₦airaland Forum

Chapter 3

The place was an old looking bungalow, with cream colored paint job that had long faded. The guard that let him in didn’t look official in the worn-out blue jeans and brown short sleeve shirt he had on. There was a tall coconut tree in the compound that had caused cracks on the cemented floor; the cracks looked like tributaries of a big river.

After locking the gate, the man led him into the house. Unlike the outside of the house, the inside looked more modern. It had black wooden floors, three black leather sofas arranged in sort of like a semi circle form, and a black desk and chair with a white computer at the left corner of the room; the computer’s monitor was at least 24 inches. It was clear the house was recently remodeled and furnished.

The man didn’t step in, but held on to the door and urged Sesan to go in. Then he nodded at Sesan before closing the door. Alone in the living room, he looked around the place. The smell of fresh leather and wood filled the air. There were no family pictures hanging on the white walls or nothing lying around that gave it a feel of a living room, but it still was too informal to be an office. The wall unit made a sudden loud sound like it was changing temperature, and it startled Sesan. That was probably kept from before the remodeling of the place, Sesan thought.

He took a seat by the two seater couch closest to him. Just then a door to his left swung open, and an elderly man emerged from the room. “Hello.” He said in tiny voice as he approached with the vigor of a young man. He had grey afro hair, and long grey beard like the writer, Wole Soyinka. Sesan got off his seat to greet him. They shook hands, and Sesan bowed his head in greeting. The man took the seat opposite Sesan, tucked his glasses back in place, and adjusted the brown Ankara attire he had on. “This place is actually a home office.” He said. He cleared his throat before adding, “I thought it would be wise to avoid all the hassles that a real office comes with…workers, cleaners, tax, and all that.” He smiled and the smile on his face lingered longer than normal as he focused on Sesan; that and the awkward silence made Sesan feel a little uncomfortable. As if sensing this, he clasped his hands and sat up in his seat. “So…let me brief you on what you would be doing.”
“Okay sir. But, umm! Sir, aren’t you going to interview me?”
“For what? You are tall, athletic, and the age range I asked for.” He said and Sesan smiled. “I need you for what you can do for me, not what a paper qualification says you can do for me.”
“So… I’m guessing you know who Professor Peller was, right?” The man said and Sesan looked lost. “You don’t know the name Peller?”
“Umm! I only know the Peller that owns Quilox.”
“Q what? What’s that” It was the man’s turn to look lost.
“Quilox is a night club sir.”
“Oh.” The man said and laughed a little before saying, “I heard one of the late great magician’s kids was in the club business.”
“Sir…So, Shina Peller’s dad was a magician?”
“Yes; From Iseyin in Oyo state. Back in the 60s, the man was doing shows all over Lagos; Great magician. He was a great entertainer.”
“Oh. Wow! I didn’t know that.”
“Yes. So, that’s what I want to bring back to the Nigerian scene. Nigerians need some magical entertainment right now.” He said with a smile. He looked lost in thought for a few seconds, before snapping back to reality with a quick shake of the head. “I’m working on putting together a series of shows in Lagos this Christmas.”
“Okay sir.”
“Yea…we would be using venues like Muson Center and National Arts Theatre.”
“Okay sir.”
“By the way, how much do you know about magic?”
“Umm! I sometimes watch Chris Angel videos on Youtube.”
“Filmed magic tricks.” He said with disgust. “I hate them. They are the fakest.” He added and Sesan smiled. “Well, every form of magic is not real anyway; it’s just tricks. But I’m an Illusionist; a stage magician. At least people like me have the decency of doing the magic tricks in front of real people.”
“Sir. I’ve been…” Sesan started to say and stopped to clear his throat. “I’ve been meaning to ask you…Umm! So, there is no real magic?”
The man smiled at him for a long time, making him feel uncomfortable again. “There is.” He finally said. “There is real magic. And do you want to know the truth?”
“Yes sir.” Sesan said and leaned forward.
“Sesan Ogundairo, you have magical powers. You are a Magician.”

ORIJIN201:
Still up!

Is the offer still up? I can meet the deadline.

