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Centino:
MEET MY NEIGHBOURS (2)

There is also Achike who refused to pay his rent because the budget had not been signed. “Achike, “What has the okrika you are selling at the bus stop got to do with the budget? Alhaji Sirika said, eyes blazing. What has that got to do with my money?” Stout with a prominent distension in the middle, Achike said “My business is tied to government spending. It is intricate Alhaji, you will not understand.” When reminded that the vice president in his capacity as acting president had signed the budget, he said, “It is a ruse. We have no acting president. The man was told to coordinate activities of government till Baba returns. He himself has said that he speaks with the president every day. What that implies is that he still takes instructions from the president. It means we have two presidents which is wrong constitutionally and in that light the budget he signed is null and void! When the budget excuse did not work Achike said “My brothers in the north have been given quit notice. Nobody knows what will happen in two months time.”

I used to think Mr Cosmas was weird until three months after I moved in I began to notice activity in one of the hitherto locked rooms on the ground floor. The returnee occupant is Mr Kingsley. He does not talk to anyone, he never says or responds to greetings, he never flushes the toilet after use and he prefers to take his bath in the bathroom reserved for peeing. He is a heavily bearded towering man with dark piercing eyes and bushy eyebrows with some strands curling out towards the sky. His torso is matted with hair and when he moves he seems to do so on tiptoe. The children call him The Undertaker. He converses only in parables or in quotes and always acknowledges the quoted, often leaving listeners confused. During compound meetings he will be seen stroking his beard and looking disinterested while neighbors raged about one problem or the other. Then someone will say to him “Mr Kingsley, so what do you say? How can we be expected to contribute money to repair the transformer when we pay NEPA bills every month? He will pretend not to hear and will keep everyone waiting for about a minute then he will say “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. Thomas Jefferson.” Then someone will say “Mr Kingsley you have come again. We are asking what we should do and you are quoting a dead oyibo man for us.” He will again stroke his beard for another minute then say “Whatever we do will seem insignificant but it is important that we do it. Mahatma Ghandi.” It is when he is angry that he produces his best quotes. Usually he quotes an African statesman. One Sunday afternoon, Mr Zubi’s boys were playing police and thief and barged on his door constantly while he was having a siesta. When he could not bear it any longer, he went and knocked on their door and said to Mr Zubi “Mister, warn your children. If they continue to hit my door like that, ‘the come, will turn to become.’ Mbadiwe.”

Living directly opposite Mr Kingsley’s is the born again Spinster Sister Esther. In her late thirties and once beautiful, Sister Esther, always thoroughly covered in maxi skirts and long-sleeve blouses and scarves competed for airtime with the muezzin every morning with her loud hailer admonishing all the souls on the street to “repent, or spend eternity in hell fire”. Before hitting the street she would first put her mouth through Mr Cosmas’ window and say “Brother! The Lord has given you another chance by sparing your life till this morning. Turn away from blasphemy and heresy and call upon the one true God. Repent!” Then she would gather her skirt and jump the gutter and make sure that the first words that rent the air before the muezzin’s speakers cracked would be “repent!”

“She’s in love with The Undertaker” Irikefe once told me. He is the one that shines her congo”. “Don’t be silly Irikefe” I said. “Don’t worry bros Freke. You will see for yourself.”

Now to Lukman the one eyed barber. You would think that after five years of blindness in one eye that he would be used to his lot by now. But he continued to take offence when looked at any longer than he considered necessary. “I am like this because I was fighting for your rights!” He always said. The story is that he was gorged by a policeman who was fighting off a mob that isolated and beat him up during a “peaceful” protest against the APC government for the ill treatment received in the area. “Because we support the PDP and our councilor is an Igbo man we don’t have light and our street is not tarred.” One day, Willy-Willy went to his shop and after staring at him for five minutes said “Bro Lukman, does your missing eye give you a headache?” Lukman planted his knuckles firmly on his head and he ran to tell his elder brother Castro. Castro is eighteen and always spoiling for a fight since he finished secondary school and could not pass his matriculation exams. He stormed into Lukman’s shop and started bouncing his willowy frame about and rolling his fists. Lukman, twenty-five, with a lifetime on the streets easily overpowered Castro. When they got separated, Castro grabbed a clipper with which he smashed a mirror and then ran out into the afternoon. Afterwards I convinced Lukman to buy an eye patch and turn his disability into a style. The first time he wore it and regarded himself in the mirror, his face opened into a broad smile and he said “as the American’s would say, this is badass!” He quickly grew a wicked moustache and bought a montera hat and pointed out to everyone how much he now resembled Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean. Kids now compare every bad guy in movies with Lukman.

