™
HUNTED
An Mma Moses mindset
7
I and Basey decided that we won't tell anty Enor his aunt, the story of what happened. We agreed to tell her that we were renovating our house in Uyo and wanted to rest in a quiet place. We even got Ini to agree not to change the story.
We set out and for the first time in 16years, my butt sat uncomfortably in a public transport. Ini was shifting from end to end. She too has never sat in a public transport all her life. And for Basey, I am sure it's been more than 25years he entered a taxi, but he's a man and he managed just fine because the way he behaved and kept a happy face, you can never guess right who he was.
Ini complained bitterly and Basey begged her to manage and stop complaining before we raised a browl.
I couldn't take it. Thinking deeply of how we were gradually sliding into the mud with so much uncertainties, I wept. Basey understood my unspoken words and rubbed my shoulder gently.
Soon, we were on bikes going to anty Eno's place. When we alighted, I saw anty Eno. I recognized her, she has not changed much. I have seen her just thrice because I and Basey lived our life away from family and it's troubles.
Anty Eno, to me wasn't quite a nice person. She's my acting mother in-law but I never gave her the chance to be. Because, she was hash and very critic.
She approached us immediately she saw us. Basey winked at me. I understood he just asked me to be nice. Do I even have a choice?
She led us in happily. She lived in her late husband's house in his village. It was a 3 bedroom bungalow. The house looked dirty and older than its age. There were so many writings and marking all over the ash colour painted house. I understand this is village, but anty Eno didn't strike me like a dirty person. And yes, she wasn't. The interior of the entire house sparkled and smelt nice. I guess she cared less about the outlook of the house.
She gushed over Ini and complained that Basey was very lean.
"Basey, I thought you said you guys were coming to stay for a while. Where are your things?"
That question startled both of us. We were taken unaware. How come we didn't plan on all these? I was still thinking of an answer when Ini spoke.
"ehhmmm... Ehhmmm... Big mummy, actually my parents didn't want to border you with the bad news" Ini quipped
"what bad news?" anty Eno asked readjusting from her sit and activating her hearing sense.
My heart skipped, Basey almost fainted. We thought Ini was going to tell anty Eno what happened to us. We cut eye for Ini but she threw her face in a different direction.
She cleared her throat and spoke.
"we were robbed on our way here. They took away our car and all the things we had packed. Even the many gifts my parents bought for you"
Anty Eno felt so sorry as she ran to Ini to console her. She scolded I and Basey for trying to hide such and commended Ini for being a strong sincere young lady.
I looked at Basey whose jaw was almost breaking away from other members of his face. He was dead shock like a person who is star struck.
God, so I have successfully raised a mini me. A smart and smooth liar, hiding under a fine innocent face. I wanted Ini to be nothing like me, but looks like I didn't pay so much attention to that decision. I will think about my failure as a mother later and how to savage it. But for now, I am somewhat grateful that Ini's smart lie saved us.
Anty Ini had so many questions to ask. From why Ini wasn't and couldn't go to school to why I locked my shop, to why Basey won't be going to work to why we looked stressed out and sick.
Each of these questions were answered by different lies and another lie to defend the previous lie and another to cover the other. Sometimes we contradicted each other. But Ini's lies were very brilliant and outstanding. I and Basey has a lot to learn from this young lady oo.
"Ini. Where, when and how did you learn how to lie brilliant lie like this smoothly without even flinching" I asked while Basey nodded.
"let's just say, that I have lived with two PhD holders in this game for far too long not to learn. If I didn't know how to lie smoothly by now, I should be flogged and punished. Does an apple fall far from the tree??
What?
It was the boldness and the construction of that sentence for me. Basey almost peed on his shorts in shock. I know very well that I changed since I married my husband. Except for little white lies, here and there. I have never told a very major lie in presence of this girl before. So what exactly is this young woman talking about.
"when did you see us lie like this?"