Deckline:
Tell him the truth! You know you're lying!!

Dude, I honestly want to understand what your issue is. If you believe my story is 'uninteresting' why don't you just leave? The story is not on front page... So, you can't argue that a mod pushed it to front page and you have a right to comment on it. If you don't like something, you leave it. Simple. I don't like your negative energy. There are hundreds if not thousands of stories in the literature section... You can easily find one you like.

Ann2012:
Don't let any bad belle kill your vibe

Following already

Thank you jare.

Chapter 2

His second class for the day was a borrowed course in another department. It was in a large lecture theatre with about five hundred students, but he spotted her in the first few minutes of getting there. She was a light skin beauty Sesan had been crushing on since the beginning of the semester. She was in a clique of about half a dozen girls and Sesan hadn’t had the opportunity to get her alone.

He stood at a vantage point, looking down at her make hand gestures as she interacted with her friends. She had on a navy blue gown, with a red belt around her waist that accentuated her coke bottle figure. Her shoes and lipstick were also red, making her standout in the crowd.

Her friends walked off at the same time, and she stayed back to place their bags on their empty seats. It was his chance. He adjusted his denim shirt, cracked his neck, took a deep breath and started the decent down the hall. He was half way down when for some weird reason, she turned around and their eyes locked for a few seconds before she looked away. Just a couple more steps to get to her, and he heard a large uproar in the hall. When he looked up at the stage, he saw the grey haired professor walking to the podium with a file in his hand. “Shiit!” He cursed under his breath as he slowly walked passed her, walked to the isle and started his slow walk back up the hall. “Please tear out a sheet of paper. We are having a test.” The professor said out loud.
Another loud uproar reverberated through the hall.

……….

He was in no mood to talk to anyone after the test, and had headed straight to his department. He had his face glued to his laptop while waiting for his next lecture to start. He had gotten another email from Chun Lee, where she was talking about coming to Lagos from Ibadan for the Christmas break. He replied that he couldn’t wait, and went over to Facebook. He wished all his friends born on that day a happy birthday, scrolled through posts and was about to leave the page when an ad caught his eye.

On the right hand of the page, the small ad read, ‘Magician’s Assistant Needed.’ He hovered the cursor around the ad for a couple of seconds before finally clicking on it. The landing page was a very simple white background website detailing the criteria for getting the job. The person wanted someone tall, athletic, sharp, and not more than 22 years old. Sesan fit perfectly. He pulled out his phone and called the number at the bottom of the website. It rang for a full session and no one picked up. But when he dialed the second time, an old man said picked up immediately and said “Hello” in a croaked voice.
“Hello sir. Umm. I just saw your ad about needing a Magician’s assistance.” Sesan said and waited. He didn’t know if he was talking to the magician or someone at a job agency. When the man didn’t say anything, he went on with, “Sir, I am interested in the job sir.”
“Okay. What’s your name?” The man said and coughed a few times.
“Sesan. Sesan Ogundairo, sir.”
The line went quiet. Sesan could hear the man breathing on the other end of the line. He was about to speak when the man said, “Okay. Can you meet me this evening by 5, at number 7 Cole Street, Akoka? The street is off the University of Lagos road.”
“Okay sir.”
“That’s my office. I hope you know how to get there?”
“Yes sir. I’m actually at the university right now.”
“Oh. That’s nice. So, I’ll see you at 5?”
“Yes sir.”
“Okay. Call me when you are outside the building.”
“Yes sir.” Sesan said. He was about to ask for the man’s name when the line went dead. He looked at his phone for a couple of seconds, contemplating redialing the number, and then put the phone down on the table. He looked into space, thinking of how awkward the last five minutes had been. It felt spooky.

Deckline:
You will try to post twice a week I sense an unneccessarily long and boring story unfolding.

You are the real bad belle. See as this guy wants to kill my vibe with the first comment on my story. Lol!

LightQueen:
Nice one dear

Waiting for the other story....

Thanks.

