"James. I know you're inside," the man said,
knocking persistently. "Come out and let us talk."
James listened and it sounded as if the entire tenants were
congregated in the middle of the compound talking all at once. He suspected
something was amiss and he had to come out or face the risk of incurring the
wrath of the landlord, whom he recognized as the person at his door. He quickly
went into the bathroom and returned with a bucket of soapy water and sponge.
The blood stains, the chalk, every trace of his earlier expedition into the
spirit world, were wiped off in two minutes.
"Oga Landlord, I just renewed my rent. What do I owe
you again?" he asked as he unlocked the door, opening it just enough to stick
out his head. Indeed there was a crowd gathered as he'd guessed.
The Landlord looked at him for a moment, observing he had
just come out of the bathroom still in a towel, which explained his delay in
opening the door, before he spoke. "I have received reports of some
mysterious occurrence in the compound and I want it discussed and resolved this
evening. So please dress up and join us immediately."
"Okay. I'll join you." James closed the door
behind him. Where are those charms? He went to his wardrobe and searched
frantically until he laid his hands on the beaded protective charm necklace he
was given by the sea goddess herself. After wearing it and dressing up, he left
the room to join the meeting.
* * *
The gateman came into the living room and met Bernard alone.
"Oga Jason girlfriend dey gate and him been tell me say make I tell am
first before I open gate for her to come inside. Wetin I go tell am?" he
asked.
Bernard gave him a curious look. He was actually trying to
make sense of why Jason would give such a command. He wanted to send the
gateman to Jason at the BQ but a thought to find out for himself crossed his
mind and he acted on it. "Let her come in."
"Okay sir." The man left to open the gate while
Bernard walked to the window, moving the curtain slightly to see his orders
being taken.
Linda drove into the premises and stepped out of her car
after parking. Bernard gulped. She looked more attractive than he had ever
seen, and she was passing the main entrance, heading toward the back of the
house. For whatever reason, he dashed out of the house to intercept her.
"Hey Linda... How are you?" he said, trying to act
normal.
Linda turned around. "Bernard, wow, I thought you'd
returned."
"Still very much around. Jason stepped out a few
minutes ago to get some drinks but he'll be back in no time. So come into the
main house. Mum wants to see you anyway"
Linda hesitated for a moment, trying to weigh the sincerity
of his words. Perhaps Jason was with another lady and he was only trying to
deter her from walking in on them, or perhaps he was simply telling the truth.
But then if she reconsidered that if she insisted on going and it turned out
Jason was really not around, that will be bad for her future plans.
"Alright," she finally said, retracing her steps,
"I'll just wait a while then."
Bernard waited for her and followed after her, a mischievous
grin on his face. While she walked into the house, he paused and signaled the
gateman to come over. The man walked to him and he whispered, "Go and
check if Jason is around, if he is, tell him I said he should give me a few
minutes that I want to come and see him, okay?"
The confused gateman nodded and left to do as he was told.
Bernard closed the door behind and came to see Linda already
seated. She smiled at him and he smiled. "Do you mind a drink?" he
asked, walking straight to the bar. "What do I offer you?"
Linda could sense there was more behind this awkward
hospitality, perhaps an attraction. "Rioja Imperial, if you have that in
store," she replied with a wink and crossed her legs, exposing a little
bit of her thighs and little is known to be very provocative. The possibility
of this guy falling into her trap flooded her mischievous mind with thoughts of
more enraging ways to get back at Jason.
Bernard gulped again as his eyes caught a glance. What was
she doing? No, what was he doing he asked himself. His mother was not even
around and Jason could come in any moment if he waited too long. But something
kept egging him on.
"Hmmn, you're into spanish wines?, he said as he opened
a part of the shelf and retrieved a bottle of wine, looking at the label.
"Well, Imperial isn't stocked here but Finca Valpiedra is. Do you
mind?"
"That would make a good substitute," Linda said,
this time stylishly caressing the exposed bit of her thighs. She was now
determined to go all the way to push this button.
Bernard poured two glasses and took it to her, trying hard
not to stare at those thighs, but failing woefully. As he gave her a glass, she
brushed her hands against his and smiled, taking a sip while he just stood
there transfixed. His brain had gotten dead of sense. All he could think of was
satisfying an urge that he never knew existed as strongly as it did. He had even
forgotten he had an evening flight to catch. He tried to reason but nothing
reasonable was coming except flowing with the signals he was getting.
Linda dropped her glass and stood up coming toward him when
his phone rang, shattering the spell. He brought out the phone from his pocket,
it was Bunmi. He hesitated before picking it.
