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I can't tell how he does it. It was like he had that secret to making it big in life. In fact Chucks was living the life I dreamt of while he was still a student. The fast life, the cars, the mansions and everything beautiful I have ever wanted in life. To be honest, sometimes I wondered how he was able to achieve all the success he has today in such a short time.
“Bro don't tell me you're not seeing it?”Micheal would ask me whenever I raised up the conversation on how I wanted to be exactly like Chucks.
“See what?”
“The handwriting on the wall dude. Chucks dey do wayo (Chucks is into some illegal stuff)” Micheal said with so much conviction in his voice. Somehow he did not trust the source of the wealth that Chucks had built over a short period of time.
But I will always wave it off and attribute his attitude as jealousy from a man who had tried so many hustles but none paid.
“You don come again (you've started again). Bro, be happy for his win so that yours will come. Have you forgotten how this dude, Chucks, suffered to raise his school fees while we were in our first year in school?” I said, trying so hard to defend Chucks even in his absence.
“And a few weeks later he told us he was going to make it big. The next day, he came to school with a new car, bought a house and not just that, he throws money around like it just ordinary paper. Tell me bro, who works hard for their money just to spend it lavishly the way Chucks does. And how was he able to acquire such wealth in a space of one month”
“Maybe it's forex,” I countered.
“Forex? I don't think so. Look, bro, I'm not hating. I'm just being careful. I know somehow that we secretly crave that beautiful life of another. The grass is always greener on the other side we will think, but, sometimes it's just not true”.
I've always known Micheal as someone who was so meticulous. But I couldn't pinpoint why I didn't want to believe him. I still had that hunch that it was all jealousy. Not until I had an encounter with Chuck's that left me baffled.
One cool evening after school, I had stayed back to see the school football team play against a rival school. Micheal had left for his date with a long time school crush.
Just after the match, I walked my way home with my little earpiece plugged into my ear and its volume at its loudest. I was basking in the sweet melody of the music until I got a tap on my shoulder. I was startled and quickly turned to see it was Chucks. He was mumbling words I couldn't hear.
“I can't hear you?” I replied over the loud music playing in my earpiece and was completely Ignorant that I had them on as Chucks kept mumbling words I couldn't make out.
He reached to my ear and pulled off my earpiece. “How are you going to hear me when you have those things plugged to your ear?” putting one of them close to his ear “and at its highest volume” he added.
“Sorry bro, I totally forgot I had something to my ear. What's up?”
“I'm heading home. Mind if you ride with me, I can drop you off at your place” he said, pointing to his car parked at the corner
“That will be nice” I replied, smiling back at him.
We walked back to his car and a few minutes later we were on our way home. We talked about school and everything we could remember but somehow I didn't ask him to put me through what he did to acquire sick wealth in a short time.
Our drive home was smooth until he took a wrong turn.
“Chucks, you're supposed to keep moving straight, not left” I reminded him.
“I know, it's a shortcut.” He replied, repeatedly looking over his rear mirror like he was avoiding something.
I shrugged my shoulders.
Then it happened again. We got to a junction and Chucks stopped.
“Baba wetin happen? (what's wrong? Why are you stopping?” I asked, confused at this point.
“Can't you see those policemen.?” Chucks replied, referring to a police checkpoint ahead.
“Ehe, what about it?” I asked, ignorant of what was happening.
“Guy, you're smart to ask all these questions. You should know by now say boys dey press (you should know by now that I'm into online fraud) and how my job doesn't go well with these force men”.
I didn't bother to ask what he meant by that because I understood all that he meant. I quickly recalled seeing a police car ahead the first time he had taken a wrong turn. At that point, I needed no soothsayer to confirm that Chucks was into fraud.
Michael has been right all along, I muttered to myself.
“Bro, I'm sorry but your house is just a stone throw from here. I guess you'll walk it. I don't want to get caught.” Chuck's said, bringing me back to reality.
“That's fine” I replied, without countering. I quickly opened the car door, stepped out and made my way home without turning to see which direction Chucks took. I wondered how Chucks was enjoying his ill-gotten wealth if all he did was run from the police. Truly, the grass is not always greener on the other side.
I got home to meet Michael at my doorstep. He was back from his date and had stopped by to see me before heading home.
I didn't want to tell him he was right about Chucks, because I felt stupid for falling for all that glittered. But Michael was smart enough to notice that I started avoiding Chucks.
edited by me using canva
N/B: All written and edited by me without any help from grammar checker or AI.[