kalu managed to return early from the place of the black magic custodian he was overwhelmed with a profound joy. From the way he was assured by the spiritualist, he was certain that his problem was solved.
As he got to the house, he first asked a neighbor downstairs if he had seen his uncle anywhere around the house that day, he just wanted to be sure that Abuchi did not come around during the day to check up on him, even though he doubted the possibility, clinging to the experience of how busy Mondays usually were in the market.
Mondays were always busy to the extent that they hardly found time to take lunch, they skip launch most Mondays for lack of time and standing all through, was another punishment that Mondays were associated with, for one would be required to stand all through in attending to customers.
His joy heightened when the neighbour told him that his uncle wasn't around, even though the neighbour wasn't sure for he hadn't been around all through.
Kalu on his own part had already prepared before hand what to say just in case he ran out of luck. He knew that his uncle would never dispute the fact that he had gone to look for his favorite native snack, 'okpa' which in the local parlance was referred to as local buns.
Kalu had been known to love 'okpa' right from when he was a child, and was always willing to forfeit a well garnished plate of fried rice or any other enticing meal just for a piece of okpa.
Abuchi himself wasn't ignorant of how much he could get out of his way, just to have a bite of the local buns. But the sellers of the local buns there in the city were few and far between unlike the villages.
There was no sign of anyone being around the house after he had left, as he inspected everywhere to be certain. One thing that confirmed the certainty, was the malaria drugs he left on the table of the sitting room, Abuchi should have surely packed them away had he met them there, for one thing he hated most, was seeing such things in the sitting room. He had strictly warned them several times not to be bringing anything that wasn't meant to be in the sitting room there.
After confirming that nobody was around while he was away, the joy almost drove him into dashing off once again to the address of Rose that the spiritualist had given to him.
As he came into his room to change to another outfit, for the ones he was putting on was a bit dirty, due to the physical contact and collision he had with people. Moreover he had to look his best, for he was going to meet the love of his life for the first time, he needed to be in his best outfit so that by the time the girl set her eyes on him, just like in the dreams, she would instantly fall inlove with him.
"Infact I need to look sweet" he thought to himself. he was going to slip into the blue jeans that his uncle bought for him during his birthday, when suddenly, his gaze was shot at the clock hanging on the wall, at once he regained his right senses, by realizing that it was late already.
Very soon those that went to the market would begin to return. He felt instantly weak as he slowly reclined on his bed. As his head was raised in thought, he knew that there was a dire need to continue acting sick for one more day, and not just sick, but as sick as he was, that day. For he might surely go to meet his love tomorrow, so the show would surely continue.
" let me just meet Rose face to face for once and I will be okay" he murmured to himself as he was still seated racking his brain on how to scale through tomorrow's task.
He quickly undressed and put on his house wear, as it remained just few minutes in normal terms for others to start returning.
He gently switched back into the sick mood.
Abuchi bought some fruits for him, and some other things he felt was good for a sick person for fast recuperation when returning that evening.
The next day, he knew that since he was able to scale through Monday, that Tuesday won't be a big problem because it's a less busy day in the market.
Abuchi by himself now wanted him to be at home that Tuesday morning, inorder to have a proper rest for a quick recovery.
After they had all left the house, kalu started getting prepared for his journey, he was in his best outfit, the same outfit as on his birthday.
He sneaked into his uncle's room as he was set to wear his perfume before leaving.
He already knew the right bus to board to get to the area even though he had not been to the area before.
After he had alighted at the bus stop, he crossed over to the other side where the street was located.
He knew he needed to ask someone for direction.
he scanned through the faces, for the area swarmed with different individuals going about their different businesses, he then spotted a nice looking boy of his age and went straight to him.
The boy pointed to the same house his guess had been suggesting.
It was an uncompleted building, with an unkempt facade like the den of robbers but he wasn't scared by the appearance of the building.
Now he was sure that it was the building, he branched to the shop by the side of the building to purchase a handkerchief for there were droplets of sweat on his forehead that needed urgent attention.
As his attention was focused on what he was buying, a girl went straight into the compound, he only saw the back of the girl, the shape he saw was exactly what he had been seeing in his dreams. he left his change with the woman that was attending to him and moved immediately to see if he could meet up with the girl. "I have already found the girl he was looking for" he thought to himself.
The woman in the shop called him for his change but he was deaf and blind to any other thing apart from the girl he was following.
He followed the girl who was fast movement in a long and nice strides into the compound, calling the name 'Rose' as he went, but it looked like the girl couldn't hear him.
