A Story Of Deceit

Episode 9

‘I said, don’t pay for me Dayo, so that you will start telling everybody that you bought bread for me, be going oooo or else’, I threatened Dayo, ‘Uwa, I won’t say anything to anyone, I’m not like that, please just let me pay’, he begged. I laughed him to scorn and looked at his face, there was no way, I would believe Dayo after everything he had done since he came back from the city. He tried to convince me,then, I ignored him, I felt bad, ignoring him but hearing him beg was funny, I felt important. ‘what is wrong with this guy sef?, why did his character change?’, I wanted to ask him but if I did, he’d probably think I was gaining interest in him. I walked away from him, with the silly thought of meeting him again when I returned from work, to repeat the same of act of him, begging me while I ignore him.

When I got to work, I found Mr. Shola there, I didn’t know why he was there that morning, he had always supervised us but he came around in the afternoon. ‘Good morning sir’, I greeted, ‘ehen, Uwa, na you I dey find’, he said, I got scared, I feared that he might have found out about the disputes that went on in the farm, when he was not there, ‘eh, me? ‘, I asked, ‘yes na, you, abi another person na Uwanah for here?, Mr. Soji say make I come call you’, he informed me, ‘eh, why? ‘, I asked looking worried, ‘ah ah, how I wan take know?, im just sey make I call you’, he said again,in an angry tone. ‘oya, make we dey go’, he ordered, I didn’t want to ask questions any further, he was looking vexed, I just kept quiet and followed behind. All the guys kept staring at me, some gave me hand signs and head signs not to be scared, while others like Bola said nothing and went on with their work.

Walking with Mr. Shola to Mr. Soji’s house felt like the journey of a lifetime, I was curious, I felt like my head would burst any minute, if I didn’t know why I was being called upon. I sighed as we finally got to their house, Shola opened the gate, ‘enter na’, he said authoritatively, ‘why is he shouting sef’, I mumbled and entered the compound , ‘wetin you talk?’, he asked, ‘nothing’, I replied, ‘oya, enter na’, he said and pointed a finger to the door. I almost asked him another question but I just went towards the door and knocked. I knocked, twice, there was no response, I knocked a little harder, there was still no response, I decided to tell Shola, as I looked back, I saw Shola staring, he had been staring all the while I knocked ‘, ‘open door, enter inside jahre’, he said mockingly, I gave a weird laugh, which became a frown when my back faced him.

I opened the door, Mr. Soji sat on the sofa watching TV, ‘so this man is here and I’ve been knocking?’, I complained within myself, ‘or maybe, he didn’t hear me, I thought and decided not to judge him. He didn’t even know when I entered, till I said, ‘good morning sir ‘, he looked at me with surprise, ‘ah ah, Uwa, which time you enter? ‘, he asked, ‘now sir’, I replied. ‘ehen, okay na, na Yemisi say she wan see you’, he said. Immediately, my heart felt at ease, I didn’t do anything wrong, it was Yemisi that wanted to see me, I smiled, ‘okay, sir, where’s she? ‘, I asked, ‘wait, make I call am’, he replied. ‘Yemi, Yemisi, Yeye, Yeye’, he called out severally till we both heard a tiny voice yell, ‘I’m coming sir’, the voice was Yemisi’s, it took a little while, before she came out, I was still standing so, Mr. Soji offered me a seat. She came out and wore a smile, when she saw me. ‘Uwa!’, she exclaimed excitedly , ‘I have been bored, my dad said you are free only on Sundays, I couldn’t wait till then jahre’, she explained, ‘okay, but I will not stay long oooo, I will still go back and work, so that I will collect my money today ‘, I informed her smiling, ‘don’t worry jor, Mr. Shola will still give you your money’, she assured me and asked her dad, ‘right, Dad?, she’ll be paid abi?’, ‘eh’, he said as he nodded in agreement, I could swear that my ears stood almost as that of a rabbit when I heard what she said, ‘no work, but money will come’. My grin was as large as ever.

I followed her to her room, it was big, almost bigger than my house, she asked me to feel comfortable and said, she’d get me something to eat when we finished our discussion, we sat on her bed and started conversing, I didn’t really say much because she was just going on and on about the City, how big and beautiful it was, she told me that, she stayed with her mother in Lagos, She said her mum and dad were not in good terms, that’s why, they didn’t live together.

I didn’t want to start asking her immediately about details of the city to avoid a question like, ‘do you want to go to the city? ‘,going to the city was still my secret.

Our conversation was going well, till she started talking about a guy whom she met, the Saturday she returned, he helped with some of her things, she explained that she was happy about the fact that, he also went to the City to study, he could also speak English as well as her, ‘he’s caring, he’s handsome…….’, she said. ‘Make e no just be who I dey tink’, I said in my thoughts because, Dayo was the only guy I knew in Boma who had gone to the city and returned.

She kept on ranting till she finally mentioned his name, ‘his
name is’, she would have said it but her phone rang, it was the guy, ‘hmmmm, so she even has his number?’, I thought. She showed me the screen of her phone as she answered the phone , I saw the name DAYO, written boldly, my heart nearly stopped.