This car was nothing like any vehicle Jacob had driven before. He had grown accustomed to the artsy Nairobi matatus with eccentric calligraphy and loud music. On the playlist was old school RnB music. Songs released in the early 2000s. Songs that spurred a nostalgic aura in Jacob. He remembered these songs from when he was growing up. From when what was in his bank account didn't matter. From when he had no bills to pay, from when all he had to worry about was whether the sun shone without rain so that they could play with the neighbors.
Cruising through the stretch in the darkness to Westlands his mind was on Margaret. This damsel that was not at all in distress. He couldn't imagine just how completely she had denied him a chance to rough her up emotionally by him taking her car. He wished that this situation was under a different light. A lighter one. Where emotions were not tangled up in a loathsome lore. These passions were reeking havoc inside of him. He wanted to be acknowledged by this woman, to be respected.
Margaret...
He was startled by the siren and lights from a police patrol vehicle. They seemed to be hot on his heels. His heart skipped a beat knowing very well he had no license and registration. What were the odds of him getting flagged down by the police anyway? It was just a thirty minute drive to park the car at his colleagues'. He hated the police with a passion. Not because he was a criminal but in essence, he thought the police were criminals in uniform, a sort of sublimation. He thought that in another life, the police were just criminals and I this life, the uniform was just a front. Pulling over to the side of the road ,the SUV was already by the Bentley. Blue and red lights permeated the thick blackness of the light as the siren wails came to a stop. Two police officers walked out from either doors with flashlights pointing the driver's doors.
'KUBAF! ULIDHANI HATUTAKUPATA!?' The police officer in blue had already opened the driver's door and slapped Jacob senselessly, sprawling him to the ground. In this part of the world, human rights were still vague and not really adhered too. The law was antifragile and whoever had the most money could bend it to his or her will.
'We have him inspector', he spoke into the radio, 'over... And the car seems to be in good shape....' The officer finished cuffing him and sitting him down on the wet ground. His blood shot eyes were mean. Almost mocking Jacob for the number of years he was going to spend in prison. This officer seemed to enjoy damning people to the pits of hell; the most rotten prisons you could think of. He lived for such moments. He loved to see people suffer, especially when they had even an ounce of hope, he loved to break peoples spirits, as if it rejuvenated his soul in some sort of demonic ecstasy.
Judging from the conversation amidst the panic of getting arrested, Jacob knew Margaret had reported a stolen vehicle to the police; hers. The thought of this infuriated him to the core, he wanted to get his revenge. He wanted to serve it to Margaret as cold as it could get. Frustration crippled his reasoning abilities and all he could think about was how his life was about to be flashes down the drain.
***
'Margaret!...',she answered her phone with a glass of Maasai Rift Valley Wine; vintage red. She was getting ready for bed after a good meal. Food was her art. Her-go-to-when-you-are-down-zone. The wine and gently yellow lit ambience helped sooth her mood. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was kick back and relax, to get lost in her thoughts.
'It's inspector Gordon ma'am, we managed to retrieve your vehicle, it was with a suspect named Jacob, his profile seems to match the descriptions you gave on the statement earlier on today.' The inspector bellowed over the phone in a submissive tone, as if he had been paid handsomely for the job.
'I appreciate your efforts inspector! When will I be able to repossess it?' This news had now turned the tables in her favor because she had sworn to never bend to the will of a man. She was determined to teach Jacob a lesson.
'Anytime ma'am... Even now!' answered the voice lightheartedly, seemingly courting this unattainable fantasy.
'I'd like to bail the kid you've just arrested, am sending a driver to pick him up at the station, make sure he makes it here safe... I will M-Pesa you the money... ' her tone grew harsh and commanding.