"I don't need to see you lie a big lie to learn mom. All those time you lied on phone that you were in the shop while you were home, or lied that you've gone to Dubai while you were going to Lagos. Or the time daddy would swear that he was using the best materials to build a house while he knew he was actually using the very worst. Or those times mummy you will tell me to tell dad that you've been sick since morning whereas you went out with those click he warned you about. So many to count. I standardized the lies and Added ancient and modern together to get the outstanding result you are all in awe of today. Don't be ungrateful dear mama and Papa at least these my resourceful lies have been saving us since we arrived here"
She walked away. We were too shocked to ask her anything. We just stared at each other in disbelief. We didn't speak about that topic again.
9 days in anty Eno's house she changed ooo. She turned me to a cook, me that have forgotten how to switch on gas or stove. From that to a cleaner, that was the hardest. Anty Eno made me clean the house to the extent that what was remaining was for her to ask me to wash the wall. Upon that, she will nag of how lazy and uncultured I was.
Basey kept begging me to endure and in so many occasions he will help me do these chores.
Enem that doesn't have patience to tolerate shit became a vegetable in the hands of anty Eno.
By the end of 2weeks anty Eno had gotten worse.
If I cook she will complain that it's too salty, too spicy or too tasteless. It must be too something.
If I washed... Ahhh I didn't squeeze it well or scrub it well or even rinse it well. She will end the talk with calling me a bus stop wife... Basey would always beg me to bear. The only person that seem to enjoy her stay there was Ini. Anty Eno pampered her and she quickly made few friends that she hung out with.
One day I and Basey were discussing of how grateful we should be that we finally escaped our ordeal. Whatever I was seeing in anty Eno's house was nothing compared to all that horror and living in fear. That was when I remembered that I dumped people in the police cell. I quickly called the officer and asked him what happened to Rita and Mr. Francis.
The officer told me that they were in custody for 6days, under intensive torture. Yet there was no single confession from them. So since they couldn't reach me, they let them go because it was illegal to keep them in custody when they were only acting on my accusations which the law considers malicious. He said their station could be queried if such act comes out. So they had no choice than to grant them bail.
Hmmm... "I wish they die", I cursed.
One month later and everything was moving on fine. I and Basey started planning of how to get back to our lives. Aside from anty Eno wey put eye for my body and marriage we were happy.
"ahhh... Who would just drop a later by the door step and leave. Una wey be oyibo oyibo people make una come check weather na for una ooo" anty Eno said coming to our bedroom with that signature brown envelop.
When I saw that
envelope, I sank back into the bed and wished I could disappear. Basey was shaking beneath the duvet. But he managed to smile and lied that he had mistakenly dropped the envelop at the door last night.
When anty Eno left, we opened the later and it read.
'SLEEPY SLEEPY, WAKKY WAKKY! YOUR NAP TIME IS OVER... YOU'RE THROUGH WITH YOUR UNDESERVED HONEYMOON. ITS TIME TO GET ME SOME INI, AND WHAT'S THAT NEW WOMAN'S NAME?... ENO. GO AND CHECK YOUR DOOR. DEATH IS KNOCKING'
Omo if you see the speed wey I take run to Ini's room to check on her ehhhn. My girl was sleeping so sweetly. I exhaled in relief. Anty Eno got suspicious and asked me. I lied that that was my own pattern of early morning exercise. Though she didn't believe me, but I don't care.
Throughout that day we were uncomfortable and calm. Omo how did they find us in this village... We told no single soul where we were going even our phones were occasionally on. It was as if we cut ties with the real world and yet they found us? And now we have unintentionally dragged an innocent troublesome Eno into our mess. We even began to contemplate if this was a spiritual monitoring spirit dealing gruesomely with us. But we quickly dismissed the thought. For if we think it's spiritual we will be too reluctant to find it. We told Ini and told her to stay indoors. She obeyed but anty Eno's suspicions grew and she became unbearably inquisitive.
The next day we prayed fervently and went to sleep. Only to wake up to the villagers noise outside our house. We all rushed out to see why. Part of our ash color painted wall had been replaced with red. Each meter written 'DANGER' 'DEATH ZONE'
what amazed all of us was that no one saw when the person or spirit painted almost half of the entire wall. It looked like something done in the early hours of the morning. But, how could anyone not have seen them because by my calculations this could take from 2 to 4hours.