"Hello dear... I I'm fine and you? No no I'm - oh my
gosh! I'm about to. I'll call you as soon as I'm at the airport. Sure... A
prayer? Sweet, I'll be fine... Okay okay... Amen. Amen. Later dear," he
finished and ended the call.
Linda had taken back her seat watching intently while he
took the call. She was a bit disappointed about the interruption, but at least
she had confirmed somone was going to be a useful bait in her hands.
"I'm sorry that was my fiancée," he said to her
and turned around to check the time on the wall clock. "I should be at the
airport in another thirty minutes - sorry excuse me, I think Jason is
here." He quickly left the living room and came outside just in time to
meet Jason coming toward the main house.
"Linda's here?" Jason asked, seeing her car parked
inside.
"Em... yes she is. Ali told me you didn't want her
parking inside and I thought you weren't around initially so I let her in and
she's in the living room."
The explanation didn't make much sense to Jason, but now
wasn't the time to address that. He didn't want to see Linda and he needed her
out of his house. The mere mention of her name made him want to puke and he
couldn't even understand why.
"Okay. When are you leaving for the airport?" he
asked Bernard.
"Right away," Bernard replied.
"Okay. Pick me up at the barbing salon when you're
leaving," Jason said to him as his brother entered back into the house and
then he beckoned on the gateman. "I have an urgent appointment now at a
barbing salon," he told him, "Please tell that lady I'll get back to
her, okay? And don't, I repeat,don't open this gate for her without my
permission."
"Okay sir. Me sef be no wan open the gate before. Na Oga
Bernard say make I open."
Jason left the house, thinking about how best to rid himself
of that lady without making a public show of it.
*************
Linda was expecting Jason to walk in but after waiting for a
few minutes and he didn't, she decided to come outside and that happened to be
the same time Bernard was going back into the house so they bumped into each
other at the lobby and Linda's lipstick smeared his shirt, but of course, he
didn't realize that although she saw it.
"Whoa! Sorry I didn't see you coming."
"That's okay. Thanks for the drink. Where's
Jason?" she asked with a sultry tone and pose.
"Coming." This time he didn't delay, he removed
his eyes and hurried into the house to get his bag.
She laughed. Your day will come when I'll take you down one
peel at a time and eat you, she said to herself and went back to get her keys.
As she bent to pick the keys from the table, she heard the front door close and
bent very well thinking it was Jason coming in so she could unleash her arsenal
of seductive moves on him.
"Ma-ma-madame," the poor gateman stammered, after
managing to find his voice, "Oga don commot."
She quickly stood up straight and turned around. "Which
Oga? To where?"
The man was further slammed by her top which was tilted in such
a manner; it left no little bit of her chest exposed. "Em... em... e say,
e say him get appointment for... for somewhere and him go call you later."
While he was still talking, Bernard came out with his box
and hand luggage. He saw the condition of the poor gateman and decided to help
him.
"Hey, take this into the car for me," he said,
handing him the bag and box. Then he turned to Linda. "Where's
Jason?" he asked, pretending he didn't know anything about his
whereabouts.
"I don't know. This imbecile was saying something about
him just leaving for an appointment and reaching me later. Whatever." She
tried to keep her composure and left the house with Bernard behind her.
"Well. I'm sure he will. Thanks for dropping by
anyway," he said as she entered her car without even responding and drove
out of the compound.
He also entered his and followed, heaving a sigh of relief
when he saw she wasn't heading his direction.
Jason was waiting just outside the salon when Bernard drove
up to him. He entered the car and they drove for about fifteen minutes before
Jason broke the silence.
“Ever since Dad passed away,” he said, looking straight on,
“and we discovered he had only two biological children, things changed between
us.”
Bernard just kept driving even though he was paying full
attention, trying to understand the destination of this line of conversation.
“Obviously, Folake is definitely Dad’s daughter,” he
continued, “but one of us isn’t Dad’s son.”
The silence that followed was so choking; Bernard had to put
off the air condition and wind down the windows of the car so that fresh air
could come in. He had wanted to have this conversation with Jason, but that was
a long time ago when he first discovered a bit of the family secret from Dr.
Braide, their family doctor. Right now, he couldn’t tell if he really wanted
his younger brother to continue with a conversation he so deliberately thwarted
months ago. “Why are we now having this conversation?” he asked in a tone rich
with disdain. Jason didn’t respond immediately and so he continued, “I thought
you were so certain you were that biological son?”
