Street Diaries

They say home is where the heart resides, where the roots dig deep and the soul finds comfort. If that's the case, then Harmony City is my home, my heart, my roots, my soul. My bloodline has lived and died in this city's belly, a city as ironic as its name, steeped in crime and chaos, a God-forsaken cesspool of human struggle that has been anything but harmonious for generations.Growing up here wasn't easy, the second of four siblings, I witnessed my mother, a pillar of strength and sorrow, toil day and night as a domestic worker for the city's aristocracy. She worked with the strength of an elephant and was compensated like a mosquito. We were poor, and in those days, you were either living amidst the glitz and glamour of the rich, or you were barely surviving, choked by the dust and grime of poverty. The middle class? A mythical concept, a cruel joke in this city.Harmony City was a chessboard, and we were the pawns. The government had designed the game to keep the rich in a perpetu

"People say you should always be punctual but I disagree. You should know when to be punctual and when not to be, " Kazeem said as he ruffled Kunle's hair with his hand."Stop treating me like I'm a kid, Kaz, "  Kunle reacted."Oh but you're my kid brother, aren't you? You need to move your ass or you'll miss the bus..." He spread his arms, turned to Shola and Shade, and they all chorused:"Again!""I'm not going say anything to that and don't you have to get to school too?" He blurted at Shola and Shade."Well, our school is just around the corner, it's not as far as yours is, " Shade replied.Shola kept mouthing the lyrics of a rap song and paid no attention to the conversation. A car zooming halted at the front of the house and they heard the door open. Kazeem picked up his Glock G19 and went to the window. They all moved away from the windows like Kazeem had taught them to do, whenever they hear a random vehicle park in front of the house

"Five guys got shot downtown, in front of Vibez last night," Mike whispered as he cleaned his shoes."Vibes? The night club?" Kunle asked."How many Vibez do you know, fool?" Mike replied, trying to lower his voice so that his mother wouldn't hear them in the other room."That's Seavile boys territory. I guess Kaz finally got the word to deal with them after all," Kunle mumbled. He gave Mike a stare."Bro you know I'm not gonna be yapping Kaz's business to anybody," Mike quickly reassured him."I know I can trust you, Mike but you know you got a big mouth," he smirked mischievously."Boy, shut your mouth up!" Mike started laughing."What are you boys laughing about?" Mike's mom was already in the room before they noticed. They both stopped talking."Nothing," they both chorused.She stared at them for a moment, shook her head, and walked back to the other room to continued her discussions with her friend."Man,

The events of the party were all over the news but I was so surprised when they called it a terrorist attack on a crucial member of society. They covered up the facts, although we all knew what went down. It was a failed hit on the boss of the biggest gang in the city, but who dared say anything.  Chuks would stare at the television for a while and burst into laughter then watch again and laugh some more, pointing at the headline. Kazeem came out of his room with a serious look on his face. He was talking to someone on the phone. The Sarumky family didn't waste any time before responding to the attack on their boss. It was an all-out war, with bodies falling in the streets. The Fakunle's got hit pretty badly. Some days before then, Kamara and Kamal Fakunle got taken out in a drive-by. These were nephews to the family boss and everybody was prepared for them to retaliate.  When these big men go to war they bring out the big guns. Automatic weapons fl

"Get your skinny ass off that bed and get dressed now, Kaz screamed as he pulled open the blinds," letting in the morning sun.I struggled to open my eyes and when I did, my sight was foggy, coupled with a sickening headache."I'm never taking alcohol ever again," I whispered."Lesson number one. Avoid all things that dull your mind and slows you down. Your life might depend on how sharp you are and how fast you can react to situations," Kazeem shouted."So that's why I never see Kaz drink, I thought to myself."Now get out of that bed, little brother! We have business to attend to."Chuks was already up and I wasn't surprised. He barely slept even then. I got up, rinsed my face, and got dressed hastily."What business are we attending to today?" I asked."First of all, we must make sure that Bammy gets home safely. I don't have to remind you that we are at war, and we might be hit at any time. You don't want to be the one that partied