Ame was beside herself with grief. She refused to be comforted. It was well over four weeks now that Philip had left the shores of the country and he was yet to get in touch with her. Her father had made enquires to ascertain that there had been no plane crash and even though there had been none, Philip had not yet reported at the Charles Darwin University, where he was on a full tuition paid scholarship to study neurosurgery for three years. It was as if he simply vanished from the face of the earth.
About five days after Philip's departure from Nigeria, when Ame had not heard from him, it had taken the combined efforts of her father, Segun and even Osahon, as well as Ego, who was calling incessantly from London, to stop Ame from jumping into the next available plane and heading out to Australia in search of her lost love. Only Rosa had been unaffected. As far as she was concerned, Philip's absence was a good riddance to bad rubbish. She pretended to empathise
It was almost a year now since Philip had been incarcerated in the maximum prison in Palau for a crime he knew nothing about. Despite his insistence on not knowing anything relating to the wraps of cocaine as well as the heart of a human being found in his bag, nobody had listened to him. Even the lawyer that the state had given him had muddled everything up along the way and had even caused a scene when he had shouted at Philip in court as the latter had disobeyed him by pleading 'not guilty' in court during the trial."I told you to plead 'guilty'!" he had shouted at Philip when the latter had looked at the judge in their kangaroo court and had pleaded 'Not guilty' to the several counts leveled against him, 'possession of drugs and murder', being a couple of them."But I am not guilty!" Philip had insisted passionately from where he had stood at the dock. "I can't agree to what I have not done! I don't know anything about what was found in
"Gee!" The sound of Julius' voice roused Philip from his dreamless sleep and he got up slowly from his narrow bunk. He had just managed to sleep after a tiring day mending roads. Less threatening inmates like him were taken to the highways, albeit under heavily armed security, to mend the roads."Gee, there is good news!" Julius exclaimed as he banged the bars of Philip's cell. Philip became alert as he came quickly to the entrance of the cell. "Tell me about it!" he said eagerly."Omar has agreed to visit!" he laughed happily. "Cut the rakit, wila!" somebody shouted from down the hall and Julius said something in an apologetic tone as he looked in the direction of the voice, then he reduced his voice into a whisper as he turned to face Philip again."I believe Omar is the deliverer, eh? Our modern Jesus, eh?" he asked delightedly as he smiled hopefully at Philip."Are you sure?" Philip asked his friend. He was ready to grasp any chance he could, no matter how slim, as long as it wou
"Quit this nonsense, man!" Dapo said, coughing. He slapped the smoke from Dare's cigar off from his face.Dare smiled lazily as he continued to puff out the smoke from his Cuban cigar audaciously at his friend's face. "This is for the big boys, sugar!" he drawled as he reached for his cocktail."Cut it, Dare! And I am not your sugar!" Dapo retorted, looking glumly as he got up and sat some paces away from his chimney of a friend. They were in one of Dare's houses on the mainland. It was a portable bungalow tucked away in the heart of Surulere, a secluded place in Lagos where Dare carried out his illicit, clandestine affairs. He had invited Dapo over to celebrate his 'latest hit', having recently been paid off by his 'sugar mama', the wife of one of the police inspectors whose husband had been away from the country on an overseas training for two months. Dare had promptly booked his weekends with her at his 'love nest' and had 'serviced' her night and day till her husband's imminent r
As Philip took the phone receiver on his own side to speak with Omar, he heard Ame's voice distinctly cry out his name. He paused, as he was momentarily shaken, then he looked around him briefly, hoping, in his wildest imagination, that he would see her behind him, but only the prison guards hovered not too far from him so he only shrugged as he faced Omar, who frowned slightly in concern as he studied Philip."Everything okay?" Omar spoke into his phone receiver, carefully appraising Philip who looked at him from the other side blankly, not answering. "English?" Omar asked further.Philip nodded and smiled apologetically at Omar. "Yes, I'm sorry, please. My name is Philip.""Omar," came the reply at the other end. "I'm a lawyer, Philip," he began. "Pueba told me y..." he continued but Philip cut him short."Pueba?" he asked, looking at Omar in sheer confusion.Omar shook h
Osaro's head was bowed with worries as he headed back to the bedroom but he stopped short, shocked, to see Rosa leaning like a sentinel in the bedroom doorway, looking like an angel sent to him with a message.He didn't have to wonder how long she had been standing there."Is our daughter now sleeping with Dapo?" she asked calmly as she folded her arms across her breasts.Osaro hastened to her, his arms outstretched. "God forbid it, my love!" He reached her side and tried to lead her back to the bed but she declined."Let's talk about it now!" she insisted stubbornly, not budging as she looked at her husband in the dim interior of their bedroom."Alright," Osaro conceded, leading her towards the living room. "Let me make a little snack while we talk, okay, my love?" He said as he helped her into a seat comfortably.He headed for their little kitchenette
"I don't think that Ame slept at Ego's place last night," Osaro began as he sat, facing his wife. Rosa looked on silently as her husband continued. "Now, I don't know whether Ego is covering up for her or not, that will be sorted out when I speak with Ame myself." He looked up at his wife and smiled. "That is all there is to it, my dear, so there's no need to worry, you see?" He spread out his hands in a sideways gesture."Then where did she sleep, Osaro?" his wife asked him.Osaro shrugged. "Only Ame can answer that, my dear."Rosa frowned. "At least with this Philip out of the way, she can concentrate on better and more promising relationships," she said."Ah, Rosa! Ame won't thank you for that!" Osaro scolded his wife. He ate one of the sandwiches too.Rosa looked at her husband seriously. "Osaro, I don't like the idea of Ame sleeping out in a man's house. It doesn't show that
Abiola Adejare gave her husband a warm, welcoming hug as he entered their private living room."Welcome, Otunba," she greeted as she took in his unsmiling demeanor.Chief Adejare collapsed tiredly on one of the plush leather sofas in the room and closed his eyes as his wife knelt on the seat near him and smoothed his brows for him.He heard the sound of a knock at the door."Enter," his wife commanded.Chief Adejare turned his head slightly as a uniformed maid entered with a tray of fruit drink and an ice pack. She genuflected to him and his wife respectfully as she placed the tray of drink on a side stool that his wife pointed to.The maid soon left after being given some instructions by her madam.Abiola brought the drink to her husband and made him drink it from off her hand."E pele, oko mi, take
Chief Adejare put on his shirt back. Their family doctor, Dr. Aghogho Idahosa, had just finished examining him.Dr. Idahosa put his instruments back into his portable carry-on bag as Abiola Adejare entered with a tray of chamomile tea for the three of them.Dr. Idahosa gratefully accepted his mug of tea and sipped it. "Thanks, Abiola," he said gratefully. He was on a first name basis with the Adejares, being a long time family doctor as well as their friend."You're welcome, Doctor,"she smiled back in return. "How is he?" she asked, gesturing at her husband. The doctor merely shook his head."I told you that your fuss was unnecessary, look. I'm as fit as a fiddle! Even Aghogho didn't find anything wrong with me!" Chief Adejare laughed as he first blew cool air at his tea before he sipped from the mug.Dr. Idahosa turned to look at Chief Adejare where he sat, sipping h