Act Of Faith - Season 1 - Episode 23

Episode 4 years ago

Act Of Faith - Season 1 - Episode 23

” Arrgh” I shouted as I held my bleeding arms and lied on the floor of the free land beside Jude’s mansion. Apart from the spot where I was shot, there were also some other parts bleeding due to the dangerous jump through
glass made window. ” Gabi, are you okay?” Morgana asked trying to lift me up. The guards peeped through the window and started firing at us again, We quickly dodged behind the fence breathing heavily. ” This isn’t the sort of fun we planned for” Morgana said as she brought out her gun, ” Let me handle this” she added when I tried bringing out my gun. She rolled forward a little and shot randomly towards the window, I could now see people running helter scatter, People of the street. ” You are bleeding real bad” She said as she rolled back to me. ” we need to leave here as soon as possible” She said again. ” I dont want anyone to know about this” I told her holding my left hand with the right. ” The time is 2:15 now” I added looking up at her. ” come off it, you know it takes up to an hour to drive from royalty to Perfect peace considering the Lagos traffic” She said and I nodded. ” Let’s get out of here, you need to have your hand treated.” She said. ” This is a bullet, they will need a police warrant before treating me” I told her. ” Am not taking you to the hospital ” She said as she drew me up and we escaped to where my bike was parked. ” I will drive ” she said as she hopped on the front seat. ” Off course you will have to” I replied sitting beside her. I didn’t know what happened next, I only woke up to meet myself on a small bed in a small room. My left hand has been treated and there was a bandage around it though it was covered with my cloth which had been washed cleaned by God knows who.


I turned left and my eyes caught the wall clock, the time was 7:30pm, I got up and sat on the strong iron bed, just then the small door the room opened and Morgana came in. ” Gabi, you slept for too long” She said sitting beside me and touching my left hand. ” How do you feel now?” She asked me. ” Much better” I replied. “Where are we?” I asked again. ” In a room” She replied.

AS NARRATED BY MORGANA
I drove off on Gabi’s bike to a small house owned by an old native doctor, not those involved with witch craft. She had actually treated me once when I was involved in s club fight, that was back then when I was still a stripper. The time is 7:35pm and you might be wondering how it went after we left the Mr Jude’s mansion. I had driven Gabriel first to the native doctor’s place and headed back to perfect peace hotel. I Parked the bike in a safe corner and located the bush where I kept my cloth. I wore them and cleaned myself before jumping over the fence with the help of a tree in the bush. I had to swallow my fear as I climbed up through the pipe after two failed attempts. I quickly had a shower , disposed the knife and cleaned my heels, I washed my under wears and dried them on a drying line in the bathroom, I then put on my cloth. I didn’t forget to keep the key to sir Jude mansion where he kept it. At exactly 3:15pm, sir Jude showed up looking moody and tired. ” Welcome honey ” I greeted him smiling but he wasn’t smiling at all. ” What is it?” I asked him again. ” My house was attacked” he told me falling into the bed. ” My good God, what happened, what about your guards?” I asked almost shouting. ” They were all killed, only a few survived, about 6 survived” he said again rubbing his bald head with his hand. ” Am so sorry love, hope they didn’t make away with anything?” I asked caressing his back. ” No, but they left the house in a total mess” He replied. ” Oh, God, am so sorry” I said and planted a kiss on his lips. ” Am not in the mood for fun this night, why dont you allow my guards drop you at home” he said. ” Are you trying to dismiss me?” I asked angrily, ” No, I just need a clear st…” I interrupted him. ” Forget it ” I shouted as I went into the bathroom, pulled over my cloth and wore my under wears though they were wet, I wore back my clothes. I came back some minutes later and made for the door, ” Where are you going to?” He asked . ” My house ” I replied angrily. ” Let my guards drop you off” he pleaded, ” No, I know my way, if you need me, you know where to pick me, Kendrick” I said to him and walked out from the room. I went downstairs only to meet a man in boxers explaining how he was tied down by a young man, I smiled as I knew who it was, that was how I escaped from the hotel and headed home for a change of cloth, Christiana wasn’t home and the house was just like we left it the previous night. ” Hello Matt” I said as I picked my ringing phone. ” Morgana, have you heard from Gabriel, we hadn’t seen him since morning and he isn’t picking his phone” Matt said over the phone. ” Gabriel asked me to keep the secret but am trusting you on this, he went out with a girl” I said. “Oh, that must be that girl he meant in the club two days ago” Matt said laughing. ” Yes, a sort of club girl he had told me” I said, I could hear israel laughing from the background and hailing Gabriel. ” Okay Morgana, am relieved now, bye” Matt told me. ” Did you guys do anything today?” I asked him. ” No, Daniel gave us the day off, he said he was busy with something ” He replied and hung up, he is always know of minimizing airtime.

