The House Rent Saga - S01 E02

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The House Rent Saga - S01 E02

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 2

The House Rent Saga Episode Two

Agada came back that evening looking tired. His shirt was wet with sweat, and his old shoe had dust all over. He entered the room and dropped the file he carried when he was going out in the morning. Ene looked at his face. She already knew what he was going to say.

"I went there," he said, sitting down. "They said they've already picked someone else. I didn't get the job."

Ene sat down beside him. She didn't know what to say. Her husband had been walking under the sun every day for months now, yet nothing was working. She looked at him pitifully. He didn't complain, but she could see the way he sat quiet, tired, and lost.

She turned her face and cried silently. She pitied him a lot. He was not lazy. He was not a bad man. But life was hitting him hard, and she had no way to help him. The worst part was that there was no food in the house. No rice, no yam, not even beans. They didn't even have cooking gas. She hadn't eaten since morning, and she knew Agada had not eaten too.

She wiped her face, stood up, and brought out a small plate. Then she picked a plastic bowl from the corner. It was garri. She poured it into the plate and added water. They didn't have sugar, so she added a little salt. That was all they had. Garri and salt.

She gave the plate of garri to her husband and sat beside him with another one. The two of them began to drink it slowly, not saying anything to each other. The room was quiet. The fan didn't work, and the heat was much. Still, they drank it quietly. It was not sweet, but it was better than hunger.

As they drank, they heard a loud knock on the door.

"Крат! Крат! Kpam!" A voice said.

Ene stood up. Her heart was not at peace. She was not expecting anybody. She walked to the door and opened it.

It was Okopi, the landlord.

He was holding a black nylon bag and a sack in one hand. There was another small bag in the other hand. He entered the room without waiting for permission. Agada stood up, confused. Ene stood by the wall.

"Good evening," Okopi said. He was thinking the landlord has come to ask for his rent again.

"Good evening." Agada replied.

"I just came to check on you people," the landlord said. "I know things have been hard for you. I have been watching. I see how you struggle. You are a good man. You don't make noise in the compound. You respect people."

He dropped the items on the floor.

"I brought food for you," he said. "Here's one bag of rice. There's fish and chicken inside the bag too. There are other ingredients as well. I told myself, if I allow you people to suffer like this, I'm not a good person."

Agada and Ene stared at him. They were not sure what to say. Agada was especially confused.

"Sir... thank you," Agada said slowly, he even wanted to kneel down. "We really don't know what to say."

"It's alright," Okopi said. "Don't worry. That's not all. I know you don't have gas to cook. So here's ten thousand naira. You can buy gas tomorrow morning."

He dipped his hand in his pocket and brought out a bundle of notes. He handed it to Ene.

"And about the rent," he added. "Don't worry again. I have cancelled it. You won't pay again. I just want you people to have peace."

Agada was shocked. He looked at his wife. Then he looked at the landlord.

"Sir," he asked, "you mean... we shouldn't pay again?"

"Yes," Okopi replied. "Just forget about it. God will help you people. This world is hard, and we must help one another."

They thanked the landlord again. He smiled and told them to rest. Then he turned and left the room.

When he was gone, Agada sat still. He kept looking at the bag of rice and the fish and chicken. He was still trying to believe what had just happened.

Agada sat back on the bed in confusion.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at Ene again. He was trying to understand what was happening.

"Did you pay him?" he asked his wife.

Ene shook her head quickly. "No, I didn't. I didn't give him anything."

She tried to smile. "Maybe God touched his heart."

Agada nodded. "It's like a dream. This morning, he was threatening to send us out. Now he's cancelling rent, giving us rice and money."

"It's God," Ene said.

Ene sat beside him. She picked the ten thousand naira and placed it inside a bag. Then she arranged the food items. After a while, she went to cook the rice and chicken with the little firewood they had left at the back of the compound.

Later that night, they ate a proper meal for the first time in days.

Agada was happy. He kept talking about how surprised he was. He said maybe the landlord was not as wicked as he had thought.

Ene smiled but said nothing. She knew what had happened that afternoon. She knew why the landlord had suddenly become kind. She knew the truth behind the rice, the chicken, the money, and the rent cancellation. And she also knew that if her husband found out, it would bring big trouble.

But she didn't say anything. She watched her husband eat the rice and fish with joy in his face. He even said thank you again to her for standing by him.

Ene forced herself to smile. In her heart, she hoped the matter would end there. But she also knew that nothing stays hidden forever.

To be continued in Episode Three