Dear Moderators Divepen1 who are these funny accounts spamming aall threads like this. Pls do something as they are distracting.

Mr Cosmas after life portrayal is something else. Pls throw more light Centino. What if a person hhad other weaknesses does it mean they go to a place where the dominant one is practiced? Quite ironic that the happenings in the compound which takes Achike's life and messes up Ndifreke helps to restore Jide. Thanks Centino.

tsharp:
Dear Moderators Divepen1 who are these funny accounts spamming aall threads like this. Pls do something as they are distracting.

You might need to point me towards one or two....

Ok

Divepen1:
You might need to point me towards one or two....

On this page alone siyim78979, laxore9335, comip62765.... They all have letters and numbers and and average of 5 posts. They are on many threads in this section. Bot maybe

Good

Yhhh

Yes

Divepen1:
You might need to point me towards one or two....

I think they're accounts being prepped for something sinister in future hence why they're trying to make them look like they're active and legit

Divepen1:
You might need to point me towards one or two....

By mere looking you'll already know which ones

Ready

Ok

@centino I need your help please and it is urgent

Holywizard:
@centino I need your help please and it is urgent

Call me.

Centino:


Call me.

how can I get your contact?

Holywizard:
how can I get your contact?

Here https://katakatastreet.com/

DELAY ANNOUNCEMENT

I caught a fresh perspective on the concluding chapter and decided to rewrite it. It will be worth the wait. Apologies.

Centino:
DELAY ANNOUNCEMENT

I caught a fresh perspective on the concluding chapter and decided to rewrite it. It will be worth the wait. Apologies.

We are all eyes

MY AWAKENING

The sight of Jonjo in Maya’s room and the degree to which it breaks my heart changes my life.

I turn from the ghastly sight and slowly make my way back in the direction from which I came. I refuse to be affected by the desperate eyes of the observing troupe who saw Jonjo arrive and match upstairs while I sought counsel with Mr Cosmas. They had taken positions behind doors and along the corridor pretending to be busy when I followed shortly after. Curiously, no one sneers now. No one coughs or guffaws, as they are wont to do in these situations. They stand like sentries while I take one slow step after the other away from the scene of my latest ignominy. They search my face for any clues of anguish. Somehow, I find a resolve that seems to set my face aglow, if Irikefe is being truthful.

“Bros wetin con dey make you smile?”

“Oh, nothing,” I said.

He shakes his head and continues to study me where I stood observing the delightful chaos of a typical day at 225 Katakata Street.
Boys are kicking a football about without a clear aim. Usually, they play a three or four-a-side ‘monkey post’ considering the small space of the concrete frontage. But today someone just shows up with the ball and they started kicking without any system. Each does whatever they please when the ball gets to them. A boy joggles it for a bit, earns cheers for each successful control and passes it to another who takes it on his chest and knees it to another. It gets to Carbondioxide and he aims a shot at a watching young girl and fires. The little minx as if expecting it, turns her backside and it bounces off onto the feet of another to rapturous cheers. Everyone is now calling for the ball. They revel in the chaos. I enjoy their uninhibited laughter. Mama Cowbell swears at them from where she seats by the gutter washing the coats off a bucket of soaked beans for tomorrow’s moi moi. “If them born una well make that ball reach here! Stupid things!”

The Undertaker stands to one side supervising a Mallam mending his shoes. He has a book in his hand, which he occasionally glances at. I smile at him and he narrows his eyebrows and looks away. I look up when I hear a rumble in the sky. It is the rainy season after all. The boys sense a special occasion. They quickly make small posts and divide themselves into five aside. The girl who had been kicking with the boys insists on playing.

“When rain start you go remove your cloth o! Na rain ball we wan play and na only pynt we go wear.”

She is a blooming adolescent who is wise to the antics of the boys. Lanky with clear signs of approaching puberty, she stretches and jumps on the spot as professional footballers do on television before taking to the field. “I go remove everything make una nor worry,” she says coyly and the boys begin to argue amongst themselves about the team she should play for. Another rumble in the sky and she quietly slips into the corridor and disappears.

“Elsie! Elsie! Come back here!”

“Yeye geh!” Another boy hisses and passes the ball to a teammate from his own half.

