Barrack life
[8/19, 08:02] +234 903 287 2846: STORY..
Barrack Boy..
Episode 1...
Ugo! Ugo!! Ugo eh!!
"u don warm d soup wey dey 4 pot?" dat question brought me back to reality from dreamland, "chei mama i never warm am oh" dats d price i had to pay for being the only child of my parents. Mama was off to her early morning routine watering of our vegetable farmland. Farming was not only mama's own quota to support d family, but it was the trend for barracks women as they assume it as their own "white collar job".
I gradually roll off from bed so as not to feel d pains in my right knee gotten from a ferocious tackle courtesy of Cosmos my hausa friend, well, maybe he wasn't happy i was his opponent in yesterdays match as it is a rear occurance for us as close friends to play against each other, i thought as i dragged my feet to d kitchen to warm d ogbono soup as mama instructed.
Today the cloud is bright, i could feel d cool breeze of the morning on my hairy skin. It rained heavily last night, with water gathered everywhere on d floor, the drainage in d barracks is very poor as the d gutters were blocked and grass infested. UP NEPA! UP NEPA!! The children on their way to school shouted, what came to my mind first was the T.V, "oboy e don tey wey man pekin watch tv oh" i said to my self as i put on the tv, ehn Nigeria 2- algeria 0, a local station was giving highlights of yesterday's match, i was happy 4 nigeria as it's been long we won a friendly match. I glanced at d wall clock, it was 9 already, when suddenly i percieved something, it was as if something was burning, maybe our old fridge was burning again, i thought.
Aaaaah! D soup dey burn
After d meal of hot ogbono soup and fufu, i was off to the farm to join mama, helping her fetch water from d well while she did d watering, i was wondering how she coped with the farm work when i was still in school, well, she said she hired labourers but i doubt because mama was so hard working that she could handle all the farm work by herself, so i thought.
The evening comes with d thought of "sokoto- the place of smoke", so i took my bath and i was on my way to sokoto- the place where the neighbourhood boys gather to take a smoke of weed. On my way i met Femi, a friend that was enlisted in d army last year, due to d stress of JAMB, he opted for recruitment in d army. Since he joined d force he has been of useful value to us "bloody civilians" as whenever we get into trouble, he bails us out easily, we also use his house as charlet to have fun with our girlfriends. "femi, how far u dey go sokoto?" "fanta i dey go sokoto oh, e don tay na" (u will get to know how i got d nickname "fanta" "me sef dey go there", i said. We shook hands and walk slowly to the bush path called sokoto.
We got there at d nick of time when boys haven't finished their first "jumbo". Cosmos was already there. We shook hands with everybody while chanting "in sokoto we stand" as was the custom. I finished rapping up my jumbo when Olu started playing tupac- "do for love" from his "china phone", he was far from me as i was in sokoto 5(seat number) and he was in sokoto 1, but i could hear the tupac song as if d speakers were inside of my head, so i whispered d lyrics word for word. Cosmos was telling d house how he asked an army lady out and the lady told him to come see her in her duty post in d barracks. Everybody laughed, but i laughed more, maybe i laughed more because i was on my third jumbo and was on top of the world, maybe. Suddenly my phone rang.........
To be continued..
[8/19, 15:37] +234 903 287 2846: Barrack Boy..
by flow..
Continues..
As she took every step i admired her curves. The kind of curves my cousin calls "olugbagie boys" (boys neck cut off). "peter, dis is my daughter, my only daughter, the managing director of precious water, a water bottling company, my newly established company" he said. I shook hands with her as i smiled brightly. "Yetunde get us a drink pls" he said. She brought d drink. "oboy come c henessey oh" "e don tay man pekin drink henessey oh". I drank slowly, trying to gaze at yetunde who was puting her laptop in a bag in preparation for work. "well, peter, yetunde will take u to d office to show u something", "show me wetin?" i pondered. Today is becoming a big movie unfolding "abi e get wetin papa no want tell me?", i thought. ok sir, i responded. "so i will see u tommorow, i have a seminar to attend dat will take all day" he said as he hurried upstairs. If only tommorow will come i thought......... If only.........
Mehn as i walk behind yetunde, she almost caught me gazing at her a*ss, she didn't. She drove off on her toyota spider. As i was in d car, i tot of how to start up a conversation, but couldn't find d right words. Finally i asked when she finished schooling, she told me last year in a rather rude manner "see me oh, na bad question i ask?" i asked myself. I told her i also finished my NYSC last year, and we talked a beat about our service year experience and school life, she schooled in a private university in the east, while i schooled in the east also but a state university. Next we where at a place dat looked like a store house, very big. "welcome to precious water ltd" she said. She took me to a place, an office and said "Dis will b ur office from now" "office!! I almost laughed" then she said "yeah, u are to resume in 2 days time, didn't my dad tell u?" i ignored her question and glanced around the place in surprise and joy. Tears almost roll down my eyes but "big boys no dey cry na". She showed me around and introduced me to every heads of department as assistant manager- an office dat have been vacant since d company started. "I can't wait to tell Onyinye and mama dis". Yetunde also gave me some hint on how d job is. I was gradually getting fund of her. I left d place at about 3 and my joy was beyond bounds as i played tupac songs from my phone listening thru my ear piece all d way home.
To be continued..
[8/19, 16:11] +234 903 287 2846: Barrack boy by flow..
Continues..
