(Andy continues his conversation with Badru’s wife…)
ANDY : but how? When? Where? I mean how did it happen?... (Feeling very uneasy)
RECEIVER : last week Wednesday, he had an accident when he was coming home from work and has been in a coma since then.
ANDY : oh my God! My money! Which hospital was he admitted, where?
RECEIVER : he's here at the St John's Hospital.
ANDY : (confused)...em....okay. I will come and check up on him.
RECEIVER : alright sir.
ANDY : (hangs up)...oh my God, my seventy billion naira! Damn it! I should have asked him where he transferred the money that day! How did I forget....damn it! Damn it! Damn it!...what do I do now? I can't just wait here doing nothing...(Pacing while thinking of what to do)...I know what to do.
(Andrew and Ken have been studying in the same university in New York. They had just finished their final exams...)
ANDREW : mehn....I can't just wait to go back home. I'm tired of this place…(sitting in front of Ken at the cafeteria)
KEN : (laughs)...that's because you're not as independent as you had imagined.
ANDREW : that uncle of mine is a pebble in my shoes, I swear. I hate him like shit.
KEN : (laughing)...hahahaahaa...
ANDREW : it’s not funny Ken!
KEN : sorry…
ANDREW : I'd thought coming to the US will give me more freedom to do whatever I like but I was so wrong. Mum shouldn't have allowed me come here.
KEN : oh well...(Still laughing)...some of the students have organized a party for us, you know. Don't tell me you won't be going as usual....
ANDREW : I hate that man! How will I go when he knows all about my schedule. I wish he'll just die.
KEN : but seriously, the guy is not nice at all. He didn't allow you socialize at all. And your folks, they ain't helping matters....
ANDREW : (hisses)...I just want to go back home.
KEN : tonight's party is gonna rock mehn...can't you even steal out?
ANDREW : that bastard is a soldier, remember? And soldiers are always on duty at the house.
KEN : that's true...
ANDREW : and his friend, that lecturer keeps him posted about everything here. More like their job is to watch my life!
KEN : don't worry. Once you get back to Nija, you'll be freer than a bird.
ANDREW : I feel as if I'm caged here, damn it. Every time I tell mum to do something she tells me it’s what I needed.
KEN : you won't need it again once you're back there.
ANDREW : look, all the fun I couldn't have here, trust me, I'll have it there in abundance.
KEN : getting a job?
ANDREW : getting what foolish Job? Dad had promised me he'll open my personal account for me. I ain't gonna work when I've got money?
KEN : can't do that. Dad will kill me. He'll say, "why then did I send you to school abroad?"
ANDREW : that's your Dad, not mine. All I want to do is have fun all through.
KEN : wait, let's do something...
ANDREW : why not tell your uncle it’s your final exams and we just want to celebrate? He may allow you this time...'Cause I don't want you to miss the fun, its gonna be at a strip club, you know, where the girls give you a real lap dance. Those girls are shit mehn, the first time I had the experience, was the best feeling ever. You should try it, Drew...
ANDREW : shit...how much do they charge? I mean the girls.
KEN : for a lap dance alone, its $100 mehn...and they are damn good! And if you want the girl to do the lap dance naked, its $200, though depending on the bitch that will do the shit. They got some really nice girls reserved for special people who've got the money.
ANDREW : damn it mehn! I'd really love to be there.
KEN : then tell him and let's see if he'll allow you. He should be able to allow you celebrate your finals...
ANDREW : I doubt if he'll allow me. The bastard banned me from parties since the day I got drunk coming from the club, remember?
KEN : hmm...
ANDREW : the bastard said he has an image to protect in this country...you know he has no kids, so he concentrated all his useless effort on me...fool! I wish I could poison him.
KEN : (laughing)...trust me Ken, that bastard ain’t gonna die even if you poison him…remember the sedative we once gave him when we decided to be nice just because we wanted to go to the strip club the other day?
ANDREW : yeah, I remember, his eyes were wide open…more like the sedative became caffeine in his drink…
KEN: maybe he took some coffee afterwards…((laughing)…
ANDREW : I don’t even care, I just wish he’d die…
(Andy located the hospital where Badru had being admitted and saw him in a pathetic state. He was kept on a life support machine in the ICU as his wife prays for him endlessly.
He asks for the doctor in charge of Badru and was allowed to see him...)
DOCTOR : please come in...(Entering inside his office as Andy follows him in)
ANDY : thank you.
DOCTOR : have a seat...(Sitting as he puts his stethoscope on his desk)...how may I help you?
ANDY : thank you...(Relaxing on the chair)....I want to talk about one of your patients...Mr Badru.
DOCTOR : okay. Any problem?
ANDY : first let me start with the introduction...I am Andy Silva, the former minister for petroleum.
DOCTOR : oh nice to meet you sir.
ANDY : Badru is my Banker and right before he had an accident, he made some transactions for me. Now, I heard he's in a coma and I need some information from him urgently.
DOCTOR : oh well...what can we do? He's in a coma and can't talk.
