I didn’t seen one of my customers for a while. Most times, when he doesn’t have chance to come to my workshop to repair his cars, he usually invite me to come to his house. I decided to go to his house, to check on him.

“Who I be? (Who are you?)” the Hausa security personnel queried me.”

I frowned inwardly. This same security personnel was the person that always welcome me with smiles whenever I go there. How on earth could he be asking me who I was? All the same, I decided to answer him.

“I am Iyk, the mechanic.”

“Wetin I mean say I be Aiki. Which kind name I dey answer.(What is the meaning of Iyk? What kind of name is that?)”

The hostility of the security personnel was strange to me. I felt he needed money so I decided to offer him some money.

“You, I want to bribe am for me. I want to bribe am for officer? I be criminal. (Do you want to offer me a bribe? You want to offer a bribe to Law enforcement officer? You are a criminal.)”

I quickly kept back the money. ‘Confusion’ became my second name.

“Don’t be offended please. Is your boss around?”

“Who I be your boss?”(Who is my boss?)

“I’m talking of Mr. Jude.”

“I no know am for who I dey talk.(I don’t know who you are talking about).”

“How can you say that you don’t know your boss? This is wickedness.” I was already angry and it showed in the tone of my voice.

“I dey shout am for me? I dey craze. I dey mad. My head I no kworet? (Are you shouting for me? Are you crazy? Are you mad? Is something wrong with you?)”

“Do you need to ask me if you are mad? Is it not obvious?” I fired back at Musa.

That was a deadly mistake from me. Musa drew out a dagger and was advancing towards me like a lion that sighted a prey.

“Musa please forgive me. I am sorry for shouting at you. I won’t try it again,” I pleaded.

Fear gripped me. I was panting hard and sweating like someone that had just completed a marathon race.

Musa got to the point I was, and stood opposite me, pointing the dagger at me. I just lifted my two hands in a state of total surrender, expecting the worst. He looked at me for some minutes and put down his hand.

“When I dey talk am for me, make I dey talk am for small small, I no be my mate. I hear am for wetin I talk(When you are talking to me, talk gently. I am not your mate. Did you hear what I said?)”

“Yes ma, yes sir.” I answered even as I was shivering.

“ Musa sannu, wetin I dey appen for here” ( Musa Greetings to you. What is going on here.)” One of his tribe’s person intervened.

“My uga, I talk am for this man, make I no enter this compound. If I enter this compound, I go sack am for me.( My Boss said this man should not enter this compound, that if I allow this man to enter this compound, he will sack me.)”

“Uga, make I go, make I for no sack am for my bruda (Sir, you have to go so that my brother will not be sacked.)”

We saw Mr. Jude’s car approaching and Musa quickly opened the gigantic gate. I rushed inside the compound. When Mr. Jude drove to the point that I was standing he halted.

“Young man, what are you doing here?” He questioned me in an unusual unfriendly manner.

“Welcome sir.”

“Is that the answer to my question? I asked what you are doing in my house. I can’t remember inviting you.”

I was already loosing courage but I can’t ignore him. So I gave him the answer in my head. Though, I sounded stupid, even to myself.

“You are right sir. I just decided to check on you.”

“As a friend, colleague or what? Why will you be checking on me?”

“Don’t be offended sir. I have not seen you for a while. That is why I decided to check if you are well.”

“Are you a doctor? Even if I am sick, do you have a solution to offer?”

“God forbid sir. You will not be sick. Actually I came to check if your car need repair.”

“Thanks for indirectly telling me that I am not a human being. Have you ever seen a human being that does not fall sick? You don’t want me to be sick so that I will go out and make money. But you pray that my cars will break down so you will collect the money.”

I gave up. It was obvious that anything I do or say would be used against me. In such situation silence would always be golden. The most challenging aspect of the whole drama was that I could not figure out what my offence was.

“Young man, listen to me. I was the person that took the decision of patronizing your business. I have taken another decision; it is over between us. Musa!”

“Yes my Uga. (Yes my boss).”

“Do your work,” he instructed.

I didn’t understand what he meant until Musa started pushing me out of the compound.

“Oya hanlele Make I dey go. My uga I say I no do again; no be by force I dey work am for somebody. I dey go, abi I no dey go. (You have to go now, my boss said that he is no longer interested in doing business with you. It is not a must that you will repair his car. Are you going or you are not going?)”

Watch out for the next episode