JEREMY
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Episode 17
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Jeremy exhaled loudly and said, “I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. I sprinted back into the room and caught him off guard. With the rage I was now filled with, overpowering the old man was easy. I clenched the knife tightly in my hand while holding it up in the air, and with one rapid, clean motion, I severed his organ from his body.”
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The wine glass cup in my hand crashed to the ground as soon as I heard this. In disbelief, my eyes were on the verge of bulging out of their sockets. My mouth was still on the floor in shock. I found it hard to comprehend that Jeremy had hurt his own father in that way. Of course! After all, the rumors were genuine.
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“You killed him, jeer!” I was able to murmur.
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Jeremy grinned while shaking his head.
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I couldn’t make sense of what that meant. Is he trying to tell me that he didn’t kill his father, or is he trying to tell me that his father died because of his cruelty? Abi, does he intend to blame the devil for this like everyone else?
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“You’re shaking your head, Jeer, why? What’s up with the smirk on your face, by the way?” I asked while sneering at Jeremy’s carelessness.
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“Why, baby, do you believe I killed him?” Jeremy asked, his expression not suggesting that this was a rhetorical question.
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What is this man’s problem? How is it that this query is not rhetorical? What else could an act like slicing off a man’s pen!s be called?
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“You chopped off his manhood, Jeer. It doesn’t matter if he died right then, but I’m positive he did later as a result. Is there a name for what you did that I’m not aware of?” I questioned, apprehensive of Jeremy’s possible response.
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I almost forgot that Jeremy’s narrative had taken so many strange twists that it was difficult to predict. All indications suggested that I had made yet another bold but unfounded assumption. If that were the case, I was eager to find out where I went wrong.
How could I have misconstrued this sef? It’s not complicated, na! Doesn’t chopping off a man’s “this thing” automatically mean killing him?
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“I didn’t kill the old man, baby. In fact, he fully recovered after that. He passed away two years later.”
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“…WHAT? His demise wasn’t immediate? He didn’t pass away that day? Common now! How on earth is that even possible, baby? For crying out loud, you removed a man’s genitalia. That really ought to have killed him.” I asked, with confusion splattered all over my face.
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Jeremy appeared to grasp my perplexity, which by this point had evolved into frustration in my behavior. He grinned before deciding to explain things clearly.
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“His agonizing cry drew his security detail, who stormed into the room before I could even say “Jack.” They were somewhat startled when they saw the mess I had made. The leader then had a premonition of what to do. While he set up my father’s transportation to the hospital, he seized his detachment and put it on ice. Before they even got to the hospital, the operating room was all set up for my father’s surgery because everything about him was always given top priority. He went on to make a full recovery, but you know how it is. Regardless of how hard they tried to sweep everything under the rug, rumors were always going to spread. The king was declared to be sick and needed some time to recover while my father was getting better. Before he could emerge in public, it required some time. Words about what I’d done started to spread throughout this period of recovery, despite the fact that they lacked specifics. Although they all knew I played a role in keeping my father confined to that bed, they had no idea what exactly it was or what had brought me there. The old man made those declarations regarding the prerequisites for my taking the kingdom after him at his first appearance in front of the public. One of them was that I can never become king while still a bachelor.”
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It was unbelievable, as is the entire premise of the tale.
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“After that incident, my mother and my sisters were expelled from the palace, and I couldn’t have stood by and watched them go, so I went with them.”
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“Kicked out after that incident, ke? What did they do wrong for such treatment to be given to them?” I asked, perplexed. “Shouldn’t it have been you who committed the act of rebellion if anyone was to be expelled? Or did I miss something, Jeer? Are these women not the victims in this story?
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Somehow, Jeremy didn’t feel that my query warranted a response. He simply kept talking.
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“For the short time the old guy lived, I was frequently asked to return home to at least pick my father’s brain about leadership, but I never did. I never saw the need to. I continue to see no reason that I don’t intend to rule as king, baby. They can wait as long as they want; I won’t ever be their future king. I’ve witnessed what that throne can do to a good man…
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“A good man?”
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“Yes babe. Even after everything my mother went through at the hands of my father, she never stopped talking about what a good man he was before he ascended the throne. Up until his demise, she still believed he was going to come to his senses and eventually came over to beg for her forgiveness. But that never happened. If a mother was right about her husband and what that throne had done to him, shouldn’t that be enough reason for me to stay far away from it?”
To be continued…
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Moshood Avidiime
