Hey Guys!!!
Its been a while and I'm so eager to get back.

Been pretty much distracted lately. Distracted by how good others are when it comes to writing or how others do a lot of things better than I do, and you know you start to feel maybe you should quit after all.

Maybe that's where you are right now and that feeling of 'I don't think I'm good enough' sets in.

I gat good news for you, you may not be so skillful as other are or so graceful and talented at others are,but you still have something to offer to the world.

So, instead of just standing idle and admiring the 'florescent light' of someone else, shine yours even if its just a 'candle light' because that maybe all that someone needs to help them not lose their way...

Meanwhile, here is the story that I wrote for the ongoing okadabooks competition. for those who may not have had an opportunity to read it yet, well, now you do.

So enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment,I love it when you do.

THE INFAMOUS FATHER HEN.
- How jollof rice saved my life-

I had taken few steps away from the black caravan that harboured asorted liqueur, confectionary, food drinks & food stuffs, before he called me back.
Nobody living in that street would pass him by without acknowledging his presence and paying him homage.
Jasper, a hairy, stoutly built, dark-skinned guy, about three inches beyond six feet in height, pointed across at a squalid plot of land bearing a dilapidated building, one of the most favourite spots of cannabis lovers in that zone.
I reluctantly trailed him to the compound until he sat down on some bricks. "sit down." He said, tapping the next set of bricks laying close to him.
Myriad of thoughts fluttered in my head as I tried to unravel the prequel of my meeting with " The Godfather." I could hardly plug any fuse when his strident voice blared out my name.
" Ogaga." He called with bland expression and I couldn't just help reminiscing the image of my late grandfather.
" I have told you before to leave that girl but you don't want to heed my advice."
" But how?" I cut in. "How can I just leave a girl I love so much?" "How can I leave someone that has done nothing wrong to me since we've been dating?" " How can I break up a relationship that both of us have sacrificed so much for to keep alive?"
Jasper blanched when he heard my questions. His eyes were soaked with pity and frustration, and anger arrested his ashen appearance. Then he intoned a grave warning.

"If you don't listen to me, you'll die like a rat."
"You sound like a babalawo." I retorted. " Bros. for once, be straight-forward." I adviced.

" About two years ago," Jasper began. "I went out with my friend, Tonnie, to his girlfriend's house. Her father, retired major general Aminu Usiaka was known to be a cantankerous old soldier."
Jasper paused, took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

" We got to his girlfriend's house that afternoon," He continued. " While I waited in the car, Tonnie went into the compound to see Monika, the major general's first daughter. He promised to make the visit brief in order to save my time. A few moments later, I heard a thunderous sound, girls screaming and thudding towards the gate. I stumbled into the compound and was thunderstruck at the sight of Tonnie staggering towards me."
Jasper started to sniffle, his eyes became misty and cloudy, lachrymose sounds erupted as he spoke.

"Tonnie threw himself at my appearing." Jasper explained. " I was too overwhelmed to catch my friend." At this point tears voluntarily rolled down his cheeks without caution.

" My back was resting on the wall of the security building as we sat on the ground. Tonnie was covered in blood like a helpless prey. He tried to speak but could only squeal and squirm. I placed my hand on the left side of his belly to relieve him of the duty. Tonnie tried to mutter some words but blood gurgled through his throat, his iris had gone and all I could see as his eyes was cornea.
As he convulsed, I was clothed with a medley of emotions. I attempted to retrieve my hand from the part of his belly that accepted bullets from the gunshot and it was greeted by a warm, slimy and squidgy sensation. His guts were out on my palm."
Jasper buried his head between his elbows while his palms were clenched over his flat-top hair style, then he snivelled bitterly.

" He died on my tigh. I couldn't help him, I couldn't help my friend. He died just like that."
Jasper kept quiet for a moment and fixed his gaze on the withered weed beneath his feet.

" The general called the police and lied to them that Tonnie tried to rape his daughter in his house." Jasper explained to me with regret.
"He gave Tonnie's family a huge amount of money and apologized them, claiming that it was an accident."
Jasper wiped the tears off his cheeks, turned his face toward me and said, "It wasn't an accident, it wasn't an accident at all."
"How do you know that it wasn't an accident?" I inquired curiously.

" Because one year later, two other guys were victims of his wickedness. One was shot on his right hand which was amputated. The other guy was shot on his leg. As usual, he paid their medical bills and compensated them."

"Can't he be dealt with by the law?" I enquired angrily.

"Guy forget law, that man has some kind of immunity. His wife was a judge before she died. The man has affluence and influence. He'll kill you and nothing will be done to him."

"God forbid," I said within myself. "No be me him go kill."

"Ogaga, I take God beg you, just leave I'm pikin for am." He appealed, got up and walked out of the compound.

I couldn't utter a word as I walked home with the stuff I went to buy still in my hand. I was determined to see my girl. " But first of all, I have to deal with Issa." I said to myself.

Issa is Amina's seventeen year old younger brother who has been at loggerheads with me. We have been getting along from day one until four days ago when he asked me to give him the key to my apartment to enable him have picnin with his girlfriend. I declined. Now I'm at war with my brother-in-law to be.

