The day hadn't even broken yet and Madame Kali took action.
"Jonah!" she yelled coming out of the house. "Where is he? Jonah! Musa!"
Musa responded, "Yes Madame, Goo' morning Madame. Why I dey shout like sey froblem dey?"
"Shut up! Go and pack those thing and throw them out of the house. Take it far from my house!" Madame Kali screamed, pointing to the hip of things one of the girls had just brought out of the house.
As he was packing the things, Jonah came out.
"Madame no vex like dis nah. Na wetin happen?" he asked following her and trying also to stop Musa from taking the things outside.
"That stupid girl! Look Musa, don't allow Boma into this house again, do you hear me? Nonsense." she didn't even respond to Jonah's pleas.
Musa carried Boma's few belongings including the brown box and threw them outside the gate as he was commanded. Jonah's pleas fell on deaf ears and right before him, Musa shut the gate.
"Jonah. Is it because I did not set fire on those things you're making noise?" she continue to rant. She was walking back into the main house. "Let her go elsewhere and do her prostitution. Staying in my house, eating my food, wearing clothes I bought with my money, and disobeying me. Imagine!"
"Lock that gate Musa and if Jonah wants to go out, I'll pack his things out too!" she said and closed the front door behind her.
Jonah had stayed with Madame Kali longer than anyone and so he knew when she was serious not to tempt her. He had to wait for a while, until it was daybreak, about 6:15am before going out to pack Boma's stuffs to keep for her pending her return.
*********** **************** *************
It was about 6am when Tonye came out of his hotel room to knock on Boma's door. He was dressed in the same clothes of the previous day although he freshened up.
Boma had long been ready and waiting so as soon as she heard the knock, she went to open the door.
"Good morning." she said smiling. That would be the first time he noticed her smile.
"Good.. Huh?" he was confused. "Sorry, good morning. You look, beautiful, this morning."
"Thank you." she blushed and made her way past him to the reception.
He hesitated, staring at her as she left, the joined her. After they checked out, they entered the car.
"I'll have to visit an ATM first before we get to the house." he said driving out the premises.
She smiled in appreciation as they left. Her mind was on a lot still. After this morning, she would have one issue off her chest.
************* ************* *************
The time was about 6:40am when they got to Madame Kali's house. Tonye came out and went to the gate to knock, but just about that time, Jonah came out.
As soon as Boma saw him, she came down from the car and went to meet him.
"Boma, where you go last night? Madame dey vex for you well well, she sey she no wan see your break light so no even enter house. She even pack your things throway dis early morning." Jonah told Boma. "Wait, make I go bring your things for you."
He went inside and returned almost immediately with her things.
"What about my brown box?" she asked panicked as she didn't see it amongst the few things he held.
"I see am when Musa they throway everything this morning for outside there (pointing to the spot), but as day come break, I say make I help u pack your things, I no come sey the brown box again. E be like sey all these scavengers go don carry the box sef." he narrated.
"What is he talking about? Jonah what do you mean?" Tonye was looking at Jonah as he asked him.
"Jonah, abeg, I need to see Madame because I need that box." Boma said, now worried.
"Ah ah, Boma I go lie give you? No be me dey beg Madame here this morning for you as she dey vex dey tell Musa to throway your things? Abi no be me close eye, come carry your things inside sey make I do you well?" Jonah asked irritated also by the sight of Tonye.
Tonye took the rest of her things into the car. It was going to be a waste of time standing there if the person that had taken the brown box was on the move with it.
"Where is the Musa that threw out her things?" he came back asking.
Boma had her hands covering her head on the bonnet of the SUV. She had never imagined things would turn out like this: so easy yet so complicated.
"Jonah! Abeg call out Musa ask am where him throw the box." she ask Jonah who was already entering into the gate.
Jonah called out Musa to ask him about the box.
"Musa, where the brown box wey follow for Bomcy things wey you throway comot dis morning?" Jonah faced Musa.
"Which box? I see box? I no see am for bwaun box. Na dia I throway wetin Madame sey make I throway, fa." Musa answered defending himself.
"Wait wait wait. You sey, you no see brown box Musa?" Jonah asked again to be clear about what he was hearing.
"I sey I no see am for bwaun box!"
********************************
"Hello, Ray on the line Bade."
"Ray, how now how was your trip?"
"Fine. And how is family and business?"
"We thank God. Everything is going well."
"Bade, concerning that lady and that incident that happened at your office, I've spoken to my wife about it. Has the girl returned?" Mr. Ray asked going straight to the point.
"No. She hasn't. I even enquired yesterday from my boy. But he said she works in a bar around the corner."
"Eh hen?" Mr. Ray's face brightened up. "Please can you get across to her?"