To everyone, this is the link to the new story...https://www.nairaland.com/4855924/magical-attraction-romance-novelette-kayode

Magical Attraction
By
Kayode Odusanya


© 2018 Kayode Odusanya


There was heavy fog on the road and they had to drive at a low speed. This was common for November mornings in Nigeria, just before and during the Harmattan period in the country. The inside of the car was chilly even though the air conditioning wasn’t on. Sesan sat in the front passenger’s seat of the small Renault Megan, cramped up with his 6ft2 athletic physique, lost in thought as Ngozi kept talking nonstop. She was saying something about the early morning fog and how she read somewhere that the water droplets in a fog that covered a standard soccer field, if somehow condensed, wasn’t enough to fill up a 5 liter keg. She always knew something about everything and liked to talk.

Ngozi used to be someone he spoke to casually whenever he visited her brother and the three of them played video games. They had become close after Mathew, her brother passed from untreated Typhoid fever a few years back. It was shocking to them that someone could actually die from Typhoid, and it made Ngozi a voracious reader. She was a lanky 20 year old tomboy that had no female friends; a nightmare for her mom.

The spare car Sesan normally drove to school had been sold off recently to meet some needs in the house after his dad left, and Ngozi had been dropping him off at school since then. It wasn’t a burden to her at all, as she loved getting out of the house, especially when it was with her buddy, Sesan. They were about the same age, but she hadn’t been able to gain admission into the University for the Course of her choice. While Sesan was in his second year at the University of Lagos, she was studying for another JAMB exam.

“Are you listening to me at all?” She said as she took a few quick glances at him. She had on a white t shirt that was rolled up a few notches at the sleeves, and a black scarf covered her head.
“What? Oh. Yea, you were…” He was saying in his baritone voice then stopped and stared at her for a while before saying, “You got lipstick on. Weird.”
“I applied it in traffic a few minutes ago.” She said and smiled. The smile on her naturally beautiful oval face quickly turned to a frown as she added, “It means your mind hasn’t been here at all.”
“Sorry…I’m…So, what’s with the lipstick?”
“Well, my mom has been on my neck for a while now on my dressing. I’m thinking of getting a new look.” She said as she rubbed her lips together. “I used the copper brown color as I read it is the best for my brown complexion. So, how did I do?”
He turned to look at her for a while before saying, “Hmm. I guess you did okay.”
Ngozi slowed down the car to collect a car pass as she drove into the University campus. “I watched a tutorial on Youtube.” She said and laughed lightly.

Sesan reached the backseat for his bag as he said, “So…you are going to totally change your look? That’s unlike you to give in like that.”
She looked into space for a while before saying, “Well, I think I have been very selfish for a while now. I just want to do something to make my mom happy.”
“Hmm. I can’t…” He was saying and stopped when his phone beeped. “Thank God; network is back.” He said, excited as he pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket.
“I’ve told you a million times to get off that network.”
“They give good data.” He replied.
She shook her head at him. There was traffic and she was moving a few meters every now and then. The car had gone quiet as Sesan had buried his head in his phone. “Hey Sesan, I think I would drop you off at the next roundabout. This traffic looks like it stretches to the senate building.” She said, and he nodded without looking at her. “Who are you chatting with that got you all smiley faced?”
“I’m not chatting; I’m reading a mail from a friend.”
“Who is he?”
“It’s a she.”
“Oh, interesting. What’s her name?”
“Chun Lee.”
“What?” She said and laughed chucked. “Are you trying to be funny or what?”
“Nope. That’s what she calls herself. She has refused to tell me her real name.”
“Hmm. She’s a mystery lover, yes?”
“Nope. I haven’t even met her. She’s just a friend. More like my shrink.” Sesan said and looked up at the road. They were almost at a U Turn in the road. “I should get down here.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks. See you later.”
“See ya.”

Sesan got out quickly, waited for the car next to theirs to drive off, and then crossed the road. Ngozi beeped the horn twice and waved at him. He waved back, swung his backpack around his shoulders, and started the short walk to his department.

Hello guys. I'm back with a new one. This is going to be a young adult romance novelette...as usual, it will have short chapters. I hope you like it.

I will try and post twice a week.

