The call that convinced me to get out and shoot had come about an hour after San Francisco had been nuked. I will never forget it, its probably the most important call I have ever taken in my life.
My daughter, Tomi, sat across my lap, Shiree was next to me and so were a dozen of our closest friends and family in Lagos. They had all showed up at our place, expecting me to have answers. I was the one who worked in media, if anyone in that room should have a clue, it definitely would be me. Unfortunately, I was just as dumbfounded by the whole thing as they were. No one knew what the Kaiju was, how it got to San Francisco and what its intentions were. I relied on the news media for information and they were proving to be just as reliable as a blank slate. We watched with disbelief as Trespasser's remains were loaded on to barges to be hauled to God knows where. Inspected and dissected to see if anything could be gleaned from its anatomy. Even in its dead form, the thing still looked imposing. I wouldn't have been shocked if it got up and started running amok again.
That was when the phone rang. Shiree being the closest to it, got up and picked it up. She only spoke for a few moments before beckoning me to come over. I carefully placed Tomi on the seat as I walked over, wondering who it could be.
"Akin! Finally…you've been a hard man to find."
"Greg is that you? I am on vacation man, I don't remember giving you guys this number."
"I know, I know…look bro desperate times call for desperate measures. Angie is going crazy here man. Told me to find you."
The gears in my head were already moving at the mention of Angie. Angie was the editor at my current publication. A really tough nut to crack especially when it comes to deadlines and such. This call only meant one thing, they needed some pics, but of what?
"Why? Angie knows I am not due back for at least a month and maybe you guys haven't noticed but this alien thing takes precedence over everything else at the moment, which includes pictures of sunsets and rich people vacationing on some exclusive beach."
Greg let out a chuckle. I liked him, mostly because he softened the blows of whatever Angie was swinging. He was really the go to guy in the office. Without him, I doubt anyone would work with his cranky boss.
"You are not going to believe this man, but we actually need you to get us pics of San Fran."
"You what?"
"Akin…you are the only one we know that can get us the type of shots we need. As of now, screw the travel shots. This is the most important development mankind has witnessed in the last 1000 years."
"So? There are tons of photographers you could call."
"No… That's not true. Angie has pissed off most of the industry."
(That was true.)
"And quite frankly, your work is in a league of its own. We need you so badly we are willing to double your fare and pay for everything you need from Lagos to San Fran and back."
I paused, his offer was quite tempting. If I jetted out immediately, I could still get back to the family within a week. My vacation wouldn't be completely ruined and whilst I'd piss off a few family members, the damage wouldn't be irreversible.
"In and out that's it. No additional jobs. Get me there, take care of my accommodation for the duration of the trip. Clearance to shoot and back to Lagos by next weekend."
I could practically hear Greg do an air punch in the background.
"You got it man, your flight to the states leaves tomorrow night. Murtala Muhammad Airport, we've got it covered from there. See you soon."
I had been itching to get back into the action, but I never expected it to be this way and this soon. A gift horse had fallen right into my laps and I couldn't wait to get going. Unfortunately right across from me was my number one obstacle, and from the way she was staring at me, hands folded, giving me one of her patented icy looks, Shiree wasn't too thrilled about my plans.
It took much convincing, actually let me rephrase that, it took a lot of pleading and begging to finally get Shiree to cave. Of course not without her giving me an earful on how I am cutting into our vacation time, risking my life for an ingrate like Angie and pissing off the rest of the family. When I told her how much I'd be paid and what she could do with it, she simmered down and told me one week was all I had. Who ever said women cannot be reasonable never met my wife.