SEGUN MY NEIGHBOR (An Old Man's Tale)

It is not fun being old, it strips you off so many things, even the right to be involved in the lives of your wards. I am a 94years old man, with a weak spine, thus I am usually either laid on my bed or sitting or seated in my wheelchair. My wife died six years back, I guess she got tired of old age and its excesses, I have been alone ever since, sickened with partial stroke, my hearing deteriorated early this year, I am something close to hapless if not for the full house I do have twice a day. I am a man with a lot of kids, I have a dozen of them - three legally, others from external affairs, blame it on the lone and psyche duty of being a soldier. I created wealth for myself the way I can, fortunately for me, they were legal, I was a soldier in an era where serving your country was a noble and gainfully employed job. You can move up in ranks make good money, if managed well; it could become a long time wealth considering the value and purchasing power of the Naira at that time. I was a property freak so I have a credible number of properties, I am a proud ten house owner in various state spread in the country. Good rent money from this houses helped me see my children through school, most of them are gainfully employed individuals but these harsh times cannot aid me to certify if their wealth is legal.

I am stationed in my favorite house in the Magodo residency of the opulent Lagos, a four bedroom flat in the uppercase with few apartments downstairs which I rent to Lagosians in need. Magodo is a rich neighborhood with few international standard amenities, compared to the recently built houses in the area; mine is an old building. Old as it may, it still a valuable asset and a good money making machine annually. 

A new tenant came in just last month, his name is Segun, dark, bearded and with a lot of athletic features, I did not like him at all, it was a trust issue, I have a tenacious instinct that construed to be a harm to my house but my over-sabi last daughter accepted him into the house without even seeking my permission, I guess I am too old to even own my property. I suspect her drastic acceptance of the young man is based on looks and the exotic Mercedez Benz smart car that he drove in; that made him an instant tenant, the type she will want to be around. During my heyday, I will ask the nature of the job of any prospective tenant, I will go to his claimed workplace to confirm, use my military orientation to ensure that he is not a potential harm, I even make the tenants' sign undertaking. All of my measures of hitch-free control of affairs is considered archaic and have long been thrown in the lagoon. It is why all sort of madness occur but old age has hindered me, I am too weak, the only strength I have to just sit back and watch.

Since my daughter was dumb enough to accept someone I detest, I took it upon myself to put an eye on Sege as he loves to call himself. When my families are not around all day, I am kept in the balcony, the useless nanny will equip me early in the day with all she believe I will need and just go about watching the Africa Magic Yoruba channel on the cable, she pays zero attention to, she gets so engulfed with the movie and literally forget I exist till my folks are back, at that time, she began an annoying eye-service, pampering me like a little child. I cannot complain, my speech is deterred by my partial stroke, my folks will pay her handsomely at the end of the month for a job wickedly done. Due to this, I assume that I am home alone till my children are back at dusk.

From the said balcony though, I have an eagle, I see so many things that you cannot imagine, virtually everything happening in my environment, only if these people can seek my contribution and be patient enough to read my mumbling speech. I began to watch Segun closely, he settled in good, he was a loud person, if he is not playing loudly in his apartment, he plays the highly provocative music through his sleek car stereo, he drinks a lot too, I sometimes perceive some funny odour from his apartment, this odour comes on the hot of day when no one is around, I am yet to determine what it is exactly. Segun hardly goes out, he wakes at noon, I doubt if he sleeps all through the night, on some days, he will be at the veranda and be on his computer for hours, I mean long hours with utmost seriousness. I asked my daughter what kind of job has such as suspicious ethic, she answered with a wide range of what it could be, leaving me with nothing definite to believe, her equivocal answer did not satisfy my curiosity, in fact, it fuelled it.

Some days are happy days for Segun, he will have friends come around, they will have a very lavish but homely celebration, this party will traditionally get bigger as more friends will come with girls in their dozens, alcoholic drinks strongly present, they will order food, smoke something from a hose and cylinder ( I do not know what it is called), the  daily odour I perceive on these party days get konk and almost choking. Their happiness can be likened to a newly won war, they have a phrase that is in a loop all through the party - "cash out king'' is the phrase. This party ends with girls getting cash for attending, some girls are taken away like some souvenirs, the young men get horribly drunk especially when they take cough syrups, I think there is a wide-spread of a cough amongst young men in this time, they will struggle to  go to their various homes, Segun, on the other hand, is left with minimum of two girls as his own portion of the shared female. I suspect the mediocrely beautiful and attractive girls are those that don't get to be booked.

Aside from party days, Segun is a serial fornicator, by counts, I have seen him with thirty-two girls in the forty-four days. It is a despicable situation especially when three different girls will come at intervals on a particular day. I wonder how he gets them, his most fondest activity is when he walks to the gate to joyfully open the gate for his 'happy' prey, pay the cab driver and greet me as they saunter into his apartment (I need to mention that he fondle on this ladies breast in a way due to being regarded as abused, only girls with good breast and well-moulded buttocks come to see Segun). Few minutes after the grand reception, it is high octave noises that break the divine peace of Magodo. Loud moans definitely from sexual intercourse. I wonder where he gets the strength for so many females, I cannot judge him so much, I was for the girls back in the days but compared to Segun; I feel like an amateur. Those girls are either making those noises from good stroking or for the good pay they are bound to get after the rendevouz.