Victor counted his steps as he walked to Efe who reclined under the shade, he had thought and decided that if he didn't want another threat to pack and leave, then Efe was his best shot. "Good afternoon, sah."
Calling him 'Sah' had been made easy with the fight the friends had months ago. Victor had thought that as Edegbe stormed in, angry that they had taken his car, there would be an exchange of fists, even though it looked like Efe would win, that would result in Edegbe throwing him out of the house. He waited, there was no fight and as the days rolled by, Victor would see glimpses of Edegbe trying to start a conversation, Efe would not retaliate. He would call his name, Efe would not answer and he would whine and complain that Efe did not want to talk to him. Victor then realized how much he deserved to be called a 'Sah' too.
"Good evening," Efe replied.
"I have something to tell you."
"Did Edegbe bring two women last night while I was asleep?" He laughed.
Victor lowered his eyes to the ground, embarrassed. He was surprised too, it was the first time he heard the man say their employer's name. "No sah, it's about me."
"What about you?"
"Nothing much," he said with a feigned nonchalance, "I was just wondering if— I'm a man."
Efe scanned him. "Obviously."
"As a man, I was wondering if I could go out."
"I don't understand you at all."
"It's been four months since I started working for you and I've not gone out since to, you know, meet a woman." He fumbled the last words so that they would come out almost inaudible.
But Efe heard well. "Oh." He grinned wickedly.
"Yes. And I don't want to bring anybody here so I was thinking that, maybe, I could go out instead."
"You want to get laid?" Efe asked plainly.
"Just one hour." He raised his index finger pleadingly.
"But one hour is—"
"Thirty minutes."
"—too small," he completed. "What can a man do in one hour? Let's remove getting to know the girl, what she likes in men, how she likes it, and the foreplay, what can a man really do in one hour? I tell you, very little. You know what you'll do for me? Take the day off." He reached into his pocket and gave him some cash.
Victor's eyes shone? "Day off? But Sah is still angry about his farm."
Efe waved his hand. "He will be angry forever about his farm, just go. Have fun, and come back before night."
"Thank you sah." Then he hurried out before he would decide to tell Edegbe and change his mind.
Efe laughed at his retreating figure and went back to idling scrolling his phone. It was a good thing he had not asked Edegbe for permission instead, the man would look at him like he had grown horns, never understanding the desperation of a man to get laid.
Speaking of the devil, Edegbe appeared with a trouser, searching the pockets. "Tell Victor I have an errand for him," he said.
Oh boy, seems Edegbe's timing today was bad while Victor's was accurate. "He went out."
He frowned. "He went out? What do you mean he went out? With whose permission?"
"Mine."
Edegbe gave him a pointed look.
"What? I gave him permission."
"To do what?" Edegbe asked.
"Do you want me to lie or say the truth?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"Victor went to look for somewhere warm and sleek to put himself in, the young man is sexually starved and he came to me and since I'm the advocate of a good life, I even gave him some money."
"You allowed him to go?"
"I even gave him some money," he repeated.
Edegbe was quiet for as long as he could not understand why Efe had given him the permission to prostitute. "Did you do it to spite me because I cut your salary?"
He rolled his eyes. "Am I that cheesy? The man needed help and I helped him."
"Who is now going to buy this thing for me?"
"You just have to wait until tomorrow because he's not coming anytime—" the gate bell rang and they both looked at the gate.
"Who is going to open the gate now?"
"They just have to wait until tomorrow because he's not—" Edegbe threw his trouser on his face and walked to the gate. When he opened it, he nearly shut it back immediately. The pointy look of Mrs Yasmin bore into him until it turned into a questioning one. "Are you now functioning as your gate man? What cost are you trying to reduce?"
"Brother Abubakar, tell me you did not tell Baba where I stay." Soliat chased him around the living room, moving from cushion to cushion, slid to the floor when she grazed his red flannel shirt, jumped off the cushion when he would be at a disadvantage with the turning, so she wouldn't catch him. Behind the doors, opened enough to peek, the servants watched, jittery at her failed attempts.
"With all the work outs you do, I must say, I'm disappointed," Alhaji taunted.
"You're a man, it puts me at a disadvantage."
"Uh-oh! I thought a woman could do better what a man could do?"
She paused and cracked her fingers. "If I catch you, you'll pay heavy."
"The last time you said that, you were sixteen. I'm sure you don't need me to remind you what happened?"
She raced after him, whether she failed to catch him at sixteen did not concern her, she was going to catch him now and he was going to see. They circled the chairs a couple of times, him skillfully maneuvering her attacks. She was out of breath by the time she realized history was repeating.
"Okay, why don't you run slowly, less tactically, and let's see if I will catch you."
Alhaji laughed. "Your attempt at compromise is lacking."
"Then tell me if you told him!" She whined, stamping her foot. "I need to know if I should prepare for an unwanted guests anytime soon. What if he comes and my place is disorganized?" She asked striking an akimbo pose.
"He's your father, you pooed on him more times than you think as a baby."
"Must you say that?" She chased him, trying to calculate his steps and next move.
"Catch me if you can," he teased. "And I promise if you catch me, I'll tell you."
