Mumbai, 2020
Marcus looked up. "Did he do anything after you gave him juice to drink?"
"No, master," Hakeem replied. "He left after he had emptied the glass. He said he will be back as soon as possible."
Marcus moved away from the sofa and rubbed his chin. "How did he sound?"
"Tired."
"Did he say anything about me that you haven't heard?"
Hakeem thought for a brief second. "No, master," he lied. "He was only interested in meeting you. He didn't even want to talk."
"That is strange."
"It is," Hakeem confirmed.
Marcus grabbed his suitcase. Hakeem stared at him.
"Did you put every document I asked you to put inside the suitcase?" He asked.
"I did as you had told me, master."
"I hope your words are true because I have a very important meeting with a confused client who believes in the Bible. It is going to be a long conversation. I want to convince the woman on issues she is against.
Mumbai, 2020The day passed. Slowly, it passed until Marcus found himself sitting in the same chair he had sat the day before when he had spent almost an hour with Alyssa talking about the things he believed in which she refused to accept, which she considered inappropriate.Two minutes passed.He stared at Alyssa's husband, Charles. His hands were crossed together as if he was preparing for a job interview he wasn't sure he would pass. Alyssa was close to him, holding his hands and trying to comfort him. He seemed pissed. He looked annoyed.Marcus sighed and removed his hands from the table. "How does homosexuality fail?" He asked. "Reproduction, yes, but do you then believe that an infertile woman should never have sex or engage in a fruitful marriage?""I didn't say so," Alyssa said."So, straight couples should never touch each other with hands, never have oral sex, never have sex when the woman can't reproduce?"I didn't say so,"
Owerri, 2020Ifenna was not quite as sure about this."I can't call her. We haven't been clicking for a while now," he said to his friend, Abel. "We have been falling apart for a while now. It is as if we don't know each other.""A fault in a relationship must mean something important to you,” Abel said, making a logical guess. "Do you feel you have lost the famous touch of wisdom?"Ifenna was confused. "What is that? I have never heard of it.""It isn't common among people who are not a fan of their culture or tradition, so, I don't blame you for being unaware.""But I try to act like a traditional man," Ifenna said, moving effortlessly beside Abel. "Why would you ask if I felt I have lost the famous touch of wisdom? Do I look like someone who is either famous or wise to you?""Not really," Abel said. "Still, you don't look like someone who is dumb either.""I am just tired," Ifenna admitted. "I am tired of almost everythin
Mumbai, 2020Marcus felt uneasy as he stepped inside the room he had had long conversations with both Alyssa and her husband, Charles. Despite knowing the task that laid ahead of him due to the quick invitation and support that was required from him by Blackwheel, he was still persistent on meeting Alyssa and Charles one more time before telling the management that he would no longer be available for a period at time. At least, until he was able to deal with the issue that involved Dev."I called you yesterday in the evening because I read more to your words which I am not supposed to do. I and my husband apologise," Alyssa said. "I am not concerned about the transgender people in general just the fairness of the situation which we discussed yesterday. The situation just complicates things because talking about the fairness is like discriminating which I am trying to avoid. Examples are useless, Marcus. Honestly, they are! If you try to be in that girl's
Lagos, 2020HI! IT IS MARIA. UJU IS DEAD.9 13 9 19 19 21SEE YOU SOON!Ifenna quipped, his voice unruffled as he said nothing, but thought about the words Maria had sent to him. What did the numbers mean to her? What did the numbers in her text mean to him?Everyone in the taxi turned and stared at him.Ifenna didn’t know what to think. He didn't know why they were staring at him."This is the airport," the Yoruba driver said, drawing Ifenna's attention to one of Nigeria's pride. "You have got one strong voodoo to think you can leave this country despite all the crises going on."Ifenna frowned. "How much is your money?""One thousand naira," the Yoruba driver responded."That is too much," Ifenna protested."It is, sir," the Yoruba driver smiled. "You should put all the blame on the stupid government that has refused to provide us useful jobs instead of
Pennsylvania, 2020The hall was empty.When Clark arrived at the door, he watched as Maria walked around in circles before sitting down. Her eyes were curious; desperately filled with a desire that seemed new to him. He sighed and patted her gently on her shoulders."You will be fine," he said."Hopefully I will be when everything has ended," Maria replied. "Everything happened so quickly that I am unable to keep count of days. It seems like it was just yesterday that I sat with Abby alone in a room, talking about God. It just seems like it was two days ago I stood in a basketball court, watching Uju flex her shoulders, smash the ball on the ground on several occasions and try to buy her to way to another world. It just seems like those never happened."Clark sighed again. "Life is full of mysteries," he confessed. "Sometimes, it is hard for us to understand why certain things happen;
Melbourne, 2022Five blocks from a half-filled supermarket, an Australian man approached a convenient store with his hands tucked inside his pockets. He fought hard to focus his thoughts, but the situation was too bizarre to grasp rationally. He knew what he had to do and he had thought about it several times without having a slightest idea of how he was going to feel after it had been done. But it had to be done. Five hours ago he had been sound asleep in his hotel when he had gotten a rebellious order to murder a man he had long served. Now he was a few feet away from the man he was going to kill.Dev!He looked at him closely. Dev was focused straight ahead, talking to the owner of the store about an abnormal rise in price. There was an unusual strength in his voice as he spoke to the owner—that of an independent and determined man who had deep respect for death.Time passed slowly.The Australian man fingers wrapped around his gun with th
Pennsylvania, 2022Clark pointed to the multi-coloured book in the shelf with his lips tightly pressed together. "That is the book about James Blackwheel," he said.Maria looked at it. "What did he do in it?""A lot of bad stuffs," Clark replied. "There is information about a murder he did not commit though. I have looked into it several times and still, I can't understand why he was framed."Maria's eyes filled with foreboding. "As far as I am concerned, James Blackwheel was trouble. All he did was bring trouble to the people who lived around him. He should have been killed a long time ago.""He should have been killed indeed!" Clark repeated. "But it is almost impossible to kill someone who can't die. James Blackwheel is immortal. Don't you know!""I do!" Maria lowered her head down. "What fascinates me the most is how we are connected. The dates don’t match up in my head and I don't even know who is Nwakaego. Having a Nigerian ancestor is almost unthin
Athens, 2022Dear James Blackwheel,It is me. The seeker of the truth. One of the few members of the 'Priory of Göteborg' that still exists. I wrote this letter to inform you that Dev is dead and no longer exists. I sent a trusted Australian man to finish him up and good news has been sent to me. I understand Maria Blackwheel is family to you. But you need to understand that we have to do anything it takes just to get the necklace from her. We have been watching her for a while now and she appears lost because she doesn't know what is going on around her. She doesn't know she possess one of the greatest piece of art on her neck. I hope you are well. It has been a while since we last spoke physically. Please, come to Athens with Marcus. We are awaiting your arrival.Your trusted companion,Henry.