FIVE: THE CALL OF GREED

Rounding off a corner eight years old Akin turned into a back alley panting, he pulled out the proceedings of all he had made all morning. It was six months after he left home and he had specialized in coning people and picking pockets. One of the senior street rats had just spotted him picking a young man's pocket at the market and had been chasing him to claim the prize for himself. But Akin's just too smart he had mastered all nooks and crannies of the Avenue in just a short while and not once had he been caught in his hunts. Counting the money he realized he had made Eight hundred Naira. This much should be able to sustain him for the rest of the week as he usually tries to avoid picking pockets as much as possible.

Peeping into the streets to determine if the coast was clear he spotted a motorist receiving fifteen, one thousand naira notes from a woman who just alighted from his cab and was being helped to take out some goods from the boot of the cab. It looks like the woman is a trader who brings goods from industries in the big city to sell to the local traders here at Jefferson's.

The motorist beamed happily at the woman, pocketed the money, and called out to commuters across the road. Akin smiled evilly, he had just had a brain wave. If his plan worked out fine, he just might not have any bothers for the next three weeks.

Walking down the street to the motorist he called out 'Royal Arcade.'

The man beamed and ushered him in the owner's corner of the car. Looks like today is his lucky day he thought. First, a farmer had asked him to help him carry proceeds from his farm to his house and he had made the trip three times receiving ten thousand for his efforts. Then a man had asked to be taken to the highway that links to the big city where he can board a bus to the City a good ten-mile journey from which he had earned five thousand double the usual amount as the man appears to be in a huge hurry. It was from the highway he had picked the highly probable businesswoman. Now this young lad had approached him saying he was headed to The Royal Arcade.

Not less than two miles away normally the distance costs just a hundred and fifty Naira but no one but the very comfortable at Jefferson's visit The Royal Arcades. So he's charging him three hundred.

The Royal Arcades is a Super Mall stocked with anything one could hope to buy though at a slightly higher price. It was built and operated by a rich businessman in the City after Jefferson's had been occupied by the people from the slums and it has been thriving since then. Only those living in the better part of the Avenue and have jobs and businesses in the City frequented the place as they can't afford the City Mall and they claim it's a good replica of the City Mall.

'Do you know what the latest buzz in town is?' Akin asked in a perfect mimic of the township accent associated with those living in the Beta Area of Jefferson's as they're called.

'Wetin me I sabi except the thing wey they yarn for our motor park.' The man replied in crude pidgin.

Akin smiled and continued 'Oga the excavation site for downtown is full of tin real raw tins.'

The excavation site is one of the many crumbling places in downtown Jefferson's but this particular place is infamous for the building supplies available to be scavenged from the crumbling buildings: steel, aluminum, roofing sheets, rafters, limestones, bricks, and many of which are salvaged and sold at the construction market or to scrab collectors.

The man smiled at his seemingly weak attempt to speak pidgin as is the norm for the township boys. This township boys don't even know anything thing aside from their own little world despite their efforts to blend in. 'Ehn-ehn' he offered lamely as far as he was concerned he knew next to nothing about what the boy was on about.

'Yes o baba, you see ehn, tin is very expensive ooh and people that know about it had been scavenging the whole place for it. Now they been sell'am for Five thousand per kilo which, if you see am sell at the City goes for nothing less than Fifty Thousand Naira. If no be say my Mama no wan make I go downtown or have anything to do with the boy's wey dey there I for don buy my own sell now as I get person for City who dey work at factory wey dey buy tin process am into something else.'

'You mean am!' The motorist exclaimed as his ears perked up at the mention of such a huge amount of money he had more than enough to buy three kilos and how much did that get him about One hundred and fifty Thousand! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he'll finally move into one of those fine garden apartments in the better area, buy more cars, and employ drivers who would work for him and deliver his percentage on a daily basis. He just knew today would be his lucky day since he left home. That Mama Raheem almost spoilt today for him with her petty nagging now he will surprise her when he comes home with loads of cash and good news. But he must be careful, anything that involves lots of money like this deserves extra care he looked at his passenger in the rearview mirror; he was fairly young and modestly dressed in brown Khaki shorts and a black Hermes top with an upturned collar -all expensive- wears and could have come from the City or the Arcade so he has no reason to lie but still... 'But ma boy no vex o how you con take sabi the amount of moni they dey sell one kilo of this your tin when you talk say your Mama no wan make you go downtown.'

Akin smiled confidently, he's on top of his game how else could he make his prey trust him after awakening his greed? Greed he had learned, all this time he had spent growing up at Jefferson's and watching the Area boys and agbero-bus conductors in their area, is man's greatest shortcoming, dazzle a little cash at them to awaken their greed and you'll have them under your fingertips. He had himself pulled a few cons on scrab collectors alongside his friend just for fun back then but now those skills will come in handy for his survival.

'Ha-ha baba.' He laughed easily 'I can't help it nah.' He then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially to the man 'I suppose dey Arcade by now dey buy wetin Mama send me, but having heard about this tin from my friends I can't help but want to see it. You see baba, they've taught us a lot about natural resources at school and this is an opportunity for me to see one live! So I went with my friends to the place and priced it some of them bought it to take to school and others to sell to their father's friends in the City and me sef I for buy to sell oh he get one fine bicycle for Arcade wey I been wan buy but I no get enough moni for one kilo and the boys no dey sell half, they even talk say Skull don hear about am and go come take over the place by tomorrow afternoon after contacting his people for City.'

'Ehn-ehn!' The motorist exclaimed feeling jittery as his dream come true seemed to be slipping out of his grasp even before he could get a hold of it.

Once Skull gets his dirty hands on that site he will close it up and make it off-limits and then exhaust the place of all its resources after which he will abandon the place for his next prospect he is such a leech! And if he makes a fortune out of the place and thinks he can still make more money out of it he will simply rebuild the place and put it on lease adding to the strings of buildings that pay levies to him at Jefferson's.

It's no secret that he controls the beta areas which he laid claim to and renovated when he first came to Jefferson's even though after then the whole of Jefferson's had been in his control there are only certain places that he can take money from—his Street Boys and the buildings he had claim to which are unfortunately, all the best buildings at Jefferson's.

No! No! No! Before that happens he must make the best of the situation and earn what he can before the place becomes Skull's property. 'My beta pikin–good boy you fit take me there now now make I see if I fit buy like two kilos for ma sef in fact I wan buy make you con connect me to dat your person for City Abeg.'

Akin made the mistake of looking excited 'You wan buy for real!' then realizing his folly and praying he hadn't spoilt things himself, added reluctantly. 'Ah time don dey go I no go fit show you today I don leave house for Arcade since one in the afternoon and three don past now Mama go talk if I stay too long I wan even tell her say people plenty for Arcade before, but still, I for don reach house' he complained shaking his head.

But the motorist was too excited to notice his little mistake. He's had him hook, line, and sinker. All he is thinking about is how much he'll profit from this deal. Even as the boy complained, he was already taking a detour that would take them downtown in a couple of minutes 'No worry, no worry' he coaxed 'Just tell Mama say small traffic dey, I go carry you go Arcade wait for you and carry you back to your house just for Two Hundred Naira instead of the usual Three hundred’ he bargained while in fact, the usual amount is One-fifty.

‘O-kay baba but you go drive fast oh’ Akin obliged then to make up for his blunder and lead the man on he pulled a Two hundred Naira note out of the money he earned earlier rather excited as expected from a kid his age for getting a good bargain ‘baba na your money be dis you must carry me reach house o’ he stated matter-of-factly handing the motorist the money who pocketed it licking his lips omo de ma goo o-children are such fools. He thought in typical Yoruba.