Must Read: The Player

Episode 6 years ago

Must Read: The Player

My first paper went well; it was predictably a collection of past questions with figures and scene changes. I expected an A but with the educational system, anything was possible.
The most memorable thing about the exam was the girl I saw sitting two rows from me.

I sighted her earlier in a Benz waltzing into the venue; the guy driving looked like her driver. She was extremely light skinned with full hair. Immediately she stepped out, I concluded she was out of my league. For the first time in my life, I didn’t think Oge was the finest girl in the world anymore. During the exams, I kept stealing glances at her, the way her jean clung tightly to her lap and the voluptuous shape her bum portrayed giving her master piece of a body the required foundation.

I finished before she did and decided to at least know her name before I left; Unfortunately Bauchi and Odogwu were waiting for me as I stepped out of the hall.

“My good man, why say na you first finish your paper?” Bauchi asked, taking the question paper from me, “No go fail again o”.

Odogwu let out something that should have been laughter but sounded more like broken drum, I eyed him in my mind.

“So we dey go Lekan house now, are you ready?” Bauchi asked.

I still didn’t see my usefulness in the matter, I was skinny as fvck, and I had no street credibility, why in hellz name would Bauchi want me to join them?

“Bros, I just finished my paper, you for allow me reach house na”.

“Blasphemy!” Bauchi shouted.

Odogwu shook his big ugly head like an overfed monkey.

“Nna my guy, you must not fear what it is we are going to do to the skaliwaaaaaag,” I decided there and then that Odogwu was what was wrong with the society.

Bauchi passed me a small bottle of dry gin and told me to finish it in as few gulps as possible. I wanted to decline but couldn’t, so I took it and grimaced as it burnt through my oesophagus down to my stomach.

The fine girl that I had been looking at approached us; her driver was waiting at the other side of the compound. As she walked by, she smiled with the confidence that only a girl who know she was stunning could.

The more I looked at her, the less interested I was in going with the guys. All I wanted was to track her down and ask for her name….
Just her name.

Lekan lived at the other side of the estate, in a place called Agboroko. It was a developing area as most of the houses were unpainted bungalows. We passed by a group of Rastafarians smoking weed and singing songs in patwa by the road side. I was getting more scared. His house looked like the finest in the area, he even had a Gulf 3 packed outside, that was Bauchi’s dream car.

I preferred BMWs. I was told to knock, I did so.

A dark, chubby looking guy with bald head opened the door.

“Who you dey find?” he asked.

His breath reeked of Ogogoro, one could smell the illicitness from miles away.

“Lekan dey house?”
“Yea, who you be?”
“Tell am say, Fifi”.

He looked at me, a puzzled expression was spread across his face then he went back in. When Lekan came to the door, I looked at his face and forgave Kiki of all her transgression. He was so fine, I knew if I was female, I would be his biatch.
“Dem say u dey find me?”
He didn’t get a reply from me before Bauchi appeared from the corner and shoved him had, that he fell on his back into his house.
Odogwu immediately stepped in, I reluctantly followed.

The chubby guy that opened the door earlier rushed out from one of the rooms but by then, Odogwu had a gun pressed against the sprawled fine guy called Lekan.

“Who una be?” Lekan asked, eyes closed like he was expecting a shot.

“Wetin concern you and Kiki, you know sabi say she don get husband?”

“Is that what this is about?” Lekan asked.

Odogwu hit him with the butt of the gun, I wondered what had piqued him. A steady stream of blood flowed from his broken lips.

The chubby guy knelt down beside his friend.

“You go free Kiki?” Bauchi asked
“Yes,” he replied.

“The next time we come here, na to scatter your head for floor o,” Odogwu chipped in.

Bauchi and Odogwu spent the next half hour threatening him while I sat on the couch feeling sorry for the poor guy.

On our way back to the house, after collecting sworn promises from Lekan to stay clear of Kiki, I realised that in as much as I admired Bauchi and knew in my heart that he loved Kiki, I didn’t want to be like him. I made up my mind to discuss with Kiki about evicting him.