Reference:
THE RED CRUDE OIL: CHAPTER 2
The time is 6pm, in a worn out block of flats housing various
struggling business offices in the Ikeja district of Lagos. It’s New Years Eve
and everyone seemed to be rounding up the day’s work and preparing for various
mid-night church services that would usher in the New Year. Mamman Mambilla was
in his one room office apartment, a large bottle of Alomo Bitters drink on his
table and a pack of London menthol cigarettes, with just two sticks left. “Oh,
how depressing,” Mamman said to himself as he sipped his drink and struggled to
light his cigarette.
“I, Mamman Mambilla, the only son of a well decorated
Nigerian State security officer, sitting here in this wasted space I call my
office, waiting for my first client after over two years of venturing out on my
own. Lord, what was I thinking?”
Mamman continued with his lamentations until he heard a knock
on his door, he quickly tucked his drink into the table drawer and put off the
cigarette.
“Wait, I’m coming,” Mamman brought out a can spray and began
spraying the entire room until he noticed the scent was different as he was
gazed at the can, “Oh shit, insecticide? Where did I keep the airfreshner?”
The knock continued, this time with a more aggressive tone, “I’m
coming,” Mamman yelled as he made for the door with different thoughts going
through his mind, “who could this be? My first client? , my ex-girlfriend? , the
landlord?” as he opened the door, he saw his worst nightmare.
“Daddy? What are you doing here, in my office on New Year’s
Eve? Don’t you have a retirement party to attend later this evening? Shouldn’t
you be –“
“Enough with the blabbering questions young man,” said Joe
Mambilla as he walks into his son’s office looking round the entire place,
shaking his head in disappointment. “Please
don’t start, dad,” said Mamman, “it’s New Years Eve and I’d rather hear
positive stuff today, not your usual bashing, ok?” Mamman continued, “But seriously, your
retirement party is a couple of hours away, why are you here? Since when did
you have time for your ‘unworthy’ son?”
Joe Mambilla dragged himself a seat and sat down facing his
son Mamman who paced about the room. “Were you not planning to attend my
retirement party?” Joe asked sarcastically.
“You didn’t invite me sir, I heard it over the news’, Mamman
said.
Joe cleaned off some dust off his sleeves suggesting that his
seat was dirty but he still sat on it. “You are my only surviving next of kin,
my only child yet you refuse to identify with me, despite all I’ve done for
you?”
“Oh dad, please not again,” Mamman became agitated,
scratching his head as he continued receiving his fathers’ admonition.
Now Joe got up from his seat as he continued scolding his
thirty four year old son, “I will not keep quiet and watch you fade into
oblivion. I spent thirty five years in the secret service working my life away
just to provide for you and your mother, may God bless her soul. Ever since her
death, I pampered you, gave you
everything you needed but all you were interest in was reading action comics,
watching James bond movies, playing video games and chasing after women. Fine,
I figured that since you were the adventurous type, the military would be your
best bet, I enrolled you with the Nigerian defense academy but you dropped out
and I didn’t even get to know until several years after. Now you’ve taken your
perverted passion to a ridiculous extreme, you now call yourself a professional
private detective? IDIOT!”
Joe burst out into a sadistic laughter as he mocked his son’s
career path, “Now tell me Mamman, how many clients have you had since you
started your so called Msquare detective agency? Talk now, how many? This is
NIGERIA young man, if people here need such services, they’ll rather hire a
witch doctor to solve their mystery cases, not a confused young lad like you. This
place looks like shit; YOU look like shit, and what’s that smell? You seem to
be smoking some cheap cigarettes, my goodness, or are you smoking mosquito
coils?”
Mamman sat and looked straight at his father, “Daddy, have
you finished? You really sound like a broken record and as usual I have nothing
to say to you. I have always wanted to be a Detective-” Joe cuts in, “but I tried
to get you a job at the Nigeria Defense and Security Service yet you refused.” Mamman
leaned back on his seat as if trying to break the back of the chair, “Ohooo,
daddy, there’s no way I would have accepted a job at the NDSS, I mean, you are
a living legend over there, knowing I’m your son, everyone would have had
unrealistic expectations from me, it would have been terrible besides I prefer
being on my own.”
Joe stared at Mamman for about ten seconds, saying nothing
until finally breaking his own silence, “My son, you are a hopeless case. Look,
will I see you tonight at my retirement dinner party? After all, it’s taking
place here in Lagos so you have no reason not to be there.”
Mamman, replying in a sulky voice, “I’ll try to be there Dad,
but please do not expect me, if you see me, fine, if you don’t, well....”
(Thanks A-Maz)
:D
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