THE GHOST OF ARO (ePIsoDe 5)

As Yinka mounted the podium to give his testimony at Mountain of Holiness Bible Church-Ajah, Elechi and Cyprian smiled in adoration. They finally escaped the claws of poverty. Though they had families who cared about them, their condition was not better than Yinka’s. They’ve been friends all through hard times and they knew Yinka would not desert them when things changed for better. They moved together into Yinka’s new apartment; a tastefully finished 4 Bedroom duplex on the high class area of Ajah. While doing so, he promised to make them his business partners in the art company he was setting up. Yes; he told them how he got the money; they were that close.

Yinka waved his brand new car key to the congregation and they screamed!

“Brother Yinka has bought a car!” He heard a girl shout from the choir stand.

“I want to thank God,” Yinka testified. “For many years now, after my graduation from school, I couldn’t get a job. But last week I did a small business, and I got some money I never dreamt I would ever see in my life!”

The whole church screamed. They never knew Yinka testified some lies. Was it really a business? Anyway, who cares? All they needed to know was that he did something to get the car. After all, some would still think the business he was talking about was related to his art work.

The scream lasted for about five minutes after Yinka left the podium. Even those richer church members who used to ignore him before now congratulated him: it was as if they were welcoming him into their high class-and Yinka enjoyed it. When the pastor mounted the pulpit to preach, Yinka was the topic of the preaching. He even made him HOD of Ushering department.

“While he was making that testimony, the spirit of God told me he would be replacing the former HOD who just relocated to Abuja due to transfer in his job.” The pastor announced.

He left the church cruising around town with three girls from the church. The finest one sat on the passenger sit beside him, while he drove. As usual, Cyprian and Elechi had to make do with the other two, sitting with them at the back. They used to do such, even when there was no money-it was expected that their promiscuity would increase now that there was money.

After eating nice meals at Chicken Republic in Ajah, and going to Yinka and his friends’ new abode, the girls ended up in their bed till late in the evening. They were released around 10pm, dropping them off at the junction of their houses. Only God knows what they told their parents... maybe the usual lie of some young girls; “We had long rehearsals because of the choir concert that is coming up.” Nevertheless that didn’t mean the girls would not be discarded by the boys a month later.

The following day Yinka was scheduled to hold a meeting with some artists he employed last week about how he wanted to run his art gallery. He needed not to rack his brain any more for paintings since he could afford to hire them: After all the gallery was just a camouflage, the money he made from Aro’s deal was not something he could finish with a year’s reckless spending. Even he wondered why Aro paid him that much for such a simple task, though it was frightening.

On the way to the office, situated on Victoria island, they stopped at Tasty Fried Chicken to buy their breakfast. Yinka was paying for the take away order when he noticed a white girl staring at him.

“If I eat this white chick, is it a bad thing?” He whispered to his friends.

“Why not?” Elechi said.

“You have your money. Spend it man!” Cyprian added.

He gave his friends instruction to hold his scheduled meeting, and approached the girl. They had to take bike to go to the office and meet the new staffs, yet it was a sacrifice they were willing to pay. But they never knew Yinka was beginning to bite more than he could chew.

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