Episode 15
Husband Material
“Alicia?”. I muttered when I realized it was she that fell into the compound.
“Alicia!”. Rita called out.
She neither moved nor replied.
My heart started racing. I bent over to to touch her.
“Is she breathing?”. Charity asked.
“I think we need to take her to the hospital”. I suggested, but Eric lifted her, and carried her a little farther into the compound.
We followed behind him, confused. He went out again, and came back with a bucket of water which he sprinkles on her.
This caused her to sneeze quietly.
“Thanks goodness, she is alive!”. Rita screamed.
She opened her eyes, and tears started pouring out of her eyes.
I bent over to hold her.
“Hope those men did not hurt you?”. I sobbed.
She didn’t reply.
“Madam, make she rest”. Eric said.
“Please, help me take her inside”. I pleaded with him.
I called on the cook to get her something inside the room.
While waiting for the food to arrive, I called her father immediately to break the good news to him…poor man! he has been so worried.
“I will be there soon”. He said, excitedly.
I sat at the edge of the bed watching as she eat absentmindedly. My friends stood observing her from the door.
“Did you see the faces of those kidnapers?”. Rita asked, halfway Into the plate of food.
She didn’t reply, she just kept chewing.
“Are you sure this girl is okay?”. I asked.
“Let her eat and relax first”. Charity suggested.
At this moment, Stella walked, with her baby.
“What happened?. She is back?. The kidnapers didn’t collect the money anymore?”. She asked.
I shook my head.
“That is great news. Welcome, dear”. She said, and left again.
I wondered why she was so excited.
Alicia ate to her satisfaction, and laid down to sleep.
We went down to wait in the living room.
“Do you still have any doubt about what the DPO said?”. Rita asked.
“I don’t know what to think right now. It’s just hard to believe that Oliver has a hand in this”. I said.
“Well, you don’t need to conclude yet, let Alicia wake up first”. Charity suggested.
But Alicia sleep way into the night. She was so deep in sleep that she didn’t realize her father walk into the room, trying to wake her up.
He was so happy, and needed so much to speak with her, but she won’t just wake up.
He waited with us, until it was dark.
“I cannot wait any longer, my daughter has been at a neighbour’s house since school bus dropped her off in the afternoon”. Rita announced around 7pm.
“I will come with you, please. Gina, see you tomorrow”. Charity said, putting on her sandals.
Alicia’s father left with them, promising to come back the following morning
After I saw them off, I went straight to her room. She was still in a deep sleep. So I just pulled the duvet over her, and turned out the light. Immediately I opened the door to leave, I heard her cough silently.
I switch the light back.
“You’re awake?”. I asked, still holding the door.
“Yes”. She replied.
“Glory to God”. I muttered.
I closed the door and walked back to the bedside.
“I need to take a shower”. She said.
I put on the heater, and helped her to the bathtub.
“Let me call my girls. Rita and Charity just left here some minutes ago”. I said excitedly.
“No, don’t call them”. She said.
“Why?”. I asked.
“Please, don’t’. She pleaded further.
Because of the seriousness in her voice, I obeyed, and changed my mind.
I went back to her room to wait for her. She was done under ten minutes or thereabout.
“Okay, now tell me. How did it happen?. How were you kidnapped?. Do you know the people that kidnapped you?”.I asked, immediately she came back to bed..
“About five of them”. She replied
“So how did you get involved with them?. Did you enter their car or what?”. I further asked.
“He drove passed me, and stopped some distance away. When I got closer, he wind down, and asked me to hop in so he could drop me off at wherever I was going. The last thing I remembered was me, getting into the front seat of the car, and closing the door. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a darkroom, tied up to a chair”. She said.
“Who was the driver of the car?”. I asked.
She shook her head.
“I don’t know him”. She replied.
“So you got into a stranger’s car?”. I asked.
She didn’t say anymore.
“So you you say they were about five boys that held you in the room. Can you identify any of them?”. I asked.
“The room was dark, but I.. one voice sounded so familiar”. She recalled.
“Who?”. I asked, excitedly.
“He seems like their leader, because he is always giving orders”. She continued.
“You said the voice sounded so familiar?. What does it sound like?. Whose voice was that?”. I asked.
“I’m not sure, I just assumed”. She continued.
“Alicia, say it already!”. I was getting really curious.
“Are you sure you won’t get angry at me?”. She asked.
“No, just speak”. I said.
“It sounded exactly like uncle Oliver’s”. She finally said.
I adjusted uncomfortably on the bed.
“Who is is uncle…Oliver?”. I asked, almost in tears.
“Your boyfriend. But I didn’t see his face”. She continued.
“You’re not sure, right?”. I asked.
She nodded.
“You know why I didn’t speak while your friends were here?”. She asked, after a short silence.
“Why?”. I asked.
“I don’t know who the kidnapers are working with. But I have heard the leader speaking severally on the phone with someone. I think that person was giving them information about you”. She continued
“I know who that must be. It’s Dennis, I know”. I said.
“No. It’s a female voice”. She said.
“Female?”. I asked.
“Yes, someone that knows you too well. She said she saw an alert of 5 million million in your phone”. She continued.
I thought of who that could be, but I couldn’t place my hand on anyone.
“Are you sure it’s a female voice you heard?”. I asked.
“Yes”. She yawned.
“You still need some rest”. I said to her, and rushed out of the room.
When I got to my room, I paced up and down, studying all my friends one after the other in my head because they are the only ones close enough to notice that I received such alert.
But all of them appear innocent and responsible. Always supporting me.
As was pondering over it, I remembered the money I asked Stella to help me keep safe in my room.
I looked around, without finding it.
After searching fruitlessly for a while I went to her room to ask her, but was shocked by the sight that greeted me…. the room was empty.
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Typing 16…
#Story from Joy Ifunanya