When he got into the compound, it was like the girl disappeared. He didn't see her again, he knew that the girl might have entered one of the rooms there, for there were about ten rooms in the large compound.
He was sure that for the girl to disappear that fast, she couldn't have walked past more than the first four rooms.
He stood inside the compound contemplating on which door to start knocking from, for all the doors were shut.
He was so immersed in the thought that he was unconscious of what was happening around him.
After he had decided to start knocking from the first door, with the determination of even knocking on the whole doors in the compound, so far as he would find what he had come for.
"who be that?" echoed a thick cracked voice from behind as he faced the door and his right hand raised to give the first knock.
He was sure that the voice didn't come from inside the house, for his raised hand had not yet landed on the door in knock.
The hand went down gradually as he then realized that there had been people inside the compound all this while watching him.
How could he be that foolish that he even didn't notice them, to greet them.
His heart thudded as he was confused if the voice was a friendly one or a man- eating one. "Could it be the girl's father". He noticed that the bearer of the voice was at a particular spot, who ever it was, wasn't approaching, "come here my friend" the voice echoed again this time more fierce and frightening, and he could now here other background voices as they poured out threat on him. Then he gently turned around and discovered that they were many, all men, about eight of them, seated and their faces covered with smoke, as they puff out the dark smoke from the Indian hemp in their hands. It was then that kalu was gripped with real fear, for as his gaze managed to penetrate the faces, he discovered that there was no friendly one among them.
He trembled as he walked to meet them. The one with the thick and gruesome voice was seated in the middle while the others were seated round him and he was being addressed to as the boss. Guessing right, he should be the leader of the group, he was actually looking more mature than the rest.
Kalu stood shaking in front of the boss. It was like there were sparkles of fire in the man's eyes for the eyes were dead red from smoking.
All his effort to present a sheer bravado proved vain, for he couldn't control the fearful shudder. His lips shaked as he told them that he was looking for Rose, with the confidence that the girl he saw should be no one else but Rose.
The boss without caring about what ever name he had mentioned knowing quite well that he was talking about the girl that just came into the compound, roared in asking him the reason he was looking for the 'Rose', repeating the same name he had mentioned to them. Kalu couldn't come up with a reason instantly for he wasn't prepared for such questions. His moving lips were void of words as he was trying to come up with something reasonable. "she is my friend" he stammered, "your friend" the boss shouted with a triggered aggression.
Kalu's heart almost jumped out of his flesh the way the voice roared in the question, it was like he had committed a capital offence, by saying that Rose was his friend, in lack of what to say.
He didn't know whether to retract his words, but what else would he say if he should retract the word?
He wrestled in his mind on what could be considered the right words to say.
He didn't know if the man asking him the question was Rose's elder brother, or in anyway related to Rose but he was just certain that Rose would be able to recognise him if they were to call her and ask her about him, and he prayed they should do so.
"what's in your pocket" the boss roared again. then Kalu began to understand that the interrogation was now taking another direction. "there is nothing in my pocket" he answered thinking that he was being asked if he had any harmful material in his pocket. As he gave that answer, one of them, the one standing close to him rushed at him at once, in order to guard him supposing that he wanted to run away. He told him to bring out the linen of his pockets all the four pockets. And he was stripped of all he had in the pocket, leaving him with only his handkerchief.
Even the new wrist watch that was given to him as a gift on his birthday was also taken.
He was asked to run without looking back after he had been robbed of all he had.
Engulfed with the fear that they might take away his life as they had threatened, he had no choice than to obey them.
All the while that he was being interrogated, no one came out from those rooms, he couldn't even hear a sound to indicate that someone was inside any of the rooms.
After kalu had run out of the compound, he then realized that he was in a big mess.
How would he manage to get home. there was no dime left on him, all the money had been taken away by those men. He felt like disappearing at the moment.
He fought hard to choke back the tears that was about to roll down. the worst part was that the distance from there to their house wasn't a friendly one, it was so far, and he didn't know anyone around there. Should he start begging? He stood at a corner in the street beside the shop were he bought the handkerchief and was thinking of how to get home.
"thank God for sparing my life" he prayed in his mind.
He was so confused that he completely forgot that his change was still with the woman.
His thought channelled towards home once again, how could he explain to the uncle that he lost the priced wrist watch. Although everything that was taken from him was all his property, but the person who bought them for him could one day ask about them.
Those ones were not much problem at the moment for if he got to the bridge, he would definitely cross it.
