Oga Martins & His Kettle of Fishes – Episode 3

“Martins! What is this I’m hearing? How did it happen? I thought we fixed that roof before the lady moved into that apartment last year?” Mr. Okafor’s voice resonated from the receiver of Martins’ “Samsung Galaxy S6” across the entire length of his office with reckless abandon. The Landlord who spends a greater part of his time doing business abroad had entrusted his property to Martins with the hope that his property were in safe hands.

However recent news that reached him in his luxury apartment at Ohio, USA was nothing to write home about. Though you could call the catastrophe that ensued the night before a natural disaster, Mr. Okafor wondered why the only affected place had to be the apartment Martins himself spearheaded renovations. Mr. Okafor was Martins client when he was a marketer; In fact he was one of the big name clients of Reality Point Limited that earned Martins his reputation and rapid promotion at the fast rising real estate company. In no time, Mr. Okafor and Martins started a cordial relationship that opened up a new stream of income for Martins asides his regular job. But lately things have not been looking good between them due to the numerous complaints from a couple of the tenants in the residential building who have access to Mr. Okafor’s foreign contacts. Martins on the other hand has been too tied down with his regular job and the new responsibilities to create time for the property he is meant to be overseeing and lately his wife does everything within her arsenal, either by hook or crook to stop Martins from visiting the residential property because she felt her husband was becoming smitten with the apartment’s beauty queen, Runo Okubor.

“Martins!”  Mr. Okafor yelled in a manner such that if you were listening to him via Martins’ phone receiver you would think his voice box was deflated

“Martins!”

“Sir!” He had to call out a second time before Martins could respond.

“Have you been listening to me at all?”

“You mean your lamentations?” Martins wish he could voice that out, but he wouldn’t dare. If it was when he was a marketer and Mr. Okafor was his client, he would bleat like a goat if Mr. Okafor asked him to when he remembers what his take home is as caretaker of his property.

“We are on top of the situation sir”

“On top of which situation Martins?  Please stop sounding like Jonathan, it’s a storm we are talking about here not a bomb blast in case you’ve not gotten your facts right.”

“I didn’t mean it that way sir.”

So what do you intend doing now?

“I will be there this evening after work”

“What?” Martins’ reply obviously took Mr. Okafor unawares.

“Anything the matter sir?”

“You’ve not been there yet?”

“Mr. Okafor, it happened last night after bedtime and I had to report early to work this morning.”

“I thought you are now a management staff; can’t you take some time out from work?”

“I will try sir”

“I don’t think you need this job Martins. I should get someone else who will devote time to my property. Someone who will make my business his business”

“Please sir…I…”  Mr Okafor had cut the call before Martins could defend himself.

“Gosh! Why is my world falling apart? If it’s not Aisha heating things up at the home front, it’s my MD putting me on the hot seat with this CEDAR HOMES thingy. Now, Mr.Okafor is hell-bent on compounding my woes. For a moment I thought the Devil was done with me, never knew he just got started.”

Martins was beginning to let his mind play tricks on him. He still did not understand that whatever you feed your mind fills your life.

There was a subtle knock on the door

“Come in…”

“Oga Martins, one Runo Okubor is here to see you” It was Felix the new employee.

“Let her in.”  Matins had totally forgotten she had called in to see him at the office that morning

Runo had bantered words with his wife on phone last night after the catastrophe at her apartment

The pretty young lady dressed in a short bodycon dress sashayed gracefully into Martins office. Martins could not deny the fact that her magnificent appearance held him spellbound in a split second. Indeed Runo was a wonderful piece of God’s creative designs.

“Good Morning”

“Good morning Runo.” Looking into her eyes, Martins could see she was broken.

Runo could not hold back the tears anymore as she threw herself into her caretaker’s hands. The tears welled down her cheeks freely. Martins stood transfixed to the spot. Her warmth almost turning him to a pillar of ice as he gradually patted her back.

“I can’t believe my car is no more. This whole episode still feels like a bad dream.”Runo lamented in between soft sobs.

“Don’t worry about your damaged car, dear. I would work out something with the landlord. We will get you a new one”

“Really?”  Runo withdrew from Martins’ warm embrace for a moment. She couldn’t believe her ears.

“You guys will get me a new car?” She reiterated Martins’ statement

“That’s the normal thing to do in such circumstance. What happened was no fault of yours.”

“That’s so nice of you.” She flung herself at him yet again. Martins held her close this time. It felt good!  He smiled briefly as he looked towards the slightly opened door of his office. It was the suede styled stiletto shoe he bought her on her birthday that caught his eyes first, before he beheld the full anatomy of his wife. This definitely was not happening. Martins hoped he was just hallucinating.

Then she started clapping…

“Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! It has been a long time coming. Finally the love birds get caught in their web”

A showdown brewed! There was nothing Martins could do to salvage the situation this time.

Oga Martins and His Kettle of Fishes continues next week…