OlufemiWhit:
Good job kay........ ....holla me on the next one

I will... it is coming very soon. That's the book cover below.

Ann2012:
Kayo80 is always on point with all his stories

Kudos Boss

Thanks for being a loyal fan. You and some other readers of my stories here are the reason I keep writing.

carloz685:
Not once have you ever disappointed me in any of your write up... That's except the fact that you haven't completed some... This is wonderful...

Thanks for the compliment.

And about the 2 uncompleted stories, I plan to complete them when I finish with a new story I'm currently working on.

MissWrite:
Exposed to what? Everyone is exposed to something, even if it is the four walls of your own bedroom. The four walls of your own bedroom can still inspire you to write something authentic - about boredom, or fear, or imprisonment - the point is that it is important to pay attention to what you see (inside or outside) and to tell it in your own voice.

Eventually, a good writer has to be authentic. But many writers would tell you that they copied someone else for a while before they discovered themselves. Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance) copied Hemingway. John Milton said that copying many writers is research. You can emulate your favourite writer, but understand that it's only a springboard - the first step of a process. Because you must be prepared to transcend that voice and grow into your own.

"Exposed to what? Everyone is exposed to something, even if it is the four walls of your own bedroom. The four walls of your own bedroom can still inspire you to write something authentic - about boredom, or fear, or imprisonment - the point is that it is important to pay attention to what you see (inside or outside) and to tell it in your own voice."


Beautifully said. You have a brilliant mind.

That's why I stopped reading fiction... I don't want to copy any writer's style, consciously or subconsciously.

EvaJael:
This is so intriguing as always Kayo. I enjoyed every bit of it. Thumbs up

Thanks.

abubakarbabang7:
This is what i call a perfect ending. Thanks kayo80 we will be waiting for another blockbuster

Thank you. New story coming next week.

Nice. Nice ending.

Chapter 17

He pulled her to the side of the building, looked around before saying in a low voice, “What are you do here?”
“He let me go.” She said with a smile on her face. She was also wearing black jeans, and a white top, with a small black purse in her hand.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Fatai let me go. We are separated.”
“That’s not possible, he paid me to never to see you again; why would he let you go? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m serious Frank. He let me go.”
He looked at her intensely for a while then said, “How did you find me?”
“Instinct; this is the closest park to your house, and I just got an urge to come here after going over to your place and hearing you had moved out.”
He was quiet for a while, studying her. “Kiki, are you sure you didn’t run away?” He said in a low voice.
She laughed lightly before saying, “No I didn’t. I will explain everything to you later.” She took him by the hand and led him into building, then to the ticketing office. “Hello, please is the bus to Ghana full?” Kiki said to the lanky lady behind the counter.
“No. But it is remaining only one space ma.” The lady replied.
“Oh! That’s just great. That’s fate.” Kiki said and turned around to smile at Frank.

……….

Two hours later, they were riding in the back of a white Toyota bus, heading to Seme border; the border between Nigeria and Benin Republic. She had no luggage with her, but they had money and could buy anything and everything she needed when they got to their destination. He wished for it, and now that he got it, he felt it was too good to be true. She had told him Fatai considered the fact that she had not been genuinely happy with him, and didn’t want to keep her around against her wish. The explanation sounded too simple and plain for Frank to buy. The Fatai he had spoken with yesterday didn’t look like someone that was ready to let his wife just walk away like that. He knew women had a way of getting what they wanted from men, but this just seemed too easy to him.

“Stop over thinking it, Frank.” She said and turned his face towards hers’. “Savor the moment.”
He smiled at her and said, “Okay.”
“Just look at it as the universe giving us some good for all the bad we have individually experienced.”
“Hmm.”
“I have been through a lot in my life, and I think I totally deserve this.” She looked into space for a while before adding, “I kissed so many frogs to get you my prince charming.”
“Wait, you mean you actually kissed frogs?” She frowned at him playfully, and he laughed a little before saying, “I’m just kidding.”

“Oya, kiss me right now.” She said with a big smile on her face. The way what she said sounded with her British accent made him laugh. He looked around; the only other person on their role was asleep. He leaned in, she met him half way, and they locked lips, kissing passionately as their bus sped through the expressway to a new life ahead.

