"Wait," Edegbe called back when she wanted to leave. How can a woman be that bold? "Why did you kiss me?"
She glanced at him questioningly. "I thought I just said so."
"You did?"
"Well, I got into the room, saw you and felt like kissing you."
Just like that? He watched her leave in surprise, was that even a response? But he had kissed her back, hadn't he? Well, she kissed him first. He touched his temples which was throbbing with a mild headache. God forsaken north! So two people would start fighting and another person would see it as an opportunity to kill people? Barbaric place! It hurt him to know that the child had died, that his chivalry had been rubbed on him, wearing a gunshot wound. Only if he had managed to get the child before he had been shot. How can Efe and Yasmin be so inhuman? Did they not know that the world would be a better place if people looked out for one another?
He touched his temple again, the headache threatening to spill into a migraine. He laid back on the bed and succumbed to sleep. He slept for hours, and when he woke up, Efe was sitting in the room, scrolling through his phone. The look on his face told he was bored.
"You look pale," Efe told him.
"Are you still upset?"
"For justifiable reasons, yes, but let's leave that for now. Should I call the doctor?"
"He asks too much question, 'Are you having a headache? Are you in pain? How severe is it? Do you want to shit?' "
Efe laughed.
"I don't even remember his name, Maika-something, like can't these people have pronounceable names?"
"You talk as if ours is any different."
He slowly rose and sat on the bed. "You told Yasmin about the incident?"
He shook his head. "I told Alhaji. If you've noticed, they seem close." Edegbe shrugged, like it did not affect him, or that he did not think about when he would see her coming out of his compound, or the times when they were together in an occasion. "And I do not know that kissing people is now the normal way of greeting," Efe continued, trying to stifle a smile.
"I don't know too, but—" But he kissed her back. "See? I told you she's trying to seduce me."
"And you? You're just letting her do it?"
"You saw what happened, she came here and kissed me, just like that."
Efe laughed. "I would not have allowed you dedicate so much time in making money if I knew it was going to affect you like this. You're not dense, at least, you know what she's trying to do, but you don't know what your stand in it is."
"I—what is Victor doing?" He was looking at the diaphanous glass to where Victor was trying to stop two uniformed men from entering.
"Those are the police, and I assure you, you won't like them."
"Tell Victor to let them in."
"Yes, Sir."
Edegbe scoffed. "So we're back to sir?"
The two men entered the room. "Good day, Sir. How do you feel?" The words were so forceful, Edegbe thought the man might spit on him.
"Alive," he answered. They showed him their cards and introduced themselves; Hafiz and Fuad. At least their names were pronounceable.
"We're here to ask some questions regarding the incident two weeks ago," Hafiz said. "We're sorry an unfortunate event like that happened, and learning that you're not from here, we hope you won't see us in a bad light?"
He'd already seen enough to know that what he felt was not prejudicial. And Edegbe had to admit that the man would've been very fluent in English if not for his phonological interference that made his words sound forceful.
"Please, we'll love your cooperation." They both glanced at Efe as if to tell him he had not been cooperative. "If you don't mind, tell us what happened at the fair."
He recounted the events to them.
"So you did not hear the gunshot until you were shot?" Hafiz asked, Fuad was taking notes.
"Sounds unbelievable, right? I had wanted to save the girl on an adrenaline impulse, I did not even know I was shot. I felt the pain on my side, heard the shooting, and then passed out."
Hafiz paused for a while, weighing his next statement. "Had it crossed your mind that, maybe, this could have been done by someone you have offended?"
It was Edegbe's turn to pause. "Excuse me?"
Hafiz leaned forward. "Two people died from the shooting, three were injured. The child? Hers was a coincidental unfortunate incident. Now, we looked into each victims and you're one of the people who stands out. First, you're not from here, not even from the neighbouring state, you're far southern. Second, you, a foreigner, have gotten into verbal arguments with natives of this community, both people of upper and middle class. There's Mr Bilal and Mr Tanko, and in both cases, they've been witness to your speaking blasphemously against the Islamic religion. You've also been openly verbal about your distaste for the northern state and how hypocritical you think of their religion. And in case you're not aware, Mr Bilal's daughter took her life."
