“INTO THE UNKNOWN”
Episode 4
Chachi was deeply worried. Dumebi had left Abuja to travel home to discuss his proposal with her family, but he hadn’t been able to reach her since she left. He had been calling her phone continuously, but it remained switched off, which only added to his anxiety.
His friend Arinze walked into his office and asked, “Any word from Dumebi?”
Chachi shook his head, his face etched with concern. “Nothing yet. I’m troubled; I feel like something has happened to her.”
Arinze tried to offer some reassurance. “Don’t think like that, Chachi. Maybe her phone’s battery is low or she misplaced her phone. Give it some time. I’m sure when she gets home, she’ll find a way to reach you.”
“Guy, she left six hours ago, and Kaduna is just a two-hour drive.”
Arinze patted Chachi’s shoulder. “Still, have faith, okay? I need to leave for my meeting, so I’ll catch you at home later.”
But Chachi wasn’t really listening. He was too preoccupied with dialling Dumebi’s number once more.
That night, there was still no word from her. Chachi couldn’t bear the uncertainty any longer, and the next morning, he decided to go to the park to make inquiries about Dumebi’s whereabouts.
The following morning, very early, he went to the park, accompanied by Arinze. It was there that they discovered that the bus Dumebi had boarded had been attacked by a group of armed men. The driver had been shot dead, and the passengers, including Dumebi, were abducted.
Chachi was devastated and shocked. His beautiful Dumebi had been kidnapped. He couldn’t bring himself to think about what those criminals might do to her. What weighed most heavily on his conscience was that Dumebi’s trip was related to their proposal.
Arinze took charge of the situation. They reported the matter to the police and used their legal contacts to see if they could get any information about her whereabouts. Days later, they received a call from the kidnappers, demanding a ransom. They paid it, and the other passengers were released, except for Dumebi and another lady who tragically died in their custody.
Chachi was heartbroken, and he couldn’t bear to face Dumebi’s parents. He knew that he was responsible for what had happened to her. All their efforts to find and rescue her eventually faded away with time, leaving them to come to terms with the harsh reality that Dumebi might be gone forever.
Chachi was shattered, and for days, he would stare into space. His parents had to intervene, taking him back home where he would remain for three months as he struggled with a severe mental breakdown.
After the incident, Chachi refused to have anything to do with any woman. He believed that he had to punish himself, feeling that the only way to pay for what he did to Dumebi was to remain celibate, as a constant reminder of the tragic consequences of his proposal.
Thank you for reading,
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Jumie Naths
