette suddenly seemed to leave a bitter taste in his mouth and he spat as he threw it away; he wondered if Mama Ogechi had truly gone to church.
The cool evening breeze he had been enjoying suddenly became more interesting and he vowed to find out more about her.
He tipped his imaginary cap like his idol Sherlock Holmes, thinking of where to start his investigation.
Mama Ogechi stood there in shock as soon as she stepped into her room to UnCloth and freshen up;
‘Chineke meeeeiiii’ she muttered under her breath
‘Thank my stars that Pa Ogechi has gone to work’
She looked down at her feet at her panties hanging on her right ankle, in her haste to leave the restroom after her romp with brother Chidi she must have forgotten to pull them up!!!
‘Haaaaa’ she exclaimed aloud once more; thinking of all the stares she had gotten while walking home and especially from the boy that stayed in the apartment upstairs.
She recalled as his mouth had dropped open when she passed by him
‘Choi’ she shouted
‘See my life o, see wetin kpekus don cause me o’.
All the joy and euphoria from her sexual escapade was gone; replaced by shame and guilt, shame at having been seen dragging her panties and guilt from what that small boy upstairs would probably say about her in the neighborhood.
She thought long and hard
‘I know wetin I go do’ she muttered as she picked up her clothes and fled to the bathroom, smacking Sharon out of her way as she did.


Ola saw the light come on in the bathroom of Pa Ogechis’ apartment and he briefly wondered who it could be; he hoped it was Sharon but deep down he secretly wished it was Mama Ogechi.
His heart leapt as Mama Ogechis massive breasts came into view.
She stood there naked, one hand caressing her breasts as she turned towards the window while speaking on the phone.
‘Brother Chidi’ she started off, giving him the full story about the panties and how embarrassed she was when she found out.
‘Your pe**s don kolo me o’ she said as she laughed over the incident;
Her massive breasts swayed to the rhythm of her laughter, with Olas’ eyeballs following their motion like a spectator at a fast paced tennis match.
His luck ran out as the security lights above the bathroom window came on; the suddenness of it all catching him unaware and he reacted like a deer caught in an on rushing cars headlights, frozen in place like a statue at Madam Tussauds.
Their eyes met and the startled look on her face seemed to spur him into action and he took to his heels; slowing down and trying to look casual as he passed by his new neighbor’s apartment.
He bumped into Dele Lanko; the neighborhood disc jockey and a well known lover of marijuana discussing with Mr. Akintunde about an upcoming church concert;
He said his greetings and as he tried to scurry away, Mr. Akintunde called him and invited him to the concert, he promised to be there, feigning haste as he moved along
‘Everybody get their own wahala’ he said under his breath as he hit the stairway to his apartment.

CHAPTER 9
MIDNIGHT KPEKUS
Mr. Akintunde sat on the small lounge chair by his front door; enveloped by the darkness which pervaded the neighborhood as a result of the usual inefficiency of the electricity company,
‘They can’t even disappoint us for one day and bring light’ he said to himself angrily as he swatted mosquitoes away with his hand fan.
He wondered how his wife could sleep through it all; her loud snores evidence of a sound sleep.
He decided to take his chance with the mosquitoes outside rather than stay in the heat of his room.
He adjusted the camp bed he was sitting on and stretched out to make himself a bit more comfortable.
As he dozed off he heard a slight shuffling sound and could just make out a large figure going upstairs to the young boys apartment;
‘Awon omo thicker body’ he muttered as he dozed off again, he didn’t care enough to be bothered to check who it was.


Mama Ogechi stopped by the dark stairwell and peeped out again; she hadn’t expected anyone to be outside at that time and she wondered if her new neighbor had seen her but after waiting for a while and not hearing any sounds, she summoned up the courage and climbed the staircase slowly and determinedly.

Ola heard a noise by his door; he sat up in bed and strained his ears trying to make out what it was, he had been unable to sleep anyways; thoughts of Sharon filled his mind and he had been watching porn on his mobile phone which also didn’t help matters.
He stood up sharply when he heard a slight knock; he raised his voice and shouted in his best agbero voice
‘Who be that’ he said, moving to the edge of the door and putting his back against it. This was a rough neighborhood and he had heard enough tales from Olumopo to make him worried.
Mama Ogechi paused in front of the door before answering back
‘Na me Mama Ogechi’ she whispered.
Ola opened the door and looked on in disbelief at the massive form of Mama Ogechi as she pushed him aside and came into his apartment;
‘Am I dreaming’ he asked himself,
She wore a wrapper around her but the way her buttocks jiggled underneath the wrapper made obvious her lack of underwear.
She turned to look at him and pointedly asked him about what had happened earlier; her lack of decorum exposed the weaker side of his character and he cowed by the door sounding rather unintelligible as he tried to down play what had occurred.
‘Err’ he started off but she cut him short
‘I know you saw my pant’ she said
‘Is that why you came to spy on me in the bathroom’ she asked him pointedly, arms crossed on her chest as she stood facing him.
‘I hope you are not thinking of opening that your dirty mouth about it in the compound’ she continued, her nose wrinkling up as she looked around the apartment.
The statement seemed to provoke a harder response from him
‘Excuse me’ he started ‘what you do with brother Chidi is your own business’ he said, puffing his chest out and standing as tall as he could.
She smiled and said
‘Haba, you don dey vex?’ she asked him, knowing she had to handle the situation better; she moved towards him saying
‘I dey see as you dey always look Sharon’ a sly smile crossed her face
‘I know say you like am’ she continued
‘If you keep quiet’ she said ‘you go enjoy wetin pass Sharon sef’.
She smiled again as she moved past him towards the door; using her fingers to graze his bare chest as she did, adjusting her wrapper and retying it in a slow deliberate way around her chest as if it were coming loose, giving him ample view of her unclothedness underneath.
Ola’s c**k twitched and his throat went dry at the sight of her massive breasts so close to him; his eyes travelling down the full length of it to her nippl*s which bore the obvious signs of heavy breastfeeding, the thick black tips pointing downwards like a shy child on his first day at school.
Time stood still as Ola stared longingly at Mama Ogechi’s unclothedness, the flimsy shorts he often wore to sleep couldn’t hide his dark desire as his manhood throbbed against it like an angry bull trapped behind a wooden fence
Mama Ogechi stood there looking at Ola for what seemed like an eternity, eventually smiling as she turned and left the room. Her job here was done.

CHAPTER 10
NO SLEEP FOR THE WEAK
Sleep eluded Ola throughout the night and he cursed himself for not having the courage to have gone further with Mama Ogechi during their brief encounter; his erection fuelling his anger, adding to the agony which he felt.

He got up at dawn for his customary cigarette in the compound only to bump into Mr. Akintunde and his wife arguing in front of their door; they exchanged awkward greetings and Mrs. Akintunde turned around and went into their apartment, her head bowed as she did so.

He sat in his usual position on the concrete slab and wondered about Mrs. Akintunde; he didn’t know much about her except he usually heard her husband call out Yetunde and he assumed it must be her as they lived alone.

There were rumors of a daughter that was away at boarding school.

Mrs Akintunde was of average height and always wore a solemn look; her only distinguishing features were her wide hips and fair complexion, the former usually eliciting stares as she walked in the neighborhood.

She hardly spoke to anyone in the neighborhood and usually kept to herself; mostly staying indoors.

Ola got up as soon as he saw the gangly figure of Pa Ogechi in his blue khaki factory wears come through the gate into the compound; he said a quick greeting and made to return to his apartment but to his surprise Pa Ogechi sat on the slab and offered him a cigarette, he took the stick and sat back down.

The sound of running water from the tap in Pa Ogechis bathroom broke the silence as they sat there but none paid any attention to it.

Pa Ogechi glanced upwards at the small bathroom window and then sideways at Ola without saying a word.

Pa Ogechi wondered if that could be Sharon in there.

Ola wondered if Mama Ogechi was in there.
Both of them smoked their cigarettes without saying a word to each other; Femi Kuti’s music blaring from Dele Lanko’s music speakers across from their compound keeping them company
‘se were se were se were se were se were’ and as soon as they were done, they both got up and went their separate ways.

