EPISODE 13
My mum’s tears disappeared immediately as we both rushed to the scene of the accident. The scene was too crowded to behold the victims. I struggled to pass through like a thread in the eye of a needle. I didn’t identify the lifeless woman on the floor until I saw Sisi Nene screaming and crying. I changed my position and looked keenly at the dead woman. It was Iya Kudi. I ran immediately to my mum to inform her about what I saw. She never believed until she went to see for herself. She dragged me out of the crowd back to her shop. My mum was perplexed. I was shocked too, seeeing someone now and in the next minute gone. I was gazing at my depressed mum when I saw three fat women and Sisi Nene walking towards our shop. I informed my mum quickly, who walked out innocently to meet them. She thought they were there to break the bad news to her. She was totally wrong when they started growling at her from afar.
“Witch!” They all screamed out loud in their various languages at my mum.
My mum was dumbfounded. They came closer to her and interrogated her. They assumed my mum was a witch and solely killed Iya Kudi because she doesn’t want to pay her debt; wack mentality. My mum couldn’t utter a word. She kept crying. I cried too. The women left, giving my mum an ultimatum till the next day to pay her debt. She entered the shop with a swollen eyes resulting from ceaseless weeping and found me crying also.
“Banji, kilode to fi n su’kun?” She asked, which means ‘Banji, why are you crying?’
“Mummy nothing.” I said, cleaning my tears without delay with my shirt.
She easily deciphered why I was crying so she came closer to me and patted my back.
“I know how you feel seeing my fellow women abuse me over money. I borrowed it to pay your school fees because things has been hard for your dad. I thought your dad would have given me his share of your fee so I will add it up with mine and pay the debt.” She said.
“Mummy, I promi-s-” I was saying when my mum interrupted.
“Shush...” She sounded, telling me to keep quiet. “I don’t want you to make promises you cannot keep. All I want is for you to make me and your father proud. Come and take us out of this poverty as you’re the only child we have. Face your books squarely. Please and please don’t join the cult or follow bad friends.”
I quickly regained myself when I heard someone’s footstep. The person was coming from the rear. I couldn’t clean my tears because my hands were tied from behind.
“D’Banj!”
I have no doubt that it’s Bayo. He’s the only person that calls me by that nickname. He turned around to face me.
“Bayo wetin I do you na?” I swiftly asked with a pity face.
“You promised to do anything if I helped you out of that mess we caused.” Bayo said.
“We? Bayo! We?” I angrily asked. “You did the whole killing and landed me in trouble.”
“Who started the fight in my room?” He defended.
“Ok. Fine. How are you helping me out of here?”
He had a wicked grin on his face and said, “Banji, make I no deceive you, you must to join us before we free you else we go minus you from the earth’s population.”
Me, join the cult? God forbid. I have contravened my mum’s first plea by walking with you, you wolf in sheep clothing, I was about to say. I can never join the cult after all my mum and dad has been through because of me.
“You don ready?” He asked and added, “it won’t take three minutes to join us.”
“Let me think about it please.”
“Your answer should be positive else I will bid you farewell.” He said and walked away through the same direction he came from.
“It won’t take three minutes to join us.” I mimicked him and added, “even twitter that is quite harmless takes longer minutes to join and yours just three minutes.”
It all got me wondering how the world has turned out to be, harmful things are easier to reach while the profitable ones are very tedious to dare. My escape was paramount to me so I brought back my drifted mind. I struggled so hard, scratching my tied hands against the bark of the tree but to no avail. I loosened up and faced reality.
“Go bring am come!” Someone commanded, guess it’s Strike.
I was ready for battle if I am let loosed. I was at the peak of my rage. The last time I felt that way was when Kofo was slapped by a bus conductor. Oh my! I really dazed this conductor. He took my gentility for stupidity. The conductor refused giving us our balance, even after Kofo pressured that we were almost at our designated bus stop. We alighted and Kofo as a lady, jolted him by his shirt while I stood aside quietly watching film; Kofo in acton.
“Hey! Leave me na.” The conductor said.
“You are joking.” She meanly replied.
“You sef give them their change make we dey go!” Some passengers in the bus yelled at the bolshie conductor.
“Hey! Leave me one. Hey! Leave me two.” The conductor counted.
I was boiling in rage as he counted. The more he counted the more my anger increased.
“Hey! Leave me ten!” He completed and slapped Kofo.
Oh my God! My rage bursted out of its cage. I pounced on him like a hungry lion. I beat him blue black. I didn’t stop landing blows on his jaw even while I saw his blood stains all over my shirt. I was ready to faint him, thanks to the passengers that held me back. I left the venue still angry while Kofo followed me.
One of the hefty guys hurried to where I was tied. He cut the rope with a knife and directed me to an unknown place. I can battle you, I said to myself. He was walking directly behind me while I took my steps short.
“Oooouch” I groaned and bent down, holding my right foot pretending to be hurt.
“What’s it?” He foolishly bent down to help me examine the foot, dropping the knife just by me.
I looked at the knife, he looked at me. I looked at him, he looked at the knife.
...NOT TO BE CONTINUED.
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