"Son, hurry up! We don't wanna be late!" The middle aged man called upon his son as he went to knock on his door.
"I'll be out in a minute daddie." The son replied. His father heard the door click open and adjusted as his son came out elegantly dressed in neatly pressed black trousers, isiagu, a traditional red, short sleeved tunic bearing imprints of a tiger's head and an okpu agu, a leopard's hat which was made of red and white nets which the tail always rested at the back of the head. He equally clad a brand new designer shoe which had stopped reigning, trending a while back.
His father gave him a proud stare, patting his back he remarked, "Omekannaya one!" The boy smiled feeling proud of himself as he knew his father was equally proud of him which he had displayed by calling him Omeka nna ya meaning "one who did like his father" a very rare praise only bestowed on those who followed the noble paths of their fathers.
The boy knew he had done exactly that not only tonight but in other aspects of life in general which he or his father deemed honorable. Tonight he looked onto his father who had done himself and he the boy proud as he clad his isiagu, neatly pressed black trousers and traditional okpu mme decorated neatly with the white feather of a rooster which was only specific to Igbo communities with Nze na Ozo, a sacred institution that signified nobility and which meant the person was now a living spirit or ancestor. They, both decorated with their mgba aka (traditional hand beads), mgba ukwu (traditional leg beads) and mgba onu (traditional neck beads) and he the father armed with his mkpo, traditional walking stick crafted from the finest wood in Africa, and his Akupe, traditional Ozo handfan made from real animal skin which had the name Akubueziokwu ofu nke Onitsha engraved around it on both sides, that was the man's Ozo (chieftaincy) name. They gave each other proud looks as they walked majestically to their ride which had been awaiting them, the latest model of Innoson Vehicles G9.
When they arrived their destination, the most influential people in the event all rose in applause to the presence of the man and his boy. The DJ wasn't even given a chance to make introductions, but was any introductions needed? Who in the building didn't know the man who had just arrived the event?
To the outside world he was simply Onyi, CEO and president of the Egwu ne ti Group but to the people in there, he was no common man, excluding the disk jockey who just did his honors of announcing the presence of this renowned music mogul, he was definitely gonna do his bid that day to get a signing or even just a meeting with the music giant Onyebuchi. The entire house knew that he was Onyebuchi, he was more than a music icon, he had shares and investments in every business that they owned across the lands of Africa, all seated there, he had them all under his fingertips.
And there seated amongst them were Africa's top business moguls, politicians, law enforcement agents and top top celebrities alike from Victoria to Praia to Antananarivo up to Cape town and Pretoria, Juba to Maseru and across Africa, he was influencial, he was shrouded from the knowledge of the general public but he wasn't alone because as he went to take his seat, the guests rose again in applause for him...
"May we all rise in applause to the arrival of..."
His greatest competition and rival... "CEO and business mogul Okafor!" He forced a smile as the applause continued, he rose and approached him with open arms for an embrace which Okafor reciprocated whole heartedly both smiling and patting each other like old friends... they were! They shook each other's palms and Onyebuchi led Okafor to his seat right next to him as the applause slowly decreased.
The DJ could only help but wonder why out of all the guests in arrival, only these two middle aged, long time friends all these important and revered celebrities alike stood up for. He, like the general public didn't know what went on in the background, the affairs of the top dogs and they weren't about to find out any time soon.
Onyebuchi took side glances at Okafor who got into a conversation with eleven year old Chiukwuemeka, his only son and kid for now, he hoped. Onyechi knew that Okafor had three daughters, the last being Emeka's age and the only advantage he had over Okafor was the fact that he had a son, a heir and he didn't. But he would always recall Okafor's words when they were in junior high school.
"Omo if my partner no later deliver a man and I only get daughters, no wahala, I go simply turn my daughter into a rich man, that's to say she won't marry a rich man, tufiakwa! That's backwards mentality bro, she'll become a rich man so that her standards will be high and that of her friends and her daughters. Their high standards won't be because of their body, never, that have caused more harm than bad, their standards will be high because of their intellectual property, the work of their hands and not the rhythmic movement of their bodies and the men they'll marry will be forced to match their status because my girls will not ever settle for less, no girl gotta be objected to settling for less by society, my girls will be no man's property, not objects of sexual gratification and what not but proper women, decent and independent." He would always state. "But if I ended getting men, that's ok but I will not forget to endeavor to teach them to respect their sisters when they eventually come and respect women in general because women are the givers of life, not men like some crazy ass book stated and humans gobbled it up, women were life and life was women, from them we came and them we would go back to, mother Earth, so I'll teach my sons to respect women like they would an Alusi, a God you get?" Onyechi would remember always making arguments about women being appendages like the holy books stated and society exemplified but he knew there were so much strong elements of truth in the words of Okafor but still chose to just make arguments for the fun of it and Okafor with his valid points and precise, firm teachings and attitude would always embarass him and he finally gave up arguing with Okafor over anything.
His respect for Okafor grew and tripled with time, most especially when after getting three girls from his late wife he didn't fright or complain even adopting or worse, he kept to his words and as they sat there, his daughters were single handedly handling businesses and brands which they created all three of them even whilst studying. He wanted so much to applaud his friend, he secretly did in his heart but not outwardly because of the fierce rivalry that began in senior high as a result of embers that had been heating up since grade school and junior high. Throughout high school, University and in life, the rivalry burned unquenchably till they both had taken their names and families to the top tier of the world order, the Uzokas and the Agbalanzes.
