W4. Gist

"Even when I did not beg you to come and pick me, you still show up late! Since I could have been at home faaa"
This was what the child used to enter my vehicle. See disrespect.

"I don't know which city you live in sha, but in most there is something called traffic. And by the way I was held up at work"I waited for her to settle into her seat and put on her seat belt as she was ranting off something about being used and then inconvenienced and so on.

"I'm hunnnggrrryyyyy meeeen!!!"

"Shebi I'm carrying you home now..."

"Ehnnn? There is no food in my house o! You have to buy me dinner...."
Life is about give and take right?

"McDonalds. That's all I can afford"

"Gr-roooss!!!!" You would think the girl would not eat the food when I buy it , with a reaction like that. "So what's this information that you so desire that is making you be nice to me like this?"

There was no use beating around the bush.

"Ok you know Toba right?" Ronke smiled, but not one of those happy smiles, more like an 'uh-oh' kind of smile. I sense gist. "The guy Suni is dating?"

"Ehen what about him?" she was still smiling. Hmm...

"Well you know I'm not one to poke nose, especially when I don't see reason too, but I'm getting suspicious of this guys motives. Like so far he seems cool, but he's doing things that's making me question his authenticity you know..." I took my eyes of the road for a second to see her face. Ah, Ronke definitely knew something.

"Why? What did he do?" Either she was fishing for gist from my side, or she was leading me on. Either way I was more desperate for information so ...

"Ok, Ronke this is some extreme down low stuvvs, if it get's out I would KNOW where the leak came from and I swear I'd have your head, so keep it shush shush, no coded blogging-"

"Yea Yea.....whattt did he do???"

"Chill, I'd tell you now, let's quickly order."

As we were making our order Ronke kept on laughing and saying "Hmn...." and"Ha..." We got our "clogged artery ready" meals and I parked the car in an isolated spot. I didn't want any disturbance. This was going to be good gist, and good gist cannot be interrupted.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" that's me blowing out a long sigh. How d I begin?

"Oya, what did Toba do...?" This girl was already attacking the junior chicken, who does that? Eats the burger before the fries??

Just be straight. "Well, it looks like he proposed to Suni..." Her burger didn't make it to her mouth "Yes... that was my expression too." Apparently this was REALLY news to her.

"Shottttttoopppp!!!!" she dropped her burger down again "What did she say???"

"What do you think she would have said that would make me start to find you to get proper info?" I let the salt from the fries melt in my mouth before I chewed.

"Ye! See gbese live oo!!" she started doing her excited gist dance.

"So there is a story righhhtt?? Like this is not right, right?" My body starts to warm up when I'm about to hear something I don't want to hear, It's like an alarm. My ears become warm.

"Yo, Yale if you know whats good for you better take Suni straight to church let them pray for her. Ahhhhhhhh... hmn! Infact" she dropped her burger back in the wrapper like it was too hot, put it on the dash board and adjusted her self so she was facing me directly. Me maa, I lost my appetite and put down my fries.

"What do you mean, like are you joking?" I was waiting for the laughter that would tell me she was just being sarcastic.

"Look, Yale, Toba is a sketchy guy..."

"Er duhhh!!!"

"Ok remember Tunji? Adekola? We used to date back in Nigeria!?" I think my blank stare was annoying her, I couldnt recall anyone by that name. "The one my mom used to report to your mom about???? Cult membbberrrr??"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Ah... where was this going?

(PAUSE)
----

Tunji, if I remember clearly was one of Ronke's numerous boyfriends that she had back in Nigiera, in fact he was the last one before they shipped her here, mainly to save her life and cut her off from all the bad company. This boy was trouble, I had met him once and it was when I went back to Nigeria like 5 years ago. He was like 27 then. Ronke was 17. I remember my mom always asking me to pray for her deliverance because she under Jazz...It may sound funny now but it was serious back then.

----

"Eheennn, Ok Tunji was actually really in a cult." She looked at me like she was expecting this to be news. Me I was waiting to hear something more serious. "Well Toba was in that cult too o." Be careful what you wish for.

"Whatever"

"I swear, I don't know if he's still involved, but Yale that cult was not to joke with o and they had very strong fetish ties......" She shivered. Me too, I shivered in reaction. " Like... human sacrifices and stuff..." Ronke actually looked spooked.

This was too much for me. It's not like I don't believe in Juju and all but, I've been here way too long for it to be of importance in my life. This was too much like a Nigerian film.

"This is bull shit" I adjusted my self and reached for my fries again.

Ronke reached for her food too "Yo, I don't know how to advise on going about this. But really consider church men. Temi was gisting me sometime ago about all the stuff they were finding out about Tunji. Apparently in their cult, they look for women, get married to them spiritually and then sacrifice their souls. The bodies are used to make the charms they wear, like necklaces, belts, and what not." She was not looking at me anymore but I was looking at her well!

All of a sudden I didn't want to know this ish anymore.

"They call themselves Olode, meaning the Hunter......" We were both silent for a minute. Then something occurred to me.

" Why didn't you tell me this before? Like when I first introduced you to Toba?"

"Like you would've believed me... well I've erased that experience from my life, I don't even think I want to believe it anymore, but what your telling me sounds a lot like a pattern that Olode boys follow, but then again I don't know... Cause he might have left the cult and everything. Maybe he just really likes her. But seriously... you wanted the gist. Well you have it."

She finally picked up her burger, but didn't attack it like before. Just nibbled it. My phone beeped then. It was so loud we both jumped.

"Thanks for spooking us both out, Ronke"

"Shebi na you dey find gist."

I didn't look at my phone before I picked up "Hello-o??"

"Are you stalking us! Who's that with you in the car?" It was Suni. I peered out the window to check where she was spying from.

In the drive through lane I saw her waving like a mad woman from Toba's very un-missable Infiniti. "It's just Ronke, just picked her from school. Going to drop her home." I waved back.

Ronke whispered "Talk about the devil, abeg let's poof men, I need to study anyways."
I nodded in agreement. Toba was the last person I wanted to see now.

I started the car "We were just leaving though... "

"Are we still on for tonight? We have much to discuss you know" I could see from my rear view mirror Suni was still looking at my car. And so was Toba...

"Man Suni I have to cancel, huge presentation tomorrow. I promise we'd talk after though..."

"You've come again...."

"Sorry noww.... but I Have to go. Tommorow k? You guys have fun, don't get too fat."

"Never! Byee...."

I reversed and tried to drive as far away as possible from Toba's car just so we didn't have to see. But it was like I could feel Toba staring at the car.

"You feel it too se?" Ronke was looking at me when she said that...

"Haha you're a freak! Feel what????" I merged into traffic as fast as I could.

What the hell was I to do now?