I drove back to the house where Gabriel was being treated, I meant the old woman outside pounding some sort of medicine. ” Your friend is still sleeping” She said to me, ” I have been able to remove the bullet” She said again. ”

Thank you mama” I said smiling and swayed inside the room she directed me to, Gabriel was still sleeping like a child, he woke up some hours later. ” So what did you find out?” I asked him after we have joked for sometimes and I had told him how he got here, that was an attribute that can’t been taken away from Gabriel, he is always making jokes from everything even in time of danger. ” I can’t explain, everything is just confusing. The only reasonable thing I fetched out is that they will be shipping something the day after tomorrow ” He replied me. ” Shipping what?” I asked him


AS NARRATED BY MORGANA
. ” Something I dont know” He said looking up to the old white ceiling, ” We have to be there” he said again after some time. ” Where?” I asked. ” The port, we must find out what they are shipping” he said to me. ” You aren’t looking fit” I said not willing to go ahead with his mission. ” Am not forcing you to come Morgana, I can go in my own but dont tell anyone about my whereabout. Some how, those people are kind of connected to the numerous deaths in Atata” he shouted. ” I didn’t say am not joining you, stop barking ” I shouted back facing him. ” I dont need you anyways” he said again, ” Maybe next time you will get a bullet to your head” I fired angrily at him. “It will be my pleasure ” he said and lied on the bed facing the ceiling. ” Am sorry” I murmured unwillingly to him after some moment of silence but he didn’t reply. ” Gabi” I called but he didn’t still answer. ” For Christ sake, I said am sorry” I shouted angrily, ” You better dont give yourself hypertension ” He said but didn’t still look up. ” Am I forgiven?” I asked him ” Are you coming with me?” He also asked. ” Of course, I will come with you” I said smiling. ” Then you are forgiven” he replied as he got up from the bed. ” Let’s go have fun” he said looking out through the window, ” What sort of fun?” I asked him, ” Like a night ride” He answered while I smiled. ” Let’s go” I said throwing the key of his bike to him, just then the old nurse entered. ” Are you both going out?” She asked smiling to reveal her scattered teeth, not white at all. ” Yes mama, for a ride” I replied. ” My son, come back quick, I still need to do something on the hand ” She said. ” okay mama ” Gabriel said as the old woman walked out.” I hope you can drive?” I asked him, ” Watch and see ” he said bouncing out.


Ten minutes later, we both could be seen cruising the street of Lagos on his bike, loud music from different clubs and bars made the night.


