Securing The Bag (The Lagos Hustle)

Soliloquy

::::::::::::::::KANAKU
I called my dad earlier just to say thank you. At first he was surprised then happy, even though before the call ends he would have already forgotten all I said.

"who's this?" he sounded weaker than the last time I heard his voice.

"Dad it's me, Kanayo"

"Oh...omo mi, ba wo ni?"

"Fine sir, how is your health?"

"Ah it's one day at a time my son. When it is time, it is time."

"God will preserve you daddy, I just called to say thank you"

"for what?" It felt good to hear him ask a question not caused by the dementia

"for being my father. And for being my siblings father. Daddy, 7 children. God bless you sir, it's not easy"

His next statement brightened not just my whole day but made my whole week less gloomy. "Ah Kay you're just starting now, shey you know you're still going to give your girl her own siblings"

He laughed and I laughed and playing with her stroller in the corner, my daughter joined the laughter too. My heart swelled with love and for a moment I was content. It was a picture perfect moment. But the laughter led him to a coughing fit and I spent the next minute trying to calm him down till the coughing stopped.

"Are you okay sir?"

"Hello?"

"Hello daddy"

"ta ni ye? who's this?"

I sighed, "it's me Kanayo"

"Oh....kay, omo mi, ba wo ni?"

After the call I slumped back into the couch feeling drained. I tried not to worry cause I knew my mother was by his side, probably offering him water that very moment and patting his back.

It frustrated me a lot that I wasn't able to take better care of him, of them both. God forbid I had been an only child, what would be their state right now? I shook my head bitterly. Thank God for my siblings, even though none of them was rich per se, most had blue collar jobs; 2 tailors, a teacher, a shop owner, a footballer and a welder. I was the last child and the proverbial black sheep of the family. It was pretty obvious my parents didn't exactly plan for me. My immediate sibling was 10 years older than me.

By the time I was 10 years and in primary 4, none of my siblings were at home. My parents looked more like my grandparents. There was literally no one to play with, learn with or even discipline me. So I began to spend time on the streets. From my preteen years I was a rascal, known as far as the next three junctions first for my defying stunts with a bicycle and then for my general notoriety. I was an absolute terror during my teenage years and a growth spurt ensured I easily maintained my status as the neighbourhood bully. I realized early on that I could instill fear in my mates and soon I developed a street following. I was always up to some mischief, if you were around me, sooner or later you were bound to break the law. It's just how I was programmed. A particular heist sent me to the police station for the first time at age 16. The heist was so daring, news of it spread through the entire Ikorodu to the extenct the pressure became too much and the police had no option but to work tirelessly to fish out the perpetrators.

It took me 3 weeks to plan the said heist and it was very risky, because it meant I had to stay out every night, sometimes till dawn as I observed the local vigilante that patroled the neighbourhood, taking note of how the 3 man team secured the 3 streets while avoiding detection. I always prefered to move with two men, anything more than 3 was a crowd but the problem was I had at least 5 friends/followers all eager to accompany me. The following week, I laid the plan to my two chosen pals and we chose the next saturday. Both of them were light on their feet and quick with their hands. I'd noticed the guards were very sluggish and slept a lot on Saturdays, thanks to the numerous Owambe's they must have attended earlier.