Week 12
Prompts: Alley | At the end.
What's weighing on your mind man?
You not your usual self.
Is anything the matter?
Seun!
Seun!!
He snaps his fingers across Seun's face to recollect his attention. The champagne bucket and Fancy lights of club house wasn't getting much of his attention. Seun was indeed lost in thoughts, something eating him up his lousy lips were too scared to utter and his friends ears he found unworthy for the heart troubling matters. Today, the VIP reservation wasn't for partying hard on booze and expensive women. Today he ponders, in the midst of loud music and wriggling bodies Seun must chart a new course for his future.
Huh!
Yea?
What's with you man?
I've been about myself talking ALONE and obviously to myself damn it.
I'm sorry.
Its been quite a lot lately.
He breathed hard, took a long stare at Ade and said...
Family.
Knowing what those 6 lettered words meant to Seun,Daniel knew better than to scratch any further.
16 months ago, Chief Mayowa Ogunlesi was summoned by the National Assembly for misappropriation of his Ministry's public funds. Clearly a setup by powers that be, before being carted away by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the sitting senators who had incriminating evidences made sure he was disgraced at the House of Assembly on National TV.
The public knew Chief Mayowa was part of the inner caucus of the Hydra headsmen who run the country underground but it was indeed amazing how he had fallen out and now used as a scapegoat.
These action was directed at Chief Mayowa as a singular figure, however, the public completely ostracized the immediate family members. Seun's mum was shamed and booed at the market when she went to shop to replace the groceries at home. An action that angered Seun a lot and made him resent his Dad even more considering the fact that she had reprimanded Chief more times than once to halt and get out early from the power hungry cult, he listened not.
Bruv, I know how sensitive you get when issues concerning your family arises but... Do you wanna talk about it or...?
Nah, I'm good.
I'm really good man
You sure?
Seem quite troubled to me
Hahahahahaha
I'm okay Dan.
Places his hands on Dan's shoulder and nudges him a little.
Thanks for sticking around man.
Don't know what I'd have done without you.
I owe you too much.
Come in bruv, we good.
Matter of fact, I'm the one owing you.
You've held down the waters for me ever since I lost my job.
Where or what what could I possibly have done without you?
That reminds me though, how'd the interview with the law firm go?
The usual.
I Aced the written tests and verbals, then they pulled the working experience card.
Seun laughed hard. It seemed the break he needed and decided to relish his cheerful self in the moment. He bucked his head backwards and allowed his whole body ripple with each cackle he made.
Seun this is not a laughing matter.
How can one find a decent paying job in this country if they keep asking for 5 years of working experience?
Where are we suppose to find this experience if we don't get to work at all?
Bringing his being to grab his bottle of beer sitting half empty on the table the barman walked in with another bucket of champagne and laid it on the table close to the already halved bottle.
What's this?
I didn't order this.
Courtesy the red haired Lady sitting at the bar.
The barman pointed towards the bar enjoying the company of two couples on both sides and a slightly plus sized lady alone in between them but facing the bar and sipping on her drink completely avoiding the direction of Seun and his companion
Ah... I see.
Thank you.
At the exit of the bar man Dan was already inspecting the drink.
Oh boy!!
Is this the Ace of spades?
This chic is loaded man.
Did you know her before?
I'm about to find out
Seun grabbed the bottle from Dan and walked to the bar.
Source
Hi
She turns to him and...
Yeah, make yourself comfortable.
Oh! I'm so sorry, forgive my impudence.
I was just erm... You know...
Hoping you could help me out a bit
And how might that be?
So a guy sees this girl, very beautiful girl sitting all by herself at a bar in between two love struck couple. He walks up to her and says "Hi, how are you?"
Would you take home for being too direct?
Well, why'd you think she alone?
What if she was waiting for someone, her date maybe?
Still wouldn't hurt to keep her company until this date shows up now, would it?
Yea... I guess not.
Fair enough...
So... Armand de Brignac, from tête de cuvée Champagne brand and produced by the Champagne Cattier.
Wow, you know your drink.
Impress me more.
