A GAME FOR FOUR

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A GAME FOR FOUR

CHAPTER 1

One bright Sunday afternoon, I was sitting in my living room, half asleep and minding my own business. The weather was hot as was usual with that time of the year. The day was also very boring because there was no electricity. Just last week, that transformer that supplied light to our neighbourhood had caught fire. We had no idea when it would be replaced. It could take weeks, even months, we had no idea. It would have been better if my phone was on, but my phone was off because I hadn’t charged it well in about two days.

On a working day, I would have felt less bored, since I would have been at work. However, it was weekend, and there was no way I could fight my boredom by staying at home. So, I decided to go to an off-license bar that was around my neighbourhood. The owner had a standby generator. It was an opportunity for me to get my phone charged, and also to have some entertainment to ease off my boredom.

I went into my bedroom, dressed smart and casually, locked my door and went downstairs to the bar. When I got there, I saw that there were other people drinking and chatting excitedly because there was a Champions League Match going on. After haven given my phone to the bartender to charge, I sat down, ordered a bottle of juice, for I didn’t drink alcohol, and joined in watching the match on a huge plasma TV.

About three hours later, the generator ran out of fuel and the bartender announced that she wouldn’t be turning it on again until nighttime, since fuel had become expensive because of the recent removal of fuel subsidy. I had no more reason to stay there. So, I decided to go home. I went to the bartender to collect my phone before going, but I didn’t meet her there. The person I met instead was the owner of the place herself. She smiled as I approached her.

“You want another drink?” She asked.

“No, I came to get my phone. I gave it to your salesgirl to charge it for me.” I replied.

“She is not my salesgirl. She is my daughter.” She corrected me.

“Oh! Your daughter? You have such a big daughter?” I was surprised.

“Yes, why?”

“You don’t look to me like someone who has such a grown-up daughter. You look quite young to be the mother of such a girl.”

“Indeed!” She laughed. “She is my daughter. Anyway, I had her when I was only fifteen.”

“That makes sense to me now. Anyway, since you have turned of your generator, I have to go back home. Would you be so kind as to give me my phone?”

“There are a number of phones here.” She replied. “Would you be so kind as to tell me which one is yours?”

“The iPhone.”

“Oh! So, you are the one whose phone has been ringing endlessly? Your line is hotter than MTN itself.” She laughed.

“My phone has been ringing. It was supposed to be off.”

“I don’t know, maybe my daughter turned it on.”

“That is possible. Anyway, let me see who has been calling.”

She handed the phone to me. I checked my call log and realized that it was my boss who had been calling. Why was he calling me on a Sunday? So, I couldn’t rest even on a Sunday? Vexed, I put the phone in my hip pocket and turned to go.

“Are you alright?” The lady asked.

“Yes, I am. Why?”

“You don’t look happy. You were smiling just now and all of a sudden, everything changed. Or is it because your phone is not fully charged yet?”

“No, far from that. It is something that has to do with my job.”

“Alright, but in case you need to continue charging your phone, you can come back by 6:30 PM. The generator will be on again by that time.”

“Thank you, I will be back.”

I went back to my house, and feeling good because my phone was now on, I sat on an armchair and started browsing. As I browsed, I thought about my boss’ missed call. I decided I would call him only when I was about to go to sleep. I didn’t want to attend to anything that had to do with work on a Sunday.

As I continued browsing, my mind went back to the owner of the bar and her daughter. From the way she looked, she couldn’t be more than thirty-five years old. Yet she had a daughter that was about twenty years old. That was really impressive. Sometimes, it’s good to have children when you are much younger. Her daughter now looks like her sister, and she was very beautiful, just like her mother. Anyway, I decided that it was not my business. So, I turned my attention back to my phone.

It was around 6:15 PM now and I was still concentrating on my phone when I heard a knock on my door.

“Who is there?” I asked.

“Uncle, it is me.”

“Your name, please.”

“Mathilda.”

Wondering who was Mathilda, I got up and went to see who was at the door. To my greatest surprise, it was the bar owner’s beautiful daughter. She smiled broadly as she looked at me. I had seen that smile before. It was the same way her mother had smiled when I had gone to collect my phone just that afternoon.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Fine, Uncle.”