CHAPTER 11
BADDOSKI BADDOSNEH;
Sharon sat on the old wooden bench in front of the gate; her thoughts far away from the squalid surroundings which she found herself, her face expressionless as she dreamt of a better tomorrow.
The homeless man was there as usual; sitting by Dele Lanko’s music store, staring at the sky.
He always seemed to have a lot on his mind. He would intermittently shout out ‘Apongbon’. No one knew what it meant and it became his adopted name.
She often thought about the inequality of life; wondering why some would have it so easy whilst the road for some was hard and tedious, it was a mystery.
She heard someone cough and even before looking up she knew it was Ola; his well worn sandals giving him away.
She looked at his smiling face and shifted sideways on the bench for him to sit; he was nice and friendly and had all these wonderful stories about the university, she liked his company.
‘Why the long face’ Ola said smiling, he poked her with his elbow playfully and she smiled;
‘That’s my girl’ he said and she shot him a strange look, he quickly laughed to cover up the awkward moment wondering why he had said that.
Before he could think of what to say, Dele lanko came into view; he waved at them shouting from across the road
‘I dey come make I open shop’ he said as they both smiled back while he struggled with the locks on the door, finally getting them open.
He put on his generator and before long there was loud music coming from his shop as his speakers came alive; the neighborhood kids dancing to the tune of the marlian beat, their dull lives brightened even if it were just a brief illusion of joy.
‘Have you heard about the concert Mr. Akintunde is organizing?’ he asked her,
‘Yes ooo’ she said, her face brightening up a little
‘I hope it will be fun’ she continued
‘I am so bored here, sometimes I wish I could just be somewhere different’ she continued ‘even if for a day’.
‘C’mon try and cheer up’ Ola replied
‘Tough times never last, but tough people do’ he said,
She smiled and looked at him; he could see the sadness in her eyes and he longed to take her in his arms,
‘You know what’ he started
‘Why don’t we go to the concert together?’
Just as she was about to reply him, Dele lanko came over laughing and puffing on his usual marijuana stick
‘Eyin temi’ he shouted out while doing a mock salute
‘Double tuale’ he continued
‘Una go show for the concert tomorrow?’ he asked,
‘Yes ooo’ replied Sharon
‘I’m coming with Ola’,
‘Badooooooski badosneh’ hailed Dele as Ola looked on wide eyed, a golf ball seemed to be stuck in his throat and he coughed out loud, her sudden boldness catching him by surprise and he suddenly remembered Mama Ogechi’s boldness too

‘Ehn the original Chelok homes’ Dele continued in between bouts of laughter

‘It’s Sherlock Holmes bro’ Ola said but just let out a sigh as Dele continued laughing

Sharons’ laughter ended abruptly as she got up suddenly and ran into the compound, her small heels leaving a trail of dust behind.
Before they could fathom what had happened they saw the approaching figure of Mama Ogechi coming towards them; her face creased into a frown
‘Una well done o’ she greeted as she passed by, giving Ola a sly smile as she did so.
‘Mr. Ola abeg no forget that film ooo, I wan watch am tonight ehn, please’ she asked,
He stuttered as he responded ‘y-ye-ye-yes ma, I will bring the book...erh I mean the film later’,
‘Ok thank you’ she said as she walked into the compound, her large buttocks swaying from side to side.

Ola didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.
Dele lanko took one look at Ola’s face and burst into heavy laughter
‘Badosneh Baddoski’ he said as he shook his head and walked away, tossing a piece of sweet to Apongbon as he did.

CHAPTER 12
SE WERE FUN JESU

The venue of the concert was a rather shabby looking hall on Agangan Street; it was about two streets away from Oremeji Street where Ile Agbalumo was located and was billed to start by 7pm.

Governors hall was built as a microfinance bank to serve the neighborhood, but losses had forced the owners to convert it to a hall for events.
Its rundown look blended perfectly with the squalor of the environment as the owners never bothered to spend any money to maintain it.
The wiring was faulty, it had no running water and the fans had been stolen.

All that remained was a leaky roof and the paint on its walls.

Mr. Akintunde wanted to use the concert as a publicity gimmick to invite people to the new parish he was starting in the neighborhood.
He had done his research before moving into the neighborhood; it had the main ingredient which his new church needed to thrive— an abundance of poverty.

He finished dressing up and looked at himself in the full length mirror in his room; his black skin formed a stark contrast to the starched white shirt and his black well ironed pants gave him that formal serious look he always went for.

He beamed as he looked at his well polished shoes; he liked what he saw.

‘Yetunde’ he called out to his wife; irritated at not getting a response, he marched into her room and was shocked when he saw her lying down on the bed in her towel.
Her fair thighs peeking out from under the short towel made his pulse quicken but an image flashed through his mind and he hardened his heart;
‘It seems you have made up your mind to stay at home’ he said through clenched teeth,
‘I’m feeling a little unwell’ she replied, avoiding his harsh gaze, instead focusing her attention on the mobile phone she was using.
‘It may be better for me to stay here so I don’t spoil your big day’ she added with a hint of sarcasm, her towel shifting aside to reveal her fleshy lower lips

He gritted his teeth and stormed out; no one was going to spoil his big day, no one.

Ola paused by the stairwell when he heard Mr. Akintunde’s door slam shut; he stayed rooted to the spot as Mr. Akintunde spoke to someone on the phone in a very harsh tone
‘Make sure it’s done tonight’ he said
‘I can’t take it anymore’ he finished off.

Ola peeped from the stairwell and saw his neighbor walking off hurriedly; his gold watch shone brightly in the evening sun.
He looked at the faded black leather strap of his own watch and sighed
‘Sharon should be out any minute now’ he thought
‘I’ll just have a quick cigarette’, he looked round and decided to sit by Mr. Akintunde’s door step.

Sharon stepped out and looked around, she didn’t see Ola anywhere.
Just as she was about to summon up courage and climb upstairs to his flat, she saw him come out of Mr. Akintunde’s apartment, he looked surprised to see her and noticed the quizzical look on her face

‘Please don’t ask’ he muttered to her as he folded a small black cable and put it in his pocket,
‘You look beautiful’ he said and she smiled, it was nice to be flattered.

She had been rather surprised when her aunty had agreed she could go for the concert without making a fuss, she waved to Ogechi who was looking through the window

‘She always stays by that window’ Sharon said as they walked out of the compound.

She hoped to have a good time.

By the time they got to the venue; the hall was packed to the hilt with people from the neighborhood; he recognized quite a few of them.

He always liked to survey a room before settling down; it was the number one rule in being a detective.

There was Cynthia, the young woman who was married to Mr. Stephen, the teacher at the local public school in the neighborhood.

He could also sight the Nwabaoshi brothers who owned the local pub, Rasheed the barber stood in a corner, he seemed to be casting nervous glances at the girl beside him and it was no wonder why, she was dressed like a club girl, her short skirt barely covering her thighs as she crossed and uncrossed her legs.
Her name was Shalewa and it was rumored that she had a cunt so sweet, many a married man had fallen prey to her vices.
Segun the neighborhood handy man stood in a corner by the door talking to Mr. Akintunde and he made a mental note to see him before the concert ended.

The neighborhood bad boys filled the entire rear of the hall, they had been invited by Mr. Akintunde and they came in full force with all their girlfriends, the lure of free food must have been too much to resist.
He could sight Olumopo and Shefiki amongst the crowd.

The concert kicked off without a hitch and right after Mr. Akintunde’s stirring sermon about the link between Godliness and prosperity; Food and snacks were served with soft drinks— most of it disappearing to the rear of the hall.

Dele lanko stood in a corner of the hall with his laptop and other equipment; he was involved in a rather heated discussion with Mr. Akintunde and immediately stormed outside afterwards.

Mr. Akintunde waved him off without much ado and mounted the pulpit once again announcing that it was time for the offering, trays were passed around and people started to grumble but still dipped their hands into their pockets, dropping money as the trays passed by them, even the bad boys dropped money too in the trays.

As the trays were being collected, Mr. Akintunde led the gathering in Christian hymns, clapping and dancing to various tunes which improved the mood and before long there were quite a few people on their feet dancing and moving to the spirit filled occasion.

Suddenly there was a loud screeching noise as Dele lanko switched on his speakers; Mr. Akintunde looked back at him and there was a surprised look on his face as a familiar Femi Kuti tune blared out from the speakers

‘se were se were se were se were se were….se were se were se were se were se were….’

There was a deafening silence in the hall as people looked on in shock at Dele who had a sly smile on his face.

Suddenly Mr. Akintunde regained his composure; He had to do something.

He raised the microphone to his mouth and shouted out
‘Mo ni ke se were fun jesu’,

He looked at the crowd who didn’t seem to understand what was going on and repeated his command
‘Mo ni ke se were fun jesu’.

