(Episode 12)
Christmas in November –
The strange man removed his cap, Audu couldn’t place his face. He had never seen him before. One could still see his handsomeness in the stranger’s eyes despite the bushy beards. Into Audu’s eyes he stared. Frightened Audu was thinking of how to reach for the phone to alert security.
Audu: “I ask again…who are you? And how did you get in here?”the strange man spoke with seriousness,
Strange Man: “I’ll answer your question one after the other!” he stood up pacing around, he moved closer to a painting on the wall,
Audu: “Don’t touch that! It cost a fortune!”
Strange man giggled,
Strange Man: “Rich people act like kids,” giggled again, “see the way you are all jittery about a mere painting. It cost a fortune!” he mimicked him, “Why do you waste money on vanities when you have a whole lot of people crying and dying of hunger on the streets.”
Audu: “Young man! If you have nothing else to say you can, please, get going! I was about leaving!”
The strange man placed his hands on the table and smiled,
Strange Man: “You little pet is waiting for you in the hotel room to soothe your aged bones and make your phallus huge again right?”
Audu unglued yelled,
Audu: “my friend would you leave this minute!”
Strange Man: “Relax oldie… I’m here to help you out of a dilemma! Your pet is the least of my problem! Imagine a young man with a family. Let’s say a very beautiful wife and a smart son of about age five…but this young man got served with limes by life but unable to make lemonade out of them got frustrated!” he was walking around as each word dropped from his lips, Audu sat watching, he paused, and opened the fridge, helped himself with a can of juice, “I hope you don’t mind?” he smiled, Audu didn’t say a word, gulped the juice and said, “ so, this young man got frustrated took to alcoholism, started beating his wife, kept late nights and started keeping other women outside, just like you chief!”
Audu shot him a fierce gaze,
Audu: “Wh…”
Strange man: “Relax! Don’t bite yet. So this young guy finds a beautiful pet just like your pet.. But this other pet is young and a virgin. Sorry, did I use this? Oh! My bad!!! Okay, was young and a virgin. A very intelligent girl; the best in her class. Phew! It happened just like in the movies, she fell so in love with this young man, in the process of losing her innocence she takes in. Remember I said, the young man had a family,a beautiful wife and son. You have to do away with the baby, the man warned her and don’t tell anyone about it. Unfortunately her father found out and came crashing at the door of the young man who denied it and his wife oblivious of the truth backed him up. Well lemme cut the story short, the young convinced his pet and they go for a D and C. unfortunately she came out as a ghost. She died!”
He giggled,
Strange Man: “Chief! Chief!!! You don’t throw stones in a glass house! You’ve done things more evil than that!” Audu swallows spit, “Okay, so this young man too off to a far away land abandoning his family. Confusion led him to it! His wife was arrested and about to be sent to jail without trials thanks to the influence of a generous rich man.”
Audu grunted for the story bore semblance of Angela’s, his worker’s daughter, Amos!
The strange man sat down staring into Audu’s eye he said,
“Does this story sound familiar?”
Audu: “So you’re the one? You’re the one that killed Angela? And made your wife suffer for nothing?” Audu stood up in annoyance the strange man clapped,
Strange man: “I’m impressed,” he smiled, “I’m Felix, the man who you all have been looking for!”
Audu quickly took his phone to dial a number, Felix smiled, “Yea, call the DPO! For the first time in a long while it is the right time for me to stand for the people I love most.
……
At the station they were making arrangements for the transfer of Jane and Bode. The DPO summoned for Innocent; he saluted as he entered,
DPO: “Easy!”
Innocent: “You sent for me, sir!”
DPO: “Where are the criminals?”
Innocent: “In their various cells, sir!”
DPO: “Okay, good! And the car? Is it ready?”
Innocent: “Very soon!”
A call came in, it was DPO’s . Chief Audu appeared on the screen,
DPO: “Afternoon, sir!” Innocent stood watching, “what!? Okay sir! We’ll send my boys right away! Thank you, sir!” he dropped the call and turned to Innocent who was waiting anxiously, “Take some men with you! Felix…”
Innocent: “Felix?”
DPO: “The husband of the woman who is in jail in connection with Angela’s murder” Innocent shook his head, “Chief just called that he came to the office and confessed of being the criminal!”