I got home by 4 and i couldn't wait still six to head to d place called sokoto to reason with some wraps of weed about the happenings earlier. I had already told mama and she was over joyous, singing some funny songs. My Onyinye, my sweet Onyinye. I already broke d news to her on phone and she promised to come c me after work. Onyinye works in a bank as a cashier, i remember meeting her the first time in the bank when i went to deposite money for my cousin. Since then its been happily ever after. Its been a year now. Ehen before i forgot i got the the name "Fanta" when i was in secondary sch, not because i am as yellow as fanta but because i had a crush on a girl in sec sch den. Sandra, it was valentine day and she wanted me to take her on a date. "omo c where i fall hand" "i no get money na and as a sharp barracks boy wey get brain i ask my guys to help me wit some cash" boys no get cash so i had to make do with the 300naira wey i get. "Where d girl mess up be say she go bring one of her friend" "i come carry dem go one joint for mammy market na" she order for "fanta" her friend too. They both ate meat pie "to use down d fanta na". 300naira come remain 50naira wey i go take blow bike go house, date was over. I reach sch next day come dey feel like pesin wey carry pesin go date, not knowing dat d babe don tell d whole sch say na only fanta i fit buy she and her friend. "naso my guys for class begin call me fanta oh, d tin even reach house as many of my area guys attended d same sch" since then na FANTA, FANTA, FANTA everywhere oh............
I got to sokoto early enof to seat in sokoto 1 seat(who ever gets first is entitled to a free wrap of weed) i was first and Cosmos next. "oboy y u no come call me as u dey enta sokoto na?" he said. "i b like ur twin broda?" i responded as he took his number 2 seat. I asked how his interview went. He said the interview was fine and he is expecting their response soonest. I told him my story and how it all unfolded like a dream to me. "fanta eh, u b big boy b dat oh" "levels don change oh". "remember ur broda oh". True talk cosmos has become d brother i never had. "cosmos u go borrow me dat ur pink fine long sleeve make i take impress for my first day for work na" i said. "No wahala u na my paddy na". Other boys were trouping in, in twos and threes until we were about 20 in number, a full house. My wrap of weed was sweeter today, maybe it was the great miracle dat happened today dat made it sweeter. I was high dat d weed made me stand up and started giving every one in sokoto a handshake, as i moved i notice Femi's adsence. "wey Femi?" i asked. "e say e no well, he no go fit come today" James his neighbour responded. I was on the free jumbo wen i saw torch light flashing to sokoto from different directions. "Oboy, awoah don show" i whispered to cosmos in his ears.(awoah is a name we call soldiers). We took to our heels and other boys followed, "na dat day i no say cosmos na usain bolt younger brother" james and mike were unlucky and were caught "maybe because they were chubby and couldn't run fast" we were out of site in no time. Panting, Olu said "dat Femi boy na him betray us oh, him know say awoah dey come today e no tell us so we no go go sokoto" "how e go tell us, him na sharp guy na" said cosmos . Sharp guy indeed as he is always away wen awoah comes to arrest boys in sokoto. "if to say dis awoah arrest me like james and mike na guard room straight oh" i thought. I cant afford dat now dat my dreams is gradually coming to fulfilment......
To be continued
[8/19, 18:03] +234 903 287 2846: Barrack boy..
Continues..
I was born in d barracks, primary, secondary, "if to say barracks get university i for go am sef". Sokoto has been in existence since i was born and has been passed from generation to generation, we even heard dat a guy years back got mad after taking weed 4 d first time, how true was dat, i never can tell. As we walked home i remembered Onyinye was coming so i told others i was expecting my girl and i started taking faster steps. "ok Cosmos na tomorrow tins na?" as i waved and took the meandering road dat leads me home. I got home and met Onyinye outside. "My love, how was work?" i asked. She didn't answer but asked where i had been with a frown in her face. I simply told her i was with cosmos playing chess, big lie "am sorry i kept u waiting" i told her as i stroke her pointed nose with my finger. She finally smiled and told me to gist her how it all happened. I told her the whole truth, or would i say d edited truth, editing yetunde out of out of it. We chatted as i cracked her ribs with jokes. She brought some money 4rm her purse and handed it over to me i collected and counted it, 2k, she said i should use it to arrange myself 4 my new job. "what can i ever do without my Onyinye" "Onyinye, my Onyinye sometimes i wondered y Obiwon sang dat song "Onyinye" First b4 i finished composing mine, we went inside and papa was in d parlour watching 9'o clock news "his favourite tv program". Onyinye went to the kitchen to see mama while i went to tell papa how everything went, he told me dat General Adebayo and him had earlier talked about me seriously searching for a job and the general promised he would do something about it. Papa warned me never to b distracted as the general is a very strict man. Strict! "but he doesn't look strict to me" so i thought................
I woke up early, thoughts of how Sokoto was invaded replayed. But d fact still remains dat James and Mike wouldn't be in the guard room for more than 24hours cos we had top army officers dat comes to visit Sokoto from time to time, so these officers always comes handy to help in such situation and within the next 3days Sokoto will b back and kicking as before. Sometimes i wondered y they still invade Sokoto when 55% of the army men smokes in their own confortable "Sokoto", their backyards. I slid my hands through my chinos trousers to collect the 2k i was given by Onyinye last nite. I strayed my mind to how i could make more money 4rm the 2k. "Gamble" was what came to mind. I thought of paying Olu a visit "the guy love to roll dice". This barracks is the biggest in the whole west Africa and fourth in Africa and so u can find "the good, the bad, and the wohwoh" in it. I thought of keeping 1k at home and taking 1k to gamble because i wasn't a good gambler, "but i fit chop today oh". I was still lost in thoughts wen mama came in..........
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