Continued from last week. read first part here
I didn’t take note of him, at first, the second dude. We kept walking. The phone in my grasp. I was even counting out the money for him as we walked. I figured it was an open place. Middle of a busy Lagos road, cars and people were battling for space in traffic. What could anyone do? Yes, it was Lagos, but what could they do?
Someone tapped me as I passed him. I turned, but he kept moving. I checked my pocket for my wallet; it was there. I checked for my preek; it was also there. Relieved, I turned to face the guy who had stopped when I did.
“E touch me,” I said.
He muttered something and shot a dirty look at the back of the man who had touched me and was walking the opposite direction, carrying something on his head.
I finished counting the money and handed it to him.
I noticed the second guy at that point. Unless you are very careless, you notice such things Lagos. Like someone following you for over four minutes. You cross the road, he crosses with you. You turn right, under the bridge, he turns right too. The dude wasn’t even hiding that he was following you.
Suddenly, my guy looked back sharply and a look of something akin to panic crossed his face. “Take, take, take…” he was thrusting my money into my hand. “…gimme the phone.”
“I no fear am,” I said. And truly, I wasn’t scared of the dude following us. I had profiled him and put him as a puff adder without fangs or venom. “I no fear am,” I said again.
But my guy probably knew something I didn’t. He kept darting furtive glances behind him like he was expecting the guy following us to pull out a gun and let off a shot right in the middle of the street. I actually turned to stare at the guy again to be sure I didn’t mis-profile him in my head. Nothing unusual stood out for me, still. Even my guy looked like he could easily chokeslam him on the pavement. So why was he all hot and bothered?
I handed over the phone to him. He slipped me the money I had given him back into my hand.
“Hide am! Put am for your pocket kwik.”
With a quick glance at the money in my hand, I slipped the money into my pocket, staring at our stalker from the corner of my eye, he had slowed down and was also pretending he wasn’t watching us. I stared at my guy, the look in his eyes was a plea. Guy, do like say you no know me.
I started walking a bit further ahead. I stopped watching them, walking to cross the road.
I looked back. My guy was gone. The stalker too was nowhere in sight.
My heart began pounding for some reason I couldn’t explain at that point. I put my hand into my pocket and brought out the money. It was a single 1000 naira note wrapped around thick brown paper.
Won ti gba mi neat…
(To be Continued).