ANDY : (sits up and moves closer to the Doctor)...I need your help.
DOCTOR : (surprised)....how?
ANDY : (takes a deep breath)...I need you to let me know immediately he wakes up. If that man should die, I'm going to lose a whole lot of money, so please help me.
DOCTOR : (takes a deep breath)......you're putting me in a tight corner...
ANDY : how?
DOCTOR : (sits up)...when a patient comes out of a coma, it’s not so easy to get anything from them because they'll still be weak.... and.... coming to terms with their immediate environment is not so easy. That's apart from the pain they may be going through with the damages that has being done to their body. So, the probability that you'll be able to get any information from him immediately, is very slim.
ANDY : well, we can still try can't we? Please doctor, let's just try it first and then see if we can get something out of him. Please, I'll compensate you very well, I promise.
DOCTOR : (takes a deep breath again)...okay. Just give me your number and I'll tell you if there's any improvement.
ANDY : but please is there hope?
DOCTOR : well, we operated on him because he had an internal bleeding but he hasn't come around since then.
ANDY : oh my God...
DOCTOR : he may survive it...
ANDY : (cuts in)…please let him survive it. He has to survive it. Please Doc, do everything you have to do so he doesn't die like that. He has to tell me where he kept my money, please.
DOCTOR : its okay, I'll try my best.
ANDY : thank you...(Bringing out a card)...please here is my contact...this is my direct contact...(Writing out his personal number on the complimentary card)...you will get in touch with me directly with this.
DOCTOR : okay...(Collecting the card and looking at the number)
ANDY : thanks a lot.
DOCTOR : you're welcome sir.
ANDY : I'll be expecting to hear from you soon please...
DOCTOR : alright.
(Before Andy left, he collected the Doctor's number too.)
(It’s getting close to Sola Davies’ birthday, Lekan, his sister and his wife’s friend have been putting things in place to ensure they give Sola a big surprise party. He decided to go to the bank to reactivate his account. Afterwards he goes to the ATM to check his balance...)
LEKAN : eh?....(Looking at the balance on the screen, he uses his hand to clean his eyes and looks at it again)...ehn?....(He looks around checking if anyone was behind him)....ehn....one, two..(counting the figures that he can see)...nine, ten, eleven, twelve!....(He uses his hands to clean his eyes again and this time around opens his eyes more, in order to see more clearly)...em....(He brings out his card and re-enters his card and pin again)...it’s still the same thing....(He starts shivering but tries to control himself).....that is Bi....(He looks around again if anyone heard him)...yee!...
(He removes the money his Brother in-law had sent to him and checks his balance again. The balance remains there. He goes straight to the office. He calms down for a while and then asks his assistant to come over to his office....)
LEKAN : Omar...
OMAR : sir?
LEKAN : sit down..
OMAR : (wondering what the problem is this time)…yes sir...(Pulls the chair out and sits)
LEKAN : this stories you hear about people finding a large sum of money in their accounts, what do you think about it? Is it real?
OMAR : sir, it is o. It really happens. My cousin that works at Coenil Bank said sometimes they use those people as cover ups.
LEKAN : cover ups?...i think understand…
OMAR : yes. Like the issue of those governors who embezzle, their bankers will help them hide the money in case the EFCC wants to check their accounts.
LEKAN : hmm mm...
OMAR : yes sir. That's why whenever I see anybody shouting it out, I just laugh.
LEKAN : but what if the money is for the bank? You know, maybe they made a mistake somehow or something like that...
OMAR : if its a mistake by the bank, then the money can't be there for a long time before they notice it. (Re-adjusting on his seat )...sir, if the money stays there for more than a week, then it’s definitely not the bank's.... Instead of those poor people to remove all the money and use it...
LEKAN : haahaa, how can you say that?
OMAR : its true sir. We're in a country where poverty is the order of the day, these politician embezzle public funds and use it for their personal expenses, yet we see their money in our account and start dis-claiming it, I'm not that dumb sir. The other day my cousin was saying it, sir, he was telling me the kind of money in circulation in this country, and sir, that's someone working in just one bank of all the banks in Nigeria o...(Shaking his head)…the situation is so pathetic!
LEKAN : hmm....God help us.
OMAR : why did you ask sir?
LEKAN : someone found out some enormous money in his account when I went to reactivate my account.
OMAR : really. And he reported it?
LEKAN : I don't even know how he did it, I just left the place.
OMAR : he had better not said anything o. That's his luck...
LEKAN : (shaking his head)...Omar!
OMAR : its true sir. Not with the economic situation of this country. I don't know why stuffs like that don't happen to me...
LEKAN : (laughs)...hmm...alright you can go now.
OMAR : (leaving for his office)..haa, God let this kind of thing come my way please....
(After Omar left Lekan was confused about what to do with the money. He kept thinking...)
LEKAN : so they hide the money they embezzled away...hmm....and people are suffering in this country. But what if the money is for the bank?....(Thinking)....okay, I'll leave it for some time and see what happens.
