The Raise of Esu

Chapter 5

"Where the hell have you been bro?" Nicholas asked ecstatically, embracing his long-lost brother tightly in the empty classroom. Adewale in turn held his brother tightly in a bear hug, going as far as lifting him up, resulting in a strained laugh from Nicholas.

"Man, it's been crazy!" Adewale said. "I got house with this religious Ghanaian lady with her six other kids!"

Nicholas threw his head back laughing. "So, you become a church boy yeah? You've found the light at the end of the tunnel and became a man of God yeah?"

"Hell no man! That woman kept forcing me to go to church and I would just zone out! I remember one time, right, we were praying, and this went one for an hour. So me being me, I was like 'I'm just gonna take this opportunity to sleep' and I did man! I did, and guess what?"

"What bro?" Nicholas responded, grinning ear to ear, his eyes wide with hungry anticipation.

"Ok so imagine, everyone is praying, quiet, in the zone, then all of a sudden WHEEEE!! I snorted like a fat pig bro!"

Nicholas fell back to his seat, laughing himself to exhaustion.

"Wait, wait man, listen! That's not all! So im sleeping like a baby, right? The best sleep ever. Then all of a sudden BAM! Someone smacks me on the back of my head! Man, I nearly choked on my saliva!"

Nicholas face went red, his voice strained, tears running down his eyes. His brother joined in the laughter, both at his twin and at himself. Drunk in the euphoria of the moment, the brothers were oblivious to the gathering of students outside the classroom, their tutor sheepishly peaking in through the glass window.

"Excuse me gentlemen, are you part of this session?"

"No, no, sorry" responded Nicholas. "Bro I know a good bar by here, the drinks are amazing and surprisingly cheap. Wanna go?"

"Of course man! But you're paying."

"Naa brother, you're paying!"

"Wow, you're still as foolish as I remember!"

At the bar, twins talked about everything; girls, pranks, business ideas, girls, politics, drinks, girls, philosophy, girls, until Nicholas' personal life took center stage. "It was rough bro, really rough. The very next day you left, I got put with this couple, you know, the picture-perfect couple; John owed a restaurant, Stacy was a stay-at-home mom of three kids. When I moved in at first, they were all loving, you know? They were very hippie, all very kumbaya. But you what I say, the more perfect someone seems, the bigger their demons. And true to form, I began to see the cracks; John was a serial womaniser, and all the money he made when to the fast cars and women and exotic trips whilst Stacy was stuck at home. Turns out John and Stacy couldn't have kids, and in a bid to save their relationship, the wanted to foster and adopt. That was a stupid move in hindsight, you know. Adopting and fostering only widen the cracks."

Adewale listened intently, nodding as he went along. Nicholas' situation was similar to his, he reflected; Ms Adwoa thought that adopting and fostering took her one step to heaven. But her motives were inherently selfish, and what fuelled her obsession for adoption and fostering was not the lie she told herself, but it was control. Pure and simple. She loved the power she exercised over those weaker than her. That's why he and her clashed, he would not dance to her tune, and would even embarrass her in front of her betters, even if he received multiple beating from her. Power and respect, that's what drove her every move.

"The straw that broke the camel's back was John's business partner; turns out he had been religiously stealing from the business and took loans to hide that fact. Fast-forward a few months, the business gets bankrupted, John loses his fast cars, can't repay his mortgage and takes up drinking. Stacy is not happy and takes it out on the kids. I tried to help the kids, you know, I took up part-time jobs just to put food on the plate. Soon, that became a haven, a breathing space. But soon the kids' psyche was affected, and their demons grew and morphed. I couldn't bear to see it, so I moved out."

"Damn, man" echoed Adewale.

"Yeah bro. Well, that ruined the mood," he laughed to himself.

But brother sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence; sometimes silence is sweeter than words. They took in the chaotic activity of the bar; the laser-focused efficiency of the bartenders, the loud laughs and pockets of conversation bouncing off the tables and walls. This gave Adewale an idea.

"Man, lets have a party at mine this Friday."

"Yeah? Im definitely down. You gonna sort out the alcohol? I'll chip in if you want?"

"Thanks. I was thinking, I'm new to this area, but do you know where I can find dragons?'

"My boy! You wanna ingest the dragon yeah? No problem, I know a supplier. Why? You wanna ingest or supply?"

"Both."

"Aren't you worried of competition?"

"Nope. I'm gonna have the party in my kitchen. Easier to control demand. If anyone tries to cut into our venture, well, you know me; I always do what needs to be done."

"'Our' venture?"

"Hell yeah man! Bad boys for life!"

"Hahahaha! Bro, you're still as reckless as ever! Cheers to the reunion! Bad boys for life!"

"Cheers brother! Bad boys for life!" Adewale echoed and drank the bitter cocktail.