Onyechi had his own block of investments in stocks and shares under the name Uzoka, his father's name and Okafor had his under his mom's name Agbalanze, she who had singled handedly brought him up, the seed that resulted from a forced act which had her attempting to take her life after not being granted rights to abortion by the state, she got some pills to end it all but for sheer grace, Onyechi's mother. Only a sister truly understood a sister they said.
Now successful and all they both sat beside each other, though laughing and smiling, they were both thinking of business ideas to better the continent and least importantly, outdo the other.
They were at the bachelor's party of Aboagye, son of the representative of the motherland region of Ghana, Unionite Biakoye. The boy was to wed Kutlwano the daughter of the representative of the motherland region of Botswana, Unionite Umoja. He had learnt from his wife Adamma that Kutlwano was hosting her Spinster party that same night in and she had gone a day earlier in their private plane to honor the invitation at the Savute Elephant lodge in Chobe, in the motherland region of Botswana. He was shocked however that Aboagye insisted on flying to his region to host his party and in honor of he and Okafor, Kutlwano decided the wedding was to be hosted there in the western motherland region and Aboagye didn't wanna be in a position to object his wife's decision when it didn't matter, this wasn't something both of them had to think through, they were one, no one was lesser than the other so, he stuck to her opinion like chewing gum to hair.
"Power is power my friend." Okafor had said to him as the event came to a close.
"No, money is power bro, ego bu Ike! Aku bu eziokwu, wealth is truth."
"I thought knowledge was power dad?" Emeka asked. His father shot him a mouth shutting glance to which Okafor laughed and tapping on the boy's back, he said to his bro.
"Way! yea wa' ya osiso! Clear road for the boy, the boy has a point or two you know." And Onyechi laughed shuffling his son's hair.
"Abi?" He laughed some more. "Ehm, Okafor, e go be na, till next time." Onyechi bid him fare well with hugs and slappy handshakes.
"Oya na bro, see you when we will." And turning to the boy Emeka, he said, "The boy, the myth, the legend, see you around kid."
"Normal!" Onyechi replied for he and his kid as they each entered their various rides and were driven into the night.
Far from the event the driver decided to take another path much to the distate of Onyechi.
"Azeez where are you headed?" He questioned the driver hastily. He got no reply. As he began screaming for help and reaching out to his phone to locate help Emeka made to flee the moving vehicle but immediately felt a gun at the back of his head.
"Now kindly close the door like a good little boy and relax for the ride." He heard the voice behind him command softly. He did as he was told and turning a bit he found his father in the same state. As they fearfully relaxed, they were both immediately stabbed needles to their necks and they passed out in few minutes.
The driver contacted someone as soon as they had passed out. "Alaye mi, the job's done, moving them to the factory immediately."
"Good!" The voice blared from the speakers below. "I'll be waiting."
When they arrived at the factory, a dilapidated building due for renovation the next week, they tied up both father and son and for the next few hours awaited their awakening.
Soon the duo woke up much to the relief of the men who had been waiting on them for a long while. "Alaye dem don resurrect o." One of the men called out to the masked figure by the corner. As soon as he arrived Onyebuchi sent a hard slimy ball of saliva flying straight at his face landing on the mask. Though previously trembling in fear for fear of being tied up like hostages he found this act from his dad rather amusing and fought to hold back his laughter.
"Shut up boy!" One of the men shouted and gave him a slap right across the face.
"You get your filthy hands off my son you nkita!" Onyechi shouted in retaliation as Emeka began to cry. The masked figure stepped forward and gave him a hard slap, a knock on his head and a kick right across the tummy to which he groaned loudly coughing out blood and saliva in the process.
"I've always wanted to do that you foolish human being, look at you now, sitting here looking helpless, not the richest man in the world anymore hey? You said your money could buy you the world, it did but can it buy you your freedom?."
"Look! I don't know who you are, but I stand on my word in stating these two things, one being, to some, money sure can't buy everything but I only wish those people could look hard and realize, poverty can't buy anything, they had better pick a side and stop side hopping. And two, if they had also looked well they would realize, my money can buy me anything." He chuckles and continues. "What's your price? Afroxx Trillions I'll get it for you, any amount you want."
The masked figure looked him dead in the eye and responded. "Nice offer Ichie, Onowu, Ikenga, Atakata abua! But I think he made a far greater offer."
"Who?" The mask figure pulls out his phone and dials a number which answers in seconds.
"Onyechiiiii!"
"Okafor?" And with that the masked figure pulls out a revolver and aims it at him.
"Daddiiiiie!" Emeka screams as the tears welling up in his eyes begins to flow generously. "Please leave my daddy alone, please leave my daddy alone, please, we'll do anything you..." Another slap was sent across the kids face and his mouth was tied up with a rag as he struggled, mumbling the same words.
"Alaye at the top!" The masked figure calls out to the voice over the line.
"Run am!" The voice said calmly and authoritatively. And right before Emeka, he watched numerous bullets being deployed into the heart region of his father much to the amusement of the masked figure who was performing the deed. As he sat there looking at his father's now lifeless body emitting blood and saliva in mass quantities from his mouth and all over, he suddenly began to scream as loud as his voice could take him, sadness and anguish ladden in his tone as the rag could not hold his tongue no more, the men came to restrict him but he struggled so much with them that he and the chair fell to the ground, he was still screaming, crying out for his father whom he just realized, he would never see again.
As they picked him up, the masked figure pointed the gun at him. Calling upon his ancestors in his heart to receive him and grace him the ability to watch over his mom and protect her and the unborn kid she was carrying as he would now be a dead relative, he shut his eyes waiting for the reception but when they heard some rustling of leaves outside, they took to their heels toppling him over in the point of it and leaving him still restricted and to fate, to him, he was happy to be by his father at least dead or alive, the worst could come, he had no one else now...