An Alibi

Chapter 4

An Alibi

“Nku is our man. He 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 Texas street boy; smoke spiraled through his

nostrils as he said figuratively, “With seven point five you are inches away

from 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 California

tomorrow’s night.”

“Yes, yes.”

“I just sold my only inheritance.”

“And I stole my father’s gratuity, a disguised

inheritance too, so?” said Azuaka Jnr. and his cigarette came between his thick

lips; his eyes dimmed; he was already drawing as much smoke as he could.

“Are you sure we are going to make it? Do you

believe in this project? 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. I always doubt its

impossibility. But I don’t want to be feckless. It is possible to create

software that can siphon money from any bank account within five seconds.  Besides Nku is an ICT genius now; whenever I

remember that, all I see pessimism, money, wealth, possibility.”

Azuaka Jnr. chuckled. He knew Agu as much as Nku.

They had been cronies way 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 individual contribution which will be transferred to the

software financiers. He has spent three years in New York for this project,

remember and he’s a software guru now. We will make it.”

“Yes, in less than three months we will be stealing

from bank accounts of people, banks all over the world. The software will help

us steal and render the world broke. I know all that, my man.” He puffed his

cigarette to the butt 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 and some dropped on the

floor.

“Our money isn’t yet complete. Is he going to take

that excuse from us?”

“We will reason together. We will explain things to

him. It has never been easy for any of us. He will be considerate. We are safe,

son of man. Hope you’re not nervous anymore?”

“Come on, a normal American dude would do same isn’t

it?” he mumbled and his smile came from an unsatisfied, fearful soul.

“Believe it, we are rendering the world broke, do

you understand 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 had thorny mindsets and he went on to encourage him with

the uncertainty he faced in Texas;

“My dad and his five million dollars, hmm!” he

chortled, clicking his fingers, and continued. “I didn’t see myself stealing

that money from him. I am not boastful but I want you to know the possibility

of making this software happen. 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.

“Yes bro, I believe 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 doughnut only to see the doughnut seller dishing me

doughnut with my CV papers, 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

doughnut 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 dollars 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 somewhere 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 girl 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. Isn’t he a rich, influential Mexican man?”

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 software!”

“The world is in our pockets!” 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, yes, I

am. I have come a long way, a long way from my father’s gratuity. I wonder what

would become of the old man now. I am sorry, father. Monkeys’ software will

make it up to you. I will make it up to you when I become rich.

***

 Hmm, if it is

not working out show me a sign, Lord, Agu came with his thought. All my

inheritance is deeply involved, Lord. Please, God, don’t fail Agu, your street

son. I just need more money. Let the world be in my pocket now and the

declining days of my life.

 The whistling

cold wind of winter outside took over their thought.

The software loomed on…

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