Chapter 4:
Fred had asked to use the restroom, on the excuse that he had taken too much wine and needed to empty his bowels lest his bladder blew up.
He took out a red flash drive from his left breast pocket and made a detour for a room by the left on the wing part of the mansion, he had made quite a number of video calls with Julia and he always asked her to walk around the house on the excuse he was either losing signal or wasn't hearing her clearly because the line was breaking…these obviously tricks to make her show him most parts of the mansion, he had been lucky to find this place as it had earlier been described at the mission briefing and here he was…making a beeline for that door.
'click' it was 7:30pm, time for the evening shift for the guards at the door, Fred had timed this perfectly and knew the precise time to ask to leave for the restroom…there was usually a thirty minute interval before the night guards arrived.
Opening the door, Fred was left speechless… 'There were people here?' he mentally struck himself in the head 'o shoot! It's a surveillance room, its normal to have people watched things that were being 'surveyed' and these weren't just people, they were soldiers…where was he at, it was a colonel's house, there was bound to be soldiers but wasn't this too much? Were the maids, gardeners and gateman undercover soldiers as well?
"Time to act" Fred switched perfectly to a confident and legal member of the house.
"Hey!" with a look of anger and query he slammed the door shut…"why is the entrance empty?!" without waiting for a reply he continued "is every mufucker in th…shut the hell up!"that was aimed at someone who was about to speak up, obviously to state the thirty minute interval "I asked you nothing, therefore you'll say nothing" turning back to the others in a ferocious manner, he asked while snapping his fingers "who is the captain here?"
A tall scrawny figure looked at Fred with a cruel look in his eyes "na me" he stated in a thick voice that seemed to be an improper fraction for his appearance
Fred had to change his game plan "do you know who I am, you don't even know me yet you dare---you dare talk to me with that look on your face?" Fred was angry, distributing spittle in everyone's faces
"Open your ears wide enough…be careful not to miss a thing, I am the colonel's son-in-law" Fred said with a proud and aloof look on his face…he was close enough now, he secretly inserted the flash in the core operating system and clicked on 'enter'
" well actually I was searching for the restroom and as I couldn't find it, I decided to come take one guard from the door to show me the way" with a face that showed he was really pressed he continued "I didn't know I was going to meet people with lukewarm attitude towards their duties"
"Hey you" pointing at the innocent middle aged man he had asked to keep shut before, he said "come show the way, and be fast about it…else I'll empty my bowels in your large basket like mouth" the man immediately rushed forward and as he was led away by 'the son-in-law' the others could hear Fred start an interrogation of the man "you must be an Ibadan man, with your tribal marks like black stretch marks on …" his voice faded down the long corridor.
"Julia I have to go now" he said, now back to the normal everyday Fred, the one Julia was familiar with. A driver was asked to drop Fred off as it was late already.
Such a day's work
Switching on his laptop, Fred took out a red flash drive, the same one he had used back at the surveillance room and inserted it in his laptop; it had to take a few minutes to upload.
'Beep' a sound from his laptop and a notice which read 'upload successfully' stared right at him. Clicking on the file, like magic, he could see everything that the security in the surveillance room could see.
It was 2:15am and Julia was still wide awake, no signs of her being asleep before…her beddings still looked the same way they had looked when her personal maid had laid it.
She was on a chat with chioma
Julia: I wish he would just ask me out, I want to hear him tell me he loves me
Chioma: Hey girlfriend, remember Joshua?
Julia seemed to open pages in her mind in search of that name; chioma seemed to know more guys than the history of her own life.
Julia: Wasn't Joshua the one who took your virginity at the club house? Julia seemed to type with a bit of uncertainty
Chioma: C'mon baby girl, are you an amnesic patient? Joshua was the shy guy I dated for two months! Chioma typed with obvious displeasure---you don't treat my virginity like a church sermon---
Julia: oh I'm sorry, yeah I remember now, how is he? Julia seemed to like Joshua a lot; he was the nicest of chioma's exes.
Chioma: The point is not how he is, like I care…the point is I asked him out, although don't even know what I saw in him back then…I've been a fool for the better part of my life…the point is you should do same, let this Fred know he's taking too long with you.
Julia gave it a thought 'should I really do that, won't he see me as cheap?'
'What if all he has ever thought of me as was just as a friend?' she was in a dilemma.
.................................…
Fred had been called by his mother to inform him about his elder sister getting married…'how old was she again, wasn't she still too young to be married? What's the rush?
His sister was his best friend, he had stood to protect her from many mean boys when they were younger, even getting beaten up in the process but he always stood strong. He remembered one time his sister had reported her boyfriend to him, then he was just a little above fifteen. He had gone to the guy's house and laid waste to his bike in the dead of the night.
But now, his sister was all grown and ready to be wedded.
Wouldn't the journey be boring, shouldn't he invite someone along with him? What about Seyi, that man-bitch, he was fun to be with but Fred was sure the bitch in him would surface at some point…was like he heard Seyi now preferred older women…he wasn't ready to get beaten up in the slums of Lagos.
What about Andrew, he was a pretty nice guy too, fun to be with also, the only side effect was Andrew was so stingy and besides he was married and the synonym for 'married men' is 'busy men'…at least that's what Fred believed. He didn't want to take a female along either, didn't want his mother to get wrong ideas…that old woman had been pestering him over getting married and keeps repeating something about carrying her grand-children on her back, for God's sake, he was just twenty three…and then Julia came to mind, the thought of her beauty, her impeccable smile, seductive figure…he liked her company a lot.
He was going to take her with him.
