Oaths - Season 1 - Episode 27

6 years ago

Oaths - Season 1 - Episode 27

.
.
I cried my eyes out that night; I could
remember vividly well.
In a matter of days, in a very short time, like
a twinkle of an eye, my whole life was in
shambles. I had lost everything… everyone!
A week passed by, yet, the incident of that
day repeated itself continuously in my head.
Her memories clouded my mind repeatedly. I
cried and cried till I couldn’t cry anymore. I
had to move on.

• • •

In a matter of time, I had gotten used to the
people I lived with in the new place I called
‘home’. Contrary to my first negative
thoughts about them, they were all nice,
welcoming people with good hearts and a
simple lifestyle. In fact, I concluded how nice
they were from the way they shared in my
period of mourning and their endless efforts
to console me with words of encouragement.
The ladies especially, Nancy and Rita, were
like sisters to me. Even though they smoked
all sort of cigarettes, drank all sort of alcohol
and spoke all sort of pidgin slangs, a part of
them still had human feelings. I felt like
family with them.

However, I was restricted from contacting my
family, due to ‘security reasons’ as Boma
had put it. I was warned to stay clear of
making or receiving calls from anyone
throughout that period. Although, I had lost
my phone when I got kidnapped, I still
retained my fatherʼs numbers in my head. I
had the urge to call him, at least to know
how he fared and how he was coping, but I
couldnʼt. I couldnʼt take the risk!

• • •

On a certain Tuesday, I was summoned to
meet the rest of the house for a gathering
downstairs. I had wasted a bit of time to
freshen up, so when I finally came down, the
whole place was crowded with almost all the
seats taken. I apologized for the delay and
took a seat too.

“Guys, una well done…” Simon began as he
looked around, clearing his throat.
[b]
“As we all know,”[\B] he continued, “we have
someone new among us. I won’t refer to her
as a guest, neither is she a stranger, but
rather as a family,” he stopped, and then
continued, “I am delighted by the hospitality
you have all shown her, and I hope it goes
on that way. I wouldn’t want us fighting over
unnecessary things with each other, or
quarreling, or having enemity and holding
grudges either. I would like us to act like a
family that we are, and by that way, I believe
we would live in peace altogether,” he
finalized.

“I have a question,” a guy among us spoke
up with a raised hand.

“Yes?” Simon answered.

“Itʼs about these ladies and Telemundo. I
don’t just understand anymore. I mean, Iʼm
fed up! Each time we come to the sitting
room to watch a soccer match, you would
meet about three to four of them already
there. I can’t take it again. Help us look into
the matter abeg baba, na beg I dey beg,” he
pleaded jokingly. We all cracked up with
laughter at his silly joke.

“I think say na better thing the fool wan
talk.” Bauchi chipped in, still laughing.
“He has a point though, I’m fed up too!”
Eagle said.

“Anyway, that aside for now, letʼs face the
real issues at hand. As we are all aware, Fifi
lost a dear friend of hers to a cold-blooded
death a week ago,” Simon interrupted,
sending a wave of silence through the room.
“May her soul rest in peace!”
“Amen!” We all chorused.
“I believe that wherever she is now, her
blood would cry from the depth of the earth
for vengeance. Itʼs high time we start
reacting to these peopleʼs threats, fire for fire,
blood for blood!” Simon exclaimed, raising
his voice a bit.

“Naso baba! If them bring am to us, we go
give them double!” Eagle exclaimed, raising
his voice too.

“But guys wait,” Boma interrupted, “we don’t
have any plans; we don’t know who they
work for; we don’t know how to go about it,
as well as we also know they are well
equipped with connections almost
everywhere. Itʼs suicidal to proceed without
caution. I suggest we table a plan down.”

“I agree with him!” Nancy, one of my lady
friends, spoke up.

“But how do we go about it, thatʼs the
problem…” Bauchi interjected.