Prince White yells at Carbondioxide to go to the backyard and remove their washing from the line because of the imminent rain. Carbindioxide theatrically blocks his ears with his fingers and continues playing, an action that brings Prince White shooting out of the corridor towards his son with more cheers from the onlookers, especially as his squint eyes make him appear to be looking in a different direction from the one he is running. I join in the cheering as father and son run rings around Mama Cowbell who is almost bursting with rage. Irikefe approaches me.

He stands beside me looking undecided. He is now twenty-five and only an inch shorter than I am. He is no longer the wily nineteen-year-old I first befriended when I arrived Katakata Street in 2017. Six years have seen him dethroned as the oracle of number 225. That title now belongs to Castro’s little brother Willy-willy. If Irikefe thought he knew everything that happened in number 225, Willy-willy believes he wills things to happen so that he would have content for his mischief corner. He commands a strong following and even organizes a meeting of teenagers he convenes right after the council of elders’ meetings where they analyze everything they garner from the adults’ meeting from a distance and discuss them more ‘factually’. Willy-willy recently said to me “When you people wonder why there is so much fornication in this compound, we go ahead and investigate the facts of the fornication. For example, the day Aunty Maya’s sister entered your room, we went to the shops after you went to buy things and found out that it was pepper soup and bread and coke you fed her before you people continued till daybreak.” As I think about it now, Willy-willy looks in my direction and smiles, even as an opposing team member fires a shot through his legs.

“Bros you sure say you dey all right? Irikefe says.”

“Oh sure my man, why?”

He looks at me and averts his eyes when I look back into his.

“Bros Freke, I understand that it is difficult for you seeing that you will not give up on Maya despite everything. But I take God name beg you no come crase join. See as you dey look everything dey smile like baboon wey just enter township zoo.”

My smile is even wider now. I see his sincere concern for me. I feel a tinge of regret for the way I treated him following the sexual assault matter that effectively ended our friendship. He looks at me now as though he would readily drag me by the tether to a healer if he thinks I need one.

“I am perfectly fine my friend. It’s a lovely afternoon, well, except for the coming rain. See the life in these kids, see the beauty of their games and their unbridled joy. There’s Mama Cowbell over there doing the Lord’s work ensuring that we have the world’s best moi-moi every morning. Look at Mr Kingsley in his weird elegance. See our neighbours coming and going, all full of life and laughter despite what we see in the news. Can’t you see the beauty? Can’t you see the harmony? Look up. See the clouds. Have you ever really observed these phenomena? It’s awesome. By the way, whose daughter was that that the boys were just teasing? I never saw her before.”

“That’s Mama Kike’s lastborn. How will you see her when all you look at is Maya and her Sister. Then under his breath he says, “Or maybe you will see her when she develops breasts.”

I laugh as if I have just been tickled and bend over holding my midriff. Irikefe looks around and then back at me.

“It's not that funny bros. I don’t like what you are doing.” He takes me by the wrist, and we move towards the soak away, out of earshot.

“Bros, I don’t know how I will say this for you to get it. I wish I can slap it into your head aswear. Maya is not worth it! I worry about that chick. She is the most confused woman in this world. Okay look at this. You are born into abject poverty. God blesses you with a job and an opportunity to leave this place. I hear she had a flat in Lekki or somewhere. Then after a while, you leave everything and come back here with pregnancy. Pregnancy o bros! A situation when you want the utmost comfort! But you abandon it for here where you were violated, your mother died in disgrace and your brother ran mad and vanished from the face of the earth. Bros, is this not the type of situation when normal people would curse this ground and depart to never return? Yet our girl comes back. Not only that, she sends her sister to go and sleep with her boyfriend and the alleged father of her unborn child. By the way, bros, if you accept that baby don’t ever talk to me again! That man that is there with her right now is the father! That is why he came! That is why he will always come around. So as I was saying, you are ready to share your man with your small sister. And when you go to talk sense to her she be looking at you like you are looking at me now like Mr Bean. Is this normal? Okay she has been here for some weeks now, it looks like she is living what she thinks is a new life, and your hopes go up. I saw the way you marched to her room. I told Castro that you look like a man that is about to go and propose. We saw the man go upstairs. We did not want to stop you so that you could see for yourself and maybe receive sense. Then you go upstairs and see your bride in another man’s arms and you come downstairs smiling like Christmas goat and kicking ball with children. Abeg bros stop smiling na. You are scaring me!”

