STOLEN SWEETHEART

CHAPTER 1

I was at Miranda’s house when my younger sister came looking for me. She said my elder brother had just come to the village to take me to town to begin a new life. I had been living in the village for two years now, doing absolutely nothing. That was after my high school education. I had plans of going to Nigeria in a month’s time to go and forge a life for myself. That was what I was discussing with Miranda before my younger sister interrupted.

Miranda was a good friend of mine and she also lived in my neighbourhood. She was a nursing mother as she had just given birth to a pair of twins. As fate would have it however, one of the babies died a few days later. She was seriously heartbroken over the death of her child and, it put her in a terrible mood. Every now and then, I visited her just to make sure she was not too depressed. She was a single mother because the father of her kids had refused to acknowledge the pregnancy. 

I left Miranda’s house and went home to meet my elder brother. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I was happy to see him again. He told me he had been sent by my elder sister to come and get me. He said we would be leaving the very next day. However, that didn’t go well with me. I told him it was too sudden for me, and I needed at least three days to round off my activities in the village, say a proper goodbye to my friends and spend some time with my good friend, Miranda before leaving. He accepted. That night, I went again to Miranda’s house to break the news to her.

“I will be leaving to the city, Miranda. I know this is rather a disconcerting news to you. However, there is no easy way to say it.” I revealed.

“What? You want to leave me all alone in this village? By the way, are you going for a visit or is it permanent?”

“It’s permanent, Miranda. My elder brother has come to get me. I will be going there to either resume school, learn a trade of do some business.”

“I will miss you so much. Just now that I have come close to you and have begun to be really fond of you, you are leaving.” She was sad.

“It’s alright, my dear. Travelling is not death. We will see again soon, alright?” I tried to calm her down.

“Alright, please, don’t forget me and be careful.”

“I will, Miranda, I will. I will come back to visit you as soon as I am fully settled in the city.”

“Thank you and please, be a good boy and make me proud.”

“Yes, I will, Mom.” I said and laughed. She laughed too and gave me a tight hug. Her baby started crying and she had to let me go. 

Just so it is clear, I wasn’t dating Miranda and neither had I ever dated her or had any plans to. She was just a good friend, and I was someone who respected friendship. I was good at maintaining boundaries. But who knows what would have happened between us if I stayed in the village much longer?

It was the day to leave the village and begin a new life in the city. For starters, I had never lived in the city before. It was my first opportunity. I got up that morning, bathed, dressed up in what at that time I thought was my finest, packed my bag and was ready to go. My elder brother had just a hand luggage so, he was ready in no time. I said goodbye to my mum and kid sister, hugged them affectionately and got onto the waiting bus with my brother.

The journey was safe and successful, and we got to the city in about five hours. I had been hungry all through the trip but I was too excited to see the city and its sights that I refused to eat anything until I had reached my destination.

 I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got to the city. It was so beautiful. The streets were clean and there were so many tall buildings and beautiful cars. The people in the city were also well dressed and that was when I realized that what I thought was my best dressing was actually nothing to write home about. I looked very, very out of place. I made a firm resolve that as soon as I was able, I would get some new clothes and become like one of the city folks.

We boarded a taxi and drove to our house. My elder sister was very happy that we had made the journey safely. After I had eaten and rested, my elder sister told me that I had been asked to come to the city so that I could do some kind of business to help myself. She said she had started a telephone booth business and she would love that I run it for the time being before something better was prepared for me. She said everything was already arranged and all that was needed was to help me learn how to use a phone. That night, my elder brother taught me how to use a phone. 

I was a fast learner. Back in my school days, I used to be one of the top students in my class. So, learning how to use a mobile phone took me under an hour to learn. The next day, I was shown the location of the telephone booth and was to start working the very next day. 

The next day, haven bathed and dressed in my best clothes, which were still very out of place in the city, I went to the work place to begin my day one hustling. Everything was new to me. The telephone booth was just beside the main road. That made the place very noisy. There were too many taxis and so many people going up and down that it made me wonder where all those people were going to.  

I sat at my booth and slowly observed my surroundings. It is said that when a tadpole is dropped into fresh water, it takes some time for it to master the forces around. That was exactly what I was doing. I, of course, noticed the main road in front of me, the public tap by my right, the primary school on the left and a few residential buildings at the back. I wondered the kind of people who lived there. 

I had no friends yet and I felt lonely. The telephone booth was new so, not many customers were coming. I sat there and thought of Miranda and her baby and I missed them. I missed my mum and kid sister too very much. I couldn’t wait to see them again. I wondered what my life would look like in the city. I badly wanted to go the university. There was a university in the city, and I figured that was my opportunity. 

I was deep in thoughts about my future in the city that I didn’t notice that there was a customer in front of me. The customer brought me out of my reverie and when I raised my eyes to look at her, it was a beautiful city girl smiling at me. 

TO BE CONTINUED…

CHAPTER  2

“Hi”, she said. “Are you lost?

“I am not, do I look lost?” I asked?

“You looked like your soul was somewhere else while your body was here. What are you thinking about?” She asked.

“Never mind. Do you want to make a call?”

“Yeah, please dial this number for me.” She said, giving me a piece of paper on which a number had been inscribed. 

I dialed the number and when it started ringing, I gave the phone to her. She moved a few steps away to make the call. About twenty-five seconds later, she came back, handing the phone back to me and said she could not talk to the person she was trying to call. I checked the call and realized that she had used airtime, though the call didn’t go through. 

“I am sorry, I understand you didn’t make your call successfully. However, you have to pay for the airtime used.” I told her.

“What? Why would I pay for a service I didn’t use?”

“That’s the way the thing works, please, may I have my money?”

She refused to pay, and I told her that she was going nowhere until she paid. A small quarrel erupted, and a few passersby stood around to watch. Luckily, my elder brother showed up, asked me to let her go and paid for the call. When calm had returned and I was all alone again? I started reflecting. I wondered if that was how the business would be. I wondered if I would be quarreling with customers every day. On my first day of hustling, I had quarreled with a customer. I hoped that was not a sign of things to come. 

It had been a month now and I had begun to get used to city life. My dressing was much improved, and I had made a few friends in the neighbourhood. One day, I was at my telephone booth when a young man of about twenty walked up to me. He was tall, fair skinned and lanky. He also looked hungry and worried.

“Good afternoon, Bro.” He greeted.

“Good afternoon”

“Please, I need your help. I haven’t eaten all day and I am very, very hungry.” He revealed.

“That’s a bad thing to happen to someone. But how come you are in this situation, Bro?” I asked, concerned.

“I came here for a recruitment that was supposed to last for a week. It’s been a month now and it’s still going on. I have run out of money, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you called your parents?”

“They are poor farmers in the village. They don’t have money to send to me now. I have been starving for a few days now.” 

I felt pity for him and gave him some money to go and get something to eat. The next day, he showed up again, and it became a routine. After about two weeks, he came one day and told me that the recruitment was finally over, and he had been selected as a new recruit. He said he would be leaving town and said he was very grateful to me for the help I gave to him. He said he knew no other way to reward me. However, as a young guy, he was going to give me the number of a girl. He said he and the girl were former classmates and good friends. He encouraged me to chat her up and try my luck. Haven handed the number to me, he said goodbye and left. I have never seen him again.

