I got up and ran to Mrs. Sunday. I couldn't believe my luck. Just moments ago, I had thought I was living my last seconds on earth, but here I was alive and well. I hugged her tightly because I couldn't contain my excitement.
"Thank you so much, Mam. God will bless you abundantly." I spoke.
"It's Delia for you, Mr. Ben Samuel." She smiled.
"Delia? Is that your name?"
"Yes, let us get out of here."
She held my hand, and we started walking out of the place. As we walked, I asked more questions.
"So, tell me Delia, how did you know I was going to be here?" I asked.
"I followed you guys." She replied.
"How did you know?"
"The same way that they came to know that you and I were going to elope. I have my ears on the ground. I learnt of their plan and came to warn you, but it was too late. As I was approaching your cell, I saw them taking you away. So, I waited until they were out of the compound before trailing them. You know the rest."
"And you came just in time, too. A second more, and I would have been gone forever. Thank you so much, Delia."
"Don't sweat it, Ben. I did it out of necessity. I did it because you mean a lot to me."
"But you have only just met me. How can you be so much in love with me that you will make all these sacrifices for me?"
"Who said I am in love with you? I care about you, that is all. You can not understand. However, all I can say is that a wise woman knows when she meets a good man. You seem to me like a good man unless you are trying to tell me that I am wrong."
"No, I didn't say that. But you mean you don't love me??" I was puzzled.
"A woman doesn't need to love. Even the bible doesn't require women to love. It says women should be submissive to their husbands, not love them. Men translate submissiveness to love. So, all a woman needs to do is find a capable and strong man and submit to him. That is what I am doing. You are a strong and courageous man. So, you are my kind of man." She explained.
"I see, Delia. You are one very weird woman. How did you come to know Mr. Sunday?" I asked.
"A fortuitus turn of events brought Mr. Sunday and I together. Every cocoa season, this rich man from the village invite girls from the cities to spend time with them. You know the kind of girls I am talking about. I had only just moved to the city with my aunt when she introduced me to the skin trade. Before I knew it, I had been sent to this village to meet Mr. Sunday. When I got here, he fell in love with me because of my beauty and also because I was still new to the trade. So, he proposed to me."
"And you accepted?"
"Yes, I did, not because of his looks. He is not my type of man, but there is something he has in plenty; money."
"So, what is our plan?" I asked.
"We will go back to the mansion. I have stashed away a good amount of money. I am talking about millions. I also have some in the bank. I want us to run away. We need to go far from here. After a while, we can arrange our documents and leave the country."
"Must we go out of the country? Can't we stay here?"
"You don't know who Mr. Sunday, my husband is. He will smoke us out from wherever we go as long as it is within this country. So, we need to leave."
"How did you get the gun you used to take care of Nixon and Val?"
"It belongs to my husband."
"Wow!"
We had reached the mansion now. She asked me to wait at the gate while she went in to get her bags. She promised not to take longer than two minutes, but it had been more than ten minutes, and she still had not returned. So, I decided to go into the house to find out. After all, Mr. Sunday was not at home. As soon as I opened the door of the living room, I recoiled back in horror.
Standing in the middle of the living room was Mr. Sunday and the maid who had been serving me food in his absence. Mr. Sunday had a gun in his hand, and he was pointing it at his wife.
"Welcome, Mr. Ben Samuel." Mr. Sunday spoke. "We have been waiting for you."
"Sir, please, it's not what you are thinking." I babbled.
"Of course, it's not. What are you doing in my house this late at night?"
"Sir, I had some accounts to settle. That is why I decided to work overtime." I lied.
"Of course, you had some accounts to settle with my beautiful wife. Didn't your parents teach you to stay from other people's wives? Do you have the guts to drag my wife with me?" He was furious now.
"Sir, please, I haven't done anything with her."
"I believe you. But you were going to do something with her as soon as you guys ran away from here, with my money, of course."
"What?!" I was shocked.
