Ollie Savage

Chapter 2

When Ollie is not working on weekends, he is socialising with his fellow countrymen. He enjoys the party life in London, where his brother-in-law DJ Skee is hired to play at private parties and in local clubs where he gets regular work. He gets to play while DJ Skee prepares his set or during breaks. This puts the spotlight on him and with the spotlight comes all sorts of opportunities. Being the tall, handsome and well amassed young man that he has become, Ollie gets approached by women, beautiful women with money and status. Life is going very well for this single young man.

This deejay hustle is only for the spotlight but very little money. He works hard during the week, sometimes working from one job to the next, to meet the demands of the glamorous lifestyle he portrays. He has always had a thing for music, he still believes he could be a musician one day. Every once in a while, he finds a hot instrumental and pens some lyrics to complement the beat.

At this early stage, he does not have the confidence to perform his music to the party or club audience. So, he simply plays it to the unsuspecting crowds to evaluate their response. The young thugs seem to lean towards it, but there still is room for improvement.

This night life is only a diversion, it is a break from the realities of his own life. He gets to be someone other than himself, and what a joy that brings him. He is aware of the responsibilities that awaits him outside of his social life, but for now, those can wait. Ollie is busy creating a playlist for a very special party.

It's an 80th birthday party for a former Nigerian president who now resides in London. Dj Skee got the contract to play it but is not well due to a car accident injury that has left him stretched out on a hospital bed. It was a close encounter with death. His wife and children managed to escape with minor scratches and bruises, while he took the full hit from a motorbike at a T-junction.

Ollie has downloaded a lot of tracks onto his laptop and is playing them one by one, to ensure there are no unexpected jerks in the sound. He reckons, when the stakes are this high, everything must be perfect. One of the contacts he met in a club in Stratford has provided transport and is helping him to pack the heavy equipment into the car. This preparation has given these two young men time to catch up and get to know one another.

"Oi, Ollie, were you born Ollie or that's just a pet name?"

"Pet what?"

"Pet name, it's like a street or short name."

"Oh, yeah. It's a pet name. How do you know all these fancy words man?"

"Books my man, I read a lot of novels."

"You, you can read a whole novel?"

"Yeah, and you?"

"I could never get past the first two pages man; I just see through all the bullshit."

"It depends on the genre; I like crime thrillers. What genre do you like?"

"I don't like reading period; my mind just shuts off and I end up falling asleep."

"Seriously, you should read man. It will improve your English, significantly."

"Damn! If only I could sound half as good as you; I would definitely start reading. Psst, significantly!"

"I will get you some of the books that I have already finished reading. There is nothing more dangerous than a gangster that can read, Ollie."

"Oh, about that, I never caught your name man. I have been too embarrassed to ask, I still have your number saved as Stratford Guy," they both laugh.

"My name is Caster, as in caster sugar."

"Bad motherfucker, no mother calls their son that shit."