The Plan
a short story
Bayo reclined on the supple, cream leather couch and adjusted his neck tie for the umpteenth time — the knot just wouldn’t come undone! That was the way Brenda always knotted his ties. She said it was so that she would be the one to take it off each evening when he came home. But today was unusually hot, and Bayo had a feeling he wouldn’t be going home till much later anyway.
He grappled with the tie for another five minutes, setting his unopened drink down on the table. Tiny beads of sweat rolled down his double chin and into the collar of his damp shirt.
Finally, the bloody tie came off. He cracked open the can of chilled beer and gulped with a loud simultaneous sigh. This heat was unbearable, and the phone call he’d just received made the waiting even worse.
He’d just gotten off the phone with Yemisi, a long time friend. In fact, if he were being honest, Yemisi was probably his oldest friend — the only person he still knew from the days back in Abule. They’d met when 4 year old Yemisi and his widowed mother had moved into the compound where Bayo lived with his family. Bayo’s mother had urged him to play with Yemi, and make him feel welcome. The other children made rude jokes and called Yemi a ‘bastard’ so naturally, Bayo had felt protective. That feeling had somehow persisted till this day.
Even though they hadn’t spoken for almost a year now, when Yemisi called sounding trapped and asking to meet in this sparsely furnished Lekki apartment, Bayo had agreed. Yemi had quickly directed Bayo on where to find the keys and get in.
“Make yourself comfortable” He’d said, and Bayo was trying his best. At least Yemi knew him well. Bayo had found a chilled case of his favorite beer in the apartment’s mini fridge. As he thought, he took another sip of his drink, rinsing his mouth with it and then swallowing with a loud slurp. He belched.
What could Yemi possibly be up to this time? He just hoped this wasn’t another senseless shenanigan, as Yemi was prone to have. They often got him into trouble.
Throughout their friendship, Bayo had come to Yemi’s rescue more times than he cared to count. From as little as age seven, Bayo remembered fighting with much bigger kids to protect Yemi from some mischief that the latter had knowingly sought. Yemi had a small, wiry frame and couldn’t throw one decent punch but somehow, he always looked for trouble because he knew Bayo would be there to bail him out. It had been the same throughout their days at Unilag.
Of course, sometimes it got frustrating but no matter what Yemi did, he could never quite leave him hanging. Their bond was more than a friendship — they were practically siblings. He remembered when Yemi’s mother had died – they were in second year in university and the poor boy was suicidal. Bayo’s own mother had made a promise to take Yemi as her own son, and she tried – as much as Yemi would let her – to fulfill that promise.
That particular month was a blur. They’d spent most of it swigging down full cases of lager and bedding all the first year girls on campus. It was one of the best and worst times of Bayo’s life.
His wry smile faltered as he shook the can he’d been sipping to see how much beer was left inside. Almost nothing. He took one long last gulp; Crisp, golden-brown beer trickling down his fat chin before he could catch it with his tongue.
Ching
The empty can slid noisily across the floor as he reached for another.
They hadn’t seen each other since Bayo’s wedding early last year. Shortly after that, Yemi had suddenly decided to travel to Malaysia and ‘hustle’. He was determined, more than ever, to ‘make it’ at all costs. Frankly, Bayo worried for his friend. But what could he do? Everyone has their own path in life. He just hoped there was no serious problem this time.
The cold hard concrete floor felt brutal against Yemi’s skin as he struggled to find his bearing. His head was cloudy with a persistent dull throb but as soon as his eyes came open, everything flooded back.
It had really happened. He’d been back in Nigeria for a week, and he’d brought with him enough money for a fresh start. He liked to say that it didn’t matter how he’d gotten the money. What mattered was that he would finally live the life he deserved. No more struggles. No more…He closed his swollen eyes.
Ahh
Once he’d seen the two men coming straight at him last night, he hadn’t for one second doubted who they were. He knew that the ‘business partner’ he’d swindled in Malaysia was a powerful man, with a very wide reach. It was a chance he’d been willing to take, he just hadn’t thought they would find him so soon. Not now.
Luckily he had a plan. It involved his long time friend, Bayo. Bayo, the man! Great guy. But he’d always been too calm for Yemi’s liking; too calm and trusting. He’d instantly agreed to meet up at the new Lekki apartment. Now all Yemi needed was to find a way to get his captors there and everything would fall into place. He knew what they wanted, and it was too bad Bayo had to pay the price, but there really was no one else. He had no other friend or family who would respond to his urgent phone call so willingly, no questions asked.
Thank God for Bayo and his friendship.
