A Wick Game For Three

NEW STORY ALERT!!

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.”