Must Read: Saints, Sinners And Stag (18 )

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Saints, Sinners And Stag (18 )

Derin got out of the car, still unsure of what story to tell his wife. He was very surprised to see Keppy standing behind her, at the front door, as though he was a guardian of sorts.


What is he doing here? Did he sleep here? Derin asked Segi, and when he saw that an answer was not forthcoming, he faced Keppy and asked him the question directly ‘Did you sleep here?‘


Derin asked
Errrm, yes sir. we were worried about your disappearance’ responded the younger man
So you slept in my house?’ he asked, a variant of the same question, almost as though he could not believe the first answer that he had been given.



We were trying to locate where you might have been….’ responded Keppy as his voice faltered off, unsure. Perhaps he should keep quiet because his response seemed to be getting his boss angrier by the minute! This was only his first day at this job and he really did not want to lose the job.



I don’t see how questioning this boy is in anyway necessary, Derin. You should be telling me what happened to you last night, you should be telling us whether you were kidnapped, had a flat tyre or if you were hit by a bus. Not asking all these questions. You cannot stroll in right now and attempt to launch an attack on the only person that was with me in my dark period’ said Segilola as she jumped into the conversation
The only person that was with you happens to be my male employee!’ responded Derin.
Yes you are right, he’s the only person that was here and the only one I could have relied on to be here’ said Segi, who refused to catch Derin’s drift. She was certain he didn’t know the implication of his utterances. Was he trying to imply that she and Keppy would do anything wrong, just because they were male and female?
Did you call my family?’ Derin asked
No’ she responded
Did you call your family?’ he asked again
No. You really do not expect that I would do that, do you?’ she responded, heatedly
How about the police?’ he asked
Mr. Man, you had not been gone for 24 hours, so the police wouldn’t have taken a statement’ she said, angry that she had been worried about this man who had come home in a very bad and unappreciative mood.



So, no neighbours, no police, no family, yet, this one’ he said, pointing at Keppy and looking at him disdainfully
I didn’t want to worry the family and I’ve given you my reasons as per the police. Now tell me Derin, what happened to you last night or perhaps I should ask you the most direct question that comes to mind – Where did you sleep yesterday?’ asked Segi who was now ready for a full blown fight.
I will answer your questions, Segi, but not now and definitely not while you question me in front of my employee!’ he said as he walked into the house, ignoring the breath Segilola drew. If Derin had slapped her, it would not have stung any more than this. She was surprised to see her husband on the war path because it was out of character for him to push for a fight. Derin knew that she had a very hot temper and that she never shied away from confronting anything headlong, even if she would later come to regret it. She wondered if this was an attempt to push her over her limit. He had no right! Was Derin being defensive? Was there something he was hiding from her?

Segi was brought back to the present when she heard a slight cough. It came from Keppy who still stood by her side. Segilola gave him a sad, embarrassed little smile.


I really hope he is okay because this is out of character for him, I had better go inside to check what his exact issues are’ she said, trying to save face, she knew she was probably going to break Derin’s head.



Yes, I think that is a good idea. Perhaps I should not have stayed over night’ said the young man who was worried. He could not afford to lose this job. The mission was yet to even take off yet. There was no way he could tell ‘them’ that he had been sacked.



No. no. You did the right thing. Don’t let anybody stop you from being the nice person you are. You did the right thing by trying to help a lady in need and even though Derin cannot see it right now, I’m sure that he is secretly thankful that you were here with me’ said Segi who understood the boy’s worries.



Perhaps he’s a little jealous, you know how some of us can be…’ said Keppy with a small, male smile
It’s okay, he would come around. Don’t bother your head about it’ responded Segi, who was itching to get away now. She needed to deal with Pastor Derin Hughes
Shall I come back later today? asked Keppy who went back to being the enthusiastic worker.
Errr, I would advice that you take the day off, until we call you to come’ said Segi. She had a feeling she would have to protect this boy’s job. He had done nothing wrong and Derin had no right to be so mean to him.
Will I lose my job?’ asked Keppy with worried frown.