That was all the crowd needed to hear and they jumped out of their seats dancing and shouting crazily as the music continued to blare from the speakers.

Olumopo waltzed like a crazed maniac towards the front of the hall, shouting hysterically
‘Se were se were se were se were se were’ with Mr. Akintunde intermittently shouting out
‘E je ka se were fun jesu’.

Mr. Akintunde made his way to where Dele stood and passed some naira notes into his hands; immediately, the music changed to fast paced gospel music and everyone continued singing and dancing, oblivious of a visibly shaken Mr. Akintunde.

As the concert went on into the night; most people had started to trickle out of the hall, the fear of being robbed uppermost in their minds.
It wasn’t a wise decision to stay out too late in the neighborhood.

There seemed to be an unspoken treaty between the bad boys and the neighborhood;
‘Don’t stay out late and we won’t rob you’,

Most people kept to it and by the time the clock struck 10:30pm the hall was virtually empty except for the street boys urging Dele lanko to give them some hardcore music, beer bottles somehow found its way from the Nwabaoshis’ neighborhood pub into the hall and before long it became a night party.

Mr. Akintunde looked at his gold plated watch; it was close to 11pm, he said his goodbyes and hurriedly left the hall by the rear entrance.
He didn’t want to face all those bad boys at this time of the night, besides he still had to make sure it was done before he went home.

There was no point rushing home if it hadn’t been done yet.

He could think of a few ways to pass the time; smiling like a Cheshire cat, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

As he scurried away he heard the music change and a loud roar went up as an old Ja Rule tune was played. ‘Holla holla…its murder’.






CHAPTER 13
IT’S MURDER…
As Ola walked Sharon home from the concert hand in hand; their bodies brushing against each other, his mind raced in a hundred different directions.
The only thing on his mind was to get her to bed, to be more specific…his bed.
He had ensured they leave the hall early enough to give him time to actualize his hurriedly hatched plan;
‘The conquest of Sharon’ he thought in his mind, would be a befitting name if this were a book.
The man stared at them from across the road and shouted out ‘Apongbon’.
They hardly noticed him, their hearts and minds in tandem.
As they got into the compound; he noticed she didn’t pull her hand away but instead kept her eyes focused towards the stairwell, her hand clasped even more tightly to his.

Ogechi looked on from her window perch as Sharon walked past and smiled as they entered the stairwell and disappeared from view;
‘Ghen. Ghen. Ghen.’ she muttered under her breath in a mock dramatic beat.

There was no electricity supply as usual and there was silence in the compound when she heard the front door open, the rechargeable lamp casting a small glow in the dark sitting room.

She opened her eyes to see Sharon sneak past her and go towards the bathroom.
She glanced at the wall clock and it read 10:45pm,
‘Hmmm’ she thought, she must have slept off.

As she got up from her window perch she saw someone hurrying out of the compound, she couldn’t make out the face or the features of the person, a glint caught her eye as the person hurried by and put up a hand to cover their face but she paid no attention to it; besides she was feeling sleepy.

She stifled a loud yawn and went off to bed.

Sharon stood in the bathroom thinking about what had just happened; she felt satisfied yet unfulfilled.
Ola had certainly hit the spot but there seemed to be a void in her heart which could not be filled.
She sighed and as she made to leave the bathroom, a sound stopped her in her tracks.
Someone was walking past the bathroom window.
As she peeked to look outside, she could have sworn she saw Mama Ogechi walking hurriedly past.
She wondered where she could possibly be going at this time of night.
She dried herself off; tied her wrapper firmly around her chest and went off to the sitting room to sleep.


Ola lay down in bed with a huge smile on his face; he felt like a lottery winner who had just scooped the big prize, waiting for the day to break so he could show off his new found wealth.
He couldn’t believe she had given it up so easily; his more experienced friends had told him sex was certain once a lady raises her hips off the bed when you are trying to remove her panties;
He had almost broken into song and dance when she did.
The sight of her firm breasts had caused his heart to do a somersault; she had given herself so willingly it still felt like an illusion.
If it was, he didn’t want to wake up; the reality would be so depressing.
He closed his eyes and slept off; no mosquito could disturb him tonight —his thoughts full of breasts and thighs.


Mama Ogechi stood up from her bed. Her dreams were filled with thoughts of sex. She got up and picked up her phone; checking the time and hissing loudly, it was a few minutes to eleven.
She had almost slept off. She quickly tied her wrapper around her chest; removing her panties afterwards,
‘After all she wasn’t going to need it’ she told herself as she left the apartment.
They would have to be fast about this. She needed some release.


Pa Ogechi came in from work just after dawn to find a bit of commotion in the compound.
There were policemen standing by Mr. Akintunde’s apartment and an obviously distraught Mama Ogechi was seated by their door step, her last child Chisom on her knees as she cried profusely.
Ola stood by the stairwell beside Sharon and Ogechi, his first child; their heads shaking intermittently.
He stood by the gate trying to contemplate what had gone amiss when Mr. Akintunde rushed towards him and shouted out ‘my wife is dead’ he said ‘Yetunde is gone, she was murdered!!!’.

CHAPTER 14
GHETTO TRAGEDY
As the policemen left the compound, the crowd that had gathered there started to disperse, trickling out slowly and mumbling several conspiracy theories under their breath.

Mr. Timothy the ambulance driver looked on as the body was brought out by Olumopo and a few others who had offered to assist—for a small fee of course.

He had cleaned out the back of the old Volvo lift back which he often used to ferry wood from the sawmill down to various construction sites; this paid much better.

Mr. Akintunde wiped his face for the umpteenth time that morning and climbed into the vehicle, he thanked the guys for their support and promised to come back soon to pay them.

Ola looked on from his window as Mr. Timothy made his way out of the compound, he just couldn’t believe the woman was dead.
He had spoken to her before leaving for the concert and he kept wondering if he had left the front door open as he left her apartment.

He had hidden some facts from the policemen and he was a bit jittery.

He had never come this close to a dead body before and it somehow excited and at the same time frightened him a little. He picked up his lighter and a stick of cigarette.
He couldn’t remove the guilty feeling from his heart and he didn’t know why.
He needed a smoke.



Pa Ogechi looked up as his wife sat beside him on the bed, the creaking noise it made was no surprise at the weight which it constantly bore.
‘Who fit do this kain thing?’ he asked, his burrows creased more than usual as he turned to lie on the bed.
‘Mama Ogechi’ he continued, ‘please wake me at 2, I get evening shift today’
Mama Ogechi shook her head even as a million different thoughts ran around in her mind.
She thought about the previous night and all she felt was guilt.


‘I saw you yesterday o’ Ogechi said.
Her words jolted Sharon from her reverie and she turned to look at her,
‘Wetin you mean?’ she asked
‘Hmmm’ she exclaimed, her face twitching mischievously as she tried to hide her smile.
‘You went to his place nah’ she continued
‘I saw you holding his hands and going to his place’ continued Ogechi, pointing upwards to Ola’s apartment
Sharon paid little attention to Ogechi. She just couldn’t believe she was upstairs at Ola’s place having sex even as someone was being killed.
She thought of herself in the throes of ecstasy and the other woman in the throes of agony. She shook her head slowly and wondered about the very essence of life.


Dele lanko looked on from the marijuana joint as a taxi passed by; he could see Shalewa in the back seat.

“This weed don dey crase me o” he said to no one in particular.

Emeka Nwabaoshi laughed out loud at Deles comment, pulling hard on the stick of Marijuana—a whistle escaping his lips as he did so.

‘So you no know say Shalewa don get levels’ Emeka added

‘If I tell you who she dey knack for this environment you go fear nah’ he continued

‘See as that woman just peme for nothing’ Dele said, changing the topic

‘Ol boy, leave that thing o’ Skama added, raising his voice an octave

‘Na that husband kill am o, I swear’ he continued

‘Haaaaa’ shouted Olumopo ‘no go allow your mouth put you for problem o’

‘The woman yansh no be here o’ Dele added

‘Choi’ he exclaimed ‘wey I still dey dream of that yansh when sef’

‘See wetin you dey talk’ Emeka said, his face creased into a frown as he spat into the ground.

‘Wetin sef’ Dele said, ‘wetin be your own for there’.

Dele got up to take his leave and Skama stretched out his hands

‘Ma je ko pe’ he said ‘mu le mi lowo’ Skama said ‘abi pastor no pay you yesterday?’

He was the dealer at that joint and everyone had to pay.

