REUBEN Episode 4 – Blessing-Enejo Abrahams Elleywrites
… But it went off before it landed on my body and all of a sudden, two armed guys rushed into the crowd, shot sporadically in the air and the cheering crowd took to their heels disappearing into thin air like vapor. One of the guys then hurried to me and removed the weighty tire from my neck.
“Una father” The other guy yelled and sh0t twice into the air again while the one who removed the tire, pulled me up all of a sudden and dragged me by the hand to an awaiting car parked very close to the T. Junction.
The driver drove off as soon as we entered, I hadn’t yet recovered from the shock and I started to turn left and right to see the faces of the men who had saved me.
“Relax little boy, you’re in safe hands” One sitted beside me said, lighting his cigar with a lighter.
“Who are you ?” I quizzed in a low tone, staring at him.
“I am Stone. Just call me Stone” He replied pumping out a thick smoke from his mouth and through his nose, and he then turned to me.
“Care for this?” He questioned with a grin.
“No sir, I’m just a 9 year old” I said while hot sweat dripped down my cheeks from my head despite being in an A.C.
He nodded hearing that, and then he put his hand round my shoulders.
“You know, when I was your age, one of the men who brought me up taught me how to do this at the age of just 8. He took me with him one evening when he saw me at a garage sitting very lonely and alone. I had run away from my wicked uncle’s house after he took me in when I lost both parents same day in a ghastly motor acc!dent. And since then, smoking this…” He said raising the c!garatte before my eyes.
“This has been my hobby”
“But, I used to see it on T.V and even on some stickers that smokers are liable to d!e young. Don’t you think or know so?” I asked locking stares with him, and then he let out a thunderous laughter.
“The boy is so intelligent” He said laughing so hysterically again, and at the same time staring at the guy who sat beside me. The one who sat beside me then busted into laughter as soon as the one smoking looked at him. One could easily tell that the one smoking was their boss, while the one driving just sat there driving without uttering a word.
After driving for like an hour, we soon arrived at a cottage. The men opened the car door and the one that was smoking ushered me out. He took me into the beautiful living room and asked me to sit on one of the cozy couches. I sat and then he walked to the mini bar by a corner of the living room and then brought out a bottle of soft drink, approached me and handed the already opened drink over to me.
“Take, my little friend, drink!” He said sitting on the couch before me.
“But, do you know me from anywhere? Why did you save me?” I asked still holding onto the soft drink, and he let out a smile.
“You know? I was once in your shoes, and was also going to be set abl@ze one hot afternoon at Alaba after stealing a radio, a man of my kind helped me home. I was just 15, quite older than you are. So you’re my kind, and we do not allow people like us to go through such. I know you also st0le, so we were close by in a bar somewhere around when we heard people talking about a little boy that was going to be burπt alive, so we had to come through for you.”
Hearing that, I dropped the soft drink bottle on a stool before me all of a sudden.
“No sir, I didn’t steal anything. I only found it on the floor in a restaurant where I went to eat. The owner walked into the restaurant all of a sudden and accused me of steal!ng it”
He turned and looked at me.
“You didn’t ste@l?” He questioned and I shook my head in disagreement.
He adjusted himself on the couch, leaning forward.
“But, don’t you have parents?” He quizzed.
“No sir. I… I caught my Mommy in be-d with another man and I sh0t him with my Daddy’s gun”
His jaw dropped and his eyes popped open.
“You shot a guπ?” He queried and I nodded.
“And, what about your Father? What does he do? Where is he?”
“The day I sh0t the man, I still can’t fathom exactly what happened. I pulled the tr!gger but the bu!let returned to my Dad and met his forehead. He d!ed on the spot”
“And the other man?” He questioned staring at me.
“He left with my Mom, alive”
“Wow! That’s strange” He said.
“Well, drink. That’s life” He said relaxing on his couch.
I stayed with him and the others for days, months, weeks and even years. I started to go on different operations with them, drank all sorts, smoked, and even did all kinds of dr-ugz. I became ruth-less, and could sh00t at anything and anyone, and was named “Sparrow.” We went to different parties, and even clubs. Stone and some of our gang members would dance and even do dirty things with different women but I had no business with none. But on my 20th birthday, we were all celebrating in one club around V.I. I drank all sorts and became high, and in my sub consciousness, I met Layla and laid with her in the club restroom. I never knew she was one of Stone’s girlfriends…
To be continued!
