SONG OF THE BANDIT 1: The Stupid Man

“Ina jin yunwa, Sule,” said the short, stocky man holding the cellphone.

“You are always hungry,” hissed the tall one. “Yaro will soon be back. Then you can eat yourself silly. I only need a cigarette. Really, really. bad. If I don’t have a smoke soon, walahi, I will kill this stupid man. He makes me jittery with his stupid coughing. If he coughs one more time, walahi, I will blow off his head.”

With his heavy boots, he delivered a severe kick to the fellow sitting on the ground. The blow caught the man in the ribs.

The three of them were directly under the shade of a large mango tree, its huge branches drooping from the weight of fruits hanging all the way from the top to the lowest branches.