The whole village shook that day. We were the hottest topic on everyone's lips. Anty Eno fell sick and was weeping like a kid. She was asking so many unanswerable questions and at the same time feverish.
After tending to anty Eno. I and my husband went to sit at our usual spot under the tree across our house. Many villagers pointed at us, many came to ask us silly questions. We too have made couple of friends that we weren't able to harness their full friendship potentials just because we were trying to be precise about our dealings so as to hide our secret and prevent it from surfacing which clearly failed. Those friends came to show concern and encourage us.
One of them were Mr. Dele. A Yoruba man that was injured and came to take local treatment from that village from a medicine man and he stayed with his in-law 3 compounds away.
We had become close because he and his wife who was Akwaibom too occasionally sit out with us. They've tried to be friends with us just like many other villagers. But we avoided them like plague but maintained a good pleasantry exchanging relationship.
Mr Dele came to us that day and spoke sense into us. He spoke very maturely and guessed we were running from something. Our eyes flew open in surprise. He told us that rumors had been going on and he put one and two together to know we were running. He told us that if we needed to run from someone hunting us in Akwaibom, we needed to leave the entire Akwaibom for the safety of our lives. We needed to run very far away where we won't worry about people finding out where or who we are for at least 2years before smelling uyo again.
That sounded nice.
"but where is such place" I asked, frustrated and ready to hop on any offer just to escape death and not lead anty Eno into deep shit.
"Lagos!"
"Heyyyy?" I and my husband exclaimed.
"when I had this accident (pointing to his swollen and dismembered left leg) it was a total stranger that helped me. I would have been a dead man today... Ask my in-law. But God used that stranger to save me. I'm only advising you to try Lagos. It's a safe haven for so many people like you" he said.
"this is the best suggestion ever. But going to Lagos requires putting alot into place and consideration. I have no trusted friend or family in Lagos" Basey said.
"well, I will soon be done with my treatment here. If you want, you can come with me then. I have a house in one ghetto like that. You can hide there for 10years if you want. I can just allow you people stay there till you figure things out" he said smiling. I could perceive his pure soul. He was willing to help
"oh, thank you sir"
I and my husband took turns in thanking him. Even though we haven't discussed the offer, talk more of accepting it.
"think about it and give me feed back so I can discus with my wife and call them to clear the room"
We thanked him. His wife came and took him for his treatment. I pitied him as he limped with his clutches.
I and my husband was petrified and didn't discuss about Lagos. We just kept wondering how on earth they found us and what next to do.
That night we said our good nights. Double checked all windows and doors to make sure they were securely locked.
I and my husband discussed all night and only fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.
By 8:06am I woke up. My husband was snoring softly beside me. I decided not to wake him. I came out, the whole house seemed deserted. My brain quickly recollected what was on ground and I ran into Ini's room to check her. She was pressing her phone and greeted me when she saw me.
I came out to do my chores. After sweeping, I went to check on anty Eno to know how she was doing. Her bed was made as though she never laid on it. I smiled. That is anty Eno for you. She must have gone out.
My husband joined me in the kitchen as I was preparing breakfast. We chatted and he asked about anty Eno. I told him she had gone out.
"ah ah... To where nah. Shebby she was sick and couldn't stand yesterday and now she couldn't wait for the day to properly break before running out like a hungry wolf"
"you know your aunt nahhh. I'm glad she's even out. Her wahala is too much"
We laughed.
We ate breakfast by 10. yet, no sign of anty Eno.
It was Ini who raised an alarm in the toilet. We rushed to her and she handed us a later... In that signature envelop. My entire body shook. My husband couldn't bring himself to take the envelop from Ini. Three of us just stood there shifting gaze and shaking in fear.
Ini summoned courage and read.
'HAVEN'T STARTED LOOKING FOR HER YET? LET ME SAVE YOU THE STRESS, GO TO NSIT UBIUM ROAD AND CARRY HER'
We looked at each other... And shouted "anty Eno!!!"
We didn't know where the mentioned address was so we went out and started calling out our neighbors who told us that Nsit Ubium was a bit far from there.
They gathered the youths to go and scout for her.
Two hours later. They youths returned with her. She was alive but without one arm and one ear.
