Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
News  

Rays Of Love And Blood! (3)

By Segun Durowaiye
06 February 2015   |   11:00 pm
Continued from last week Saturday HE started shaking while moving towards Toun, who was still enjoying herself with the pot-bellied man.   “Toun! Toun!! Toun !!!” he screamed, “Is this true?”    “En…hen, what’s the matter? Any problem mister man?” Toun said, sounding as if he had not seen him in her entire life.  …

Continued from last week Saturday

HE started shaking while moving towards Toun, who was still enjoying herself with the pot-bellied man.

  “Toun! Toun!! Toun !!!” he screamed, “Is this true?” 

  “En…hen, what’s the matter? Any problem mister man?” Toun said, sounding as if he had not seen him in her entire life.

  “Who is the young man, Toun?” the elderly man asked.

  “I don’t know him, he looks like someone out of his mind,” she said while chewing bubble gum in a carefree manner. At that very moment the veil of charm covering Lekan’s eyes suddenly cleared, thus making him realize the true situation of things for the past few weeks. He knew he had been charmed. The first thought that came to his mind was Chioma!

“Chioma…” he whispered to himself,  “what is happening? Where could she be at this moment?” he asked again. When Lekan got home that evening he wasn’t himself. He tried to remember what had happened a couple of months ago. He could remember that he beat Chioma and drove her out of his flat. He wondered how he met Toun. It was through his parents who wanted him to marry a Yoruba girl by all means. ‘What kind of bad dream is this?’ he thought. How could he do this to her, a lady who was disowned by her parents simply because she was dating him. Tears gathered in his eyes, he cleaned it with his right hand. 

    The love that existed between him and Chioma was deep; so deep that he’d confronted his parents when they broached the idea that he should marry a Yoruba girl. Their love was beyond tribal or cultural boundaries. Throughout that day he couldn’t eat. The following day when he got to the office he couldn’t concentrate on anything.  His colleagues in the office knew something was wrong with him, but he didn’t disclose it. He was just brooding and moody. The third day he still could not do anything at home, he was in deep melancholy. When he got to the office he thought he had to pour out his feelings to his colleagues. He did open up so he could get relief.

When he got to his parent’s house the fifth day he opened up his repressed emotions. He felt so bad to have injured the real love of his life.

“Mum, dad,” he said, “I really can’t understand how the girl you brought to my house that day became my live-in-lover. It’s a mystery to me! Why I am here today is to let you know that I caught the said girl red-handed with a sugar daddy. She is a harlot of the highest order. Please, mum, dad, Chioma is gone and I don’t know her whereabouts…are you listening to me? I am confused…”

“Go on with your talk,” his dad said, “we never knew that Toun could be that bad and irresponsible.”

“That is a most horrible and detestable thing to do,” his mum interjected, “if we had known her to be so bad and wayward we wouldn’t force her on you. It was a mistake on our part. It is our culture and tradition that our children marry from our tribe. We are so sorry. So, what are you going to do now? You said you can’t find Chioma, and you mentioned that she’s pregnant…hmm… I pray nothing bad happens to her… if you can find her we’ll welcome her back with our whole heart. We’ve learnt our lessons. Sorry, Lekan, you look so sad, depressed and worried.”

“Don’t be annoyed with us, Lekan,” his dad chipped in, “we are not God and so we are not perfect. You’ll marry your heart’s desire. But when shall we see Chioma now? Please Lekan, we’ll be on the lookout for her, and if you see her tell her we are in support of the relationship, it is all over. We’ll go and see her parents and do the necessary things as their custom demands.”

Lekan, all this while was just shaking his head. He was at a loss because he didn’t know what to do. Then he thought of going to Chioma’s parents to beg them for the hand of Chioma in marriage. He reasoned that Chioma must be back home with her parents. That was a grievous mistake on his part. The kind of anger shown by Chioma’s parents is better imagined than described.

“Where did you put our daughter?” Chioma’s dad asked in fiery anger.

“We heard she’s been with you for the past three months since we drove her out and disowned her for loving you! May Amadioha strike you dead! You must have used my daughter for money-making ritual, you wicked soul!” 

“Wait sir, let me explain,” Lekan begged, “sincerely I don’t know her whereabouts.” 

“God! Hear what he’s saying? I’m taking you to the police station straightaway! You murderer!” Chioma’s dad, Mr. Okechukwu, was very furious. He grabbed Lekan by his shirt and dragged him to the police station very close to his house. Chioma’s mum also accompanied her husband. She was just sighing repeatedly with these words on her lips. “Biko, help us O, our daughter is missing after spending weeks with her boyfriend!”

“Take it easy, madam,” the Inspector  in charge of the case said to Chioma’s mum, “we’ll get to the root of the matter.” Mr. Okechukwu instantly gave the Inspector N10,000 and levelled a false accusation against Lekan, saying that he had used his daughter  for money-making ritual. Lekan was shocked when he was remanded in prison custody immediately. He broke down and wept, but the police officers further harassed and put him behind bars even while he cried that he was unjustly treated, begging them for leniency…

To be concluded next week Saturday.

 

0 Comments