It does not seem like the introduction of my neighbors will ever end if I continued. There are too many of them and each of them brings something different. You will have to meet them as my story moves along. But I must tell you about one more person.
The first thing my father said to me as I was leaving for Lagos was to stay away from girls if I wanted to make it in life. But each time I looked at Maya I knew I was going to disobey my father. I wonder why old people continue to spew out this trite wisdom, as if congress between a man and a woman was created in 2017. She is the second of three sisters and the dearest to her mother, Mama Tobi, whom I will tell you about another time. She is seventeen, only four years my junior, graceful as a peacock, with a voice as soft as melting honey. One day her mother said to her “Maya, I saw you looking at that new calabar boy and your eyes were dimming like somebody that drank ogogoro for the first time. Those people are dogs! Be warned!” When she told me, all I said to her was that “it’s a myth.” And her reply was “I know”.

TO BE CONTINUED.

damselposh:
She was still arranging her goods when Simi landed in her shop, Mara sighed good morning Simi, she greeted, morning Mara baby, how was your night? Simi asked, Mara smiled, she can never stop adding baby to her name, my night was fine and yours? It was fine ooo, you came out late today what happened? Simi asked while helping Mara to carry out her bench, nothing happened simi I just felt like coming out now she answered. Ehe Mara baby have you heard what happened here today? Simi asked, Mara rolled her eyes typical of Simi, trust her to give you information of what happened in another state, she sighed, no Simi I have not heard fill me in. Ehe shey you know Mrs Badmus ni? She asked Mara in a haste, Mrs Badmus the woman that sells clothe at the extreme? Mara asked trying to think of what could have possibly happened to the woman, yes na she Simi said grinning widely happy that Mara saved her the stress of explaining further who Mrs Badmus is, Baba Bayo came today with some thugs and they threw her out because she has been owing baba Bayo ooo she completed while dancing much to the surprise of Mara. Why are you dancing? She asked her getting angry that she can be happy because of someone's misfortune, aaah aaah simi exclaimed, so you are the only person in this neighborhood that doesn't know how she insulted me the other day, she called me a gossip, good for her that the landlord helped me out in dealing with her she scoffed. Mara was irritated at this point, but she did not lie did she? Are you not a gossip? She asked her trying to convey her anger along, Simi hissed loudly at Mara and continued, I will tolerate you because am in your shop and am leaving, I won't come to your shop again rubbish she spatted and left. What a drama Queen Mara thought and continued with what she was doing.


It was around 1:30 PM when Mara noticed a car pulling up in front of her shop, she decided to wait and see if the person was coming to see her, but after 10 minutes the person hadn't still come out, she angrily stood up moving towards the car, she hopes the person doesn't want to park the car in front of her shop and maybe go about another thing, no she won't have that, her shop is not a parking lot. On getting close to the car she felt a chill down her spine, he was looking handsome and Rich, she couldn't say what she wanted to say instead she ran into her shop, what is he doing here? She asked herself, has he come to gloat in her face? Well she won't give him the opportunity to.

He came inside her shop, looking around, it has not changed since the last time he was here. Amy he called her softly moving to hold her hands, she felt goose bumps all over her body immediately he touched her, she wanted to dwell in that moment but snatched her hands away from his when she remembered what he did. What are you doing here Obinna? Did you come to break my heart more? She asked, Amy please hear me out he pleaded with her, don't you ever call me that, you lost the right to call me that name the moment you broke up with me she sobbed. She could still remember when he told her that he prefers calling her Amy rather than Mara that everyone is used to, why on earth did he leave her? Why? He couldn't bear to see her in pain, her tears is like a sword piercing his soul, years back he couldn't even think of hurting her, but right now money has turned him into a monster, he had hurt her so much.

You have not still told me why you came here Obinna, Mara asked, he couldn't bring himself up to tell her why he came, he had been rehearsing for days and even while he parked in front of her shop, he was thinking of the best way to say it to her without looking like a devil.

