"Tonight" by Nonso Amadi boomed in the club and people danced to the rhythm. Everyone was having a good time except the ones who didn't wish to or the ones who were denied access to the top floor where the reggae singer patoranking was with few friends.
Sean, Jason, and Mason were lucky enough to have made it inside the cubicle without much stress. Mason was a high school classmate with the singer, which made it easier for the trio to enter.
In the meantime they were being entertained by patoranking, he was doing a freestyle reggae for them while they listened with rapt attention.
While he was on it, Jason kept texting Charlotte and her. Once she found out where he was, she was madder than before blaming him for not telling her beforehand about the club thing with Pato.
Jason tried apologizing but she went offline.
"Man would you stop texting Charlotte and listen to what we're discussing here" Sean nudged him giving him his normal signature glare.
"It's boring why won't he allow the girls to come in I mean what's the fun without them."
"Really? You think that's why we're here?" "Man I need this deal with him I know he'll help me a lot I just need to get him to trust me though," He said and took a sip from his drink.
Mason was engaging the reggae artist while he sipped from the pot of shisha on the glass center table.
"And he's got real hit there you know you once confided in me about wanting to do something with a serious person and he's very talented and loves his money so much. Such people can't just misbehave."
"I... Get what you're saying man but am here to have fun with you guys not to do business today okay?" Pato replied
"I get it yeah..." Sean cut him off before he could finish. "Depends on what you call fun" he continued looking Pato in the face.
"Really?!" Thought you had no guts to speak?" Pato asked.
"Oh I do, just feeling reserved because I thought Mason had it all in control."
"And?!" Pato asked.
Sean shook his head in dismay "he's a sissy."
Pato broke into a peal of loud laughter alongside Jason and then Sean.
Mason was embarrassed."Guys this isn't funny at all, I mean how am I a sissy? You just sat there all along and allowed me to do the whole talking and just for you to up and call me a sissy! That's bad!."
"Yo, that's just how this ma nigga is since I've known him he has always been the Duff and scared to say his mind" Pato explained while tapping Mason on the back.
"Correct, while we were in primary school he would always pee on himself whenever he's caught late from break, It got worse I had to deny being related to me in any way"
Sean said and they all cracked up again at Mason's sorry life."Funny but that's not the fun part of being here we need the women, I don't see reasons why they shouldn't be here at all, don't you too Pato" Jason finally spoke up.
Pato nodded at him. "Yeah, I was coming from another bash at Eko hotel and a lot of them there so I didn't see the need here too."
"Oh, there is" Sean added happily.
While they were going on about the girls, a commotion was heard outside the room and it sounded like someone was fighting.
Mason stood and went to check if everything was alright.Once he came back frowning.
"Jason she's here" He announced"Who?" Confused Jason asked.
"Thought you specially invited her a few minutes ago?."
"What the hell Mason who is that?!" Sean whisper yelled.
"Charlotte" he announced.
"What?" Jason looked at everyone.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Sean asked looking intently at Jason.
With raised shoulder. "I... I don't know. She... I just texted her and she vexed, didn't know she'd still come over."
"Ha! You know how troublesome that girl of yours is."
"Ya calm down bro who's Charlotte?" Pato asked confused.
"She's my girlfriend."
"No ex-girlfriend remember?... She broke up with you days ago" Sean encouraged.
Jason nodded in agreement."So what's she doing here? Does she want to make up with you?."
"I don't know really, I'll go talk to her excuse me" Jason stood and strode off to meet Charlotte.
The bouncers outside let go of her once they spotted Jason.
"So this is another of your stupid plans of cheating on me right?" She barked.
"No wonder you were hesitant to tell me where you were... Is there a girl with you in there eh?" She asked and moved to look inside the room but Jason wouldn't let her."Calm down Charlotte, you wouldn't even let me explain myself you go all about how am with another girl... Can we please just go somewhere and talk? Like outside let's not make a scene here."
"Ah, so you don't want me to come in and see for myself eh! We gon make a scene here I don't care besides it's raining heavily outside" Charlotte stood her ground.
"Babe I'm sorry for what I did truly, I didn't know they were your friends... and... and why would you set me up that way?..."
While he was still explaining to Charlotte two scarcely dressed women walked past them to the VIP room. They both winked at Jason and walked past... Jason stared ahead while Charlotte didn't hesitate to give him a dirty slap. He paled.
