JEREMY Episode 15 – 17 Moshood Avidiime

JEREMY Episode 15 – Moshood Avidiime

“According to the narrative, it rained on that particular day. My mother had been expecting me for a while, but for some reason, I had resisted emerging. For the last six days, she had been in labor. The physicians had warned that if by midday she still hadn’t given birth normally, they would be forced to operate. This was a first, as her two prior deliveries had gone off without a hitch. She had always entered and exited within minutes. She typically returned home before sunset, but during my pregnancy, things were very different. Most of the time I was inside my mother, she was in pain. When nine months had passed and the tenth was drawing near, the doctors had to start looking into other theories because they had initially thought the aches she had been complaining about had been pre-labor. Everyone was repeatedly reassured that there was no need to be alarmed. Yet, how could there not be?”

“My mother had been in what she described as excruciating labor agony for six days straight and was well past her due date to give birth. For the past six days, my father has been missing. The physicians had earlier called him and suggested operating on his wife, but he brazenly declined their offer. He claimed that no one in his family had ever given birth using that method, and my mother would be no different. After six days, it became clear that unless something was done right away and quickly, my mother might not survive, and neither was I. When that happened, my grandfather was still living. He was the one who refused to back down, approving the cesarean section.”

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I was listening to Jeremy with my mouth open the entire time.

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“My mother couldn’t become pregnant again for eight long years after Diana was born. The other spouses have all given birth to at least two more children during the course of these eight years. Several of them had even given birth to twins. Yet other than the four sons that Diana’s series of pregnancies gave birth to, they never kept track of any other male births. But there was no reason to be concerned. They didn’t believe they needed to worry. Dad already has four sons. This meant he had options to consider when the question of a potential heir to his reign was brought up for discussion. Furthermore, his heir didn’t necessarily need to be the oldest of his sons. So picture his shock, fear, and repulsion at witnessing his four valuables perish simultaneously.”

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“Jeer, how? How? How did it happen? Is that even possible? How did all of them pass away on the same day?” I managed to lift my jaw off the floor to form the words to ask.

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Jeremy smiled and said, “The authenticity of this account would likely have been contested if it had been yet another folktale.” But nonetheless, babe, this isn’t just any narrative—this is my story.”

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Although I was curious, I couldn’t voice it at that time. I simply sat motionless in my chair, staring intently at Jeremy’s lips as they formed words.

“My mother was finally taken into the theater to give birth, but she was too weak since she had been in such excruciating pain for days. A three-hour cesarean section was performed on her, a process that ought to have taken 45 minutes. At exactly 4:24 PM that day, the doctors announced my arrival—the same time and day when all of my stepmother’s male children passed away.”

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In disbelief, my eyes widened. In shock, my jaw fell back to the ground. I couldn’t believe my ears. What I was hearing was so unbelievable. I found it inconceivable that a mother would endure such suffering in order to give birth to a child. I found it hard to understand that a husband could be so callous and unconcerned with his pregnant wife’s well-being due to an antiquated notion, a family feature that needed to be perpetuated at the expense of a life. I found it incomprehensible what Jeremy’s poor mother had to endure all of that.

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Talking further about how these children were their greatest treasure, I can’t even begin to imagine how those women must have felt upon losing their child.

Jeremy went on.

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“The following day, my mother was released from the hospital with a private nurse attached to care for her. When they arrived at the compound, they were startled to see the long, dejected faces of the crowd gathered inside the palace. She had initially believed that everyone had gathered to welcome her new birth, but she had never been more mistaken. The conflicted emotions were understood, but what wasn’t was what followed my mother for a very long time after those kids passed away.”

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“Jeer, you don’t even have to say it.” “They must have presumed she killed all the kids, I’m sure.”

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Jeremy smiled at my presumption before shaking his head in disapproval.

JEREMY Episode 16 – Moshood Avidiime

“You don’t even have to say it, jeer.” “I’m sure they must have assumed she killed all the kids.”

Jeremy smiled at my presumption before shaking his head in disapproval.

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I was baffled. That a man could suddenly turn against his wife over her alleged inability to “conceive a child” in time was already perplexing enough. It was a behavior that raised the question, “Is love conditional?”