I put the paper containing the number in a small bag I always carried and forgot completely about it for almost a month. Then, one day, I was cleaning the bag when the paper fell on the floor. I picked it up, checked and then recalled. In order not to lose the number, I saved it in my phone. When I was done cleaning, I texted the number. By then, there was no Whatsapp. Facebook too wasn’t too widespread. I texted the number using normal SMS.

“Hi”

“Hey”

“I am sorry to text you like this. Are you Rita?” I asked.

“Yes, I am. One guy called Collins gave me your number. He said you and him were friends.”

“Yes, and what is the big deal about that? What do you want? I wonder why Collins would just give my number to anyone. I will deal with him when I see him.”

“Please, calm down. I mean no harm. I am just a new guy in the city and figured we could be friends.” I spoke. 

“My friends don’t choose me, I choose them, So, what makes you think that I will want to be your friend?”

We chatted for a while, and she was sounding very negatively. However, at long last, she agreed that we should meet on the next Sunday. When Sunday came, I dressed properly like a city guy would, sprayed a nice, scented perfume and went to meet her at our meeting place. I got there an hour earlier so as to acclimatize myself to the surroundings before she showed up. We had agreed to meet at City Fast Food. It was a beautiful place for dates. When I got there, I bought a can of Van Pur Malt, sipped it slowly while I waited for her. After what seemed like eternity, my phone rang. I picked and it was her. She said she was outside City Fast Food, just across the road. 

I went outside to meet her. However, I had never met her before, so I had to ask her to tell me how she was dressed. 

“I can’t seem to find you. There are too many people. Please, tell me how you are dressed.” I spoke. 

“I am wearing a pair of blue fitting jeans and a white top. I am wearing black sneakers.” She described. 

 

I still couldn’t seem to recognize her among the hundreds of people who were around the place. It was Sunday evening, and everyone was out and about hoping to have a good time before work resumes on Monday. 

“You know what you will do?” I asked her on the phone. “Just come to the main entrance of the place; I mean the main door. I am standing right there waiting for you.” I proposed.

I was in for the greatest surprise. I finally saw her crossing the road and coming towards me. From the way she walked, it seemed I had seen her somewhere. I seemed to recognize her, and I hoped it was not the person I was thinking. When she got the door of the place where I was standing, my suspicions were confirmed. Rita was the same girl I had quarreled with on my first day at work as a telephone booth operator. 

TO BE CONTINUED…

CHAPTER 3

“Why?!! It’s you.” I said, shocked.

“Yeah. What a small world.” She replied, sitting down. “How did you know Collins?”

I narrated everything to her. I told her how I met Collins and how I had been of great help to him. She thanked me for being helpful to Collins. She said Collins had been a good friend of hers while they were in school. She however found it odd that Collins should have given me her number.

“So, why did he give you my number?” She asked, smiling. 

“As a reward for being nice to him. He said you are a nice lady and would love us to get together.” I said. 

She laughed and then spoke.

“That was crazy of him.” She said in good humour. Anyway, you look like a smart guy to me, and you are handsome too. What are you doing at a telephone booth?” 

“Making money”

“Hmm!!”

“But I plan to enroll into the university as soon as I can. I haven’t been too long in the city. How about you. What do you do?” I asked.

“University”

“That’s cool. I hope to be a university student too someday. God be my helper.”

We chatted for almost two hours while we ate chicken and fries and sipped Van Pur. When we were done, we walked out of the place, said goodbye to each other and went to two different directions. When I got home, I was thankful to Collins for hooking me up with Rita. She was really beautiful and not as hot tempered as I had thought the other day, we had had the small altercation. I was already into her, but I kept my cool and waited for her to show the needed concern. 

We had been seeing each other now for almost a month but I had never asked her out. I took her out when I had the time, we talked and talked but nothing serious ever happened. I guess she was tired of me being a good boy. So, she decided to take matters into her own hands. One day, just when I was about to close for the day, she texted me. She told me to come to her house after I was done for the day. I was really tired and needed to go home and have a rest, but I didn’t want to anger her. I shut down my booth and went to her house.

When I got to her door, I realized the door was locked. I knocked just once, and the door opened. She lived in a single room with an internal toilet and kitchen. Her room was nicely furnished. However, that was not what got my attention. What made me curious was that the room reeked of alcohol and standing at the center of the room was Rita, wearing a very short loose gown. I now realized why she had sent for me. She was tired of the delay in my moves and had decided to take a bold step. 

I moved towards her, and she grabbed me and kissed me hard. I had no time to resist because she was all over me. She had drunk herself to stupor so as to have the courage to do what she was doing. We fell on her bed and the romance began. I sent my hand up her gown and was shocked; she wasn’t having on any underwear. I tried to pull away from her so that I could remove my clothes but, she had no time for that. She held me tight, very tight, undid my zipper, got on top of me and started riding. 

The feeling was good. I had actually been sex starved because I hadn’t been in any relationship in a long while. I had my own worries and didn’t want a girl to come and complicate my life. So, making out with her was a much-needed relief to my needs. She was riding and screaming and several times, I had to use my hand to cover her mouth. I didn’t want her neighbours to understand that there was knacking going on in her room. However, each time I covered her mouth to stop her creams of pleasure, she removed my hand and placed them on her breasts instead. I was completely under her control and I just laid there and waited for her to do as she wished. 

The sex was over now. She got up, went to the bath, came back to the bedroom and fell asleep almost immediately. I did my zipper, got my bag, told her not to forget to lock her door, and went home. That was my first sex in the city. It felt good but my mind wasn’t settled. I had made love to Rita without using a condom and it bothered me. I kept thinking to myself. What if she had some form of illness? Did that mean I was already infected? What if it was HIV? I shuddered at the thought of that. 

Rita was now my regular girl. I came to know a lot about her, or so I thought. I spent most of my free time with her when she wasn’t having a class at the university. Everything was moving fine until, as fate would have it, the devil decided to enter the details. I went to her house one evening without any prior knowledge and I found her door locked. I knocked and she refused to answer in spite of the fact that I was sure she was at home. I wondered what could be the problem. I was able to hear a male voice coming from her room, I wasn’t really sure. Unfortunately for her, she bolted the door from inside but forgot her keys outside. That was my opportunity, and I took it. I locked the door from outside and went home with her keys. 

Two hours later, my phone rang, and it was Rita calling. 

“What do you want?” I asked in anger.

“Please, come and open my door?” 

“What makes you think I have your keys?” I asked.

“I know you are the only one who would have the audacity to lock my door and take the keys away. Please, I am begging you.” She pleaded.

“I am not bringing your keys and I am not opening any door. You had the guts to bring a man to your house when you know I would be coming.” 

“I am sorry, you can’t understand. I will explain everything to you when you come. Please hurry, it’s really risky being locked up like this. What if there is a fire now? I will burn in this house. Please, bring the keys.”

“Who cares whether you burn or not?” I asked, but in my mind, I reasoned that she was making sense. I left my house and came back with her keys. I opened the door and stepped aside as a huge man of about fifty stepped out. He didn’t even stop for a second to look at me. He went straight to his car and drove off. He was visibly very angry. 

“Who is he?” I asked her.

“I am sorry, I would have told you. That’s my zaddy. He is the one paying for the rents and all my other bills. I am so sorry.” She was on her knees.