I don’t know, but I don’t think so. This is a side to my husband that I have never seen. I will have to proceed with caution, but I do not think you deserve to lose your job, you’ve done nothing wrong and be rest assured that I will do everything within my power to save your job’ she said honestly
Thank you… thanks’ he said
No worries, dear. Let me lock the gates behind you’ she said
Keppy got the message and began his homeward journey. As soon as the gate was locked, a different Segilola emerged. The crazy woman her husband was often scared of dealing with came out.



Aderionla Hughes!’ she yelled, as she walked into their living room, but surprisingly, the apartment was eerily quiet.


********



The moment Oyinda watched Derin’s car depart, she heaved a sigh of relief. That had been very close. What would she have said if her mother had discovered the reverred pastor sitting inside her daughter’s wardrobe? Oyinda laughed at the thought and silently thanked Derin for being such a sport and for being so cooperative.



She could see her phone light up and she quickly assumed that it was Derin, seeking some company while he drove home. Oyinda hurriedly picked up the phone because she wanted to advice him against making calls while driving.


‘You really should not be on the phone while driving, you know?’ she said in mock anger, smiling from ear to ear for she was always happy to speak with him
‘Since when did you become the Po-Po?’ responded a deep, male, voice with a foreign inflection.


Oyinda quickly withdrew the phone from her ear and checked the screen. She could see that the display read a foreign number and she knew instantly that this was definitely not Derin.


‘Casper?’ she asked, as the voice suddenly registered. Oyinda suspected she was right and cringed. Getting a call from Casper this early was definitely a bad sign for this was no way to begin her day.


‘Yes. It. Is. Casper. A very angry Casper’ he said slowly
‘Why are you angry?’ she asked
‘Because you, young lady, are stalling my plans. I need to take over West Africa and Lagos must be the hub! I’ve already discussed this with you, haven’t I?’ asked Casper, a little slurry.




Oyinda knew Casper loved his spirits and suspected that he was drunk as usual.


‘I thought you were thinking of using Ghana as the hub’ responded Oyinda, stalling for she had no update for Casper.


Since they had last spoken, Oyinda’s priorities had changed. She was no longer interested in Casper’s wayward sister Adelle. Oyinda had set her sights on someone else and even though he was a married pastor, Oyinda felt she no longer had any reason to do Casper any favours. Since she’d begun to get closer to Derin, Oyinda had questioned the relationship she’d had with Adelle and she’d realised that she had always been on the giving end, there was only a little that she’d ever received from Adelle.
It was she who would call Adelle, send her money, pay the rent and cook all the meals.



Adelle had only been nice in that relationship when she was in need. She’d enjoyed relative comfort from living in Oyinda’s father’s flat, located in a posh area of the American town they’d lived in and she’d enjoyed the lifestyle Oyinda’s moneyed background had exposed her to. Oyinda had forgotten how enjoyable it was to laugh with one’s partner, share jokes and secrets with them and generally, how to live a hassle free life with one’s special friend. In the last few weeks, she had experienced this with Derin and had learnt that she really was not missing much if Adelle was removed from her life. More importantly, she realised that she felt a strong physical pull towards Derin and she was willing to experiment with the attraction. Perhaps, she was ready for men again, and had only blocked them out due to her previous heartache.



Oyinda had finally realised that if Adella, had been truly interested in her, she would have called her at least once. The lady had shown no interest and she, Oyinda was ready to move on. She knew now that she did not need to make any dirty money since there were no big confessions to make to her parents. She also knew that there was little chance of being disowned by her dad, so Oyinda knew she was under no pressure to give Casper what he wanted.



‘Hey! Are you listening to me at all?’ interjected Casper who had apparently been talking all the while she’d been lost in thought
‘Sorry what did you say again?’ said Oyinda in an unconcerned voice
’I. Said. I need to take Lagos fast!!! I hear Papi-G and the others are already fighting to be the Kings of Ghana’ said Casper
‘Why don’t you come down and do a survey yourself. Taking Lagos might not be as easy as you think’ said Oyinda who was trying to stall and at the same time, extricate herself from the sordid business.Derin got out of the car, still unsure of what story to tell his wife. He was very surprised to see Keppy standing behind her, at the front door, as though he was a guardian of sorts.