In less than thirty minutes, four Police officers came in with Felix, Chief swaggered behind them. Felix was in cuffs. The DPO came and met Chief at the counter,
DPO: “Welcome sir!”
Audu: “Ehen, DPO… This is the criminal!” he bragged as if he had caught Felix himself, “Like I said his wife is very innocent I’d love you to apologize to her personally. This animal made her suffer!”
DPO: “Go bring the woman out!”
Felix was kept on the bench behind the counter. Jane was shocked to see her husband; he dropped his head down when he saw her. Ladi was behind her, she paused when she got to where he was sitting,
Jane with tears in her eyes and a shaky voice,
Jane: “Felix, what did we ever do to deserve the shame and humiliation you’ve brought upon me and Jake. I’m sure he’d be proud of you now,” tears rolled down her eyes, “our offence is that we gave you love you didn’t deserve. Just forget about your son and I. I pray you rot in jail!” she wept bitterly. The station was cold. Tears filled the eyes of everyone.
DPO: “Take the bastard to his cell and get the car ready!”
Jane was handed her property and she headed outside, Audu, quickly followed her,
Audu: “I want to quickly apologize for the unjust treatment you were faced with these few days!” jane didn’t say a word, her lips quivered as tears trickled down her cheeks, she nodded and was about leaving, “Please, lemme make it up to you by taking you home!” She shook her head as her eyes were squinting, avoiding the confrontation from the angry sun. She was still adjusting to being free again, “I insist please!”
He ran to his car and flung the door opened, she sat in with the gait of a snail. Audu rushed to the driver’s seat and started the car. As they drove off, her mind was wrapped around Jake. Tears gathered in her eyes. A feeling crept on her, it was very strong. She knew all wasn’t well. That was more than post detention trauma.
Jane: “if something bad happens to Jake, I’d just kill myself!”
Audu was looking at her lustfully. The few weeks of torture had done little to dent her beauty even with her blistered lips. He was licking his lips.
Audu: “You should stop crying, please!” he stole a look, “ehm, uhm,I heard you’ve got a son!” he didn’t know what exactly to say to get her talking.
Jane told herself that she couldn’t be angry at Audu for making them detain her for long. He was fighting for a worker of his. With pains in her heart she cursed her husband. She promised she was going to take her son far away. So they could start life anew. Hunger and dehydration clutched her stomach. She couldn’t take it anymore. She could feel life slide out of her,
Jane: “Can I please get water to drink!”
Audu: “of course!”
Quickly he drove to a nearby eatery. And he made an order for them; Jane sat struggling with the rice and colossal chicken thigh thrown before her.
Jane: “Thank you,” he dropped at the front of the house,
Audu: “Hoping to see you soon!” she turned and walked away, at her butt his eyes feasted on.
…….
Mrs. Jones and her husband were asked into the doctor’s office. A call had been put through to Mrs. Jones by the proprietor of the school that Jake had slumped while playing in school and rushed to the hospital. Her husband didn’t go to work that day so they rushed to the hospital together. They loved Jake like their own. Who wouldn’t love such a smart child?
Doctor: “Have your seats! Welcome,” he smiled at them but they couldn’t for their minds were heavy.
Mr. Jones: “what’s wrong with Jake, please!”
Mrs. Jones: “Is he okay?”the doctor sighed and nodded, “what? Is he…”
The doctor sensing their fear chimed in,
Doctor: “No, he is still alive but the boy is critically ill.”
They chorused, “Huh?”
Doctor: “yes!”
Mrs. Jones who was becoming impatient,
Mrs. Jones: “what is it na, doc?”
Doctor: “Is he your son?”
They nodded,
Mrs. Jones: “Noo but we are his guardians!” her husband nodded.
Doctor: “has he been experiencing fever or chills? Or complaining of fatigue and weakness?”
They nodded,
Mr. Jones: “we just treated him of malaria!”
Doctor sighed,
Doctor: “Hmmm, when he was rushed in the morning. We quickly ran a lot of tests on him!”
Mrs. Jones: “and?”
Doctor: “it was discovered that he has lymphoma!”
They chorused, “What’s that?”
Doctor: “It is cancer that affects children rarely though!”
They looked worn out!
Jake was diagnosed of acute lymphoma and the doctor said he had few months to live. He was dying.