The delayed conception of the other spouses had previously been blamed on Jeremy’s mother. Given how tragically the events played out, it shouldn’t have been out of character for me to presume that Jeremy’s mother was also the main suspect na. In actuality, it’s impossible not to even have suspicions about her. Particularly in light of the fact that her son, Jeremy, is the only son at the moment and, according to the current situation, the heir apparent to the throne.

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Jeremy, however, had just shook his head in disapproval of what I had assumed to be the case. It was clear at this point that it was impossible to predict how Jeremy’s story would develop, so I made the decision to simply listen more and speak less.

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The evening was mostly over. There were only a few hours left before Jeremy’s stay with me came to an end. He had to finish this story for me. And with that, I whispered, “What happened then, Jeer?”

“The entire palace spent months in sorrow. Before anyone could genuinely, truly smile once more, it took some time, but as the years passed, some found it easier to accept what had transpired. According to my mother, the household never again heard the cry of a baby. This is how I ended up being the last child and the only son the old man has. Though I served as a continual reminder to everyone, particularly because what had occurred coincided with my birth, they made an effort to make the most of my presence. My birthday was also the day we commemorated the dead, but everyone made a resolution to be grateful rather than wallow in sorrow.”

At this point, Jeremy let out a weary smile, raised his head to lock gaze with me, and then said, “And to what I am sure you’ve been wondering, the real cause of my siblings’ inexplicable deaths on the same day I was born.”

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Jeremy stood up from where he’d been sitting the whole time and walked towards the fridge at the extreme end of the room. His throat had probably run dry, and he needed to keep it moist if he was going to finish the story.

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“What had happened with my dead siblings was not unusual for a king where I’m from, babe. The truly unusual event was my birth. It was the fact that a second son was born on the same day and at the same time as these other boys had passed away. It was more like I had defied the laws of nature. It was not just a coincidence that the king my father replaced had passed away without a male offspring to continue his legacy, you know. The fact that he had no close relatives who could claim the throne was also no coincidence. Everyone, even my father, was unaware of the prearranged nature of everything that occurred.

It had been after my birth, as I grew older, that a meeting had supposedly been held to discuss the abomination that was me. My mother stated she wasn’t sure what was addressed in that meeting, but she was quite certain that my father’s behavior completely changed from that day forward. My father eventually managed to get back on good terms with my mother before this meeting, probably because I was such a treasure to him after the deaths of his sons. He was suddenly, once again, a total stranger. The only reason my mother even agreed to accept Christ as her personal lord and savior was out of fear for my life.

This was a development my father didn’t find pleasing. He beats her up every time he hears something that sounds like a prayer in the palace. Even though my father would never have agreed to her attending church even if she had asked his permission to do so, my mother always knew that a particular kind of beating awaited her whenever she attended certain church events without his permission. Mother made sure we were grounded in spirituality, regardless of how much our father had kicked against it. My mom could not talk to anyone; her parents were deceased. She only had myself and my older sisters.”

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Jeremy took a sip from his glass cup before he continued.

“My mother tried to protect our father from us. She couldn’t begin to tell us what a monster he was. Mom didn’t want the notion that our father was a bad man to hurt us, but we were aware of it. We saw everything, so she didn’t have to. My father didn’t care about her or about us, so we would occasionally see him beat our mother mercilessly for the smallest of offenses. My father always caused my mother misery, and this caused me to loathe him as I grew up. This is why I was unable to restrain myself from reacting when I saw him defiling Diana on that particular day. The only thing that came to mind at that very moment was to run over, grab him away from Diana, and strangle him to death, but I reasoned that would be a too dignified end for him. I’d had enough of this man’s brutality after the way he had ruined the lives of the three ladies in my life. That’s why I needed to think outside the box when I passed that verdict.”

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Jeremy exhaled loudly and said, “I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. I sprinted back into the room and caught him off guard. With the rage I was now filled with, overpowering the old man was easy. I clenched the knife tightly in my hand while holding it up in the air, and with one rapid, clean motion, I severed his organ from his body.”

JEREMY Episode 17 – Moshood Avidiime

Jeremy exhaled loudly and said, “I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. I sprinted back into the room and caught him off guard. With the rage I was now filled with, overpowering the old man was easy. I clenched the knife tightly in my hand while holding it up in the air, and with one rapid, clean motion, I severed his organ from his body.”