"Why the eagerness to meet the girl now?" Bade asked surprised.
"Long story Bade, but please if you can, get my number across to her or better still, get me her contact." Mr. Ray told him. Bade was driving to his office at the car park when the call came through.
"Ok ok. I will look into it. My regards to your family." he rushed and ended the call, seeing that he was getting close to a junction were policemen were stationed.
************* ************ **************
Tess was a teacher at the Albertville Elementary School, teaching the 3rd and 4th graders Math. She had just collected their Math worksheets when the bell rang for recess. All the 4th graders ran out of the class leaving her alone, in the class room.
She gathered the worksheets together and sat down. Ever since her husband, Ray, talked about finding his twin, she just had this tiny bit of worry. She really wanted to give him all her support, but the fear of how this may affect her family disturbed her.
Mixed with this fear was a longing, one she couldn't explain, to see this girl Ray said he met that may turn out to be his twin's daughter. She remembered the look on her husband's face the day they got wedded, when his foster father told him that he, Raymond Deola, was adopted and although they wanted to, due to certain constraints, they couldn't take his twin, Richmond, along with them. Now he wanted to meet this twin. She sighed.
There was only ten minutes left for her to look through the stack of papers before her. She got back to work.
"Musa! Where my box?" Boma yelled. It was obvious from his response that he knew the whereabouts of her precious brown box.
Tonye walked up to him and grabbed his shirt by the neck. "Where is the box before I throw you inside cell now?" he demanded shaking him violently.
"I no take any box. Allah, na my bwoda, Mustapha, I take am, as I dey commot this morning." Musa confessed.
"You carry anoda person thing give your broda. Na wetin dem send you?" Jonah slapped him on the head as he asked.
"Where is Mustapha now?" Tonye asked without releasing his grip.
"I no know abeg. Mustapha I say I dey go Ketu go buy something." Musa answered pleading.
At this point Madame Kali came out of the compound to meet the scene.
"What is going on here in front of my house? What?" she asked looking around to see Musa under the clutches of Tonye, Jonah standing next to them, and Boma in front of the car.
"Madame, na Musa. Boma come to collect her things and Musa don already give her box to him brother Mustapha." Jonah replied her stepping away from Musa.
"And so? Is that why you'll all turn my house entrance to a market square? Don't you have better things to do in the morning?" her gaze shifted to Tonye.
"Excuse me Madame. I believe Boma has a right to her belongings and it's bad enough that someone will throw them out on the road, but now we're talking about someone stealing from her things as well." Tonye left Musa and walked towards Madame Kali. "I'll involve the police in your business, if you obstruct mine."
"Are you threatening me, boy?" Madame Kali asked sizing him up.
"I'm warning you. If we don't get her things today, you'll get trouble." Tonye answered her angrily and turned to Musa. "You will follow us to look for that your brother now now, otherwise you'll be the first to land in the police station."
Boma had been quiet, fighting back the tears that had welled up in her eyes until she could no longer keep from talking.
"Madame, thank you for throwing my things out of your house because I refused to be your prostitute!" she shouted amidst tears. "God will judge you and your generations. You better give me my box otherwise, it'll bring curse upon you!"
"Hey hey hey shut up there you good for nothing foolish girl..." Madame Kali continued, saying some curse words as walked back into the compound and locked the gate behind her.
Tonye bundled Musa into the car and they all: Boma, Jonah, Boma, and himself entered the car and left the area.
*********** *********** ************
Bade had arrived his office about an hour ago, and was about to go out so he called one of his workers to take some documents into his car.
"Ola, where did you say that girl is working? The one that was here a few days ago." he asked, as they headed towards the car.
"Oga, e b like na for Kali bar. Na there I dey see her." Ola explained.
"Oh, Okay. I see." Bade's face contorted when he heard the news. It was common knowledge what the girls at Kali bar were. If that girl was working there, then she was a wild girl. He wondered whether to still continue with his friend's request or inform the friend of this new development.
"Go there this evening and confirm that she is really working there. I'll get the feedback tomorrow." Bade instructed him.
"Ok sir. I go go, but find me something make I use buy drink. You know sey if I just go like dat, dem fit no look my side talk less of answer me." Ola requested excited at the prospect of going to Kali bar on behalf of his boss.
Bade gave him some money and then left the car park.
*************** **************** ***************
Mustapha had left about fifteen minutes before Boma and Tonye arrived Madame Kali's house. He told his brother he was going to Ketu, but that was before he got the box. Now his plans changed: he decided to take it to a friend to see how to open it and value the contents before selling the box.
