"Hello Aunt Clara, how are you?" Timothy said on the phone to his aunt.
"Are you okay, Timmy?" Aunt Clara asked Timothy.
"I'm okay ma'am, but there's a problem.
"Mama's in the hospital again," Timothy said to his Aunt.
"Is it another stroke? How is she doing now?" she asked him
"She is now awake, but I was informed by the doctor that she is extremely frail and needs surgery to prevent parts of her body from becoming paralyzed," Timothy said.
"How much will the surgery cost?" Aunt Clara asked.
Timothy lamented over the phone, saying, the doctor is saying a million naira, and the only thing I have in my bank account is 300,000 naira."
"What are we going to do now? Timmy, you know how I am struggling with my two daughters here in Akwa. We have no money now, we are very poor." Clara told him.
"The doctor may be saying that we need to get the money together as soon as possible because delaying is dangerous. If we don't hurry now, Mama will only last a few days," declared Timothy. her
Clara said: "I will try to see if I can raise money from my friends here, but I can't guarantee a fixed amount at the moment."
"Okay aunt, let's do our best to check on Mama, I will try and raise money as well. Mama is the only parent we have left, so I can't let anything happen to her now." Timothy finished the call and went to the ward. His grandmother was awake now and the nurse allowed him to talk to her.
"Mama, how are you? How are you feeling now?" Timothy asked her.
"It's okay now. I don't feel like I have any strength in my legs right now," she answered.
"It's okay. You just need to rest a little longer. By God's grace, you will be fine after treatment." Timothy assured her, holding her hand warmly.
"Even if the treatment cost is expensive, can you afford it?" she asked
"It's okay Mom, you don't have to worry everything is under control, you just need to focus on getting better, it's okay," Timothy said with a smile.
"Okay, if you say so, I need to get some rest now. I'm sleepy."
"Okay mama, sleep well, I'm going to go see the doctor" Timothy left the hospital a few minutes after talking to the doctor. He drove straight home from the hospital. He had to go to home because he didn't feel like continuing to work. How to raise money quickly The doctor said that the longer the delay, the higher the chance of grandma's legs becoming paralyzed. "What should I do now? Should I sell my Keke? God help me." Timothy continues to worry. He searched for various ways to raise money all night, but was unable to find a way out early the next morning. That morning, as his grandmother's condition worsened, he received an emergency call from the doctor and went to the hospital.
The doctor advised Timothy to pay the bills to start the surgery as soon as possible. Timothy promised to pay the hospital that day and took the hospital's account number.
Without further hesitation, Timothy drove the Keke in the direction of Tiawo's house and fortunately, Tiawo was home to welcome him. Timothy wasted no time explaining the purpose of his visit.
"My client has been waiting since then, so I tried to find someone else. Now that you're back, it's okay. You can just take the package to the Donkan Hotel and Lounge Room 1029. Introduce yourselves as Rocky when you get there, they'll be waiting for you." Taiwo explained
"Okay, when will I get my payment? I means I need the money." Timothy expressed his concern.
"Don't worry, I'll send you half now and the rest when it's delivered." Tiawo assured Timothy.
Timothy left and soon arrived at the hotel with the package. He met with hotel staff, received instructions, and arrived at the room door smoothly and without any problems.
"Knock, knock,"
"Who is there?" a voice asked
Timothy responded, "It's Rocky. I've got the package."
The person replied , "It's okay, come in."
Timothy entered the hotel room and saw three young men of the same age, two sitting on wooden chairs while one person sat on the bed in the room pressing his laptop.
"Check the package Dagger, and close the deal." The person sitting on the bed who appeared to be the leader said to one of the men.
When he spoke just now, Timothy thought the voice was familiar and had to take a closer look at this boss before, to his surprise, he exclaimed, "Frederick!! Is this you?"
Upon hearing his name, the boss stopped what he was doing and looked at Timothy with joy and surprise. "Timmy, Timmy it's been a while my friend, how are you?" Frederick asked as they hugged each other.
"Life has been full of twists and turns, but brother, I thank God for giving me life." Timothy answered.
"It's been a while I looked everywhere for you my brother, but it seems like you have just disappeared."
"It's been five years now. Timothy, what about your aunt and her daughters?" Frederick asked.
"They are okay. How about you? Sigh, no need to even ask, you're looking, good brother." Timothy compliment him
"Yes, God has been faithful, but what are you doing now?" Frederick asked Timothy, pointing to the package he had brought.
"My brother's story is a bit long, but the short version is that my grandmother was sick and I needed money for surgery. Then I met Tiawo and everything happened after that." Timothy answered.
The reunion of two friends who had been separated for a long time led to a long discussion of different stories from the past and present, and it was a happy reunion.
"You are busy today, so I won't delay you. Go and solve your problem first. I will call you tomorrow. I have something important to discuss with you." Frederick concluded, and Timothy left. As soon as he received the transfer from Tiawo, he immediately paid the hospital bill.
He called Tiawo to thank him for his favor before returning home to rest. A lot has happened to him since he came to Lagos over the past five years, and he has gone through many different situations and challenges, but he knows he must remain strong.
Maybe everything that has been happening to him now is a result of what he did when he was young.
Timothy thought about the past and the scene, thinking, "If I hadn't gotten into such trouble back then, would I be so helpless now that I can't even afford my grandmother's hospital bills?"
"And now look at Frederick. He now has everything, he can afford to stay in expensive hotels and own expensive cars, while I struggle every day to survive." Timothy thought bitterly.
He was very anxious and decided to visit one of his friends who lived nearby.
He went to his friend's home and met his friend and another person playing Whot on a bench outside the house. Timothy greeted them and soon joined them in playing for an hour before the other man decided to attend to other matters and left,Chinedu and Timothy to continue playing.
"Brother, please tell me why you came to visit me. I know you didn't come to hang out without any reason, right?" Chinedu asked Timothy.
"Of course not," Timothy answered him.
Those who know Chinedu well know that he is an internet blogger who has eyes and ears almost everywhere around Lagos.
So if someone wants to get information about someone, then Chinedu is one of the people they should go and consult.
"I want information about this person," Timothy said and showed him Frederick's picture.
After examining the photo closely, Chinedu said, "If we hadn't known each other for a long time, this information would have cost you a lot of money, because the man in this photo is now one of the most dangerous drug lords in the country." Chinedu said to Timothy:
"Is that all you know about him? Timothy asked.
"It is not easy to get information about this person. But I know him, his name is Frederick,he grew up in Anambra, went to prison before, came back, and now runs an underground business here in Lagos and in the eastern part of the country. People say he is cold and ruthless. Besides, he always seeks revenge for the smallest grievance," Chinedu concluded.
"Thank you for the information, I appreciate it," Timothy said and prepared to leave.
"Again, if you do have any business with the man, be careful because his name in the underground world is Furnance due to his hot temper," Chinedu warned Timothy.
Timothy said, "I'll remember, thank you. See you later," and and left.