Out of the grasslands

Hassan called his mother to ask for Ola's number. He was getting married and He wanted his friend to know, He wanted Ola by his side in this strange land when he says yes to the love of his life but his mother sabotaged the whole thing "His number erased from this phone and he has not called since you left" Hassan was saddened by the news; his friend had wanted nothing to do with him.

He remembered the fight they had on the day Ola moved out of the house, he remembered how Ola had told him he didn't feel welcome and he told his friend to give it time. He remembered how angry he was when Ola carried his bag to leave. He remembered he called him an ingrate!

He regretted not reaching out to his friend earlier. He missed Ola's companionship, He missed Ola's friendship. 

Ingand was one of the wealthiest countries if not the wealthiest. The country's economy was rich and six times that of Negando. Ingand was the land flowing with milk and honey. This was where people ran to in search of greener pastures.

Since Hassan moved to Ingand; things had been looking up. The country had favored him. He came here to further his studies which he did and after that he got a good job in a good hospital there.

It was in Ingand that he met his wife to be 'Ayeesha'. She was his course mate. She was the smartest girl in class. Ayeesha was tall, fair and curvy. Her eyes shone like the ruby stone and her big gowns were not big enough to hide her endowments.

Hassan was sold out on the first day He saw her; He had promised himself that He was going to marry the girl. He asked a few guys in class about her and they warned him to steer clear off her path as she had only one boyfriend; her books. The boys said she doesn't even have time to share or participate in jokes in class not to talk of entertaining a boyfriend.

Hassan would not easily be deterred so like a lion waiting for his prey, Hassan positioned himself and waited for the right opportunity to get to her. The gods seemed to like him as the opportunity he sought for came in no time.

Ayeesha was walking out of class with her friend Jane and Jane forgot her book in class so she went back to get it. Ayeesha sat on a block waiting. The wind caressed her silky hair and pressed her big gown on her body; "this girl had to be evidence that a God exists" Hassan thought. She was breathtaking.

He lept out of his hiding place and asked if he could sit beside her, she smiled and nodded her head in affirmation. Hassan started to ask her things about her family, where she comes from, what language is mother tongue to her, pretty weird questions but Hassan was not one to approach a girl. This one had just stolen his heart.

"Do you want to marry me? All these questions" Ayeesha responded ." I think you should just come to the house and tell my father that you want his daughter's hand in marriage" Ayeesha laughed and he joined in. For a moment it seemed everything stopped and it was just him and her laughter. He saw her perfect sets of teeth. He saw the prettiest lips.

Before Hassan could respond to her joke, Jane was back. "Let's go Ayee, we don't want to miss the bus""It was nice meeting you Sir" Ayeesha stood up and as she walked away Hassan shouted "Hassan! The name is Hassan". She turned blushed and kept walking.

"Jane, Jane may the Gods strike you a thousand times. You had to come back when Hassan finally grew the balls to talk to me ehn" Jane laughed "The young man was even shouting that his name was Hassan, He doesn't know we know everything about him already". The conversation between the two friends from school to the bus stop shows that Ayeesha had her eyes on Hassan as well.

It was going to be a match made in heaven. 

 The next day Hassan sat beside her and while the lecturer was lecturing He whispers into her ears "can I still meet your father". She smiled at him and after class he walked her to the bus park, over the next few weeks they exchanged calls and texts and they'd hold hands in school.

One day while they were walking back home Ayeesha asked Hassan, won't you ask me out? He smiled and he did. That had been the best decision of his life as he was soon going to tie the knot with her. Ayeesha was as good natured as Hassan was so they connected. 

Even though some of her family members had their reservations because He was a stranger in their land, Hassan proved to them that he meant no harm towards their daughter and now He was to be wed but his best friend was nowhere to be found. He didn't mind paying for Ola's flight as he wanted the young man there with him.

Ola was going through life, Kaka had just passed. It broken him and Mary, they knew if they had money, Kaka wouldn't have died like that. Her burial was fast and quick as they didn't have money to give her a proper burial ceremony, share food and drinks amongst people that came to greet. 

Her death shook Ola because he had wanted to make her proud before she left this earth but he blamed himself and the government for not providing him with a good job to begin with, for being so corrupt that a good graduate wouldn't have a job not to talk of affording to take his grandmother to the hospital.

He cursed the Government, He cursed his mother, He cursed the government and the gods with them, He cursed himself and He cursed the system. But curses don't buy drugs and Mary was so shaken from Kaka's death; she fell ill. He went into the village to buy the drugs the village doctor said they couldn't get in the village. He was determined not to let his sister die because of poverty.

After buying the drugs in town, Ola chose to trek down the street and contemplate his life, "where did I go wrong? Why was I born to suffer, why is this happening to me?" He asked himself a lot of questions, it seemed like an interview.

While He was lost in thoughts a black Mercedes Benz car just passed him and was reversing back, a hand came out from the master's corner and beckoned on him to come. As he walked towards the car He wondered who it was. He didn't know anyone so rich, maybe it was Hassan. When he reached the car, the door opened.

He had heard about people being used for rituals so he took a good look at the person in the car first and He jumped up "Ozuna!" Ozuna the dullest! The man came out of the car and they hugged. Ola was shocked and surprised all at once, How did Ozuna become so rich. "What are you doing now Ola?" Ozuna asked him "I'm back the village, I'm teaching at our secondary school. Ozuna show me the way please".

"How did you, the dullest boy in class manage to drive this kind of car, Ozu, you didn't even attend the University oh"

"Let's go to my house Ozu said; we'll talk more there". Ola entered into the car and they went to Ozuna's house. The place was a fortress; it was like nothing Ola had seen before. He decided in his heart that whatever it was that Ozuna did to get here, He would do as well. Poverty was the antagonist of his story and so far poverty was winning.

After a sumptuous meal of rice and chicken, Ozuna spoke to Ola about the colonialists, how they first came in as slavers, how they underdeveloped Negrando and how they took from them until they had nothing to take any more. Ola listened but wondered why Ozuna was giving him history lessons. 

After waiting for two hours Ozuna finally landed. He said they had to take back from the foreigners that took from them. He didn't call it fraud, He called it pay back. He said "collecting money from these foreigners is simply taking back what their parents had taken from us". Ola was desperate but not so desperate as to defraud people of their money.

He thanked Ozuna, collected his number and left. Ozuna however gave him a few Negrando notes and he thanked the man.

On reaching home Mary's health was deteriorating all the more. Her eyes were dim, she wouldn't eat, and she wouldn't take drugs. The drugs he forced her to take; she would vomit. Ola returned to Ozuna's place "I'm ready; teach me. Teach me to take back what the foreigners took from my father, teach me to become a Negrando Prince.