LOVE AND LIES
PART TWO (38, 39 and 40)
THIRTY-EIGHT
There was a strange cackle that night. Loud hooting and whirring rented the air followed by occasional loud bang. It was like a festival, something like a Muslim festival. Kola found himself quite excited. It wasn’t just any kind of festival. It was a festival you wear your best. Kola dressed up in his best clothes and shoes. Everyone was amazed at the waxing of his shoes. The leather was the best in the market. When he stepped out, everyone was jealous. They asked him where he had bought the shoes and he described the market. All of them were confused. They appeared not to know the place.
Kola didn’t care. He walked proudly everywhere he went. Both young and old would stop by to greet him and they would stare jealousy at his shoes.
Kola found himself eating and drinking in a strange house. He ate as much as he liked and drank. He became tipsy. Later, he couldnt see clearly. His eyes began to blur. It appeared they all plotted for him. It appeared they hated him because he was favoured. They all laughed and mocked him. He heard the voice of Nkiru warning him to leave such a place. He stood and tried to find his way.
Kola staggered. He couldn’t find his way. He was barefeet. He searched for his shoes but he couldn’t find them. They started laughing and mocking him. They were all laughing that he lost his shoes at last.
But from nowhere someone held him by the hand. It was Nkiru. He was suddenly happy again.
“Where have you been?” She asked him.
“I went to party with my friends.”Kola told her.
“Who told you it is a party?” Nkiru cried out. “Now, wear your shoes hurriedly and let’s leave here.”
He couldn’t explain how Nkiru got his expensive shoes. But he realized she was the only one who could have done such for him in that situation.
“This is not a place to celebrate. And besides do you know why they were celebrating?” Nkiru asked as she held him by the hand, hurrying off.
“They were celebrating because you will soon lose everything you have.” Nkiru told him with hurried strides. “Yes that was why they were celebrating.” She added.
Kola hurried after her until they were out of sight.
Kola woke up and heaved. He was sweating profusely. He got up and went to shower. He came back and laid on the bed. Nkiru was awake. She complained of back pain.
Kola tried to piece the dream together. He began to understand what he meant. He stood up and went to the living room, picking his way gently with his crutch. He began to pray. Nkiru had never seen his husband prayed so fervently. Nkiru came out and also knelt by the couch. She joined him to pray.
Kola was done after an hour. He sat Nkiru down and explained the dream to him.
“It shows you have the enemies around you and they don’t like your success.” Nkiru said and heaved tiredly.
“Yes,” Kola answered. He threw his head back over the couch in thought. He found out when he was praying he received extra strength in his body. His legs were strong but his spinal cord still pained and didn’t want the stress. The more he prayed the more he got that energy in his body.
He called his mum in the morning. He told her about the dream. He seemed to be quite interested in the dream that he told everyone who cared to listen.
“That tells you, you need to be strong in prayer. You don’t know you have to worship something. It is either you worship the devil or you worship God. You can’t sit on the fence.” The old woman told him. “People get their power from somewhere. You need power to fight your battles. If you don’t want to get it from the devil, then you have to run close to God. And if you run to the devil, he might give you all you want but the end of it all is regret.” The old woman added.
Since that day Kola made up his mind to start going to church quite often and be of service to God. He realized life was short but indeed a warfront!
THIRTY NINE
The court was filled with people of different rank and file. Fred’s mum was crying bitterly. The lawyer had assured her that her son might not be sent to jail. But everyone could read the hand writing on the wall. He would simply be jailed. He was caught with two Ak47 rifles and a dead man who he claimed to be his friend.
His lawyer had advised him to plead guilty since he had never been sent to jail. He didn’t believe that would work. He knew his faith already.
Fred was born in a family of eight. He had five younger brothers. They were six boys, no girl. His father had wanted him to be a good example to his younger ones but he refused.
When the proceeding began, Fred’s lawyer saw alittle glitter of hope for Fred. Most of the people he had maltreated and duped in the past came to testify against him. One was Sandra, she was born with a silver spoon. She was deeply in love with Fred while they were on campus until he conned her of $1500. He dumped her and moved on. Sandra felt really bad and promised to take back her own pound of flesh some days.
When his lawyer stood up, Fred was already crying. He couldn’t behold all the offences levied against him. His lawyer began the rhetorics of how he had been quiet, easy-going and had never been sent the prison. He also defended Fred of Sandra’s allegations and called it an act of love. It was a voluntary giving. He said.
Nonso was also in court. He was also one of those Fred had duped and put in trouble. He was a manager of a bank in which Fred was a customer. Fred had made some withdrawals from the bank with the help of his godfathers even against the restrictions of the central bank.
Finally, the judge sighed. He pushed back his glasses and stared into his book.
Mr Fred Osakpolo, you had three count charges levied against you. First of all you have ammunition in your custody, for defrauding a bank official and two
other people of their money and for the death of Mr Tony Chinelo. “The judge waited to catch his breath alittle.
“You are hereby sentenced to death by hanging.”
The whole court was thrown into panic. Fred’s father was not in court. He had vowed never to engage in anything that had to do with him. The mother cried. He went to her and held her by the hand. Two of his younger brothers were also with her.
