Most wanted maid
Episode 22&23
The morning c@m£ with cold wind which seemed to have made everyone stay indoor that fateful morning. Adaora was also caught indoor,on the little mat which she shared with Sonia the previous night,wondering if there was anything she could do to lift Sonia from the dilemma she found herself.She knew Sonia was in more trouble than she could imagine;if she was shown on the television,that means she must be on the newspapers as well. Adaora smiled to herself on remembering how they got past the police checkpoint the previous day,driving down here,where she deemed safer.The policemen were holding Sonia’s picture.As they looked at the picture,they looked at them in the taxi.Sonia had eyed her,not knowing that it has gotten to that level.
Sonia’s excessive make ups and changed appearance made it impossible for the police to identify her. Adaora was re-ady to do all she could to see that Sonia escaped falling into the dangerous pit that was on her way,even if it meant seeking help from where she vowed never to. An uncomfortable feeling invaded Adaora.Her eyes never saw Sonia that morning. She opened the wooden door of the old mud house and looked around;perhaps,Sonia may be sweeping the little compound but to her surprise,she was not there.A quic-k wave of fear swept throu-gh her as she ran around checking every corner of the building calling her name but not even her shadow was seen.Sonia was gone.Gone to God-knows-where. Tony filled the air with early morning yellow dust as he sped off,with the nearest hospital on his mind.At regular intervals,his eyes went to the woman lying at the back seat.The fear in him didn’t permit him to have a good look at her.So,he didn’t know it was Angela,his best friend’s wife that he knocked down. She wasn’t moving,getting him thinking if she was still alive or dead. His phone was ringing as he added more speed to the tyres.
It was David but he was far from being in the mood to answer. Tony pu-ll-ed into the hospital,signaling to the nurses to come over immediately.They c@m£ with the stretcher and without wasting any time,pushed her in to commence treatment on her. Tony waited behind,bearing in mind that he’d missed the important business appointment that morning.
___ “Excuse me nurse,”Tony approached the nurse who c@m£ out from the room the victim was taken into,”how is she doing?” “Calm down sir,we will get back to you”The nurse told him and left for another ward. Just almost immediately she left,the doctor c@m£ out.Tony rushed to him. “Doctor.how far?”Tony asked him. “Are you her husband?”He asked in return. “No.I was the one who knocked her down.Is there any problem?”Tony was alre-ady worried she might be badly injured internally. “Uhmm,for now,there isn’t much problem.We nee-d to see her husband and that’s maybe when she regains consciousness”The doctor stressed out. “Can i see her?”Tony asked,the hope of still catching the appointment coming back to him. “Sure.but she shouldn’t be disturbe-d. I think she got into bad hands because she was so unkept and unclad except for the light white material she was wearing but the nurses saw to that.Meanwhile,they are minor papers you have to sign before leaving” Tony opened the door and saw her lying on the be-d,with a big drip connected to her arm.He c@m£ close to observe her properly before leaving for the appointment,ma-king up his mind to come and check on her as soon as possible.He had given one of the nurses some money to get her some food when she gets up. As Tony beheld her face,he felt a high s-en-se of familarity.
Getting even closer,he almost stumbled,realising it was Angela,David’s missing wife. “Angela”he called her name softly,running his head over her forehead,feeling so sorry for her. Angela opened her eyes and found Tony sitting close to her. “Tony”She called weakly and noticed him shock greatly,bringing him back from his thoughts. “Angela, are you alright”He seemed relaxed and better,knowing she was getting better. “I feel very weak and hungry.Does david know i’m here?”She asked again. “No.i was about calling him”He replied,di-pping hand into his pocket to get his phone. “No.don’t call him yet,plea-se”Ange la pleaded. “Why? Your husband is dying.Your abs£nce is killing him.He nee-ds to see you” “I know but plea-se don’t call him yet”She pleaded again. Tony alighted from the car and got into the house.David was dressed and seemed re-ady to leave.Tony looked around the parlour and saw empty bottles on the centre table in the parlour and eyed David. “What happened? Why weren’t you picking my calls?”David asked him. “There was a problem.I knocked someone down.Are you going out?”Tony tried averting the question. “I know you are a rou-gh driver.Did you kill the person?”David asked,smiling at him. “God forbid.She is getting better”Tony smiled too. “I’m about going to the police station to know if they have any news for me.From there to my inlaws and from there to the streets if no good news.I cant st©p searching for Angela”David told him. “Its still too early David.Don’t worry,your wife will return to you.Relax your mind.God is in control”Tony advised him.
