Gabriel" Joy said silently as She stood up from the floor and ran to me. " You again? Why do you like putting yourself in danger?" Mbe asked angrily. " Behold a man that beats women" I said mockingly, pointing my left hand at him. " You could have Just remained on the top of that tree, have your face not learnt anything from the previous beaten I had given you? Behold,there is no Alvana to save you today" He said staring angrily at me. " I didn't come all the way down from that tree to exchange words with you, I have wasted my time in jumping down just to inform ,you to provide another water pot for Adanna" I said staring at me. " Gabriel, the son of Omiyi, you make me laugh. Who are you to address me on what to do?" He asked, surely he was now very angered. " Like you have rightly said, I am Gabriel the Son of Omiyi" I replied holding tight to Adanna who was watching our drama with tears on her cheeks. " Mbe, the son of whom I dont know, do yourself a good by .." I wasn't done talking when I noticed him advancing towards me, I pushed joy slightly away from my side and also advanced towards him. " Gabriel please stop" Adanna said trying to hold me but I pushed her again. Mbe made to jump on me like the local wrestlers, he had barely taken himself up off the ground when I delivered a punch to his face, he staggered back in surprise and smiled. " Oh, I see you have gone to learn some moves, you really came prepared" He said as he rushed towards me again, I was fast enough to quickly roll myself on the ground and passing him, the only regret I had in this was that I was putting on a white shirt. He wanted to turn back to face me but unfortunately for him, I delivered another punch to his face. Like the previous time, he staggered back again but this time, he didn't smile. He was now looking confused and probably a bit scared, he didn't advance towards me again. " Mbe the cat, the one whose back has never touched the ground in a fight, are you now scared to fight? " I asked smiling, surely I knew my words were going to anger him. He rushed towards me again, this time I didn't deliver any punch or roll pass him, I was very fast enough to carry him sideways across my chest. He tried struggling to be freed but he wasn't strong enough. " Adanna, where should I drop him?" I asked Adanna smiling, she was also smiling and obviously surprised seeing me lift Mbe. " Drop him on the pieces of my water pot" Adanna said while I nodded and walked towards the broken pot. " Please Gabriel, dont do this to me, I will get her another pot" Mbe begged shamelessly. " Of course you will get another pot, but this will only be a warning to you." I said as I landed his back on the pieces of the broken water pot. " Arrgggh" he screamed and rolled himself on the ground. " That will teach you not to lay hands on a maiden again, especially the most beautiful maiden of Atata" I said to him as he rolled on the ground. " Now go get her a new water pot " I shouted and immediately, he got up and ran off.
• " I never believed you could beat that beast in a fight" Joy said as we headed back home, I was carrying her water pot, it is actually Mbe's mother water pot, the one he had brought to replace the broken one of Adanna. " I told you I could do anything for the most beautiful maiden of Atata" I replied holding her hand. " Thanks, maybe from now, he won't pester me anymore " She said . " If he does, then he should be ready to receive more beatings from me" I replied smiling broadly. " what about if he does when you have gone back to the city?" She asked. " Then I would deal with him when I return, tell him I said so " I replied her. " Now I have caught you red handed, why did you later decide to come to the stream? you said you weren't coming today. You have now left me with no other impression that you do come because of me" Adanna said twisting her mouth and staring at me. " I actually came to tap" I told her. " Who taps wine from a Mango Tree?" She asked again. " I didn't say I came to tap wine, I came to tap mangoes. " I said while she bursted into laughter. "Tap mangoes?" she asked as she held my hand, it felt warm. " how were you able to beat mbe?" She asked smiling suspiciously. " The powers came from above" I replied her." I will miss you" I said trying to change the topic, she nodded and held my hand more tight. " I will miss you also " She said while I also nodded., we were now in her house, her parents weren't around, her mother had gone to the market while her father has gone to the farm. I dropped the pot where it should be dropped, I then turned back to leave. " Goodbye Adanna, take good care of yourself for me and make sure you always remain beautiful." I said as I dipped my hand into my pocket and brought a bundle of a thousand naira notes, it was actually fifty thousand Naira. " Manage this till I come back" I said as I stretched the money to her. " No, I won't take that from you, I think you need it more" Joy said as she closed her legs together and twisted her mouth again. " Adanna, I am giving you this, you have no option than to take it." I said again as I opened her hand and placed the money in it. " Thank you" she said staring at the notes. " Am really grateful" She said again while I smiled. " Enough of the thanks, its alright" I told her as I walked towards the exit of their compound. " Gabriel!!!" She called thereby stopping me. " Yes" I answered and turned to face her as she walked towards me. " please, take you eyes away from the city girls, always focus on your business " She said again I nodded as I turned back to leave again " Gabriel!" She called again" Adanna!" I called back to face her, she walked slowly towards me and unexpectedly, she hugged me. It wasn't my first time hugging a girl but hugging Adanna seem very different, her body was cool and her scent was nice, I was just getting to start enjoying the hug when she broke it . " Bye" she said and hurriedly walked inside. " Bye Adanna" I said back even if I knew she won't hear me. I also turned and went home.
•The night was rough as I couldn't sleep throughout the night, I was thinking about the journey back to Lagos and how stressful it was gonna be. I stood up from the bed around 4:00am, my parents were surely still sleeping, I had told them the previous day that I would leave very early. I dropped a note telling them that I have gone before departing the house. I headed for the Atata local park which wasn't untrekable( the word doesn't exist, Just a common Nigerian English) . I was walking on the lonely path to the market which wasn't far from the park , the path was a middle path whose side was surrounded with bushes. I was still walking forward with my briefcase on my right hand and my bag, a school bag on my back when I noticed someone in black run from the left side of the bush , he stopped briefly when he saw me,he stared at me for some minutes, I stopped and also stared at me though I was scared. I had this feeling that he smiled before running to the right side. He was a tall muscular guy with a mask. He was all in black.