……….

Yesterday Afternoon

Fatai sat alone in his living room with an ice cold bottle of Origin on the stool in front of him, thinking of his next move. After his visit to the police station earlier in the day, he had headed straight over to his Baba’s shrine. The man had not been too happy with the news that Kiki had slept with another man. It had totally made his juju void. And the man hadn’t been shocked about the assassination attempt against him. According to him, all protections and goodwill he had been experiencing had come to an end with his wife sleeping with another man. The old man had told him the only thing he could do for him was to renew the jazz, but that even if he did that, it wouldn’t be as potent as when his wife had not had intimate relationships with any other man but him. “Fatai, oma ni la ti fe iyawo mi.” The man had told him in Yoruba, urging him to get a younger wife, if possible a virgin.

He took a sip from his half filled glass cup of Origin and sat back in his seat. With his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. He thought of what to do next. When he had met Kiki, and she told him her story, he felt she was perfect for him. A girl that had gone through a very bad case of sexual molestation in the hands of her adopted father. From what he had heard from people, females like that usually didn’t really fancy sex. He thought she would be okay with security and attention. His plan would work, and she would get a home, and money to do whatever she wanted to do in this world. Never did he think she would look outside for another man. And worst of all, it had to be the man that was helping him get to the next level. He wondered how long she had been orchestrating her plan. He thought they were playing checkers, but she was playing chess with him. He didn’t blame her anyway. She was human, and he had always believed that after the basic human needs of food, shelter, and clothing, passion was the next need in line.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and looked towards the direction of the staircase. He didn’t know she was home. She looked sleepy and tired and her eyes grew bigger when she saw him. He was usually never home by this time of the day, so he could understand her reaction. Plus, she was still feeling guilty for what she had done. A smile quickly took the place of the shocked look on her face. Although he was one of the most feared men in the whole of Lagos, he had taught her never to fear him. When he came home, he never wanted to feel feared. “I didn’t know you were home.” She said. He smiled at her but didn’t say anything. She smiled back and walked over to sit on the couch opposite from him. The room was awkwardly quiet for a few minutes, till she got up, picked the remote control from the glass center table, and turned on the TV. A boy screaming on screen startled them both, and they laughed. It was a horror movie titled Boarding School, about a mysterious boarding school for kids that parent’ no longer wanted. She turned down the volume a couple of notches and put the remote back on the table.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before he sighed and focused on her. “Do you really like him?” She looked at him for a while, and then nodded. “Does he like you too?” She nodded again. He took a sip from his glass cup and looked at her intensely for a while before saying, “What do you want me to do now?”
“I don’t know.”
He looked into space for a long while, and then focused on her again. “Let me make it easy for you; do you want to be with him?” He said and she nodded. “I know Frank is your favorite writer, but you know reality is different from fiction.” She smiled before nodding.

The room went quiet again before Kiki said, “I know I might seem very selfish, but I’m just being realistic. You have been really great to me. But you know as much as I appreciate all you have done for me, I am not happy.” It was his turn to nod. “If…If there is a way I could just leave, and start afresh with him, I would love it.” She said and focused on him for his reaction. “I know things might not be as rosy as I think right now, but at least, it would be my decision. And I would live with it. I want to make a decision for once in my life.”
He smiled as he nodded. He took down the last content of his drink, dropped the glass cup and said, “I totally understand you. I will miss you. But I know the wise thing is to let you go right now.” He smiled at her as he got off his seat and heading for the door. “I have to go for a meeting now. I won’t be back till tomorrow.” He stopped at halfway out the door and turned to look at her. It was clear in his eyes that he was making a tough definition. She walked slowly towards him, and they held each other in a tight embrace for a few seconds, before pulling away. Fatai kissed her forehead and said, “Thanks for all you did for me.”
“Thank you too.” Kiki replied. They held each other one last time, before Fatai pulled away, and headed out the door. She stared at the door, blank faced for a while as the reality of what had just happened hit her, and then a smile slowly appeared on her face.