__ Ebere was packing some clothes into some travelling bags,with fear all over her.The fear of Angela coming for her with the police and the fear of the gods coming for her.The old dibia had told her to make sure she produced Angela for the sacrifice because he alre-ady promised the gods her blood or else the gods would come after her(Ebere). The door swung open,leaving Ebere perplexed because she thought she bolted it.Sonia re-moved the glas-ses from her eyes and stared at Ebere murderously pointing a short black gun at her. “No.Sonia plea-se.Don’t do it plea-se,i am begging you”Ebere pleaded,shedding tears with her kneels on the ground. “You are heartless.You don’t deserve to live.Couldn’t you at least have had mercy on me? What would my going to prison profit you? Souls like you deserve to rot in hell”Ebere told her with tears rolling down her own cheeks. “I can make up for everything.plea-se bring down the gun”Ebere pleaded.
“Its too late.very late.I have killed before.Yes i killed paul and regretted it but i will never regret killing you.Go to hell while i go to prison.Goodbye”Sonia whispered to Ebere before s£nding her down with a killing sh0t. Streams of blood oozed from Ebere’s arm as she l@yon her foam,motionless. Sonia quic-ky ran up to her with heart beating so fast and fixed the gun into her hand to make it appear she sh0t herself,while ma-king sure she avoided blood stains. Sonia shook with fear on seeing the policemen on duty.She had thought they wouldn’t be out by now.It was still too early,she thought,with an uncertain feeling all over her.She couldn’t put herself together that the taxi driver noticed her fidgeting.She had pas-sed a police checkpoint the previous day with her mother with much confidence that she wouldn’t be sp©tted,but this morning,the feeling was different. “Driver st©p!”She finally told the taxi driver,removing her eyes from the policemen to make him believe the reason she asked him to st©p was not connected to the police. “You say make i st©p?”The young man with a black-sleeveless-t©p asked,still moving the vehicle. “You deaf? St©p me here!”Sonia yelled,hitting his hands. “See me see wahala o.Sofri tell me nah.You want make we get accident?”He hissed and parked at one side of the road. Sonia produced #200 note from her bag,gave it to him and c@m£ down from the taxi without any delay. “Haba.wait make i give you your change na”He reminded Sonia. “Keep the change”She replied vaguely and made her way into the bush. “I hope say no problem sha?”He called after Ebere who was no longer in sight “Who are you talking to,mr.man?”The horrible voice of one angry looking policeman jo-lted him back to his driver seat. “Na the pers£nger wey i carry”He replied. “Why did you st©p the person here.Is it a man or a woman”The policeman asked again. “Na one girl o.She say make i st©p am here” “Is this the place she told you she would be st©pping?” “Noo.Where she dey go still far” The policeman smiled and looked into the bush.He saw her running;falling and getting back up. “Baba Toure,Sergeant Okoro,Ibr@him. Make una show!”He called on three other policemen who c@m£ to him immediately. He gathered the three of them together and made their eyes follow his f!nger as he pointed to the person running into the bush. “Go and get her here.I suspect something”He instructed and eyed the taxi driver.The three policemen dived into the bush with their guns. “Mr.man,come down from that motor.You are not going anywhere until they return with her”He told the taxi driver. “Hia! Ololoo, we-tin i do na? we-tin i do sir”The young man asked with a pleading voice.He never wanted to have anything to do with ‘Nigerian police’. The popular saying’ i no follow na #5000′ was registered somewhere in his br@in. __
“Angela my daughter.Nwa m o”Mrs uwa ran up to her daughter with tears of joy trailing down her cheeks.Her husband was still at the door. She ran her hands across Angela’s face and b©dy. “Oh look at my daughter.Who did this to you? Where happened to you?”She rained endless questions on Angela who couldn’t utter any word but allowed the tears that gathered in her own eyes to drop. “i am happy you are alright”her father said,allowing a smile to cross his face for the first time in days. “I saw hell.i was kidnapped”Angela cried. “Kidnapped? Who kidnapped you? Did you see their face?”Her father asked. “i saw their faces.i know them.i do.they wanted to sacrifice me to their god but my God saved me”she cried more. “Thank God.its not my daughter they will use for sacrifice.Tell us about it”her mother urged her.
“For goodness sake.you should let her have some rest.she shouldn’t be disturbe-d”the doctor’s voice echoed as he entered the room. Just then,the door barged open with full f0rç£ and David ran into the room,with Tony closing the door after him. “Angelaaa”he ran up to her and k!$$£d her forehead. “She nee-ds rest”The doctor referred to David who paid deaf ears to his words.Here is Angela,the woman that gave him sleepless nights and restless days and there he stood telling him about rest. “She would be fine.I guess you are her husband.I nee-d to see you in my office”The doctor said to him and finally left,realising it would be impossibe to shoo him off his wife. _ “Mr David.Your wife was lucky not to have sustained serious injuries from the accident and most especially,her pregnancy was not affected in any way.Its a miracle”The doctor told David with a friendly smile. David’s eyes opened wi-de in amazement. “Did you say pregnancy?”He asked,not believing his ears. “Of course.Two months pregnant.Aren’t you aware of that?”The doctor asked surprised. “Wow,God be praised.Thank you doctor”David couldn’t contain his joy as he shook the doctor’s hands heavily.