Jesus! Since I was born and now I am getting old, I have never seen a man weep the way my husband wept. Neither have I seen a woman wish to die the way I wished nor have I seen fear, so embedded in people of an entire village the way the villagers shook their heads in fear and their eyes full of questions searched our cold faces.
The village stood still. Questions began to fly. Our cover was half way blown and we knew the consequences. Anty Eno kept shouting that we wanted to kill her and that's why we came.
The elders of the village summoned us. But my husband begged that they give us at least 3hours to get anty Eno successfully admitted into a good hospital as she has almost bled to death. They agreed.
I dragged my husband inside.
"Ima mi... What are we doing to do? You know very well that once we answer that council of elders call, we are finished. Even if we feign ignorance, how are we going to explain how we gave them the exact address of where to find anty Eno?" I was covered with tears and sweat. My husband seeing that I was going to slump held me close and whispered.
"we will run"
I made to shout but he hushed me and planted a kiss on my lips.
"follow my lead. Trust me. I'm gonna get us out of this mess"
We hugged and I changed into a tight trouser, to face the day. I also made Ini change into a bum short. So we can be smart for whatever the day holds for us.
We chattered keke to take anty Eno to the hospital. Before we left, I saw my husband talking to Mr. Dele.
When my husband entered the keke, he asked me and Ini to join him in.
One of the youths asked why all of us where going and my husband told him that Ini said she couldn't stay without her big mummy and that he can't leave his wife behind because the doctor might need one person to come and get somethings. Ini immediately feigned cry to convince them she couldn't stay without her big mummy. Did I marry Ramsey Noah and gave birth to Genevieve Nnaji?
We went to a far away hospital. I was asking Basey why we were passing all those hospitals but he signaled me to keep quiet.
When we successfully admitted anty Eno into a very good hospital and they began treatment we stayed by her till 4pm. My husband made so many calls and later the resident doctor brought in a nurse for him. My husband opted to pay the nurse 100k for one month care. He wrote anty Eno's address and our phone numbers. He spoke at length with both the doctor and the nurse and paid all bills and also gave the doctor an extra 50k and titled the money "for your kindness"
We left the hospital, I still have not understood what my husband was doing. We crossed the road and I saw us in Lagos pack. It was AKTC Lagos pack.
That was when my eyes opened.
"oga wetting be this. What are we doing here?"
"taking night bus to Lagos. I have spoken to Mr. Dele and he has promised to help us out. All questions will be answered when we are safely in Lagos and must have rested well for today's stress"
"when we're you planning on telling me? "
"now and I just did"
"no Basey. I will not Go nowhere. I am not some property that you keep pushing around. I am a human being, your wife and I have my choices too" I yelled.
"I thought you said you trust me. These words are not coming from a place of trust, but doubts. Besides, what will you have me do? Am I not trying? What do you want Enem, that we remained in Ikot Abasi and be killed or endanger our lives the more? Since this is how we see our lives are we not gonna give survival a shot? My husband yelled back, busting into cry. His tears touched me. For a man to weep in public is not a child's play and doesn't happen often. I know what a strong man I married. If every man cried, Basey was sure the last to shade a tear. So the fact that he's broken to the extent that he wept now in public for free, broke me. I threw my face away, forming jagaban. He went to Ini and held her...
"mama, daddy is so sorry that you're going through this. You may not understand why I have to make many irrational decisions now, but I'm sure one day you will. Whatever happens, daddy loves you so much"
"I love you too dad. And I understand everything. Daddy I am no longer a kid. In few months time I will be turning 17. If mummy has chosen to play my age in this situation then let's move, you can't be explaining to her something she suppose to understand even before you do it everytime"
She hugged her father and I stood there perplexed. Are you kidding me right now? Ini just spoke about me in that manner?
They left me there and went to pay for tickets.
My people that's how we flee Uyo to Lagos on a night bus like ordinary criminals. Yet, we don't know who is hunting us or why... All I know is, it seems the whole world conspired to hunt us down. It is us against the entire world.
Sigh
Dear reader. It's a sin to read this long epistle and not find a reaction to give to the story. Your likes, comments and shares are your own encouragement to the writer. Don't be wicked.