“So, you have a sugar daddy?” I almost laughed. “Why didn’t you tell me? You even allowed me make love to you without a condom. I am finished.”

She said she couldn’t tell me because she loved me and didn’t want to break my heart. That was a stupid excuse to me. I hated complications in my life and decided that I would break up with her. When I told her I was breaking up with her, she begged and begged but I couldn’t go back on my decision. I had only just moved into the city and wasn’t prepared for any unnecessary entanglements. 

It had been a week now and we had not seen or talked to each other. I was back to doing my business in full swing. I thought my business with Rita was over. However, fate had decreed otherwise. She texted me that evening and told me she had missed her period and wanted to see me urgently. I would have been worried if I was the only one dating her. 

However, the Zaddy was also there, and I could use him to escape responsibility. But I had been having sex with her unprotected which made me culpable, if at all she was pregnant. I closed my booth and headed to her house.

TO BE CONTINUED…

CHAPTER 4

There was a bitter quarrel when I got to her house. She insisted that, though I might not be the one responsible for the pregnancy, because she had been sleeping with me and the zaddy unprotected, I still have to take full responsibility. Her excuse was that I had made the zaddy to dump her. Therefore, I needed to take responsibility. I told her she was a joker, a big joker. I finally told her that when the child is born, we will go for a paternity test. She got angrier when I proposed that and drove me out of her house.

The next day, I went to talk to some of the few friends I had made in the neighbourhood. One of them whom I had heard was a retired armed robber, told me not to mind Rita. She said Rita knew who got her pregnant. She was just trying to pin the pregnancy on me. He said he had full knowledge of Rita’s illicit activities, and it would be in my own interest if I stopped seeing her altogether. 

A few days later, Rita called me and begged me to give her money to abort the pregnancy. She said her Zaddy had abandoned her and so had I. She said she was frustrated and needed to abort the baby so that she could get back to living her life normally. I felt pity for her and gave her 25,000. A week later, I met her and asked her how everything went. She said she changed her mind. She said she was going to keep the baby and had used the money to buy some baby things. Well, I wished her luck and went away.

My friendship with the retired armed robber had now grown. He was rumoured to have retired. However, from the look in his eyes and the things he said, I doubted if he wasn’t still in the game. One day, he had a conversation with me. His name was Billy, but he insisted I call him The Boss. 

“I can see you are new in town.” He began.

“Yes, just a few months.”

“And you have already gotten a lady pregnant. Sharp guy!!” He laughed.

“I think I am innocent. She has another guy. I am sure he’s responsible for it.”

“You think you are innocent, but is your equipment innocent?” He asked, laughing. “Your equipment seems to be working overtime. You have to zip it. In fact, you have to be careful. The city is more treacherous than you think.”

“That’s true.” I admitted. “Thank you.”

“You need to know a few things about life in town. Would you like me to be your mentor?”

“Yes”

“Don’t worry, I will teach you all you need to know about the ways of the city. Tonight, if and when you are free, meet me at home and we will go for a stroll.” He spoke.

“Alright”

That night, after I had closed. I went to meet him at his home. Together, we went outing and he showed me a lot of places I didn’t know existed in the city. He was very kind to me. He even took me to a restaurant later and bought me Chicken and French fries. He was a little older than me and I saw him more like an elder brother than a friend. When we got back to his house, he went into his bedroom while I stayed in the living room. When he got back, he held something in his hand. It was a pistol. 

I cringed at the sight of the pistol and almost bolted out of the place. He asked me to calm down and handed the gun to me. 

“I know you have never touched a gun before. This is what I have been using to protect myself. It’s mostly for defensive purposes. I know you have heard stories of me being an armed robber. Yes, I was an armed robber. A hardened one at that. However, in spite of this gun, I haven’t practiced armed robbery in about six years. These days, I practice a more genuine trade. I work as a loader at the main park. So, do not be afraid.” He spoke.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t believe a thing in all he told me. To me, he was still a dangerous man, and I figured one way or the other, I would have to look for a means to disengage myself from him. But then, I knew I had to be careful. He had already revealed some aspects of himself to me. If I tried to distance myself from him, he might decide that I was a threat, and who knew what harm might come to me. 

The next night, he asked me to accompany him to go see his girlfriend. I couldn’t refuse and followed him to his girlfriend’s place. We spent about two ours there. On our way back, just beside an off-license bar, we met a girl, smoking and crying seriously. We halted, went towards her and asked her what the matter was. At first, she was suspicious of us. But after a while, she became more confident and told us that her boyfriend had broken her heart. She said she had caught him red-handed on top of another woman. We consoled her for a while and then The Boss took her contact. 

The next day, when The Boss and I were together, he called her, and she directed us to the location of her house. Her description was very vivid because when we followed it, it took us right in front of her door. She was very happy to see us. She offered us snacks and drinks and we didn’t refuse. On our way back from her home, while she was walking us to where we would get a bike, The Boss asked her out and she accepted. 

I was very angry The Boss had beat me to it. I wanted her for myself. She was beautiful and looked rich. I needed a girl like that. I had just moved into the city, wanted to get into the university and badly needed a support system. The Boss on the other hand, had a girlfriend, girlfriends, actually. I knew he didn’t love Corine, as the girl was called. He just wanted to use her and dump her. I was angry at Corine too for accepting The Boss’ proposal so quickly. What was wrong with her?

I was doing something dangerous. I was angry with the boss because of a woman. I had to be careful. If he in the least suspected that I was eyeing the same woman he was interested in, it would be big trouble for me. In spite of the fact that he had taken me as a younger brother and a friend, he still suffered some insecurities. He had just elementary education and depended heavily on me when it came to stuffs like checking his mails and all that. He knew on a fair playing ground, with all the rules respected, Corine would choose me over him. That was of course no motivation for him to play fair. That was why he acted faster than me. 

I made up my mind that some way or the other, I would snatch Corine from The Boss. It was a risky venture but I had to do it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I kept hoping and hoping that she would realize that she needed a better man than The Boss with all his criminal ways. However, my fantasies were not materializing. One day, when the boss had travelled, I called Corine and proposed taking her out for a treat. She declined and that got me seriously angered. I stopped talking to her and stopped taking her calls.

When the boss got back, he realized that his friend and his girlfriend were not talking to each other. He didn’t know the reason but didn’t like it. He decided to arrange a meeting and reconciled us. A decision he would seriously come to regret.

TO BE CONTINUED…

CHAPTER 5

Corine and I were reconciled by The Boss, and we became good friends again. However, that did not change my feelings for her. I badly wanted to make her mine but I had a huge obstacle, The boss. Many months went by and each day that passed, my suffering increased. I suffered silently because every day, I saw the woman I loved being cheated on. The Boss had many girlfriends and what made it worse was that he had no respect for Corine. He didn’t even consider the fact that Corine had just recovered from a devastating breakup. 

One day, I was at home helping my younger nephew to do his homework. I had closed early from work that day because the weather was not agreeable. My phone rang and it was The Boss calling.

“Boss Man, how far na, Bro?

“Where are you?”

“At home”

“I want you to do me a favour.”

“Anything you want. You are the boss.”

“Good. Now, listen attentively. I am at home with a girl. We are having a little bit of night-time fun. However, Corine is at my door. She didn’t call before coming and it’s becoming complicated.” He explained.

“Does she know you are home?” I asked.