Adaora’s phone rang for the third time before she noticed it.She was busy running around searching for Sonia in all the places they had run to for safety earlier. Her own house was not left out.She gathered enough courage to make it there but She was not there.Asking people if they saw her,didn’t cross her mind as she quic-ky dashed off. She peered at the screen of her phone and saw a certain number without name,calling. “Hello”She spoke into the phone. “Yes am i speaking with Sonia’s mother?”The voice from the phone asked. “Who are you?”Adaora asked,alre-ady overcome by fear.She inser-ted that new line into her phone recently and Sonia was the only person who knew the number. “Your daughter is here with us at the police station.The one at williams.Division 2″The voice said and hung up. Adaora held her forehead as she felt the sudden headache strike her.She was going to act fast.She was going to do something she never believed she would do. __
Angela opened her eyes only to find David sitting close to her.Her parents were gone now,the drip on her arm alre-ady disconnected.She closed them back and thought for sometime. When she opened them again,David’s eyes locked with her’s.There was a short moment of silence as they looked into each others eyes until Angela broke it with a sl@p on David’s left cheek.That was the first time she dared raise a f!nger on him. David’s face was expressionless for a while. “I deserve more than that,Angela.You can go on and sl@p me again if that would make you forgive me”David told her without any trace of anger in his voice. Angela watched him produce a white handky from his pocket to dry the line of tears that betrayed his expressionless face. Angela took her face off him,facing the opposite direction and battling the tears that had alre-ady gathered in her eyes.She didn’t know when she started sobbing and before she knew it,her face was we-t all over. “I am sorry my dear.I am sorry”David consoled her,drying her tears. “Why did you do it? Why? Did you do it with the intention of getting a child from her because i haven’t been able to give you one?”Angela asked,amidst sobs,searching his eyes filled with sorrow. “No.St©p talking like that.I just can’t explain what c@m£ over me.I found myself doing what i never intended doing.I….i ….”The tears in his voice didn’t allow him to carry on.
“It’s ok.plea-se st©p.Don’t cry…i don’t want to see you cry again.It will only break my heart the more”Angela said,trying really ha-rd to keep herself from crying.She felt his face with her hands and shook her head. How fast his face changed for worst these few days she was away. “I’m sorry.I promise i won’t leave you again”She drew his face close and k!$$£d him pas-sionately,tasting the salty fluids running down from his eyes. “I missed you so much.I’d have killed myself if any happened to you”David made her un-derstand before positioning himself very well to have a better taste of that sweet red succulentl-ips of hers;pure strawberries they sure tasted like. “mhhmmm”Tony cleared his throat,standing right there in the hospital room,dis£ngaging them from their pas-sionate hold.They didn’t notice when he entered. “I am very sorry for disturbing you”He apologised,observing their faces to know if they wore annoyance but there was no trace of such.Instead,he saw the smiles on their faces,forcing him to smile too.He went for one of the chairs. “Angela,you haven’t told me why you attem-pted killing my friend.Infact,where were you hidding?”Tony gesticulated. “She must pay for that”David added seriously.Angela smiled and hit him pla-yfully. Angela’s face which was lit up with smiles soon turned sad as she imagined what could have happened to her. “I was kidnapped.What pained me most was that someone whom i trusted as a friend had a hand in it.They wanted to sacrifice me to their gods”Angela expressed bitterly. “What?”David couldn’t believe his ears. “By now,i should be a dead person if God hadn’t saved me.They took my clothes and made we wear one white go-wn,saying i would be sacrificed this morning”She explained further. “Tell me,which of your friend has a hand in it?”David demanded. “It’s…it…it’s…Eb…Ebere”Angela stammered. “Unbelievable!,”David shouted,”how could she?” “Lets go after her with the police immediately”Tony suggested. “No no.plea-se don’t.What i ask is that you don’t let her know i am found”Angela pleaded. “No way.We are going to find her”David objected.
