"Dean!" a friend gave him an elbow push.
"Looks like someone has come for you!"
Dean squeezed his eyes hard to be sure his eyes were not deceiving him. He stood up, picked up his school bag, then gave his friends a goodbye handshake. He walked over to the black Acura parked outside the school gate.
Dean paused a bit, he was about to open the door to the front passenger seat but the same car he had been seeing for over two weeks... like the driver of that car was spying on him, he sighed and finally got into the car. At that moment, the Mercedes drove off.
"Did you notice that too ma?" Dean asked his mom, but her response was a quiet look...
"Is that why uncle Jerry didn't come to pick me today?"
"Shut up Dean!" Anita frowned at her seventeen-year-old son.
"Young man, we have a lot to talk about!" she added, pointing her index finger at him, revealing her fixed, painted long fingernails.
"I love your hair wig maa," Dean tried not to look at the nails.
"Bought it for 100k, the lady made a big mess on it though," Anita replied.
Dean raised his brows, sighed, then put his seatbelt on. At least this had cut short the long talk he was afraid she might start. Davido's playlist gave his mother a good vibe, while he kept himself busy with the Lagos side views. Anita had seized his phone for almost a month after accidentally reading some strange messages on it.
Anita honked as they got closer to the house, she finally stopped in front of a bungalow building with a black gate. A young boy, probably in his twenties, opened the gate, and the compound revealed other fancy cars...
"Is Jerry home ma?"
"Yes! And..." Her phone rang, she hissed before picking it up, and got down from the car, leaving Dean with his suspicious look.
"Yes, we are home and safe Mr. Cole," Anita answered the call.
"Please quit spying on the lad, he is getting suspicious of the car that parks outside his school gate and leaves immediately he gets into his ride... Mr. Cole, this is Nigeria... you should know you don't just park in front of a school compound without picking a lad... and boom, you leave... my son is not some 5-year-old kid... I don't care!!... I have been taking care of him for years, I'm his mother... I won't let anything happen to him!" Anita paused.
Dean seemed to be hearing her... maybe not clearly, but even if it's a little bit. She moved further away from the car in the process, responding to the security man's greetings.
Dean shrugged, got down from the car, and went into the house. The house had this particular aroma, it made him drop his school bag and go straight to the kitchen.
"Uncle Jerry! I could perceive the aroma from the living room!" Dean gave Jerry a big hug.
"African oyinbo, buddy mi... how far na!!?"
"Good afternoon... first I need to know why my maa decided to come pick me up today? Did you tell her about that Mercedes... something tells me maybe it's someone from my father's side... right?"
"Look Dean..." Jerry sighed.
"Sincerely, that's a question for your maa."
"Woah! Ofada rice sauce! Where is the ofada rice?" Dean smiled.
"Your mama was supposed to buy it," Jerry smirked.
"I don't know if she did though."
"Yea, and Bro Jerry, my PS5... I really need your help fixing it," Dean pleaded.
"Yea... will check that out."
"Uncle Jerry... has my mom... you know... probably, maybe by chance, mentioned anything about when she would give my mobile device?" Dean nudged.
"Have you had the mother-son talk with her?" Jerry smirked...
"That talk... my maa doesn't get mahnn, I'm going to a regular private school... not some... hmm... private school that... maybe... you know I might have competitors. Maa spoilt my skin with so much care and yet puts me in a school where there are no competitors... am literally the cutest guy in my school," Dean pouted.
"Girls are definitely going to fall for me... it irritates me too... and arrgh."
"Hold on uncle Jerry, who is Mr. Cole?" Dean asked Jerry.
Now Jerry could avoid that question by possibly pretending to be busy with dishes, and sorts of what chefs do.