Ken was sweating profusely. A motorcycle had just slammed into the side of his car and broken his side mirror. The bike rider was on his belly, begging him with his hands clenched.
“Sorry sah! Is mistake! Sorry sah!”
“You idiot! Your forefathers cannot pay for the tire of this car.”
“Yes sah!”
By now, the bike rider’s colleagues had joined in the begging. Ken knew he wouldn’t get anything from the man. Even if he sold the bike, it would hardly pay for the car repairs. Standing there, he realised he could either repair the car and miss the monthly financing fee or repair the car
and pay the financing fee to the detriment of other bills. Later that day, he sat beside Mr Kosoko, listening to him mumbling something about his sons. Ken could hardly understand what he was saying, but he sat there, nodding and smiling at him. As long as he showed himself to be a dependable friend, Mr Kosoko would continue to show him mercy concerning the rent, and Ken thought that, perhaps, he could even let him pay it in smaller instalments.
He left the hospital numbing the feeling of his betrayal. Babatunde had called him about a tenant he had met that morning. Although Mr Kosoko’s boys did not care for him, they knew he had some valuable knowledge in handling the affairs of the compound that their father never passed on to them. As Ken hopped into the cab he had ordered, he hoped Babatunde would let him deal with the tenant, so he could get a small fee for his knowledge.
The tenant turned out to be a middle-aged woman. She wore rubber sandals and carried an old leather bag with a worn-out zip. Yet, she declared she was willing to pay ₦1.7 million for the rent. Babatunde didn’t understand how she could afford it, but he was ecstatic about the prospect of receiving much more than he thought possible for the three-bedroom apartment. As soon as she left, Ken said. “You can’t give the house to that woman.”
“Why?” he was slightly angry.
“She’s not the one renting the house. She’s renting it on behalf of yahoo yahoo boys.”
“How do you know?”
“You didn’t see her bag or her sandals? That’s what these boys do these days. They get a responsible-looking woman to rent the place on their behalf, then they move in after you’ve signed all the papers.” Babatunde didn’t care that the new tenants might be internet fraudsters. “If the police come here to raid their apartment and they find you, do you think they wouldn’t arrest you too?”
“So what do I do?”
“You know I’m a sales manager. Leave this thing to me. I will find you a tenant, and I will even do it for free. Just give me the word.” The day had not ended badly, despite the disappointment with his car. After Ken finished dinner, he created a broadcast message
3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in prime area of Surulere.
Peaceful area with security. Can negotiate rent. Tenants wanted.
It didn’t take thirty minutes before the first person responded to the message. She wanted to see the house the next day. Ken smiled, agreed to meet her the next evening, and added a final note:
Consultation fee is ₦5000. Bring it tomorrow.
Saheedat was thinking about her conversation with Babatunde. As odd as it was, she couldn’t forget what she had said to him about diversifying his income. She had investments in stocks and bonds, and on a personal note, she was investing toward her future family by saving for the IVF. The only thing she and Ibrahim hadn’t invested in was real estate. “What are you thinking about, madam? Your face is so serious!”
“Ibrahim, we need to talk.” He set his phone aside and glanced at her. “What have
I done now?” She laughed. “You haven’t done anything. I think we should buy the land.”
Ibrahim shook his head and blinked. “Are you going to tell me what changed your mind?”
“I was telling someone about diversifying investments today, and I realised I was passing up on an opportunity to do exactly that.”