Charlotte stormed off the stairs, Jason ran after her... He caught up with her on the dance floor.
"Babe am sorry truly I love you so much those girls were just flirting I don't care about them it's you" He cried.
"You bastard, I want you by morning to come over and pick all your belongings from that house, you cheating lying ass!" She stormed off from the party. Jason stood there for a while trying to comprehend the situation while people danced around him.
"Jason!... Jason!!! What's up, man?" Sean shook him by the shoulder.
"What's the matter? Where's char?."
Jason left him and headed towards the bar alone ordering shots... He gulped down three glasses immediately and ordered more. Sean caught up with him and sat beside him.
"Don't tell me you're brooding over char? Damn! Why are you so letting her twist your emotions around? I bet she's finally sent you packing, first she cheated on you not long ago... but you forgave her and now she can't even give you a chance... At a set up she made herself!!!."
"Man I get she's angry at me but... But... She told me to get my stuff out of the house by morning... is she doing this?" He asked facing Sean.
Sean sighed in defeat, his friend was soo stupidly in love.
"See just forget it and let's drink away our sorrows I bet she'll change her mind tomorrow... You'll see" He assured him and they drank till they couldn't walk again.***
Sean and Jason struggled to enter the car. It was still raining outside. So they were quite drenched on their way out.
"Lemme drive Jason you're too drunk to drive I can manage" Sean proposed staggering a little.
"Look who's talking, at least am not the one staggering" He claimed and entered the drivers' side. "Where's the key Sean?."
Sean threw the key at him and they started up the premises.
On their way home Jason maneuvers some of the traffic lights but was lucky no police was on his tail."Hey I know am drunk but I think you're worse than me here, slow down bro we're no longer on the highway and you've missed some traffic signs... I can't get killed this early you see?" Gesturing to his body
"This here is the full package and I don't intend to misuse it alright?" He laughed and Jason joined they put on the radio and nodded to the trendy hit "Gock am" by the upcoming artist Crayon when suddenly.
The car tire screeched its bonnet crashing into a hard surface with a loud bang. Jason stepped on the brake fearfully. The smell of petrol and coal tar filled their nostrils they looked at each other in silence with the effect of the alcohol washing off immediately.
"What was that?" Jason whispered. "Sean is that an animal?... Oh please tell me it's not a human being" he cried.
They carefully stepped off the car and moved to the front. Once they saw the twisted human figure lying lifelessly on the ground in a pool of blood Jason froze...
"Jason let's go! Now!!!.." Sean hollered but
Jason stood not moving an inch."Hey ... Hey! Look let's get out of here before people see this, it was a mistake!!"
Sean went around and forced Jason inside the car returning to his passenger seat."Drive man!!! Go! go before you and I get caught or do you want to spend your whole youthful age in prison?" He yelled alerting Jason's senses.
"He's dead Sean... he's dead" tears were pooling out of his eyes.
Sean switched positions with Jason and quickly drove off the quiet street.
Jason turned and twisted weary, he couldn't sleep. Even with the cold weather outside, he was still sweating profusely on his king-sized bed. With firm resolve, he got off the bed,illuminating his room, he entered his bathroom thinking how much he needed the cold shower. Fighting so hard to forget that his psyche has been ruined because of the late-night incident as he preferred to call it in his head. His greatest fear was if the victim was dead. He'd be a murderer, a heartless one. Jason knew he couldn't stomach such truth,Sean, too. But Sean had done well to relinquish the blame on both of them promising Jason that the victim was collapsed and their impulsive decision to flee the scene was the best. Jason knew keenly a part of his mind didn't believe that sorry excuse but he needed pacifying at the moment and Sean did. Once he was done he wrapped his
The office was small for a consultant like Dr. Simon or was it so because of many properties like the bookshelf by the window side containing medical books of different sizes and colors. Maureen looked around her, files were packed on the floor away from trespassing while some on his desk were scattered and rumpled. By her left where the trashcan sat filled with wastepaper and disposed of pieces of equipment, a rickety standing fan rotating at an angle one-eighty constantly blowing hot air. Maureen sighed, wondering why an office would be so disorganized. "Weren't doctors supposed to be well organized and neat?" She imagined it was the problem federal hospitals in Nigeria suffered. Low maintenance.And the doctors and nurses were underpaid. Thereby taking out their bitter frustrations on the patients. She wondered what exactly was taking the old man his time, she'd been sitting around for minute