(Bukola is till at the Manchester University almost through with her degree. She was just leaving her department one day when Lucas walks up to her....)
LUCAS : hey Babe....(Smiling)
BUKOLA : Luc....
LUCAS : where you off to?
BUKOLA : was going for lunch.
LUCAS : let's go then....
BUKOLA : em…(she thought of declining but changes her mind)…alright...
LUCAS : let me....(Trying to collect her books from her)....they look heavy.
BUKOLA : it’s okay Luc....(Refusing to give the books to him)...I can handle it.
LUCAS : oh no, let me...(he forcefully collects the books from her and kept moving)….
BUKOLA : (stops and turns to him)....Luc, its time you stopped doing this....I mean...
LUCAS : (cuts in)....Bukky no, come on let's go, (pulling her along)....please let me. I'm happy doing anything for you.
BUKOLA : but I'm not, can't you see?
LUCAS : look the fact that things didn't work out between us doesn't mean I've stopped loving you. Come on....
BUKOLA : I'm going back to Nigeria soon.
LUCAS : (surprised, he stops and looks at her seriously) when?...(They keep moving)
BUKOLA : next month....I need to start working on law school.
LUCAS : but I thought you said you wanted to go to Harvard Law?
BUKOLA : yeah...but it’s quite expensive.
LUCAS : you can still do it you know...
(They get to the cafeteria and enter)
BUKOLA : I want to practice in Nigeria, not US, so it’s not compulsory.
LUCAS : hmm....I'll miss you....
BUKOLA : but you're coming back soon ain't you?.....(Sitting down at a table near the glass wall)....
LUCAS : yeah but that's still in six months....I’ll really miss you....(Sitting down in front of her)
BUKOLA : hmm....(Still looking away at the street through the glass door)
LUCAS : Bukola....(He holds her hand)
BUKOLA : (looks at him)....yes?
LUCAS : I still haven't forgotten about you. My heart still goes for you.
BUKOLA : I know Luc but we're not kids anymore, things have changed.
LUCAS : maybe if you give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me, then you can feel something even better than before....
BUKOLA : right now Luc, I just want to concentrate on Law School and my Masters.
LUCAS : its okay....(Releases her hand)...just always remember that there's someone here that loves and cares a lot about you, okay?
BUKOLA : okay...can I eat now?
LUCAS : ouch pardon me! I'm so sorry.....(They order for their meal and eat.)
Andy has been very impatient with the condition of his money. About a week later, he goes to his bank to check if a new person has being used to replace Badru.
When he got there, he saw Mr. Anthony and spoke to him. After introducing himself...)
ANTHONY : how may I help you sir?
ANDY : well...I came to see you for something very delicate and important. I don't know if you can help me....(Taking his seat before him)
ANTHONY : why not tell me what the problem is?
ANDY : I will, but I want you to know that I will compensate you very well if you can....(He explains what happened to him)...and now I heard he's in the hospital. I've spoken to the doctor but he said his condition is still critical and can't talk.
ANTHONY : (takes a deep breath and shakes his head)....well sir....this issue is really delicate. I'll tell you why....(He sits up) one, this bank operates so many people's accounts, so it will be very difficult to ascertain who's account was used.
ANDY : why not narrow it down to the dormant accounts? I mean, dormant accounts can't be so much....
ANTHONY : (chuckles).....don't be so sure sir, dormant accounts can be quite much believe me.
ANDY : damn it!
ANTHONY : and checking each one of them....(Shaking his head)...now, the questions is this, the account he used, is it for someone in this state? Or someone is another state? We don't know. All these questions are what should help us to locate your money. The mistake he made was not bringing in a third party. He should have brought in a third party just because of such events like this.
ANDY : that's true.....but that's late now. I need to retrieve my money before it’s stolen.
ANTHONY : sir, sincerely speaking, I'm not sure I can help.
ANDY : but why?
ANTHONY : because Mr Badru is the state Manager, he has access to some extent, I don't, that's why he could do that for you.
ANDY : but, this was his branch?
ANTHONY : yes. I am only here temporarily. The management are still giving him some time to recover before bringing in someone else....
ANDY : so what will happen? Who can help me?
ANTHONY : his files have not being totally transferred to me.
ANDY : oh my God....
ANTHONY : what I can do is to call you next week. If there's no improvement in his health, I'm sure someone else will be brought in till he recovers.
ANDY : (takes a deep breath)....okay. But what if you're the one?
ANTHONY : (takes a deep breath)....sir, trust me, I'll advise you start praying for Mr. Badru's recovery because, I may not be able to help.
ANDY : but why?
ANTHONY : that stress may be too much for me....
ANDY : (cuts in as he adjusts on his seat)....we're talking about a lot of money here...
ANTHONY : no matter how much. Look here sir, I only want to help you get your money back. I'm a good christian, I'm not the extravagant type, so I don’t get myself involved in what others do. My salary is enough for me and I’m happy with it.
ANDY : hmm....okay.
(They exchange numbers all the same...)
To be continued...
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