THE OSHODI BOY WHO BOUGHT DLS WITH DREAMS

name na Tunde, and my office na inside danfo. Not the driver side o. Na conductor side. That side where the door no dey close, where your leg dey hang outside, and where your life dey for inside God hand anytime we climb Oshodi bridge. For Lagos, if you never do conductor work, you never know wetin be real hustle. The shouting, the dragging of passenger, the fight with LASTMA. My oga, Baba T, na the driver. Him get one mouth wey be like trailer horn. "Oshodi! Oshodi! Enter with your change o! I no get change!" And me? I be the boy wey dey shout "Oshodi Oke! Oshodi Oke! One more person make we comot!" My shirt don tear for armpit, my palm don black with sweat and N50 notes, but my head? My head dey somewhere else. My head dey inside my phone. Not t****k. Not i********:. Na Dream League Soccer. DLS. If you know, you know. That game na my only escape. When I dey inside that game, I no be Tunde wey dey chase bus for Oshodi. I be Manager. I get stadium. I get Ronaldo. I get stadium wey full with lights. In real life, my stadium na Oshodi under bridge where agbero dey collect N200 every morning. That morning, time na 7:49AM — exactly like the time wey dey your phone for that screenshot you show me — my phone vibrate for my pocket. 38% battery. Same as yours. My power bank don die since yesterday. I know say if I on that game now, battery go die. But I no fit help am. I remove phone. I wan check my team. I don dey Division 3 for 2 weeks. I no get diamond to buy better striker. My attackers na two old men wey dey run like say dem get arthritis. As I open DLS, person shout for my back. "Conductor! You no dey hear? You go carry me or you go dey press phone?" Na Amara. Ah, Amara. If Oshodi get queen, na Amara be that. She no be agbero queen. She be POS queen. She get small umbrella for roadside, with her OPay POS machine, her small table, and that her blue apron wey dem write "Amara POS - Fast Transfer, No Story." Every morning, she dey there. 6am to 9pm. She no dey smile anyhow, but when she smile, even the noise of Oshodi dey quiet small. She fine, but no be that kind i********: fine. Na real life fine. Sweat for forehead, lip gloss wey sun don melt small, but her eyes sharp. She sabi money pass CBN. She dey look me that morning like say she wan slap me. "You dey craze? Passengers don full inside. You dey play game for work? No wonder you no get change yesterday. You use am buy diamond for that your yeye game abi?" Everybody for bus laugh. I shame, but I no fit vex. Because she dey right. Yesterday, I really use my last N500 wey be my gain to buy 100 diamonds for DLS. I been think say if I buy striker, I go win tournament. I no win. The money burn. "Oga madam, no vex. I dey come," I talk, I put phone inside pocket. Baba T blow horn. "Tunde! If you no enter this bus now, I go comot leave you for here!" I jump enter. Bus dey move. Amara still stand for roadside. She no enter our bus. She dey wait for another one. As we dey go, I look back through window. She dey count money for her POS book. Serious face. That kind girl wey no get time for boy wey no get plan. And that thing pain me. For inside bus, one man dey argue for N100 change. One woman dey shout for market. But me, I open my phone again. Low power mode don show. I open DLS. My team rating na 67. The team wey I go play for Division 3 promotion match na 84 rating. Dem go beat me like thief. I sigh. I need diamond. I need striker. But where money go come from? Conductor work na N3,000 per day. If I no chop, if I no pay agbero, if I no give Baba T him own, wetin remain na N500. And Amara POS girl dey look me like say I be failure. As bus reach Oshodi Oke, everybody comot. I pack my money. I count. N2,800 today. Bad market. Baba T look me. "Tunde, tomorrow no come late. And stop to dey play that game for work. You hear me?" I nod. I waka go Amara POS side. I need withdraw N500 make I chop. Na she be my bank. She see me dey come, she roll eye. "Ah, you again. You wan withdraw abi you wan borrow? Because yesterday you say you go pay today." I laugh. Dry laugh. "Withdraw. N500." She collect my ATM card. She swipe. She give me cash. As she dey give me, our hand touch. Small electric shock. She quick comot hand. "Your game," she talk suddenly. "That DLS. You sabi am well?" I shock. "You know DLS?" "My younger brother dey play am for house. Everyday he dey shout 'Goal! Goal!' I dey hear am for night. He say person fit win money for inside? Na true?" My heart beat fast. Finally, person wey dey interested. "Na true o! Dem get tournament online. If you win, dem go give you $100. That's like N160,000 now!" She look me, eyebrow up. "N160k? For game? Tunde, you dey whine me?" "I swear! For Telegram group. Dem dey do am every Saturday." She keep quiet for some seconds. Then she talk something wey change my life. "Okay. My brother get team wey strong. But e no sabi play. You sabi play? If you fit coach am make e win small tournament for his school, I go pay you. Or... I fit borrow you N2,000 make you take enter that big tournament wey you talk. If you win, you go return my money double. If you lose... you go work for my POS shop for one week, free." N2,000? Double? Work for free? For normal day, I go say no. But for that moment, with 38% battery, with my Division 3 team, with that look wey she give me wey be like challenge... I say yes. "Deal." She bring out two blue notes — N2,000 — from her POS drawer. She put am for my hand. Her hand warm. "Saturday na tournament. Today na Monday. You get 5 days to build your team. No use am buy garri. Use am buy diamond. I dey watch you." I hold the money like say na gold. For the first time for that Oshodi morning, I no feel like conductor. I feel like manager. I put money for pocket, I bring phone. 37% battery now. I open Hawkit website — because I don remember say I fit use that N2,000 take do task for Hawkit to add more money — but I close am. No. This money na for DLS. I start to waka go house. My house na one room for Mafoluku, 10 minutes from Oshodi. As I dey waka, I dey plan. With N2,000, I fit buy 450 diamonds. With 450 diamonds, I fit buy Osimhen and one good midfielder. With Osimhen, I fit win Division 3. With Division 3 win, I fit enter that $100 tournament. And if I win that $100? I go pay Amara double — N4,000. I go still remain with N156,000. I go comot for conductor work. I go buy new phone wey battery no dey die for 38%. And I go buy small POS machine join Amara own, so we go be partner. Na so dream dey start for Oshodi. Not inside office. Inside traffic. With 37% battery. I reach house. Nepa no bring light. I on my small gen. I sit for floor. I open DLS. And I click "Buy Diamond." That na where everything start to spoil. --- *End of Chapter 1* *Word count: ∼1,550* This chapter don set your story. E get hook, e get Lagos life, e get Amara (love interest), and e get DLS (your main audience).