ᴰᴼ ᵞᴼᵁ ᵂᴬᴺᵀ ᵀᴼ ᴷᴺᴼᵂ ᴹᵞ ˢᵀᴼᴿᵞ?
"Kenneth."
He kept pacing.
"...and I met you. You weren't okay and it just broke my heart for some reason. How much can one person take? And I keep feeling this tug towards you, to check up on you but you're so stubborn...
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It was a run down neighborhood tucked somewhere beneath the glory and shine of Ibadan’s famous spots. Over here children ran around with only a dirty top covering their dirty bodies, their mothers breastfeed the little ones in the open and the numerous ladies hung around the arm of one man or the other. Ikenna pulled his hoodie closer to his face when he almost made eye contact with one of the women.
He had inquired about the plump lady from the previous night and got this address. Apparently the woman is very popular for one thing only, swindling unsuspecting men. He bets she's not even pregnant.
Her house was one of the only good ones around. Painted black with cracked walls shielding the interior, a rusted brown gate and a big palm tree in the inside. He stepped in, mindful not to create any noise. Ikenna's plan wasn't solid but he hoped it would work. He glanced at the money and items in the bag he held, it's most of his savings but worth it if it'll take the woman to a whole other state.
He paused just as he was about to knock upon hearing muffled noises from inside. A glass fell, followed by the sound of a falling table and the thud of a body. He heard groanings coming from a man inside, angry shouts but not a scream to alert danger. Ike quickly hid behind a wall to watch the scene inside.
He was horrified to see a man repeatedly hitting the stomach of the plump woman. Her mouth was gagged, sweat was all over her body as if she had been doused in cold water and blood pooled from her rear. The man attacking her wiped his sweat once he noticed her body still. He spat at her after cursing the woman.
Is she dead? She looked like it.
He's not an investigator.
He definitely doesn't want to get involved so he bolted.
Karma found a way back to the unsuspecting lady.
✴
Three days have passed. In those three days Mister Sinobichukwu had his eyes cleared after receiving very tragic news. His older brother was dead. The cause was damage to his lungs and kidney from all the alcohol in his system. Three days ago when he woke up in his living room unsure how he arrived there he got two important calls that would change his life.
The first call was from a lawyer called Joseph filing for a divorce from his wife. The documents had already been sent to him to sign, his refusal would cause a bigger case in court.
The second was from his sister-in-law breaking the news of the death of his brother.
Since then he's been wallowing in self pity. He was drained. How did he manage to lose himself and his family? His two daughters whom he loved so dearly, especially his first. She used to look up to him. There was nothing he could do that would change things.
It was pitiable that what it took to make him aware of the repercussions of his habit was the fear of death.