AS NARRATED BY ADANNA
With smiles and happiness of the morning, I went to the stream, I have been relieved when Alvana told me Gabriel hadn’t written the letter, I swayed and smiled happily as I went to the stream early that cold morning, I do go very early before other village maidens so as not to be involved in gossips. The village girls are good gossipers, they can involve you in useless talk and waste your time. ” Adanna” I heard Alvana called from behind, he was going to his farm as usual, he had a how hanged on his shoulder and a cutlass on his hand. ” Alvana, good morning” I greeted. ” You are so hardworking, you mean you have come to fetch water this morning?” He asked smiling. ”

Yes” I replied. ” Hmm, let me take Gabriel place, let me escort you to the stream” he said. ” No, dont bother..” He interrupted. ” I want to escort you to the stream, that isn’t something big is it?” He asked smiling, I had no option than to give in. ” Don’t worry, you are meant for Gabriel and am not taking his place”
Alvan said smiling. ” I just miss him so much” I told him. ” When he was here you could not tell him you love him and you are missing him now.” Alvana said laughing. ” The boy is meant to tell the girl not otherwise” I said calmly. ” Another postulate by Alfred Marshal” he said laughing . ” Who is Alfred Marshal?” I asked. ” An economist” he said. ” Stop there!!” A voice shouted from behind, we both turned and it was Mbe the cat, I felt pity for Alvana immediately. “Your dog has come” Alvana said to me smiling, ” Won’t you run?”


I asked pushing him away. ” Run? I hate that sport” he said again smiling. ” What kind of idiot are you?” I asked as I saw mbe drawing closer. ” Mbe with the way you follow Adanna these days, I think it will be better calling you Mbe the dog rather than the cat” Alvana said smiling, I was sure he didn’t know who he was standing with. “Alvana, is that for me?” Mbe asked angrily as he pushed Alvana to the ground. Alvan stood up slowly, he was still smiling. ”

Mbe the dog is really perfect, Adanna what do you think?” Alvana asked holding my hands, I was now shaking incredibly. ” What sort of full grown man of Atata pursues a lady day and night rather than go to the farm?” Alvana asked still smiling, he was always smiling. ” Alvana!!” Mbe screamed and punched Alvana over his face, the punch sent Alvana to the ground, this time Alvana didn’t get up slowly, he sprang up with his both legs and stared at Mbe smiling. Mbe tried bringing another punch but Alvana caught his hand in the air, then like thunderstorm, Alvana released a hot slap to Mbe’s fat cheeks. The stream became still, the trees stopped rustling, the birds of the trees flew away as Mbe fell to the ground heavily with his both eyes closed, Just a slap. ” He is dead” I said turning to Alvana who was just smiling.
AS NARRATED BY ADANNA
” No he isn’t dead” Alvana replied still smiling, ” he only fainted ” he added as he collected my water pot and dipped it into the stream, he brought it out some seconds later and poured the content on Mbe who was lying on the floor. Mbe sprang up immediately, he stared at Alvana with an expression of fear written all over him, and almost immediately took to his heels. ” Does he goes about bullying people?” Alvana asked staring at me, ” the fact that he is the village best wrestler gives him confidence and boldness ” I replied though I was scared of him, I have never seen a slap pass someone out.” How did you pass him out?” I asked , ” Just a slap” he replied smiling. ” Hey, dont be scared of me” he added still smiling, he took my water pot again and dipped it into the stream, he brought it out after some seconds and with a single hand, placed it on my head. ” Thanks Alvana” I said gesturing ” Go and see Mbe no more” he also said in a funny manner as he took the left turn to his farm, ” Funny Alvana” I said to myself though still surprised by the earlier incidence. It has been more than weeks Gabriel left now, there is no sign on his forthcoming, I wake up with false hope each day that Gabriel would just barge into my compound, lift me up on his muscular shoulders and spin me around but no. Like I had said, they were false hopes.