Jason reflected on the question. Indeed he was convinced at
a point that he was the biological son, and expected the lion share of his
father’s property until he discovered yet another angle of the family secret –
an affair his mother had with their father’s late friend while married to their
father. This discovery shattered his castles. It was the real reason he got
piqued at everything that had to do with Bernard based on a fear that he was
the possible result of the affair coupled with the fact that he had been
putting up a haughty attitude prior to the discovery.
Bernard watched him from the corner of his eye. He wished he
could get a clue on the motivation bringing this sudden change about his
brother. It had to be more than the fact that he was playing the born again
game. “Or perhaps you know something I don’t know?” he added to the series of
unanswered questions.
Jason took him off guard with his response. “Yes I know a
lot, Ben,” he finally spoke, “I know we came out from the same womb. I know you
were the only brother I ever had. Ben, I know Dad never treated either of us as
less his child all through his life time. And if ever he would in his Will,
that doesn’t remove the fact that we are brothers born of same mother.”
Where did you get all this wisdom? Bernard was thinking
while Jason talked. It was so unlike Jason to reason outside himself. If not
for the fact that he had deciphered from Uncle Udoh’s statement at one of the
family meetings they had during the burial arrangement of his late father that
Jason was likely the biological son, he would have linked this whole discussion
to the possibility that Jason knew he wasn’t the biological son after all.
Uncle Udoh, their father’s younger brother, mentioned something that day that
suggested their Dad had a quarrel with a friend over a woman who was first a
girlfriend to the friend, which to him sounded like the lady in question was
even pregnant for the said friend before their Dad came into the picture and
that lady had to be their very own mother.
*****************************************
“Oga landlord,” one of the tenants, a young man and next
door neighbor to James, spoke up, “You see this fowl wey dey here so, this na
the fourth time wey I dey see this kain tin since… since,” he hesitated before
summoning up the courage to voice out the rest of it, “since some people enter
this compound!”
“Yes!” some others who supported his statement, cheered in
affirmation.
The young man dared to continue, seeing he had gained
supporters, “Na so so bad bad things they happen anytime them kill fowl throway
like dis-”
“Ehn ehn, ehn ehn, ehn ehn,” a woman in her forties known as
Mama Ngozi stood up waving her fingers in disapproval, as she cut him short,
“Chibuzor, no be because you dey this compound before I come you go come dey
insult all of us wey come this compound new. I don dey notice your nonsense,
dey ignore you since. Respect yourself.”
“Tell am!” another group cheered her, obviously fellow
newcomers to the compound. There was so much noise coming from the side talks
emanating from Chibuzor and Mama Ngozi’s contributions. The Landlord had to
stand up to calm the noise. He looked around at every one of the faces gathered
for the meeting and his eyes rested on James as he spoke, “There is no one here
who would own up to this barbaric act, I know. And I cannot refund your rent
and ask you all out of my compound. But,” he shifted his gaze to the man
dressed in a faded coat and trouser, seated beside him, “I can fish out the
culprit, matching power for power. Is that not so, Pastor Ediri?”
The man nodded and added, “By the fire of the Holy ghost,
they must be exposed.”
The whole crowd shouted in unison, “AMEN!”
The landlord turned back to the people and continued, “So,
my tenants, I urge you all to join in the seven days prayer and fasting that
this Pastor will conduct beginning from tomorrow. And let us see how long this
person will survive in this compound after that.”
Some in the crowd expressed their agreement with shouts of
“Yes” while others simply murmured, not wanting to openly express their
disagreement with the Landlord’s chosen method of solving the problem.
“I have heard all of your complaints and suggestions, but
nothing supersedes prayers,” he said, observing the murmurings. “So 6pm
tomorrow, let us all endeavor to gather here. It is not compulsory, but if you
want this problem solved as much as I want it, you will come.”
James sized up the man that called himself Pastor. He looked
hungry, frustrated, and clueless. If this empty calabash was the person to
conduct prayer and fasting, there was absolutely nothing to worry about. “Oga Landlord,” he said, standing up from
where he was seated. All eyes turned to him. He had been quiet and there was no
doubt some speculations were being made concerning his late arrival and
reserved attitude in the compound. “Thank you for taking that decision. Indeed,
prayer is the master key and prayer is what we need. Two months ago, my elder
brother’s wife had a miscarriage and then last month I also got news from the
village that our last born in my family had died. I didn’t realize that this,”
he said, pointing to the dead fowl, “could be the source of my problem.”
Some tenants shook their heads and others shrugged their
shoulders, uttering sympathizing words as they looked at him pitifully. Mama
Ngozi particularly gave Chibuzor a malicious look for earlier suggesting that
the culprit had to be someone new to the compound.