"Promise-promise?"
"Promise-promise. But only if you can catch me. Now show me what you got."
She placed her hands on her breasts and smiled seductively, then turned around and wiggled her derrière enough to give a man wicked thoughts.
Alhaji was laughing. "What are you doing?"
"Showing you what I have, enough aphrodisiac to drive a man insane."
"I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work." But his eyes zeroed on her bottom and seeing a chance, Soliat charged at him. Graciously, he moved and she collided with air.
"How can you be so fast?"
"I told you I knew what you're trying to do. Now show me what you've got that isn't anything womanly."
The next minutes resulted in upturned chairs and slanted sofas.
"What are you doing?" Mrs Yasmin's voice interrupted their play and they turned. Alhaji smiled immediately.
Seeing that he was distracted, Soliat leapt and clung to his back, her arm wound around his neck in a loose grip. "I caught you."
He laughed. "That's cheating."
"That's your business, I caught you, now tell me or I'll strangle you." She tightened her grasp on his neck as if to validate her threat.
"Fine, I did not tell him."
"Promise-promise?"
"Promise-promise. Now get off my back." He was becoming aware of her breasts pressing against his back.
"I won't, this is going to be your punishment."
Silly girl. He freed himself from her hold and flipped her to the floor but as she fell, she grabbed his shirt so he fell on top of her. He tickled her. "You won't, huh?"
"Stop!" She giggled.
"I asked what you were doing," Mrs Yasmin said. "Do you think you're still children to be playing like this?"
"You come here after two months to scold me?" Alhaji got up and hugged her. "How have you been?"
"Fine," she mouthed. "If I had known you'll be having the best time of your life with your sweetheart I wouldn't have bothered."
"Sister Yasmin, he wasn't going to tell me if he ratted me out to Baba."
"And the both of you decided to play love. I wonder how neither of you gets turned on with all those body pressing and organ touching."
An awkward silence filled them.
"What?" Mrs Yasmin said to the look Alhaji gave her.
"I almost thought you would never see me again after the last time."
"I don't even know what you're talking about." Then she glanced at the girl who still sat on the floor. "You should go and see your father, you're going to regret not going if something happens to him, and please, stand up. Or are you waiting for Abubakar to carry you?"
"You don't have to be so harsh, Sister Yasmin, you're a lovable person." She got up and adjusted her hijab.
"Let's go outside while the servants clean this—" he looked around the mess that had caused, "—this."
"How is business, Sister Yasmin?"
"Tolerable. I don't like the work I do, I don't need to like the work I do, I just tolerate it."
"As long as it gives you money?"
"As long as it gives me money. Abubakar tells me you refuse his money even when things are not going well with you. Haruna would say something like 'she thinks she can change the rules', he always thinks there's a rule for everything. But you're going to find it very hard if you keep up like that. I didn't have anybody to offer me money your age, well you know about that."
"Yes, Sister Yasmin."
"She looks so docile when you chide her, she's so fierce and responsive with me," Alhaji said.
"It's because you like her."
Soliat chuckled. "Why do you think Alhaji likes me?"
"Because he does." She looked at her, not believing he was dense. "Could you get a glass of water for me, Solia?"
"Okay."
"Don't you get turned on with all those body pressing and organ touching?" Yasmin asked her brother when Soliat
was out of sight.
"Am I seriously going to have that conversation with you?"
"But really, why are you playing a patient gentleman? It was understandable when she was young, now she's twenty five, why are you still playing the non-related brother who has no intention to take her to bed?"
"She's not ready."
"She is not ready to sleep with you, but she is with other men."
He shook his head.
"She doesn't?"
"You think I'll let another man touch what belongs to me?"
Mrs Yasmin rubbed a hand to her temple. "Then marry her. You should have married her when her father told you to."
"I am going to marry her when the both of us are ready, not because her father is telling me to."
Soliat returned with the glass of water.
"Suit yourself then."
"Let me visit you, Yasmin."
"Isn't my coming here enough for you now?"
"Once, please. This is not me tying to make amends because, like you said, I can't, I just want to visit you."
She was quiet for a while and Soliat prayed silently that she would agree.
"I will think about it," she finally said.
"Yasmin, please."
"Abubakar, I will think about it. Meanwhile, I should be on my way." She rose to her feet. "I'm on my way to Mr Edegbe's house."
"Mr Edegbe?"
"Something happened to his farm."
"Are you going to mock him or comfort him?"
She shrugged as if saying it didn't matter.
"I'm coming with you," Alhaji said.
"Can I come too, Sister Yasmin?" Soliat asked.
"As if Abubakar would allow you stay here by yourself."
As they walked to the gate, Alhaji took Soliat's hand and drawn a finger on her newly drawn tattoo. "When did you get this?"
"You noticed?"
"He notices everything about you," Mrs Yasmin said as the servant opened the gate. "He can even say what dress you put on at the last gathering we attended." They stepped into the street and Alhaji and Soliat retreated to the back, whispering and giggling while Yasmin ignored them and walked at the front.
When they reached Mr Edegbe's house and binged the button, she didn't except him to open the door. "Are you now functioning as your gate man? What cost are you trying to reduce?"