My gaze darted towards a fully detached cul-de-sac bungalow ahead of me, as I closed the distance, the outdoor bulbs illuminated the compound but though the exterior quietness denied any living organisms in it.
I felt my pockets for my phone, needed to check what time was it, realizing I didn’t take it with me: I hissed.
Without a single knock yet, the door opened moments I marched onto the front porch, there stood Stanley with a silly smirk on his face, he had on a heavy knitted cardigan with a shawl neck that reveals a white round neck beneath, neat cargo pants and a pair of expensive sandals.
“Yo fam” Jude hollered with their usual way of greetings as I moved past Stan and into the unkempt elaborate living room, I glanced around the room, I’ve been here like twice, and the tiles always remained besmirched with stains, mostly of mud. “Already thinking you had brushed off the deal.”
I brought my gaze to hold his, “But now, I don’t!” I snapped.
“Yeah! Sure.” He nodded, as he stood up from the luxury chair, straightening his jacket “this is 8:44 pm, I would assume your fall behind the said time isn’t a mere coincidence, is it?” As he approached me and stood a few inches away,
“What do you mean bruh?” I made a confused face, “believe it or not, I have to do everything in a rush as I woke up, I had struggled to sleep since your intrusion, and in the rush to get here I had lost track of time, I attempted checking what time is it as I jostled pedestrians on my paths only to be aware that I have left my phone, in the very pocket of that trouser I took off.”
I paused, as I stepped nearer to his face “did you know I abandoned a family at the table because I skipped dinner to get here?”
I took in my breath and stared dagger right into his face, “and now all you could do is suspect me? Huh!” I chided.
I deliberately feigned sentiments and cooked up fabrications to strip him of any possible doubt and suspicion he had in him.
Then he studied me from head to toe, few steps backward, a ‘hmph’ accompanied by a couple nods he demonstrated and finally returned to the fine but unfortunate cushion Jude’s buttock had domiciled, he sat heavily stretching his hands behind the chair as he rested his arms atop the backrest and smiled, “cool bruh, we’re good.”
“Will you please have a seat?” He entreated.
I hissed and hesitated, as I sat my hands on the nearest chair before scrupulously resting my bottom.
I looked around the room once more noticing there were seventeen boys thereabout all wore a hooded jacket but different colours and designs, excluding me, of whom stares were unarguable of wonderment. Now I wondered too,
“Kyle is not here?” I asked no one in particular.
“Yes, he had to —” Eddie one of the boys was saying when Jude interrupted
“We will be moving by 10 minutes past 9; why do you care?” He queried.
“I thought we —” I started to say when he cut me off,
“If you were mercilessly pummeled like you did him, I would be left with no choice than to bade you off till you recover the strength and required fitness; he’s too weak to be useful Rye, and as I have told you, I don’t take chances.”
“Wow!” I said inwardly as I nodded to his face.
“Just so you know, you’re doubling for Kyle and yourself. You had better take the initiative to become a three-in-one emperor now.” He proclaimed more like a joke though.