Seeing that he had no other choice, Michael eventually agreed to the proposal after which he was released to go home. “My boys will be in touch with you to make visa arrangements” the senator informed him, “but remember you must keep this to yourself or be prepared to kiss this world goodbye” the senator warned as Michael was ushered out of his mansion.
Later that day, when Michael got home, he sat and thought long and hard about everything that had happened, “how did I get here?” He asked himself, shaking his head as he sat with his head down, staring at the floor. He thought hard about a way out but every option he thought of required funds which he did not have and he had exhausted all his avenues for borrowing money. He considered the option of accepting Chief’s offer and went online to research on the possible health implications and was shocked at his findings.
Coc@ine is a very addictive stimulant drug that has serious side effects. When taken in high doses, it can lead to a number of complications. If a wrap or wraps of cocaine burst in the digestive system after being swallowed, the body is exposed to high doses of coc@ine and it could result in many complications including a heart attack, stroke, seizures, irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, kidney failure and eventually de@th. Michael considered the option of suicide but concluded that it would be a cowardly way out. If he decided to go with the senator’s proposal, he would either fulfil his dream of moving to the USA or die in transit, both of which had a 50-50 chance of happening. He decided that he would accept his fate and carry out the assignment but pray hard not to get caught, after all, if he made it, he would have his dream of living in the USA.
***
Back in the UK, Ama had dropped out of school, she couldn’t handle going to school and taking care of the kids at the same time. The kids were with her most of the time, she could only work when they were in school, which meant that her shifts were limited to during the day and the weekends when the kids were away with their dad. Her day shift schedules usually clashed with her school timetable, this meant she had to choose between going to school and working to pay her bills, she had no choice but to settle for the latter.
Deji and Jordanna had taken their relationship to the next level and were seeing each other. Jordanna gave him the kind of peace of mind that Ama failed to give him, she was loving and respectful and always wanting the best for him. The children also loved her and enjoyed spending time with her.
Deji was still managing with his customer service job from which he usually sent a percentage as child support to Ama for the children’s upkeep. He had started making plans to return to Nigeria. He called one of his uncles who was a Senior manager at one of the banks in Nigeria to ask for help with getting another job and he promised to recommend him for a job once there was an opening. Luckily, a few weeks later, one of the managers in the bank quit his job to relocate abroad and his uncle recommended him for the role as promised. He had been interviewed for the role and was waiting for a management decision on whether or not he had been approved to proceed to the next stage which was to be a final stage interview which would require him to travel back to Nigeria. Deji had made up his mind that, regardless of the outcome of the interview, he would move back to Nigeria; he had vowed that if he got the opportunity to travel back home for the interview, nothing would bring him back to live in London.
About a week after his last interview, he received a call from the Human Resources department of the new bank, they were calling to invite him for the final interview just as he had hoped. “I will definitely be there” Deji responded grinning from ear to ear, “I look forward to receiving further details via email” he replied before hanging up.
“What’s up?” Jordanna asked moving to sit closer to him after he hung up, “I made it to the final stage” he announced excitedly, “oh my gosh! Congratulations!” Jordanna screamed while hugging him, “you’ve always wanted this, I’m happy for you” she added, “I can’t wait to go back” Deji shouted, “so what happens to us?” Jordanna asked, the smile slowly disappearing from her face. She wanted to be happy for him but at the same time, she couldn’t help but worry about the future of their relationship. “Whether or not I get this job, once I get settled back home, I will come back for you” Deji promised, “are you really sure about going back to Nigeria?” Jordanna asked,looking doubtful, “you’ve been here for at least 3 years, can you honestly say you’re living your dream? Aren’t you tired of feeling like a second class citizen?” Deji asked, holding her by her two shoulders and shaking her gently, “well, you do have a point” Jordanna replied “but at least we have basic amenities back here” she added, “don’t get it twisted sweetheart, I had basic amenities back home too. I lived in an estate with 24 hours power supply and top notch security, my healthcare was fully covered by my company and I was earning well, I could satisfy both my needs and wants. Now I’m here and I’m barely able to satisfy my needs” Deji explained.
