The BROUHAHA of OGA MARTINS 2.0 | Chapter 19

Martins could not sleep; he kept rolling from one part of the large upholstered bed to the other in a bedroom that looked like a relaxation station of unbroken dreams, sometimes stealing occasional glances at the brown rug that covered the bed area of an already tiled floor and other times staring hard at a ceiling that had assumed a human form in Martins’ wild imaginations.

He took a quick glance at the mechanical clock on the mango-wood bedside table in the ornately decorated room. The time suggested he had to find a way to close his eyes or risk falling asleep at work later that day. It was 3a.m in the wee hours of Monday.

Trouble was staring hard at Martins from the ceiling for that was where his eyes were fixated. He knew sleep wouldn’t come anytime soon. Quadri’s unwelcomed presence in Deji’s house late Sunday night had taken its toll on Martins. Again, he wondered how the dreadful teenager had become an acquaintance of Deji. He thought he had seen the worst of the bank robbery after watching Tunde drown in a pool of his own blood on the floor of the bank, little did he know that his nightmare had just begun.

Quadri’s sudden appearance that night seemed like a bad joke to Martins. He was trying hard to convince himself that someone was playing pranks on him. Again, Martins concluded that his relocation back to Deji’s apartment was yet another blunder; a misadventure he needed to bolt out of.

At first, he couldn’t say for sure where he knew the rugged teenager from but he was certain they had met. Now, as he laid on the bed the boy’s face had become too clear as pictures of the ill-fated robbery incident flickered through his memory.

Yes! He could recollect vividly now; The guy Deji called Quadri- who had come begging for a place to lay his head for the night was the burly teenager who threw Martins hard on the ground at the entrance to the bank. Though the fisherman cap he wore almost concealed half of his face still Martins could make out the distinct features of his face. He even did get a good glimpse of the 6 foot 5 teenager’s face when he fell easily to the ground, and No! He wasn’t Quadri on the day of the robbery incident; he was actually addressed as 47. He wondered if the hoodlum recognized him, though he hardly took note of him when the door to Deji’s apartment was opened to him…

“Martins!!!” That was the third time the MD was calling out to Martins who was obviously in dreamland but he was quick to respond this time.

“Sir!” Martins jolted out of his slumber

“What do you think you are doing?” The MD asked

“Praying sir!” Martins was still trying to come to terms with the new found reality. He was still trying to figure out if the MD’s presence was still part of his ill-fated Monday morning nap or if being caught in the act was still part of his dream.

“I see…So what’s the prayer point?”The MD asked sarcastically.

“Sir?”

“Yes, I’m all ears. You said you were praying, and I suppose there’s a prayer point so I could pray along too”

“I’m sorry sir” Martins pleaded.

“That’s the prayer point?”

“No, I mean it won’t happen again sir” Martins quickly defended himself

“It had better not, because next time you attempt to pray this early at work, be sure you are praying about getting another job.”

The MD’s last comment before he left the marketing department that morning elicited mild giggles from all and sundry present except the recipient. The MD had stood rooted to the spot after he noticed Martins was fast asleep yet it was barely 8:30 am

“Martins you are a fool!” Lola voiced rudely moments after the MD left their office.

“You wan even lie self you know see better lie talk.” Tinu added

“Abeg don’t blame the poor boy jare, the response was involuntary. I’m sure he thought the MD’s appearance was all part of his dream.” Johnson lent his opinion

“But wetin make you dey sleep dis kain early morning” Lanre, another marketer asked.

“Monday morning oh!” Lola added

“Abi you do TDB?” Lanre quipped

“If I hear…Martins is a good guy naa. He is not cut out for that shit” Johnson replied to Lanre’s witty remarks about Martins

“Oh, so to do TDB na shit now ba? Make I open your yash for public?” Lanre countered.

“Wetin bring all this kain yeye talk this early morning now” Tinu opined.

Ada walked into the office, interrupting their gist. Her presence instantly brought order.