Boma prayed silently, beseeching the God she barely knew but heard was merciful. If there was any time she needed God most, she thought, it had to be now. Because if she lost that box, she will lose her last hope to knowing her past. Even her certificates and all that her father held dear, he had kept in that box. She sighed shaking her head. 'Oh God, I don't deserve your mercy, but please help me here. I need your intervention,' she prayed silently.
********************************
The trip from Lagos mainland to Ketu in search of a Mustapha who had no means of contact was going to consume all day, Tonye thought to himself while driving through Herbert Macaulay Road. He needed to collect a parcel from his house to give Greg that morning or perhaps call Greg to pick it himself.
"Let me call Greg to pick a parcel from my house. It's important I give it to him this morning. I'd have stopped by to pick it, my house is close by, but I dunno.." he voiced out his thoughts.
Boma just looked at him, not knowing what to say. As much as she wanted them to catch up with Mustapha, deep down, she knew that after all Tonye's selfless effort, it wouldn't be nice to refuse him.
Tonye was fiddling with his pocket with his left hand, trying to retrieve his phone.
"No. You don't have to Tonye. We can go and pick the parcel if you're close to your house." she said.
"Ok. I'll just hurry up." Tonye quickly took the next turn, heading to Raymond street.
Five minutes later, he was blowing his horn in front of a compound. The gateman peeped from his door, and came out to open the gate. Immediately, Tonye drove in and parked in front of one of the houses.
"Let me just get it. I'll be back in a jiffy." Tonye hurried out of the car and into the house.
A few minutes later he was back with an envelope in his hand. He quickly entered the car and reversed, then drove towards the gate blowing his horn softly. The gateman came out of his house with a box and spanner. He dropped it just in front of his door and went to open the gate again.
Just as they were driving out, Boma noticed the box in front of the gateman's door.
************** **************** **************
Nicole was on her way back from shopping. Dad let her drive his car and she was really feeling good. In a few weeks, he'll get her her own car as a birthday gift, he had promised. Then her phone rang.
"Hi Maya... No, you didn’t?!" she said looking surprised. "You home? Coming over right away!"
She turned the car and entered Glover street. Maya, lived down the street, blocks away from hers. She reasoned she'll just drop off the things she'd bought and drive to see her best friend.
When she drove into the driveway of her own house, she saw her mum's car parked in the garage. Strange, she thought, her mum was supposed to be out already.
She quickly hurried into the house, leaving the things she bought in the car.
********* ********** **********
It took a few seconds, after Tonye had driven out and into the road, for it to register in her head what she had just seen.
"Stop stop stop! Please let's go back." Boma suddenly shouted hysterically.
"What is it?" Tonye turned took look at her reducing his speed.
"The box! I think I just saw my box!" she turned around in the car. There could be many brown worn-out boxes in Lagos, but definitely not worn out, peeled, and looking exactly like her father's brown box - which was what she had just seen in front of the gate man's house.
With one turn, Tonye was facing the opposite direction heading back to the gate.
Jonah, who was seated behind with Musa and heard it all, had to ask, "You sure sey na the box you see?"
"I've lived with that box all my life. I'm not mistaken." she replied him confidently.
By this time, Tonye had parked the car by a corner just in front of the compound.
"Follow me, let us go and take a look just to be certain." he said to Boma and they stepped out of the car together. "Jonah, bring that Musa along so he can identify the brother and the box."
As they approached the gate, they could hear the sound of someone hitting iron. Boma quickly hurried in through the open small section of the gate, Tonye following after her, and the other two coming behind them.
The gateman, Ahmed, was seriously at work, backing the gate when Boma came in unnoticed followed by Tonye.
"Ahmed!"
"Yes oga!" the man turned around startled. "You forget something?"
"Who give you that box?" Tonye asked with a stern look on his face that left Ahmed confused at the question. He walked to Ahmed and kicked the box out so Boma could see it clearly.
"That's my box!" she exclaimed and went to pick it. The lock was almost completely loosen.
At that time Mustapha came out of the gateman's house attracted by the noise. As soon as he saw Musa and Jonah, he knew what was going on. He started pleading.
"Na you get the box wey you be wan open?" Jonah asked Ahmed.
"Na Mustapha gimme the box make I help am open am." Ahmed answered pointing at Mustapha.
"Na Musa gimme d box dis morning, make I carry am go sell." Mustapha immediately shifted the blame to Musa.
"Musa. Yes?" Tonye looked at him waiting to hear his excuse.
"No vex oga. No vex abeg." was all Musa could say.
Boma felt a wave of relief when she had the box in her arms. She silently thanked God for directing them here and saving them all the trouble. Her prayers had been answered.
Everyone else was dismissed. Tonye gave Jonah transport fare to return home, leaving the others to sort themselves. Then he took Boma into his house.
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