Attai_Episode1

9 years ago

Attai_Episode1

TITLE: Attai
EPISODE: 1

I stretched, throwing my hands into the air with
reckless abandon, I retracted one of them to rub my
belly. My sweet belly which stood pot-like instead of
the normal 6-packs. It was as round as a ball; a very
hairy ball. I scratched on it, delaying a little bit on my
navel before proceeding to my groin area. I was met with a heavy resistance, my instrument making
my boxers look undersize. Choi, I smiled to myself as
I remembered the song I had downloaded from
notjustok.com. Eriga had said, ''u no nid energy to
make ur preek stand'', how right he was. My drowsy eyes scanned my room and the
discovery made the early morning sleep to run from
it. Clothes were scattered here and there, plastic
plates of unfinished meals dotted the ground while
the rug looked aged with dust. I mused, if mama
knows that this is the path I had taken, then I will be in for a long preaching.

I lazily walked round the room collecting my dirty
clothes and heaping them in a corner while I used
my leg to kick the plates outside which upon landing,
I heard the happy cackling of hens as they struggled
for the reminant of whatever had been inside the
plate. ''Come, outside here no be your dustbin o, see as you
just throw rubbish drop for dormot'' Ekaite retorted. Ah, I quickly walked outside my one room, stopping
close to the door to gaze at my face on the mirror
hunged on the wall. I had bought it from one of the
mallams riding bicycle and selling mirrors.
Sometimes I wonder if the mirrors will fetch them
profit, considering the number of wives they keep in the house. I adjusted my fineboy face in the mirror, cleaning
the oil that had formed on my pointed nose and the
dried up mucus in my eyes, fixed a perfect smile on
my face and winked at the image staring back at
me. The going was good. I strolled outside into the
morning sun that had already made its way to my dormot, the erected zinc's shadow casted in another
direction. ''Ekaite baby, why you dey vex na, na morning be
this o and na you sef I just see for my dream as I dey
wake up'' I said having patted her on the chin. She was sitted
on a low stool washing her clothes which constituted
mainly of small small materials that could barely
cover the body, but it was the reigning fashion. The
water in which she was washing foamy, her hand
invisible underneath it. Without raising her head to look at me, she spoke. ''Come, you think say I be one of the girls wey you
dey colombi, me I get high class o, all this your talk
no dey enter my head. My own na money for hand,
back for....''

Like I wanted anything from her. Since I moved into
the compound, she had always made passes at me,
but I played it cool. Who would want a Ronaldinho
for a babe, definately not me. I would not want to
kiss someone and the next moment be asked if Myke
Tyson was my neighbour, or I snatched Klitchiko's girlfriend. I had an idea, like I always did. ''Ehm, Ekai-baby... This one wey you dey wash, help
me na. You know say you dey like my sister and our
love na right from our mama womb neh'' I flowed poetically, playing with her long hair which
to me is her only attribute. ''If person no know you, na to just fall for you get
am. Oya wetin you go give me'' I had prepared for this because I had done it
countless times, I just went down in a squatting
position and place a peck on her fore-head
(ewwww), held her pimpled face, avoided her teeth
and looked into her albinoish-cat eyes. ''You know say your beauty no get part 2 and
anybody wey no value am go face me. I value you
pass the food wey I dey chop (big lie, my stomach
for flat na) and na for your eyes I go dey swim
everyday (if I hear, make I bleach pass hypo?).'' She brought her head down and blushed, even her
hands turn bright red. I just stood above her dancing
alingo in my mind. ''Oya bring the clothes make I help you wash, leave
your door open when you dey comot make I help
arrange your room'' She said silently, almost inaudibly. I had jumped into
the room and jumped back with the clothes.
Dropping it by her side, I added: ''Wetin I go do without you, Ekai-baby, na you dey
make my heart ring aloud like rose (if na wetin
Davido talk be dat)'' I entered back into the room and returned with a
bucket full of water which is always kept aside the
room each night to avoid looking for water each
night and made my way slowly down to the
bathroom with a towel round my neck and my
boxers bellowing in the wind while my pot belly bounced slightly. Living the good life, I say to myself. Welcome to my world... Attai, The Player from Kano. To be continued...