Adecanwrite

™

The night before the robbery, Chima return from work to a sumptuous meal prepared by Tinuke.

He fess baff. Then he chop. Tinuke sit with him as he dey eat in silence. At a time, Tinuke talk.

"You know, the truth is, you never ask me out, so I no know wetin we dey do, or wetin make I call wetin we share togeda. But what I know is that, it is beyond "we are sleeping togeda because you give us a chance to live here"

Silence. Chima continue to eat with his eyes fixed on the meal.

"I see wetin u don do for me n my mama. I see how her illness has troubled you. I see how you never forget to help us get her drugs. I see how you look at me...and I know you do love me. But, wetin I no know if you know, be say, I am crazy about you. No be say because you let us stay here, but because I just love you...."

Chima continue to eat...

"For the past three days, you don quiet. That is not you. You return from work, check on my mother, baff, eat in silence, study the map wey I no know nothing about, and you just go to bed. Did I do something wrong? Chima, if you no tell me, how will I know"?

Chima raise his head. "You no offend me, Tinuke. Everything wey you talk, na true. I dey go tru somethings "

"Why you no wan share with me 😢?

"I dey sorry. This no be matter wey pesin fit share. Thank you, Tinuke"

"😢 Okay then"

"I dey comot this nyt. I go come back tmao evening. I dey go work from where I dey go"

Tinuke wan ask say, where he dey go. But she no get the morale to ask. She see am say she no dey in the position to ask such question.

Chima chop finish, put on TV, dey watch in silence. Tinuke sit beside him. If na before, she go don wrap herself inside him bosom. But for three days now, he never touch her. E come be like say fire dey burn her for body. She long for his touch.

Suddenly, Chima phone ring.

"Hello.....okay"

Chima end call, stand up. He enter room go look Abimbola. She don sleep. Na strong woman she be. Aldo, she don change, she don lean. And e dey obvious say she dey go tru lots of pain, but still, she dey pretend for them dey try hide am.

Tinuke enter, see Chima dey look her mama.

"😢 Chima, wetin dey apun? Why are you looking at her like that"?

"Nothing"

Chima waka go shelf, pick few things, put am for back bag. He waka go where Tinuke stand.

"Take care of her. We see tmao, okay"?

As Chima wan waka go, Tinuke grab his hands, come stand before him.

"😢 I know you are onto something. I can feel it. But whatever e be, please be safe. Please come back...if you no come back...my life will become a disaster. I love you"

Chima look into Tinuke's eyes. His entire body vibrate with emotion and lust. God! He love this gurl! He wants her bad. But time no dey for distraction. He need to focus. Davis don warn them make dem stay off Opueh for a week before the operation,inorder to stay sharp and focused.

"I will see you tomorrow evening" Chima talk before he exit the house.

*************

Everybody meet for Kazeem house. He lives alone in his father's house. The house na bungalow and na two apartments. The first apartment dey empty since him parents don dye. He dey live alone for the second apartment.

None of them drive there, dem enter bus, drop for bustop, use leg waka reach Kazeem house. When everybody gather. David talk say make everybody gather.

David run them tru the plan again.

Dem go reach there around noon. At the time, the bank dey always dey "near empty". Customers dey always dey very few inside and outside the bank hall. When they arrive, dem go neutralize the two policemen wey dey on duty. Na the work of Ropo and Pascal be that. Chima stays in the car. Ropo controls the bank premise by asking everyone, including security in the bank premise to lie down flat and submit their phones.

Pascal and Kazeem go enter the bank premise. Kazeem takes one person hostage. Pascal go threatens everyone and make sure they lie down and submit their phones in front of them.

Pascal go call out the bank manager and threatens to kill a customer if he no come out.

David go come out and Pascal go tell am make he go open the vault.

Pascal go make sure David fill in their bags with the money, and make sure, David and other staffs carry the money out of the banking hall to the back of the bus. Ropo and Chima wey dey outside go make sure of that.