°°

Though I still felt the effect of the pain from the gunshot, it didn’t stop me from having a night ride with Morgana. She sat behind me holding my waist as I sped along the smooth road of Lagos, it was dark but to some people of Lagos, the day was just beginning, as music from clubs and joints filled the air. I finally parked the bike in the middle of no where, I and Morgana found a pavement and sat on as we stared into the sky like lovers counting the stars. ” Do you really love Christiana?” She asked me picking up a stone. ” Christiana, I love her of course” I replied. ” Are you both in any sort of relationship?” She asked again knowing how naughty I could be. ” No, we aren’t, we are just mere friends, why are you asking?” I asked. ” Because Christiana isn’t good for you” she simply replied . ” How?” I inquired further. ” I dont know, I just feel she isn’t good for you” She said again. ” How about your fiance?” I asked her, ” My what?” She asked while I stared at her in confusion. ” Your fiancé ” I replied. ” He is fine” She replied smiling, ” I wish to see him one day” I said also smiling. ” That day will never come” she replied while I gave her a friendly punch and got up, ” I think we should get going now ” I said to her. ” Are you scared of the night?” She asked also getting up and dusting her butt0ckz. ” We can’t tell what the night brings” I replied holding her hand and pulling her towards the bike. ” And remember the old nurse said I still have to treat my hand” I added, she nodded and hopped on the bike, ” Are you ready for a rough ride?” I asked smiling, ” Drive me away ” She shouted as she flung her hands into the air, I started the bike and rode back to the old abandoned house of the nurse, there was a small lantern in the general room, but there wasn’t anyone in sight. ” Mama” Morgana shouted but got no response. I brought out my gun and headed for the room, I pushed the door open only to meet the old woman lying peacefully on the bed. ” Shhh, she is sleeping” I said to Morgana trying to pull her out of the room. ” You both stayed too long” The woman suddenly spoke getting up from the bed. ” Mama, you weren’t sleeping? ” Morgana asked smiling. ” The night is still early to sleep” the old woman said as she came to me and touched my left arm. ” You have stressed it so much” she said staring at me, I looked into her eyes and she seem to look familiar. ” I will have to clean you up” She said as she gestured to me to take off my cloth. She went into a corner of the room and brought a calabash filled with herb. I sat on the bed as she held the hand and cleaned it with a kind of leaf. ” You look like my son” She said after a while of cleaning. ” Your son? Where is he?” I asked. ” He is dead” she replied without any feeling. ” Mama, I never knew you had a son” Morgana said sitting beside me on the bed. ” I had a son, he died a long time ago, he was 12 years when he died, he died alongside his father” The old woman said.
How did he die?” I asked feeling pity for the old woman, ” An accident, it happened some years back, on the second week of December. Of course like every other family, we were going shopping, we were going shopping with my husband’s car, his brake failed and we all got displaced in the bush, I only met myself in the hospital some month after coma, i heard my son and husband died in the accident, it was said that they died with the car fire, I was only lucky as the fire only burnt a little part of me” she said showing us her left hand which was caught in the fire. ” my husband and son got burnt to ashes, I never got the chance to see their bodies. I had to clear all the money I had to pay for my hospital bills, my husband relations wanted to have nothing to do with me so they sent me out of the house. I had no where to turn to as my own parents were also dead, I had no relation whatsoever, the one I had never wanted anything to do with me, but I had to live. I built this small hut and I have been making a living by treating people as a local nurse ” She said smiling, I was shocked she was smiling. ” Am sorry mama, everything happens for a reason” Morgana said. ” Did you learn this act, I mean the herb..” She interrupted. ” My father did this, I learnt it from him, and I backed it up with my western education” she said still smiling. ” Do you have friends?” I asked her. ” Yes, I have just one friend” she said. ” Hmm, Who is she?” I asked, ” Morgana here, she is the only one who comes to visit me ” the old woman said while I smiled at Morgana, ” Mama, you have gotten two friends now, myself and Morgana” I said smiling. ” No, I have gotten one friend and a son, you look much like my son” She said smiling while I nodded in approval. ” I hope you both we be able to eat the food I prepared? ” she asked as she released my hand and went off to a corner of the room where she cooks food, ” Mama doesn’t know how hungry we are” I said and we all bursted into laughter.