CHAPTER 15
OPA EYIN,MOKOLE, AND AFATO;BROTHERS IN ARMS

Ola sat on a bench at Baba Eleso’s herbal store, as he took a swig from the shiny Aluminum cup which seemed to contain a rather odd mixture of leaves, wooden chips and a thick dark liquid, his face contorted in a grimace as the liquid contents worked their way down his digestive system.

He could feel the heat all the way down his throat to his intestines as the liquid hit home.

Akilapa laughed out loud at Ola’s expression and offered him a cigarette ‘take dis one cool down’ he said.

Ola accepted the gesture and smiled as he lit the stick, his watery eyes squinting as he took long drags from the cigarette. His tongue felt numb.

Akilapa was a retired military man and spent most of his time at Baba Eleso’s store, regaling customers with tales of the civil war and conspiracy theories about the government.

‘I no tell una say dem go comot that Ijaw man’ he said

‘You no fit win the military for Nigeria’ he continued

He never failed to remind them his only child was a doctor that lived in America and he would soon go and join her but no one believed.

Akilapa shuffled over to the counter, his faded Ankara top seemed more like a second skin and his khaki pants looked like he was born in them.
He picked up a bunch of small dried leaves held together by a rubber band, picking one out of the bunch and handing it to Ola.

‘Chew it a few minutes before you start the show’ he said to Ola

‘If she no beg you for more make you no follow me talk again’ he finished off with a grin, his stained teeth a testament of a tobacco addiction.

Ola tossed the dry leaf into his mouth without hesitation; he wanted to set fire to that kpekus today.

He looked at the time on his phone and stood up, Sharon would be waiting.

He handed over some naira notes to the little girl which had attended to him and promised to check on Akilapa later in the day, performing a mock salute to him as he walked off.

It had been three days since the unfortunate incident and the neighborhood seemed to have moved on.

It seemed just like any other Monday. Life had moved on.

There was very little talk of the murder and Mr. Akintunde was yet to come back home, even though Olumopo claimed to have seen him late at night on one occasion, the claim was largely disbelieved and ignored by many as one of his usual tales.

Ogechi looked on as Ola walked by their apartment towards the stairwell and wasn’t surprised much to see Sharon follow a few steps behind.

Mama Ogechi had gone for choir practice and wouldn’t be back for another hour or so.

She turned away from the window as she felt a cool breeze from behind; she didn’t want to believe electricity had been restored; they seldom enjoyed light on Mondays at this time.

‘Hooray’ she shouted ‘Up Nepa’ even as the fan picked up pace and she ran to the room to wake her younger ones from their midday slumber.

Amara and Chinedu jumped up and ran after her shouting ‘cartoon cartoon’

Ogechi couldn’t wait for the holidays to end even as she looked forward to moving into the senior secondary wing of her school, she wanted to get away from home so badly.

The only interesting thing that had happened on her holidays had been a murder.

She couldn’t wait to spin the tale to her friends.


Sharon sat on the edge of the bed, she was sweaty and out of breath. She couldn’t help thinking about the murder. Ola reached out and playfully pinched her nipples from behind, as he caressed her breasts he could feel his loins stirring again and wondered if it was the herbal mixture he had taken earlier that was giving him the extra strength.

Sharon felt his manhood against her back and couldn’t believe he was still hard. They had done some unimaginable things during the past hour or so.

‘I have to go’ she said

‘My aunt will be home soon’

Ola leaned over and started to suck on her nipples and was excited to see them respond to his touch.

‘Mmmm’ he moaned as he suckled joyfully

‘Just wait a little nah’ he said trying to cajole her

Sharon shrugged him off and stood up, already reaching for her clothes.

She didn’t know what it was but as soon as she had her orgasm, she felt disconnected from Ola.

Her mind and her body seemed to act differently towards him.

Ola grinned as she got dressed. He didn’t mind; his mind was already on thicker bodies.

CHAPTER 15
JOHNNY RAMBO STRIKES AGAIN
Chidi Ishiguzo sat up on the bed in the hotel room.

Sweat glistened from his brows as he looked around at the shabby furniture in the room.

‘Thank God’ he thought to himself that the church had made living arrangements for him in the guest house, he couldn’t imagine staying here.

He had been sent by the church to a small town called Shaki on the outskirts of Oyo state to help with the upcoming musical festival taking place amongst churches in the state.

He looked at his phone and was surprised it was almost 5 in the evening. Rehearsals started by 6 and he couldn’t be late.

He picked up his clothes, putting them on quickly.

Going over to the bathroom,he splashed some water on his face, avoiding the worn out towel that hung on the door in the bathroom; using his handkerchief instead to dry off his face.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

As he walked to the door; he glanced over at the naked form of the sobbing girl huddled up in the corner of the room.

‘Put your clothes on and don’t be late for rehearsal’ he said as he put some money on the table.

She looked up at him with tear stained eyes, her young brain trying to process what had just occurred; unable to utter a word.

‘LovePeddler’ he whispered to her and slammed the door shut.

His phone beeped and as he picked the call, he heard the familiar voice of Mama Ogechi

‘My lover’ she said, he could hear her giggling at the other end of the line and couldn’t help but smile

‘Nne’ he responded ‘how are you’

‘I’m not fine o’ she said ‘you no show that day nah’ she responded much like a hurt school girl

‘I am sorry my dear, I had to quickly come to Shaki for the Lords work. I will be back later this week’ he said

They talked playfully over the phone for a few minutes as he got in a cab.

He smiled all the way to the church.

CHAPTER 16
FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK
Ogechi woke up in a sweat; her body trembled as she looked around the darkened room, the only sounds coming from the ceiling fan which creaked as it spun slowly.

The house was deathly quiet as she got up and made her way from the room towards the small glow of the rechargeable lamp which sat on the small stool in the sitting room.

She looked at the sleeping form of Sharon and glanced up at the wall clock, it was a little after 11.

She got a cup from the kitchen; her throat felt dry and she wondered if she was falling sick. She could feel the familiar bitter taste in her mouth that came whenever she had a fever.

As she walked towards the small fridge placed by the ironing table in the sitting room, she heard the front door open slowly.

She crouched behind the large sofa which Sharon slept on, frozen in place by fear.

She could see the shadow cast over the room as someone came in, the door creaking ominously as it shut.

Her heart fluttered at a hundred beats per second and even as she made to scream; she heard the familiar shuffling sound made by her mother’s feet.

She could smell the familiar hair cream but still she stayed in place until she heard her parents room door open and then shut.

She let out a sigh of relief and sat on the floor, sweat covering her every pore. She had never been so frightened in her entire life.

Ogechi got up and went back to the room, all thoughts of dry throats forgotten.


Dele Lanko staggered along the road towards what he hoped was his house; he had never been so high in his entire life.

The new marijuana strain Skama had given him had knocked all sense of reasoning from him, he felt like he had walked a thousand miles and was nowhere near home.

He was sure it was close to midnight but he couldn’t tell because his phone battery had run out and he hadn’t bothered to charge it.

He found himself in front of the old hall that had been used for the concert and decided to call it quits there. He found a small bench and stretched out on it, relief flowing through his muscles like a runner after a marathon.

Car headlights shone towards him and he quickly scurried into the shadows, afraid it might be the police on their usual raiding hunt around the neighborhood.

Dele looked on as the car idled for a while, its shiny lights in stark contrast to the filthy environment it stood in.

Someone got down from the rear of the vehicle and he could just make out Shalewas silhouette under the faint glow of street lights, she looked around briefly before hopping across the gutter and she was out of sight.

The car made its way towards him and as it passed, he could have sworn the figure at the back looked familiar but he just couldn’t place the face.

The person sat with their hand over their face and all he could see was the shiny glint of what must have been a gold bracelet.

‘E je ka se were fun Jesu’ he muttered under his breath as he settled back on the bench.

As the car moved further away, he stretched out and before long was asleep.

CHAPTER 17
THE BUTTERFLY’S WINGS
Ola woke up with a start as he recalled the events of the previous night.

Mama Ogechi had come in the dead of night, sneaking in like a thief in the night; her only piece of clothing was a flimsy wrapper which hugged her form like a second skin.

She loosened her wrapper to reveal her nudity and Ola gasped once again at the sight of her bare breasts so close to him, this was what his friend BoboDonason would often call ‘big meat’.

The bed creaked heavily as she sat on it, her eyes never leaving his face as he dropped his underwear, his c**k twitching nervously as he moved closer to her.

She smiled and reached out to grab his manhood, using her other hand to squeeze his ba**s lightly and was pleased as his c**k hardened in her hand.