What is he doing here? Did he sleep here? Derin asked Segi, and when he saw that an answer was not forthcoming, he faced Keppy and asked him the question directly ‘Did you sleep here?‘ Derin asked
Errrm, yes sir. we were worried about your disappearance’ responded the younger man
So you slept in my house?’ he asked, a variant of the same question, almost as though he could not believe the first answer that he had been given.
We were trying to locate where you might have been….’ responded Keppy as his voice faltered off, unsure. Perhaps he should keep quiet because his response seemed to be getting his boss angrier by the minute! This was only his first day at this job and he really did not want to lose the job.



I don’t see how questioning this boy is in anyway necessary, Derin. You should be telling me what happened to you last night, you should be telling us whether you were kidnapped, had a flat tyre or if you were hit by a bus. Not asking all these questions. You cannot stroll in right now and attempt to launch an attack on the only person that was with me in my dark period’ said Segilola as she jumped into the conversation
The only person that was with you happens to be my male employee!’ responded Derin.



Yes you are right, he’s the only person that was here and the only one I could have relied on to be here’ said Segi, who refused to catch Derin’s drift. She was certain he didn’t know the implication of his utterances. Was he trying to imply that she and Keppy would do anything wrong, just because they were male and female?
Did you call my family?’ Derin asked
No’ she responded
Did you call your family?’ he asked again
No. You really do not expect that I would do that, do you?’ she responded, heatedly
How about the police?’ he asked
Mr. Man, you had not been gone for 24 hours, so the police wouldn’t have taken a statement’ she said, angry that she had been worried about this man who had come home in a very bad and unappreciative mood.



So, no neighbours, no police, no family, yet, this one’ he said, pointing at Keppy and looking at him disdainfully
I didn’t want to worry the family and I’ve given you my reasons as per the police. Now tell me Derin, what happened to you last night or perhaps I should ask you the most direct question that comes to mind – Where did you sleep yesterday?’ asked Segi who was now ready for a full blown fight.
I will answer your questions, Segi, but not now and definitely not while you question me in front of my employee!’ he said as he walked into the house, ignoring the breath Segilola drew. If Derin had slapped her, it would not have stung any more than this. She was surprised to see her husband on the war path because it was out of character for him to push for a fight. Derin knew that she had a very hot temper and that she never shied away from confronting anything headlong, even if she would later come to regret it. She wondered if this was an attempt to push her over her limit. He had no right! Was Derin being defensive? Was there something he was hiding from her?
Segi was brought back to the present when she heard a slight cough. It came from Keppy who still stood by her side. Segilola gave him a sad, embarrassed little smile.


I really hope he is okay because this is out of character for him, I had better go inside to check what his exact issues are’ she said, trying to save face, she knew she was probably going to break Derin’s head.



Yes, I think that is a good idea. Perhaps I should not have stayed over night’ said the young man who was worried. He could not afford to lose this job. The mission was yet to even take off yet. There was no way he could tell ‘them’ that he had been sacked.



No. no. You did the right thing. Don’t let anybody stop you from being the nice person you are. You did the right thing by trying to help a lady in need and even though Derin cannot see it right now, I’m sure that he is secretly thankful that you were here with me’ said Segi who understood the boy’s worries.
Perhaps he’s a little jealous, you know how some of us can be…’ said Keppy with a small, male smile
It’s okay, he would come around. Don’t bother your head about it’ responded Segi, who was itching to get away now. She needed to deal with Pastor Derin Hughes
Shall I come back later today? asked Keppy who went back to being the enthusiastic worker.
Errr, I would advice that you take the day off, until we call you to come’ said Segi. She had a feeling she would have to protect this boy’s job. He had done nothing wrong and Derin had no right to be so mean to him.
Will I lose my job?’ asked Keppy with worried frown.
I don’t know, but I don’t think so. This is a side to my husband that I have never seen. I will have to proceed with caution, but I do not think you deserve to lose your job, you’ve done nothing wrong and be rest assured that I will do everything within my power to save your job’ she said honestly
Thank you… thanks’ he said
No worries, dear. Let me lock the gates behind you’ she said
Keppy got the message and began his homeward journey. As soon as the gate was locked, a different Segilola emerged. The crazy woman her husband was often scared of dealing with came out.