“Pleeease.Leave her to me”Angela pleaded again. _ Angela’s mother answered the door.She was preparing another meal for Angela. The person she saw at the door made her take few steps backwards.It was Adaora,her half sister. “What do you want?”She barked at her. “I have come for something more than important.It has to do with your daughter”Adaora said,not moved by Ngozi’s harsh words. Ngozi stared at her without another word. Which daughter of hers could Adaora be talking about,she thought. With one last look at Adaora,Ngozi opened the door wi-de for her to enter. Adaora took time observing the wi-de parlour.She couldn’t remember when last she was in that parlour. She f0rç£d out a little smile on seeing their father’s old picture hanging somewhere on the wall with other frames.Ngozi had begged her husband to allow her put it there so she can always remember him with it. Adaora reached for it and ru-bbe-d her hands across it.She developed hatred for him when he gave almost all he had to Ngozi and only but few to her. She turned her face to Ngozi who kept staring at her and went back to where she was sitting. Ngozi went in and soon emerged with a glas-s of cold water for her.She lifted the glas-s of water,stole a glance at Ngozi and gulped it down. Ngozi was sitting on the large sofa while Adaora sat on a separate one.Adaora retreated to ponder in her heart whether to unravel the heavy secret.She knew it wasn’t something Ngozi would take easy with.
“I must start by apologising to you.I have done you harm time without number out of envy.We both know it all started after our father’s will was revealed”Adaora began. Ngozi nodded,waiting patiently for her to bring up her daughter issue as she stressed out earlier.What is it about Angela she wants to say? “The reason why i am here is because of your daughter”Adaora revealed again. “Angela?” “Not Angela”Adaora answered. “Then who? How many daughters do i have?”Ngozi was loosing her patience. “I know you have the right to even strangle me to death or report me to the police if you choose to be merciful but i have to say it.She has suffered untold ha-rd sh!pwith me.I derived no joy from her suffering.I wished i could give her the better life you would have given her but instead,she work day and night,wearing herself out inorder to get money to buy me drugs……” “Who are you talking about?”Ngozi interrupted her. “Many years ago,a baby girl was taken away from you by some armed men.I had a hand in it”Adaora dropped the bombshell. Ngozi stood up on her feet with eyes as sharp as the sun,coming close to her. Adaora stood up too,not to fight her back if she comes for a fight but to defend herself from her if she does so.And just like she guessed,Ngozi fell upon her like the falling olympus,tearing and pu-lling at her clothes and hair. Mr.uwa returned just then and beheld the unholy sight.He quic-kly drew out his wife.Adaora made no attempt of retaliation and it c@m£ clear to him that Ngozi was the one fighting her.Though she was the one shedding tears. “What is going on here?”He demanded,looked at his wife for an explanation but when he saw she wasn’t going to say anything,turned to Adaora,wondered what might have prompted her coming to his house in the first place. Adaora composed herself together.Those punches really gave her great pains. “I nee-d you to undestand and forgive me,”Adaora drawled, “Your daughter’s maid is your daughter but now,she is in a situation that i cannot help her… but you can.You can st©p her from going to prison with your wealth and influence” Ngozi felt her heart ache.Heat suddenly filled her b©dy.
That young woman,her daughter? The car pu-ll-ed up in front of the police station.Mr.uwa,his wife and Adaora c@m£ down and went inside the station. One of the policemen took them to Sonia,who was surprised to see Angela’s parents there.She thought they must have heard what she did. Mrs.Ngozi held her face and looked into her eyes.Those eyes looked exactly like Angela’s.Herl-ips look exactly like her ownl-ips.She fought the threatening tears and locked Sonia in a th!ght embr@ce,keeping her heart racing. Angela couldn’t gr-ab anything,her confusion got to it’s cli-max. “Mom what is happening?”She turned to Adaora. “Relax.We are going to make sure you come of here.We are going to hold talks with the necessary personnels.We are also going to contact that lady behind all these”Mr.uwa as-sured her. “I sh0t her this morning”Sonia whispered to them. “You shouldn’t have done that.You are not a murderer”Mr.uwa broke the silence Sonia words created. “Dont worry about anything.We are going to see if she’s dead or alive”Ngozi held her close again,leaving her in the wildest of imaginations,”oh your hair looks ruffled”Ngozi produced a comb from her handbag and ran it severally over Sonia’s natural hair,ma-king sure some of the hair got caught in the comb. After that,she left with her husband. “Mom?”Sonia looked into her mother’s eyes for some sort of explanation. “One thing i want you to know is that i am only human.but what i am doing now is for your own good.Don’t worry,you would soon get to un-derstand”Adaora said,trying to hide the guilt in her eyes. As soon as Mr.uwa left the hospital with his wife,he brou-ght out his phone and dialled the family doctor’s line. “Helo sir” “Doctor Ben.I am coming over. I nee-d you to run a DNA test for me” “Alright sir.
Tbc…