Episode 2
written by Valentine Nkemjika
Joining a gang
With my experience selling drugs in Lagos I could easily identify rough joints, bad guys and dubious people. I could easily tell what someone was capable of by mere looking at the person. However unlike Lagos, I found it difficult to find the right kind of men I needed to form a gang, most of the guys I met looked rough on the outside but inside they were just chicken hearted and the rest were nothing but snitches. Secondly sourcing for good guns and ammunitions, getting an operational base all appeared too difficult. So I had to carefully study my terrain well as I returned to my petty robbery which I did once or twice a week to survive while taking out my time .
Then one day as I was drinking in one of the rough bars around new market, a huge very dark man on sun shades seated at the other end of the bar with about five guys bought me drinks. I was surprised and thanked him as we exchanged glances. About thirty minutes later, one of the guys with him approached me.
‘’my boss wants you to join us’’ he said. I smiled, finished my drink and followed him back to his table. Of course I had been expecting it because I knew the free drink wasn’t entirely free with my experience in Lagos.
I politely greeted and shook every one of the men at the table, before sitting on an empty chair close to the huge guy. I already knew the chair was deliberately left empty for me.
‘’so my guy, who are you? Each time I come here to relax with my men I always see you. Are you are spy?’’ he asked in Pidgin English. I laughed.
‘’so who are you and where did you come from?’’ he curiously asked.
‘’I came from prison’’ I announced while their faces all lit up with admiration and curiosity.
‘’prison what did you do?’’ the huge guy asked while his men nodded
‘’I was dealing drugs in Lagos but now I’m done with that life. I’m moving ahead’’ I answered in pidgin. The big guy nodded silently. We all stared at each other, saying nothing.
‘’so how do you survive in this town?, is like you arrived with lots of cash?’’ he curiously asked. I laughed
‘’I came to this town without a penny, but I eat and sleep in a good hotel every night. I can survive in any town. I have skills’’ I replied while the men all looked at each other.
‘’I like you. I like people with skills. Can you teach me the skill?’’ he curiously demanded as he opened a new bottle of beer for me. I scoffed and eyed him
‘’are you a spy?’’ I asked. His men shifted on their seats uncomfortable. The huge guy gave me a strange look.
‘’my name is Kelvin. I run this town. Nobody asks me questions’’ he boasted after a little silence.
‘’well I run my own shit alone. I won’t be on your way and you won’t be in mine’’ I fearlessly answered back in Pidgin English, standing up. This time Kelvin’s men all looked totally disturbed. But of course I knew what I was doing. Even though I liked the group, I knew I had to sell myself well to be respected. It was a trade secret I learnt over the years.
‘’you are very young and bold. You have been in prison. You have lived rough in Lagos but here isn’t Lagos. This is my town. So sit down’’ he demanded. I breathed deeply, looked at them before sitting down.
‘’whatever it is that you do, I want you to stop it and work for me. You might be comfortable for now but I have seen faces of boys like you who fall because they have no direction. I will be your direction; I will be your driver. All you need to do is move whenever I ask you to move and the sky will be your limit. Cars, women, life will all be yours’’ he offered boldly.
‘’you might feel I don’t know you. But From the first day you came to this joint that I opened your book. I know you are a thief. I know the hotel you sleep on. I know how you have been living. Like I said this is my town. So let’s cut the chase. Be my boy and let’s move ahead’’ he offered. But I wasn’t convinced. I already swore never to deal with drugs again and whatever he wanted me to be in on, I needed to be sure what it was.
So what is it that you do??’’ I asked.
‘’you will get your answer when you follow us out of here’’ he answered with a smile.