“Iʼve seen him once,” I spoke up. Everyoneʼs
attention turned to me.

“How do you mean?” Simon asked, confusion
evident on his face.
“I mean the Senator in question who these
guys work for, Iʼve seen his face once,” I
explained.

• • •

Flashback.

The macho guy behind me lit a stick of
cigarette and handed it to him. He inhaled it
deeply and then puffed it to my face. I
choked from the smoke.

“So it’s you.” He simply said, with a bass
pitched voice, slightly laughing.
“Untie her!” He said next. The macho guy
behind me loosened the ropes on my hands
and legs, and then unwrapped the seal on
my mouth. For the first time that moment, I
felt comfortable. Yet, I wondered why I was
let loose.

“I want us to reason like humans,” he said,
inhaling deeply into the cigarette with an
avid stare on me. Thereafter, he threw it
down and mashed it roughly under his feet.
“Like humans?” I repeated. He nodded.
“Like humans, yet you kidnapped me, tied me
up and held me hostage here? What kind of
human are you?”

At this, the guy behind me raised a hand to
hit me, but the Senator gave him a sign to
be calm.

“I gave you a chance. You had the chance,
and you blew it up,” the Senator said, and
continued, “I still offered you money. I gave
you gifts, and I was willing to give even
more, but yet, you had the guts to tell me to
take my money and bundle myself to hell,
isn’t it?”

I remained silent.

“Well, I am a man of patience. I forgive you
for that,” he said, and added, “But, it also
depends on how you cooperate with us
henceforth.”

• • •

End of flashback.

“He told me that if I cooperated with them
against you guys, he might consider letting
me go, but I didn’t budge. I spat at his face
and it angered him immensely, and he
slapped me, and after that I was asked to be
beaten brutally. I was held there for three
days until I managed to escape with a boyʼs
help whose name goes by Emeka. Emeka got
gunned down while we ran but I carried on
and managed to escape. I don’t know who
this Senator is, but I know him to be a short,
fat pot-bellied man with an obese feature
and a chubby figure,” I explained, examining
how eager they listened with keen interest.
“If you see his face anywhere, would you still
remember him?” Boma asked.
“Of course, I would!”
Instantly, Boma dipped his hand into his
pocket and took out his phone. He tapped a
few clicks and stretched it to me.
“Is that the person?”
I glanced down at the phone and, as if by
coincidence, the exact picture of the Senator
was what stared back at me.
“I swear, this is him! Heʼs the one!” I
exclaimed curtly.

“Are you sure?” Boma asked. I nodded with
certainty.

Boma stretched the phone to Simon, who in
turn gave it to Bauchi as they passed it
round to take a view of the image.
“I thought as much! That B-----d!” Boma
snapped, fuming gradually.

“Isnʼt this Senator Randy Ogbonna, the
contesting Governor who claims to be
humble and meek during interviews? You
mean he is the one behind all of this?” Rita
exclaimed, looking shocked as she passed
the phone on.
“Don’t be deceived, my dear. Them no dey
write am for face!” Nancy answered Rita as
she shook her head in utter disbelief.
Suddenly, there was a honk from the gate
outside the corridor. Bauchi stood up along
with Nancy to answer it. Shortly after they
had opened the gate for the car to drive in,
they returned inside with a guy who lived in
the same apartment with us.

“Baba yawa don gas o!” The guy said in
panick as he rushed in.

“Wetin happen?” Simon asked, alarmed.
“See wetin I see baba,” he said as he handed
an envelope to Simon. Simon collected it
and, instantly, his countenance changed on
looking at the content. He turned his gaze
towards me and kept on looking at me
weirdly.

“What is it?” I asked, confused.
Simon stretched the envelope from its
content and handed the content to me.
Everyoneʼs focus glued on me as I opened
the paper to see what it contained.
Immediately I did, I bulged my eyes in shock
as I saw what made Simon look at me the
way he did.

I had been rusticated from school.