WHAT THE PRESENT EXPLAINS
As a bus conductor, Zobo was there working, he called passengers to the commercial bus. The way he screamed and called the passengers, he still drank sachet water and immediately the commercial bus was filled up, he moved inside. Tokyo as the driver drove the commercial bus along and Zobo was looking ahead and checking the money with him as he sat on the bus engine. After few minutes when the commercial bus had gone far, Zobo informed the passengers “Hey passengers, now it’s time to pay me up, we are about to reach the bus stop”. The passengers paid up and there was Ruth, a woman carrying a sick crying baby. Everybody wondered the way the baby cried. Some passengers called Ruth’s attention to the crying baby. She was just singing lullaby and trying to stop the baby from crying till they reached the bus stop. The passengers were getting down, then Ruth carried her little baby and alighted from the commercial bus well. After all the passengers were gone, Zobo then remembered the change on his hands “Ouch!!! That woman with kid has forgotten to get her change, wow!!! That’s lovely”, Tokyo heard and replied “You’re a big shit, how could you do that? Not handling change to a passenger and you think it’s a better thing to celebrate?”, Zobo replied in a laughing way “Drive on my boss, we have nothing to do with that, the money would just pile up, you get?”.
Around a local street, Zobo was there at a local palm wine shop smoking cigarette and there were some other people buying cigarette, palm wine and hot sachet alcoholic drinks. They were busy shouting and discussing different issues, Zobo finished the pack of cigarette with him and called out Iya Asake “Hey woman, what’s this all about? I thought this could last longer, I’ve finished the third pack right here tonight” Then a drunkard interfered “Then buy the fourth, besides, cigarette isn’t finished. You’re here in the home of cigarettes, you have no problem”, Zobo shouted at him “Shut the hell man, what is your main problem drunkard? The issue here, will you pay for me or what?”, the drunkard stood up and screamed out “What nonsense, who did you think I am? Talking irrelevant thing with me, I am a paramount person in this society, I can do and undo, I’ll have to punish you for that… You deserve to be taught a lesson”.
The statement got Zobo angry, he replied immediately with anger “I really wish to know what you’re up to, come on, show yourself right now. Is it face to face fight? I am a lion in that, I’ll break your head and pick your brains out, use them to eat amala tonight”. The drunkard was set to go for fight, the other people around quickly stopped him and some other stopped Zobo as well but Zobo kept laughing “I don’t have any problem, he’s a drunkard, I don’t need to wait again, I must go home now. Iya Asake, where is it, a pack of cigarette? I’ll pay you up tomorrow, everything”. Iya Asake answered him immediately, she handed over the pack of cigarette to Zobo. Zobo lighted up one cigarette, started smoking along his way, but the drunkard did not stop trembling to fight and the rest held him tight till Zobo passed away.
Along the way, Zobo didn’t stop smoking and he eventually saw some kids ahead him at a corner of a house, both of them were playing clap plays (chinko-chinko), he was so happy to see them. He dropped the cigarette with him immediately as he remained standing and remembered.
During the old years, outside the house, Shade was there with Gbade, they were both playing and then they stopped. Gbade asked “Shade, would you please teach me that Mr. Macaroni play?”, Shade replied “I don’t know it, I only heard about it. But I know chinko-chinko, let’s play that one, would you?”, “Yes, teach me”.
Shade started teaching Gbade the way to play the clap play, very soon Yinka moved out and found them. She ran to them and beat both of them, she screamed “You two dullards, that’s too vicious for you both to be playing. At this moment, you supposed to be reading your books. Come right now inside, we need to do something, I’ll have to teach you some works”. She pushed both Gbade and Shade inside, even they were not happy with it but they just have to obey.
After remembering it, Zobo asked himself “What if? What if we had listened to her, she wanted us to learn and so that we could earn but to play only came to my head. This is just where playing led me to, I’m already into this, it’s my life to live”.
Ruth was inside her room praying, she knelt down and she didn’t stop praying, even her baby did not stop crying as well. After the long prayer, she praised the name of the Lord and then sat on the bed. She picked the crying baby and tried to pet her, that was the exact time Craig barged inside. Seeing him surprised Ruth, she welcomed him in a silent way “Welcome”, she took her eyes off Craig and Craig looked at Ruth in a fierce way. He could hear the baby crying none stop, he spoke “What sort of nonsense is your kid doing? Stop her or I stop you both. First, why did you do that? How could you? You went to beat my Lolade the only love of my life, what is your problem? Enlighten me please”. Ruth replied with her low voice “I have nothing to reply, with a mammalian brain why would you go for a concubine since you have your wife?”, “What? Did you just call me an animal or insect? Wait, is she my concubine or wife to be? Because I’m yet to dispose you right? You don’t even know your position. No matter what, she’s still coming to this house as my real wife, mind you a genuine wife I mean. She can’t give birth to a sick child”.