“Yes, she called, and I picked without knowing that she was at the door. She clearly heard my voice from outside. I am sure she has also heard the voice of the lady, too.”

“But Boss, don’t you think you are not treating her well?” I ventured to say. “She is supposed to be your main chick. At least give her some respect.”

“Don’t you dare give me any lectures on morality. Are you better yourself? Don’t forget that you came close to being a father only recently because of your sexcapades.” He warned.

He seemed to have struck a chord. I conceded.

“What do you want me to do, The Boss?”

“I want you to come to my house right now. Pretend as if you have come there randomly. She shouldn’t know I have called you. When you get there, look for a way to get her out of that place. She is disturbing my quiet enjoyment.” He instructed.

“Okay, Boss. I will do as you say. I am on my way already.”

“Be fast”

I couldn’t believe my luck. Corine had caught The Boss with a woman. The same thing that had had happened the night we had met her in the first place. She would be heartbroken all over again. Being heartbroken meant she would be vulnerable. Now was my chance and I had to take it. What was that thing they said about opportunity only happening once? If I didn’t seize that opportunity, I wasn’t sure another one was going to come my way. I had to be smart.

I told my nephew to do the rest of the assignment himself and went out of the house to go and fulfill The Boss’ wishes. When I got to his verandah, I found Corine sitting on the bare floor and sobbing. Pretending to be oblivious about everything, I sat close to her and asked her what the matter was.

“Your friend is inside with a woman.” She sobbed.

“That’s not true. How can you be sure about that? My friend loves you and cannot cheat on you.” I was such a good actor.

“I am telling you. I heard his voice inside and a lady’s, too. They were making love. I could even hear the lady's creams and moans.”

“You are not serious, are you?” I asked in pretense.

“I am very serious. Knock the door by yourself and you will hear him answering.” She suggested.

“You mean he knows you are out here and didn’t open the door for you?”  

“That’s the most annoying part. He answered, told me he was coming to open the door and hasn’t done so. It’s been more than an hour now.” She wept and laid her head on my chest. That gave me a tingling sensation, but I decided to control myself.

“Let’s go please. Let’s get out of here. Let me take you home and we will talk about this later. Okay?”

“It’s alright.” She sobbed. “What else can I do?”

I held her around her waist as I took her home. She was still sobbing as we walked. When we got to an apple tree that stood by the road to her house, she stopped, turned around and faced me.

“You really are a nice guy; do you know that?” She asked.

“My mum tells me that all the time.”

“That night you guys first met me crying, I thought you were the one who was going to chat me up. I was surprised that your friend did instead.” She spoke.

“That’s life.”

 “I have never dated a guy that tall.” She continued. “I am a short girl myself and that’s why I always go for guys with an average height. That’s why I was expecting you to ask me out instead. But you didn’t.” She seemed to regret that fact.

“Don’t worry about your height. What you lack in height, you have made up by having a beautiful face. You are very beautiful. There’s one more thing you have in abundance; your behind. It’s very broad, as broad as the first main land bridge.”

She smiled and gave me a playful little slap on my chest. I could guess that was the first time she was smiling that evening. 

“Bad boy!” She exclaimed, rolling her eyes. So, you have been observing me. 

“Yes, Mam. I have.”

She laughed again. I was happy that I was putting her in a good mood. Such was the contrast; the man she loved was having a good time with another woman. On the contrary, the man who loved her, me, was making her happy. The irony of life. I wished Corine knew how much I had always wanted her. If only she knew what my intentions were. 

Now was a clean opportunity for me to launch my attack and reveal my intentions to her. But it was not as easy as I had thought. There was a very big question that needed answering. Was she going to accept to date me after haven dated my friend? In fact, they were technically still dating. 

But she had said she was expecting me instead of my friend to chat her up. Could that mean I still had a chance, especially now that my friend was treating her badly and she had even caught him with a woman? The thought of that upped my confidence level. 

“Do you know where we are standing?” She suddenly asked.

“No”

“Look up”

I did.

“What do you see?” She asked.

“An apple tree.”

“Do you know what an apple signifies?”

“An iphone” I said, laughing.

“Dull boy, be serious for once.”

“An apple signifies love.” I answered.

“You got it right. Please, kiss me.”

TO BE CONTIUED…

==

CHAPTER 6

I was hesitant at first, then I realized it was what I had always wanted. My dream had finally come true. I moved towards her and our mouths met in a kiss. Gosh!! I had badly wanted that. She put her tongue in my mouth and explored all the corners of my mouth as she held me very tight with one hand and used the other hand to hold my LGA. I cooperated fully and, for the next fifteen minutes, we were both lost in our romance. She was clinging on me so desperately that for a moment, I thought I was going to lose my balance. So, I pushed her towards the apple tree so that she could lean on it while I explored her territory.

I lifted the mini skirt she was wearing and put my hand on the soft, hairy mound beneath. It was so warm and felt like velvet in my palms. I still couldn’t believe that was happening. I expected her to stop at any moment and tell me that she couldn’t do that anymore. However, she didn’t, and I upped my game. I shifted her undies to one side and slid a finger to the warm and wet layer beyond. She gasped and held me tighter. She could no longer control herself and wanted me to have her right then and there.

“This is a public place. Someone can walk in on us at any time.” I tried to caution.

“Who cares?” She moaned. “I want it now. It’s dark na, and people don’t use this road regularly.”

“Are you sure about this?” I asked, pretending to be reluctant, whereas I was enjoying every bit of it.

“I am sure, please!!”

By now, just one of her legs was on the ground. The other one was firmly curled around me and she was already doing the tactile movement, in spite of the fact that I was not inside yet. I didn’t want to suffer her anymore, so, I decided to give her what she wanted. I removed her string and put it in my pocket, opened, my wallet, removed a condom I always carried with me for eventualities, and put it on. I lifted her one leg up and entered gently. At first, it didn’t go smoothly because of the awkward position and the differences in our heights. But she was an expert, and she wriggled her pelvis to let it slide in properly. Once I was fully in, I started jamming.

“Harder, please, harder!!” She moaned. 

“You don’t have to do this.” I cautioned. “This is an open place.”  

“I will try, babe. But I can’t help it.”

I couldn’t tell if any of her legs were actually touching the ground now because I had held her both legs with my hands and was pounding away. She vibrated like a Motorolla phone at each stroke but, I was getting spent because I was carrying her. She realized this, turned around and allowed me to come through the back door. It was ecstatic. In the position, I was able to explore her round and broad behind. I increased my jamming, stopping every now and then, leaning forward to tickle her tits before continuing. 

I was going to stay there for as long as she wanted, but we heard the sound of a car approaching. I exploded and quickly did my zipper. Only then did we realize that the car wasn’t coming our way. I was terribly vexed. I had hurriedly released, thinking that the car was coming our way.

“Where is my pant?” She asked.

“In my pocket.”

“Bad boy!! Is that where it’s supposed to be?” 

I laughed and handed the pant to her, and she wore it. 

“Please, take me home.” She spoke. It’s getting cold.”

“Cold? I thought you were just from being warmed?” I said, smiling.”

“Bad boy!!” She laughed. “Don’t try me. Are you going to stay the night?”

“Nope, remember I live with family. I didn’t tell them beforehand that I was going to sleep out.” I explained. 

“It’s alright, I understand.”

We walked towards her house holding each other’s hand. She was laughing hysterically because I was cracking jokes as we walked. 