Jasper's story and counsel would have made my heartbeat normal if Issa's temper has been quelled. The thought of changing my course of movement kept hitting like drops of rain on a metal sheet. As a last resolve, I summoned strength from my soul's reservoir so as to dispel the restricting idea and make my meeting with Amina a reality.
I felt vibration at the left side of my trouser. It was a message alert on my cell phone. When I checked it, Amina was already anxious to see me. The message read, "My prince charming, my heart is trotting, my eyes popping and I can't believe that I'm drooling at the thought of your anticipated arrival. Please come quickly to your baby. Waiting."
My heartbeat skipped, blood surged through my veins, I felt saliva running from my chest into my mouth and my pace increased.
I wished I had the wings of a dove or I could appear at Amina's house. I had hardly finished my train of wishes when I saw the gate of Amina's house a few metres away.

I breezed pass Ibrahim, the janitor and made way into Amina's sitting room. She was there waiting for me in patient anxiety. She flung herself on me as she saw me. We both fell on the couch, laughing. After some minutes of sentimental pleasantries and cosset, she took the stuff I bought to the kitchen. As she stepped into the kitchen, a disgruntled young man walked out.

"Issa, what's up. How's your day going?" He walked pass me like I was not there and went into his room.

"Leave that frustrated Romeo alone." Amina urged me. "He thinks Juliet is in love with him but he doesn't know that the little girl is in love with her friend's brother."

"Who told you that?" I questioned.

" Her friend did. She's my protégé, she tells me almost everything about herself and her friends."

" Why is he still upset? He ought to be celebrating."

" Sweetie," Amina called. " Leave Issa alone, I think his problem now is hunger."

" Hunger? " I questioned with surprise. " Has he not had breakfast?"

" He has. He's looking for something to eat before lunch and he said he can't wait for our house-help to return from market and prepare lunch."

Amina walked down to where I was sitting and gently lowered her light weight on my tighs and rested her head on my chest.
The sight of her lustrous hair, the fragrance of her cologne and the feeling of her luscious skin sent electrifying tickles from the crest of my head to the cradle of my feet.
My hand was gliding on it's own from Amina's shoulder down to her fingers, I was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Every part of my body was thinking on it's own.
Contradicting words were resonating in my head. " Do it. Don't do it. Stop. Continue. She likes it. She doesn't. She's angry. She's excited." I was agitated but I couldn't stop.

Amina slowly raised up her head and gave me a passionate gaze that sent goosepimples all over my body. Her eyelids were swollen with erotic burden, a beautiful warm blush covered her cheeks and her pink coloured lips softly moaned some words.
My senses were suspended by the euphoria which prevented me from hearing what she said. As she continued to speak softly, my lips lost control and attacked her's only for me to discover that my tongue was partly buried in her mouth and it was trying to find the root of her tongue.

We were engulfed in a vortex of emotion.

I heard a voice behind me telling me " This is not the way you should go." But I didn't walk in it.

My hands moved carelessly like abandoned orphans as I shut my eyes, not knowing how to stop. The froth made my stomach lurch until I heard the creaking of a door and a quiet footstep.

My mind became alert. "Issa is going to the kitchen to get a knife and attack me because I'm stroking and osculating his sister." My eyes instinctively spread wide open and I saw nobody entering or coming out of the kitchen.

Amina patiently retrieved her lips from the clutches of mine. She smiled at me with speckles of shame and excitement on her face and said, "I told you that I wanted to go and dress up so that we can go to your house, you just took over me as if I wanted to run away."
I couldn't believe that was what she said and I was too embarrassed to tell her that I didn't hear her.
She stood up, adjusted her sleeveless top and skirt, stared at my groin and adviced me with a chuckle. "Please, tell the incredible hulk that there is nothing to smash yet. He needs to calm down."

You're such an embarrassment, big for nothing, shameless male prostitute. I told you to stop but you ignored me." I mentally snapped at myself. "You just fooled yourself. See how she's making fun of you."
Then Amina stooped and whispered into my left ear. " I just want to be in your arms and talk to you until I fall asleep. Nothing more for now."
She gave me a smack and walked into her room. I stood up and stared walking towards her room when I heard a familiar but more matured voice.

"Ibrahim, just leave them on the veranda, the kids will take them inside the house."
Before I could think of anything, the door was open.

The man was in the sitting room facing me. He was about seven feet tall, dark and hairy. The only feature of his face I could see distinctly were his eyes.

"Who are you?" He roared as his eyes moved from my face to my groin.
Unfortunately for me, hulk was still up.
There was a gulf between my brain and my vocal cord. If only Jasper had given me a perfect description of this man, I would not have embarked on this suicide trip.
The next thing I saw was a gun pointed at me.
" Young man identify yourself before you drop dead." He yelled at me. My mouth was moving without sounds as I stood before him like a statue.
I saw flame accompanied by a bang from the gun. I was on the ground, my heartbeat racing like the drumbeat that intoxicates masquerades.
In a blurry sight, I saw the retired major general Aminu Usiaka standing over me with his pistol pointing at me for the final shot.

The next sound I heard was Issa's voice.

"Daddy he's my friend."
The last sight, darkness.

"I am dead. All I can see is light everywhere. I am dead." I muttered to myself.

"You're not dead." Amina informed me as she squeezed my palm fondly.
I was in a hospital with no bullet in me.

"How come I'm still alive?" I asked Amina.

" You fell down out of shock before my dad pulled the trigger. He would have done something terrible to you, but thanks to Issa. He went to the kitchen while we were in cloud nine and ate the two plates of jollof rice that you bought for us."

"Just like that?"

"Yes." Amina replied. "He told my dad that you were on your way to the bathroom when my dad called you a thief and a rapist because of what he saw below your belt."
" He has paid all your medical bills." Amina continued. " He also gave me some money for your medical excigencies."

It sounds unbelievable that food could placate an irate teenager, but that's how jollof rice saved my life from the infamous father hen.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN