THE PAST'S PATH


Samuel


I swear I didn't know when my arm flung in the air and descended with my palm on her left cheek. There was this silence thereafter; a silence that made me realize my action and my steamy eyes cooled down. I felt the weight of the neighbors’ stares pinning me to my feet.
“How had I not realized that our altercation had dragged us out the
front door?" I questioned within me.
I turned my back and there was my little boy standing in front of the swayed door, wearing a lackluster brown T-shirt; one I do not remember getting for him.
"Was he watching us the whole time?"
"I wonder what he thinks of his father now."
He was only five but those thoughts kept knocking at the door of my mind.
I left Cecilia, hunched, with her face sandwiched by her palms, like a son guilty of his father's accusations not worthy of seeing his face again. I hurried out of the rusty iron gate and I faced Mella outside. She had on a slightly different makeup from Cecilia’s but hers was a deep touch of purple coating her lips. We locked eyes fiercely for what seemed like three seconds before I walked away; but heading to where exactly? Perhaps a bar? An old friends' crib? A hotel? - Damn, I had no money but I walked on!
I wondered what dialogue Cecilia and that bitch, Mella, would be having. I wondered why Cecilia chose to do such to me.
"Had she always been a devil all along?" My thoughts were
interrupted in a rather unexpected manner. I felt the plastic face of a truck slam into my guts and I fell on the muddy earth. The face of death was pretty; she winked at me and faded. I wasn't dead. My eyes dimmed.

***
Jilams

"What is going on?" I thought as I opened my eyes but only one was open. The other was in bandages. "Why do I feel so much pain?" I saw a man in white, "Am I in heaven?" I mused at the idea.
"Hello Ken" he said smiling at me. I recognized him immediately,
another "brother" from school,
"Swash what happened?" I asked calling him by his nickname. His
real name was Chris.
"You were attacked. You need to rest".
“Where is my son? How did I get here?" I queried.
"A good Samaritan brought you here. As for your son, I don't know.”
Then I remembered death's beautiful face.
“It was Mella – Celia’s friend.” I screamed. The rage slowly built up within me. "Celia is using her against me". I half whispered. I could see the puzzle on his face. "They won't get away with this" I muttered under my breath "They must pay". Looking at Swash, I blurted out "I need your help".
He smiled his crooked smile and I knew he already understood. All
he needed was my permission. Cecilia has no idea the hell about to be unleashed upon her. We just came out of retirement.
***
Ese
"Ken! Are you sure the plan would work? It's been so long since I set my eyes on her" Kamal said wearing an unsure expression.
"I know her well. She is my wife remember? It'll work, trust me" I
glanced at Swash quickly and as soon as he nodded, we knew it was time.
I couldn't wait for this episode of my life to be over. Cecilia had turned me to a monster. I was hurt mostly because my son shouldn't be going through this trauma at such a tender age of five. I sank into my pillow and felt bits of me flow along with my tears which soaked the sheets.
"K-aaa-mm-al" Cecilia stammered "Is it really you?" She asked as she struggled to stand. Her feet had become numb and her eyesight blurry for tears had gathered there but had refused to pour. She opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't say a word. She yearned so badly for the ground to open and swallow her but unfortunately, the time had come to face a part of her life that she had shut out for years. This part that could ruin her chances of a happy ever after.
Kamal reached to hug her "surprise!"

***
Miracle

"I am surprised indeed"! Cecilia found her voice as she pulled out of the hug. “Will this ever end?” She thought she had covered her tracks when she left school five years ago but apparently not.
She immediately suspected this to be Ken's way of getting back at her, but she was going to fight dirty.
"Kam... you sure are sight for sour eyes" she purred seductively. She had always known how to get under Kamal's skin. He was her ex after all.
Maybe Ken didn't know that. She giggled wickedly as she stood in front of him touching his broad chest and stroking his nipples through his shirt.
She watched him shiver at her touch. Clearly he was loosing focus as to why he had visited.
"Such a pity you are being used as a pawn my love" she whispered
seductively. Her lips brushed passed his lower lips and their breath
mingled. Her breast rested on his chest and she could feel his solid bulge through his jean trousers. She smiled and Kamal smiled back. "Anyone on Ken's side is still my enemy!" her thoughts suddenly took over and her eyes turned cold.
"How dare you!” she screamed pushing him over the couch and
dashing for her hand bag on the table. She pulled out a gun.
"Stay down Kamal." She said pointing the gun at him with jittery
fingers. Kamal rushed at Cecilia as her gaze riveted to her son Emma coming out of the room,
"Mummy?" The gun went off.
***
Successa

