#TENDER_BEAUTY
EPISODE 5
As I ran out of the house, I noticed that the place was an uncompleted building. I looked around and the only thing that I saw was bushes. I saw a small footpath and started following walking very fast. I had always been extremely afraid of the dark and within seconds, I started contemplating going back. The leaves caught in my hair and my feet hurt because of the several stones I had dashed my ba-re feet on. I was totally afraid, I heard different types of sounds but the most frustrating thing was that I had no idea where I was. I thought of the possibility that there might be snakes and other dangerous animals in the bush and fear gr!pp£dmy heart.
I looked around again and saw the bushes and my heart beat skyrocketed several degrees and I soon found myself running. I heard footsteps like I was being pursued but later discovered that I was only imagining it. I didn’t even think about st©pping and even the moon seemed to darken. Just when I thought the footpath led to the end of the world, I saw a road ahead of me. I sighed aloud and ran fas-ter until I got there. I stood there trying to see if I had ever been there in order to find a way out but I c@m£ up with nothing.
The road was desolate and I started wondering if any vehicle had ever pas-sed it. I started walking upwards but my feet hurt so much that I feared they would be bleeding and that made my movements slow. I remembered that I was with my bag and I opened it hoping to God that my phone was still there. I Zi-pped it and lo, it was there. I switched it on and noticed that the time was past twelve and immediately, a message entered. When I opened it, I noticed that it was from Prisca. She was asking me why my phone was switched off. I was suddenly grateful that I had a best friend like Prisca. I was about to call her when I remembered that I had no idea what area I was. I intensified my efforts and I got to a T junction. Thanks to the efficient work of Fashola, I saw the street name which re-ad, ‘Boruwa lane’. I instantly dialed her number and all I heard was, “the number you have dialed is switched off, plea-se try again later, thank you”. I almost broke the phone on the floor as tears of anger and sadness flowed down my eyes.
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Kelvin got home really late from the concert and he had a splitting headache. The headache started immediately he set his eyes on Belina and it accelerated when she was called to the altar to sing. He hadn’t seen her for close to two years now and he had wished that he would not but fate always had its way.
He entered his house and coll@psed on the be-d. He lived in a one be-droom ap@rtment, although a big one. He was a bachelor so his room was not so decorated. His eyes were swimming with tears but he held it back.
His mind went back to the time he met Belina and even though he was not happy, a smile formed on his face. She had been sitting down on the field in UNILAG re-ading a book when all of a sudden, a guy walked up to her. He had been watching her for more than ten minutes when that big headed goat approached her. From her facial expression, he knew that she didn’t appreciate his visit and instantly headed toward her. He got there and wanted to beat the life out of that guy but kept his calm. The expression on her face when she had looked at him that day made him really feel handsome. People had told him he was good looking but he hadn’t believed it until Belina looked at him.
He stood up from the chair and moved to the fridge to pick out a bottle of cold beer. He had been friends with Belina for more than a year and after that, he had asked her out and after a little persuasion, she had accepted and then, just a week after her mother’s death, precisely six months into the relationsh!p, he had b!own them ap@rt with his stupidity. He started drinking immediately he left her because he bec@m£ very unhappy and miserable. It was then he realized that she was his source of happiness.
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Richa-rd was worried about Tony and Prisca being outside so late but there was nothing he could do about it, though he knew that Tony could take care of himself and his baby girl. He headed towards Ward C even though it wasn’t 1am yet, not even 12:30 but he went there all the same. As he pas-sed, he received greetings from some nurses and he smiled at them as he responded. He noticed those that were bent on flir-ting with him till he notices them but paid them no heed.
He entered Deji’s room and just stood there, staring at him. After some minutes, he went over to check on him. He cross-checked his heart beat, the drip bag, the temperature and other things looking for any anomaly but found none. He headed back to him office but st©pped at the door when he heard some sounds. He rushed back to Deji’s be-d as he noticed that he was moving restlessly. Richa-rd prayed in his heart and tried to calm him down and just like a miracle; Deji calmed down and opened his eyes.
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Sparrow woke up to a full bladder and he stood up, went outside and re-leased the urine. He c@m£ back inside and just as he was about lying down, he noticed something was missing. He looked round the small room and just when he felt everything was intact, he looked at the place the girl was lying, saw nothing and his eyes wi-de-ned. He stood up and went to inspect the place very well to be sure that his eyes were not pla-ying tricks but found no one. He went to spanner who was still snoring soundly and kicked him so ha-rd that he woke up in an instant.
“we-tin be your problem now?” spanner asked
“Where is the girl?”
“Which girl?” spanner asked Sparrow hissed,
“Which kind foolish question be dat? Wey the girl wey we bring come here?” he asked louder.