Obinna am waiting, Mara startled him, Amy... Eeem Mara he started, I know that i have hurt you so much but am here to make it right. What is it Mara cooed getting nervous, am here to give you money, any amount you want to pay up for all those years I didn't take care of you as my girlfriend, please accept it am sorry he pleaded.

Mara couldn't believe what she heard, she couldn't control it anymore the tears started falling in torrent, what do you take me for? A fool or what? izabel You are sick in the head, now I want you to show me your back.

Obinna was confused, my back? How?etherealann He asked in a confused state. Mara laughed, dumb ass, money couldn't even get you smarter, I mean leave my shop this minute and never come back fool, Mara it has not gotten to that, am sorry if you saw it that way am only trying to make you feel happy Obinna pleaded effortlessly, cuddlebear I said leave my shop now she shouted pushing him away, good riddance to bad rubbish she said while he drove out.

damselposh:
Chapter 27





"You called me doctor? i hope there is no problem?" Kenny asked as soon as he entered the doctor's office.


"We have a problem mr williams, we need to evacuate your fiance's pregnancy, that is the only solution left" he answered going through some files.


"Pregnancy? how?" Kenny opened his hands wide in bewilderment.


"You are not aware that she is pregnant?" the doctor asked looking squarely at him.


"wait, she mumbled something about carrying my baby the other day at stephanie's place, so it means that will soon be a father" he smiled a little.


"That could have been possible but as it stands now, the pregnancy needs to be evacuated to save her life"


"Please doctor, don't kill my baby, it is my first achievement in life, do everything within your power to save my baby" he pleaded.


"I wish there is something i can do about it, the poison she took is a deadly one, the only option we have is evacuation, we need to save her life first, you can always have as many kids as you want in the future, please sign this document" he handed him a piece of paper.


"Alright doctor, Amarachi's life should come first, where should i sign?" he asked sadly.





"doctor doctor, please follow me to ward 4 immediately, the patient there has started responding to treatment and her heartbeat has returned to normal" a nurse shouted from the door way.


"Mr Williams, a miracle has happened, don't sign the document anymore, your baby will be saved" He said rushing out with the nurse.
















" I don't like what you are doing James, you are supposed to lie down and rest, you have not had enough rest since all these saga started and now you want to go over to kong's house" Gabriel yelled angrily at James.


"Gabriel, i need to see kong and tell him what to do with spark and host, there is nothing stressful in going to his house" he replied.


"Can't you just call him on phone?"


"Oh no Gabby, i lost my phone in that chaos at the seaport, don't worry, am just going to talk to him, i won't spend much time there" he reassured him.


"Okay then am coming with you" Gabriel said standing on his feet.


Gabriel parked in front of Kong's house, cuddlebear they got down and walked into the compound, James wondered if Kong had been feeding their hostages at all, he had told him to take them to his house and keep them there. just as they were about to knock on the door, they heard voices coming from inside the house, James looked at Gabriel as they tried to place where they must have heard the voice of the person talking with kong. They listened very well and their conversation got clearer.



"You are going to the prison yard tomorrow to kill the remaining founders, and make sure you make no mistake, i have contacted our insider and he has agreed to make it easy for you to gain access to the prison, prepare very well" he ordered.


"Yes master," Anny answered



"Jesus, Kong is t..hh.he master? izabel the one that taught Anny how to kill, oh my god" James said carrying his head in his hands.



"And Anny etherealann is working for him," Gabriel added

Divepen1:
All you have to do is to nominate your best writer for the month. The person with the highest nomination wins.
Result will be announced at the end of the month..
.Check the last one here
The Rule is as Simple as this: Nominate a writer and none other.
If you nominate more than one person, it is rendered invalid.
You can't one of the former winners..
Former ones:
https://www.nairaland.com/1804027/free-n5000-writer-here-every
May: Centino Won https://www.nairaland.com/4499166/centino-wins-may-literature-section
June: Theblessedman won
https://www.nairaland.com/4541071/theblessedman-wins-june-5k-literature
July: Souloho19
https://www.nairaland.com/4596895/souloho19-wins-july-5k-award/7
August: Youngzubi
https://www.nairaland.com/4652535/xoxocandy i-wins-august-5k-award#69908216
September: Gianaaaa
https://www.nairaland.com/4713348/gianaaaaa-wins-september-5k-awards
October: SokoDobo
https://www.nairaland.com/4762830/sokodobo-wins-october-5k-awards#71675782

While we await SokoDobo for his testimony.

cc princesa