The End

Chapter 16

Frank was by the bus terminus now, wearing black jeans and a white polo top, waiting for his bus to Ghana to get filled up. Even though Fatai had not given him a deadline as to when to disappear, he guessed the man would assume he would do so within the next couple of days, and that was what he did. The very next day after they spoke, he moved all his things, including his car to his parent’s house, packed a duffel bag filled with essentials, and headed out. He stopped by the ATM to withdraw a hundred and fifty thousand Naira. That was not even up to a tenth of the money Fatai had wired to him.

Since he didn’t visas to travel to any of the western countries, he had decided to try out the Anglophone countries. He had a friend in Ghana who was into gold mining that had been asking him to come over for a while now. His short trip might turn into a long term stay as he was thinking of investing in gold mining in the country. He had done his research overnight after calling his friend. If everything goes well, his life would be a great one from here on end.

Even though he felt Fatai had more or less changed his life for the better when he thought it was going to shits, he still thought about what life would have been if she was with him. Frank, don’t be greedy. He said in a low voice and shook his head. He sighed and focused on his environment. The park was busy as many people traveling interstate were coming and going. A couple standing by one of the white Toyota buses going interstate caught his eye. The man was wearing a white shirt tucked into blue slacks, with a silver watch on his wrist; the woman had a big black handbag hanging on her wrist, and she was dressed in an olive green gown with a belt at the waist, which brought out her coke bottle shape. They had been talking, and when the bus driver said it was time to go, the lady leaned in and French kissed the man. It was a beautiful sight as they were both in their forties.

His mind wondered off again, but a voice in his head said, Frank, stop it, you have thirty million Naira in your account, you will find love again. The thought of the money made him smile and as he looked ahead, he saw a little toddler girl smiling at him. He pushed his glasses up his nose bridge and smiled back at her, but when he looked well, he noticed she was smiling at someone behind him. He was about to turn around when two hands covered his eyes. “Shiit.” He cursed under his breath as he caught a whiff of the familiar perfume.

Chapter 15

The house had a large compound, long driveway from the gate, and a regular sized duplex in the middle of the property. It was ancient British architecture; the kind of houses that the colonial masters lived in while still in Nigeria. The other cars were packed in the compound, and when Frank saw some familiar faces, with smiles on their faces, he relaxed. He walked into the meeting as he stepped into the living room. His eyes searched the place, but Fatai was nowhere in sight. Pascal read his mind and said, "He said you should meet him in the backyard when you get here." Frank looked lost for a second, and Pascal pointed down a corridor. Frank nodded and walked down the path. He entered a kitchen, and opened the door to see a backyard of beautiful greenery. About ten meters from the door, in open space, was Fatai sitting on one of four cane chairs surrounding a cane table, backing him, wearing brown floral patterned Ankara attire. He was on a call, and turned around when he heard the door open. He smiled and waved Frank over.

Overhearing his discussion, Frank knew it was one of his family members, asking if he was alright. Frank took the seat opposite Fatai; he had a direct view of the kitchen door. The call went on for a while, and when Frank was starting to get uneasy, Fatai ended it and smiled at Frank before saying, "Sorry, that was my father in law, i couldn't caught him off."
"Oh. Okay." Frank said and swallowed spit.
"Not the father of my current wife. I was married before, but she passed. But I'm still really close with her father."
"Okay."
Fatai looked at Frank for a long time, making Frank really uneasy. Then he said, "So, how long have you been sleeping with my wife?"
Frank nearly had a heart attack. He went through series of emotions in just a few seconds; fear, sadness, surprise, and shame. He opened his mouth to talk, but his brain was still trying to decide if it was better to deny it or come clean. "She told me everything, Frank, but I still want to hear it from you." Still, Frank was dumbfounded. His heart beat went up again.
"What did you do to her?" Frank finally said, with a shaky voice.
"She's my wife Frank, not some random woman." Fatai said and looked deeply at Frank, waiting for him to say something else. Then he sighed and got off his seat. "Come on Frank, let's take a walk, it would help relax you."

……….