She tugged impatiently at his c**k as she sucked on the tip, the sensation sending mini shock waves through Ola’s body.

Mama Ogechi laid down and spread her legs as she played with herself, her thick lower lips opening up like a flower at summer time.

Ola looked at the growing desire between her thighs and promptly knelt in between her legs.

He sucked greedily on her as she moaned and held onto his head tightly,her breasts spread out on either side of her stomach like a butterfly’s wings; her nectar flowing into his mouth as spasms went through her.

Mama Ogechi shut her eyes tightly and imagined it was Brother Chidi; she needed this so badly.

Ola felt like choking as she lifted her legs high into the air, her orgasm drawing closer with each passing second; the fluids flowing out of her as her legs shook uncontrollably.

He couldn’t move his head as her grip had become like a vice, clamping him in position as he stuck his tongue deep into her, her legs stretching out as they stiffened high in the air.

His nose was practically drowned in her juices as she came wildly, pushing his head deeper as the orgasm ripped through her body; the folds of flesh holding him firmly in place as he struggled for air and suddenly as it started, her legs dropped with a loud thud on the bed; her breathing ragged and fast as she blinked repeatedly while she loosened the grip on his head.

He hurriedly reached out for his tee shirt which hung by the bed and wiped off her juices from his face, stretching out beside her as he took one of her massive nippl*s in his mouth; sucking it aggressively like a child would a lollipop trying to get to the creamy middle as she tried to catch her breath.

He played around with her engorged honey pot as she squirmed around; her legs parting once again as she tugged at his erect c**k, bidding him to be fast.

As Ola reached for the condom which he had kept underneath his pillow, she swatted it away like a flea, giving him a disapproving look and stood up from the bed.

He thought she was leaving but was surprised to see her hold the arm rest of the sofa and bend provocatively revealing the widest ass he had ever seen; her thick pu**y lips peeping out from beneath her folds like a clenched fist.

He ignored the red flags going off in his head and stood behind her as he inserted his c**k deep into her, her juices making it easy for him.

‘No pour am inside o’ she admonished him as he pounded her; his thrusts coming hard and fast;

He didn’t hear a word she said as he held unto her enormous buttocks, the ringing in his ears growing louder as he emptied his load into her; the hot thick liquid tipping her to orgasm as she matched his thrusts; both of them collapsing in a heap on the worn out sofa.

She closed her eyes as she stroked his semi erect c**k, the action sending mini shock waves into Ola’s body; his c**k covered with a mixture of their fluids.

‘You try small o’ she said as she got up and tied her wrapper firmly around her; smiling as she looked down at his sweating body, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

She let out a small sigh as she exited his apartment; it had been a good day.

CHAPTER 18
THIN LIPS AND AND A GUILTY MIND

Strange voices woke Ola from his sleep and as he stood to look out the window, he heard a sharp knock on his door.

He picked up his phone and checked the time; it was already half past seven in the morning.

He still felt tired and walked lazily to the door.

As he opened it he noticed an individual standing next to his neighbor Pa Ogechi.

The stern looking man was obviously a policeman, their demeanor and appearance was a dead giveaway every time.

It seemed they all used the same shaving technique.

Pa Ogechi stood there still in his blue khaki uniform, he had obviously just come back from work and the expression on his face was of a man who seemed very displeased.

‘Can we come in’ Pa Ogechi asked

‘Please do’ Ola said as he moved away from the door.

He hurriedly grabbed a tee shirt from the arm of the sofa and stood there as the men entered the room, making their way in slowly as if not to disturb the fragile eco system in the room.

Pa Ogechi sat on the edge of the bed and promptly lit a cigarette as Ola handed him an old bottle long converted to an ash tray; the mixture of burnt out sticks and ash giving the bottle an eerie glow against the backdrop of sunlight that filtered through the drapes.

‘My name is Inspector Ogunsakin’ the stern faced man started off; his thin lips barely moving as he spoke, his white teeth a stark contrast to his dark features.

‘I am here to ask a few more questions regarding the incident which occurred on this premises on Thursday the 24th of this month’ he continued

Ola heaved a sigh of relief. His brain had darted in a hundred different directions.

Ola relaxed and sat on the sofa as the man brought out a notepad and asked him a few questions regarding his whereabouts and whether he had any suspicions or information to share.

‘I don’t recall anything else sir’ Ola responded ‘I came back from the concert around 9pm like I told the other officers that day and went straight to bed’

‘I see you like detective novels’ Ogunsakin asked Ola as he glanced at the stack of books on the floor

‘Yes I do’ replied Ola; he wanted to say as little as possible. He had learnt that from Sherlock Holmes, but he couldn’t keep his face from twitching as he tried to mask his emotions.

Inspector Ogunsakin had spent too much time on investigations and he knew the young boy was hiding something. He scratched the stubble on his chin and gave himself a mental note to shave as soon as he got home.

‘This is my card’ he said as he extended his card to Ola, ‘feel free to call me if you think of anything else’

‘Okay sir I will’ Ola replied. He looked at the complimentary card and put it on the table.

‘Am I free now’ Pa Ogechi asked the two men and they all laughed.

‘I wan go sleep’ he continued ‘I just dey return from work’

CHAPTER 19
A GUILTY MIND KNOWS NO PEACE

Inspector Ogunsakin stood by Dele Lanko’s shop and looked round the neighborhood, he had spoken to all the occupants that lived in the
victims’ compound and they all seemed to be hiding something.

The tall large woman had coughed relentlessly as he questioned her, feigning a sudden sickness and excused herself after a while.

The pretty young girl, Sharon was fidgety and insisted she knew nothing about anything.

The tall young boy, Ola was a potential lead. He didn’t have a solid alibi, lived alone and university students were hard to trust these days.

The victims’ husband claimed he was still in mourning and refused to be interviewed, pleading for a little time to plan the burial.

People in the neighborhood seemed uninterested and simply kept their mouths shut.

He needed to change strategy.

He watched as a rough looking boy walked past him and fumbled for keys to the store beside him, opening it up even as the smell of marijuana stuck to him closely.

‘Good morning’ he said as he turned to face the boy, ‘Inspector Ogunsakin’ he continued while flashing his ID card at him.

Dele Lanko’s’ expressionless demeanor hid the fright which he felt as he stood facing the officer; a myriad of thoughts ran through his mind as he went through the motions of setting up his speakers.

‘Wetin happen sir?’ Dele finally answered

‘Look young man’ Ogunsakin started off,

‘I no get problem with you’ he continued ‘na wetin happen for that compound I wan talk to you about’ he continued; pointing to Ile Agbalumo which stood directly opposite his store.

‘I no be drug enforcement’ he said to Dele ‘all I want na make I know wetin kill that woman’ he finished off.

Dele looked at him for a few seconds; he hadn’t slept well and felt a bit groggy.

‘Wetin you wan know?’ he asked, putting down the electrical cord he was holding.

The knock on the door was firm; Ola knew it couldn’t be good news.

He opened the door to find the Inspector standing there, he didn’t believe the face he had seen earlier could look even sterner, but staring back at him was a face that he knew meant business this time around.

‘Welcome back sir’ Ola started off but Inspector Ogunsakin ignored the greeting instead walking into the room and taking a seat by the edge of the sofa.

He looked at Ola for a while thinking of how to go ahead, he knew he had to be careful so the boy would not get defensive.

‘Can I have a cigarette?’ he asked, smiling as he did so.

Inspector Ogunsakin took his time lighting the cigarette, puffing a few times before crushing more than half of it into the ash bottle.

‘So when were you going to tell me about your relationship with the lady in the compound?’ he started off…

Dele Lanko had been rather keen to talk about the goings on in the compound opposite his store.

Olas face turned ashen white as he stared at the detective, he was short for words and his breathing became shallow and quick.

‘Being with ermmm’ Ogunsakin paused as his eyes darted to his notebook

‘Sharon’ he finally said

‘She gives you a good alibi so why withhold that information?’ he continued

‘I need you to relax and tell me everything that really happened that day’ Ogunsakin quickly said; he had noticed the change in expression and he knew he had the boy on the ropes.

‘I decided to keep quiet about it because I was trying to protect her privacy’ Ola started off, relief flooding through his veins. His thoughts had been going in a different direction.

‘We came back from the concert around 9pm and came to my room’ he continued

‘We had sex and she left sometime before 11pm’ Ola finished off.

‘Did you see her off?’ Ogunsakin asked him

‘No sir I did not’ Ola replied.

