Shadows Of The Past

Light (2)

For more than an hour, I kept staring at the contents in the nylon, reminiscing on past events.

Eventually, I began with the mixture. I had just mixed the poison evenly when I saw the men in black jumping from the high vehicle.

Oh no! Not again!

"The police is here!", one of the guys yelled. I took hold of the bottle of poison before me and ran towards the direction of the other side before others even got the message that the guy was trying to pass across.

After running for a while, I stopped to pant heavily, nearly collapsing as I did so.

I looked around thereafter and spotted a shade just a few steps from where I was crouching.

I slowly stood to my feet again, all strength lost from my being, I began dragging my feet to the shade before me.

As soon as I got there, I took the cover off the bottle I was holding and pressed the opening against my lower lip. The horrid smell wafted through my nose almost immediately and I let it down hurriedly out of impulse.

" Dying is not as easy as I thought ", I muttered, while bracing myself for the actual moment when I would ignore both the odour and the taste.

" Hey! Mind if we could share?", the baritone voice jolted me back to reality. I stared wide-eyed at the boy who had managed to sit comfortably at the opposite side of where I was seated.

How on earth did he get there?, I pondered as I kept taking him in.

Unperturbed by my rather impolite gaze, he smirked, a little confidently.

"I asked if I could join in the fun, man. It would be totally unfair to deny me that", he spoke again, a little lower this time.

My gaze dropped to the bottle in my hand.

" Thinking it might not be enough? Make no mistakes man. That'll be overdose for you. Save a life before you leave", he continued, a grin breaking through his face now.

"I would not be saving your life that way. Besides why should I give you this?", I asked, amused by his aura.

"The same reason for you having it", he replied simply, adjusting his sitting position for the umpteenth time since we started conversing. It was obvious he was not comfortable

" Why do you think I am having it?"

"Well, I don't know. You're tired of life maybe", he shrugged casually.

" That's not the whole story", I replied, rather hastily, for fear that he might condemn me.

"What then is?", he asked, with one of his eyebrows raised.

I peered into his eyes, as if searching through his soul for a long while.

" I'm tired of running nonsense circles", I eventually broke the silence that blanked over us in a very low voice.

I watched as he struggled with his inner battle. He seemed unsure of what to say.

"Then leave the circle", he finally articulated.

" I can't", I whispered, looking away from him.

"You just haven't figured out how", he countered, moving closer to me.

A brief silence snaked through.

"I'm Kayode"

"Raymond", I replied gruffly.

" Can you use lunch?", he asked, now standing to his feet and dusting off the dust on the backside of his jeans.

"Sure"

"Let's go to a canteen nearby then, he opined.

******

The walk to the canteen was really short. I remembered to thank the heavens for preventing me from wobbling before we got there.

Some moments into the commencement of the eating, I asked the stranger;

" I still haven't figured out how to leave the circle", I stated, staring pointedly at him as though he was the cause of my misfortunes.

He chuckled lightly, paying me no glance

"Tell me about yourself", he demanded, sounding casual as usual.

" Goodness! He gave you his card", he exclaimed, his pitch got us some angry stares from others.

No sooner than when he asked, I told him the summary of my life and ended it with my ordeal with the stranger earlier

"We need to call him! Where is his card?", he beamed, stretching his hand expectantly.

" I told you I am not interested in his offer. Quit the drama", I huffed in annoyance as I rolled my eyes.

He sighed exaggeratedly, rubbing his temples

"Why? This offer is probably the best you would ever come across in your entire life. It even seems too good to be true"

"The reason exactly. Besides that would be running in circles", I replied, shifting my attention back to the food before me.

" You can't be so sure that this step would further keep you in the circle. It could liberate and set you on a new path"

"On a new circle you meant?", I asked sarcastically

" On a new path ", he drawled unamused.

" Only after you have thoroughly exhausted your chances and options can you attempt to kill yourself.", he continued with a blank expression.

"Have you ever tried killing yourself before", I asked, curiosity washing over me.

He sighed again

" Why don't we call that man first and then I'll tell you about myself after?", he replied

It was then my turn to sigh

"I don't know", I simply stated, clearly tired of bickering back and forth.

" Luckily for you, I know. Hand the card over", he smiled this time reaching out for his phone in his pocket.

I handed the card disinterestedly, not wanting the smile to fade by my refusal. At least, I owed him that much.

"It's ringing!", he beamed excitedly while I shrugged and continued devouring the contents in my plate

Only that I did it with more concentration this time...

Stay safe.