Edegbe did not take time to think. "So, somebody may holds a grudge against me, and this person who knows me and maybe knows where I live, decides that the best place to get back at me is in a crowd of celebrating people?"
"Where his identity can be easily camouflaged," Hafiz added.
He scoffed. "And you think a rich man like Mr Bilal, or whatever his stupid name is—"
"Edegbe," Efe warned.
"—would resolve to such methods?"
"It's unlikely that is what happened, but we're putting everything into consideration," Fuad answered. "And it would be best if you refrain from using such insulting words towards anybody."
"You're sick in the head. Do you know how old that child was? Barely fifteen and her father sends her to men who rape her in turn of connection and money. And let's leave religion out of it, don't you have child laws in this state? Now the girl is dead.
The other day, I passed by a marriage ceremony between a nine year old and a grandfather, and people gathered to watch, and cheer, and these set of people disrupt the traffic with their prayer every Fridays. Don't you see that? What do you do about it? Maybe your religion does not allow you to defile young children, but your culture allows it, and so there's now a distinction between religion and culture even on morally standard ground.
Herdsmen brought their cow and grazed on my farmland the other day, and as I heard, they do this every time, don't you see that? Now, I should be apologetic to a man just because I said if his dedication to the god he serves is only evident when he prays, then both he and his god should be dead to each other? You're just sick."
"Officers, please come back another time, he's under medication," Efe intervened
Still, Edegbe was saying, "You're all sick, you better not come back here to ask me any stupid question. I applaud that you're very thorough in your investigation, but use that thoroughness in finding the culprit."
"He's still under medication, these things has a way to affect the brain and utter speech. Excuse us." Efe led them, lightly pushing them, to the door until they were gone. "That is two more to the people who might have you in their black list," Efe said after a moment of controlled silence. "It's very much possible that their suspicion is correct. Did you know about the girl's death?"
"Yasmin told me. You also think I'm to blame?"
"What I think is that we should go back home after you're discharged from the hospital."
Edegbe looked at him disbelievingly. "Efe came here for a reason."
"A reason that is plain madness, you and I know that your plan is not going to work."
"At least, one year," he compromised. "Let's stay for a year, and if it doesn't work , we'll go back."
"See, I have no problem with staying here, my problem is you, you keep causing trouble."
"I already stopped attending the parties."
"Those parties are not the problem, you don't know how to react to situations that concerns your emotions, whether it's in the market or a party. It was okay when you did it in Benin, but you're in another man's land.
"I know, but these things annoy me."
"It annoys me too." Then he added in a low whisper, "But I don't act senseless."
…
Abubakar returned home to meet Soliat waiting in his living room. What more could a man ask for than a day out with his sister, and going back home to where his woman waited for him? She threw her arms around him in a hug, the gesture simply platonic on her side. But Abubakar did not see anything platonic in the way her breast rubbed against his chest, or the way his arms fit perfectly around her waist. She smelled of innocence, one he was waiting patiently to taint.
"You took so long, I should have followed you to the hospital."
"You were so shy of running into Mr Edegbe's friend. He would have noticed you though, he was too busy worrying about the man."
"How is Mr Edegbe?"
"Oh, you won't believe that Yasmin kissed him."
"What?!" She shrieked excitedly. "She did?"
"We just had to excuse and leave the room for them." He was smiling. He had wanted to but decided against asking her about it. It was the first time she did something not out of necessity, but because she wanted to, he wanted her to bask in the thrill of it as much as he did.
"Did you go to see your father?"
"Why would I?"
"You love him, stop making yourself think otherwise."
"I know, but let's leave that. Let's talk about you, why don't you ever leave this house?"
"I do." He caressed her cheek playfully.
"I don't mean going to parties, I mean going to meet women."
He laughed. "Why would I go to another when my wife is around?"
"You always say I'm your wife, but what kind of husband doesn't kiss his wife? Even Sister Yasmin kissed somebody that is not your husband."
"That's because when I kiss you, Solia, it won't just be on your lips, it'll be here." He touched her cheek. "And her." Her neck. "And here." Her cleavage. "And everywhere else my mouth can find on you." She threw her head back and giggled. But he placed a finger to hush her laughter. "Oh my dearest Solia, that was not a joke."