YELLOW - Prologue 1

I : Inception

Timi Peters is my name.

I am over 6 ft tall and always have had a thing for frozen yoghurt. I was born with eyelines that would suggest some sort of Asian relationship. Ironically, I had one of the clearest eye sights in my family.

Even though I never saw it, my sisters believed I was one of the finer men. However, I did not have a 6pac, even though I tried my best to keep a flat stomach.

I never really liked crowds and always craved my own space. I was the kind of guy who preferred to go to the Cinema alone than depend on other people to make me feel the excitement of living.

I had a skill that allowed me to learn and properly do whatever I put my mind to. I also had a calculative mind, which always processed every form of information that crossed my way. Basically, I did overthink a lot!

I was about 22 years old when I started working at AKT Matrix; and I did this because I always was interested in helping people- being a superhero of some sorts. Not the type that jumped over buildings or lifted tankers from small vehicles.

I wanted to represent hope to people that could not afford to live happy and comfortable lives. That was why I applied for a job with the AKT Matrix Team. They are a company devoted to changing the narratives of Africans through education and youth development schemes.

It was simple and effective. My mum was proud of me and within Five years at AKT, I had developed a CV that was admired across countries in West Africa. I was the Economist who always had the answers. The "think outside the box- guy".

That was when I met Trish Peers.

She was the State Program Manager for the Matrix Team in Kano state, Nigeria. This was not the most interesting thing about her. She had graduated top of her class in Babcock University, loved listening to jazz instrumentals when working and was the most beautiful woman I had met "apart from my mum".

It was the year 2023 and my home nation had just elected her youngest and first Female President- Her Excellency Dr. Tega Greats.

Aged 35, Dr. Tega was already figure of empowerment and motivation to African women; a milestone for female activists and as many Nigerians hoped, was the beginning of the change that the Nation hoped for.

*prrrrr* *prrrrr*

You have 1 New Message from GT....

My office paid its staff salaries on time, gave enough breaks so mother never had to spend a week without seeing me; and I had just gifted myself a Lexus IS 350 because I felt I deserved it. As surreal as it felt, I was living the life that most people think was perfect.

In contrast with my seemingly diligent work life, I hated stress. I dreaded arguments and conversations that yielded no results. Because of this, I would rather sleep than hang out with Sammy and the rest of the boys during the weekends.

Oh, how much I loved to sleep!

I would always choose sleeping against prolonged human interaction because I felt more at peace with the people in my head than those sharing the street with me.

*They always loved to stare*

*Everyone in the streets loved to stare, and exchange comments with the nearest jobless person beside them*

Listening to 'Saturday Nights – by Khalid', I dragged myself up from my bed, still shirtless because it was far from daybreak, beards all tangled despite my attempts of joining the clean 'Beard Gang' – as they would call it. I needed a cup of water.

After successfully reaching the door, sweaty palms on the knob, I squeeze gently and pull. The door was still mostly closed but almost immediately,