Chapter 4: Money and Pride No Be Mate

Everybody vex as dem hear am.

The air thick, as if small spark fit cause explosion. Boys dey push each other, dey form group. One or two dey remove helmet, dey ready to fight.

Dem just rush am.

Dem no care again. Boys dey drag Baba Musa shirt, dey talk loud. If no be say im wife dey, wahala for bust.

Dem hold Baba Musa for shirt, wan beat am.

Sule hold am for collar, another boy dey push, voice dey loud. One aboki wey dey sell suya dey shout, "No fight here o!"

“You dey talk rubbish! Who dey starve for your food? If no be Uncle Olumide say your family dey depend on this business, who for dey chop your nonsense food?”

One boy from plumbing team dey shout, his face dey red with anger.

“So now business good, you wan use us finish. You and your wife no get conscience!”

The crowd dey swell, people dey record with phone, dey wait for drama.

When I first meet Baba Musa near my daughter school, him cloth tear, him face just dey dull.

That picture still dey my head—how Baba Musa dey beg, voice soft, hand dey shake.

I talk with am, na so I hear say both parents dey sick, first son dey secondary school, second daughter still dey for junior school.

Na the story touch my heart. For Naija, everybody get wahala, but e get as some matter fit touch you reach bone.

I pity am, buy twenty food box for boys to try.

The boys look me that day, say "Oga, you try."

That time, boys dey bring their own food.

People dey manage garri and groundnut, some dey fry yam for site. But everybody dey struggle, food dey spoil quick for sun.

E no easy, dry season food dey spoil, for rainy time food dey sour.

If rain fall, you go hear, "O boy, my rice don sour!" All of us dey laugh, but e no funny.

When dem hear say food box na one thousand naira and belleful, everybody happy.

The news spread quick. Boys dey hail me, dey thank me. Na so joy enter site.

Na so Baba Musa start dey supply us food.

E begin dey build better stall, buy generator, even dey bring music sometimes. The place turn to correct joint.

I no believe say after just three years, he don tire.

People dey say, "Money dey spoil person." I dey see am live.

As boys wan fight, I rush hold dem.

I run enter the middle, dey beg, dey use small authority wey I get. "Abeg, make una cool down. No disgrace site for outside."

All these site boys get power, if fight start, wahala go burst.

If one block land for person head, na hospital straight.

I call some calm boys, tell dem make dem help hold others.

Sule and Uche dey help, dey talk to their guys. We dey form small circle around Baba Musa, dey shield am.

Then I talk to Baba Musa gently.

I use my calmest voice. "Baba Musa, make we reason am as men. No be fight, just gree say things don change."

“Baba Musa, I dey buy food and cook for house too, I sabi estimate. Even if our people dey chop, you still dey make at least three hundred naira for each box.”

I dey try calculate am, dey give am breakdown. Other boys dey nod, dey agree.

“We get more than two hundred boys dey chop here. If you stop our business, na almost two hundred thousand naira you go lose every month.”

People dey murmur, dey talk, "Oga dey talk true."

Baba Musa just wave am off.

He twist face, hand dey fly, dey do as if na small pikin dey talk.

“Uncle Olumide, make I no lie you. The reason why I dey reduce una food na because I no want una business again.”

E talk am without fear, eye dey wide. Everybody shock, dey look am.

He point the new dance academy across the road.

E use hand, point like say e dey call prosperity.

“You see that place? Dem get more than one thousand students. Dem dey watch shape, so dem no dey chop, dem no want oil, dem no want salt, dem no want seasoning.”

He begin dey count with finger, dey boast. Some boys dey laugh, dey mock am with dance step.

“In one month, I dey save plenty money just for seasoning.”

He tap im head, dey calculate money for air.

“The same one-thousand-naira food box, the cost for those students no even reach quarter of una own. Your business? I no want. After all, we no sign any contract.”

He put hand for pocket, dey bounce. Boys dey hiss, dey say, "Na wa o, see person wey we help."

Baba Musa talk true. Na we trust am, so we no sign paper.

Everybody dey reason am. For Naija, handshake no dey reach elbow.

But…

I look across the road, I nearly laugh.

If no be say the thing dey pain me, I for burst laugh for there. Life get as e be.

That dance academy na my wife get am. The school dey build canteen, but e never ready, so students dey find how to chop.

Na so e be for Lagos—everybody dey hustle, connections dey everywhere. My wife dey try build, e never open fully.

Some dey bring their own food, the rest dey buy Baba Musa food box.

The students dey complain small, but as e cheap pass everywhere, dem just dey manage.

But yesterday my wife tell me, the canteen go open next week.

She dey happy, dey talk say "We go use correct caterer, my students no go suffer."

As I remember this, I just sigh: “Okay, Baba Musa. Since you no want our business, we go find another place chop.”

I talk am calm, no raise voice. Boys dey nod, dey ready move.

Baba Musa wife rush come try hold me.

She dey beg, dey talk say "Oga, abeg, make una stay."

She still want our small money.

I sabi the pain of woman wey dey reason house rent, school fees. I pity her small.

But Baba Musa shout for her.

He raise hand, voice loud. "Leave those people! Dem think say without them we go die?"

“Woman, no let this man deceive you! Na only our food box dey for this area. Other restaurant dey charge one thousand five hundred naira just for ordinary indomie—dem fit afford am? Dem go still bring their own food.”

He dey list other places, dey boast. Boys dey laugh, dey shake head.

“When dem tire for self-cook, dem go come beg me, and by then, food box no go be one thousand naira again, na one five I go sell.”

He twist mouth, dey form boss. Some agberos dey clap for am for background.

As I see am dey do like king, my belle turn, I carry my people comot.

No time to waste, hunger dey catch us. Boys dey follow, dey grumble.

But Baba Musa hold me.

He stretch hand, dey block road. "Oga Olumide, no try am."

“No go! After all this wahala, your boys don comot, but I don already cook these food box for una, you must buy all of dem.”

His face hard, eyes stubborn. He dey try form street, but people dey watch, dey judge am for mind.