By Amie Sillah Problems! Problems! Problems! Problems started surfacing between Aisha and Saer as they found themselves incompatible. He stopped his car and confronted her. “What is happening? You refused to pick my calls; what is going on?” “Why should I call you when you call me names and insult my personality; can’t you see it we are incompatible! You insulted me and have to apologize before I accept you again.” “Apologize for what?” Aisha walked away as she left Saer bewildered. K.B He is very moody and sleeping Mama came and woke him up. “Why sleeping at this time of the day? Are you okay?” “I am Mama it is only that business is dull today and I decided to go for repairs.” “Is it business or Aisha’s troubles?” “Why bring Aisha into this? It has nothing to do with her.” “Aisha has not visited us for sometimes now; if there is no problem why so?” “She is at school that’s why she is not seen around but soon it will be holidays and you’ll surely see her.” Mama shook her head and left as she is not convinced. “Allah intervene and save my son from the clutches of this Jezebel of a girl call Aisha,” she prayed quietly. Ousman (Ous) He is the new guy. ‘smart’, ‘Americana’, speaking in slangs and dandy looking the favourite of the babes. Ous hooked up with Aishaat the night club where she went with Begay. Now he is all over them; “Ous! Ous the Americana! He swags all over the place and he is dandy. I love him,” Aisha reported excitedly. Matilda frowned while Begay jumped with excitement. Saer He visited the campus and met a friend of the girls and asked her name. “Sister excuse me! What is your name?” “Caroline.” “Caro! I am Saer and have come to visit Aisha my fiancée; can I see her?” “Let me go in and check for you.” She came back and explained she is not in. “What about her friends, Begay and Matty?” “They went out together but to where I don’t know.” “Thank you but when she comes tell her Saer came.” “Okay sir I’ll do just that.” Caro assured him. A Date Ous invited the girls to a date and treated them like princesses. He bragged about his stay in the U.S, the business he does and the type of friends he keeps and many other untrue tales. The two friends were mesmerized and overwhelmed as they open their mouth and asked unenlightened questions. “Babes! You are local ‘niggas’ but by the time I am done with you, you’ll be transformed into Americana babes trust me! I’ll make you swag and fly to higher heights!” Matilda is very angry and regretted to have come with the duo. She remained quiet throughout the period until they return home. While they were dining Saer rang Aisha but she decided to put her phone off. Saer He is very frustrated and disillusioned. He went to a shop in the village and decided to ring Papa to report Aisha’s queer behaviour. “Papa! Aisha is playing hanky-panky game with me; she refused to pick my calls and when I visited her hostel I found her and her friends gone out to where I do not know. I am getting discouraged by the day realizing that Aisha is drifting away from my grip. What can you do sir to help me to help salvage my relationship with your daughter?” An Unexpected ‘Friend’ K.B came out of the shop and mocked at Saer. “Americana boy! Are you complaining to Papa about Aisha my fiancée? This is the small cloth to put on your head before lifting the heavy load which is yet to come. American boy my foot! Monkey works Babu eats! Do you know the fortune I put on that babe’s head? And do you think Allah is asleep to make you go Scott-free? Do unto others what you would like them do to you! You did it to me and now Ous a ‘super boy’ also did it to you. Ha! Ha! Ha!” He offered him pure water. “It is very hot; pour this pure water to soak your head to prevent stroke. Look at my brand new taxi very different from your third hand car,” K.B threw jibes at Saer who enraged entered his car and drove away. Ous He took Aisha on a shopping spree and bought a lot of goodies. She is on top of the sky as he drove her home. She emptied the contents on the bed and Begay got mesmerized and heaped praises on Ous. “This is the guy! Look at the fortune he spent on these goodies just to put a smile on the face of his fiancée?” Matilda She is disgusted with Begay’s opportunism. “What makes you so gullible? Day before yesterday was K.B, yesterday was Saer and today it is the ‘mighty Ous’, you are so disgusting! What is so special about Ous?” Matty asked with disgust. Aisha “Why do you waste your precious energy on an old maid such as Matty?It is poverty she knows and poverty she embraces that is why K.B cannot be taken out of her system and she lives in the past, ours is the future don’t mind her. My Ous is young, smart, cute, dandy and above all ‘free hand’, very generous.” Matty “What is special about Ous, I asked again? To me he looks more like a drug addict, shaking, and incoherent empty talks!” Aisha She scolded Matty. “What do you know about drug addiction? You are only a student using big grammar what happens to us when you are qualified or better still becomes an American nurse? I love Ous and nothing said by a fool like you discourages me.” Matty “He is insulting you by calling you ‘village niggas’ and you don’t even know about it. Many of us are from the village including Ous so why should he scorn village people?” Aisha “As for me I don’t feel insulted when he calls me ‘village nigga’ it is just a slang way of speaking, we ‘swags’ as villagers; what about you Tenneng, do you feel insulted?” Tenneng Begay “Not at all, I feel elated when he says we ‘swag’.” Matty ignored her friends and refused to be part of the fruitless exchanges. Saer with Papa Saer came to Papa to lay his bitter complaint. “Someone is distracting Aisha I am very certain about that but who I do not know.” Papa “It is only one boy I know of who can be the distractor and he is no other than K.B the taxi driver.” Saer “You are right Papa, he is the very one. Earlier today I met him in a village shop when I went to make you a call and he came out mocking at me and hurled insults at me.” Papa “K.B! That son of a bitch want to put sand into my ‘chere’? I’ll eat him raw if I catch him alive!” To be Cont. ]]>
