Crime and Adventure – episode 3

Crime and Adventure episode 3
© Mazi OMenuko

At noon the next day, she called my line.
“You can meet me at Genesis Restaurant
in the next 20mins.” She said.
“I can’t be at Genesis in 20mins!” I
almost shouted on the phone. Who the
fvck did she think she was speaking
with? A bank security man?
“How long will you take to get here?” She
asked.
I wanted to tell her she should come get
her card, wanted to take charge and
stress her a bit but somehow, her profile
was starting to intimidate me.
“I don’t know, but I will try and see if I
will get there within the hour.” I said and
she hung up.
Her bluntness was annoying! It will be
pretty nice to see her face and tell her
how rude she’s been to the one person
who found and tried contacting her for
her lost card.
As usual, there was no light in the
house, the laptop battery was drained
and I had nothing doing in this boring
town. So I dressed up and headed to
Genesis, one of the exotic restaurants in
the town.
in,side the car, I was wondering what the
conversation with her would be like. She
might actually change and be
appreciative for once when she sees me.
I was wrong.
As I entered the restaurant, I dialed her
number to inform her I had reached. She
told me she had to run-off to see a
friend and will be back to the restaurant
in no time. I was so angry at myself. I
asked why she didn’t inform me on time
only to realize she had long cut the call.
Well, I’m in it already, I can as well see it
through. I thought to myself.
The attendants at the restaurant
approached me to take an order and I
informed them I was waiting for a guest.
I sat at a corner watching the tv show:
keeping up with the kardeshians. It
suited the moment as I tried to keep up
with this annoying lady who had turned
me into a delivery boy.
Minutes turned to long frustrating hours
before she finally showed. It was easy to
recognize her from the pix I saw earlier.
She was indeed gorgeous: richly dressed
with expensive jewelry adorning her back
neck and wrists. She had opulence
written all over her. I watched her dial
my number and I waved from the corner
with my phone. She moved to my
direction and sat opposite me. I couldn’t
help but notice her sweet fragrance
covered the entire room. She had a tiny
gold nose-ring tucked in her nose.
All of a sudden, I forgot all the rage that
had been boiling in,side me all through
the day.
“Hello, sorry for keeping you waiting.”
She announced as she sat with a smile
on her face. She introduced herself and I
did too.
“Why didn’t you drop the card like I
requested?” She queried.
“Because I’m not an errand boy.” I
answered.
She smiled, waved at the receptionist
who came towards us.
“What difference did it make bringing it
to the hotel and bringing it here?” She
asked.
I told her it felt better handing it over to
her.
“Why? Isn’t it the same thing?” She
pressed further.
“Its not. Now I get to see your face and
you’ll get to thank me in person for my
good deed.” I answered.
“I could have done that over the phone, I
had your number.” She insisted.
I then had to tell her it seemed rude and
unappreciated asking me to drop it off.
“Do you know that if the wrong hands
had picked it up, you would have been
robbed?” I asked, hoping my question
will make her see reason.
“The person will need a password.” She
insisted, trying to play smart.
At that moment, the receptionist came
forward. She asked what I would take
and I informed her. She placed an order
and the receptionist left.
“So you see, its not a big deal since the
person will need a password.” She said.
I thought for a while. She was trying to
make my heroic quest look so common;
like I didn’t have a choice. She was even
smiling at her own wise sense. I had to
spoil the fun for her.
“1-9-7-9” I said.
Her eyes lite in unbelief. She stared at
me for some seconds.
“That’s smart, how did you know that?”
She asked.
Now I was the one having the last laugh.
“Let’s just say I have my ways.” I said,
smiling at her. The look on her face gave
me the satisfaction I needed.
The receptionist brought the drinks and
set them on the desk before us and left.
She took a deep breathe and exhaled.
“All I’m saying is that someone with half
the wits I have could empty your
account.”
“How much do you think you could have
withdrawn from the account?” She asked.
“Per day!” She reminded me before I
could alter a word.
I thought about it for a while. She was
right. The daily withdrawal limit was
somewhere within 120k. It was obvious
she wanted to proof her point by making
my sincerity look common.
I decided to indulge her.
“120k” I answered.
She couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It
was obvious she was enjoying the
challenge.
“After one day’s withdrawal, I will receive
alerts on my phone. Just a phone call
and my account officer will deactivate
the card.” She said with pride.
“120k will still be a big deal.” I said,
trying to get a soft landing.
“I had taken 80k that day. So you’ll be
left with 40k only until I deactivate the
card. What will 40k do for you?” She
asked.
I looked silly and it gave her the
satisfaction she had always wanted.
“Well, a simple thank you would still be
okk.” I eventually gave up.
The look on her face was that of
satisfaction. I wished I could smack the
smile off her face. I brought out the card
and handed it to her.
