It was another beautiful day in the village of Okippa. The sun had come up, the birds were chirping, the people of the village had already gotten up to commence their various activities for the day. The noise of their movements was what gave noise to the entire village, at the various corners you could find people, save for those who were keen on starting their day with very loud music from their shops or homes. Everything was in order, though the weather was cold, as cold as the look on King's face as Joe sat before him with a small smile plastered on his face. Standing behind King to his right was his most trusted man, T and standing in the same vein behind Joe was also his right hand man, Scorpion.
"King, your boys been beat my boys yesterday. Wetin dey sup na?" Joe asked. King smirked as he was looking at him, before he answered.
"my boys no be dogs, wetin your boys do?" King asked.
"nothing o, nothing. I no go fit come here if something sup na, I sabi the rules. Na wetin con make me dey wonder say why your boys come touch my boys, because everybody sabi the rules" Joe replied. King stared at him for a while before he speaks.
"T?" King called.
"boss" T answered.
"una touch him boys?" King asked.
"yes boss, we…" T was answering but got cut short by Joe.
"see. I told you. All these things are not right King and you know that we have been through a lot together for us to be going down this road, and all this…" Joe was saying then King cut him short.
"wetin you want?" King asked and Joe gives him a knowing look, suggesting that King already knew what he wanted. "I go send you compensation. Anything else?" King asked.
"that will be all for now. Enjoy your day" Joe said then paused shortly before he completed his sentence. "King". He smiled as he stood up and left with Scorpion following behind him.
"nigbati o ba de owo, ohun orin rẹ yoo yipada. Were aṣiwere" (when it comes to money, his English will change. His speech will be longer and more foolish. Idiot. Crazy fool). T said, his distaste for Joe, evident in his tone. This caused King to chuckle.
"man made money, money made mama Mary marry mad man" King said.
"and na the mad man wey born that good for nothing" T said, his anger still evident. King smiled and said,
"evidence that money is the root of all evil".
"why you give am money?" T questioned.
"why you no tell me wetin sup yesterday. If you been tell me before hand, I for address the whole matter" King said he got up from his chair and was leaving the room, with T following him behind.
"you been dey sleep. And also, the case na serious matter. Them be hold one girl for bush" T said which caused King to immediately stop in his tracks. He turns back to look at T.
"why are you just telling me this?" King asked.
"no vex, but the matter get as e be. Nah Joe's boys we catch, but no be only Joe's boys wey dey there. When we reach there, the boys wey won do am run go, leave two of Joe's boys. Nah the girl tell us say, Joe's boys dey help the boys who won rape her, catch her. But we no say, if we no dey there, them for also join body" T said. King looked away from him and started into space.
"you sabi the babe?" King asked.
"yes" T replied.
"gather package go give her" King said. "Then get me those boys" King added.
"boss" T replied. Then King left the room, with T still following him behind.
* * * *
An equal feeling to the mood in the room was the scorching hot sun outside as King and T are stood in King's torture chambers, waiting. D and J come into view as they drag in the two of Joe's boys that they had beaten up the other day at the bush. D and J push them roughly into the room. The two men enter the room staggering and try to gain balance. Once they gained balance, they stood looking around the room and the occupants, this leads D to slap both of them.
"una dey mad? Na your papa house be this? Why you con dey look the place?" D says to them causing them to shiver a little.
"King dey standa, una sef too join, dey standa. Your father! Make una fall for ground before I forget my hand for una face" J says and the two men fall on the ground instantly but they are murmuring. T steps forward and kicks both of them on their sides. He does it repeatedly till King, who had been looking at the two boys in silence stops him.
"oriki ile-iwe nọsìrì ti o sọ àwọn òbí máa ń gbọ́ ti àwọn ọmọ rẹ. dide"(there is a nursery school rhyme that says, parents listen to your children. Get up) King says to them and they get up and take a kneeling position.
"sọrọ soke (speak out). What is your offence? Just guess?" King asks and as they are about speaking, he cuts them short by speaking. "bear in mind that for every wrong answer you get two slaps… times two, as the questions progress. So just think about it well. Wetin be your offence?" King asked.
The both men look at each other in fear. They both gulp before the first man speaks.
"we… we… wetin we do sef?" the first man asks the second.
"na you I suppose ask na! me sef I don't know" the seconds man replies. T flares up and looks at both of them.
"see this children o, una dey mad?" T says angrily, his voice causing the two men to tremble.
"no sir. You say, you go school, talk na" the second man says to the first. King looks at both of them and scoffs. He waits for some seconds before he slaps the first man hard on his face, twice. The action makes both men shout. The first man who was slapped involuntarily finds his hand on his checks and the second man begins to shift backwards. King remains in his position, not bothering to chase him, he knew that it would be a waste of his time, and he already had his boys to help him put the man in line. Before the second man could take more steps backward, he found himself moving forward as D and J dragged him back to his previous position, which was before King. King looks at him dead in the eyes then asks,
"you sabi me?". The man nods his head in a yes, saying he knew who King was, but King gives him four hard slaps on his face, and the man shouts. And shortly after, the first man shouts too, for the pain of the other.
"but, boss I know you na. I sabi who you be?" the second man said to King, completely confused as to why King had slapped him even when he said he knew him. King chuckles before he responds.
"if you know who I am, you will know that I don't take rubbish. Na me you won use catch cruise. Dey play cat and mouse, Q and A special" King said as his anger began to rise quickly.
"ṣe o ya were. Emi yoo yọ ori rẹ kuro ṣaaju ki o to simi ẹmi ikẹhin rẹ(are you mad. I will remove your head before you even breath your last breath)" King said.
"that slap was just a teaser, o kan lati ṣeto ohun ni ibere (just to set things in order). Now let me ask you some questions. Did you or did you not attempt to rape a girl in the bush, yesterday?" king asked, his anger very evident in his eyes. Given the look in his eyes, one could say that any wrong move from the two men could be their last.
"no" the first man answered.
"yes" the second man answered at the same time as the first. Hearing the answer of the first man, the second turns and looks at him, and this seemed to offend King more.
"see I no like as una answer no dey correlate. Make una answer marry, become one. Because as you see me so, body dey do me to kill pesin" King says to them. The both men look at each other and are mouthing words to each other. When they are done, they turn to King and the second man, speaks on their behalf.
"sir, it's like this. We were just escorting, escorting, the people that wanted to rape the girl. Just follow-follow" he said.
"follow-follow?" King asked.
"ehn" the second man responded in fear.
"you nko?" King asked the first man.
"me too. We are together. One. Sir" the first man replied nervously.
"wo awon omugo agba wonyi. ti lọ ni ayika lepa odomobirin, dipo ti atunse rẹ bajẹ aye(look at these old fools. Going around chasing girls, instead of repairing your damaged lives). Didn't your mother teach you to respect women?" King asked and they nod their heads. King looks at them.
"you con talk say na for my area you won do am, laisi iberu. wo awọn ọmọde. ko si ibowo(without fear. See children. No respect). It's your audacity for me" King says to them and they start begging.
"no vex boss" they say.
"your punishment is simple. Una go receive beating for the thing una almost do, then collect on behalf of your friends wey run. That's after you have slapped each other 10 times, which should go round for you and your friends too. Then when you get back, tell Joe to send back my compensation" King said to them then took a short pause before he continued to speak.
"enjoy your day boys" King says to his boys then walks out of the room, leaving the two men with them, and they kept on pleading. But their voices, never exceeded the room.