©️Opeyemi Akintunde
AS INSPIRED BY THE LIVING WORD
I had thought about it and I concluded I was going to pour a lot of the slow poison into Greg’s meal and leave the village once it was night. When he died on the road, I would throw him out of the vehicle.
I was waiting for dusk before giving them their dinner. It was Past 4pm. Greg had eased up and was playing with Kira, but Roland sat in a corner of the house. There was a bit of compassion for him, but the part of Leni been his mother still irritated me.
*****
I kept checking the window, wondering why it was taking so long for the mother to come. At about 5pm, I started hearing different greetings. I knew my mother and the rest of the family were back from the farm.
“How is you?” I heard my mother saying to the younger boy who was playing outside.
“Fine ma…Ha! Mummy, you can speak English… that is interesting.” Promise said
“It is my daughter that is teaching me”
My mother had blown my cover.
“Your daughter speaks English?” the woman asked in Yoruba “Where is she?”
“She is from the University, she came back last night” my mother kept talking.
I saw the change of look in the woman’s eyes. I could tell she was about to run. So I rushed out…
“Madam, I speak English and I know who you are, you kidnapped these boys, let me burst your bubble, the police are on their way already. “I said boldly. I told my brothers not to let her go. I explained to them, what was happening and showed them pictures to back it up.
Trust my village people, they started raining curses on her, and she just kept saying…
“You people should let me go, I don’t want trouble”.
Suddenly, without suspecting her next move, she started strangulating the younger boy…
“I will Kill him, if you don’t let me go…”
That got us scared as we saw how the boy was struggling for his life.
“Stop it you wicked woman… Don’t kill the boy… You can go, don’t spill innocent blood on our land”. One of the village elders said
We all moved back from her as she carried the younger boy as her bait. She instructed that the older boy pick up the baby girl and get into the car. He did as he was instructed, he Picked up the baby girl but I didn’t know what came over him, he just ran towards me and gave me the baby. With a loud voice, he said…
“If you don’t drop my brother, they will not give you kira…” Roland said
“Roland! Are you mad?”
“No… Aunty Promise”
She could see that she was in a fix, she knew she couldn’t lose her precious baby.
She dropped the younger boy on the floor and the older boy ran to him. He was too weak… I could see he was short of breath, the strangulation had been intense on the young boy.
“I have dropped him, give me my daughter.” Promise said
I had regained my power…
“No, not until the parents of these boys come.”
“You know nothing about what is happening. I am the victim here. Their parents duped me”
“And your measure of punishment is to kill their children in return, that shows how evil minded you are.”
“I am not giving you this baby.”
******
I had been praying for my daughter, and I kept asking “Why is God not turning my daughter’s heart to him? Father, I have done all that I could have done as regards bringing this child to you, but she never comes to you. Please save her from whatever she has gotten herself into right now.” I prayed a lot for her all night till the next day, When I received the call that…
******
I saw Roland hovering over Greg on the floor, my heart failed. Was Greg Injured?
“Your hands Up Mrs Promise Omojola” I heard the Officer saying to Promise. I rushed towards my son who was on the floor. He looked very faint…
“Roland, What happened to Greg? What did she do to him?”
“She strangled him…”
I cried bitterly, because my son was looking like he wasn’t going to make it… F.D and Aunty Yemi had joined me on the floor. Aunty Yemi was already blasting in tongues, While F.D was trying to call Greg to respond.
Greg was passing out in our hands…
To be continued….