The bigger problem now was how to get home. He needed at least, eight hundred naira, to be able to get to a point where he could even trek home. And he needed to get home early before those that had gone to the market start to return.
As he was battling with those thoughts, his eyes where not still taken off from the compound in expectation that the girl might still come outside.
Even if he lost everything, and achieve his mission of seeing Rose, no doubt, he would still be so much satisfied.
After standing for sometime, without any sign of the girl, he quickly came back to his senses. He knew that time wasting was detrimental to his situation as it stood.
There was no other option available than to ask people for assistance. He walked out to the road and stood by the road side as he noticed a woman approaching.
He greeted the woman as she came close to him and the woman responded so nicely as if she had known him before. The serene smile that accompanied the response, went a long way in diminishing the tension that had already built up inside him and he seized the opportunity to narrate his situation to the woman.
After paying attention to his story, the woman wasn't really moved to help as expected. "my son God will help you" she responded in a gentle manner as she continued on her way.
From the appearance of the woman, it was obvious that she was well to do, giving out eight hundred naira seemed not to be a problem to her, but the problem was that the news of some people falsely parading themselves as being stranded, with the motive of extorting money from innocent, hardworking citizens had been rampant. Some had established it as a means of making a living, instead of going out there to engage in a legitimate source of living. while others engage in it for evil motives.
It had become so endemic in the society such that the real stranded ones are hardly identified, thereby making it almost impossible for them to obtain help from intent givers, except those that were directed by God to help.
kalu was so demoralized by the way he was turned down by the woman. There was no more courage to meet someone else, the tears almost escaped as he stood by the side of the road, depraved of the next step to take.
A thought came to him that he should reveal his ordeal to the woman that owns the shop where he had bought the handkerchief, she might be familiar with those men, in that case she could plead on his behalf for them to return his money to him, if not the full amount, at least half of it, so that he could be able to go home . It sounded like a good idea to him and he made the move at once.
The woman felt for him after he had narrated what had befallen him to her, but it seemed like the story wasn't sympathetic enough to pull the string of her heart to the extent of lending a helping hand. She told him that she saw when those men were entering the compound but those faces where new to her, she hadn't seen them before around the vicinity, she was even scared of being robbed herself.
Tears continued to well up in kalu's eyes as time continued to tick. The fear had now shifted from getting home before the market people arrived to getting home at all.
If night should meet him there, where would he sleep? The day was fastly going down. It was very clear now that no one was willing to help. People would be willing to listen to your story, but no one would ever stretch out a finger to assist.
Another thought flashed in his mind and he decided to give it a trial before succumbing to the last option of hitting the road on foot, whatever time it might take him to get home, let it be, so long as he got home.
Whatever was in store for him at home, he would gladly face, once his life remained intact.
he walked to a restaurant that was by the far end of the street Now instead of pleading for arms, he pleaded for an opportunity to work for them so that they could give him the eight hundred he needed for his transport.
the owner of the restaurant, a woman, told him that there was no vacancy. As he could see her workers were busy attending to all the available works.
Kalu pleaded for any kind of work at all, even if it entails washing of her personal clothes, even though it was absurd in a restaurant.
"even though I assign a work to you, you have to work for a whole day for me to be able to pay you that eight hundred" the woman added in consideration. In order words the woman was simply trying to say that kalu had to be there until the restaurant closed at night.
kalu's head was raised in thought as he contemplated on the offer. It seemed that the offer was the best option for him. Trekking home, would surely expose him to more danger, for surely he would have to sleep outside, it was so certain that he couldn't get home on that same day, even the certainty of getting home the next day was not assured. But if he were to take up the offer, even if he would not be able to hit the road that night, depending on the time the restaurant closed, at least he would have somewhere to sleep, for he was certain that the woman would allow him to sleep in the restaurant. The only thing he would be worried about was the emotional stress that would abide with his uncle as a result of his absence, for certainly Abuchi would never know peace all through that night.
After weighing the various options, he willingly accepted the woman's offer.
As he was being led to the back of the restaurant, where he would be shown whatever work the woman had wanted to engage him with, a man who was seated in the restaurant, who was eating while kalu was pleading with the woman, but was overhearing their discussion, called him.
kalu informed the woman immediately that the man was calling him, and the woman gave him the permission to answer the man.
The man went straight to the point by asking him the amount he needed for his transportation back home. without hope of receiving anything from the man he reluctantly mentioned eight hundred thinking that the man might have just only advice to give or like every other person he had met who were just willing to listen to the story but unwilling to render help.
to his greatest surprise, the man dipped his hand in his pocket and drew out a bundle of money. He counted one thousand naira and gave to him.