Spanner looked round and exclaimed, “Chai, our own don finish. I no no where she dey o”. Without saying anything, they both set out to look for Belina.
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As tony and Prisca made for Belina’s place, they noticed that the road was empty and so they were not scared of encountering any traffic. Prisca was worried that something was wrong so tony held her hand using one hand to control the steering.
“Don’t worry honey; I am sure she is ok. Uhhh, why don’t you call her, she might have switched on the phone”, tony said.
Prisca nodded and took her phone only to find it off. “oh, the battery is flat, give me yours” she said. Tony gave her his phone and she dialed Belina’s number which she knew off head and it rang. She almost danced for joy when it rang and she heard, “hello…”
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Mr Badmus was trying ha-rd to find sleep but he could not. He was just too happy to sleep. He stood up again to check if he had packed all he nee-ded for the journey and discovered that he had packed everything.
He had resigned from his job as a cashier during the day even though he had been on leave and was not due to return until the following week. He went back to be-d and sighed happily. His plan had worked and he just could not contain his happiness. He thought about Belina and smiled devilishly. “That stubborn b****** thought that she would not be useful for anything, well I have proved to her that I always have my way whenever I want to;” he thought.
He rolled on the be-d and started thinking about life in London. It had been a while he travelled out and he wanted to ensure that he did not come back an average man. ‘I would be stinkingly rich again’, he said audibly and after sometime, he was finally able to sleep and he dreamt of his life in London.
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I walked down the lane crying. My life just seemed to be going bad by the day. I felt like dying and all of a sudden, my phone went alive and I picked up almost immediately.
“Hello Prisca, oh prisca… thank God you called” I said still crying. Even my mum’s admonition about tears could not st©p my tears.
“What is the matter Belina? I had been calling like forever, are you ok?” she asked.
“No, you only nee-d to see me but I nee-d your help now, I would tell you everything later”.
“I knew you were not ok, we are alre-ady on our way to your house now, tony and I” she said.
“No, no, don’t go there o, I am not there. I am at boruwa lane. I don’t know the area but that is where I am, on the road”. I said hurridly
“What are you doing there and where the hell is that?” she asked then paused to ask Tony before she said, “Tony knows the place, stay where you are baby, we are coming”. She said and hung up.
The breeze turned cold and I looked at the sky and I noticed that it was about to rain. My tears started coming more frequently and I tried to subside it. I noticed that the bushes were moving and I thought it was due to the breeze. I moved slowly so that I would be easy to locate. I heard something that resembles footsteps and I stood completely still but I almost pas-sed out when I heard two people’s voices coming closer.
I scanned the area quic-kly and saw a place where the bush was thicker and ran there silently. I entered the bush without thinking about the snakes and scorpions I might find there. I saw two guys and I identified them to be the guys who abducted me; they were obviously searching for me. I stood completely still even my breath seemed to cease. They started scanning the area and when one of them looked in my direction, I expected him to see me instantly and just pick me out of the bush but instead, he looked away. I breathed out but stood still for fear of giving myself away.
“Ei, I don die”, one of them said, placing his hands on his head. “Ahhh, see gbege. Which kind sleep we sleep so, ehn? we-tin we go tell oga Tolu now?” the other said I scanned my head to see if I knew any Tolu but I didn’t. “Oga Tolu palava no worse reach Oga Tunji own, him go kill us”, the first said. “na you cause am o spanner, why you sleep after I tell you say make you watch the girl”.
The other whose name I now knew was spanner said, “you no well. Make I dey watch person when you dey sleep abi? Na me no sabi sleep?” spanner asked the other. He didn’t answer, so they started scanning the area again. Spanner saw something and st©pped.
“Sparrow….” He called and pointed a place to him. They both looked there and I found myself looking in that direction too. I saw a light that looked very much like a headlight. My immediate thought went to Tony and Prisca and I started thinking of how I would get out my phone without catching the attention of the two guys. I looked at the two guys and noticed that they were moving backwards trying to hide themselves.
I brou-ght out my phone and dialed Prisca. She picked almost immediately and I spoke quietly. “Pric, where are you” I asked.
“I was just about to call, we are at Boruwa lane now but we can’t find you”.
“I can see your head lamp so just come forward. The guys are after me and they are few steps away from me. I would start running towards you guys, so pls, open the door so that I can get in immediately you reach me” I said.
“ok”, she said and hung up.
I saw the vehicle coming ahead of me so I said a little prayer and c@m£ out of the bush. I started running towards the car, waving at them so that they would recognize me. I noticed that the footsteps I heard were not mine only so I looked back, lo and behold, they were at my heels. I ran with all my might and when I got to the car, it slowed down; the door was alre-ady open so I jumped in and the car zoomed off almost running over one of the two.
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 6