Must Read: Glitches - Season 1 - Episode 4

7 years ago

Must Read: Glitches - Season 1 - Episode 4

The next few hours were boring to Aaron, only his thoughts kept him company, what a boring company it was. His plans for a duet forest camp had been dashed. Even though he had plans of doing it alone, he knew it wouldn’t be as eventful as it would have been with Stella on board.

The stress he had to go through that day didn’t raise his displeasure bar as much as the realization of a solo forest camp did. He had spent most of the afternoon with the mechanic fixing his car.

That car sef
His phone buzzed, bringing him back from his revere. He picked up the phone and saw a text from Kingsley.

‘’Where the hell are you? Boys time out, remember?’’ The message read.

Aaron and his friends usually hung out every Friday evening before storming the club later in the night, seems like the only logical thing to take his mind off Stella’s disappointment.

He constructed a text and sent to Kingsley.

‘’Held up in traffic. Will be there soon’’
He checked the time it was just a few minutes past 6. He had been thinking for hours and his secretary couldn’t remind him he had worked or was it thought past closing time?

He quickly put his office in order and left, not minding the fact that his secretary was painting her nails when he came out and had tried in vain to hide the make-up kit on the table.

Was she trying to look s*xy** during office hours when she was supposed to be looking all smart and official? Now that was his business but he had no such time on his hands to put his man management skills into practice. Ever since he paid One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira for that seminar, he hadn’t really put into practice all that was said that day. His attendance could pass for a colossal waste of company fund because he wouldn’t even remember the face of the seminar presenter – although the b0s0m made a lasting impression.

He walked to the parking lot and saw the car that gave him the worst day of the month. With sq££zed face and an increased heartbeat, he opened the door and went in, said his prayers and was about starting the car when he heard a gentle knock on the glass, it was Agnes.

‘’Sir, would you be passing through bank’s road?’’ she asked.

‘’No, I want to go through the market’’
Agnes was telling him how she would love to visit the market too as she would love to pick up some few items for soup but Aaron wasn’t even paying attention, he just opened his wallet and removed a thousand Naira note and handed it over to her.

‘’Board a taxi Agnes’’
He started his car and zoomed off, heading straight at bank’s road, not minding the fact that Agnes was still watching him. He was the boss after all.

He couldn’t imagine himself staying in the car alone with his secretary, discussing non-official issues. Their relationship had hitherto been plainly official and he intended keeping it that way. He wouldn’t tolerate a subordinate coming to the office at 10:00am and giving him that lame one line excuse

‘’I didn’t wake up early ‘cos of last night’’
And of course you wouldn’t be able to say anything because, of a truth, you went real hard on her last night and you wouldn’t have been able to make it to the office 2hours before her if not for the fact that you’re a man. And that isn’t even the painful part. The painful part is the fact that you can’t even tell her ‘’don’t try that again’’ cos you know, that would mean no more al’night vigil. Doesn’t exactly sound like an intriguing escapade.

The rest of the drive home was in silence except for one or two occasions where he had to insult those useless hawkers and bus drivers. He actually thought they should be a law prohibiting bus drivers from overtaking angry road users and another, banning hawking on the road. He had heard issues of petty robbery by these road side hawkers but in a country where even the main robbers go scot free, banning hawkers because of petty robbery would be a far-fetched cry.
By the time he got home, it was already past 7.

He quickly ran in to meet a full house, the boys were all seated at his mini bar. Kingsley had a bottle of red wine in his hands and was drinking directly from the bottle like the drunkard he was.

‘’All rise, the man of the house is back!’’ Tobi flew his hands in a welcoming manner, mimicking a court jester.

‘’Correction please! Its woman of the house’’ Kingsley said while all the boys gave a resounding laughter.
‘’one of these days I’m going to poison your drink’’ Aaron gave Kingsley a scowl.
‘’DSP Segun, I hope you heard that’’
‘’I’m not deaf’’ Segun replied
‘’But he just threatened my life and you said nothing, or are you scared he might collect the drink from you? Don’t worry, I’ll buy you a bar.’

‘’Kingsley, poisoning you isn’t as bad as you are making it look like. It will only rid the world of one talkative.’’ Segun mocked, earning him laughter from around the room.

‘’very funny’’ Kingsley replied sarcastically.

Before long, Aaron had freshened up and joined them in the fun. Jibes were thrown at will and Kingsley was almost always at the receiving end.

It could be likened to the proverbial hunter who was been hunted by the bush meat because prior to that day, Kingsley held the title for the most jibes thrown and Aaron held that for the most jibes received. Kingsley got tired and suggested they head to the club which was welcomed by all.

‘’Everybody bring on your ‘A-game’ cos we’re storming that club in style’’ Kingsley shouted and all the boys ran to their various cars, heading to one destination. Buzzers club it was.

Jeremy has had his own fair share of downs but it seems it would be safe to refer to them as ups cos he was at his lowest ebb. After storming out of his parents, he walked round the street with no destination in mind. He just had to clear his mind and sometimes, strolling could be therapeutic.

