Chapter Twenty-Two

The nation's economy was in such bad shape that even the so-called wealthy could not brag about their income due to the ongoing inflation that could no longer be contained. Despite the fact that the experts in economics were to be enlisted to solve the issue, they would be at a loss for how to approach the issue and actually come up empty-handed. Bianca had to leave the school grounds and try her luck outside the school vicinity because she couldn't find the items she desperately needed there at a lower price. Bianca was searching the market square for the things she needed when a jeep was directly in front of her. A market vendor requested assistance in patronising her market, which was closer to the jeep. Bianca halted at the woman's stall, looked at the car, and noticed how similar it was to another car she had previously seen. Her brain received a signal that the vehicle was well-known due to the tinted glass on the driver's side and the placement of the wing mirror.

"What do you need, fine girl?" the woman said, jolting her out of her thoughts.

"Oh," Bianca said, remembering that she was in the market, "I am sorry ma, I need a pair of sandals, do you have one?"

"Yes, is it for your size?" inquired the market woman.

"Yes." Bianca said, focusing on the sandals and shoes she was bringing out for her to see. Immediately she took out blue sandals. Bianca fell in love with them immediately and almost rushed to drag them out of her hands, when she remembered her father telling her that "when you are on the market and there is something you really love, act less concerned about it. Don't allow the market woman to notice, that you love it so much, to avoid buying it at an exorbitant price."

"I think the ones you brought out are enough and the majority of them are my size."

"Alright, my dear," the woman said, "which one would you love to buy?"

Bianca stooped to the ground and started selecting the sandals that could properly fit into her legs and asked for the price of them, as the woman mentioned the price.

She continued picking, pretending to be searching for her favourite sandals.

"Wow, this one looks beautiful" she said, picking up a sandal and then asked for the price.

"That one is 8000 naira," the woman spoke out.

"Is that the last price," Bianca asked.

"Do you not know that everything is cost in the country," the market woman cried out.

"I know, ma," she responded, "it is because of the kind of president we have," as she dropped the shoe.

"Okay, let me give you 7,500 naira."

"It's too expensive," Bianca replied and then picked up the one she loved from the onset. "I don't even like this one, but how much?"

"This one is 4000 naira."

"But I love the other one, but there is nothing I can do," said Bianca, looking at the former sandals she picked before, "let me take this one."

The latter had more quality than the former but the market woman never paid attention to that; she looked at the superfluous aspect of it.

"Let me pay for this one," Bianca said and took out her purse and almost unzipped it when she heard her name from somewhere. Her first look was straight at the car and, surprisingly, she saw Joe waving at her. She was shocked immediately and could not imagine that it was truly Joe. She ran to the car and fell on her knees and greeted him.

"How much are the sandals?" asked Joe.

"Sir, don't worry." she said, forgetting his special name.

"Stand up," Joe summoned, and asked again for the price.

This time Bianca told him. He took out the bundle of naira notes and counted four thousand and gave it to Bianca to pay the woman, which she did and entered the car.

"Oh, it has really been a long time, dear" Joe started the conversation as he turned the steering wheel.

"It has really been, sir." she smiled.

"You've forgotten my name so quickly," countered Joe.

Bianca recalled, "I am very sorry, JK."

"Nice of you," Joe smiled at her.

"JK, how is Esther?"

"We've disengaged for a while now," he said, stepping on the accelerator.

Bianca was surprised to hear the news from him. "What was the reason?"

"It so much boils down to the fact that I brought you into the house."

"But I left. What then happened?" inquired Bianca, still shocked by the news.

"Do you know that she was the one that made me chase you out of the house?"

"I thought as much."

"In fact, she was the one that spoiled my mind towards you. The names she called you, the lies that she fed me with about your presence made me pursue you."

Bianca signalled to Joe to stop the car when he got to her school.

"Wow… you've gotten into the Uni?"

"Yes, JK."

"It is a pity that I wasn't the one that sent you to school."

"Don't talk like that, JK," Bianca cautioned, "Do you know that you are the one that made me be here?"

"How?"

"If you had ignored me at the point I was begging on the road, would I have been here?"

"That is the past," said Joe.

"But the past makes up the future, right?"

"Of course," Joe said, nodding his head in agreement to her statement. "Should I drive you down to the school premises?"

"If that is your desire," she answered aberrantly.

"It is only my desire and my wish to always make you happy and joyful, and doing that gladdens my heart," Joe answered with an attracting smile.

Bianca smiled and giggled a little as he drove to the university with the music going on in the car.

"You just love music."

"My second life, I can't do without it." he said, slowing the car down and nodding his head to the rhythm of the song. "So, is it still accounting you are studying in school?"

"Why not?" she responded sharply, "that has been my goal, my dream and entire life entangled in it."

"Determined future," expressed Joe, "Do you mind actually telling me who took you here?"

"Why not? You are my second father. I can't hide any secret from you. It was my friend that I told you about when I was narrating my secondary school life. Do you still remember?"

"I do remember, but I can't remember the friend's name," he said.

"Do you still remember Mary from my conversation that day with you?"

"I don't, but I still remember when you said she acts like your―"

"Oh stop," Bianca said, interrupting, "I know what you want to say. She was the one. Her father adopted me as his daughter and promised to take care of me."

"Oh, what a nice statement, God has counted you lucky. "

"Indeed," she spoke out, "where is Lucky? My comedian, I really miss him."

"Lucky has been behaving silly and rude to me so I sent him, packing." he said angrily.

"Why? Please bring him back and tell him that I missed his presence and humour," she pleaded with a pitiful tone.

"I cannot," he said.

"Please, for my sake, if you really want to make me happy, just do that," said Bianca with a dull face.

Joe stopped the car abruptly and looked at her. His anger was raging as he stared at her.