The option of denying the thing was no longer on the table, so he told Fatai Lion the whole truth. They had walked around the garden and were now back seated. The place was quiet and Frank started getting paranoid again. What if he kills me right here, and bury me by the dog gate, Frank thought.
“I guess if it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else.” Fatai finally spoke. “No one knows but me, you, Kiki, and Sarah. Even though my wife trusts her, I have been around long enough to know she will talk someday.” Frank stopped to cough before continuing with, “You have to disappear, Frank.”
On hearing this, Frank felt a kind of relief. The option was better than the one he had envisioned in his head.
“Okay.” Frank said and cleared his throat when he noticed how croaky his voice sounded.
Fatai looked at him for a while and then a smile appeared on his face before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “You are such an intelligent man; it’s a pity we have to end this. Do you have a domiciliary account?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Please give me your bank account details.”
“Mmm. Okay.” Frank said and looked into space for a while before calling out his details. Fatai got busy on his phone, and a few minutes later, a text message came on Frank’s phone. It was a credit alert. He was stunned at the amount the man had transferred to him.
Fatai Lion smiled as he got off his seat. “I have to go and handle the stuff from yesterday now. And don’t worry; you don’t have to come with us.” Frank also got up and the two men walked into the house through the kitchen backdoor, into the empty living room, and then outside.

The men started getting into their various vehicles immediately they saw Fatai. Even Frank’s designated driver had driven their car inside the compound and he got in to start up the car. Fatai turned to Frank, smiled at him, and the two men shook hands before going their separate ways. Fatai’s grip was firmer than usual, and Frank got the message, ‘make sure you really disappear.’

The SUV with the bodyguards drove out first, then the one carrying Fatai, and then Frank’s SUV. When they got to an intersection in the road, the two vehicles ahead took a right turn, and Frank took the left turn.

Chapter 14

Just as Fatai said, the black Highlander was outside his apartment by 7am. Frank was officially dressed and ready, with his back suit, white shirt, but no tie this time. The first few minutes of the ride had him and the driver talking about yesterday's encounter, and then the car became quiet. The silence got Frank paranoid. Kiki had been so calm about the whole thing yesterday, but he didn't know if he would be able to keep his calm around Fatai any longer. Even if his change in demeanor could be ruled as effects of post-traumatic stress disorder from yesterday’s incidence, what would happen if Fatai Lion remembers to ask him again how he knew Kiki; what would he say then. He wasn’t a good liar and wished the question of how he knew Kiki never came up again.

Traffic was light, and the SUV was driving at top speed. Frank guessed the driver was following instructions given to him by Pascal or Fatai. It was weird not being in the convoy; he always felt safer. Frank, relax. A voice in his head said, and he sighed. He looked out the window and admired the greenery on the median strip. The other side of the road had heavy traffic, and as usual, cars were impatiently trying to form a new lane. The duality of the two roads made Frank think of how life was; the rich and the poor; the poor live in a crowded world, and the rich are few, just like the number of cars on his side of the road. With how imbalance it seemed, it was totally balanced. There can't be a world with many rich and a little poor. Even America has 20% of its population controlling more than 90% of its wealth. Frank was on his way to the other side; the rich side, but he felt like Kiki might have messed that all up.

As much as he liked her, and wished he could be with her for the rest of his life; she was a forbidden fruit he had eaten, which he didn't think was wise to continue eating. If they were characters in one of his books, they would have run off to a foreign land to live happily ever after. But this was the real world, not fantasy. In real life, things don't usually go the way you want. In the real world, you always pay for your actions.

He had been so deep in thought and hadn't noticed that they had gone off the main road, and were going through the quiet GRA area of Ikeja. Frank wanted to ask why they had gone off course, but thought the driver was trying to beat traffic. But there is no traffic on this side of the road, Frank thought to himself.

When they slowed down on a quiet street, his heart beat quickened. Henry turned around to say something about Fatai wanting them to meet at one of his homes for a quick rundown of assassination attempt before they head over to the police station. Frank nodded, trying to hide the mini panic attack he was having. He took a few deep breaths as Henry properly parked beside a beige colored wall. The pinging sound cars makes when a door opens sounded louder than usual as Henry opened his door. Frank said a short prayer before getting out of the car. His paranoia was getting the best of him.

abubakarbabang7:
Kayo80 please come and update na

Sorry for the delay. I will update later today.

