By 4:30 Bayo woke me up, and signalled for me to keep keep quiet. We tiptoed out of the room.
Bayo: bad guy, you are not kekere after all
Me: mehn!..that girl is sweet
Bayo: dnt worry, I will take you to sweeter girls, oh I forget say you wan leave me go back house.
Somehow I had regrets too.
Me: so when are we going to the hospital?
Bayo: in the morning, today is sallah, we must help Alhaji kill his rams. Its a tradition. He is like a Dad to me.
As we climbed okada, I felt remembered last night. I wondered if I had a girlfriend that was waiting for me, or given up. Or sleeping with my best friend.
Me: so why dont you have a room of your own?
Bayo: what do I need a room for? I have Shade’s room, I have Ezinne’s room and plenty like that. And I have the park. If I am alone, I sleep in my bus. You know sometimes your body needs renewal…you have to renew it alone, sometimes with people, or you will die young.
Me: how old are you?
Bayo: 28. Iwo nko?
Me: I dunno.
Bayo: chai…you will be between 22 and 25.
Me: or 28…
Bayo: lol, who dash your Papa!
Me: lol.
As we rode in silence I tried focusing again . Maybe any images will come through. Nothing. I decided I wasnt gonna smoke marijuana again. It makes people forget stuff, I must have read that somewhere..am I a doctor?..a medical student?…or just a reader.
Alhaji’s house was a duplex. It was situated in Satellite town. I didnt expect such opulence. He had a gateman dat opened the gate for us once we knocked. It was 5am mehn.
Gateman: ehn! Omo olope!..kilon shele…give us something na.
Bayo: kamoru oko ashewo, oya gba shandi yii!
He dipped his hand inside his pocket to bring out 50naira.
Kamoru: E ma n fuckup sha!..Emi..50 naira?
Bayo: lol..kamoru 1 of gbogbo satellite kingdom..oya gba eleyi si.
He gave him a hundred bucks.
We were lead to a smaller room downstairs where some guys were already gathered. Some with their gin, others with cigarettes.
As Bayo shook everybody I noticed he skipped a guy. Looking at the guy I found out that it was the guy with the ugly tribal marks. I shaked everybody and decided to shake the guy too, but he ignored my hand, looked into my eyes with hatred. I ignored him and sat beside Bayo.
Bayo: Akhaji nko?
A short looking skinny guy replied , telling him Alhaji was sleeping.
Bayo turned to me and asked if I wanted a cigarette or shepe. I declined his offer.
Bayo: let us sleep now, when the chief butcher wakes up then we kill the rams.
Me: Alhaji is the chief butcher? I tot he worked in the park?
Bayo: no o…Alhaji isnt o..
Me: is the butcher going to come from very far?
Bayo: no o..he is here and abt to sleep
Me: show me the guy na, who is he..just point
I noticed the ode was pointing at himself.
Bayo: some call me Bayoski, others Omooba…I am also known as Chief butcher. But u fit call me Bayo. Cuz we are brothers.
Me: You are sick
Bayo: lol..Dr Bayo, sick?
We both laughed and gently I slept off.
Alhaji should be in his mid 50s, he had been born black but some heavy bleaching made him fair, except his knuckles and cheekbones. He walked with a slight tilt , his stomach was potruded, he also had black lips.
As soon as Bayo saw him, he prostrated, it felt awkward for me to the likewise, but everyother person was prostrating and he had probably saved my life. So I prostrated.
Alhaji: Bayo, I see our friend is ok nw, why hasnt he gone home?
Bayo: he cannot remember anything.
Other people looked at me at this point. Some with pity, others with amusement.
Alhaji: whats your name son?
Me: kekere.
Alhaji: hehehehe..kekere naa lo ma je.
Me: thanks for rescuing me
Alhaji: Alhamdulilah
His golden tooth flickered.
Alhaji: I am going to the mosque now, you people should kill the rams and do as you please. See you soon.
There were five rams in the compound. We shared ourselves into groups. Two peeps each to kill a ram. Unsurprisingly I found
myself paired with the chief butcher.
While others proceeded to use the hot water method for scraping the hairs off the body of the animal, chief butcher decided to burn the top skin of ours. As we scrapped wit blades I asked him questions.
