THE ADVENTURES OF SST THE DAY SST BECAME A FEDERAL MINISTER PART 5 Talking of a gift from heaven! “Thanks man, yeah, you are right we sure had a good time back at school, sitting by my left I believe? Yeah! I know remember!” I wished it wasn’t Kelvin that was sitting by my right! I quickly gave him my bank details. “Mainstreet bank? Wow that’s great, a friend of man is a big shot at the bank. I will get him connect me to your manager immediately” he said with excitement as if I was the one offering him a meal “Ok SST, I am on my way to Nigeria next week, I will see you as soon as I arrived” he said excitedly “Yeah sure will be here waiting, buddy!” I shouted back with a new found energy. Wow! What is happening! Anyway, not a bad day to be a few dollars lucky. I must have done something good to that guy way back for him to remember me all these years! Maybe he hit a gold mine and decided to remember those that allowed him to copy a little from their answer scripts back at school…those he was sitting next to in the class! But I can’t recall any subject that I was so good at school to entice anyone sitting near to me to seat nearer. Well anyway, it was too good to be true. Maybe just a hoax! I was putting the set on the socket to recharge while I go to the bathroom when it started ringing once again. What! It was Usman calling. I was surprised to see Usman’s call. We hav not had a conversation for over two years. Since I intimated him f my desire to have a new car. Usman was in the car business, he had all the best brands you can think of..BMW, FERRARI, LEXUS, just mentioned! Usman was a close friend before he became rich. We use to live in the same compound and do the normal things that young struggling men do together. But that was before his uncle got elected to the National assembly and set him up in the import car business. And then Usman moved out of the neighbourhood and set up shop in the high brow district of the city. I was out of the country then but on returning I realized I needed a good car, not the normal second hand tokunbo brand coming in with the so call grade one label! And remembering the good times we shared together I went and approached Usman for an ease way to pick one of the beauties in his shops - you know how it is - pay forty percent and separate the remaining sixty percent payment over the rest of the year kind of thing. But when I met Usman I could see he was not disposed to my preposition, in fact he was not happy with anything from the past anymore. He was in the new things now. And from that day we lost direct contact as each was facing a different direction in life. I was surprise to see it was him calling. “Is that you SST?!” he shouted as soon as I picked the call. “Yes? Usman?” I was still not too sure if it was Usman that was calling or another Usman that I saved on the phone memory. “Yes of course! You lost per me my friend!” he shouted Lost per you?......if I could still remember, the last time we lost contact it was he that was not picking my calls! “Lost per you?!” I repeated the local jargon that means ‘you have been keeping away from me’ loudly too “But Usman why are you taking like that?! The last time you were the one who was not picking my call! Who lost per who?!” I said a little loudly with annoyance. When the rich have moved far from you, you don’t lose anything by being harsh with them. “oh please SST, don’t be so hard, it was not my fault really, most times I was away or in a meeting and the boys holding my phone don’t get to tell me” he tried an explanation. “Really? But nobody picks the calls, and don’t you see the miss calls?” I said. I didn’t know why I was wasting my time with an explanation for him “anyway and after all these years you just remembering I still exist?” “Oh SST, it is not like that, ok I will make up for all that” he said with a tough tone “ you know that car you wanted? Well I got a bigger and never brand now brother…” It was too much a nuisance now “Stop it Usman, are you trying to insult me again? Ok for your information nothing as change from the last time we met, I still can’t afford it even if it goes for one tenth of the price!” I said. “That’s not it SST, I am sending two to your place now, its a gift from me, I even did the license and paper work for you, all brand new…Waiting for you to tear the leather, man!” I felt as if I had been hit with a sledge hammer. “Usman maybe you have no work to do this morning but I do, are you calling to pull my legs?” I was visibly annoyed now. “I am serious man, do I ever joke with you? The machines are on the way to your place, call your house and find out!” he said seriously. I could feel my tongue hooked to my upper cleft. I could not talk! “Ah ah Usman…do you know my place? I no longer live at…” I started explaining with difficulties. “Don’t worry I know where you live, I will be there to see you tomorrow” he said. “I don’t know what to say Usman..” “Oh don’t bother SST, wait till we see, thanks man can’t wait to see you again” he said and after a short while hung up!
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 07:22:40 +0000