“So, how may I be of help to you?”

“My mum said I should tell you that she is about to turn on the gen again. So, you can come and continue charging your phone.”

“Really? Wow! That is both thoughtful and considerate of her. Tell I am on my way.”

“Ok, Uncle, I am going.”

“Ok, bye.”

“Bye, uncle.”

As she left, I stood by my door and watched her leave. I loved the way she rolled it. She could make a good girlfriend but, she was already spoiling business for me. She was calling me ‘uncle’. Why was she doing a thing like that? I wasn’t very much older than her. I was going to celebrate my birthday, my twenty seventh birthday in a few weeks. She was around twenty years and counting. The age difference wasn’t that much. So, why was she calling me ‘uncle’?”

She could be doing it as a form of respect, which was a good thing, but I didn’t want her respect. At least not for now. Calling me that complicates any thought of asking her out. It made my journey into her heart difficult. Now, I had to first of all try to eradicate the ‘uncle’ name, and then, start the process afresh. Anyway, what comes to a man is always within his capabilities. I decided that for now, I would go charge my phone. I would worry about the uncle thing later.

I went back to the bar and handed my phone to her mother. I got a seat and sat down, watching TV while waiting for the phone to charge. I was fully absorbed in the movie that was playing when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and it was the smiling face of Mathilda. I smiled back.

“My mum said I should ask you what brand of drink you would like.”

“Drink? I haven’t ordered for any drink. I just want to sit and wait for my phone to charge.” I spoke.

“She said you would say that, and that if you do, I should tell you that it is on the house.” She smiled.

“On the house? What does that mean?”

“It means she is paying for it?”

“Hmm! Okay, in that case, bring me a bottle of cold Chill.”

“Okay, Uncle.”

It had been three hours now, and I felt like it was time to go home. So, I got up from my seat and went to the bar to get my phone, but I didn’t meet her mother. I asked Mathilda to give my phone, but she said her mother had taken it to their house which was just beside the bar. She said her mother said there were already too many phones to charge before I could come. So, there was no more space on the distributor for me to plug in my charger. That was why she had to take it to their house to charge it.

“Hmm! But I am about to go home now. What do I do?” I asked.

“She said I should give you another bottle of beer. She would return with your phone soon."

“Alright.” I got the other bottle, sat down again and continued drinking and watching TV.

An hour later, and by now, everyone had gone except Mathilda herself, her mother showed up, my phone in hand.

“I am sorry to have wasted your time.” She apologized.

“What took you so long?” I asked, slightly irritated. She had made me waste my time and I had to sleep early so that I could go to work the following day on time.

“I was watching an interesting Filipino Telenovela. I didn’t want to miss any bit.”

“Alright, thank you anyway.” I spoke and collected my phone from her. I checked and it was fully charged.

Happily, I quickly gulped my drink, intending to call it a night and go home, but she stopped me. She asked Mathilda to bring two more bottles, one for her and the other for me, and then, asked Mathilda to go home. She wanted just the two of us to be around. However, I quickly declined.

“I don’t want to drink anymore.”

“Why?”

“Because my tummy is full. I have had two bottles already, remember?”

“I know, but you can manage just one more.” She urged.

“No, I can’t, I am sorry.”

“Okay, they should bring you something smaller. Mathi, please, bring him malt.”

She was very persuasive. So, I conceded and took the malt. As soon as she was sure that Mathilda, her daughter, had gone, she began.

“Why are you hurrying home as if you have someone waiting for you. Do you?” She asked.

“No, it’s late already. That’s why.”

“Don’t you enjoy my company?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Alright, now, I have never seen you with a girl since you started living in this neighbourhood. Why is that?”

“Must you see me?”

“Yeah, it’s a small neighbourhood and everybody knows everybody.”

“Well, I don’t have.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t found one worthy enough.”

“Really? That is strange since there are a lot of nice girls in this neighbourhood.”

“Well, there are but I haven’t found any worthy enough. Don’t feel bad about that. You are a beautiful woman, and I would have loved you to be that special one. However, I have always known that you are married.”

“So, if am married, don’t they chat up married women?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes widening.

TO BE CONTINUED…