DREAMS PART 6

I reflected on my life for a while and turned the instances of my pain into a dream come true. I didn’t even know where this dream is taking me to. The risk of sleeping with a general’s daughter in his presence as left me with a fifteen million naira gift. If I’m left alone I’ll keep sleeping with all general’s daughters. I held her so close and started whispering some sweet words into her ears. The promises were many: You are the most beautiful, smart, and generous person I have ever known, and I promise always to respect you and love you. Your beauty, heart, and mind inspire me to be the best person I can be. I promise to love you for eternity, respecting you, honoring you, being faithful to you, and sharing my life with you. I will never leave you. I’ll be the best guy you’ve ever been with and she said, also the last. 

The promises were real while I was making them.  He rushed back to the house to get some things done. I started roaming in the big house I was also rewarded with; thinking aloud in my native language. I sat on the floor at the kitchen and cried. They were tears of joy though. I haven’t seen myself in this vain thus it was a larger dream than I have ever imagined. I started loving her really and conviction of seriousness started building in my heart. 

There was something I wasn’t sure of; if Mustapha was aware of all these drama. But am I expected to go tell him? I thought to myself for a while before the real thought came to my mind.  Why are they so particular about marriage? Hope they are not trying to tie me down because they feel I’m from a poor family, thus they can manipulate me. But really they can manipulate me. And a deeper thought came as “hope Aisha does not have a problem I’m not aware of, and so they want to force her on me”. Many other thoughts roamed my mind. I forgot every minute I look at the cheque. It was a consolation that there was a future and I’m stepping into it. 

The car drove in and Mustapha came back with Aisha. They were both smiling and for the first time I saw the resemblance in wealthy children. In wealth, people look alike when they smile or the way they spray money or drive for politics but poor people look alike in things like hunting, fighting and ugliness. I opened the front door and he hugged me “welcome to my family” I just heard you people are planning to settle down. I giggled with an acceptance but within me I wasn’t actually sure. What is the game plan of the Alhajuris? 

Mustapha called me to a side of the house and started the story which is about to change my notion. Have you ever seen my mum before? I answered no. We used to tell people she is not in the country but it’s a lie she is in the house, locked somewhere at the boy’s quarters with some guards to stop her from coming out. Three generations now have shown that women in our family get mentally derailed in their early thirties. My mum was not an exception. She had been there for a while now and Aisha has started showing those traits too. I felt a chill run through my body when I heard that part. That means I’m being paid 15million naira to marry a mad woman. I smiled and looked at Mustapha; it was a problem before but I can promise you it has ended. All I need to do is to locate my friend that came to Abuja with me. His name is Khalif….. He would heal your mother. 

Naaaa.. Mustapha seems not interested. Daddy would not like it. He doesn't expose his wife’s mental state to outsiders because people talk and he doesn't want to loose his respect. I interrupted him and said I’m family now and I have a right to my mother in law thus let me take care of her. Aisha got me a bold 2. It seems calls are clearer in this phone compared to my former Nokia 3310. I made three calls before I could locate Khalif. We spoke for a while and I told him to meet me off Kwame Nkrumah Street in Asokoro. He was coming from Jikwoyi (a land of the future). I wasn’t really interested in healing the woman but I know with Khalif we would make some money from the General. In a short while Khalif was here. He was still dressed shabbily like me but I know we are on the verge of smiling. As a Lagos street boy; you don’t have to be told there is a job before you know. After narrating the story to him, he said he would do it. He brought out his rosary and chanted some things in Arabic. Gave the rosary to Mustapha and said he should go and wear it on the mum and check if there would be a difference. 

They wore the rosary on her for five minutes and sanity was restored. Immediately they removed the rosary her insanity was again re-established. The shout with which Mustapha called General caused the military prowess in him to arise again and when he encountered what Mustapha just told him, he knew he had to see the guy that did this. The convoy drove in and with general coming towards the building fear was gain reinstated again. I told Khalif to make sure he composes himself so well. I bowed to greet him and he turned to ask where the guy is. Khalif stepped forward. Immediately the general broke down and said where did you get that rosary from? Whenever my wife wears it, she is sane and once you remove it she is back into insanity. Khalif looked at the general and said those rosaries are expensive. 

This that I gave you was given to me by my father, but he told me how to get more. General said how much is it. Khalif was looking at me to know how much he should say and with a wink he said, its a million naira the last time I contacted the man. General said I want twenty and I want it now. In the next five minutes we were on our way to Gbongan in Oyo state to locate a man that doesn't exist with twenty two million naira in the boot. Five soldiers accustomed us and I was forced to ask Khalif what really happened. He looked at me and said oh boy it was all a fluke ………