Pascal and Kazeem go exit the bank premise with a customer each, as collateral. Preferably, pregnant women or children if dem dey lucky. Them go threaten say, at the sound of any police siren, they will shoot them. David go make sure say everybody obey the order.

And when everybody enter the bus, them go drive thru the streets as planned and not main road, direct to where dem go change the vehicle. Then, they will drive to the farm. Na there dem go dey till night. On no account shud they contact David. Even if dem no see am for one week, make dem wait till he reach out to them.

"Let's get some sleep" David finally talk. Dem disperse go find somewhere to lie down.

All of them dey fear, dem just dey try hide am. Na Chima dey fear pass. Even Pascal wey dey rugged, him hand dey sweat. But wetin dey give am morale, na the gun wey dem go carry.

As everywhere don quiet, he stand up, waka go where dem arrange the gunns..he carry him own. Everybody don know him weapon. Dem don meet for the farm thrice to learn how to handle the rifles. Na the police guys teach them.

Pascal go sit down for one corner, dey check out the gun, dey clean am. David hear sound, stand up. He waka go meet Pascal.

"Guy, you dey alright"? David ask.

Pascal shake him head.

"E dey normal to fear"

"You think so? But you no fear na" Pascal reply.

"I dey fear pass you. Say I no show am no mean say ano fear. I fear for you guys, more than for myself. If anything happens to you guys, I go blame myself forever"

"Hmmmmm" Pascal groan.

"Pascal...abeg, no shooting...no matter what...abeg" David talk.

"Sure" Pascal reply.

Chima join them.

"You sef no fit sleep"? David ask Chima.

"Yes. Are you telling him about the dream"? Chima ask David. David shake him head sideways to tell Chima say "no, don't do that. Pascal see it.

"What dream"? Pascal ask..

"Its nothing, no mind Chima"

Pascal stand at once.

"Chima, what dream"? Pascal raise him voice. Kazeem and Ropo wey no sleep deep, sit up at once.

"You tell me say you go tell am. And you go tell others too" Chima tell David.

"It will do no good, Chima. It will only create unnecessary fear in their hearts. And once that happens, we will fail. Unnecessary fear will lead to lost of focus. And e fit cost us"

"Chima, tell me about the dream" Pascal talk.

"The policemen fok us up. Them shoot you three times, bro. You dye" Chima explain.

"Lahilla Illalahu!" Kazeem whisper." Abeg make I go sheet before I sheet for body"

"Now you see? Fear! David retorted.

"Why you go hide such dream from him or us? Ropo ask.

"It will only bring you guys fear!" David replied.

"You no dey position to judge that. Are we not scared already? For us to agree to do this, e mean say we dey ready for any outcome, be it good or bad. You no be our parents, stop acting like one" Ropo reply.

"I am sorry"

Pascal waka comot from the others, begin pace to and fro. There is silence.

"What if the dream is a sign. What if those police go fok us up"? Pascal ask.

"E no possible. Not after I don tell them last nyt, say their pay don double" David reply.

The others look one another.

"Why you wan double their money? E no go affect our money ni"? Ropo ask..

"We dey pack all the money wey dey inside the vault" David reply.

"🙆🏿‍♂️Jesus! David!? Wetin dey worry you now! Ropo reply. "Why you dey hide update from us? Are you focking kidding us? You no suppose don tell us this one before"?

"I wan use am as motivation for you guys. See, if we pack only the woman money, all fingers point to me. She fit no blow whistle loudly. But she go blow the whistle after all. Na dangerous woman she be, according to my findings. Aside that, some of my ogas go know about the money. Na them send am to me lowkey and I know say dem go get cut. So, to avoid that, we empty the vault. As at last nyt, we have 673m in cash there.

"Yeeeee!!!🙆🏿‍♂️🙆🏿‍♂️🙆🏿‍♂️ Jesus!!! Pascal shout.

"How much we dey give the police"? The two of them? Chima ask.