There are five cuvées using the traditional Champagne grapes Chardonnay, my favorites Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, and ofcourse the Blanc de Blancs which consists of 100 percent Chardonnay and the Blanc de Noirs comprised of 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Awesome.
For a price of ₦800,000.
Are you always these philanthropic with strangers?
Strangers?
I'd like to think of you as a catch and that in your hand is the bait.
Is that so?
I'm sorry I didn't catch your name.
I am Oluwaseun. Seun for short.
I... I think you should look for your friend.
Seun turned to the direction of his VIP table and Dan wasn't sitting, it was vacant. He scanned the tables next to theirs but Dan was still no where. He turned to face the lady but she was already halfway into the dancehall, he made efforts to reach out to her but she disappeared into the crowd of bodies frenzied by the blaring sounds the disk jockey was dishing out.
Turning left and right trying to spot the mystery woman or his friend to no avail. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his left pocket.
The SMS read...
Meet us at the rendezvous point 3rd alley off twin avenue.
You have 15 minutes and come alone.
Seun exited the club quickly with as much haste as he could run. The throttle knew the heat of his wrath not for the abduction of his friend but his mother. Images of his mother being manhandled flash his mind as he sped off.
One way other, he was the man of the home now thanks to that criminal of s Dad who succeeded in putting the family reputation at jeopardy. Now the responsibility to make sure that at the end of this madness his mother remains safe falls in his shoulders.
One last turn saw him drive into the alley, he slowed the automobile almost to a stop allowing its tyres roll lazily on the concrete.
Which hole are these bastards cowering in?
Bright lights flared opposite him blinding him and forcing him to an abrupt stop as he shielded his eyes away from the lights using the palm of his hands. He heard footsteps by his left, as he turned to look the direction the blow landed just above the side of his left eye blinding him knocking him out.
Seun woke up with hands tied behind him to a pillar and sitting on the floor in an empty room scarcely dark. It had no window or door but was surrounded by thick pillars of about 2 cubic meters. Its only source of light was from dull bulb raised above his head.
While he was still observing the room, a voice came from the darkness.
Source
You're awake.
That's a good thing.
Who are you?
Where am i?
Where is my mother?
In the darkness, Seun saw lights from a cell phone.
Boss, he's awake
Few minutes later a window opened up the roof and a staircase was let down long enough to touch the floor. Now it dawned on Seun that he was in the basement of a building only that the structure was too sophisticated for a normal residential building. He was sure this was some sort of bunker and no one knew where he was.
Who are these guys and what do they want with him. The thought of him involving himself with bad companies that have now truncated the freedom of his mother made his stomach churn. No memory of him and any suspicious gang came to him, then again, Daniel. Could all this charade be a plot to punish Dan? If that be the case how would this include his own mother being kidnapped and not Dan's mother?
More figure continued alighting from the staircase, the voice surface out of the darkness into the dull light making part of his person visible and the rest still hidden in the dark. Seun tried to remember where he had seen a face that resembled this one for he was certain the face was familiar. He was clearly huge and heavily bearded, dressed in all black he also had black gloves on.
He was distracted by the new occupants he now shared the room with. The red haired lady at the bar, she was now wearing a leathered jacket and black jeans with a cigarette lit between her fingers. Who could have misplaced this beauty for anything but a wife material
?
Oluwaseun Martins Ogunlesi.
First class programming student, Unilag and graduated with a honorary degree from the prestigious Oxford university.
What have you been doing with all that potential?
Where is my mother?
The jab hit him unexpectedly and hard, causing pain resonating from his bowels to clear his memory. The voice in the dark now standing in the half light was the same face that knocked out at they alley. He recognized the punch.
I am the one asking the questions, not the other way round.
So let's do this again.
I have a job for you, should be an easy one for you considering your qualification.
Although, there is the debate about skill.
You see your friend Mr Daniel is well qualified to get any job he wishes for.
However, there's this small thing called EXPERIENCE.
In your case its SKILL, do you think you got skills.
Mummy's well being depends on it you know.
What do you want me to do?
Aha!!!
Now that's a right question.
You see, I know the love of a parent would change your mind but we're in a rob Peter to pay Paul situation here.
How do you mean?
Hello son...
