FALLING IN LOVE IS A CRIME

REPERCUSSIONS

    It had been a week since Jacob’s ordeal with Jessica. With thoughts swerving round his head on a daily basis, Jacob couldn’t step an inch out of his apartment. He pondered on whether what he had done was right or wrong. He thought about how best he could have handled the situation. He asked himself why didn’t he try harder to love Jessica again. He felt so much pain knowing fully well that he had two lost priceless women and his best friend, Osas. He recalled his mentor, Adeyemi Gbenga, and what he told him before he moved to Lagos. He said, “some of us will be lonely for a very long time and this will be because of either our foolish decisions or our deliberate actions”.

    Jacob wasn’t only a geneticist but also, a data analyst and Adeyemi Gbenga was his mentor. Jacob picked his data analysis skill in school knowing fully well, the current state of the country. Adeyemi’s wife eloped with his best friend, leaving him with two children. Just like Jacob, Adeyemi made a mistake of ignoring the many red flags he saw in his wife. Against his family’s wishes, Adeyemi proceeded with the wedding and in matter of two years, his wife gave birth to twins. And in the fifth year of their marriage, she disappeared with Emmanuel, Adeyemi’s best friend.
    Adeyemi was an emotionally scarred man who had contemplated suicide a couple of times but he just couldn’t proceed because he knew no one will be there to take care of his children. He was a remote worker and the only reason he woke up from bed everyday was because of his twins, Arike and Adebayo.
    He spent his life teaching data analysis and edifying men not to make the same mistake he made. He taught men to build a close relationship with their families and also open their eyes wide enough to see the little happenings around them. Apparently, Jacob had been so enmeshed by love that he forgot all his teachings.

    By 8pm, Jacob had the courage to leave his bed and go to the bathroom. As he finished dressing up, he got a call from Deborah, Alexa’s best friend. He hurriedly answer the call and he could hear was Deborah crying over the phone.
    “What is happening?” Jacob questioned.
“It’s Alexa,” Deborah cried.
“What happened to her?” Jacob inquired.
“She has been shot,” Deborah mouthed.
“What? How? Who? Where is she now?” In shock, Jacob asked.
“She’s in the hospital… Grace and Care Hospital,” Deborah stammered.
    Over the phone, Jacob could hear the sound of Alexa’s mother crying. She was wailing so loudly that Jacob had no choice but to end the call. He hurried to the main road, leaving his door open, and hailed a bus.
    As Jacob commuted, he thought about who could have shot Alexa. The town he lived in barely experienced brutality in years. He thought about Alexa’s enemies, but he couldn’t figure out one person. “Alexa is a sweet girl. Who could have done such a wicked thing to her? Or was it a stray bullet? No bullet has been shot here in years, so how? Besides, she doesn’t come out at night, so who could have done this wickedness?” Jacob muttered.
    “Driver, move this bus. Why is it so slow?” Jacob exclaimed with anger.
“Sir, it’s night. Any attempt to go faster than this could lead to a fatal accident,” the driver explained.
“Sir, I don’t have time for this rubbish this night,” Jacob protested to a policeman who stopped him on his way.
“Young man, where are you going to this night?” the policeman questioned.
“What kind of senseless question is that? Are you trying to say I don’t have the right to move at night? Or what are you insinuating?” Jacob questioned with an infuriated face.
“Sir, I only asked you where you’re going. I don’t mean any trouble,” the policeman defended.
“My friend was just rushed to the hospital, and I’m going to see her. Is there a problem with that?” Jacob shouted.
    The sound of their argument attracted the attention of the sergeant. He quickly rushed to the scene and asked, “Corporal, what is happening here?”
    Before the corporal could utter a word, Jacob said, “My friend has been shot and is currently at Grace and Care Hospital. This policeman here is hindering my journey.”
“And why is that, corporal?” the sergeant inquired.
“I only asked him where he was going and nothing else,” the corporal said.
“This is an emergency and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Corporal, please use that car to take him to the hospital immediately,” the sergeant instructed, pointing to a police vehicle.
    Reluctantly, the corporal took Jacob to the hospital. Jacob rushed in and saw Alexa’s parents in the reception, clearly in tears. As he tried to decipher why they were sitting there and not with their daughter, Deborah tapped him from behind.
    “Jacob, it was Jessica,” Deborah sobbed.
“What? Are you saying Jessica did this?” Jacob questioned.
“I don’t know how she found Alexa’s address, but she came in around 6:30 pm in the evening. She told Alexa’s dad that she was Alexa’s friend and only wanted to talk. He let her in, and Alexa invited her to her room. I don’t know what happened in there, but Jessica hurriedly left the house about thirty minutes later. Alexa struggled to scream; she just couldn’t. It was her brother, Chisom, who noticed that his sister had been inside for over twenty minutes. She was already unconscious before the whole family found her. She was shot close to the lungs,” Deborah cried.
“Jesus Christ! And Jessica?” Jacob inquired.
“Alexa’s dad called the police, and Chisom described the car and license plate to the police, but then, Alexa had been taken to the hospital,” Deborah answered.
“What room is she in right now?” Jacob questioned.
“Doctors are busy with her right now. She is in the third room down the hall,” Deborah described.
    Jacob rushed to the ward, and as he was about to step in, he saw a doctor.
    “Doctor, what is the status report?” Jacob inquired.
“The bullet hit one of her ribs and pierced through her lungs, and she lost a lot of blood. She’s not dead, but you all won’t be seeing her talk for quite a long time,” the doctor explained.
“And why is that?” Jacob questioned.
“Due to the excessive loss of blood and lack of oxygen to the brain, she fell into a comatose state, and I can’t say for certain when she will wake up or if she will,” the doctor said.
“God!” Jacob sighed loudly. “Can we see her?” Jacob asked.
“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible until we are done. Please exercise patience,” the doctor walked out.
    A shocking feeling of guilt coursed through Jacob’s veins. Alexa was facing the repercussions of his actions. At this point, he was thinking of a way to break the news to Alexa’s family that her shooter was his ex. He didn’t realize it, but tears rolled down his cheeks. “What have I done? How can an innocent girl suffer for my mistakes? What is happening?” Jacob muttered as tears rolled down his cheeks.
    He walked back to the reception and quietly took a seat. He was about to utter a word to Alexa’s parents when he saw a shocking news headline on the television.