"50m before, now 100m"

"Yeeee!" E plenty oh,...wait, so let's just say we have 500m left...for five of us...100m each!? Ropo ask.

"Yes" David reply.

"Nna ehn, we dye there oh! Am in!" Pascal reply. I collect my money, am off to Ghana oh. Goodbye friends😂😂😂😂

Kazeem return.."We still dey go"?

Everybody turn to look at him.

"You fit stay back now, make we share your 100m as jara on top awa own"

"Wa..wait...100m per person"? Kazeem ask.

"Yes"

Pru! Pru! Kazeem mess.

"Wéréy hear 100m throwey mess" Ropo talk.

"Am in" Kazeem talk.

*************

A white bus arrive in front of SecondBank at about 12:10pm. The bus no park well.

About five customers dey inside the bank premise. A policeman stand infront of the entrance gate, with his rifles hanging around his waist down. Another one stand for the bank entrance door.

Two uniformed bank security guys dey check in customers.

The bus dey try turn, but e no park well. E come block entrance gate from the road. Nobody fit see the entrance gate again. The policeman wey dey for the gate entrance, waka go the bus.

"😡 Hello, please park well"

Chima wind down, wink at him. The policeman shake head, small. The bus door drag open at once. The policeman wan put hand for him rifle, Kazeem, Ropo and Pascal point their rifles at him. Pascal collect the policeman gun, lead am quick towards the gate entrance as the policeman raise him hands up...

David dey him office dey look the CCTV camera....him heart begin beat fast. He know say Shade for CCTV room go dey see wetin dey apun. Any call from her, otilo!

Light go off.

Him mind come down. "Weldone, Shade"

The CCTV no dey plan at all, before. Him mind skip am. Na three days before the operation he remember. He come look am say, he no fit switch off power, because he must dey inside him office when everything go begin apun..he no want any suspicion.

He come invite Shade to lunch.

Shade na the one in charge of CCTV and she dey also work as marketer sometimes. But na contract staff she be. Shade like David dye. Dem no need to tell am. She don shake waist, shake bobbe for am, try to seduce him, but he no want office romance. But now, what choice does he have?

"I will spend two nights with you and I will give you 50m in cash if you do something for me"

Aldo, David take big risk dey involve Shade. But she know say the babe smart and she dey bold. What if she refuse? Will she tell? Who knows? But still, he took the risk.

As he dey for office, message pop for him phone say, "We are here" him body vibrate.

If the lights go off, na good sign, say Shade don accept him proposal. If he tell her make she shut down the CCTV, police fit begin ask questions. But, cut a wire, better option.

*******************
Chima wind up. E dey see outside but nobody fit see inside. As e dey watch the bank gate, e dey watch the road.

The bank gate open, and the three boiz push the policeman inside the bank premise. E remain one customer wey wan enter. As the customer see gunn, he lie down straight. The other policeman aim his rifle at once, at the boiz.

"We be three, you be one. If you shoot, we go killl you, killl that customer, and kill those security boiz....and for what? Drop the gun? Pascal preach to the policeman. The policeman drop his gun, raise his hands and knee.

Ropo waka go the rifle, carry am, hang am for shoulder. Dem make sure say everybody lie down, submit their phones.

Kazeem and Pascal waka towards the entrance door...

************

David waka come out of him office. "Wetin apun? What happened to the light"?

A guy wearing a uniform tagged "Engineer" run past him towards a back door.

David use style look the entrance door. He know say dem no go fit enter if the lights are not back on...he wants it back on. No be Shade go put am on. Make she just cut wire, comot there.

*************
Kazeem and Pascal wan open door, ghen ghen, e don lock.

Pascal turn and call one of the security guy. That one stand at once. "Open the door!"

That one press button. "E be like say lights no dey...."

"Ehn!? Pascal scream, look Kazeem. "Wetin dey apun"

"Ah...light don come back"

"Then open it...

"Yes sir!"

The security guy open the entrance door....

To be continued...

I thank ALMIGHTY GOD for giving me the gift of writing.

© Adecanwrite