“You need wise counsel, Bello. Recall that when we met sometime last year at Mama John Pepper-soup Joint in Agege, right here in Lagos, I warned you sternly to stop dispossessing yourself by playing lottery.”
“So, do you call that dispossession? If he wins jackpot and comes to this Banky Joint on Lagos Island to flaunt his wealth, won’t you say ranka-dede to him? Don’t you know that all these Bakassi-shooting ladies milling around, perceiving the aura of wealth, will genuflect seductively and say, ‘Uncle, I don’t mind some pepper-soup and beer o!”
“Charles and your power of description… sincerely speaking, why I’m advising our friend against lottery and betting is that, there will always be the temptation to keep playing, for as long as you fail to win. The money you are expending on lotto can offer you rich bottles of beer, criminally cold, mortuary standard.”
“Kay, I agree. It will not only fetch you beer, it will also attract the ladies; though they may not be as sophisticated as the species you will get when you hit a jackpot. So, leave Bello to his lifestyle; it may be working for him. But as for me, Charles, the Gburugburu 1 of Ladipo Market and environs, my passion lies with the ‘centre of the garden’.”
For the concluding part of this story and others, grab your copy of The Point from your nearest vendor