Mr Gabriel Omiyi, I remember telling you yesterday that we dont employ secondary school leavers" The principal said as he saw me that morning. " Sir, I didn't come to apply for a teacher, you can employ me as your cleaner " I said hopefully. " A cleaner? " he asked. " Yes sir, a cleaner" I replied. " You dont look like you will want to work as a cleaner" he said staring critically at me. " Trust me sir, I can do it" I replied confidently. " why dont you check other schools, they might want to employ you as a teacher" he suggested. " Sir I knew that before coming here, I want to work here sir" I said again. " You really want the job of a cleaner?" He asked again. " it will be my pleasure sir" I replied smiling. " Then you are employed" he replied smiling. " Thank you sir, I won't disappoint you sir" I said. " Now about the pay, you are to be paid 7,500 in a month" he said. " sir, can't you increase it a little?" I asked forming a sad face. " No, all the cleaners here are paid lesser than that, I am only paying you more because you seem a bit educated" The principal said. " Okay sir, thank you, I will resume immediately" I said as I got up to go. " No, you resume tomorrow " The principal objected while I simply nodded before walking out of the office.
" Hey, Club guy" I heard someone call as I walked towards the gate, I turned and saw the girl at the club last night, Tobi. " Hey club girl, what are you doing here, have you been following me?" I asked smiling as I walked towards her. " No, I actually work here" She replied while I swallowed my spit. " Am a teacher here " she said again. " And what are you doing here?" She asked me. " I just got employed" I replied forcing myself to smile. " Wow, which class will you be teaching?" She asked again grinning happily, I also smiled at her. " The toilet class" I replied and her smile change to confusion. " What is the toilet class?" She asked further. " I am a cleaner" I said. " No, tell me you are kidding me" she said. " I won't tell you that because am ain't kidding you." I said. " Your personality doesn't fit that of a.." I interrupted her. " Personality doesn't matter" I cut in. " so what later happened at the club yesterday after I ran away? " she asked, I didn't even notice she ran away, I must have been so engrossed in the fight. " I also ran away" I told her. " I found my way out the moment that guy pushed you down" she said laughing. " So you left me to get beaten?" I asked. " No, I only ran for my own safety" She replied . " Okay, I will see you tomorrow" I said walking away. " I didn't get your name " She shouted across. " Not interested" I shouted back. " nice meeting you Mr Not Interested" She shouted again, I smiled and went off the gate to my bicycle which was chained in a corner of the school.
•AS NARRATED BY ADANNA
Men, Men, Men, what should i call them? They are deceitful creatures, the worst of the creatures made by God, coated with lies and wired with lust. They aren't worth anything, i mean not even a dime talk more of your tears. You thought you've found a good one, you just deceive yourself. You see one who showers you with love, it is lust. But in all this, the girls are still on the weaker side, even if the guy you love is the worst criminal on earth, a persecutor, you just have to keep loving, Why? Because we've gotten true love for them. We have no choice than to keep on loving because what we carry along is true love not true lust. No one would have believed the same Gabriel I knew is the same person who sent me this devastating letter, but guess what, I still love him, dont call me a fool, I posses true love.
" No ma'am, I dont know how you can contact him" The post man had replied me that day. " But I can wait for you to write a letter for him" he said again while I stared at him in a confuse state. " If you dont know how to contact him, how will you deliver the letter to him?" I asked the post man. " There is a box where they do pick it from in the city, a kind of wooden mail box " the post man said. " The letter can be picked by someone else, dont worry yourself" I said as more tears fell off my eyes. " But why are you crying ma?" The post man asked. " Am I? Oh it's nothing" I replied him wiping off my tears. "Just take heart ma" The post man said and walked away with his bags of letters. I stared at the letter in my hands again, I felt I should tear it and throw it away but I decided against it, I tied it with my breast wrapper and walked inside, I actually went inside to cry, no doubt, I love Gabriel the son of omiyi, the village palm wine tapper. Never for once have I felt the way I felt for Gabriel for any other guy.
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• " Today was stressful for us, but also fruitful" Israel said sitting on a cushion in my house, he was with Matt again. " What about it?" I asked them. " we went to Sir Jude Ike house today" Matt said. " And what did you guys get?" I asked again. " We only discovered that his house is surrounded with guards, he has a good security system in his house, Cameras everywhere." Matt said. " You guys didn't go inside?" I asked while Israel tapped by back head. " They are telling you that the house is being surrounded with securities and you are expecting us to go in, how is that possible? "Israel asked. " Our assignment is just to watch any foul movement in his environs, Morgana and Christiana are to gain access into the house" Matt added. " Those two idiots might not even have taken any move" I said. " They might still be going about attending parties and club" Israel said. "So Gabriel, how was today?" Matt asked. " Hmmm, I got the job, the cleaner job" I said and they bursted into laughter. " A spy turned cleaner" Israel said laughing hard. " Fools, am at least better than you guys who haven't been able to achieve anything" I said. " At least, we were able to plant some cameras outside his house, we made job easy for young carl" Matt said laughing. " planting cameras doesn't guarantee success you know?" I said. " And being a cleaner doesn't guarantee success either" Israel said also laughing.
• AS NARRATED BY MORGANA
I grew up in the slump of port Harcourt. I am a 28 year old spy who was forced to join Newriton by no one. My parents were long time dead and I lived with my uncle before becoming a spy. I actually joined to be able to defend myself against abuse, I had actually been raped twice by my uncle, it was on the third trial that I ran away from home, I came to Lagos. I took refuge in the street, was raped again and again by touts until one day sir Ajan saw me in a club, I actually use to be a stripper, a club stripper. I strip to make a living, there was nothing else to do and I can't afford to die so I became a club stripper who was always picked up by guys every night, it was on one of such nights that Sir Augustus Jamiu popularly known as Sir Ajan picked me up. He had taken me to a hotel room but unlike other men, he didn't do anything with me, he just sat staring at me while I stared back, his stares were intimidating but I didn't take my eyes off him, I grew up in the street and had no reason to be scared of his intimidating stares. " Why are you doing this?" He suddenly asked after some moment of silence, his questions brought tears to my eyes and I narrated all to him. He took me to Newriton where I was given a life and trained as a fighter, no one knows I stay with Sir Ajan in Newriton, they all believe i live in port Harcourt, every holiday, when they go home, I stay in Sir Ajan quarter and tell them am at port, funny isn't it? I didn't want anything to do with guys because of what I faced in the street and the abuse by my uncle, so to achieve that, I lied that I had a fiance, this lie prevented useless guys from getting close to me. Only sir Ajan knew I wasn't engaged but he still covered up for me. I grew to be a strong female spy, the whole of me seem to want revenge, not just on my uncle but to other men who take pleasure in abusing the young ones. When we were given the mission of investigating Sir Jude Ike, my happiness knew no bound. Maybe he would be my first victim.
• I dressed up in a black trouser and a white top, I matched it up with a long high heeled shoe. I then place a knife into the left shoe, who knows if things might get messy. I stay with Christiana, another spy assisting in the sir Jude Ike's life investigation, we stay in a rented flat, an individual flat located in one of the ghettos in Lagos state, Iyana ipaja. She was dressed in a mini skirt, a high heeled shoe and a crop pink top. She was also having a knife in her heel shoe. " Are you ready?" I asked her as I walked out the door. We were heading to the Kendrick club , a well known club for the rich and wealthy, it's in this club that Sir Jude Ike pick girls every night, girls to use and dump because of his wealth and that's why am happy to be among those who would make his life a night mere. " Yes I am" Christiana replied, her dressing gives her away as an harlot, appreciable part of her fresh lap could be seen clearly, her top stops just a bit below her breast.am Sure Gabriel her boy friend won't wanna see her like this. " Let's go" I said as I finally walked out of the house with her, we took the sport car and drove off to the club. " Remember to be careful with him" I said to Christiana as I plied the car along the smooth road of Lagos, the street lights shone brightly to provide light for the night. " what if he picks you?" Christiana asked. " He will have more interest in you, your dressing will entice him" I said while Christiana giggled, she actually like being praised, I had never wanted her for Gabriel and will never want her for Gabriel, but trust men, they are just after anything with skirt, Gabriel wanted her for himself. " What if he doesn't pick any of us?" Christiana asked again. " Then we will come back tomorrow" I said as I took a sharp turn to the left. " Here we go" I said parking the car in the dark part of the street in which the club is located, we then trekked to the club. The music was booming, lovers could be seen dancing outside the club, smell of cigarette filled the air, the cold night stimulated the feelings, those without lovers or spouse could be seen in a corner either alone or with their bottle of bear, this is club Kendrick, the club for the wealthy. We walked majestically into the bar, we didn't walk alone, the faces of some young touts could be seen accompanying us inside. We picked a dark corner and sat, I ordered for a bottle of Malt, Christiana said she would prefer Beer.
• I was enjoying the malt and watching the half naked stripper who was whinnying her butt on the stage, some men threw money at her as she opened her legs widely and curling them around the only iron pillar on the round stage of which she performed. " Turn the other side" Some useless men shouted throwing fresh naira notes at her. I watched with anger and pity. Suddenly , all activities halted as a man in flowing white garment entered the club with three body guards putting on black suits, some Agbero (touts) as the Yorubas would call them were busy throwing up their hands in salutation for the man in white garment, he was sir Jude Ike. He picked a table in a corner opposite ours and fixed his gaze on the almost naked club Stripper who continued her show after he had been seated comfortably, young girls who should probably be in the secondary school if all things had been equal gathered around him occupying his laps, arms and table while the guards stood back. His table was soon filled with drinks even without him placing any orders. I stared at his well built guards and wondered what a Primary School teacher should be doing with body guards, truly there is something fishy. I was lost in thoughts that I didn't notice one of his guards coming towards me. " My boss wanna see you" he said in good and clear accent , he was folding his arms and staring sternly at me. " Me or She?" Christiana asked smiling seductively. " She" the guy replied pointing at me, I stood up smiling seductively as I swayed my butt to his presence.