“I want to tell you something.” I said.

“Ride on”

“I am sorry, if I took advantage of you. You were very vulnerable. I think I should have behaved better.”

“I beg!! Look at this one. When you were hitting hard, you didn’t care, it’s now you want to claim conscience.” She said, laughing then continued. “Anyway, on a more serious note, you did nothing wrong. You are an extremely nice guy. You are fun to be with and your love is so soothing.”

“Are you sure about this.” I asked.

“I am sure”

We were now at her door. I gave her a long goodbye kiss and went away. Back in my home, I started analyzing the situation. I had finally fulfilled my long-time dream of snatching Corine from the boss. But one thing remained. The boss must not find out under any circumstances. If he did find out, it would be lights out for me. I wondered if I was ever going to be able to look at The Boss in his eyes again. I had betrayed him. I had betrayed someone who had been kind to me and took me like a brother. I felt guilty. But he was treating Corine badly. I only came to help her like the proverbial knight in a shiny amour. I decided to damn the consequences and enjoy every moment with Corine while it lasts.

The next day, Corine called me to know where I was. I told her I was at the booth. She said she was coming. When she got there some five minutes later, she said she was catching cold and would love to use my pullover, the very one I was wearing at that time. I removed it and gave it to her, and she put it on. 

“Mmmmm! It smells like you. I love it.”

“Stop it” I said. “We are in a public place.”

“So what?”

Just then, the boss who hardly ever came home at that time, alighted from a taxi and walked towards us. Remember the boss lived behind where my booth was. He saw Corine wearing my pullover and burst out laughing.

“Love oh!! Look at this one wearing someone’s pullover. Someone she couldn’t even talk to just a week ago.” He said, innocently.

 We all laughed, but deep inside my mind was killing me. He went to his home, got what he wanted to get and went back to work. 

I am a highly suspicious person by nature, I suspect anything that can be suspected and a bit more. So, I always found it weird when people didn’t suspect what had to be suspected. Had I been The Boss, I would have suspected me immediately I saw Corine in that pullover. But I was surprised that in spite of The Boss’ experience in the streets and all his years in crime, he could still be so trusting. 

It had been a month now and Corine and I were now closer than ever. The boss had come close to catching us many times but fate had always saved us. I knew one day, he was going to find out, but I didn’t want to let that worry me. I was enjoying every bit of it. Corine was a good lover and she was rich. She was making life comfortable for me, but at The Boss’ expense. I had begged her to be very careful with her affections whenever we were together. I had no intentions of being killed before my time. 

However, it was not Corine’s affectionate exaggerations that brought suspicion on us. It was my flippant tongue. One day, I don’t know what happened, but I got too excited and told The Boss’ landlord’s son about my affair with Corine, forgetting that Chocho as he was called, was also a friend of The Boss. A mistake I would seriously come to regret. 

TO BE CONTINUED…

CHAPTER 7

I regretted my action immediately, but it was too late. All I could do now was hope that Chocho didn’t snitch on me. I didn’t want to tell him to bridle his tongue. If I did that, it would have made him wanted to spill the beans the more. So, I stayed silent, hoping that he will be a man of integrity and not say anything. 

Two days later, Corine called me to say that she was sick, and she couldn’t even leave her bed. I went to her house immediately, in spite of the fact that it was during business hours, and I knew I was going to lose customers. When I got there, I discovered she was in a really bad shape.

“Have you had breakfast?” I asked, concerned.

“No”

“What would you like?” 

“Fried egg and toast.”

I got to work immediately, prepared breakfast for her and made sure she managed to eat. I ended up feeding her. After she was done eating, I took her to the bath, removed her dresses and placed her in the bathtub. I gave her a warm and gentle bath. To be honest, bathing a naked woman wasn’t easy, especially one so endowed and beautiful. My LGA was erect all through the bathing. However, she was sick and there was nothing I could do. After I was done bathing her, I wore her new clothes, tucked her comfortable in bed and then took some clothes she had soaked in a bucket and washed them. There were undies included. When I was done, I went back to my business place. 

That was how much I was into Corine. I was loving her much with each passing day and she was returning the same love to me. Our favourite hours were when The Boss was at work. I would meet her, and we would play and frolic and have sex before the boss returned. 

One evening, I was just about closing the booth when my phone rang. I checked and it was Corine.

“Hi babe”

“Yowa”

“Are you free now?” She asked.

“Yes, my love. Anything the matter?” 

“I just got back from seeing my aunt. Guess what?”

“I despise guessing games.”

“She prepared your favourite. I have brought some to you.” She revealed.

“Wooww!! I shouted in excitement. “Where are you? I want to see you immediately.”

“Langa man.” She laughed. “You have heard food and you have suddenly become excited. I am at home jor. You can come now.”

I had finished eating now. We were sitting in her bedroom now in each other’s arms watching TV when my instincts warned me to go peep through the window. As soon as I did that, I thanked God immediately. Entering through the gate of the hostel, was The Boss, coming to Corine’s apartment. That meant there was going to be trouble. I quickly told her that The Boss was around. We turned down the volume of the TV, switched off her bedroom lights, put our phones on silent, and stayed quiet and motionless. 

About thirty seconds later, the boss got to her door. He knocked and we didn’t answer. He knocked continuously for about five minutes, and no one responded. He kept knocking because he was very sure we were home, but we didn’t answer. He paused for about ten long minutes, acted as if we he had gone whereas he was still at the door. He wanted us to make a sound so that he will know we were inside. However, I was smarter than him. I told Corine to stay quiet until I was sure he was really gone. Finally, I heard his footsteps fading away and I was now sure he was really gone. We got up from the corner we had crouched in and sat back on the bed. We were seriously sweating. It was a very narrow escape. There was no knowing what would have happened if The Boss had caught us flagrante delicto. 

We weren’t caught on that day, but one thing was sure. The Boss had started suspecting me. He had started suspecting that my closeness to Corine wasn’t altogether ordinary. I had to be more careful now. Any foolish mistake would land me in serious trouble. I was seriously hoping that Chocho too, kept his mouth shut. I cursed under my breath for having let him in on the secret in the first. 

A week later, I was sitting at my telephone booth when a taxi stopped in front of me. The door opened and The Boss alighted. He walked straight to where I was sitting, and his eyes were very red. I greeted him but he didn’t respond. Instead, he made a motion for me to follow him to his house. I was very scared. I was very sure Chocho had spilled the beans. That foolish Chocho. What was I going to do? My worst fears were materializing right in front of me. God!! Why did I complicate my life like this?

I went to his house and knocked on the door. He asked me to come in but didn’t offer me a seat. 

“You betrayed me, Tim.” He said, his voice in barely controlled anger and his eyes burning like red flame.

“What are you talking about, Boss?” I asked, pretending to be ignorant.

“You slept with my girlfriend, Corine.”

Oh my gosh!! The truth was finally out. The boss knew. Was I breathing my last? Was I going to be killed then and there? I was so scared and almost peed in my pants. 

“I am sorry, Boss. She made me do it. It was never my attention. It was just the spur of the moment.”

“The spur of the moment”. He growled and jumped from his seat, clenching his fists. “The spur of the moment you say? Did you just sleep with her once? You have been having sex with my girl for almost four months now. Four long months and you thought I was never going to find out?”