The new voice Seun recognized, it was the sound of his newest nightmare. The invincible punching bag he wished could stand face to face with him. Until now he thought this voice had been locked away in jail alongside other criminals alike.
The figure walked into the light and others stepped back into the darkness, making his person revealed even more in the luminance.
How have you been?
Seun just stared without saying a word, boiling with anger if not for the restrains.
Well, let's keep this short.
I need you to do something for me.
I have powerful friends who are ready to make all that's happened in the last months disappear and I can come back home and we live like one family again. All I need you to do is to hack into the Secret Security Service (SSS) to erase my record and plant a malware to delete random records too. That way, they have no evidence against me when I appear in court again next week. That's all.
One question first, You need my help and this was the best way to ask for it?
Come on Seun, you know how we were even before the Assembly saga. I've been monitoring you and I know how angry you are. How'd you think sitting across a table over a glass of juice at an eatery to ask for your help would end up?
First, we can't sit at an eatery because you'd be in jail!!!
Secondly, I would be jailed too because I'd have ended up beating you to a pulp probably leaving you for dead.
Are we doing this or what?
Its no wonder you got caught.
You think the evidence can not be constructed back again after the delete? And what happens to the hard copied files already in top tables?
What happens to your video on national TV?
Like I said, I have some powerful friends, all these things have been taken care of except for the records in SSS. They have refused to play ball.
And with good reasons
Listen son, those records leads to some names that cannot be mentioned in daylight. I'd prefer to go to jail than hurt mum and you but we are out of time.
Yes you are.
The police, SSS and DSS have been listening to out little chat and I'm sure we're all surrounded.
Soon you'll be locked up, and this time for good.
There was commotion in the room as the occupants tried to flee.
Freeze!!!
Not in your lifetime am i going back to jail
Gunshots were fired and bodies struggling with each other as some made thud sounds as they dropped to the ground. Seun kept buried his head between his knees only listening to the events but dared not look on.
A hand rested on his shoulder making him shudder.
It okay, its me Inspector Adams.
We spoke over the phone.
He helped Seun free from the binding ropes and him outside to his Mum sitting inside the police car and Dan stood resting against the boot of the vehicle. A sigh of relief graced his nostrils as he watched his father led in cuffs into another police van. They both exchanged glances of hot anger but never said a word.
Source
The police led him away to await trials which would see him gone for a long time. At the end of it all he looked around and this wasn't the alley he had drove into and his car was no where insight.
The inspector walked up to him..
We need you at the station to write your statement of what transpired and how it happened.
It shouldn't take long while mummy undergoes medical check up.
Of course.
This is my entry for theinkwell fiction challenge, you can check it out here
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Read also
ROMANCE WITH UBER: The series, part 1
ROMANCE WITH UBER: The series Part 2
ROMANCE WITH UBER:The series Part 3
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STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Do not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
Congratulations, your post has been upvoted by @dsc-r2cornell, which is the curating account for @R2cornell's Discord Community.
Substantially better writing - good plotting and characterisation, skillful blending of history and politics to provide motivations for your characters, and without falling into the trap of the dreaded "information dump". Your women characters need developing, though, rather than relying on one-dimensional stereotypes.
Really good effort, well done, hope to see more entries from you.
Awesome that I got your attention, and the compliments I cherish.
I'll definitely make amendments in my subsequent writes. I felt the need to rub in the female character but i was a bit worried the story was getting lengthened and might become boring to read. I didn't want the readers to lose interest.
Thank you for sharing this view with me.
Congratulations! Your post was selected by The Ink Well for quality and has received an OCD upvote!
I'm so elated already. This is my first entry into the inkwell challenge and obviously wouldn't be my last.
Thank you for the work you do in the inkwell, encouraging writers to grow with the pen and their imagination.
Cheers.
This is a masterful story -- the twists and turns were superb -- bonus points for getting the regional spelling of "bruv" right!
Wow!!! Masterful.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Can't help but laugh... Thank you for stopping by.
Not a big fan of Fiction however I just wanted to say Hello 👋
I really liked this story. Nice writing and development of events.
Congrats!
Thank you sis... Very encouraging reviews.