Bad Market – Episode 5

Timi heaved a sigh of relief the moment he was out of Alhaji Kazeem’s hair. He never saw it coming. It had all happened in a flash without prior warning. 

::::::::::::::::::::::::Read previous episode here::::::::::::::::::::::

Timi thought his inordinate affair with Hajia Fadiga had been discreet enough until the Alhaji’s discovery and subsequent onslaught proved otherwise.

“I should have known that Fadiga will spill the beans. Well it means I’m not coming back home tonight. Let me go join my cronies in their hang out spot,” Timi spoke to no one in particular as he walked into the night.

Whenever Timi failed to spend the night at home then he’s out with his hommies, but on this particular day he had no business at home except he had prepared his mind to die.

Hajia Fadiga on the other hand had taken refuge in our house. She was shaking like a chicken drenched in rain when my Dad smuggled her into the house away from the murderous acts of her husband whose blood-shot eyes looked deadlier than the weapon he held.

The following day which was the last of the two days that had been declared as public holiday by the Federal Government of Nigeria to mark the Eid el fitri celebrations had it’s own drama too.

First, my parents had to request the presence of Hajia Fadiga’s family in other to fast-track a reconciliation process that looked impossible.

Moreover Hajia Fadiga was pitching tent with the wrong family; the family of the culprit in the sinful act of adultery. It only proved one thing, she was definitely guilty of the allegations levied against her.

Though the I-phone that exposed her sins was still with her husband, my dad did not have to see the supposed incriminating text message and chats between Hajia Fadiga and his son to confirm Alhaji Kazeem’s suspicions. Hajia Fadiga had confessed to having intimate chats with Timi but still insisted she never went to bed with him.

However guilt was written all over her each time she tried to defend herself. She was not particularly good at lying. My dad was still in utter shock about the whole incident. Though he was certain the young pretty Fulani housewife had been adulterous, he couldn’t still believe the accomplice was his not too attractive wayward son, Timi.

Later that day, everyone closely connected and related to Hajia Fadiga and hubby gathered in our compound to get to the root of the matter and subsequently reach a resolution. There were back and forth talks, arguments and counter-arguments that lingered till night, still both parties made no headway. All pleas made to Alhaji Kazeem by all and sundry from the wife’s side to temper justice with mercy fell on deaf ears.

Alhaji Kazeem had requested that his wife confessed to her crime publicly but the Fulani woman insisted she was innocent even after the husband showed everyone present her amorous chats with Timi. Hajia Fadiga’s whatsapp chats with Timi was enough proof that the duo had become an item.

It still beats my imagination how Hajia Fadiga stooped so low to put her marriage of five years on the line for a moment of sexual ecstasy with Timi. I mean, who does that?’

Worse still, the man who lured her to bed was a street King whose attitude to life was one that exuded recklessness and sheer irresponsibility. Hajia Fadiga on the other hand was a supposed pure northern breed who had imbibed the teachings of Prophet Mohammad in her way of life and this was evident in her dressing and high moral standards. But like they say, do not judge a book by it’s cover.

Albeit on a second thought, Hajia Fadiga was probably just a woman whose husband never satisfied her in bed and was the reason for her childlessness having infected her with a sexually transmitted disease following his many sexual escapades with the other women. This much I would come to realise later from Timi.

On the long run, the aftermath of the meeting was that Hajia Fadiga had been thrown out of her matrimonial home as a result of her cheating ways with Timi and Alhaji Kazeem swore to behead Timi if he ever set his eyes on him.

After the meeting in our compound I left the house in my dad’s Toyota camry 2009 model car to visit a friend who lived within Ogudu estate. On my return from my friend’s place some minutes past nine’ o clock, everywhere around me was a beehive of activities. The festivities were being rounded off with a lot of fanfare.

I was enjoying the scenery as I drove into the street adjoining our street until my car was flagged down at the junction to our street by some street guys who appeared like miscreants.

The boys were constituting a nuisance just by the end of the road leading to my street, it was a disturbing sight. Then out of the blues I saw a familiar face. If I didn’t know him so well I would have sworn he was a dare-devil robber.

Timi had different shades to him but I never knew he was a cultist all along. He wasn’t just a cultist on this day, he was actually leading the group of ruthless boys. They were about 6 guys looking menacing and smoking cannabis with reckless abandon

“Get out!” Timi thundered. I was confused to say the least. “What do you mean get out?” I inquired

“Dele, I’m your elder brother remember?”

“Don’t get too excited dude, the difference is just two years,” I told him while stealing glances at the other members of his gang. I noticed one of them was carrying a pistol, though I wasn’t sure if it was real. The others had clubs and machete on them that reminded one of Baddo cult group. Five of the six boys forced their way into the back seat of the car via the rear doors. 

“Oba this your brother sabi mis yan sha,” a fierce looking guy wearing a black beret bellowed.

“Leave am, I go do am strong thing now,” My brother voiced. I sat behind the steering wheel not moving an inch from where I was.

“Baba, your big bro say make you fade abi you deaf?” The fierce looking guy asked in his thick intimidating voice

“But where am I getting out to naa? I was driving home when you guys started misbehaving,” The words came out carelessly from my buccal cavity. I had not finished my argument when a deafening slap from behind fell on my face  “Jesus!” 

“Will you shut up there! Or does this place look like home,” Timi barked. The beret wearing guy roughly pulled me out of the driver’s seat and dragged me into the car through the passenger’s end.

” Spartacus hope say no be you wan drive us? Oba abeg make your brother drive, Spartacus don jogodo,” The guy that slapped me advised.

“Sparta make the idiot drive. Come join me here,” Timi said.

“Okay boss”

The dude dragged me back to the driver’s seat and ordered me to start the ignition as he went over to join Timi at the passenger’s seat.

“Oya  drive!” My brother commanded.

I couldn’t object anymore, all the confidence that was in me because of the presence of my brother had disappeared.  That fierce dude they call Spartacus made certain of that.

“Oba say drive abi your brain still dey reset” Spartacus planted a hard knock on my head. I instantly slammed my leg on the throttle as the car jerked into life signalling my journey to nowhere with the gang of cultists.