Me : where are Alhaji’s Children and wives?
Bayo: him children dey for Cyprus, him get three wives, him build house for each of them.
Me: him get bar scatter be dat o
Bayo: na chairman of park na. You know how many people dey die because of that position?
Me: hmmmm, anyways he looks to have reaped the reward.
Bayo: one day, I will be the chairman.
Me: oh…thats your ambition?
Bayi: naaa…thats my destiny.
He smiled as he said those words, like it was definite issue.
Me: tell me about your parents and siblings.
Bayo: I no sabi my popsi, na me and mumsi dey. She say him die before dem born me. When I reach 8yrs, I just wake up one
morning, see say mumsi don run commot leave only me. That yr na shomolu we dey.
Na d reason y I come dey work for park. Na Alhaji gimme that bus wey I dey use. I dey deliver for am.
I don dey save, very soon I go buy correct bus. Maybe na interstate we go dey ply that time.
Me: you and who?
Bayo: your body dey too hot…me and myself.
Me: when we go enter Lota hospital na, I knw say dem go get records of me. Probably my phone go dey my pocket as at the point of accident.
Bayo: After we chop sallah meat, we move.
Me: thanks. So where your mumsi dey now?
Bayo: she don die, I hear say na during childbirth. Na for Agboju here she die sef.
Me: am sorry
Bayo: olobe ni e o. Wetin concern me?..mtchwwww.
I started counting the minutes it would take for me to find myself.
I was excited , but I sure as hell will miss him.
Lota hospital was a three story building. The lobby had the distinct smell of drugs and disinfectant. I met a nurse at the reception, she was looking bad.
Nurse: Goodmorning how may I help you.
Me: I was admitted here some two months ago..June 5th/6th. I wanna check my records.
Nurse: your card number?
Me: I dont knw..
Nurse: are you registered?
Me: I was operated on here
Nurse: hmmm, whats your name?
Me: ermmmmm….I cant remember
The look she gave me could heat up an iceberg. I decided my only option was to explain everything to her. I could see
understanding in her eyes.
Nurse: ok I will go thru the records and see if any matches you.
Just give me your number and I would call you when something comes up.
Me: I dont have a phone, lemme get my friends own.
I dashed outside to see Bayo talking to a girl selling bread.
Me: Bayo give me your phone.
Bayo: oh brother, meet kafayat.
She smiled, exposing very brown teeth.
Bayo: so if I buy all this bread on your head, will you follow me home?
She started blushing.
Me: Bayo, your phone na!
He gave me the phone without looking at me. All his attention was on the bread seller. As I left I heard him ask her ‘is your bread as soft as your bosom, can I confirm?’
After I gave her Bayo’s number and collected hers, she assured me that my amnesia was a matter of time, that I would start remembering stuffs little by little.
Bayo : howfar, so wht did you find out?
Me: nothing..I gave her your number sha, so I could get a call from her. What happened to the bread girl
Bayo: as I wan touch her bobi, the slap no be here o!
Me: nice one.
Bayo: so where next?
Me: Festac, First gate. Accident place.
Bayo: wetin be the idea?
Me: just take me there…
Bayo: yes boss!
On our way to Festac, my hope arose again. I felt like I was going to my origin. Even the pot holes and the careless way Bayo rode couldnt dampen my spirit.
On getting there, Bayo pointed to a corvette, saying thats where the car was.
Bayo: dem dey catch people with okada for here o, make we dey go.
Me: I cant, I feel something here.
Bayo: them go seize my okada o
Me: dont worry you can go, I go sort myself.
Bayo: you are not in d right sense to be alone.
Me: Don’t worry, just go. Greet Shade and Bimbo for me.
Bayo: ok o…
He brought out his phone and gave me . He also gave me 3k.
Me: what for?
Bayo: I go dey call you. .
Me: with which phone?
Bayo: na only me Shade dey use her phone call. I go dey use her phone until I see u again.
Me: thanks bro.
Bayo: buy charger for the phone. Shade number dey the contact list. ..call me. I dey go Bose house.
As we shook, I felt this was the last time I would see him. I felt bad. But I had to roam festac. Hopefully someone will knw me and who I used to be…
WATCH OUT FOR PART 6
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