37 Late

You were supposed to be here at 8.00 a.m. When did you get this letter? She asked. I received it from her and told her I would explain later.

Passing through the General office where many

handsome boys and girls were working, I went straight to Mohammed Ali's office. I knocked on his door and entered. As soon as I entered I nearly looked to my right on noting that someone was

typing there, but quickly succeeded in not doing so.

My right side housed his wife, who it would be fatal to look at.

'Good morning sir' I said as I bowed. He waved me to a seat and continued writing. I sat down uncomfortably. He seemed to have forgotten about me because he wrote almost for an hour

without caring whether I was waiting or not. I nearly forgot that I existed.

It was his voice that jolted me to attention: You

have stopped smoking and drinking but certain acts of ungodliness still hang on you. ... And you have the effrontery to come late for one hour thirty one minutes against all the warnings

contained in my wife's letter to you concerning such matters.'

I didn't say anything. 'I am still going to employ you and you will start work today.' he said.

I had nothing to say to this because of the fear of saying the wrong thing. He brought out a key from his drawer and handed it to me. Go to flat 29 in Federal Lowcost and live there. That would be your house for as long as you work for me.'

I received the key and thanked him. Giving me another key he said 'You will go to Alhaji Muktar Yusuf of Palma Motors in Kofa Biu and get a car.

It is yours for as long as you work for me.' I received it and thanked him. This is a cheque which you will cash from Union Bank along Kashim Ibrahim Road.' he said.

'It is your take-off-money.' I received the cheque and thanked him. It was a cheque of two thousand dollars. Everything appeared to me like a dream. I looked at myself properly before I could be convinced that this wasn't happening in a dream.

The next thing he said to me took me by surprise I almost fainted on the chair Do not stay with Mmembe again. You have stayed with her for too long.'

This took me by surprise because I had thought all along that my stay with Mmembe was about the only thing that Mohammed Ali was did not know. His next statement no less surprising.

Return the forms you got from to him' he said. "You refused to fill the forms because you don't

want me to know that you had been a prisoner in Agodi prison a badan for seven years. Mallam Askira would need the forms.

Therefore return them to him. I was hearing for the first time that the huge man in Palma Motors from whom I got the form was called Mallam. Askira. I was gropping for words. You can now set out for your car and your house.

When you have got everything, report back.' I thanked him and stood up. As I opened the door I heard a wild roar of simultaneous laughter from the workers in the General office. Their laughter

was so resounding that Mohammed Ali followed me out to see what was happening.

I didn't look back to see if he was following me

but footsteps behind, me showed that he was.

I passed through the workers who were still wild with laughter,

Then, immediately the laughter stopped. I was forced to look back and see why there was such a dramatic stop. Mohammed Ali was standing in the General office.

I took a taxi to the Union Bank. There were several cheques on the counter and I put mine among them. The man at the counter collected all the cheques together and started to stamp them one by one. As soon as he picked my own cheque he recognised that mine was signed by Mohammed Ali. I think he knew this through the signature.

Who is Akaa Iyortyer?" He asked. I raised my hand. The man picked my cheque and abandoned all other cheques. In a minute he returned with two thousand naira notes which he handed to me. He then began to stamp the other cheques. I started to go amidst hostile and envious eyes that

pierced at me from customers who were there hours before I came.

Loaded with money, I got another taxi to take me to Palma Motors. At Palma Motors I went to the huge man, Mallam Askira and told him that I was the guy who got some forms from him days back and that I was going to return' them to hire as I was no longer interested in working in Palma Motors. I remember said.

Mallam Askira. "The Imam said that even if you filled the form we should not employ you here. He wants you to work in Ali Group of Companies for a private reason, I heard.

What private reason? I asked: don't really know' said Mallam skira with transparent honesty 'But that's what he said. Infact, he didn't tell me. It only filtered to me." I asked him to show me Alhaji Muktar Yusuf's office, which he did. As soon as I entered his office the Alhaji said 'You are welcome Mr. Iyortyer.'

I was shocked. This was because I had never met Alhaji Muktar Yusuf and did not know how he got to know me, 'Come.' I followed him to a car park which housed about a hundred me Mercedes. He pointed to one of them, blue in colour and told me to go and take it.

That's your car, I thanked him and went to the car. When I was to open it, it struck me that there might be no fuel in it. This was because I was suspicious of my good luck. I hesitated a bit and

turned to the Alhaji who appeared to have read my mind.

Thetank is full' I heard. I entered the Car. Before I could start the engine the Alhaji said I will try and secure a driving licence for you soon.' I told him I didn't need any driving licence because I had one already. You won't use the one you have' said the

Alhaji 'because we understand it belongs to your brother.'

Thiswas the time I began to feel that Mohammed Ali be a wizard.

How did he or his people come to know that my licence wasn't mine?'

When my twin brother died the only legacy he left for me was the licence. Although I had no licence of my own I had successfully used this licence because my late twin brother whose passport appeared on the licence was exactly like me. Policemen have been examining the passport against my face and had always been convinced that the face in the passport was mine.

Mohammed Ali by and his agents were civilians and yet they were able to know this secret.