To all the readers of this story, please don't vex for me too much, it is just that some times life comes in the way of our plans.

There are 3 chapters left of this story and I will post them when I get home tonight... I will post them between 10-11pm Nigerian time.

Most readers don't know how hard it is to write sometimes. Punctuation marks, grammar, using the right words to conver deep emotions, holding your readers attention, adding a little suspense, indept narration, catchy beginning, knowing how and when exactly to perfectly end the story, etc.

You have to tell a story, with multiple characters. You create a whole world in your head, and then talk from the point of view of multiple people, with different personalities...Sometimes you get so deep rooted in your story that you loose yourself, and almost become one of your characters. Sometimes your characters become so real that they haunt you.

I'm fast with typing. I once wrote a 5,000 word short non fiction book in the time it took my siblings to go and return from church (about 3 hours)... But I can never never write a good work of fiction of the same word count in that time frame. Mental work should never be compared with physical work. Mental/creative work ain't for children.

Hey guys, I recently moved to a new apartment and just getting used to this place, which has caused the delays in updates. But I'm fully settled in now...I should finish this story tomorrow.

Chapter 13

Frank leaned on the veranda, looking down at a quadrangle of open space. There was a standard ping pong table below with two amateurs female players trying their hand at the spot, and laughing every time either one of them played wrongly. Beside them was a more serious looking duo behind a large screen TV, playing video games. Frank focused on them for a while trying to guess how long they had been sitting there from how they sank low in their seats.

He finally got tired of the scenery below and turned around to face the cinema entrance. It was busy as usual for a Friday; people coming and going- some loitering, others taking pictures, and some others waiting for their movies to start before going in.

Then he saw her; a light skin goddess in red. Her lips looked so kissable with the right amount of lipstick on them. She caught him staring, smiled and started a slow catwalk towards him. Her red pumps, making a click clacking sound...the only sound Frank could here as she approached him. He searched his memory bank, trying to figure out how he knew her, but he came up with nothing. When she was inches away from him, she placed her hands flat on his chest, leaned in and gave him a kiss. And then she leaned in even more and whispered in his ear, "You should run." `As she pulled away, he smelt her fresh minty breath again, and her smooth, supple cheeks brushed his. He watched her sashay away to his right as he thought of what she had said. Then from the corner of his eye, he saw three men in black suit walking towards him. When he turned to face them, he saw them cocking the AK47 rifles in their hands. He tried to run, but it was too late. The first set of bullets hit his chest, making him do the Harlem shake dance backwards, before going over the railing. His glasses flew off his face, and a few more bullets hit his lower region as he started his decent down to the quadrangle. His hands and legs going here and there like a puppet on a string as he fell. The white native attire he had on was all bloodied up.

As soon as his body hit and shattered the ping pong table, he woke up in cold sweats; his heart beat irregular. It was a dream but it felt so real. He was still gathering his thoughts when his phone rang and startled him. Caller ID showed it was Fatai Lion. His heart beat went up again. He took a few deep breaths before picking up and saying "Hello" in a raspy voice.
"Hey Frank. Sorry for calling this early."
"No problem. You're the boss." Frank said with a little laugh at the end.
Fatai cleared his throat for a few seconds before saying, "So, the thing is, Pascal wants us to go to the police station this morning."
"Oh."
"It’s better we clear the mess early before they start looking for us."
"Good idea."
"So i called because a different car is coming to pick up."
"Okay."
"Yeah, you know the ride you normally move in was totaled yesterday."
"Yeah."
"So, Frank, expect a black Toyota Highlander by your house at 7 am sharp."
"Okay." Frank answered and grabbed his glasses by the nightstand. He looked up at the white wall clock on the wall in front of him; time was 5:45.
"See you soon Frank."
"Okay boss." Frank said and Fatai laughed lightly before the line went dead.

OlufemiWhit:
Kay...wats good bruh? No updates

Updates coming this weekend.