Why was he even getting mad at the thought of him going abroad? Most of his friends would jump at the opportunity without batting an eyelid. What difference does it make if Michael was sponsoring his trip? If anything, he should be grateful to the dude and not rain insults on him.

But what kind of business was Michael into that could fetch him such amount of money in such a short period of time? Import and Export? Definitely not, the Michael he knew was too lazy to even tuck-in his school uniform not to talk of spearheading an import-export business. He had to talk to someone. Someone he could trust, who would give him a brotherly advice. Only one name came to his mind and that was Chukwudi.

Chukwudi had been his childhood friend and knew Michael very well. In fact, the name Michael would forever remain in the mind of every child who grew up in that neighborhood. Not for the right reasons though. If really curses had any effects, Michael should have been an epileptic, paralyzed, mad and above all a dead man cos that was the kind of curses he had received from kids. And as if to pee on a dead man’s grave, he went about bragging about his bravado which in the real sense was nothing more than a sheer show of cowardice.

Chukwudi lived just across the street but on this particular day, it seemed like a journey across the sahara. But like a man on an adventure to win the heart of the one he truly loved, Jeremy endured every bit of the pain. He reached Chukwudi’s house in time to see him settle for food.

‘’Mad man, wetin carry you come my house today abi you don see one fine chick wey you wan chyke?’’ chukwudi asked as soon as he saw Jeremy.

‘’mumu, na your greeting be that?’’ Jeremy frowned.
‘’you don the grow small bear bear na how you no go ask for greeting’’
‘’if na Michael now you for kneel down dey greet am o ‘’ Jeremy joked.

A frown quickly appeared on chukwudi’s face, followed by a brief smile and then a full scale laughter. Jeremy was amused and he also joined in the laughter.

‘’that boy na silly boy na’’ chukwudi inferred.

‘’na because of him I come meet you sef’’
‘’wetin be that?’’ chukwudi asked, putting his food aside, seemed like he would need his full concentration.

Jeremy explained everything to chukwudi, stylishly removing the part where his mum had changed because of material gains. As much as he had grown to hate his parents, he still was their son and he still had that love a son would have for his mother.

‘’baba na how the matter be be that o’’ he concluded.

Chukwudi sighed. He was seriously thinking things. If Michael had gone abroad and made it within this short period of time then he had no doubts in his mind that he was involved in drugs.

He had heard of them, he had seen them, heck he was even planning on joining them.

‘’remember when I told you I had dreamt and saw you manufacturing drugs?’’ chukwudi asked and Jeremy nodded. For chukwudi to switch to good English meant this was a serious matter. ‘’well I’m pretty sure it wasn’t hard drugs.’’

‘’Hard drugs? Jeremy asked with goose bumps on his skin. ‘’what has that got to do with this?’’
‘’you are actually dumber than you look’’
‘’well then, be a good friend and put me out of my ignorance’’
‘’Gladly’’
If there was a single thing Jeremy hated about chukwudi, it was his inability to read moods and know when not to play.

‘’Africans who go to Europe without a means of livelihood, more often than none, turn into drug smugglers’’ Chukwudi started his lecture.

‘’And that’s supposed to interest me, why?

Because I’m African?’’ Jeremy interrupted.

‘’Will you stop talking and let me finish?’’
‘’gladly’’
‘’they normally start as small scale retailers on the streets until they climb up the ladder and start expanding their business. In no time, they’d need more hands. People to do the petty street retailing, and that’s when normally, they remember they have a country.’’
Jeremy yawned.

‘’can we please skip to the part of the story where Michael’s name was mentioned?’’
‘’I’m saying, that’s why Michael wants to take you to Europe. Think about it. What other purpose do you actually think you could serve in Europe except of course in smuggling kilos of coke. Your big belly can facilitate that.’

‘’that’s not funny’’ Jeremy said, massaging his stomach.

‘’The truth is always bitter’’
‘’so what will you advice me to do?’’ Jeremy asked.
‘’I’d say you should go with him’’
‘’What, are you insane?’’
‘’think about it Jeremy, your parents feel they’ve helped you enough and it’s time for you to man-up and take the bold step. If you remain, you’ll not only be at war with your parents, but also be with yourself.’’

‘’so your clever plan for me to escape this is to become a drug dealer?’’
‘’Not exactly, If you you’re smart enough you won’t be on the street and before long, you’ll find something legitimate doing.’’

chuwudi advised.

‘’ What country did he say he was again?’’
‘’United States’’
‘’that’s not true. He’s in Europe, somewhere between Germany and Spain.’’

‘’And how’d you know that?’’

‘’only smart men do drugs in America, strong men do drugs in Europe. Michael is not smart, he is strong.’’

‘’so where do the cowards do drugs?’’ Jeremy asked.

‘’In Nigeria’’ chukwudi replied, bringing out a jumbo stick of marijuana.

‘’I always knew you were a coward’’
Chukwudi looked at his marijuana and smiled.

‘’this is not drugs. Drugs could get you killed but this here, my friend, would make you feel alright.’’

Jeremy smiled. He was going to follow his friend’s advice and pray something good comes out of it.