REUBEN Episode 5 – Blessing-Enejo Abrahams Elleywrites
… As soon as Layla and I finished making out, I was dragging my trousers back to my waist while my legs struggled to stand firm on their own on the ground when Dixon, one of our gang members opened the restroom door all of a sudden, giving us a shocking look.
“Sparrow, why nah?” He queried with his hand still on the door handle.
“Why what? Why I carry woman? Shey na man I for carry, ode (Why I’m with a woman? Am I supposed to be with a man? F00l )” I lashed struggling to buckle my belt.
“Guy, you’re just high. Or are you bl!nd as well? Of all the girls here in the club, is it stone’s meat you picked to chew?” Asked Dixon.
As soon as I heard that, my eyes cleared and I began to rub my eyes with one of my hands and then took proper look at the girl I had made out with. It was then I knew that it was Layla.
“I don fx¢k up” I let out all of a sudden with popped eyes, but Dixon shut the door on us without uttering a word.
“But, why didn’t you tell me who you were when we came here?” I asked Layla.
“Were you wearing glasses when we both came into this place? Look, just forget your boss, Stone. I have always admired your cute face, your strength and of course this physique of yours” She said rubbing my chest down to my stomach, and then I grabbed her hand all of a sudden.
“Please, stop! Don’t do this next time. You know how close Stone and I are, but you took advantage of the fact that am high. What if he finds out?”
She bit her lower lip and then dipped a finger in my front pocket.
“Who will tell him? You? Or I? Or Dixon? Of course he wouldn’t dare” She said.
“See, I was a little boy when Stone brought me to stay with him. Is it…” The door opened all of a sudden, and then I paused and turned toward the entrance to see who it was. And lo and behold, the first thing I saw pointing towards me was a guπ. I moved my head aside to see who it was cos the hands holding the guπ had blocked the person’s face. It was Stone.
I flung my hands up into the air all of a sudden, and then fell straight on my knees.
“Boss, it’s not what you think. Please allow me to explain ” I begged.
He giggled, approached me and then pointed the guπ on my forehead.
“Really? What exactly do I think? For the first time in your life, you broke a rule. Rule number one, do not betray your boss by laying with any of his past or present girls. Have you forgotten that, boy?”
“Stone please, I didn’t. I swe@r I was high. I felt sorry as soon as I noticed that it was Layla”
“Shut up!” He thundered.
“How dare you? In as much as I love you so much, if I allow you live without blowing off your head, that means I have broken one of the rules”
“Stone please, have mercy” I begged with tears already dripping down my face.
“Shut the f up! Now get up and move!! I want every gang member to witness your de@th so the new ones won’t make such mistakes next time ” He said with the guπ to my head.
I managed to get up, facing him with hands still above my head. He moved the guπ aside swiftly and sh0t Layla on the head, and she fell directly on the ground in the p00l of her own bl00d.
“Now turn, and move” He said and I obliged.
I walked before him with hands up to the arena Stone had paid for, for all the guys and I, and the music playing stopped as soon as we walked in with all gang members staring at me with mouths agape except Dixon.
“Let this serve as a lesson to each of you. Let none of you ever break the first rule or I have your heads blown off like am about to do to this tra!tor. Your stup!d b0dy shall be dumped exactly where I had picked you up 11 years ago ” He roared, with a finger already on the tr!gger, and then the lights went off all of a sudden.
By Blessing-Enejo Abrahams Elleywrites.
I knew the lights were going to go off, cos Dominic was the D.J around that day. Dominic was an 0rphan guy I usually tip each time we meet at the club or around town. I would always advise him to choose the right path and always make sure he doesn’t end up like me. He knew my story cos I had once told him, and we developed this natural likeness for each other.
As soon as the lights went off, I squatted immediately, and I could hear Stone and the guys roaring in @nger shouting at the top of their voices asking rhetorically who put off the lights, and then I found my way out of there. I ran as fast as my legs could carry, following narrow paths and even people’s compounds. I remember running into a compound and some people were outside gisting and laughing, but as soon as they saw me, they rushed up and ran into their rooms while some even collided with each other.
I ran for almost an hour that night, went to a bus stop and entered this almost filled bus. I didn’t even know where it was headed. I would turn left, right, and strain my ears at every phone call to be sure it wasn’t about me. I was just there in shivers, with heart almost pumping out of my chest.
“Are you ok?” The lady beside me who had been staring quizzed, and I nodded sporadically.
“Where are you going?” The driver asked.
“Arhmmm…” I said stuttering. And then I heard the guy behind me on a phone call telling someone that he was on his way to Enugu.
“Enu… Enugu Sir” I said
“Ok, Ten thousand” He said and then I dipped my hand in my pocket and brought out some money. Counted it in a hurry and handed it to him.
“Please, may we go now?” I said turning and looking around.
“We have just a passenger left,” He said.
I dipped my hand in my pocket again, counted another 10k and gave it to him.
“Let’s get out of here please” I said.
He started the car after a few minutes, and then we drove out of town. We drove for hours and arrived Enugu very early the following morning. I was deeply asleep when the driver tapped me and I jerked up. I looked inside the vehicle only to find no one, except the driver. At first, I thought something b@d had happened.
“Oga come down, this is my last bus stop. Where exactly are you going ?” He asked.
“Well, ehmm… Never mind, I’ll stop here” I said.
I alighted, walked for another ten minutes turning left and right, in search of a good hotel to hide when I saw Melvin, a former gang member.
“Sparrow!” He called, startled…