“Mama please don’t cry!” Fred consoled. A prison warden and a police officer were behind. Fred was handcuffed both hands and legs.
“With all the warnings Fred, look at where you ended your life.”
His mother cried. He looked at his younger ones and said to the them before he was pushed away.
“Please do something good for yourselves and stay away from bad friends. Did you hear me? Stay away from bad company.” He shouted as they shoved him away. That was the last time. Nonso was happy because Fred engineered his retrogressive plights in life.
Now he wished he could start again on a good side.
“Do you know if they had also caught you for sexual assault, you would have also been jailed? Do you know? It was grace that kept you. A thought told him. Do you remember those accounts of dead people you wiped out all their savings and never allowed the children of the bereaved to have access to their funds. Do you know how many fraudulent act you also committed while you were a bank manager without being caught? But you went to testify against a young man because he was one of the reasons you were sacked.
Nonso sighed. He vowed to live a new life, if God would ever give him such opportunities again. He strode on into the sun not minding the hooting, whirring and the loud bangs everywhere.
FORTY
It was evening. The sun had sunk to half as it positioned itself eastward. Fresh evening breezes were blowing. Kola was making preparations to start work the next week. He could now walk without aid. Nkiru was lying on the bed feeling so weak. Kola was busy ironing a few shirts when she realized Nkiru was whining and wriggling restlessly on the bed. She caught her up and asked her what was wrong. But she didn’t answer. He looked into her eyes. A thought told her it was time for her to deliver. Nkiru had envisioned a week or two more. But she couldn’t explain while it came earlier.
He hurriedly called Dave and he ran in. They both helped her as she refused to be carried. She gently sat at the back seat of the car, wriggling in pain. They drove off to the hospital. Nkiru got to the hospital and found everywhere rowdy. A thought told her she would be left to die and no one would give her attention. But her faith was strong. She believed she would not have a complicated birth. The nurses and doctors ran here and there. Nkiru was holding on to her faith and was praying. She had a strong feeling the devil would be shamed. They asked if Kola would love to witness the process but Nkiru bluntly refused. She knew he would probably panick more than her.
The doctor looked up at her. She recognized her. They asked her if she had made her mind up for caesarian. She disagreed that her baby would be fine. They got everything set. The doctor was there with other midwives. They told her to push. They realized the position of the baby had changed miraculously. Nkiru pushed within few minutes until she weakly found herself in trance. She appeared to be in a dreamland
” Can you spare your life for this baby?” A woman with a funny look asked her.
“What do you mean?” Nkiru asked.
“I mean , if you are told to choose one person to live. Who would you choose? You or the baby?” The voice asked again.
She was confused. The woman told her to be fast that she had no time. Her voice was like that of the doctor. It was harsh and authoritative. She heard her compelling all the nurses and shouting loudly at them. She shouted at her again to make her choice that she didn’t have all the time. Nkiru rummaged in thought.
“Why not allow the baby to die?” A thought advised. “You can always have another. “You are still young so why give up your life for the poor baby?
“No.” Another thought countered. “You will be a wicked mother if you do that. You have had your own fair share of life, why not allow the baby to live? Haven’t you had much trouble and have fought the good fight of faith, why not give up your life for the baby to live?”
The voice barked at her again to make her choice. Each time she barked, the nurses would run here and there as if they were looking for something and on the contrary it was also shouting at her to make her choice real fast. It seemed she was between reality and fantasy.
Nkiru thought very hard. She snorted for breath and panted. The voice bawled and barked making her shiver in fear.
“Both of us shall live!” She confessed boldly at last. It was as if something propelled her to say that. She didn’t care about the harsh voices not the scolds.
“How is that possible? ” The voice barked again. She could hear the nurses jerking and urging her to stay on. Nkiru didn’t answer.
“Both of us shall live!” She insisted before she clicked her eyes open. Something seemed to die off in her head and a large load seemed to be lifted away from her. She heard a baby crying. A nurse came and showed her as she opened her eyes.
“This is your baby!” She said to her and smiled. She was rocking her baby. Nkiru smiled. it was a smile of peace. She had no choice. Indeed his name would be called Victor because she fought and won.
Kola ran in. One of the nurses had gone out to tell him. There was harsh glow of expectation in his eyes as he hurried in. He rolled up his sleeves as the nurse gently placed the baby in his arm.
“Baby,” Kola looked at Nkiru. “This is our victory!” He said with a face drawn with radiant smiles.
Nkiru nodded in agreement.She appeared to be too overjoyed to talk. Kola took a seat beside her on the bed. They both began to thank God. Everything was done and the baby kept crying. He was indeed full of life. Kola watched as everything was done. He made sure no mistake was made as if he was the chief doctor that monitored the birth right from the beginning. But he realized it was all God that made it happen. He was overjoyed. He took his seat again with his baby in his arms. Nkiru would stare into his face at every minute smiling. She realized indeed as her pastor would always tell her.
” For those that wait upon the Lord, He shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles.They shall run and not weary and shall walk and not faint……
The End……..
©Emmanuel Erondu, .
No part of this book should be printed or copied into another format without prior knowledge of the author.
Thank you once again. I love you all.
Thank you too