Kalu almost exploded with joy as he received the money from the man. he didn't know how to express his gratitude. The man on his own part didn't wait for any expression of gratitude for he left immediately even before kalu could open his mouth to say thank you.
kalu immediately ran to the bus stop and boarded a bus back home.
before he could get home it was already dark, everybody was already home by then. Abuchi had first gone to his room to check on him, to know how he was feeling as he just got back from the market. When he couldn't find him in his room, he asked the other servants who had come home before him if they had seen him, but no one agreed to have seen him.
Abuchi believed that he would be around the neighborhood "maybe he had been at home all through the day and decided to stroll around this evening" he thought.
Abuchi was gradually getting into a panic mood, when Kalu finally returned. His mind was set back at ease at the sight of Kalu. For he was seated in the sitting room watching the news but he was not concentrating fully on the news for he was slightly worried about kalu's whereabout.
kalu lied that he went for a stroll, just as Abuchi's mind had earlier suggested. Abuchi considering that fact that kalu was just recuperating could only, admonish him about being conscious of time next time he went for a stroll.
He noticed that kalu was in his birthday outfit but he didn't want to go further in questioning him.
As kalu got to his room, he was so stressed out that he dumped himself on the bed without bothering to change his clothes.
He was filled with the bitter thought of what he went through that he didn't even care for food that night. He wished that Rose should visit him again that night, for him to be sure about whom he had seen.
Clara, was seated on the bed in her room, with a small mirror in her left hand, the fingers of her right hand was busy strolling on her face in assessment.
The distance look in her eyes was a clear evidence that he was trying to cope with the war raging in her mind between what she had promised her mother and the condition of Rose.
A knock came on the door. she carefully placed the mirror in her hand on the top of the television, to answer the door.
To her greatest surprise, it was Alex, the same guy that had been pestering her about marriage, that was standing at the door.
There was this urge to slam the door right at his face as she opened the door but the promise she had made to her mother quickly flashed in her mind, her lips then shapened into a wry smile.
She remembered the criteria she had set for the qualification of any man that wanted to win her heart.
Then she led the young man in, as her smile gradually turns into a welcoming one.
The young man was so surprised at the warm welcome he had received this time around.
The last time he was there, the frown on Clara's face was deep enough to trap any insect that perched on it.
"Maybe my effort of meeting the mother yielded the desired result" he thought to himself.
His heart was filled with Joy as he got seated on the bed comfortably.
He started chatting freely with her, with the false presumption that Clara had already accepted his proposal judging from the radiant welcome he was met with.
He started by inquiring how Clara was doing, and Clara was responding just fine.
There was a small takeaway bag in his hand. He placed the bag on the little stool by the side of the bed. "I bought this for you" he said with a subtle, satisfactory smile on his face. "what is it" Clara asked reluctantly, "check it out by yourself" he replied with a renowned confidence in his tone.
Clara wanted to know her stand with the young man, before she could be able to accept any gift from him, and now was the right time to do that.
She started by asking him, if he believed in magic. Alex being so sensible paused in thought before he was able to answer. judging from the look in Clara's eyes, he was able to discern that she would be satisfied with 'yes' as an answer, and he wasted no time dancing to her tone.
Clara, inwardly was delighted to know that he believed. Then she was relaxed in narrating Rose's story to him.
The guy gave all his attention to the story.
After Clara had finished he took a deep breath and paused for a while before he was able to give his opinion.
" I know that many things happens with magic but some one stealing someone else's body with magic..... well, I don't know" he sounded so innocent as he spoke, his eyes fixed on Clara to pick even the slightest change in her reaction.
From his facial expression Clara could read that he was filled with doubt about the whole story. " well it's okay, let's forget about that" she chuckled.
" right now am about going out maybe you should be on your way now, please" she pleaded. Alex could be able to observe the sudden change in her mood.
He was troubled inside but didn't know how to adjust, to return things to normal again. "it's okay, let me be on my way.... but when are you going to be back so that I could come back" he asked sounding more apologetic. "well I don't know when I will be back" Clara replied.
As Alex was about to go, she reminded him of the takeaway bag he had come with, "your bag please" she said. "is yours I bought it for you" Alex replied. " I don't think I need it for now..I haven't yet accepted your proposal, am still thinking about it" she emphasized. "it doesn't matter you can still keep is already for you" he persuaded.
Clara insisted that he went home with the gift, and he too insisted that Clara Should keep it. After much dragging, Clara got the upper hand and he left with the bag.