Securing The Bag (The Lagos Hustle)

Transformation

Chapter 17

FUOYO

:::::

"what exactly did he say?" Jessy asked me
She had been in the shower while i'd been trying to catch an hour's sleep before Kanaku interrupted me as usual.

"I think something came up and we need to be on the move immediately, we're to pack up and wait outside the motel, he's on his way."  I didn't have much load, apart from the backpack which contained I and Kanaku's two pair of clothes each. Jessy's bag was now much lighter. Kanaku had discarded most of the clothes she had brought along and apart from a pair of slacks, sweater and tracksuit hoody, the remaining items were the food stuffs her parents had plied her with. at least a paint of fresh Garri, A ziplocked bag of fried fish and meat, at least a half a paint of rice also and what i took to be dried cow skin (ponmo) wrapped in a newspaper and cellotaped tightly.

"Why on Earth do we need to carry this? It's too  heavy are we even planning to cook?" she grumbled.

I smiled at her, "I have a feeling Kanaku is right here, we may need it....here carry my backpack, its lighter."

She handed it over gladly and I grimaced at the weight but still behaved like it was nothing serious.

We waited outside, a little nervous as we looked around. Every well dressed person seemed suspicious to me. I wish we had an idea of how Mr D's killers looked. I had a bad feeling they were closer than we imagined.
Finally Kanaku arrived in a lorry and signaled for us. I climbed in first and helped Jess climb in the back too. He leaned to the drivers window and rattled of instructions in Hausa before climbing in the back with us, I recognized the name of the village.

"you speak Hausa?" Jess asked

"yes..picked it up mostly on the streets...you wouldn't believe how loyal hausa people can be in the street once you identify their language with them"

I had a more pressing issue. "Where did this ram and sheep come from?"

"our perfect alibi..."

"How did you get it?"

"I obtained it"

"Kanaku! this isn't Lagos, is that why we had to leave immediately?"

"Desperate times bro..."

"so what, we move in  tonight?"

"let's see....first plan is scrambled already so we stick together, that's the only plan now, the most important thing is trying to locate the ranch"

We were silent for a while. Kanaku kept stroking the ram's horns...he really looked like a herder.

"You two better change into the clothes I got you.." He kicked a huge sack towards were we sat. I brought out the faded clothes unimpressed.

"Hell no! what is this?" Jessy help up what looked like an empty sack of beans to her chest.

"That's our ticket if we want to get out of here alive. I'll go sit with the driver and give you guys some privacy"

"how exactly are you going to do that?" I shouldn't have bothered asking cause he was already hanging on the side of the moving lorry, inching himself slowly until he got to the passenger side and swung it open with one hand and accrobaticallty swung his heavyset frame in and shut the door.

"how can he do something like that, is he spider man or what?" Jessy couldn't believe but
surprisingly I was already used to Kanaku's surprises. I grinned at her, "That man has been doing stuffs like this before you were born, it's   an inate ability...we're just lucky he's on our side"

"before we were born" she corrected, sticking her nose in the air and pouting her lips in that egoistic way that annoyed me yet made me want to kiss her if only to test if she'll be affected or still remain so arrogantly poised

I shook the thought out of my head and frowned at her, "i'm older than you"

"you don't look too old, if i'm to guess, I'll say you're mid 20's"

She was smack on and I couldn't help but smile. "And if i'm to guess you're in your late teens" I joked.

"you wish, I'll be 23 in about 2 months...yeah pisces rule!"

I  pulled off my trouser and began to tug on the ridiculous pants Kanaku had gotten for me. "what kind of trouser did he buy?" It was inches above my ankles and looked like a drunk tailor had once attempted a boot cut but given up halfway through.

Jessy burst out laughing and I smirked at her, "I'll like to see how you look in your oversized shirt."

"There's no way I'm putting this on, it doesn't look new...doesn't even look second hand! only God knows where it has been"

I tugged of my precious American rag shirt and regretfully squeezed it in the bag. I picked up the shirt and sighed, "don't tell me he rolled the shirt in the dirt"

Jessy lugged and when I turned I saw her eyes linger on my shirtless body for a second and immediately tightened my abdominal muscles, forcing my usually hidden 2 and the half packs to a complete 6.
She didn't look too impressed and I hurriedly wore the shirt...."what the hell....how did the neck slack this way.?" Still when I put on the straw heart I could tell I pulled the look off. I looked like an impoverished farmer who had a long long day.

Jessy burst out laughing...."I swear it fits you...especially standing beside the goat."

The Lorry entered a pothole and I gripped the railing.

"Your turn" I smirked at her.

She sat down on the bench and gently began to tug the sacklike blouse over her shirt.

"This weather is something else...you're going to fry, not to talk of when you add the wrapper" I adviced

"Fine, then give me some privacy" she snapped

The Lorry was in a long stretch of road with trees on both sides so I gripped the back railings and turned slowly while she sat in the corner. I could sense her tug the shirt over her head and could catch the dark material of her bra from the corner of my eye but I stared straight ahead, stroking the sheep which seemed to have taken an affinity to me.

Finally when she was done and I turned, I forced a laugh, pointing exaggeratedly and saying, "you look like my land lady during my Nysc, God bless her soul, very no nonsense hard working woman, she doesn't play with her bitter leaf farm..."

She looked down in dismay and I tried to lighten her up, "relax we're not here for a fashion parade...have you forgotten?"

"I know....it's just...." she shook her head,
"never mind"

"what is it?" I joined her on the bench, the sheep followed me and rested its head on my lap.

She didn't reply, instead she said, "tell me about your service year? where was it? did you enjoy it?"

I forgot about how she'd looked a second before and decided to oblige her. This time I didn't tell her exagerated tales or heroic lies like I'd told my family. I told her everything, the good, the bad and definitely the ugly.