"Yes, I know how surprised you are about my knowledge of all your plans. My maid here told me everything. She is my spy in this house. You see, Mr. Ben. Your memory seems to be as wet as a warthog's backside. If you had a good memory, you would have remembered when I told you that I had one of the most sophisticated underground connections. Well, what you have done deserves the highest penalty because, to me, it is the ultimate sin. But I will not take away your life. I will hand you over to the police."
"Sir, the police? Sir, please, don't hand me over to the police." I begged.
"Shut up!" He growled.
"Sir, I am begging you. If you let me go, I will never come here again. I will disappear from this place. Please!!"
"I said, shut up!!!"
He removed his phone from his pocket and called the police. Within an hour, three policemen walked into the living room, and I recognized one of them immediately. It was the policeman I had rough-handled. I hoped and prayed that he shouldn't recognize me, but I was wasting my time. He looked at me and laughed loud and provocatively.
"Guess who we have here. Mr. Ben Samuel Agbor Besong. How has the fighting with policemen business been going? Pretty bad, I guess. You seem to have a knack for running into trouble."
"I am sorry, Sir. I didn't mean to hurt you." I was desperate.
"Of course, you didn't mean, and that is why you ran off. You see this guy here?" He said, looking at everyone. "He is a very good runner. In fact, he is wasting in this country. He should be in the Olympics. This guy hit me and bolted off like the wind. He was shot at but still miraculously escaped." He laughed. He seemed to be seriously enjoying himself.
"What is going on here, Officer?" Mr. Sunday asked. "You have met him before?"
"Of course, I have. His ID card is even still with me." The policeman replied.
"Good!! Now, take him and lock him up. Make sure you deal with him severely."
That was how I was arrested and taken away. I tried to resist as I was being taken away, but I was greeted with some very funny punches and forced into the waiting police car. A few hours later, we got to the city. The policemen introduced me to his friends and reminded them that I was the infamous escapee who had abandoned his ID card and fled into the bush. I was given a hero's welcome accompanied by a good dose of slaps and kicks.
I was taken into a tiny cell and locked up all by myself. I stayed in the cell for three days with little food or water. On that third day, the policeman came to see me. He looked at me and smiled.
"How are you enjoying your hotel room?" He asked.
"I am sorry, Sir. Please, let me go." I begged.
"Why should I? Do you know what you cost me? I had been shortlisted for promotion and increasing my rank. But after what you did, I was accused of letting a violent criminal escape. Now, my name is under review." He spoke angrily.
"Forgive me, Sir. Please, if you let me go, I can make sure that your name continues to stay on that list."
"Hahahahahaha!!" He laughed loudly. "Mr. Ben, you just added comedy to your resume. You are not just a runner; you are also a comedian. How do you intend to help me when you are a nobody. You are my prisoner. I am the only one who can help you."
"Sir, I am serious. I work in one of the biggest companies in this town. I am a valuable worker, and my boss finds me almost indispensable. If you release me, I will make him put in a word or two for you to your boss, and your name will be restored to the list."
"Just like that?" He was sceptical.
"Yes, just like that. Let me tell you something. I had lied to my boss that I had been kidnapped. So, you will say that you are the policemen who rescued me. That will be all, and the very next day, your name will be restored."
"You seemed to be a sensible man in spite of your wayward behaviour. Alright, we will give it a try. But as a security measure, your ID stays with me. Deal?"
"Deal."
It's been three days now. I was back in my airconditioned office. The policeman's name had been restored on the promotion list, and everything seemed to be back to normal. I had no idea of what had become of Mrs. Delia Sunday. I was a bit worried about her, but she was a strong woman and could take care of herself. I believed so.
I had paid dearly for my indiscretion, and it was a great miracle that I was able to survive it. I decided that going forward, I would be more careful with my life and never take advantage of anyone again.
As I sat in my office, thinking about the events of the past weeks and smiling to myself, I received a text on WhatsApp from a strange number. I checked the message, and it read:
"Hello, Ben. This is Delia. Are you still in on the deal?"
THE END…
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