“I am sorry, please, forgive me.” I was on my knees now.

“Good thing I never really revealed all of who I am to you. Good thing I revealed just a small percentage of my operations to you. I would have been behind bars now because I am sure you would have betrayed me.” He was ferociously angry. I had never seen him like that before. 

“Please, The Boss, please.” 

“Now, get up and leave my sight before I get my gun. I never want to see you again. Your betrayal is too deep. Any other person would have been shot on the spot. But I will let you go. Now get out.” He growled.

I couldn’t believe the boss had let me go. In fact, I refused to believe. It was too good to be true. However, I went out of his house quickly, got to my booth and locked it up. I called Corine to bring her up to speed on the lates developments. However, because of some unknown reason, her number didn’t go through. I tried several times to no avail. I gave up and decided to walk home.

I was on a dark footpath on my way to my house when I saw three guys blocking my way. I immediately figured out who they were. All these months, I had been passing through that road at ungodly hours. Why had I never been attacked. This was clearly The Boss’ doing. My first instinct was to turn around and run as fast as I could. But I decided to face them instead. I wanted to know who really sent them, which was a foolish decision by the way.

“What do you guys want?” I asked when they blocked my path and wouldn’t let me pass?”

“You wronged the boss. Now, its payback time. Confess your sins now because in a few seconds, you will be joining your maker.” Their leader said, removed his gun and fired.

TO BE CONTINUED…

CHAPTER 8

I felt the bullet hit my chest with full force and I fell on the ground. I thought I was dead, but I was surprised that I wasn’t. I wasn’t even bleeding. However, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I laid down as if I was dead just to put them off. As the one who shot the bullet bent double to observe whether I had been killed, I gave him a punch in his face. He staggered backwards for a few seconds. That was all the time I needed. I jumped up from the ground and fled. The other two were very slow-witted. Since it was dark, it took them some time to understand what was really happening. Before they could realize, I was already a good distance in front of them. They gave chase, nevertheless, firing at me but none of the bullet hit its target.

I ran as fast as I could and lost them in the dark. Thankfully for me, I had never shown The Boss where I lived. When I was sure I had really lost them, I crouched behind an abandoned warehouse in my street and called Corine. She picked just after one ring.

“Hello, Corine.”

“Oh my gosh!!! Tim, I have been trying to get to you. Where are you?” She sounded worried and afraid.

“I am in danger. The Boss’ men just shot at me. I was attacked, Corine. I was attacked. They almost killed me. They shot me in the chest. It’s a miracle I am still alive. Where are you? Are you safe? Are you alright?”

“No, Tim. I am not. I was told that there were some strange men in my hostel, looking for me. I saw one of them. He was hooded. I can’t go to my house. Please, we need to leave town. They are going to kill us. Billy has gone crazy.”

“Alright, where do you think we should go? We have to act fast. The Boss has eyes and ears everywhere.” I was panicking seriously. 

“We could go to Ikom. A friend of mine lives there. We could hold up there for a while, then cross the border and move into Cameroon. We will be safe there.” She proposed.

“Good idea, babe. But we need money. We need money to start a new life. We don’t have the proper documentation to live in a new country and we are going to start life from scratch.” I explained.

“I have some money I saved up for such an eventuality. But it won’t be enough. You once told me your uncle is extremely rich. Why don’t you go home and get some money?” She asked.

“But you know he won’t give me a dime. What will I tell him? That’s an impossibility.” I spoke.

“You can steal it. Remember you told me he keeps money at home in a vault, and you had managed to get the code to the vault? Get some money from it. Like fifteen million. It’s an emergency, please.” Corine was encouraging me to steal.

“But that’s stealing. That will complicate our escaping. My uncle will report to the police and there will be a manhunt for us.” I countered.

“But you told me he travelled. By the time he comes back, we will be long gone. We have to do this, babe. You have to do this for me if you really love me.” She coaxed. 

Of course, I loved Corine. It was a difficult thing for me to do a thing like that, stealing my uncle’s money. That would put me in his bad books forever and would lead to a serious family problem. But my life was at risk and so was the life of the love of my life, Corine. Afterall, what’s better than one’s own life? Is it not the English man who said love conquers all? Or was it the bible?

Needless to say, I went home that night, and everybody was asleep. I went to my uncle’s vault, entered the code and took the equivalent of twenty million Naira in cold hard dollars. I put it in my handbag and left the house. When I was safely away from the house, I called Corine. She told me she was at the neighbouring town. She said I should get a cab and join her there. That was a very precarious thing to do. The Boss worked at the park which made sense to assume that most of the boys working for him were either taxi drivers or okada men. 

I was blinded by my love for Corine so, I cared less about the danger and started walking to the park. It was about 4:00 am now. I was already close to the park when I saw someone walking behind me, trying to catch up with me. I looked over my shoulder and realized he was actually coming for me. The Boss’ boys were still on the prowl. The Boss might have told them not to return home until I was truly dead. I started running, clutching the money bag tightly under my armpit. The thug gave chase and when I looked over my shoulder again, I realized the other two had joined him. I ran desperately because I was really exhausted. I had been running all night. 

The chase had been going on for about thirty minutes now and the very early signs of dawn had started showing. I had been running and hiding and running again, hoping I would lose them again just like I had done just hours before. However, the guys saw me, just when I had left my hiding place and ran after me. I was very weak, and I was sure they were going to finally catch me because they were really closing in on me. Just then, as luck would have it, the early morning train was passing just in time. I skipped and jumped on the train just as they were about to catch me. They cursed in anger as I made faces at them. They watched with disgust and desperation as I faded into the distance.   

An hour and thirty minutes later, I was in the neighbouring town with Corine in a cheap hotel she had rented for us. She seemed very excited to see me. 

“Oh, my love you made it. I was so scared. Thank God.” She was excited, clinging on my body and kissing me all over my face.

“I made it, babe. The Lord was with me all the way and, your love for me kept me going. I love you so much, babe. Promise me you won’t ever leave me. Promise me we will grow old together.”

“I promise, babe.” She spoke. “I promise with all my heart. You are my one and only and even death will never separate us.”

“I love you, babe.”

“Love you, too”

The next day, we started making plans on how we would get into Cameroon. Ikom was a border town, so, it would be easy for us to get into Cameroon. However, we needed documents. We needed the right papers. We needed a passport because after we moved into Cameroon, I had planned that we stayed there only for a while before moving to South Africa. 

I contacted a friend of mine who was into illegal documents, and he promised to get a passport for us in a week’s time. He said he had his contacts at the immigration and with the right amount of money, he would be able to get us authentic international passports. I was filled with joy when I received this news. I shared it with Corine, and she was equally excited. I wired the money to my friend, and he promised me that in just a week, our passports will be ready. 

Corine and I hardly ever left the hotel. Even when I went out, I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. The Boss could have sent his boys even to the neighbouring town. That was highly unlikely. However, there was no need taking unnecessary risks. We had to be alert at all times. Because we had nothing to do, we spent the day at nights banging. We banged in the hotel’s room, bath and even the balcony. 

One day, after about ten days, I switched my phone on and realized that my friend had tried to call me. I had made sure that my phone was always off because I didn’t want my uncle to bother me. My plan was to go to Cameroon, then to SA, make money and someday pay my uncle’s money back with interest. 

