Must Read: Awkward Ways I Met Girls

7 years ago

Must Read: Awkward Ways I Met Girls

The more the pieces of clues fit, the more fingers point to same person. The more Bibi was being de-mystified. Hmmm… Could it really be that sweet girl? That sweet punny? Wow, I hoped not.

Some minutes later, my phone rang. An unknown number. A strong voice came on line.

Mr Akeh had sent him. And he was at the junction.

I and Clara went out to meet him.

He introduced himself as “Mr Gentle. Just call me Gentle” he said as we shook hands. He was with another man he introduced as China. Both were in mufti. But Mr Gentle had a beard. That looked odd. Cos I know most detectives and servicemen were usually clean shaven. Their names though. Clara didn’t seem too comfortable, so she said she was going to buy somethings and left. I knew it was to give us space to talk.

“Mr Akeh say you have something to tell us” there was something off with the way he spoke.

He didn’t sound like someone Mr Akeh had spoken off. He wasn’t my expectation. But my mind was preoccupied with my recent clues that Bibi might know something.
“Maybe sir, but can we go inside?” I said.
“Ok, we dey behind you”
A danger flag raised in my mind. ‘We dey behind you’? What detective speaks pidgin english while on a job. With someone he is just meeting. Little did I know I was walking into a trap…
I walked in front, both of them came behind me. With some distance between. I wondered why. Well, I shrugged. Detectives had their ways. More of them are probably even hanging around.

And indeed some men were hanging around…

Just as I was approaching my gate, I noticed two men standing around. Both wore blue jeans and black tops. One had a black bow hat on, the other a black cap covering their eyes region. Both wore factory boots.

They looked a little rough. Just as I approached, they looked up at me and I knew something was up. These were those typical red-blooded eyes of very mean souls…

But were these dangerous men were waiting for me?..

My steps slowed down. And I wondered where Clara was. There was something really off about these guys that I do not think they were just thieves. They seemed more than that. I stopped abtuptly and brought out my phone, pretending to be punching at it. But my mind was racing fast on what to do.

Then slowly I backed up. As I tried to slowly turn around, the guy starting coming towards me.
I wondered where the guys Mr Akeh had sent were. These men were coming after me. I hurried my steps, they seemed to hurry theirs. I broke into a run, a quick glance at them I saw they were running after me in a chase.

As I ran trying to avoid colliding with passers-by, someone grabbed me on my left hand from no way. As I swirled round, I didn’t wait to know who it was. My right hand had curled into a fist and I punched whoever it was in the face. He fell sideways and an oncoming okada hit him. The okada had passengers. They all fell. It was same man introduced only a while ago ago Mr China. Mr Gentle’s colleague. The supposed detective.
I ran down the street. About 50 meters away there was a turning and as I was going to turn into it, I saw Clara coming ahead, I shouted
“Runnnn!!!”
Alert, Clara threw the things she had bought away and ran into the nearest house that had the gate open.
I ran into the turning, they came after me. Though the boot must have slowed them down a bit, they were relatively fast. And were closing up.

But I knew the geography of my area well enough. At the end of this turning is a joint where local gin paraga was sold. And just beside this shop is a shortcut into a mechanic village.
The shortcut was was a very dirty area.

The stench of ammonia was very strong. After drinking dongoyaro, okpa-eyin, monkey-tail et al, that path was were the men dissipated the urine in their system. An accumulation of over the years produced a very terrible stench.
I ran towards the men playing checkers commonly called draft.
Past them I ran into the shortcut and ran into the mechanic village there.

Since there were many cars parked there, I docked and was looking at them from my position enter the mechanic village. Immediately they entered, each of them drew out guns and started to search the area. I knew they would check inside and under each vehicle parked there, I looked round and saw a drum with a lid nearby. It could take me, so I climbed inside and cover the lid on top of me. Holding it a little ajar to have a clear view on the positions.

About 10 minutes later, they had searched and one said to the other
“Make we dey go, him noh dey hia”
My heart was in my tongue all these while admist serious prayers. Lol.

I waited another 5 minutes to be sure the coast was clear before coming out. But I didn’t go through the way I came. I passed through the proper entrance/exit at the other end out. I was sweating and my clothes had gotten soaked. I was tap nearby where children were fetching water and drank water from the tap. I sat there resting, then called Clara.

It hadn’t rang twice, she picked up. Sounding alert and panicky, she told me she ran into a large house that had rows of face-me I face-you rooms.
Thank God she was safe, I told her where to meet me. We couldn’t go back to the house.
I was now on the run…