Aderionla Hughes!’ she yelled, as she walked into their living room, but surprisingly, the apartment was eerily quiet.


********


The moment Oyinda watched Derin’s car depart, she heaved a sigh of relief. That had been very close. What would she have said if her mother had discovered the reverred pastor sitting inside her daughter’s wardrobe? Oyinda laughed at the thought and silently thanked Derin for being such a sport and for being so cooperative.


She could see her phone light up and she quickly assumed that it was Derin, seeking some company while he drove home. Oyinda hurriedly picked up the phone because she wanted to advice him against making calls while driving.
‘You really should not be on the phone while driving, you know?’ she said in mock anger, smiling from ear to ear for she was always happy to speak with him
‘Since when did you become the Po-Po?’ responded a deep, male, voice with a foreign inflection.



Oyinda quickly withdrew the phone from her ear and checked the screen. She could see that the display read a foreign number and she knew instantly that this was definitely not Derin.
‘Casper?’ she asked, as the voice suddenly registered. Oyinda suspected she was right and cringed. Getting a call from Casper this early was definitely a bad sign for this was no way to begin her day.


‘Yes. It. Is. Casper. A very angry Casper’ he said slowly
‘Why are you angry?’ she asked
‘Because you, young lady, are stalling my plans. I need to take over West Africa and Lagos must be the hub! I’ve already discussed this with you, haven’t I?’ asked Casper, a little slurry.




Oyinda knew Casper loved his spirits and suspected that he was drunk as usual.



‘I thought you were thinking of using Ghana as the hub’ responded Oyinda, stalling for she had no update for Casper.


Since they had last spoken, Oyinda’s priorities had changed. She was no longer interested in Casper’s wayward sister Adelle. Oyinda had set her sights on someone else and even though he was a married pastor, Oyinda felt she no longer had any reason to do Casper any favours. Since she’d begun to get closer to Derin, Oyinda had questioned the relationship she’d had with Adelle and she’d realised that she had always been on the giving end, there was only a little that she’d ever received from Adelle.



It was she who would call Adelle, send her money, pay the rent and cook all the meals.



Adelle had only been nice in that relationship when she was in need. She’d enjoyed relative comfort from living in Oyinda’s father’s flat, located in a posh area of the American town they’d lived in and she’d enjoyed the lifestyle Oyinda’s moneyed background had exposed her to. Oyinda had forgotten how enjoyable it was to laugh with one’s partner, share jokes and secrets with them and generally, how to live a hassle free life with one’s special friend. In the last few weeks, she had experienced this with Derin and had learnt that she really was not missing much if Adelle was removed from her life. More importantly, she realised that she felt a strong physical pull towards Derin and she was willing to experiment with the attraction. Perhaps, she was ready for men again, and had only blocked them out due to her previous heartache.


Oyinda had finally realised that if Adella, had been truly interested in her, she would have called her at least once. The lady had shown no interest and she, Oyinda was ready to move on. She knew now that she did not need to make any dirty money since there were no big confessions to make to her parents. She also knew that there was little chance of being disowned by her dad, so Oyinda knew she was under no pressure to give Casper what he wanted.
‘Hey! Are you listening to me at all?’ interjected Casper who had apparently been talking all the while she’d been lost in thought
‘Sorry what did you say again?’ said Oyinda in an unconcerned voice
’I. Said. I need to take Lagos fast!!! I hear Papi-G and the others are already fighting to be the Kings of Ghana’ said Casper
‘Why don’t you come down and do a survey yourself. Taking Lagos might not be as easy as you think’ said Oyinda who was trying to stall and at the same time, extricate herself from the sordid business.