‘Anything else you want to tell me?’ Ogunsakin asked, his eyes narrowing as if trying to look into Olas’ brain.

Ola hesitated a little before replying ‘no sir’ he said.

Inspector Ogunsakin nodded as he got up ‘I will see you soon’ he said and walked out the door; leaving an ominous silence in his wake.


CHAPTER 20
CONFESSIONS AND BETRAYALS

Mama Ogechi sat wide eyed as she watched Sharon admit to having a sexual relationship with Ola, she held her head in her hands and her body shook with sobs as Sharon spoke about the night of the concert and how she had followed Ola up to his room and sneaked back into the house.

Inspector Ogunsakin had to physically restrain Mama Ogechi from assaulting a visibly shaken Sharon on several occasions during the interview, finally resorting to threatening her with legal action if she continued.

‘I will tell Pa Ogechi o’ she shouted

‘You people cannot stop me from punishing her’ she continued

‘Person wey no fit pass ordinary Jamb exam cum dey knack up and down’ she said as she held unto her last child Chisom who sat on her laps.

‘No wonder you no fit pass’ she shouted

‘You no fit know book o’ she continued

‘Madam please get a grip on yourself’ Ogunsakin said, he hadn’t expected this kind of reaction.

This could make the young girl afraid and withhold vital information.

‘This lady is a vital witness in this investigation and she must not be harmed in any way’ he continued

Mama Ogechi hissed loudly and got up, dragging Chisom with her into the room.

‘Please do not be afraid’ Ogunsakin told her

‘Just try and remember what exactly happened that day’ he said

Sharon wiped her tears with her wrapper, sniffing loudly in the process.

‘Please just calm down, you will be fine’ Ogunsakin continued

‘I left for the concert around 5 or so’ Sharon started

‘I came down to meet with Ola, but he wasn’t outside and I waited for him’ she said

‘You should never keep a lady waiting’ Ogunsakin said and smiled

‘So where was he?’ he asked

‘I saw him come out of Mr. Akintunde’s house’ she continued

‘Excuse me’ the inspector said as he put up his hand to stop her. He flipped through his notepad which had all the witness statements

‘Are you sure about this?’ he asked

Sharon hesitated a little; she didn’t want to put Ola in trouble

Inspector Ogunsakin noticed her reluctance, assuring her that he was just trying to get some information correct, smiling while doing so.

‘I saw him come out of their apartment and we both left for the concert’ she said

‘Did you see Mr. Ola talk to anyone at the concert?’ he asked

‘We were together throughout’ she said, her brows furrowed and she bit on her lips as if she remembered something.

Inspector Ogunsakin was a smart man and he knew something was there, she was holding back and he didn’t want to pressure her.

‘Can you get me a cup of water?’ he asked with a smile

‘Yes sir, but it’s not cold o’ she said

‘That’s okay’ he said ‘I’ll take it like that’

He needed her to relax. He thought about the boy upstairs, he looked so innocent.

‘Hmmm’ he thought to himself. Looks could be so deceptive.

Sharon came with the water and sat down again.

‘Thank you ma’ he teased her and smiled. She smiled too.

‘So tell me about the person Mr. Ola spoke to at the concert’ he started off casually

‘He went over to Segun, the neighborhood handy man’ she added, she saw the puzzled look on his face.

‘They stood with Mr. Akintunde for a few minutes and he came back to sit with me’

‘Thank you’ Ogunsakin said standing up. ‘I will be in touch’ he continued as he took his leave.

Sharon looked on as he left the apartment. The glass of water sat there untouched.

CHAPTER 21
SECOND CHANCES
There was the knock again; three sharp raps on the door.

Ola stood to open the door, his heart beat at a thousand miles per minute and he wondered what could be wrong this time around.

Inspector Ogunsakin took his customary position by the edge of the sofa.

He brought out his notepad and pen and made continuous clicking sounds with the pen. This back and forth had taken the better part of his day and the midday sun had taken its toll on him.

His brows were deeply furrowed and his lips were pursed and firm.

It reminded Ola of the few moments his dad would give him a good hiding with his leather belt.

He felt uneasy.

Inspector Ogunsakin let out a loud sigh as he wiped his face with a handkerchief; gently spreading it out on the other arm of the sofa and continued staring at Ola.

‘Let us run through the events that happened that day, shall we?’ he asked Ola, who nodded in agreement.

Ogunsakin looked through his notepad and made a show of flipping through the pages loudly

‘You said you came down to meet Sharon at 5pm, right?’ the inspector started off

‘Yes sir’ Ola started off but Ogunsakin cut him off with a raised hand.

‘What were you doing in Mr. Akintunde’s apartment?’ the inspector asked him with a gaze so fierce the air in the room felt poisoned.

Ola shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his throat felt dry and he was scared that if he opened his mouth he would burst into tears.

Ola got up from the bed and opened the fridge, bringing out a sachet of water. He made a show of opening it; drinking it slowly, his mind was running wild.

‘I spoke to Sharon who confirmed to me that you indeed were in the victim’s apartment’ the Inspector said

‘She also said you spoke to a few people at the concert’ he added

‘I would like you to choose your words very carefully Mr. Ola’ he said leaning forward as he did so.

The look on his face wasn’t friendly anymore.

Wow.


Nice story you've got here @oluseyeolasupo

Abeg come and continue.

CHAPTER 22
OF STUDENTS AND MENTORS

Chidi Ishiguzo sat on the chair beside the bed in his room; a cold sweat ran across his brow as his arms held on to the seat, his hold on it firm as if he were afraid to fall off.

Images ran through his mind as he sat there; his eyes fixed on a spot on the wall.

‘He could still see her face as he held on to her; her eyes pleading with him as he tightened his hold on her neck’

The cross that hung across his neck glowed eerily as he recited the prayer Father Doherty had taught him at the monastery

‘Forgive me Lord for I am not worthy…’
‘Forgive me Lord for I am not worthy…’
‘Forgive me Lord for I am not worthy…’

His voice rose as he struggled to get the memories out of his head; he could still feel Father Doherty’s hands across his laps, his young hands afraid to move.

The guilt in his heart consumed him.

‘Don’t be scared boy’ Father Doherty would say, ‘just close your eyes and everything will be alright’

Chidi closed his eyes, his body shaking as he sobbed.

The girl lay on the bed too frightened to move; praying silently, afraid to make a sound.


CHAPTER 23
TATTLERS AND TALES

Segun the electrician was easy to find, Ogunsakin had just placed a call to Dele lanko and he had agreed to call Segun on the pretext of having something fixed.

Ogunsakin waited beside Deles shop, he felt weary from all the walking and talking he had done all day.

His phone rang as he stood there wondering where the homeless man that he had seen earlier was, ‘probably somewhere wandering around’ he thought.

He fished out the phone from his pocket; cursing under his breath as he struggled to keep the rubber bands holding it together from slipping off.

‘Hi honey’ he started off as his wife sighed on the other end of the line

‘Still at work?’ she asked him in that tone of voice which always spelt trouble

‘Yes dear, I’m so sorry I would be home soon’ he started off but the line was already dead; the cut off tone beeping in his ears.

He had been a detective for fourteen years and the odd hours and unpredictability of the job had taken its toll on their marriage.

The romance was gone much like the soul of the dead long before the arrival of the body bag.

It was already a little past five in the evening and the weather had started to cool off a bit; he tightened the top button of his shirt and looked up to see someone go into Deles store.

‘That must be the electrician he thought, noticing the tool bag he had over his shoulder.

Segun’s face turned pale as Dele introduced the inspector and left them in the store.

He acted like a cornered rabbit, his eyes darting in all directions as if looking for a quick exit.

Inspector Ogunsakin sat on a small stool by the exit, effectively blocking his only means of escape, Segun’s shoulders slumped and he sat down as he seemed to resign himself to his fate.

Inspector Ogunsakin pulled out his note pad and made quite a show of looking through it, neither men spoke and the silence in the store was somehow being converted to heat as Segun started to sweat profusely; wiping his forehead with a face towel which must have once being red.

‘I am sure you know why I am here’ Ogunsakin started off

‘If you no wan make we go station’ he continued

‘You go yearn me wetin I wan know’ he said

‘wetin happen for the night wey dat pastor wife die’ Ogunsakin continued

‘tell me as you waka all your waka that night’ he said; his pen and notepad poised

‘Na Mr. Akintunde tell me say make I go him house say the air condition switch don spoil’ Segun started off

‘Na the matter we dey discuss when that boy come say madam give am cable say the fan no dey work’ he continued

‘Which boy be that?’ Ogunsakin asked, his interest piqued by the mention of an electrical cable.