The landlord nodded to show his acknowledgment of his
support and after that closed the meeting. Everyone returned back to their
homes but James stayed back, offering to dispose the dead chicken.
“No, no, no, no, don’t worry. Pastor Ediri here will take
care of it,” the Landlord told him. “You can return to your house, and please
accept my condolences over your sibling.”
“Thank you, sir,” James said and returned to his room,
smiling as he went. Now he had gained the sympathy of the compound, he hoped
that would ward them off his trail until he could make sure someone else
confessed to being behind the mystery of the dead fowls.
**************************************************
Jason surprised himself with his very own speech. It was
only dawning on him that he hadn’t thought about all he said, they just seemed
to have come from nowhere. He was waiting for Bernard to say something. Nothing
came. Then he turned to look at him and that was when he noticed the smudge of
lipstick on Bernard’s shirt, right there on his right shoulder.
At that instant his head did a mental calculation and he
realized the source of the lipstick could be Linda. Hadn’t the gateman said he
didn’t know why Bernard asked him to let her into the house? And wasn’t it
unusual that Linda would come to see him and end up in the main house alone
with Bernard? His countenance suddenly changed. Not that he cared about Linda
and whoever she chose to flirt with even if it was his brother, but he was
getting upset that his brother, who had a fiancée, would pick Linda of all
people to mess around with. An image of Linda locked in his brother’s embrace
flashed his mind, but he tried not to dwell on it. He kept reminding himself,
he didn’t really care.
Bernard was going to respond to what Jason said, but the
look on his face was unnerving. Why the sudden change in his mood? He decided
to focus on his driving although he really wished this conversation had a
conclusive end. Perhaps he would try again later, he thought.
*********************************************
After returning from the tailor’s, Stacey barely had time to
prepare to attend the home cell meeting of her own church. Her mother and
sister had both left for the meeting while she stayed back with her father.
She was on her bed, looking through the notes she took
during the morning message in church. The truths in them amazed her and made
her hunger for another opportunity to fellowship with them again. In fact she
found herself desiring a husband from that church, to come whisk her away from
her current place of worship because that seemed to be the only way she could
peacefully leave her family church. Her phone beeped signaling a message had
come in. She picked up the phone to see the message. It was from her sister saying
her mother wanted her to prepare dinner. She sent a reply that she had already
prepared it, feeling glad she followed her intuition to prepare the rice after
noticing there was none for dinner. She hoped her mother would be pleased.
*************************************************
Bernard brought the car to a halt at the airport car park.
He clung to the steering wheel while talking, “Jason, I really don’t know what
was on your mind before you started the talk, but I can assure you I still
remained the same Bernard; it was you who changed. Whatever happened in the
past, I’m willing to forgive and probably forget if you would let me. But I’ll
like each to be content with whatever we receive from our father’s Will. I know
that had been your bone of contention and it didn’t have to be. We will still
be brothers after Saturday.”
Jason was listening even though he didn’t look like it. He
opened the door as soon as he perceived Bernard was done talking and came over
to the other side of the car. “I still have an appointment at the salon that I
must catch up with...” while he was talking, the flight boarding for Abuja was
announced. Bernard quickly came out of the car and picked his luggage from the
back seat.
“Have a safe trip,” was all Jason said as he got into the
car. He left the parking lot, justifying his conscience. If his brother, who
had no idea he had broken up with Linda, could throw caution to the wind and
dare to make out with her, then he deserved what was coming his way at his
arrival in Abuja. “Bunmi would definitely give him a warm welcome”, he said
aloud with a grin and then mimicking his brother’s voice added, “I’m willing to
forgive and probably forget. But I’ll like each to be content with whatever we
receive from our little escapades – Fool!”
“Son, that’s a wrong thing to do if you have truly
forgiven,” a voice suddenly said in his head.
That voice again! “NO. I have forgiven him but he should
dance to the new beat he started,” Jason answered back in his head. This time
he wasn’t going to give in.
“It is not about him, it’s about you, son. You give the
enemy authority in your life when you bow to his bidding. You must overcome.”
Jason pounded the
steering in frustration. He really wanted Bernard to taste of the poisonous
soup he was brewing.
And that was exactly what Malice wanted. The little demon
kept trying to push more images into Jason’s mind to fuel his anger and make
him discard the Word from directing him right. If they could just get him to
hold the grudge long enough until Bernard arrived Abuja when it would be too
late to warn him, they could gain ground to push him away from the presence of
God with guilt, then attack.
