HAWA’S RETURN
CHAPTER 3
I walked up to Hawa and tried to touch her, but she pushed my hand away.
“Avoid me, Ike.”
“What’s the matter, Hawa? You already knew I had a girlfriend. You have even met her before.”
“So? Am I not a woman? Doesn’t blood flow in my veins? Let me let you know that I am jealous.”
“Why?”
“Because she slept in your house last night.” She spoke.
“Oh! That? But it doesn’t matter. You have been sleeping in my house too.”
“Whatever!!” She said and went into her room.
I knew Hawa was angry but in my opinion, she had no reason to. I had already introduced Nerissa to her. She had to understand. I did not expect her to catch feelings. I thought as neighbours who had become bedmates, we should try to keep it at the level of NSA (No Strings Attached). However, it seemed what I wanted was not what Hawa wanted. She wanted to come into my life full time. The unfortunate part was that she had more access to me than Nerisa.
It had been a weak now and I had succeeded to calm Hawa down. She had no choice than to accept her fate. In fact, she had two evils from which to choose. One was to break up with me, and the other was to accept that fact that she was the other woman. She logically chose the lesser of the two evils, which was to be the other woman. She couldn’t bare losing me.
One evening, she came to my room and as we sat watching TV, she started a conversation.
“Ike.”
“Yes, Hawa.”
“You know I love you, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I wish I had you all to myself. You are such a nice man. I have grown to love you so much. You know, all my life, this is the first time I am receiving this level of love and concern from a man. I have always been alone all my life. Ever since I lost my parents, no one has ever cared about me. I come from a polygamous home. I was the only child of my mum. When my mum and dad passed, there was no one to care for me. I had to fend for myself. No one showed me love, until you came around.”
“I am sorry, Hawa.”
“It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have put so much interest in another person’s boyfriend. But can you blame me? Which woman in his right senses can resist you. Anyway, I just wish to let you know that I have accepted my fate. I will never be angry with you when Nerissa comes here again. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“It’s alright, my dear. Don’t be worried. I am occupied already, but I will always be there for you. Consider me the big brother you don’t have. I am sorry about everything.”
“Thank you, Ike.
“Thank you too, Hawa.”
Thus, our friendship was once more strengthened. We as much as possible avoided sleeping with each other. We struggled to get our relationship back to where it was originally, and things were moving well. It had been a month and we hadn’t had sex. We loved it that way. I had become her big brother while she had become my younger sister. We were happy with ourselves and the present state of things then, disaster truck.
I got back from work one day and Hawa didn’t greet me the way she used to do. In fact, she didn’t even leave her room. It was kind of odd and strange. However, I decided I would find out the reason for that new attitude later. I got into my room, freshened up and then, went to see her. When I got into her room, I realized that she looked very downcast, and she was sobbing. I rushed towards her and sat by her. She had never looked that way since I met her. She was a happy soul and she always acted like nothing could ever put her down.
“Now, what is the matter, Hawa?” I asked with concern in my voice.
“Nothing.”
“You can’t say nothing, Hawa. Please, tell me what happened to you. This is not you. This is not the usual you. What is going on? What is happening?”
She tried to talk to me but seemed to choke on her own tears and now, she started weeping seriously, shaking with convulsive sobs. I was lost. What could have happened to the beautiful, kind and happy Hawa? What was I going to do to make her talk to me? Has she lost someone? Her parents were dead already, her former fiancé too. I had never heard her talk of any close relative. So, who could she have lost?”
“Hawa! Hawa!! You know you can talk to me. You can trust me. We haven’t known each other for too very long, but you know we are like family. Tell me, Hawa, what is going?”
“Something happened to me last night on my way home.” She managed to say between sobs.
“What is that? Tell me. Did somebody hurt you? I tried to call you last night without success. Where were you?”
“I no longer have a phone, Ike. I was robbed yesterday on my way home. My phone and purse were taken away.”
“What? Where? By whom?”
“I don’t know, Ike.”
“Jesus Christ! This town is becoming dangerous. Alright, don’t cry, okay? I will transfer some money to your account, and I will get you a new phone.”
