Chereads / of feathered masks and players / Chapter 3 - Rajis Inc.

Chapter 3 - Rajis Inc.

Lagos. Lasgidi as it is popularly called. The speculation that came with it's people. It was the heart of the nation after all. 8:00am and the main roads were already packed with the signature yellow on every lane. Horns blared from every angle as frustrated drivers moved at the slightest opportunity, not minding boxing others up. The air was as usual, charged. One would wonder if the vitamins of the morning sun actually reached these parts with so many exhausts and fumes from buses and cars. Even the okada riders seemed clueless on how to manoeuver as they weren't as small as they thought. A lot of impatient people had continued their journey on foot while hawkers practically shoved their commodities into the mouths of passengers on vehicles.

From the safety of his air conditioned Tundra, 2017 model, Alex watched a bus conductor yell Yaba till his veins popped and was soaked in his own sweat as the merciless sun beat him.  

Alex had felt a flood of excitement rush through him. He had missed it all. From the frustrating traffic, to the thrill of the highway, from street food to local cuisines, from beer parlours to drunken arguments of politics and soccer, football, by locals, especially wayward men who had nothing better in life to do. These arguments often resulted to heated bickering and brawls. The bush bars on beaches were not forgotten. This was the life he missed; the common carefree life. A life people of his calibre would consider classless. Not that he didn't enjoy the clubs, expensive restaurants, parties, cruises and women. But he hated the juicy gossip that always seemed to make the headlines. He would rather be at local bars than conjure adequate poise.

He had been so consumed by his jumbled thoughts that he had not realised when the queue had moved, had not heard the blaring of the horns of angry drivers till someone tapped on his tinted glass, bringing him back to reality. Moving his pick up truck, he blared his horn in apology.

Now in the parking lot of his parents' firm- his mother's law firm, Alex looked at the high-rise building in awe of his mother's  achievement over the years, paying no heed to his father. In his words, his father had been nothing but a freeloader. Things were about to change. The prodigal son was back to collect.

It had been as if someone had hit pause on a remote control when he had stepped into the building. And that had just been the ground floor. Everyone had suddenly paused in their tracks to stare at him, Rajis' heir in his brown tailored suit that looked as casual without a tie and his shirt top buttons undone. He looked so out if place among the smartly dressed legal practitioners. He could feel the disapproval in the tones of those who had greeted him, the wayward heir as he made his way to the elevator.

A lady, supposedly his legal assistant, welcomed him at the elevator gate. Brushing past her with his air of arrogance, taking note of the fake lashes that graced her eyes like giant fans, and heels too high for work and a skirt about mid thigh. She was obviously dressed for something else instead of work. Noting as she struggled to keep up with his pace as she rambled on about the firm and its success over the years, he increased his pace.

Now settled in the confines of his enormous office, cross legged behind the large purple-gold CEO desk, Alex listened half minded to the necessary morning report by his assistant, only to stop her once his father's achievements were mentioned

"Katherine. You may be excused", He said his deep dismissive and controlling voice that would have sent a chill down anybody's spine.

"That would be more than enough. I suppose you have other matters to attend to, like arranging my schedule, instead of whiling away my precious time. And for God's sake, this is a law firm, not a club. You have the grace of wearing," He made a gesture with his hand,

"-that in my office today. Make sure your mistakes aren't repeated. It is rather unattractive." He watched as the smile she managed to hold faded and her face held a new source of anger with a mix of embarrassment as she tugged at the ends of her skirt.

"That would be all. Do shut the door on your way out."

And that had been the height of it. If looks, as they say, could kill, Alex would probably be a dead man. But as she sashayed out of the office in her high heels, embarrassing herself further by almost tripping on the white fur rug that added to the domineering appeal of his office.  

As he settled in his seat, he retrieved his smart phone from his pocket and unlocked it, smiling at the message displayed on the screen

"Call me when you're free~ Zika".

And as he hit dial, the call was answered on the first ring, without the casual Hello.

"How could you not call me the second your legs hit Nigerian soil?", had been the first question to fill his ears. The voice he had long waited to hear.

"Good morning to you too, Zika",

"Kedu?, how are you?"  she replied in their dialect, which sounded more English than intended. As much as she appreciated her mother-tongue, Igbo had always sounded funny as it left her lips

"I'm fine. How have you been. I hope-"

He had barely spoken when she interrupted

" You haven't answered my question. Lexi you came back, you didn't bother to check on your favourite sibling. Hurtful",

At this point, Alex had almost cracked open with laughter. Zika had always been a piece of work.

"Only sibling, Z. You're my only sibling and I would have called sooner or later, you know that. I just didn't have the time yet." There was no way he was going to mention the break in and the cut beneath his foot that took precious time to heal, adding a limp to each step he took. Disturbing, but he wasn't shot. At least one good thing came out of that miserable episode.

"When will you come home?"  

The question did all but trip him from his seat.

"I am home. I have a house. Its really nice. Perhaps you'd visit someday"

"That doesn't answer my question Alex. When will you come home. At least to visit?"

Calling his name fully showed how serious she was. And home was a touchy subject. One he hated discussing.

"Zika, you know how I feel about that place. I'm not welcome there, you know that."

Alex had said, moving his free hand through his hair, not knowing how to tackle his current situation.

"Who told you that you weren't welcome?. Biko, please remove that awful thought from your thick skull. I miss you. Mum misses you a lot too."

She had been careful not to mention their father. She knew all too well the damage it could cause.

"I miss you too. But going to that house isn't an option, you know that."

"I know. I've heard. Ndo, sorry."

"Tell you what. I can come visiting. I wouldn't stay long though. But for your sake, I would show up one day. And perhaps stay for dinner before running away like I'm being chased like a fugitive. Is that okay with you?"

There had been a long pause before she finally replied,

"Sleeping over for a few days would have been more like it because we have more than a lot to catch up on. But since it's inconvenient for you, dinner would be fine. As long as you keep me entertained."

"Trust me. I'll set a date when we would all be free. Not necessarily the old man, just us three like always. Tell ma that I'll call her soon."

"I will. Hopefully she would have better luck at convincing you to sleep over. After all, you still do exactly as she says. Beneath that your big boy facade, you're still nwa-mummy, mummy's boy." She teased.

Nwa-mummy had been a name he had inherited growing up. Perhaps it had been because of how attached he was to his mother before Zika had been born. Or how protective he had been over his mother during the dark times. Times he wished and hoped to forget. Yet the darkness lurked in the depths of the deepest parts of his mind. Taunting him. Reminding him of incidents he wanted to forget.

"We'll talk later, Lexi. I have some errands to run and a ton of fabrics to buy. Love you. Stay out of trouble, inula, did you hear?. Bye".

And the line went dead. And he sat in his enormous office, thinking of how cold it was after the call.