I called my friend, and he told me that the passports were ready. He said he had sent them through an agency, and I should go collect them at the park. I told Corine about the latest developments. She was happy, asked that I be careful and kissed me warmly. 

I sneaked into the park, collected the package excitedly and headed back to the hotel. I knocked the door and Corine didn’t answer. I checked and the door wasn’t bolted from inside. I pushed it and got into the room. I almost jumped out of my skin at what I saw. Corine and The Boss were lying on the bed, kissing passionately. 

TO BE CONTINUED…

=================================

CHAPTER 9

“Corine!!!” I shouted. 

She completely ignored me. I could not believe what was happening. How was this even possible. How come The Boss was able to find us? How come he and Corine were lying in our “hotelonial” bed and kissing? How come Corine didn’t look like she was under duress? A thousand thoughts and emotions ran through my mind at the same time. Why would Corine betray me like this? So, this was all a setup? Or was I dreaming. I tried to wake up from the dream but couldn’t. Of course, I couldn’t because it wasn’t a dream, and I was wide awake.

“Corine!!!” I shouted again in disbelief and moved towards them instinctively. 

However, I stopped as soon as I moved. I remembered that that was The Boss, and I couldn’t just jump on him like that without serious consequences. I then realized that I could be in serious trouble. I decided that I would escape and deal with this later. As I turned around to exit the hotel room, I bumped into someone huge. I looked up and realized that the three guys who had been chasing me the other night were also in the room. Their leader, the same one I had punched in the mouth on the first night of the chase, gave me a hard knock on the back of the head. My eyes dimmed, my head whirled, my knees buckled, and I slumped to the ground. 

He removed his gun and pointed it to my head. The other two took positions on either side of me. Corine spoke. 

“Don’t kill him yet. I want him to watch.” She said and climbed on the boss. She was stark naked. She climbed and started riding the boss, all the while screaming, moaning, rolling her eyes and making faces at me. I almost died. The betrayal was too deep. I couldn’t believe it was Corine, my own Corine doing this to me. First, she did cowgirl, then reverse cowgirl. Later, she got up, spread her legs wide and The Boss entered her and started pounding away. 

“Corine!!” I shouted, but they laughed at me and continued making love, right in front of my very eyes with no shame. After about thirty minutes, they were done. They got up and dressed up, then The Boss spoke.

“Young man, I don’t need to bother you with the details. You may be from the village, but you are smart. So, by now you must have already figured out everything. You have been used. We can’t let you go because you will call the police on us. So, we are going to kill you. Say your last prayers and meet your maker in peace.” He said, grabbing my money bag and preparing to leave with Corine. 

“I don’t care what happens to me.” I said in defiance. “But be rest assured that both of you will pay for this in this life or the next. I must exact vengeance. I will chase you guys even to the world’s end. Even if you kill me, my spirit will give you no peace.”

“Look at who is talking about Vengeance?” The Boss laughed. Corine laughed too. “You stole your uncle’s money. You should be happy that we are killing you. At least, we are saving you the trouble of having to face your uncle. I am sure he would crucify you.” They all burst out laughing.

“You haven’t seen the last of me.” I replied.

“But I am seeing the last of you, now.” He mocked. “You will be dead any minute now.” 

His face had now changed, and his voice had become cold and deadly. He looked like the real killer he was now. 

“Kill him, Don” He ordered the leader of his gang. 

Don cocked his pistol and was about to shoot when Corine intervened. 

“Don’t shoot him just yet. I can’t watch his blood being spilled. I am not built for that kind of graphic violence. Remember, he was once my sweetheart. Oh!! Poor lover boy.” She mocked and they all laughed. 

“Ok, Don. Don’t kill him yet. But as soon as we are gone, do it and leave his body to rot. He doesn’t deserve a proper burial.”

“Yes, Boss.” Don replied with glee.

“Don”

“Boss”

“No mistakes”

“Yes, Boss”

“When you are done, meet us at the abandoned warehouse beside the railway terminal. We will be planning our next move from there.” The Boss ordered, held Corine’s hand and they exited the hotel room followed by one of his boys. 

For the first time in my adventurous life, I was facing certain death. I bowed my head, and, in my heart, I prayed to God with all sincerity. I prayed to Him like my life depended on it. Of course, my life depended on it. I thought of my uncle’s money. I imagined the trouble that must have started in the family by now. I thought of my beautiful younger sister and my mum. I wondered if I will ever see them again. My sister was so fond of me, and my mum, my death will practically broke her heart. 

The odds were heavily against me. Here I was, kneeling on the floor of the hotel room, my hands tied behind my back and there were two hardened and stone-cold killers, ready to kill me at any moment. However, somehow, I still had hopes. I still believed that I could escape. I smiled, amused at my own thoughts. How on earth did I plan to escape. I was going to die any minute. I had already silently confessed my sins while waiting to be executed. But there was a spirit in me that told me not to give up just yet. Something was telling me to engage in a discussion with my killers, so, I decided to give it a shot.

“Hey, you two.” I ventured.

“Shut up and say your prayers. We are good Christians, and we won’t kill you without first allowing you to confess your sins to God.” The other guy spoke. “Don, weren’t you a mass servant back in the days?” 

They both laughed merrily at this. I didn’t give up.

“Please, there is no need killing an innocent man. I am the underdog here. The Boss has taken my woman and my money, and he wants me dead. Do you guys kill innocent people?” I persisted, trying to appeal to their consciences. 

They laughed loud and long. I was delaying my execution, playing delay tactics. Every second was necessary. A miracle could still happen. I needed time.

“You are not innocent. Well, the money is yours, but how about the woman? Is she yours? You were sleeping with The Boss’ girlfriend, and you were happy about it. You didn’t know that it was all a game. One more thing, that punch you gave me in the face the other night, you think I have forgotten. It’s time for payback.” He said and laughed again.

They wanted to have their fun first before killing me. Perhaps that was their way of doing things. However, I didn’t think the boss would be happy with that. But that seemed to work to my advantage, anyway because something unexpectedly happened. 

There was a knock on the door. Fearing that it could be room service, they hid their guns and Don waited to see who was knocking. 

“Come in.” He spoke.

“The door burst open, and the two guys froze. It was Rita, carrying two guns in both hands. Two times she fanned the hammer and two bullets each tore into the hearts of Don and his friend.

They both dropped dead.

TO BE CONTINUED…

CHAPTER 10

“Rita” I shouted and tried to get up but fell down. My hands were still tied behind my back, and I was very exhausted. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I couldn’t believe my luck.

“Rita!!!” You came for me; you came for my rescue. OMG!!! God bless you, Rita. God will bless you all the days of your long life.”

I was super excited, relieved and happy. Once again, I had escaped death. Two times death had stared me in the face, and two times I have cheated death. Thank God for Rita. A minute more, and I would have been a dead village boy. Rita came behind me and cut the ropes they had used in keeping me bound. I got up from the ground, nursing the bruises the rope had caused to my wrists.

“Rita, how did you find me? How did you know I was going to be here?” 

“Don’t you feel bad that I have come to your rescue in spite of the fact that you abandoned me?” She asked.

“I am so sorry, Rita. Please, I can’t make excuses. I am just sorry. Please forgive me.”

“I already did. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here., would I?” She asked sneeringly.

“Thank you, Rita. Thank you. But please tell me, I am curious, how did you find me?”

