Early Morning Hustlers

“Thinking that way won't lead anywhere. The earlier he knows that, the better for all”

“How does he suppose to think that will lead to somewhere?”

“ What’s the matter?- are you for his good or are you playing games?”

“ Games are for the losers. Do I look like one to you?”

“ How do losers look?”

“ They look like my uncle we are talking about. That is what few I know look like. Isn’t that funny?- how those guys looks alike? Cash crop dealers”

“ No, it’s not funny. What I sounds funny since talking with you is your attitude toward helping your uncle”

“ How do you mean attitude?- do I need help too?”

“ I am suspecting you need it more urgently than your uncle”

He had gone to his friend’s base telling him about his uncle who had returned from the middle belt States after spending fifteen years as police recruits. But John founds Paul’s attitude to the issue he came with disturbing. Why would he come to him with the story and request advice for his uncle and yet behave like someone that doesn’t want the same uncle's progress? Why come then?

Maybe, had he wanted to know if he will contribute to the man's welfare or what? 

The so-called uncle, few ocassions John had been in his midst, he never disappointed him. He was searching for the fault of the man and saw none which made him continue searching for another month and the search turned negative each time. Why is Paul behaving as if he wants the man still stuck in the rut he is in after all he had gone through as an officer?

He concluded that something else is wrong with the story he is being told. 

“So, what do you say happened that warrants your uncle resigning from the force?”

“ He woke up one morening around 12 midnight and walked up and down the 12 by 12 feet room he shares as a bedroom with his wife about twenty times and decided in the morning with his missus that it is time to call it a day”

“Just like that?—there are no problems with his seniors or something like that?”

“To the best of my knowledge. I don’t know of any other reasons”

“ Why would a man that has gone 65 percent of the journey turn around and went back home?”

“ Had he come asking to be accompanied back to the station to withdraw his resignation letter, I would have concluded that he was under the influence of alcohol or witchcraft attack then. Two months now, he and his wife never entertained such talk and moves. I think it was his clear-headed decision”

John swallowed hard and eyed Paul and said:

 “ I think I will talk to that your uncle and hear from him first hand”

“ What? No. That move sounds insulting to me. It will too to him. No. He will start thinking that I am broadcasting his predicament all over the town. Did he tell you anything about his condition?”

“ No. Why would he?- we are not that close”

“more reason you should not create a question and answer session for me. Please, keep away from that subject matter with any other person except me”

John eyed him again askance and kept staring at no particular object and after about five minutes, he sighed loudly and shake his head, and went back to thumbing through the Novel in his front as if nothing had happened.

This uncle of his always returns home with three crates of egg and a tiny gas cooker. Paul and his siblings never are short of mouth-watering stories to tell each time the man was home. So, what is happening now to make him seem reluctant to help the man that lit his childhood memories aflame to date?

 Something must be wrong. Did he commit a crime and was sent packing or did he threaten or disrespect his senior officers?

Too many questions John wanted answers to. These officers can be something else when at home and opposite while on duty. Chameleon like double-life some live. He concluded that he must find a way of talking to the man but, an excuse to meet him first.

How a man that dines on eggs and other quality foods can not afford now a single square meal with a wife and two kids? Not even that he married a high-maintenance girl or something like that. The wife seems to be sound in the head too, meaning that the man must be sound in the head not pretending while on leave. But, what is at the root of his poverty?

Paul’s mother senior two other siblings before him and in that family, Paul's mother is one of the two that seems to be performing well economically. Why has the woman not made moves to help or maybe, “I am not following well” he murmured to himself as he scratches his head and closed his book, and beckoned his friend that is eyeing him with trepidation to come along for a walk.

Salaried male workers don’t hustle potatoes with middle age illiterate women early in the morning for survival. Each morning, they will troop into a village near the city waiting for potato farmers that made under the bridge there their trading spot for city buyers. That is the job Paul’s uncle Emmanuel does while his wife is into “Mama put” like those roadside food sellers are known. 

The first thing John found out after snooping around for two days was that the man finished only middle school. He don't even have any educational employment entry level when he joined the force. He was acting as a driver to one DPO that period he was returning home with crates of eggs buying Christmas toys for Paul and other relatives. His family never knew that he was buying those things from the little allowance his boss was dropping but then, the boss got changed state and the means of extra money ceased, and living only on his salary became almost impossible. He decided to call it quit after much suffering.

   The thing is that John's mother refused to put his tiny savings into the potatoes business and asked the man to go and learn cosmetics business but her brother insisted the revelation he received after fasting pointed him to the potato business and John’s mother insisted that hers pointed to cosmetics and who got the right revelation was hard to reveal because both are not talking to any one outside their immediate family. 

No friends, no pastors, no prophets, no prophetess. It was both directs to their God and the result is two different results from acclaimed one source.

Two months after John became interested in the man’s affairs, he was dealing not only with potatoes but garri and plantains in bags and heads.

John had found out that two guys in his class are from the interior town in neighboring states known for planting and having those two items in tons and decided that maybe truly, the man’s revelation was right and that must have been why he is interested in his life and decided to talk the talk and walk the walk and the result of both were the two guys from his class talking to their parents and Mr. Emmanuel's revelation started shining brighter in mini bus full of those items.