SIX: THE SCAM

Nosing his vehicle into a neighborhood surrounded by crumbling buildings and dusts filled with sweaty peasants sorting the pile of rumble for metal and steel he stopped in front of an imposing building teeming with activity he spotted a few people leaving the building hurriedly carrying half-filled sacks. He whistled slowly ooto ni o–it's true o. He must not miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make it in this forsaken slum.

Hurriedly he handed ten crisp One thousand Naira notes to Akin who had already alighted and was at his window ‘Maka do quick and get me two kilos I no fit leave my car here as these boys fit come to steal something from am.’

‘Haa baba, two kilos too much naa see I fit only help you get one today by tomorrow morning we fit to come back buy two more. By then, the boys go dey rush to sell plenty before Skull come so they fit sell for cheap and you fit even get these two kilos for as low as Six Thousand.’

‘Ah you go do dat for me, God go bless you’ he replied happily, taking five notes out of the ten he gave to the boy. He will make him sell this one for him today then tomorrow use half the money he earns to get more tins. He's definitely going to leave Jefferson's after all these.

‘But Oga you sef go gimme something tomorrow oh’ Akin teased smilingly.

‘I hear you, make tomorrow reach first na, make you wakka go quick quick abeg.’ He waved him off impatiently. He watched as the boy disappeared into the building and began to calculate how much he would earn from tomorrow's purchase if the boys considering the circumstances were willing to sell a kilo tomorrow for as low as Three Thousand then with Thirty he could get ten kilos that will no doubt get him lots of money in the City. He must learn who the boy's contact is in the City tonight even if he has to promise to buy him the bicycle he wants at The Arcade. Then tomorrow, after getting him to purchase the tins for him he'll ditch him here and speed off to the City with his family never to return. He will even get a long line of buses to add to the strings of cars he plans on buying. Soon he'll own his own motor park and have the biggest transport business in the City.

Looking out the window for the umpteenth time, he saw no kid exiting the building. A group of laughing teenagers came out bearing heavy loads, a few women in work clothes were trooping out, and even some men who entered long after the boy had gone in were now coming out yet he couldn't find the young boy or any other young boy in sight.

Or could it be that he had been duped? No no, he found it impossible for a boy that young to pull such an elaborate swindle on him, or could it be that the boy had been put up to it? Nah, no way even the boys at the park had tried unsuccessfully several times to dupe him and had come to take him as an oga. He's too smart, too calculating to be swindled instead he takes advantage of situations and people's plight as long as he gains at the end. He recognizes opportunities and takes advantage of them not the other way around, maybe the boy had been attacked for the tins yawa he shouldn't have let him go inside on his own. He's already staying here for too long and he can already notice some of the area boys eyeing him. Quickly he exited the car, locked up the doors, and made his way into the building. Minutes later he came out dejected, he couldn't believe he had fallen for an elaborate swindle what's worse from an inexperienced newbie–a kid! Five thousand gone just like that and he could have dropped Ten thousand! Had he not been stopped by the inexperienced boy saying five would suffice. To God, if he could lay his hand on the brat the things he would make him do to earn every Naira he took from him and even more. Who would believe that such a boy would take advantage of the fact that this so-called Skull is excavating granite from the abandoned mammoth of a building to sell to the City this explains the people he saw carrying loaded sacks out of the building; they're Skull's workers and are probably loading a truck nearby. He cursed loudly as he made his way to his car at a loss at what hurt him the most: the fact that he just lost fuel and five thousand or that he lost it to a kid. But he had other things to worry about for as he neared his car he noticed with consternation that two tires on the driver's side of the vehicle were missing– from the rear and front– and not just that, the side mirror as well as the windshield are gone, the area boys had made themselves known to him. Never before had he lost any part of his car to such an unfortunate incident, despite tales of woes he had heard from his fellow drivers at the park, he prided himself on being careful, smart, and above all sharp. He let out a wail of agony and was answered with annoying shouts and threats from the very area boys who did this. He hurriedly locked himself up in the car and called his mechanic.