“Thank you.” She finally said.
“How did you know my password?” She
asked again.
“Well, it isn’t rocket science; people
chose passwords they can easily
remember. Its always the easy 1-2-3-4
or the birth year. Mine was a
combination of my birthdate and year.” I
informed her.
“How did you know my birth year?” She
asked again.
I felt uneasy discussing how I had
ransacked her facebook page for the
details. It would be hærd to prove I didn’t
have any intention of robbing her after
spending quality time digging up stuff
about her.
“Like I said, I did some digging.” I told
her. She looked impressed.
“You googled my name?” She asked.
“Something like that.” It was obvious she
was beginning to understand how I got
her details. She shook her head lightly
like she disapproved.
“You are smart, and I like smart people.”
She said. “What do you do?” She asked.
I told her a little about myself; enough
not to bore her. She seemed interested in
all I had to stay.
“What else did you find out about me
when you googled?” She asked.
It could have been a trick question so I
thought carefully before answering.
I told her about her beauty salons at
Abuja, her children and her trips. She
didn’t look surprised. She smiled at the
end of it all.
“Where did you stay for your trip at the
United Arab Emirates?” I asked trying to
make the conversation more lively.
“Rotana hotel.” She answered. “Spent 3
weeks there.” She continued.
“Where and where did you visit?” I asked
again.
“Everywhere.” She answered.
“Saw the Burj Arab?” I asked again and
her face lite up once more.
“Yes! Have you been to the Emirate
before?” She asked.
“Yea, took some vacation early this
year.”
“Where did you stay?” She asked.
“Ajman.”
“That dry boring place?” She exclaimed.
She was not wrong; Ajman was one of
the least lively places at the UAE. Aside
the beach, nothing peculiar about it.
Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi had lots
of fun places.
“Why did you chose Ajman of all
places?” She asked.
“Accommodation was cheaper there.
Moreover, it was just 15dirham from
Ajman to Dubai, so I didn’t miss a
thing.” I replied.
We spent the next 30mins discussing
about the Emirate: all the attracting
tourist centres. She had visited all the
places I had been to and many more.
“Which of the places you visited enticed
you most?” She asked.
“Dubai Mall.” I answered. It was the best
I had seen. One can easily spend the
entire day at the mall without getting
bored.
“Then the Burj Arab.” I added. The Burj
Arab hotel was exquisite. Built in the
middle of the water, I was awed at its
architecture.
She told me of her exquisite stay at the
Emirate. I could relate with all she had
to say. UAE was a fine place no doubt; a
place to enjoy most when you had the
cash the spend. Unfortunately, I didn’t
have much when I went there so I
practically avoided the big places. Had
to settle for clubs and cheap shopping
centres like the Gift shop.
When she was done, I told her of my
adventure with a native girl. It was all I
had to say after listening to long tales of
her shopping experience.
“You fvcked a native?” She asked in
excitement.
“You would have lost your dckk in the
process!” She exclaimed.
“I love adventures.” I told her with a
smile.
“That’s a crime! Not an adventure!” She
was almost scre-ming and we both
laughed. She was right, Emirati natives
were adored at the UAE. You hærdly see
them; the guys much more their ladies.
Anyone I tell the tale of my adventure
with Aisha finds it hærd to believe. I find
it hærd to believe myself. It was the most
risky adventure I had taken in all my life.
It left a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth
and each time I think of her, I always
yearn to return to the Emirate.
“So you love adventure?” She asked.
“Yes, life will be boring without them.” I
answered, staring her in the eyes.
“I love adventures too, and I like people
who are adventurous too.” She
announced.
The receptionists brought the bill and
she prompted to pay with the POS
machine. The receptionist brought the
machine and she brought another atm
card for the payment.
“How many more cards do you have?” I
teased her after she had made the
payment.
“Just the two.” She answered with a
smile on her face.
“It would have been better you had just
one.” I said.
She asked why and I told her it would be
better since she was always careless
with cards.
“I run three big shops in Abuja. I have
strings of businesses and contacts all
over the country. No one can take my
dime!” She said categorically.
” I almost took your 40k”. I reminded
her.
“That’s all you could have taken. It will
take a dozen of your kind to take
anything more from me.” She boasted.
I smiled at her. She was so sure of
herself. What a proud arse!
“I have four more days to spend in this
city before I return to Abj; and I want to
spend them with you.” She said
categorically.
“Why will I spend four days with you” I
asked.
“You will have the fun of your life and
will forget all your past adventures.” She
replied with  a smile.
I nodded my head with a smile.
She smiled back at me, staring at me
like she was seizing me up.
While her mind was roaming in the
adventure she was going to have in the
next four days, I was calculating how
much I was going to make from her
proud arse in four days time.
Game on!

To be continued

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