Chapter 4 An Alibi

CHAPTER FOUR

An Alibi

He is our man. Nku will consider us. He tried to convince himself inwardly, knitting his brows at Agu, who just walked in, looking bored and drawn. He handed the cheque over to Azuaka Jnr. and went in to bring out a tray containing two bottles of beer and a pack of cigarette.

"That asshole will earn my punch anytime; that very stupid lawyer." He uncorked his beer and slid out a cigarette.

"I sensed a kooky in him. But never mind," Azuaka Jnr. slid out his cigarette and a glow from the lighter caught its butt. He drew and puffed like a true Abakpa boy; smoke spiraled through his nostrils as he said, "With seven point five you are inches from the white house."

"I am nervous," Agu muttered and sipped at his beer, staring in the space with the cigarette burning away between his fingers, smoking not really appealing to him.

"Why?" asked Azuaka Jnr., searching into Agu's tetchy face. He stopped puffing and drinking to lock eyes with him.

Agu cleared his throat. "Nku makes it to Lagos tomorrow's night."

"Yes, yes."

"I just sold my only inheritance."

"And I stole my father's gratuity, a disguised inheritance too," said Azuaka Jnr. and his cigarette came between his thick lips; his eyes dimmed; he was already drawing as much as he could.

"Are you sure we are going to make it? I mean I have been happy all this while until those two men bought my inheritance, coming to take over in two days."

Azuaka Jnr. sipped and puffed on, shielding his outburst and he said, "Sometimes I doubt the project too, but when I realize I am not alone on this path, all I can say is I'm blessed."

Azuaka Jnr. chuckled. He knew Agu as much as Nku. They had been cronies back on campus and Agu was an experimental, fearful, capricious fellow whose only possibility of life's events was result. "The night before I stole my father's gratuity," he continued, "I spoke with Nku. He said everything was working as planned. He only emphasized on our contribution which will be transferred to the software financiers. He has spent three years in New York for this project and he's a software guru now."

"Yes, in less than three months we will be stealing from bank accounts, banks all over the world. The software will help us steal and render the world broke. I know all that, my fellow Monkey." He puffed to the butt of the cigarette and squashed it under his sneakers.

"So why are you nervous then?" he handed the cheque to Agu and uncorked another beer. It frothed over.

"Our money isn't yet complete. Is he going to take that from us?"

"We will reason together. We are safe, son of man. Hope you're not nervous anymore?"

"Common, a normal Igbo dude would do same o bulo ya, isn't it so?" he asked in Igbo and his smile came from an unsatisfied, fearful soul.

"Believe it, we are rendering the world broke, I nu go; did you hear me?" He looked sternly at Agu, wishing he would come off that dizzy atmosphere of his, wanting to bring on his mind the possibility of making it happen. He knew Agu has thorny mindsets and he went on to encourage him with the uncertainty he faced in Enugu. "My dad and his five million naira, hmm!" he chortled, clicking his fingers, and continued. "I didn't see myself stealing that money from him. I am not comparing but I want you to know the possibility of making it. If I could do that then Monkeys' software is possible." He shook his crew-cut head.

"The world is in trouble," Agu said, looking cheery now. He started smoking at ease. He said after gulping his beer, "Seven years of joblessness needs anything more," said Agu.

"I dey tell you," replied Azuaka Jnr. and his toothy smile came from his mind; it seemed something remarkable crossed it. "And when I thought it was over, the maddening one happened. Didn't I tell you how I applied at the ministry and waited for one year endless recruitment? One morning I went out to buy akara only to see the akara seller dishing me akara with my CV, the same CV I used to apply at the ministry."

Agu laughed, swaying within his chair and then coughed.

"Is not funny, Agu."

"And I could remember asking you if that very akara was sweeter than ever. Do you know your experience discouraged me from applying further, although I was faced with one of the ministry workers who demanded a three-hundred-thousand naira bribe if I must get the job? I had to keep to my taxi driving even when I got little from it. Now I need money to rain. If it wants to rain let it rain and not drop."

"Yes, we need that now. This is our heyday." Azuaka Jnr. cheered, pushing the bottle against the air.

Agu gazed upon the cheque and thought of his homelessness thudded in his head. "We are homeless," he said with arms widespread, showing Azuaka Jnr. what remained of them.

Azuaka Jnr. puffed hugely this time around and smoke clouded his face. The smoke was disappearing behind his head when he asked, "Are we really homeless when my girlfriend is around town?"

"Who could that be?" His eyeballs rolled before he said, "Opula I guess."

He shook his head.

"Pretty Opula. I can't wait to see her again. Hmm... love on campus, boy," Agu shook hands with him.

"Hey, come on, back then I was her assignment and exam boyfriend." He tittered.

"Save your honesty, AZ. She must be a big chick now." He guzzled his beer and reached out to another.

"She works at a factory. We will meet with Nku before squatting with her." He stared at the cheque in Agu's hand and a strange thought crossed his mind. "I think that cheque will be useful." He smacked his lips at the cheque.

Agu blinked at the cheque and seemed unable to see into the mystery of his words. Among them, Azuaka Jnr. was the only buffer whose canny thinking had clinched them success in the grey days on campus. In everything he saw good or evil and would always blare his warning or opinion.

Agu asked, "How do you mean?" He had always asked that question whenever Azuaka Jnr. confronted with his foresight.

"After launching the software we will be hunting for account numbers, right?"

"Yes, yes." He was wondering, Ok, ok," Agu seemed to have understood now. He shook his galaxy-hair style.

"We will first launch into his bank account and steal as much as we can."

They stood up almost at once, shook hands and hugged each other with an indispensable excitement hanging over them. They slumped back in their chairs.

"You know that buyer is a big cockroach," Agu intoned.

"One that skipped larva," Azuaka Jnr. added and they laughed. "We will make it," Agu said, lifting his half drunken beer.

"Yes of course," Azuaka Jnr. said and then hammered, "Monkeys!"

"Blessed among monkeys!" Agu responded and their bottles clicked as they toasted to it. A toasty silence hung over them while they smoked on and reasoned within themselves.

I rather die than lose out of this Monkeys' software, Azuaka Jnr. thought. I am made, I am. I have come a long way, a long way from my father's gratuity. I wonder what would become of him now. I am sorry, father. Monkeys' software will make it up to you. I will make it up to you.

Hmm, if it is not working out show me a sign, Lord, Agu thought. All my inheritance is deeply involved, Lord. Please, don't fail Agu, your son from Onitsha. I just need more money. Let the world be in my pocket now.

The scorching sun and harmattan wind took over their thought.