Something smells like burnt barbecue around here.
Josh whispered in the middle of our discussion and none of us took him seriously. We thought it was just one of those his usual jokes to lighten up the atmosphere where serious matters that concern individuals are being discussed.
This is a serious matter, Josh, it's not time for you to throw a joke around.
Matt was direct. He doesn't want to sound rude while asking Josh to comfort himself. The matter of discussion was about applying for government jobs and creating a business that would employ other people. It was a serious discussion and no one is taking it lightly, not even Josh but the smell of burnt barbecue sounds like a tantrum that is aimed at disrupting our intense discussion.
You guys think I am joking? Perhaps your sense of smell isn't as good as mine.
He said again, making it look funnier again than the first statement he made. But this time, we didn't give any response in reply to Josh's statement.
For me, I think that the safest job you can do is to be employed by a government agency. You can't be laid off anyhow like a private organization, except if one is found culpable or to have been involved in some criminal acts.
This was my point of view on the matter. Akinde's view was quite different. He shed more light on the need to begin a personal business that would be nurtured to become a household name, and an employer of labor while recurring a lot of profits.
Before Akinde could end his point of view, I sighted a very thick smoke from the kitchen door. Though the door was locked, the smoke could be seen passing through under the door and the knob area. Immediately, I raised an alarm. The discussion ended and our host, Bola ran towards the door and opened the kitchen. We couldn't see anything as the whole space was covered with black smoke.
Matt was the first to cough. He was an asthmatic patient. Josh and I quickly led him out of the building, away from the smoking atmosphere. When we got back from rescuing Matt, Akinde and the other guys went to fetch water to put off the fire. There was fire all over the kitchen.
Bola had put some chunks of meat in the oven and forgot to switch it off. We all got engrossed in the discussion even though we weren't aware of Bola's activities in the kitchen when we came in. He was the richest of all our friends. He lives in a two-bedroom apartment around the university area.
We all looked confused about what to do at the moment because as we splashed water on the fire, it burnt more. The fire service emergency centre number was just ringing but no one seemed to be in the office to take the call.
The flames began to hit hard on the kitchen door toward the laundry and then the living room area. We were so helpless. Some neighbors came around to help us put out the fire. One particular neighbor added detergent to the water and asked us to pour it into the fire. That worked and in no time, the inferno was controlled. Alas! I learned a new trick to put out the fire, I mean uncontrollable fire.
Every one of us sat on the culvert, speechless. I imagined what would be going on in Bola's mind. The kitchen had been messed up by the fire incident and a lot of utensils will be replaced, let alone the building renovation, at least for the kitchen area, which would gulp a lot of money too.
Again, I looked at Josh with the corner of my eyes. We didn't take him seriously, perhaps we would have been able to put out the fire before it took over the whole kitchen.
My friends and I decided to help out with some donations to help Bola put the kitchen back in state. Some of us had to sacrifice our pocket money to ensure that our friend gets back on his feet. We did not tell him our plan.
One afternoon, Matt led the carpenter we employed to work on the kitchen cabinet. We indeed took Bola by surprise. After all, that's what friendship is all about. The camaraderie was what we wanted to continue as long as we kept bonding.
Years after, we all have gone different ways but despite that the bond is still there and cannot be explained. The bond is far beyond helping Bola after the fire incident, it was more than words can express.