Oga Martins - Season 2 - Episode 4

5 years ago

Oga Martins - Season 2 - Episode 4

Akon bolted into Deji’s living room in an attempt to dissuade Martins from leaving
“Martins you honestly can’t be leaving your friend because he is a yahoo guy naa! Yahoo yahoo no be today, e don tey, na brain work. At least you now know he was only trying to be mischievous with the armed robbery tingy. Give yourself a break dude. Don’t take things too personal.”

“Deji does that all the time. He’s just too full of mischief. If he’s into yahoo, yahoo today, you never can tell what he’s capable of tomorrow. To even joke with that kind of thing means he has given armed robbery a thought too. What is the difference anyways? A yahoo guy and an armed robber are both means to the same end.”Martins concluded.
“So which one c-m dey pain you for the whole matter now? That your friend is a yahoo guy or that he scared the living daylights out of you when he joked about his involvement in armed robbery?”Akon inquired

Abeg Akon, free me!
No be so oh! You should be happy for him oh! No be say he carry gun abi he do money rituals. Please, biko you can’t leave him in this state. The dude is heartbroken
Martins would hear none of it. His mind was made up.

The conversation that ensued between Martins and Akon before he finally left Deji’s house that morning stayed on auto-playback back mode in his head while he settled at his desk. Though he had no options as to where to put up, he still left Deji’s house anyways.
It was a Monday. Martins was back to his work, back to his life’s quest after a horrid weekend. Martins realized he had been dormant for a while; he needed a reality check to keep abreast with the situation at the office. As usual Tinu and Lola had put their chit chat in full throttle. Martins sometimes wondered if the duo stood the risk of being condemned to death if they didn’t display their talking prowess.
As he took his eyes off his colleagues, his emotions began to have the better of him yet again. Martins’ eyes had welled up with tears on his way to work that morning. Again, he fought back the tears in his eyes knowing it was a day that needed none of it. The last time he felt this way must have been ten years ago when he lost his best friend, Ayo, to a road mishap he was involved in two days to his 20th birthday. He thought for a moment if his sojourn through life from his day of birth to that very second he had to think about it, was worth celebrating.
Martins was quick to forget that his heart leaped for joy when he got his present job after years of being filled with a hope that hoped on with no end in sight. How ungrateful can man be?
With the average life expectancy of Nigerians put at 54, Martins should count himself as one of the lucky ones that reached the three decade threshold in one peace. Not-withstanding the many setbacks that his life had willingly made a companion, it was nothing compared to the close shave he had with death along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway ten years earlier; in an accident that had taken his friend’s life. There was still some fight in him even though he was trying hard to be a jackass.“My landlord rants gives me headache”,Lola complaints drummed in martins ears.
Hearing Lola rant about her landlord to Tinu drew Martins attention to his colleagues for the umpteenth time that morning.
“Someone should tell this Lola girl that her rants give me migraine,”Martins muttered, hoping she would hear him and stop talking.
Ibrahim, from the customer service desk walked in at the moment to offer Martins some respite.
“Mr Martins, one Deji is here to see you,”he announced.
“De..Deji!”Martins stuttered. Visibly confused at why Deji would trail him to the office.
“Yes.”Ibrahim replied as he made for the door.
“What does he want this time?”Martins pondered.
The janitor opened the door before Ibrahim could get to the knob, and announced loudly. “Mr. Martins, you get gift for reception,”

“Gift?”Martins asked, further confused at what is day was turning into.
“Who know you?”Tinu broke away from her conversation with Lola to address Martins.
“Na byday cake,”Musa interjected
“Birthday ke? You sure say na the message wey dem send you, you deliver so?”Tinu asked.

“From who?”Martins quizzed, rising up this time.

“Dem say her name na Aisha,”Musa asserted

“So today na your birthday you no tell us, ehn, Martins,”Lanre, who has been silent all through, chipped in

“Hmm…Even the shy and reserved Martins has a woman in his life. Lanre you see your life for railway line? Happy birthday jare, Martins,”Lola said in an attempt to mock Lanre

“Abeg! Abeg! Lola no just bring that leg…today na Monday abeg.”Lanre warned.
“Oh please! You guys should stop this your vernacular naa…this is a corporate environment”Johnson walked in just in time to hear the last words from Lanre.

“Wetin dey worry this one,”Lanre charged.
Ada’s loud footsteps announced her entry into the office, the noise in the office did not give anyone any hint that their boss was on the way. They all stood affixed to a spot immediately they spotted her.
“Martins when were you planning to tell us today is your birthday. Oya give me my phone, yeye boy” Ada said as she entered the office.
Almost immediately the popular Nokia ringtone rends the air. The phone had been ringing all along but everyone in the office had been oblivious to it.
“Martins pick your call jare!” ,Lola said vehemently, in a way to save her own face.
This was the second time Lola would prompt Martins to pick his call. It was becoming pretty difficult for him to get accustomed to Ada’s ringtone. She had borrowed him earlier after Martins had requested for it to make some calls. He only had to slot in his sim-card. Ada had really become friendly towards Martins since he helped her broker the last deal.
Martins quickly picked the call.

“Hello!”
“Good morning. Is that Mr. Martins?”
“Yes sir, who is this?”
“Engr Funsho Adetukasi, I got your number from a flier a friend of mine offered me yesterday at a function”
“Oh! cool!”Martins responded eagerly
“So you are a marketer for…”
“Realty Point sir,”Martins cuts in
“I have done some background checks on you guys and I think I might be needing your services.”
“Not might sir…You will be needing our services,”Martins said excitedly
Martins response attracts giggles from the Engineer on the other end of the phone.
“I can see you are a very optimistic person. About the land at Ibeju Lekki…If the terms are right and the land there is worth the buy I may be needing up to 4 acres of land.”
At this point Martins was trying hard not to be betrayed by his emotions. His voice was becoming inaudible

“Sorry I didn’t get that sir, did you say 4 acres?”Martins was in a near state of shock.
The mention of ‘4 acres’ made everyone in the room draw close to Martins’ ear, in an attempt to eavesdrop on his phone conversation.

“I don’t think this is a conversation that should be done on phone. Can I send my P.A to your office tomorrow morning?”
“No sir, sorry I meant Sure sir, by what time sir!”Martins asked expectantly.
“He will be free by 9, and Ikeja to Maryland barring traffic shouldn’t take him more than 15minutes”

“Okay sir, its fine.”
“Tomorrow then”
The stranger hung up before Martins could say“Yes sir, thank you sir”
“4 acres!”Martins exclaimed under his breath.

“Martins did you just say 4 acres abi you no know wetin be 4 acres again?”Lanre quizzed
Ignoring him, Martins slowly walks out of the office like someone in a trance while his colleagues look on with their mouths agape.