The wine glass cup in my hand crashed to the ground as soon as I heard this. In disbelief, my eyes were on the verge of bulging out of their sockets. My mouth was still on the floor in shock. I found it hard to comprehend that Jeremy had hurt his own father in that way. Of course! After all, the rumors were genuine.

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“You killed him, jeer!” I was able to murmur.

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Jeremy grinned while shaking his head.

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I couldn’t make sense of what that meant. Is he trying to tell me that he didn’t kill his father, or is he trying to tell me that his father died because of his cruelty? Abi, does he intend to blame the devil for this like everyone else?

“You’re shaking your head, Jeer, why? What’s up with the smirk on your face, by the way?” I asked while sneering at Jeremy’s carelessness.

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“Why, baby, do you believe I killed him?” Jeremy asked, his expression not suggesting that this was a rhetorical question.

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What is this man’s problem? How is it that this query is not rhetorical? What else could an act like slicing off a man’s pen!s be called?

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“You chopped off his manhood, Jeer. It doesn’t matter if he died right then, but I’m positive he did later as a result. Is there a name for what you did that I’m not aware of?” I questioned, apprehensive of Jeremy’s possible response.

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I almost forgot that Jeremy’s narrative had taken so many strange twists that it was difficult to predict. All indications suggested that I had made yet another bold but unfounded assumption. If that were the case, I was eager to find out where I went wrong.

How could I have misconstrued this sef? It’s not complicated, na! Doesn’t chopping off a man’s “this thing” automatically mean killing him?

“I didn’t kill the old man, baby. In fact, he fully recovered after that. He passed away two years later.”

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“…WHAT? His demise wasn’t immediate? He didn’t pass away that day? Common now! How on earth is that even possible, baby? For crying out loud, you removed a man’s genitalia. That really ought to have killed him.” I asked, with confusion splattered all over my face.

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Jeremy appeared to grasp my perplexity, which by this point had evolved into frustration in my behavior. He grinned before deciding to explain things clearly.

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“His agonizing cry drew his security detail, who stormed into the room before I could even say “Jack.” They were somewhat startled when they saw the mess I had made. The leader then had a premonition of what to do. While he set up my father’s transportation to the hospital, he seized his detachment and put it on ice. Before they even got to the hospital, the operating room was all set up for my father’s surgery because everything about him was always given top priority. He went on to make a full recovery, but you know how it is. Regardless of how hard they tried to sweep everything under the rug, rumors were always going to spread.

The king was declared to be sick and needed some time to recover while my father was getting better. Before he could emerge in public, it required some time. Words about what I’d done started to spread throughout this period of recovery, despite the fact that they lacked specifics. Although they all knew I played a role in keeping my father confined to that bed, they had no idea what exactly it was or what had brought me there. The old man made those declarations regarding the prerequisites for my taking the kingdom after him at his first appearance in front of the public. One of them was that I can never become king while still a bachelor.”

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It was unbelievable, as is the entire premise of the tale.

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“After that incident, my mother and my sisters were expelled from the palace, and I couldn’t have stood by and watched them go, so I went with them.”

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“Kicked out after that incident, ke? What did they do wrong for such treatment to be given to them?” I asked, perplexed. “Shouldn’t it have been you who committed the act of rebellion if anyone was to be expelled? Or did I miss something, Jeer? Are these women not the victims in this story?

Somehow, Jeremy didn’t feel that my query warranted a response. He simply kept talking.

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“For the short time the old guy lived, I was frequently asked to return home to at least pick my father’s brain about leadership, but I never did. I never saw the need to. I continue to see no reason that I don’t intend to rule as king, baby. They can wait as long as they want; I won’t ever be their future king. I’ve witnessed what that throne can do to a good man…

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“A good man?”

“Yes babe. Even after everything my mother went through at the hands of my father, she never stopped talking about what a good man he was before he ascended the throne. Up until his demise, she still believed he was going to come to his senses and eventually came over to beg for her forgiveness. But that never happened. If a mother was right about her husband and what that throne had done to him, shouldn’t that be enough reason for me to stay far away from it?”

To be continued…

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