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“So why did you leave Nigeria then?” Jordanna asked, “because my wife wanted to leave so bad that she wouldn’t let me have peace. I left Nigeria because I wanted to save my marriage, I wanted to keep my family together but I ended up losing the very thing that made me leave” Deji replied looking downcast, “ if I had put my foot down and insisted on staying, I would have at least still had my great job” Deji added, “but you’re on your way to getting another great job” Jordanna replied, “everything happens for a reason, so don’t feel bad about it. Learn from your mistakes, pick your pieces and build again” she said, kissing his forehead.” Thanks for being there” Deji replied, squeezing her hand, “you’re not going to regret this, I promise” he said looking into her eyes and kissing her hand.
Few days before leaving for Nigeria, Deji decided to inform Ama about his plans to travel, he thought it was necessary to inform her because he planned to be away for a while and that meant he wouldn’t be taking the kids on weekends as usual and the child support he was paying would be temporarily stopped since he had quit his minimum wage job to return home.
He went to her apartment in the evening when he knew she would be home and knocked on the door, “Oh! It’s you” she said rolling her eyes when she opened the door, “why are you here? It’s not the weekend yet so you can’t have the kids” she snapped, “that’s not why I’m here” Deji replied maintaining his calm, “ok, so why are you here?” Ama replied, folding her arms across her chest while blocking the doorway, “we need to talk. Can I come in?” Deji asked, “talk about what?” Ama snapped, “you have a girlfriend now so you can forget about us getting back together, it’s never going to happen” Ama said giving him a stern look, “can we please talk?” Deji insisted, “fine” Ama replied, “the kids are asleep, so I guess you can come in” she added, stepping aside reluctantly.
Deji walked into the apartment and looked around, he had not been allowed to enter since the day he left, Ama always handed the kids over to him at the door or brought them to his apartment. The house was looking so unkempt and untidy, with dirty dishes in the sink and clothes and shoes scattered here and there. It was obvious that Ama was having a difficult time combining house chores with taking care of the kids. The sofa had toys and different things scattered on it, so he settled for sitting at the dining table, at least it had two empty chairs where they could both sit and talk.
“Please sit” he said, motioning Ama to sit on the chair beside him, “I’m fine standing” Ama replied leaning on the kitchen counter beside the sink, “ok if that’s what you want” Deji replied, “why are you here?” Ama asked cutting to the chase, as Deji began narrating the reason for his visit. When he was done talking , Ama stood staring at him like she had just received really bad news, “so what you’re trying to tell me is that you’re going to Nigeria and leaving me here with the kids?” Ama asked still shocked at what she had just heard, “I plan to come back for my kids” Deji replied, “what did you just say?” Ama asked, now looking furious, “it’s obvious you’re having a hard time taking care of them. They need to go back home where they can have the quality of life that they are used to” Deji explained, “so when you take them what happens to me?” Ama asked, “that’s up to you” Deji replied nonchalantly , “you wanted to be here so bad and now you’re here” he added, “I mean, you hate Nigeria so much, I won’t want to torture you by asking you to return home with us” Deji replied sarcastically as Ama stood fuming and looking at him like she was about to explode.
“Well, that’s all I came to tell you” Deji said, rising to his feet, “I’ll be leaving in a few days” he announced, pushing his chair back under the table. He was about to head towards the door, when Ama suddenly drew out a knife from her kitchen set on the counter, and pointed it at him, “what do you think you’re doing?” Deji shouted, moving back and raising his hands in surrender, “you will not leave me alone here” Ama replied moving closer, “we came here together and we must leave together, but we won’t go back to Nigeria” Ama continued, raising the knife, “we will go back to heaven to meet our creator.”
Find out what happens next in episode 25 #checkwithdoctoro
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