Akin laughed heartily as he turned into a silent narrow backstreet heading towards the local canteen around the corner on the next road. He had made for a dark back room immediately he entered the building had left through the window that looked over a small shrub of roadside bushes as he preferred not to be seen at all for the long hallway to the backdoor is always crowded with Skull's boys -The Street Lords- who had promised to deal severely with him if seen at the building again. He had heard about the building weeks ago when looking for a job to sustain him but he would not be employed because of his age and had been banned from showing his face at the building when he persisted.

* * * * *

Snapping out of his reminiscence he realized his legs had quite literally brought him to the rear of Skull's abode how ironic. The lone tower was obscured from view by the two rectangular six-story buildings behind it save for its uppermost stories. At the middle of the buildings, where the two rectangular buildings ended is an alleyway leading into the compound. At the entrance of the alley is an iron gate with a spiky top. The bars of the gate are well spaced but even a fowl can't squeeze through it yet Akin had this crazy urge to get past the gate. Akin knew within that compound lies the heart of Jefferson's street life: hordes of Street Lords and the Overlord himself. He's literally going to walk into a Lion's den and try to partake in their festivities. Yet he knew it was either that or he resorted to burgling, an occupation he lacked the skill to do, pickpocketing and cons are his forte and his sorry-half-assed plan of breaking into Skull's abode still surprised him. What's he going to say when he finally gets in and gets caught? He'll have to sneak around get to the women who are cooking and try to get some food for himself without them knowing. Even then the risks are high.

Against his better judgment, Akin began to scale the gate, hooking his legs around the space between the bars he propelled himself upward then he moved his leg higher, he repeated the process, hooking his legs around the bars and propelling himself upwards till he got to the top where he crossed over the spiky top. While twisting and turning to avoid being pierced he lost his footing and fell into the alley bruising his jaw and left elbow in the process. Groaning, he got up dusted himself, and moved deeper into the alley.

At the end of the alley, he hid in the shadows and peeped out to survey the area. Directly in front of him is the curve of the semicircular lone tower, off to his right about thirty yards away are a group of women and young girls around several huge black metal cooking pots sitting on rectangular gas stoves. Some are putting the Jollof rice from a pot into large coolers and taking it to the lone tower, which appears to be the main building, through the front entrance. While some others are taking care of soup, vegetables, and yam meal commonly known as Amala, especially to the Western Nigerians. About two yards away are the group of boys roasting barbeque supervised by a dozen Street Lords. Akin's stomach growled fiercely as his mouth watered at the sight before him. He had always heard rumors about the grand Friday parties Skull always hosts for his boys and clients in the City some of whom usually send representatives instead of showing up themselves. Behind the cooking women is a grand E-shaped six-story building Akin realized all the six buildings surrounding the lone tower are shaped this way on the inside while outside it looks like a plain rectangular apartment building. A well-kept lawn sprawled out in front of all the buildings. In front of the lawn is a wide lengthy concrete floor stretching out around the lawn and boxing in the marble floor at the centre of which lies the lone tower. It is on the concrete floor to the right of the alley where Akin stood that all the cooking is taking place. Since the cooking is taking place to his right a place crowded with dozens of Street Lords, Akin decided heading to the cooking site is unsafe. Turning to his left he raced down the marble floor to access the tower from one of the many broken windows on the ground floor and sought out where the cooler of food was being kept only to bump into a Street Lord who happened to be coming from his flat in the E shaped building on the left.

The Street Lord was momentarily startled as he stared at the boy who bumped into him and had now fallen on his backside then a wide grin crossed his face

'Nah who just dropped for my doormat so? A spy from the despicable Street Falcons ehn?' He asked in a mix of pidgin and proper English. 'I no go bother Skull with your matter as he fit free you say he no want the Falcons dem wahala. I'll do you justice myself.' With that, he swooped down upon the trembling boy before him.