°°

We woke up the next morning in peace, Mama prayed for us as we left her house that morning. I didn’t go with Morgana on my bike, she took public transport home. ” Gabi the women guy” Israel shouted as I drove into my compound that morning, I wasn’t going to work that day as i was not on duty. I only had to work on Wednesdays and Fridays but today is Thursday. ” Gabi, you are sure gonna gist me about this” Israel said again coming out of my small tomato farm, I didn’t reply him as I parked my bike. ” What happened to your hand?” He asked as he raised my shirt, ” Another club fight, I was stabbed with a bottle and had been in the hospital all night” I told him while he bursted out laughing. “What about the girl, the club girl Morgana said you were with?” He asked me in between laughter’s, ” She ran away” I said walking inside. ” Where is Matt?” I asked as I entered the sitting room, ” He went to our apartment” he replied me. ”



How far have you guys gone with your mission?” I asked, ” Not far, young Carl called yesterday saying there wasn’t any strange activities outside the house, we are planning on visiting the inside” Israel said. ” How do you guys plan on doing that? ” I asked, ” Only Daniel knows” he said. ” I visited the inside” I opened up to him while he stared at me confused, ” Inside of where?” He asked, ” promise me you will keep it a secret ” I pleaded though I knew my secrets were always safe with Israel. ” Of course, let me in bro” he said with a serious face. ” I and Morgana broke into the house yesterday” I said calmly and stopped to see his reaction, I went ahead when he didn’t react. ” That was where I got this injury from, it wasn’t any club fight, I was shot by one of the guards. ” I said and stopped again. ” why did you do such? That wasn’t what we were asked to do, we were just asked to find out what he does not a combat with his boys. The man might clean after all this and you can also risk your identity, you have also messed things up ”

Israel said angrily. ” Sorry to disappoint you, he isn’t clean” I said while Israel adjusted himself on the chair. “What did you get?” He asked curiously, ” i was able to gain access into one of their secret laptops and i saw that he would be shipping something tomorrow, I dont know what it is but I am going to the port to find out” I said . ” That doesn’t depict that he is unclean” Israel said looking serious, ” I know, but there was something else” I told him, ” What?” He asked.



AS NARRATED BY MORGANA
” Christiana, where have you been?” I asked Christiana that Thursday afternoon, she was just coming back home from God’s knows where since the day we met at the club. ” I was with my new catch” she said smiling, ” This isn’t what we were asked to do, we are on a mission and you are busy flirting with guys ” I shouted angrily, ” Just like the way you were flirting with Sir Jude Ike” she shouted back. ” That is a different case, that’s is part of the mission work” I said obviously surprised by her reply, ” Why should he pick you when I was there, you might have enticed him one way or the other” She said again. ” Stop talking like an harlot, we..” I didn’t finish the statement before a hot slap landed on my face. ” You slapped me?” I asked angrily ” Yes, that’s for calling me an harlot” She said smiling. ” Am surprised you dont know that what you are” I said smiling but angry inside of me, I was expecting her to slap me again but she knew better as she sat down on the chair chewing her gum.


• It was around 9:30pm that night, the moon was out that night and provided light in the dark. Men could be seen with briefcases heading home after the day’s work, traders could also be seen packing their wares. I drove the sport car which Christian had brought back home earlier that day, I was heading to Kendrick club again to see Sir Jude, not for any reason, its part of our assignment to watch him, dont see it like I have got something for him.
Luckily for me, he was already in the club, I was able to recognize his jeep which was guarded by his guards in suit. I went into the club adjusting my short gown. I had also hid a gun in my thick white bomb short which I wore under my gown, a knife was in my white heels as usual. Call me woman in white that night I would answer you, I was all in white. I sighted Sir Jude on his usual table surrounded by his guards, unlike other days, he wasn’t surrounded by girls. He was sitting alone looking moody and angry. I walked towards him and he smiled when he sighted me. ” I have been expecting you Morgana” he said as he held my left hand and drew me to his laps. ” You missed me?” I asked smiling, he didn’t answer as the smile on his face turned into a frown, I saw his guards surround us. ” You didn’t tell me you were a spy from Newriton” he said as he adjusted the long arms of my gown to reveal the mark of Newriton on my left wrist.