“It’s more than that, Ike. It’s more than that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was raped.” She wailed.
“What? You were what?”
“I was raped, Ike. Oh my gosh! I don’t know what to do. I am finished.” She was now crying loudly.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Someone had just raped my friend, my very good friend. Whoever did that didn’t deserve to live. I promised myself that I was going to get even if it took me eternity. I would find that person and make the person pay dearly.
“No, Hawa. Please, don’t tell me that.” I said in agony.
“It’s true, Ike. It’s true.” She was inconsolable.
“What happened? How did it happen?”
“I was coming back home last night…”
“Please, please, don’t tell me. Don’t narrate it to me. It will only make me feel bad.”
“Let me say it, Ike, please. Let me say it, maybe it will make me feel better. I am dying inside.”
“Alright, if you say so. So, what happened?
“I was coming back from club late last night when I saw a bike. I stopped the bike and it stopped. I gave the bike man my directions and he accepted to take me home. As soon as I got onto the bike, three other guys jumped out from the bushes and surrendered me. I was helpless, Ike. They told me that they were going to kill me if I shout. There was nothing I could do. All three of them got on the bike and the driver sped towards hilltop. They rode at top speed until we went to the outskirts of town. When we got to an open place, they stopped and asked me to get off the bike. I did and they all took turns on me. Some went more than once.”
“All four of them?”
“Yes, all four of them. I felt like I was going to die. In fact, I wanted to die.”
“What happened after?” I asked, terribly vexed.
“They wanted to kill me. However, one of them happened to by my tribe’s guy. When they asked my name and I told them, he begged that they shouldn’t kill me. That was how my life was spared. I would have been killed, Ike. I would have died. I would have never seen you again.” She wept.
“How did you get back home?”
“After they were done, they transported me back to my house on the same bike. Then, they took my phone and my wallet. They were laughing and mocking me. They said I had flesh, that I was not as skinny as the other girls they had been defiling.”
“So that is what they have been doing in this town. I will make them pay, every one of them. I will take care of them. I swear I will, and I will not rest until I have it done. They have just encountered the wrong quarry. I will make them pay for all the other innocent girls they have raped, most especially, you, my beloved Hawa.” I promised. “Can you be able to remember the place they took you to?”
“Nope, I just know that it was somewhere after Hilltop. While I was there, I got the stench of corpses. I am sure they have been taking people there and killing them.”
“Don’t worry, I will get them, I promise you I will. Did you recognize any of them?”
“Yes, the guy who begged that I shouldn’t be killed. I have met him before, but he didn’t recognize me. I know him. I even know where he lives.”
“That’s good. That’s a very useful information. I will begin with him.” I spoke.
“He had the guts to tell me that he would contact me. He said I tasted good and that he would look for me to have me one more time.”
“That will be his doom. Whenever he contacts you, let me know.”
That same evening, I took Hawa to a medical facility. Various tests were conducted on her, and she was given medication. That night, she slept in my house. She was so traumatized that I couldn’t let her sleep alone. While she slept deeply out of trauma and exhaustion, I stayed up almost all night, thinking of the most wicked way to handle those wizards.
In the morning, before I went to work, I asked her to stay indoors and lock the doors. I told her that should someone knock, she should be sure of whoever it was before answering. Haven said that I went to work. I checked on her every two hours just to make sure she was okay.
It’s been a week now. Hawa was getting better now. The bad guys hadn’t still contacted her. We were waiting. They had taken her phone, but they knew where she lived. They had dropped her right in front of her house that fateful day. So, I was positive that one way or the other, they were going to contact her.
Hawa came back one day, and she told me that she had seen the guy she recognized. She saw him with three other guys whom she suspected were the three other guys who had ravaged her that night. She made a mental note of them and came back home to tell me.
The next day, I took a one month leave from work. I wanted to travel out of town to see my parents. When I got home, rushed to my room and told me that the guy she recognized saw her that morning and told her he will be coming to see her that evening. The guts of them, the effrontery of him. I was very happy about the information and Hawa and I started planning on what we were going to do.
TO BE CONTINUED…