I am not forcing or faking my smile. I do not feel any hurt. I appreciate his concern and I understand his argument but I feel well. The wind increases in velocity and the clouds begin to be drift east. It may not rain after all. The boys remain ecstatic. It did not matter that rain brought flood and filth to Katakata Street. Prince White and Mama Cowbell and the rest of the adults are worrying themselves sick because of the change in weather. But the children don’t mind. They want to take off their clothes and enjoy the rain. Why can’t we all do that? Then suddenly it looks like it may not rain after all. All that angst from the grownups for nothing!

“Brother, did you notice that it may not rain afterall?”

Irikefe’s eyes widen. He takes two steps backwards and then comes closer and feels my forehead with the back of her palm.

“I am fine and I heard you. But the weather has improved and we will have a good day after all. Even if it does rain, it is still a good day. We can play in the rain.”

“No na bros.”

“I am fine. Truly I am. I have lived in this compound for six years and I never saw the harmony in this wonderful chaos. I never really noticed these children at play. I never recognized the wholesomeness in their activities. I never saw Mama Cowbell for the angel she is cooking for us come rain or shine. There are children here I never saw before. For once, impending rain does not feel like doom. I breathe and I feel whole. Maya? It doesn’t even matter.”

“Ehen?”

“Yes Irikefe. And I’m sorry for the way I treated you that time.”

He says nothing but continues to look at me suspiciously. I smile and his pupils dilate again.

“Please don’t do it bros. I beg you. Don’t.”

“Don’t do what my friend?”

“This is how they say people that want to commit suicide behave. They suddenly become happy and talk like wise King Solomon and then thirty minutes later you find them hanging from their ceiling fans. Bros abeg no do am. She is not worth it.”

“I am not killing myself. If anything, I feel like today is the first day of my life. It feels wonderful and I like what I see all around me. I’m not thinking about Maya. I’m not thinking about anything.”

“If you say so boss.”

“I say so my friend.”

“I’m leaving this compound bros. I should let you know.”

“You are the caretaker. How can you leave?”

“Alhaji has made it impossible for me. I can’t live with that man and his son anymore. Besides, my job in Mushin isn’t so bad. I am now managing the printing press where I work. Unlike you guys, now that I have saved some money and have good reason to leave, I will.”

“I understand.”

“And besides, the calamities here are becoming too much. Mr Zubi made the point. This compound has buried more people, seen more police cases and hospital admissions than the rest of the Street put together. Mr Cosmas often says that we are put here together for a reason. Whatever the reason is, there can’t be anything left to experience, except maybe my own death or I commit murder because all of una still dey make me vex. See that albino enter my house con dey behave like say hin be my papa. Bros I will leave. I already paid for a place at Mafoluku.”

“It’s all good my friend.”

Continue reading https://katakatastreet.com/2023/08/13/my-awakening/

Thanks boss

maya is really a confused lady as Irikefe put it out.

Back to Ndi in the first person like in the beginning. Irikefe leaving truly indicatess the ending. Ndi's awakening and the silent friendship with Undertaker. Let's see what happens now with Maya. Brilliant narration Centino. Thank you.

Centino, why do i feel like Ndi don mad?

SunFlow:
Centino, why do i feel like Ndi don mad?

SunFlow:
Centino, why do i feel like Ndi don mad?

Realization!

I doubt, nigga don realise say the matter no really worth am.

E get how the Yorubas dey put am, any Yoruba person fit correct me sha, 'any matter wey don pass person power, na to laugh am pass sure pass'

tsharp:
Back to Ndi in the first person like in the beginning. Irikefe leaving truly indicatess the ending. Ndi's awakening and the silent friendship with Undertaker. Let's see what happens now with Maya. Brilliant narration Centino. Thank you.

Efe leaving is for the best, I'm glad nigga have figure out something worthwhile doing with his life, his dad will be proud of his choice wherever he's right now.

centino When are you gonna upload the remaining on Genti. I have not used my phone to watch films in over 3 weeks. Na so I dey laff with earphones Also where do you have audio books for sale as I am too busy to read

ibawon:
centino When are you gonna upload the remaining on Genti. I have not used my phone to watch films in over 3 weeks. Na so I dey laff with earphones Also where do you have audio books for sale as I am too busy to read

@Ibawon,

New episodes of 225 Katakata Street (available on Genti Premium) drop every Friday on the Genti Audio App. Great to hear you're enjoying it. Thanks for listening to Genti Audio!

barbienazom:
Wow!!!
I wasn't expecting that at ano you're too much jare(inserts thumbs up emoji)

Merry Christmas