‘That Ola boy wey dey stay for the house’ Segun said

‘I return the cable to am say I go collect am after the program as I been dey busy’ he finished off

Inspector Ogunsakin felt a rage like he hadn’t felt in years; he tried to compose himself but it seemed the heat had been transferred to him from Segun.

He stood up and beckoned on Segun to follow him outside, taking in the cool evening breeze as he stepped out of the store.

There was one fact he had hidden from everyone about the murder.

The victim had been strangled with a black electrical cable.




CHAPTER 24
DECEPTIONS AND PERCEPTIONS
Thursdays were a dull day in the neighborhood, commercial activities started off later than usual because of the environmental sanitation law which compelled all business owners to clean up their surroundings before opening at ten.

Apongbon looked on as people scurried about trying to make sense of their lives; Mama Ogechi walked by with her daughter Amara and tossed a half eaten pack of biscuits to him as she did.

‘Apongbon’ he shouted out with a smile as he picked it up, pretending to eat it and as soon as she was out of sight he opened a dirty sack and tossed it inside.

He got up from his perch; carrying the sack with him and laughing hysterically as he walked off hardly noticed by anyone.

He walked down Oremeji Street and took a sharp turn by the old church hall, whistling as he did so.

There was an old path through the large dumping ground at the back of the hall which led to College road.

He looked about casually as if searching for something on the floor, when he felt the coast was clear he walked to the parked van, opened it and got in.

‘Eko for show’ he said to himself and laughed.

Olumopo smiled to himself as the van moved away.

CHAPTER 25
DEMONS AND SHADOWS

Ogechi and Sharon looked on as the policemen took Ola away.

Ogechi had awoken before dawn and unable to go back to sleep had come to sit by the living room window when she noticed policemen coming into the compound, she had immediately woken Sharon from her sleep.

As Ola was taken away, the glint from the handcuffs caught Ogechis eye and she remembered the night of the murder.

Turning to look at Sharon she mentioned it that she saw someone leaving the compound that night but Sharon seemed to be in a world of her own, her face was pale and her lips trembled as she sat there looking at the empty space the policemen had left behind.

Sharon got up from the seat near the window and laid down on the couch, her actions seemed mechanical as she hummed a tune under her breath ‘osondi owendi o’; the tune broken only by the sobs which escaped her lips as she rocked back and forth.


Posters announcing the burial arrangements for the late Yetunde Akintunde were pasted on the walls of Ile Agbalumo and a few other places in the neighborhood, it had been done by Olumopo and Shefiki; for a small fee of course.

There was to be no fanfare or reception and only family members had been invited for the ceremony to be held at the Cemetery in Ayobo, Ipaja.

People passed by and shook their heads as they read the poster, a brief reminder of the debt everyone has to pay.

It had been a week since the incident and as Mr. Akintunde walked into the compound, a sober looking Mama Ogechi came out to console him; her bosom heaving under her wrapper as she tried to hold back tears.

He smiled and hugged her, thanking her for the gesture; walked over to his apartment, pausing by the door before going in.

Mr. Akintunde sat on the chair by the dining table and looked around the apartment.

The broken vase by the small corridor lay shattered on the floor like the dreams of a star athlete with a torn calf muscle on the eve of a title game.

He brought out the small bottle from his pocket, gulping the contents in one quick movement.

The heat from the dark liquid hit him hard and he coughed out a few times, using his sleeve to wipe his mouth, his eyes becoming watery and his vision blurry.

The memories from that night refused to go away.

He closed his eyes and wished the demons leave him alone but he could see them clearly; his wife by their side as they closed in on him.

A rat ran across the sitting room floor, the sounds spooking him and he bolted from the apartment hitting away everything in sight and leaving chaos in his wake.




CHAPTER 26
BROKEN SPIRITS AND THICKER BODIES

Inspector Ogunsakin observed Ola through the two way mirror as the boy sat in the interrogation room.

He couldn’t believe this small boy had murdered the woman but he had seen stranger things happen.

They had picked him up the day before at dawn and he had left him in the holding cell overnight on purpose, the night officers had told him how the boy had cried till daybreak.

As soon as he noticed Olas head droop he barged into the interrogation room; dragging a steel chair across to the table; the scraping sound in the empty room making Ola squirm.

Inspector Ogunsakin saw the fear in the boys’ eyes.

He smiled inwardly—the boys’ spirit was broken.

Ogunsakin took his time to arrange the victims’ pictures on the table, showing the electrical cable wound tight around her neck and blood oozing from her ears, nose and mouth.

Ola took one look and panicked, wriggling around in his chair, trying to distance himself from the table.

His handcuffs held him in place and his actions were like a rabbit caught in a trap, flapping around in agony; waiting on a miracle.

Ogunsakin pointed at the cable in the picture and said just one word

‘Speak’ he said and relaxed back in his chair, picking up his soda and sipping it slow.

Ola sobbed as he spoke; explaining how he had overheard Mr.Akintunde while coming down the stairway and watching him leave.

‘I decided to smoke a cigarette by their apartment’ he said

‘Mrs. Akintunde came out and saw me, admonishing me on the dangers of smoking’ he continued

‘She complained about her fan and I offered to help her look at it’ Ola said in between sobs

Inspector Ogunsakin offered him a handkerchief and told him to continue.

‘I realized the cable was burnt and told her I would give it to Segun, then I left’ he finished

‘What time was this?’ Ogunsakin asked

‘It must have been after five because Sharon was already waiting for me as I left her place’ Ola replied

Ola paused and looked at Ogunsakin as he scribbled in his book.

‘Please continue’ the inspector said

Ola told him how he met up with Segun at the concert and he had told him to hold on to the cable, he had put it back in his pocket but couldn’t recall how he had misplaced it at the concert.

‘I was thinking of how to get Sharon to my room and didn’t think much of it till you brought it up sir’ Ola said

‘You have to believe me, I had nothing to do with this’ he begged

‘I think you went downstairs after the young lady left your apartment’ Ogunsakin started off

‘You had a taste of the girl and were not satisfied’ he continued

‘You went to her place on the pretext of returning the cable, she let you in’ he said

‘You knew she would be alone, you had been in the apartment that day and you lost control and killed her’ he finished off; his voice rising by several octaves as he glared at the boy.

‘You killed that poor defenseless woman and I want you to tell me why’ he shouted at Ola, banging his fist on the table as he said so.

‘I swear I didn’t’ Ola sobbed uncontrollably, his tears flowing freely as his body shook with sobs.

‘I never left the apartment that night’ he said

‘How do I know you didn’t’ Ogunsakin thundered back

‘Ask Mama Ogechi’ Ola said

‘She came to my room that night after Sharon had gone’ he said

Inspector Ogunsakins mouth dropped open as he stared at the boy.

‘You mean to tell me you and that woman ….’ His voice trailed off as he spoke; the pieces falling into place as he recalled her aggressive demeanor on the day of the interview towards the girl.

‘Yes sir, please ask her she will tell you the truth’ Ola said, in between sobs

Ogunsakin shook his head as he packed up his things from the table.

‘What a mess’ he said to himself as he left the room.

CHAPTER 27
THE MEDICINE MAN

John looked on as Mama Ogechi adjusted her clothes and left his store. He threw the syringe he had used into the bin. As he washed his hands, his brother Emeka walked in,

‘Anarchy’ Emeka shouted out performing a mock salute in the process.

‘Ihem’ John responded as he dried off his hands

‘Wetin dis one come do for here?’ Emeka asked referring to Mama Ogechi even as he stretched his neck to look at her receding bosom in the distance.

John slapped the back of his younger ones head playfully and they both burst into laughter.

‘She come collect the usual nah’ John said, his face creased into a small frown

‘Na wa o’ Emeka said

‘She suppose just buy the medicine keep for house nah’ Emeka continued

‘Ol boy the thing full town o’ John said

‘I don treat Shalewa and even Pa Ogechi for the same thing sef’ he continued

‘Na wa o’ Emeka said as he got up and straightened his shirt

‘Na she no go kill that her husband o’

‘You no see that yansh, abeg something must kill a man’ John answered and laughed

‘Try call papa o’ John called after him

‘He don worry me die say you no dey call am’ John finished off

Emeka ignored the message and simply walked away, a soft whistle escaping his lips as he did so.