“No time for that. We have to go after The Boss. If he waits for too long and doesn’t see his henchmen, he might suspect foul play and come back to this hotel room and finish us. We better attack first. The element of surprise will give us advantage.” Rita sounded urgent.

“Please, tell me. I want to know. How did you find me?” I insisted.

“Alright, I will tell you. Do you remember the Zaddy you met in my house the night you locked me in the house and took my keys away?”

“Yes”

“He wanted you dead. He wanted me all for himself and couldn’t tolerate any rival. So, he hired a killer to kill you. The killer was Billy, The Boss. Billy would have killed you long ago. However, he was that kind of killer that if you sent him on a job, if there was a way, he would do a side job on his own. He informed his new girlfriend, Corine of the deal. Corine was the one who told him that your uncle was stinkingly rich. She was the one who brought up the idea that your death should be delayed until they succeeded to extract a huge amount of money from you.” Rita explained.

“Oh!!! Poor me!” I exclaimed. She continued.

“All those events about the boss cheating on Corine, calling you to come and take her away and Corine claiming to fall in love with you, the concern, sex and all that were fake. They were setting you up for the kill. They had two intentions. First, rob you, and then kill you.”

“My good God. Thank you, Lord for saving me.” I was sobbing now softly. “How did you find out about all this?” I asked. 

“Through the Zaddy. After you rejected the pregnancy, a few days later, he came to my house and beat me up so badly for cheating. He beat me up so badly that I lost the child. Tim, I had a miscarriage and I almost died. My neighbours took me to the hospital, and, thanks to God, I recovered fully.” She said in pain. 

“I am so sorry, Rita. I am really very sorry. I should have stood by you.”

“Will you shut up?! All of you men are the same; wicked and selfish.” She napped, angrily. Paused for a while, lit a cigarette and then continued. “Two days after I came back home from the hospital, the Zaddy came to my house again.”

“What?!! What did he want?”

“He said he wanted me back. He said he was sorry for all he had done to me. He said now that the baby was gone, we should get back together and forge ahead. I got very angry and asked him to leave my house. He refused to go, and we got into another fight. In the heat of the fight, I told him I have no more love for him. I told him my heart was with you. This got him angry, and he pulled his gun and threatened to shoot me. He told me you were being taken care of as we speak. He said you were going to be dead before the end of the day. In anger, and my reflexes acting faster than my reasoning, I grabbed the gun, and a struggle began. He got shot in the stomach in the process. He fell to the grand in pains. As he stayed there writhing and clutching his stomach, I shot two more times, both times in his chest and he died instantly.”

“Good riddance, Rita, good job. I wish I was able to get my hands on him myself.” I said. 

“What would you have done? Slack boy.” She sneered. “Anyway, because he had mentioned that you were going to be killed, I got worried and wanted to save you. I took his phone, opened his chat with Billy and realized that they had been in contact regularly. It was through their chats that I found out you were in this town and in this hotel. I couldn’t go to the police. It was too urgent, so, I had to take matters into my hands. I dragged his body and dumped it in the boot of his car. I opened the car door, searched the car and found another gun. I got into the driver seat and drove straight here. You know the rest.” She finished. 

“You have been through a lot for me, Rita. God will bless you. Now what’s our next move?” I asked.

Rita told me that we should go after The Boss and Corine. The Zaddy’s car was still parked outside the hotel, and we could use it. We left the hotel room and ran quickly outside. We got into the car and drove off. 

“Where did you say the boss would be?” She asked.

“He said an abandoned warehouse at the end of the railway terminal.” I responded. 

“I know the place.”

“How did you?”

“I once worked for The Boss. It was through him that I met the Zaddy. The Zaddy insisted I get out of the gang and succeeded to pressure The Boss to let me go. I know exactly where they will be.”

When Rita said this, I now fully understand how dangerous my life in the city had been. I had just come to the city and within a few months, had gone deep into the crime world of the city. Everybody I had interacted with up till now had been a criminal. 

We had gotten close to the warehouse now. Rita stopped the car, turned off the ignition, handed a loaded gun to me and we got off the car. We walked for about fifteen minutes and came in full view of the warehouse. From where we lay, crouched, we could see The Boss, Corine and two of The Boss’ killers. In commando style, we crept slowly until we came close to the warehouse. Rita asked me to be ready for action, she got up, ran forward and fired two shots at close range. Rita was no ordinary gunslinger. Every shot hit true, and the killers did a crazy dance of death and slumped to the floor, beginning the once in a lifetime business of dying.

The boss turned around in anger and fear and his eyes met the pointed barrel of my gun.

“Say your last prayers, Boss?” I spoke. But he ignored me and turned his attention to Rita instead. 

“How did you get yourself involved in this, Rita?” He asked, angrily. This is not your fight.”

“I have come to save my love, Tim. I love him and will do anything for him.” Rita responded.

“And you, Tim. You are a fool. We set just a small trap for you, and you fell. You spent the whole of that night, running away from my men. You thought you outsmarted them, right? Well. I am pleased to let you know that the bullet fired to your chest was a rubber bullet. The Don had no intentions to kill you, or you would be dead. The other shots were blank shots. If we wanted to kill you, you would be dead long ago. We wanted the money first. By the way, where are my men?”

“They are dead. Rita killed them and rescued me. Now say your prayers.” I threatened.

It now made sense to me. I now understood why I was shot at but didn’t die. All along, I had thought I was a superhero or had “odeishi”. I didn’t know they used a rubber bullet. Anyway, that was in the past now, and I had to make sure The Boss too became a past. 

“Put that gun down.” That was Corine speaking.

“You traitor, Corine. You betrayed me. You will pay for it now. But before I do that, know that The Boss doesn’t love you. If he did, he wouldn’t use you as a pawn in his game. He allowed me sleep with you just for the money. You should be wise enough, Corine. But you are a fool. A big fool.” I told her

The boss had gotten tired of my rantings and went for his gun, hoping to silence me once and for all. I opened fire on him. I put six bullets into him, beginning from his head and down to his stomach. He was dead long before he touched the ground. I went to where he had fallen and looked at his corpse. His head was completely disfigured and looked nothing human. The bullets in the gun I used were military grade, meant to cause maximum damage. 

“Billy!!!” Corine shouted and ran to where The Boss lay. It was too late for her. The Boss was dead. She sat by him and wept uncontrollably. She had really truly loved him.  

Rita wanted to gun down Corine, but I stopped her, I proposed that we let her go. Her loss of The Boss would drive her crazy. I wanted her to suffer psychologically for the rest of her life. Also, she had helped saved my life unintentionally by saying that I shouldn’t be killed in her presence. That small chance gave me a new edge in life and saved my life. Rita was against sparing her, but I succeeded to convince her. 

I grabbed my money bag, opened it and realized that it still contained the complete sum of my uncle’s money. I held Rita’s had and told her we should get out of there. As we made our move, Rita suddenly turned around and fired a clean shot into Corine’s head. She fell back and died instantly. Rita had noticed her reaching for The Boss’ gun that had fallen beside him when I shot him. She had wanted to shoot us in the back.

We put the four corpses in the Zaddy’s car which Corine had now brought to the scene, and set it ablaze, burning all five corpses and also wiping all evidence of our involvement in their deaths forever. As the flames rose to a huge fireball, I held Rita’s hand, and we went out of the place. 

THE END