"Are we going to have a lot of fun?" Julia asked with her signature cute smile which has never failed in melting Fred's heart as she slid into the car as the door was held open for her by a suave looking Fred in a suit which he had no choice but to buy for this occasion.
"Of course baby girl, a whole lot of it, don't forget it's my sister's wedding" Fred felt so good and proud about the wedding…but what he truly felt good about was this sleek car.
He had rented it. They didn't have to go in public transport.
After a few hours' journey, they were parked in front of an event centre in Lagos, an exquisite location which laid proof to the fact that the groom was financially buoyant and Fred felt this must be prelude to a fun-filled wedding; it must be, as he already promised Julia fun. Bright colors filled everywhere, mostly red and blue and a little bit of green.
Stepping out of the car and walking around to the other side, Fred pulled the door open and out came a stunning beauty, stunning enough to garner attention from every wife seeking bachelor…the kind that came to a wedding ceremony to shop from the bridesmaids and other ladies in attendance. Fred couldn't help but grow jealous and mad at the same time and he subconsciously slid his left hand behind her, holding her lightly with a look that seemed to read 'private property…stay off'
"Shall we?" Fred said with a big smile on his face.
Julia felt butterflies flutter inside her, he was being assertive and she liked it.
Julia noticed a stunning beauty…just an older one, walking in their direction with a large happy smile on her face "Adebayo mi" Julia had never asked him for his other names and he never told her voluntarily either, it was now she realized he had a nice native name. The woman hugged Fred so affectionately, it felt like she was going to cry.
When the hug that seemed like it was going to be broken only after the reception was finally broken, Fred's mother looked at Julia and her eyes seemed to shine, you could almost see starlight in them, Fred had obviously gotten his deep black eyes from her.
"My daughter you are looking astounding" still with the same shiny eyes she commented Julia while assessing her head to toe, after doing that satisfactorily she nodded her head which made Julia breathe a sigh of relief 'thank God' she said to herself…"come here" the older woman gestured at Julia and like a swift rabbit, Julia was in her embrace already. "Come with me, I'll show you around" she gave Fred a meaningful smile while she took Julia away.
Fred felt lightheaded, this was why he didn't want to bring a female along…must mother's be like this?
He liked that his mother liked her…he felt so good.
"Eeeeeeeeeh" Fred heard a shout heading his way and turned to check out who it was and he too burst to a large laugh…it was Bobby. Bobby his childhood friend was a fat ball 'why does every bobby have to be fat' he had always been that big from their childhood while Fred had been a thin frail child who always got beaten up trying to protect his big sister. Bobby had stood up for him too…just once and that was because the time Bobby had tried to, they had both been beaten senseless…both the defender and the defended. Bobby had tried to be a tough kid and didn't cry all the way home "I'll deal with them for you next time we see them, alright? I'll continue my training…you'll see" he had tried to console Fred while acting like a big brother but as soon as they got home and he caught sight of his mother, he broke into tears, huge tears rained down his face, even Fred was frightened by the sudden outburst, it felt like Bobby was slapped by an invisible hand right at the point where he had been slapped earlier because he held onto that same spot…it then dawned on Fred that Bobby had been enduring the pain and was waiting to get to the confines of his house to let out all his emotions, mother had obviously ruined his well strategized plan as the sight of her seemed like a master key that opened up all his bottled emotions. After that incident, each time there was trouble, Bobby's first thought was always to search for the easiest route of escape 'live to fight another day became his slogan'
"Yo bro" Bobby sped over to Fred with speed that amazed even Fred himself, with a lot of emotions in his eyes and a huge grin on his chubby face, he gave Fred a bear hug and even with Fred's size, he felt small in Bobby's grip, Fred felt choked and his eyes went watery, not due to joy but because he was stuffed up in an embrace like a rag doll…when he was eventually released "come on bro, don't cry like a baby, have you missed this handsome young man that much?" obviously referring to himself…Bobby had mistaken Fred's watery eyes for emotions. He felt touched.
"Hey, who is that with your mum?" with an obsessed look in his eyes and almost drooling in his drink, Bobby seemed to be asking about Julia. He felt like punching him in the throat.
"She's uhm…uhm, she's…" Fred hadn't finished his statement and was still torn in a dilemma when Bobby who seemed not to notice asked again "what's her name?" while acting all smart and smoothening his big rumpled clothes, Bobby was looking expectantly at Fred.
"She's mine" out came the calm reply. He looked towards Julia who was being introduced around to everyone by his mother and she seemed to blend well…damn, she really looked like a future daughter-in-law and Fred felt his heart race, he was in love with her, he wanted to make her his forever but this wasn't right…he wasn't supposed to fall in love, she was meant to be used and that part was done, he used her already…he did his job cleanly, he got into the colonel's house…planted the tracker…rigged the surveillance, he was done---he ought to be long gone yet here he was taking her to see his family, his mom liked her…he loved her.
Right at that moment he wanted nothing more than to let her know how he felt about her.
He was going to let her know.
They were going to return to Edo the same day, after kissing his mother goodbye and wishing the couple a happy married life after presenting them with gifts, his sister had even cried…she always felt and acted like the younger one, Fred had kissed her forehead and rubbed her neatly packed hair, roughening it up a little just like an older brother would do while she buried her head in his broad chest.
Fred of course didn't forget to threaten the groom "you mess with my sister" he said with a hard murderous look, quickly replaced by a smile, he continued "you mess with me…happy married life"
When the groom turned to face the crowd, his face was white like he had just seen a ghost. His smile seemed to be broader when he saw his wife and he seemed to act even sweeter than he had always been.