(WRITTEN BY JOY A. ADEWUMI)

My eyes drooped with sudden fatigue as I threw my phone on the passenger’s seat and strength seeped out of me. I should have known better than to get my hopes up. Another dead end!

Last KC checked, he had a strong lead on an Economics doctorate student in the University of North Dakota and trusting how good the guy was at what he did, I’d foolishly raised my hopes. I should have known that not even his Midas touch could reverse my tough luck!

A throbbing ache developed at the side of my head and increased in intensity as I maneuvered through the traffic. I wanted just one thing: To just get home and slide into unconsciousness, so I don’t have to deal with this moodiness or fatigue. I knew however that I wasn’t going to get that so easily, not if I didn’t induce it and I had just the thing!

My iPhone rang so loudly on the seat beside me or maybe it was my throbbing head that overreacted to the noise. It was BJ. I placed the phone on my cell holder and connected it to the car speaker.

‘Hey guy!’

‘Dude! What’s that I hear in the background? Traffic? Dude, no tell me say you dey go bar again today. Guy, you really don’t want to do that.’ BJ pleaded on the other end of the call. I chuckled dryly at his pleas.

READ MORE: THE BED UNDEFILED

‘I had to see someone. I’m on my way home.’

‘You sound weird. You sure say you dey okay?’ He picked on my mood.

‘BJ, you know what? Why not let’s have a two-man party. That way I get to drink, because no matter how hard I want to stay sober, I really need to get drunk tonight; but you can keep me in check. Wha’dya say to that?’

‘Hmmnnn… That one no be tough choice na. I’m your guy any day. Plus, who says no to free booze? But dude, you sound really funny. Like you really need this party but you don’t feel great about it? Wetin happen now? And why do you really need to get drunk? I thought you were going to abstain till you got your game back on track.’

I scoffed at his words and joked,’ Guy, last I checked, you were a badass real estate agent, please yarn me, na for where you get this psychology degree wey you dey take analyse me?’ He hooted in laughter on the other end and I was partially glad I threw him off the scent, if only temporarily.

I had no desire to cause an accident on a good Thursday evening, so there was no way I was discussing what triggered my mood with him whilst driving. No, not with the instant droopiness and fatigue that I got from merely reading the email earlier.

**************************************************

‘Guy! Do you know I have a sister?’ Roland slurred under the influence of alcohol after going through three glasses of the mix of Turbo King Beer and Red wine he’d made. Horrible by all standards, but still fair game for him. At least, this time he let BJ keep him from mixing poison.

BJ shook his head at his friend’s question. ‘Have or had?’

‘Huh?’ A very drunk Roland asked as he downed the fourth glass.

‘Have a sister or had a sister?’ BJ asked again.

Download your free copy of Dare to Hope

‘What the heck! Have of course! I vehemently refuse to believe she’s dead!’

BJ shook his head again at the confusing statement. This, of course, wasn’t the first time Roland would bring up his sister out of the blue! But he had always thought she was a detail from his past that only slipped into their discussions when he was drunk. A topic he never discussed when he was sober. Never! A testy topic. So, he’d figured she was probably deceased. He didn’t even know if the said sister was a twin, or an older or a younger one. He never asked. But now he was even more confused finding that Roland wasn’t even sure whether or not she was alive.

He was still mulling on his thoughts when Roland slurred again, ‘You know, I’ve not seen her in thirteen years! Thirteen flipping years, dude! I mean who does that?! I’ll tell you! Only a devil of a father does that!’

BJ felt like he had a whiplash. How did they go from his sister to Otunba in split seconds? The guy was drunk, no doubt.

‘What happened to her?’ BJ asked, trying to at least make some sense of the situation.

‘She dizappeared! Zaz wha happened to har!’ His slur was more pronounced now.

‘Just like that?!’ BJ asked, brows in the air.

Roland nodded his reply and BJ was sure it was the alcohol talking, but don’t they say alcohol is like a truth serum. And wasn’t a disappearance a good explanation for him not knowing whether or not his sister was alive? So, it probably meant Otunba was responsible.

‘And you think Otunba is responsible?’ Roland laughed hysterically as he staggered to his feet. BJ shot up to help steady him, only to discover he was also getting tipsy himself! Seriously? Why was he so lightweight? He’d only taken two glasses of Red Wine over the last hour, compared to Roland’s four, of a cocktail no less.

‘I don’t think. I know.’ Roland replied when he finally steadied and announced thereafter, ‘Give me a minute; I need to use the toilet.’ He shrugged out of BJ’s grip and staggered to the closest restroom, hitting and knocking things over as he went.

READ ALSO: THE SNARE

BJ stared after him and couldn’t help the pity he felt for the poor guy. It’s easy to envy the life of the wealthy and think they have it easy, only to get a peep into it and find out that they’d readily give up their empire for a more easy-paced life. What kind of guy hasn’t seen his only sibling in over a decade and can’t even tell if she was dead or alive?

Roland staggered back to his seat and promptly picked his fifth cup as BJ eyed him warily.

‘Have you tried looking for her?’ BJ asked out of sheer curiosity and Roland burst into a laughing fit, choking on his drink in the process.

After a coughing fit, he gazed unsteadily at BJ, pointed a finger at him and asked, ‘Are you kidding me? I’ve been doing that since I knew how to search for something. I have tried by myself, hired some of the best in the business, but all I have are dead ends! Dead. Flipping. Ends!’ He screamed unexpectedly, his voice clear again. BJ narrowed his eyes and just stared, not knowing what to say.

‘You know, it’s either she doesn’t want to be found or someone is doing a very good job hiding her!’ Roland added after a short pause.

‘How would you know that?’ BJ sipped absentmindedly from his third glass as he marvelled at what he’d heard.

‘Each time I get a solid lead, before we know it, boom! The trail disappears, like it was never there. I’m tired, man! I want to find her! I want to see her! I need to know she’s fine! I want my big siiiissss.’ He finished his rant with a sobbing trail and BJ did a double take! Was Skinny crying?

‘Hey man! What’cha doing?’

‘If only I can get that old man out of the way, I will find… h-her. I… know it.’ He said with prolonged pauses in between his words. BJ guessed he was finally dozing off.

‘But why are you so sure Otunba has a hand in this?’

No answer. BJ moved closer in the dim room to peer at his friend and jerked back in surprise as Roland shot forward and said, ‘I hate that man! I hate him. If I had a gun, I don’t care if it means the apple did not fall far from the tree, I would blow his brains out and use his blood to paint his flipping study.’ With that Roland’s head lolled back on his chair.

BJ shook his head at the gory threat and renewed his determination to be content with his simple life.

Over-rich na over-problem.

Buy When The Water Falls Here

*****************

BJ woke with a start to a loud shriek and almost fell off the chair in his shock. His head throbbed and he wondered how many glasses he had ended up having before he’d passed out.

And what was that shout? Then, it came again!

‘Ahhh! Please leave me!’

BJ darted off the chair and dashed in the direction of the noise towards the guest restroom.

**********************

Dear reader,

Rowan, dead or alive? Is she hiding herself of is someone hiding her away? Confusion wear dirty jeans, lol. Tell me what your speculations are about Rowan’s welfare in the comment box below.

Thanks for your precious time here on the blog. I hope you have downloaded your free copy of my new eBook- Dare to Hope. If not subscribe below in the subscription prompt to get yours. God bless you abundantly. See you next time!

Yours truly,
The Girl with the Winning Smile,
Spirit Pen!