"JK, please," she said enticingly.

Her soft voice and smiling face cooled his temper off and then he smiled.

"Just please. For my sake," She pestered.

"It is okay, but I can't demean my worth and call him," Joe said while searching for his phone, "Take the phone, copy out his number and call him now."

She took his phone and was dialling his phone number when she heard Joe's voice issuing her warning not to call him on his phone.

"Copy out his number and call the bastard."

"That word is too harsh, JK," Bianca said, feeling the heaviness of the words in her, "You are making me get scared of you."

"I think when you give a mere servant too much respect it intoxicates their head," he confronted, trying to make a defence for himself.

Bianca didn't respond again as she jotted down the number on a piece of paper and folded it, then went about keeping it in her bag when Joe gave her a small phone to dial the number.

"Thanks, JK," she said, collecting the phone from his outstretched hand.

She dialled the number on the phone; it rung the first time and then cut. She redialed the number again and it hung up again. She called the number again and mumbled some words of prayer as it rung.

"Hello," Lucky said harshly, "Who is on the line?"

Bianca kept muted for a second and then kept it on speaker for Joe to hear their conversation.

"Hello," Bianca responded, "Can you decipher the voice?"

A silence ensued.

"No," he said, now calmly.

"Bianca," she whispered to the edge of the speaker.

"Bi-bi!" he shouted on the line elatedly, "Do you mean I am speaking with Bi-bi?"

"Yes, you do."

"Oh, I tried your line several times, it wasn't going through," he said with a happier tone, "how have you been?"

"I am doing great, it gladdens me that I am talking to you for the first time in over two years now."

"With me too, that was the reason I got angry with JK."

"Guess what, Lucky?"

"Bi-bi, you know that my head hates racking, tell me."

"JK, is here with me"

A silence ensued again, it looked like Lucky went dumb as if the devil had chained his mouth never to talk again.

"And is he willing to accept you back into his house? Would you mind accepting the offer?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't have picked the call," he mistakenly voiced out on the line.

"What did you say?" Bianca asked.

Joe's face, which was tense while the conversation was going on, lightened a little. He smiled, and then he blinked his eyes.

"I never said anything," Lucky shouted out, remembering that the call was still on.

"I just hope so," retorted Bianca.

"Trust me, Bi-bi, I am very loyal to JK," he said, "I was extremely dutiful and obedient to him, but your absence made me almost brawl with him."

"What?" she exclaimed, "You really need to apologise to him, will you do that?"

"On the line?" he asked with some trace of qualm.

"Of course."

She said and handed the phone to Joe, but he waved his hand as a sign of rejecting the offer.

"Go on, he can hear you."

He cleared his throat for five seconds.

"JK, I am really sorry for all the offence I did to you. It was because of my self-ego I did that. Please forgive me. JK, my man in the making." He trickled out.

"Lucky," Bianca called.

"Yes Bi-bi," he echoed, "Bi-bi, where are you guys now? I hope it is not where I am thinking because your voice is echoing."

"We are at university, so stop thinking otherwise."

"Wow….so soon," he cried out, "Congratulations… the one and only Bi-bi in this world, others are counterfeit."

"Lucky, we will talk another day, bye for now," she hung the call up even though Lucky was trying to say something.

She thanked JK and gave the phone back to him.

"When would you be vacating so I would come pick you up," Joe said, staring at her.

"Very soon. But Mary will be coming alongside with the car you gifted to me to pick me up."

"That even reminds me why do you have to leave your car behind, and go to school to be trekking."

"It is better that way. I hate people putting their eyes on me. Besides, where would I get the money to fuel the car to be refilled every day?"

"But do you know how to drive now?" asked Joe.

"No, but that isn't the problem or I would have learnt that for a long time."

He was about to respond when he noticed a figure on the road putting on a hood and wearing a necklace around his neck. Joe was accustomed to the working step of the figure. He continued to stare as the person got closer and closer to his car. He quickly grabbed his phone and started filming the person as he got closer.

"Who are you recording?" asked Bianca suspiciously.

"Hush," he warned.

Bianca then looked at the person and noticed that it was James Brin. She kept quiet and watched Joe recording as the figure passed by.

"James Brin," she echoed with a whisper.

"Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I know him so well," she said.

"Try as much to avoid him," Joe trembled, saving the video he took.

"He asked me if he didn't mind paying my school fees."

"And what was your response?"

"I said, no."

"Fantastic," Joe exclaimed, "he is a drug baron together with his father. Don't worry, I will explain in detail when I come."

"I don't know why you guys refuse to tell me about him. Even Mary has a bad notion about him and she refuses to tell me. Is he that dangerous?" asked Bianca.

"Just avoid him, don't give any damn chance of conversation with him."

"But he said I am his future fiancée."

"What?" Joe exclaimed, "if it is that, I wouldn't take it lightly with him."

"Just give me an inkling about him, please," she pleaded.

"I have given you," said Joe angrily, "You need to be security conscious, he has a lot of spies around, that is the reason why I would spare you details for another day."

"I understand you and Mary's point now," she said.

"I think you need to be transferred out of this university to another to guarantee your life."

"No, I am already used to this place. Going to another university, a new environment, is another sickness on its own."

"What I am saying is for the safety of your loved ones and you also."

"I am alright here."

"Hmm, all the best." he uttered.

"Thanks, I think it is time for me to leave. I want to come down."

"Hey," he beckoned to her, "Gradually open the door and see if someone is lurking around, close the door and stay back behind, but if nobody is there come down outside, don't wave back at me. Just go straight to wherever you are going."

"Alright," she responded.

She took the advice of Joe and went, as no one was around the vicinity; and then she came down and walked to her hostel without turning to wave Joe goodbye.