The statement hurt Ruth but she cooled her temper “No problem, it’s all God’s deeds, let me take care my baby”, Craig shouted “Your baby? What? Put her down, I need to show you another trailer before leaving, the movie is coming soon”, Ruth started begging with fear “No, don’t do that to me again, are you trying to beat me again? For the sake of this kid, please don’t do that”, “I just need to, for you not to talk shit of Lolade again”. He ran to Ruth, he put the baby on the bed and beat Ruth roughly. After beating her to his satisfaction, he then got away from her. Ruth kept crying alongside her kid but Craig doesn’t care at all, he just removed his shirt and threw it on her, he picked another shirt from the hanger and put it on his body. He moved out celerity, Ruth picked up a bible and started reading, the more she read, the more she cried.
On a particular day, Lady Anna was out on the street, with her jeep, she parked her vehicle and alighted from the vehicle beside the road with her maid at the back seat, the maid carried some polythene bags inside a big sack. Lady Anna got closer to the road side beggars and donated the polythene bags to the beggars one by one. They were all happy, they prayed for her and she left.
Lady Anna’s jeep stopped at the front of a Church, the Pastor was so excited to see her afar and then he moved close to welcome her. Lady Anna knelt for the pastor “Good evening sir, hope you’re good sir?”, the Pastor replied “Yes, glory be to God. How is home? Your daughter and husband?”, “They are all good sir, we give more glory to the forever living God”, “You are here again, but ma, it’s not so long you visited us, you’re back again?”, “Yes sir” with smile on his face “Giving to the house of the Lord, is it too much to do?”, “Oh no, it’s so good, even the Holy Bible explained it that donation especially to the house of the Lord is the biggest contribution in human’s life and all the benefits are there to receive in a massive way in the heaven. Well done ma”, “Thank you sir”.
The maid was still there standing with lady Anna, then lady Anna told her “Go and drop all those stuffs, we need to go home early because of my daily assignment”, the maid spoke “Oh ma, I need to inform you about other donations we are going for after leaving here”, “You’re not in position to tell me that, I already know myself. Just make sure you do what I sent you”. The maid passed out of the Church, just to do what her boss sent her. The Pastor told lady Anna “Thanks for all you’ve done for us, I am really glad because you’re such a good amazon for us in this Church. I’ve just been wondering if there is a lot like you, the world could have been much more better”, lady Anna replied smiling “Thank you so much sir”, “I am so happy for you because you’re building a beautiful home in the heaven and I know this is the exact way you’ve been doing for your parents as well. Taking good care of them and receiving much prayers from them, God bless you madam and your parents’ prayers shall surely come to pass in Jesus name”. The Pastor didn’t hear an amen from lady Anna , he looked into her face and found out she had changed a face.
The Pastor called her “Madam, did you just hear me? Say amen”, Lady Anna stood up celerity and shouted “Enough pastor, nothing to discuss again”, She started going and the pastor called her but she did not reply, she called her maid “Where are you Iyalomowu, it’s home time. Meet me at home if you are not done yet”, she walked to the jeep immediately and Iyalomowu ran out from the Church and joined her, the pastor looked in a confusing way.
During the night time on a day, Zobo walked around with the cigarette on his mouth and his movement was so fast, until he reached a side where he met lady Anna’s jeep slowing down. At last, the jeep stopped working and lady Anna in the jeep tried starting it but it did not work still. Lady Anna moved down and the passing Zobo studied her, the way lady Anna opened the burnet and has nothing to check there. He watched lady Anna’s behaviour through the family jeep, he noticed she was in need of help, he had a thought after he threw the cigarette away “Nice, this is a pay, let me fix this thing and I am sure something would possibly come through it. She’s a rich person, she will gift me something after I got it fixed unless she’s from Ijebu or an Igbo person”.
Lady Anna studied Zobo’s movement towards her, she called him before he stopped, Zobo was glad. Lady Anna called him with fear “Please brother, can you just me out here, I really need to get this faulty jeep fixed, I don’t even know it’s particular problem because it did not give a warning sign, it just stopped right here. I am just afraid, this is late night”, Zobo replied “Enough woman, give me a torchlet me check up the engine place”, Lady Anna handed over her mobile phone to Zobo and Zobo used it as a torch.He checked the engine, he fixed some wires there and told lady Anna “Go inside and test it”, Lady Anna moved into the jeep and felt surprise it worked. She jumped down so happy and she appreciated Zobo “Wow, that is so good, enjoyed your help. I was feeling desolated until I saw you, you are a great man, thanks so much”. Zobo smiled and lady Anna stretched her hand and collected her phone. After that she closed the burnet, she moved in straight into the jeep and Zobo still watched as she said “Goodnight, have a nice night and thank you one more time”. After lady Anna’s jeep is gone, Zobo got his two hands on head and shouted “I’ve been conned, what a scammer lady. I did not know that’s an easy way to deceive me, what a sly. I need to go, nothing more”. He moved on along slowly.
Immediately he moved on, he picked up another cigarette from the packet inside his trouser and lighted it up with a fire lighter, he still smoked when a police patrol bus came around. He was found, he was dragged inside and he met some other victims inside it, he just calmed down.
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