Maureen came back!! She returned to the hospital a week after Sophia was discharged. She came to see Dr. Simon. "I... I was kidnapped!" She cried wiping her crocodile tears."Once I went back home after coming to see you and Sophia I was kidnapped the next day" she paused for a breather. "Some people around still think my late husband has more money like before, they called for ransom and my younger sister who was around then couldn't raise any money... She had to sell the only home and property we owned Yet it wasn't enough for my kidnappers.I was taken hostage for one good week with no food or water Doctor, I prayed for death to take me... but I remembered my dear Sophia... I started praying to get out and for God to keep her safe for me and... And he did hear my prayers" She burst into fresh hot tears.Slowly she took out a dirty handkerchief from her old purse and dabbed her fake tears.Maureen
Everyone, family, and friends were celebrating his return. Ernest Bestman thought quietly as he watched his wife with her co-worker's chat at a corner. He recalled how he met Olivia, he was still struggling as a young politician, and she was a single lady with no family, working at the embassy. They weren't the best of collabo as friends advised but they tried hard to keep the relationship alive with so much hard work and sacrifices which brought them here today. He smiled. But whenever the thoughts of his son Jason filtered in, Ernest would feel weary.Jason was given everything his parents could afford and as the saying applied, much was expected of him. Ernest was disappointed, his wife wasn't helpful too, she overindulged Jason who cared about nothing and no one except himself. He understood his wife Olivia grew up an orphan and wanted her child to have the life she didn't. Ernest didn't sha
Sophia was awake staring at the intricate carvings on the ceiling above her.The constant noise of the crickets from outside her window was the only sound heard at such a dead hour while her mind traipsed. She painstakingly sat up on her bed and sighed dejectedly. One look at her stiff legs the depression would seem to come back in full force. Nobody would ever imagine waking up to discover their limbs had become numb, docile, and forever lose the privilege to walk. Freda her help wasn't around anymore to help her to her wheelchair, So she decided to do it herself. Sophia struggled to get on her chair and fetch a glass of water from the kitchen since the one kept on her bedside was finished. She drank a lot of water whenever she was nervous and she was nervous because today Stanley and Maureen had insisted on seeing the investigation to its end. After all, the police found the culp
They were visiting!... That was all Sophia heard for her mind to go berserk. She was sat in her wheelchair in the kitchen, while Maureen went about making lunch for them. Stanley was at work. He had earlier left saying he was called in to be part of a major operation at the hospital. And Sophia cleaned up to return downstairs surprisingly she found Maureen busy in the kitchen ordering the house helps. While she was wondering what the occasion was, Maureen hollered at her to join her and in full spirit narrated how the previous day at the station went. Every bit became clear as she watched her stepmother bustled about cheerfully placing varieties of side dishes on the counter. Maureen wasn't one to cook on a daily but today was different and Sophia just realized why. The realization brought chills all over her. She wasn't ready to meet anyone in her depressed stat
"It can't be!..." Jason thought. He watched her from where he sat. She looked so pretty and delicate in her wheelchair to have been lifeless on the road that night. He watched silently, his curious eyes drifted to every part of her body he could see, noticing how shiny and curly her hair was and the fact that it was braided into two parallel lines and some tendrils left to give her an innocent look. But most importantly, he loved her skin color. Like a mixture of black coffee and milk, her caramel skin shone under her thick dark curls bringing her beauty to life. Sophia nervously wheeled herself inside the living room where everyone sat waiting for her. Refusing to make eye contact with the guests for fear of how real the situation was. she glanced at Stanley who gave her a warm smile encouraging her further into the room. "Dear, how are you doing this morni
"Won't you tell me already why you've been hiding here for the past few days? Because I know you, Jason, these past few weeks you took me and our relationship for granted, and all of a sudden you're back like nothing happened" Charlotte queried. Jason was on the treadmill running laps with sweat dripping all over his fit body. He paid less attention to her knowing it got on her nerves really bad. "Do not give me that silence for an answer am talking to you Jason and as your girlfriend, I need an answer ASAP!!!" She jabbed her long-filed nails at his chest stopping him on his track. "Look char... Am in no mood for your banter, I thought you wanted me here with you? And now am here, you're disturbing." He walked off the mill and into their shared expensive room dabbing at his moist silky skin.Charlotte followed suit. "Yes you're here but half of you is here not all. Something is wrong and I can sense it, Sean isn't acting like