It took Kamal some seconds to realize that he was still breathing as the bullet hit the silver pendant on his necklace. Survival instincts made him play dead. Cecilia dropped the gun and rushed to attend to her son.
"Baby, what are you doing up? You should be having your afternoon siesta".
"Why did you shoot the man mummy? Where is my daddy? Is that a real gun mummy?"
"Okay honey, too many questions. Come, so mummy can rock you
back to sleep."
When the coast was clear, Kamal felt his body to make sure no part was broken.
"The bitch shot at me! She really has learnt to be a first class bitch
after all."
He quickly dialed Ken and Chris waiting in the car outside as he picked up her gun.
"Hey guy! Your bitch nearly killed me, I told you this wasn't going to work, I mean my once gullible and agreeable Cecelia pointed a gun at me and pulled the damned trigger!"
"Calm down you're shouting man. Are you still in the house?" Ken
asked.
"Yes!"
"Switch to plan B, man. I'll be with you in a few minutes. Chris will stay put and make sure that bitch Mella doesn't take us by surprise…"
***
Sandra

“… do you understand? Hello… ”
“He’s dead. And so is our son Ken.” It was Cecilia’s voice on the
other end of the line.
“Nooooooo” Ken screamed as the line went dead.
Mella rushed in and saw Kamal laying faced down with a knife in his back.
“Celia!” she screamed, “What has come over you? I thought this was just a phase for you but I see you have completely lost it. How can you push your own son down a well to drown because you have a misunderstanding with his father? I’m calling the police… I will not be a part of this nonsense”
“Don’t be in a hurry Mella.” Cecilia pointed the gun at her friend
who immediately put her hands up in fear. “You are just a part of this as I am. Take a sit and let’s wait for Ken to come in”
“How do you mean?” Mella stuttered.
“You have been sleeping my husband behind my back. You both
took me for a fool right?” Cecilia began and puffed her cigarette looking intensely at her scared friend,
“That’s not true Celia…”
“Don’t you dare…” she was raising her voice then she calmed down and almost sank to a whisper even though just the two of them were in the room “This is the end of the road, Mel. He promised we would not revisit our past but we still live in it.” She threw a white file from her bag on the table. And some photos scattered across the room making Mella’s eyes wide with recognition. “I know everything Mel. Right from when it started.
I loved you as a sister so it didn’t matter that you shared my husband since we have shared men before him; but then you tried to rip me of my happiness. You asked my husband to divorce me… why?”
“Please…”
“Please? You know what I could not understand? How you never
liked him when he came for my hand in marriage yet he is sleeping with you and would divorce me for you. You were not even happy when he took me off the streets and gave me a home…” she spoke as hot tears broke from their sockets.
“Celia…”
“You’re pregnant for him aren’t you?”
Mella immediately dashed out of the room and locked the door with Cecilia inside it. Cecilia fired the knob and chased after her.
“Run… run Ken. She’s crazy but she knows everything.” Mella
screamed on seeing Ken. The other prostitutes, who had been
eavesdropping waiting for a fight, ran into their rooms and locked
themselves in when they saw Cecilia with a gun. Ken turned to run but the first bullet passed through the back of his skull to the front of his forehead.
Mella stood frozen and turned to face her friend.
“I’m sor…” The shot passed through her gullet.
“Too late…” Celia said and then a third shot was fired as Swash
rushed in.

All rights to this content is reserved, No part of this content may be used or reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and uses permitted by copy right law. For permission requests, email the media team at: content@niwcolony.com. Please click on the subscribe button to receive latest blog updates.

No comments:

Post a Comment

How BIZEdo AGN elects Osagie Elegbe as New Chairman

Edo AGN elects Osagie  Elegbe as new chairman According to Adedayo Odulaja, Edo state chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN)...