He walked the short distance from his brothers’ drug store to his beer parlor, wrinkling his nose as he walked past Apongbon.

‘Apongbon’ the homeless man shouted out

‘Apongbon your papa’ Emeka responded with a sneer

He noticed Deles’ store wasn’t open yet, he smiled as he recalled the last time they had smoked the new strain of marijuana at Skamas’ place.

Dele had performed an “Orubebe” which was the new slang for throwing tantrums in the hood when things don’t go your way.

They had been arguing about a seemingly meaningless topic and Dele had turned it into a full blown argument.

‘Good morning boss’ the young man sweeping his shop said

‘Daniel’ he responded

‘You just dey open shop by this time’ he said, staring at the boy like he were about to swallow him whole like the small balls of fufu he ate at mama Uchennas shop.

His phone beeped and as he fished it out of his pocket, he saw Skama idling past

‘Skamatozoa’ he called out whilst checking the text that came in

CALL PAPA was written out in bold lettering from his brother John

He hissed and ran up to meet Skama, he needed a wake me up smoke.

CHAPTER 28
DESPAIR, TANTRUMS AND ORGASMS

Sharon was on tip toes around the house ever since the inspector came around; she had mastered the art of keeping at arm’s length from Mama Ogechi.

Surprisingly she hadn’t reported the incident to her uncle and for that she was glad.

She couldn’t imagine the reaction from Papa Ogechi if he heard about her rendezvous with Ola; she was still hoping he would consider paying for her JAMB exams which were coming up soon.

A shriek of joy rang out from Mama Ogechis room as she received a call and shortly after, a well-dressed Mama Ogechi bounded out of the house with a wave to her kids and a steely look for Sharon.

‘I dey come’ and with those words she shut the door and was gone.

Chisom burst into tears as her mom left and was consoled by Ogechi with a promise of ice cream; Sharon huddled into a corner by the window and looked out at the apartment above.

It had been three days and she hadn’t seen Ola.

They hadn’t heard anything and she was afraid to ask Mama Ogechi for any news.

Dele didn’t have any news either and feigned ignorance of the entire goings on.

She sighed ‘no one ever knew anything in the ghetto’ she said to herself

Mr. Akintunde was yet to move back home and the compound suddenly seemed to have lost some more of its soul.

Her world just seemed to shrink a little bit more.


Chidi was naked by the time Mama Ogechi got to their rendezvous point, he was so expectant he had called her every few minutes to know how close she was to the small guest house located in Oko Oba; almost an hour’s journey from their neighborhood.

He was tired of all their backdoor church quickies. He needed some good release.

She had to struggle with him in between bouts of laughter and mouthfuls of her bre**ts just to enable him let her take a quick shower.

She locked herself in the bathroom and cleaned up thoroughly, she had come this far and she was so h**ny.

She had noticed a slight itch and had gone to Johns place as a precaution.

She hoped it wasn’t that small boy in the compound

‘You can’t trust these young boys’ she told herself

‘Na anything wey dem see dem they knack’ she hissed to herself

She had to pretend to be asleep or deep in prayers for the past two days whenever her husband came home and for some reason he didn’t bother her too.

She said a silent prayer as she stepped back into the room, hopefully Chidi wouldn’t notice anything.

Mama Ogechi closed her eyes as Chidis tongue went deep into her core; she sighed out loud as the familiar feelings gripped her, her body responding to him.

She held Chidis’ head tightly between her thighs as he lapped up her juices, joyfully sucking her as she shook from the joy of release.

Before she could gather her wits, chidi was already on top of her, his c**k plunging deep into her wetness as she spread herself wider to accommodate his size.

She held on to him like a child would a mother; afraid of getting lost in the marketplace.

Her mind numb as her urges unlocked her innermost desires.

Chidi let out a sharp cry as he erupted inside of her, his pelvis digging deep into hers, his muscles stretched as he let go of all the pent up anger and frustrations that had built up.

He sighed and slumped on her massive frame, her ankles locked around his waist in a passionate embrace, their deep breathing the only sounds in the dimly lit room.

For the first time in a while he felt peace. He felt satisfied.

It would not last….


CHAPTER 29
MOGBE,MOKU,MODARAN AND A REUNION

‘Yeeeeeeee’ the crowds at the viewing centre shouted in unison as Demba Ba raced away from the Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and slotted the ball past the Liverpool goalkeeper.

‘Bastard leleyi o’ Olumopo shouted out

‘my ticket don cut o’ he continued as he ripped up the small piece of betting paper to shreds before hissing and stomping out of the viewing center

‘Aiye yin ma baje o Liverpool’ Skama cried out

‘600 years before una go win this league o’ someone from the now thinning crowd shouted out

John Nwabaoshi just sat there staring at the betting slip as if he could wish the result away. He had put a lot of money on what had seemed like a sure bet.

‘Haaaaa’ he thought as his mind raced in a hundred different directions,

‘Mama Uchenna go kill me today o’

‘Steven Gerrard e no go better for you o’ he lamented

‘when no be say dem pour oil for field’ he continued, shaking his head in disbelief and looking once again at the result on the screen before finally getting up and leaving the viewing centre.

Ola stood by the Abokis kiosk and watched as the crowd from the viewing center dispersed slowly, sports betting was something he couldn’t just wrap his head around.

Why people would willingly stake their hard earned money on an event they had little or no control over, he would never understand.

He looked on as John walked out, his head bowed, his shoulders slumped and Ola almost laughed out loud.

John cut quite a pitiful sight.

He had spent the better part of the last week at the police station, writing and re writing his statement about the night of the murder.

He remembered the euphoria he had felt after his successful tryst with Sharon and Mama Ogechi.

He couldn’t believe his eyes when he responded to the knock on his door after Sharon had left that night and he had seen Mama Ogechi standing at his door.

She had pushed her way into the room past him and promptly let go of the wrapper which was tied around her chest.

His head spun as he recalled grabbing her massive bre**ts, the memory of her moans as he squeezed and sucked at the large black tips echoed in his mind.

Her bre**ts were so large he had to use his two hands while sucking each one.

He had never seen a woman get so wet, his sheets were soaked; it looked like it had sunk with the titanic.

The entire neighborhood knew he had been arrested but while he felt ashamed; olumopo and shefiki instead hailed him at every slight opportunity, even skama offered him free weed.

He felt like he had joined a brotherhood unknowingly.

He had been released two nights ago with a stern warning not to leave town; it’s not like he had anywhere else to go and had crept into his apartment, staying there till hunger drove him straight into the hands of shefiki and olumopo at mama uchennas shop the next afternoon.

He put out his cigarette and sighed as he walked back towards the house, he had been warned not to say anything to anyone about the case and he intended to keep his mouth shut.

As he struggled to unlock the door to his apartment, he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

He turned to see Sharon clad in a flimsy tee shirt and a wrapper; her face expressionless as she pushed her way into the room and before he could turn to lock the door; she was already naked on the bed.

He strode towards her like a raging bull, his hands pushing her legs wide apart as his mouth sucked on her tender flesh; her moans urging him to do more.

Sharon squirmed as Olas mouth and hands ravaged her body

‘He wasn’t as tender as he used to be’ she thought to herself; it turned her on and she wanted more.

She grabbed his head and pulled him up; feeding him her bre**ts as he sucked hard on her nip**es, her hands inside his jeans as she squeezed his c**k.

Ola wasted no time in ripping off his clothes as he motioned for Sharon to turn around; burying his face in her a*s and as he sucked on her from behind, she let out a sound much like the ones he had only heard in porn films; her head buried in the pillows as she moaned loudly.

He stroked her harder and harder, the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh becoming louder and louder; leaving huge red marks on her buttocks as he smacked his hips against her from behind over and over.

Sharon let out a huge cry as her orgasm sucked the breath out of her, the waves of pleasure washing over her like a cowry by the seashore.

Ola removed his c**k and as Sharon turned to lie down on the bed, he lay on her; his c**k sliding in as he dug deep for his orgasm.

She could feel him getting harder inside her as she sucked on his ni**les and sharon opened herself up more; she wanted all of him.

He started to thrust much deeper and Ola knew he was close, he couldn’t hold on for much longer and as he started to buck wildly on top of her, she leaned in and took his mouth in hers; sucking in her own juices.

Sharon could feel Olas body tense up as his heat flowed into her; tipping her into a second orgasm as she locked her legs around him tightly.

Their bodies shuddering in unison; their breathing heavy as they held onto each other; their bodies locked in a tight embrace; their souls bound by that moment in eternity.