My Personal Note on El Nukoya’s Nine Lives (September 17, 2017|| Idi-Aba, Abeokuta)
My Personal Note on El Nukoya’s Nine Lives (2/3)
BOOK TWO
NEW YORK, JULY 1983.
11. 'Pitan got to America and wondered the at the many differences between his home - Nigeria- airport and that of his new country. He credited the beauty of God's own land.
12. He took a cab from the airport to the nearest and cheapest and affordable hotel - Paccino. The cab man was a black man too, his name Eddie.
13. 'Pitan "socialised" with his new environment. He went to a beer parlour to drink some bottles and dance to beautiful beats and along the line, met prostitutes. There, he met Oliver.
14. Oliver later became a friend who he attended beer parlour sessions with. He met his girlfriend Margaret, in a scene which Oliver needed 'Pitan to be his source of confidence to apologise to her for his mistake. 'Pitan would later marry Margaret . 'Pitan caught Oliver in an homosexual act when he visited him unaware.
15. 'Pitan met his first cab man, Eddie Jones, in a bid to own his cab and be into the business too. He achieved the purpose and was running the business smoothly. Within eleven months of his arrival to New York, he was able to change his apartment and furnished it.
16. One sunny day, he was rushing with his cab to a kitchen, when he saw a man, Femi Aguda, with agbádá waving him to stop. He sped off but later reversed back for the sake of the attire. He picked him up to his destination - his house. They had discussions along the journey where they got to know both of them are Nigerians. And, Femi was his ('Pitan's) classmate that left the university for America in their 100 level days. Hey were happy for the reunion which made Femi to invite him for his Lunch in his house.
17. 'Pitan met Femi's wife, Jackie, a white lady. And, subsequent Saturdays 'Pitan was their guest. 'Pitan asked his old friend, Femi, his job. Because he observed he looked and lived so comfortably. Femi told him he's into washing of stiffs and the wages is so cool. 'Pitan had nightmares considering such job.
18. A Saturday night came, Femi and 'Pitan were in a club enjoying the life of their heads, when hoodlums turned up at the venue. They robbed everyone present of their properties and they went with 'Pitan's cab. He was dead! The cab was later seen dismantled in another location.
19. 'Pitan thought of his life again, now at 27 years. He thought of the past and his fresh challenges. How? Where? and When? to start again. He considered Femi's business. He was introduced and he started making money washing the dead bodies in a morgue.
20. He met Margaret (Oliver’s ex girlfriend) who had crushed on him from day one again. They started a relationship. But, she’s not comfortable with his job. Changing environment is one of those things that happen to us in life. We find ourselves in new places at a time or the other. The way we live there and such phase depends on many factors. Our own decision and orientation is the first and most important factor. However, people we allow in our new life can possibly influence us.
An average Nigerian has been recognised to be a partying and sociable individual. They are always found in places where noise and bottles rock. It's not a general statement though.
Whether we believe in it or not, "homosexualism" had gotten his root for so long and the elimination of the act or ideology seems one of the difficult tasks. After all, it's gladly supported by the West.
Say anything about Nigerians, but never ever forget to mention that Nigerians are hardworking people ready to do any job to make their living. The desperation might however be read, believe or known to be ridiculing, sometimes illegal, or disheartening. Quite good number of Nigerians are people with high spirit of friendliness and unredeemable hospitality.
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Like I have said in some places before, your village people are everywhere. They are like pollinated seeds scattered across the surface of the earth, where each and every of them is trying and struggling and thriving to grow. You will always meet them someday, somehow, somewhere around you.
Nigerians also possess this undying spirit in hardness of land and harshness of time. They stand swiftly after fall. They always find the reason to move on and on. Maybe because what did not kill us makes us stronger.
21. Femi attempted to visit home - Nigeria without his wife's consent. He told 'Pitan who advised him against such. He however promised to come back for his wife after he has settled some things at home. He dropped a letter for his wife to this effect. Unfortunately, he forgot some things he needed at home, and was forced to come back for them. Jackie, his wife, has read the letter and she thought her husband wished to elope from her with another lady. She called him African type! And attributed such character to his colour. She gunned him down and gunned herself down after some arguments.