READ ALSO: The BROUHAHA of OGA MARTINS 2.0 | Chapter 18

“Good morning!” Ada greeted all the marketers present

“Good morning!” They all responded almost simultaneously

“Martins please can I see you in my office when you are less busy”

“Hope there is no problem?” Martins responded not taking his face off the files he had been attending to on his desk after the MD found him sleeping.

“No. It’s nothing.” Ada replied.

“Okay. When I’m less busy then”

“Fine, just take your time.” Ada walked out of the office, her heels making direct impact on the tiled floor of the office like it was hell-bent on boring a hole through it”

“This babe don change oh!” Lola whispered

“Look at the way she even addressed Martins politely even though the young man kept a straight face and sounded a bit rude” Johnson added.

“Wetin make you they give my boss attitude self, eh Martins?” Lanre asked.

Martins ignored the rancorous gossips of his colleagues as he let it trail into his thoughts…

“I even surprise say she don dey recover sef” Lanre continued.

“Omo, I been think say she no go come back work again oh!” Lola added.

“Haba! Lola, He never reach like that now” Lanre said

“Me even they wish say na she them be shoot for that robbery” Tinu concluded.

“Haba Tinu! Why you they yan like this now? You be winch?” Lanre quizzed.

“You no know ni? Na she start witchcraft for the street wey she they stay now” Lola quipped

Tinu playfully slapped Lola on the back in response to her verbal attack on her personality.

“…But if you ask me, I think she deserved what happened to her oh! After all,  I learnt the dude that was killed was originally Martins’ client” Johnson gave his honest opinion.

“Na so I hear too oh! Abi Martins no be so?” Lanre asked

“Excuse me let me quickly go see Ada.” Martins rises from his seat all in a bid to avoid being incorporated into their small talks

“Shior! He dey your body? Na only God know wetin they between una two. All these code wey una they code for this office.” Tinu lamented.

Martins leaves their presence as he headed for Ada’s office. He stood at the entrance to Ada’s office for a moment as he wondered what Ada could possibly want him for. They barely talked since she returned from her leave. In fact, Ada had been avoiding him like a plague. Albeit, Martins thought Ada’s general outlook and aura that morning had being somewhat different.

“Yes, come in!” Ada seemed to respond to a supposed knock on the door. Martins didn’t even realize he had being knocking on the door for a while although slightly. Ada’s response, though he wasn’t sure if it was the first time she was responding brought him back to consciousness. Martins gradually opened the door as he slowly made his way into Ada’s dingy office

“Hi Martins” Ada forced a smile at Martins

“Mmm…” Martins barely responded.

“Have you been at the door for a bit”

“Not really?”

“Cause I wasn’t sure I heard a knock until I had to keep my ears to the ground”

“So what is it you want to talk to me about?” Martins asked absentmindedly

“You are still hostile towards me. I thought we had burnt bridges after the ugly incident at the bank.”

“I don’t have anything against you Ada” Martins revealed.

“Mmm…easy to say, yet your actions prove otherwise. You know…You still haven’t told me what you were doing at the bank that day. I mean, I was shocked to see you walking into the bank before those hoodlums arrived.”

“So you saw me moments before the robbery?” Martins is surprised.

“Yes I did, and I’m sure you were shocked to see me too afterwards”

“Please, is there something we really want to discuss?” Martins grows impatient.

“Yeah, sure!”

Ada raised the wallet she had been fondling on her simple but elegant and stylish glass desk for Martins to see.

“Guess what I found?”

“A wallet?”

“Of course it is a wallet. Isn’t it obvious it is?”

Ada opened the wallet to bring out an ID card

“It is the contents of the wallet that should be your focus. Take a look at this.” She handed the ID card to Martins.

“Who is he and why should I bother?” Martins looked up at Ada. “Why are you smiling?”

“Why am I smiling? I think I just might have found my client’s killers”

Ada’s response left Martins stupefied!

…The Brouhaha continues next week