22. She called the police before she died. The police came in, called 'Pitan for interrogation. Meanwhile, ' Pitan and his wife fought over his business. The wife is pregnant and did not wish his son's father to be a morgue worker. She sent 'Pitan out of home in the peak of her frustration and 'Pitan's unyielding spirit to quit the job. 'Pitan was down again. He thought of his life. He remembered his good friend he lost.
23. He was at work and was given a dead body of an old man who died of AIDS to work on. He rejected the assignment and left the morgue work. He went back to Margaret to apologise and inform her that he quitted already. He met her welcoming again. She told him of what she was involved in drug taking, using exchanged needle and syringes, with a random girl, Phillomena, because of depression. She told him of her fear of being an HIV patient already. 'Pitan calmed her nerves and advised her to wait on the test result to conform her status.
24. 'Pitan left home to meet Eddie in his house. He wished to buy cab, with his proceeds from morgue job, and start cab business again. Eddie however presented him a better offer of being a chauffeur to a rich man, Mr. Robert N. Jefferson. They met the man and agreed to take 'Pitan based on Eddie's antecedent and recommendation. He was to have a better pay and accommodation. He was asked to resume as soon as possible.
25. 'Pitan got home to meet a locked door of Margaret's room. He forced his way in and found a letter addressed to him. Margaret took an overdose to commit suicide because the result of the HIV test was positive. He advised him to live his life without her. 'Pitan called the emergency line. The medical team came around but 'Pitan's woman is long dead. He was mad! And was tranquillised for days. He came back to life to meet Eddie by his side. He got set for his new job and resumed.
26. 'Pitan's first assignment with his boss was to pick Aretha, his boss's wife from the airport. The woman looked him down and asked silly questions about his origin - Africa, in the presence of his calm boss. 'Pitan answered her questions in a manner she felt embarrassed. And their first meeting seems to be a bad one.
27. Aretha later fell in love with 'Pitan that she passed night in his cubicle when the boss is on business trips outside the country. 'Pitan also dropped her as other places where she had extramarital affairs with other men. She confided in 'Pitan that she's not happy in her home. That the boss treat her like a bought property (which she was actually). So, she needed those outside flirts to be happy.
28. Aretha love for 'Pitan became so deep that they planned to execute the boss and elope somewhere in the world to enjoy their relationship and the boss's fortunes. Unknown to Aretha, 'Pitan recorded their discussions in a tape while Aretha was suggesting different ways to go about the execution.
29. 'Pitan ran away without notifying anyone. He sent a letter to Aretha with a copy of the tape, called and threatened her to reveal the secret to a top magazine in the country. He demanded Half a million dollars to destroy the tape and conceal the secret. Aretha was forced to raise the ransom and she delivered it to 'Pitan, while she tried to set him up with some assassins. 'Pitan however escaped the plot, find his way to the airport and travelled down to his home country Nigeria with the lot. He came home a very rich man.
Sometimes in life, we've good intentions but we are lashed for our fears, which make our processes, procedures and protocols wrong. Sometimes we have impatient people as the ones with our "fate". So their lack of calmness makes them dig us grave. And, they sometimes don't care where their actions lead them to.
An average Nigerian in another man's land with questionable ordeals is prone to so many ridiculous encounters. He's treated like shit when he dares to make silly mistake. It's still sad the black man is still hated for his colour in some places. Even, while he tries so hard to satisfy.
Nigerians stubbornness however brings forth a punishment deemed fit for them sometimes.
The reality of HIV/AIDS cannot be overemphasised and the lost of hope by patients then (and, some still today) is of the challenges facing the public health of nations. It's modes of transmission are still very much true.
There are friends who we met along the line and are more dearly than siblings. They sit by us at difficult moments and through our million challenges. I repeat they are one of the reasons life is worth living.
The rich also cry. They cry for care and affection. They cry for freedom. They cry for things unseen by the people of the world. They have troublems too.
The smartness of Nigerians sometimes goes beyond their love for flesh and fresh fruits. Their smartness is also in their crudeness, croaked ways, illegitimate things. In their desperation, they thought of million ways to achieve their goals with the mindset of we can only die once. So, they are always ready to take the risks, especially when life has presented them with the hottest harshness and horrible hardness.
* End of Book Two *
