Ahmad
I didn't move. I couldn't move at all. I was paralyzed with fear.
Slowly, she closed her eyes and opened them, and then closed them again. I knew she was telling me to close my eyes. I did, and then I heard the wrestling of skin over the hissing sound of the serpent and my curiosity got the better of me. I opened my eyes.
The flash of white teeth in the dark let me know she was smiling. How could she... where was the...
"If Mama can see me now" she said solemnly, "She will give me a big bowl of Amala and ewedu." She boasted. Almost immediately, her tone switched from excitement to sadness.
"She like snake soup very well."
I swallowed hard and finally allowed my voice to ask.
"Where is it?" I asked slowly, barely audibly.
"I keep it head under me." She replied.
Under her? Did she mean she was sitting on it? I wanted to ask her to explain what she meant, but then we heard voices above us.
"Did you find him?"
"No!"
There was an exasperated sigh of frustration and then, accompanied by a heavy slap!
"How could you let him escape!" The one who seemed to be the Boss thundered.
I looked from above our heads to my friend who had a finger to my lips. As though I needed to be told to be quiet.
"I am sorry Sir! We cannot explain it either. One minute he was there and the next, he just... vanished!"
"Nonsense! How can an 11-year-old kid vanish before all your dumb adult eyes!" he yelled again.
"Split the useless balls you call a team. Scout the entire area and report back in a few minutes!"
Then I heard the sound of retreating footsteps rushing to do their Boss' bidding.
With my heart racing in my chest, I recalled how I had gotten here. Who I was and who the girl that had her hand over my mouth and a snake under her was. It was all clear.
"Useless bunch!" The one who seemed to be the Boss spat. Because I was looking up, the thick slimy liquid dropped right on my face. Yes! If he only looked down for a second, he would see us. But he didn't and he started to pace, moving slightly away from us as he cursed!
I brought my hand to wipe out his smelly saliva which was already finding its way to my mouth. Then I heard his phone buzz.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" he cursed profusely as he stomped his feet. "Hello Rogue!" he said, clearly to the person on the other side. "Yes. We have the merchandise."
"I gave you my word, did I not?"
"Of course, it's a rare type. You will be pleased."
"Did you put the money where it should be? Cash?"
"Good"
"Of course, I do not know why you worry! Have I ever failed in my promise to deliver?"
"Good!"
I was clearly the merchandise. Well, me and the girl, should we be caught? I made a mental note to ask her about her name once we are out of danger.
"Damn those useless bunches!" He cursed again, stomping his foot on the ground and sending some sand down our pit and into our faces.
Just then, the retreated footsteps returned.
"Did you find him?"
"N...n... no s!"
There was the loud sound of a gunshot and then, silence. "Useless bunch. All of you!" He spat again.
"Now listen up. Finding that boy is the only way any of you will remain alive. Do you hear me? Find that Diplomat's Son, or await your death!" He roared.
The scurried footsteps came again. Had he just shot someone dead? I doubled the hand on my mouth to prevent any whimpering sound from coming out by placing my hands over hers, onto my mouth.
At that point, I made another du'a, silently. The same one that Prophet Yusuf had made.
My Lord, Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die as a Muslim and join me with the righteous.
There was a flash of light above the tunnel. And I the hiss of a snake. I felt my friend's hand press harder against my mouth and the gnashing of her teeth. What was she doing? She held my mouth and she made sounds.
The footsteps were deliberate as they approached the tunnel.
I was now very worried. I felt her feet against mine, pressing harder against the ground. After a while, the flashlight just above us faded away and the footstep retreated. Then my friend's hands slipped away from my mouth, and she said, "It dead." Her voice was slurred. "But... we...have to leave...in this night."
"You are bitten." I said in fear.
She humphed. "Long... long ago." She confirmed.
I must have really overestimated her. She was just a girl for Allah's sake.
"Where?" I made to rise, but she gasped.
"Les go out fest. Iya...Olu will use the snake to remove the poison."
She was right about that, I couldn't help if we remained here. So, I stood to my full height. The exit of the pit was not so far from my head and so I reached out.
It was my turn to ask her "Can you walk?"
"Me? I can carry you sef." She struggled out.
That she still had that sense of humour baffled me.
"Let me take you out," I told her, and suddenly, the pain in my leg did not matter anymore. In fact, I couldn't feel it anymore. I was a boy scout. It wasn't hard to climb up and down the walls. Even smooth ones. But I needed a push. She was not in a state to help me.
I had to do it. By myself.
"What's your name?" I asked suddenly.
She scoffed. "Call me Girl. My former name is bad luck. I change it later."
I will give her a befitting name when we got out, In shaa Allah. If she really had no place to go, maybe we could go back to Abuja together... first, survive Ahmad. Survive. Get both of you out of this place.
I tore out my shirt and wrapped each piece around my hands.
"What you are doing?" She asked, dazed.
"Saving us." I answered simply and began to use my nails on the walls. There had to be a softer side. The side with the whole in the block. I found them all in no time and smiled. Well, my scoutmaster did get a few things right.
Without any more delay, I began to climb the wall, but came down again.
"Listen. When I get up, I will untie these ropes and extend them to you. Can you hold it?"
"Yes. But if I correct, morning is close to reaching." She said. "if you go straight, Oloye boys will catch you. That one is kill, not sell o." She warned.
"You willi use the corner in right. That one longer, but you... you willi burst in street. Everybody is selling their things by that time. Tell Iya Olu. She only sell akara there, to come and carry me. You, Malue will carry you..."
"That's nonsense!"I snapped. She was not telling me to leave her here alone, and save myself.
"I will not leave you alone here."
"No o... leave ke. You save me and you like that. See, poison strong small in this snake. I can't run. They will catch us fast. But find Iya Olu. Olu be Oloye girl. If she say she want to come here, say she is finding me, Oloye and him boys will gree her. by that time, you save me, you wait for me if you afraid of Malue, I will carry you to Ojo own. He is good man."
I was listening to her, and she made sense. It would be a burden to carry her. It will be dawn soon. I had sniper and his gang after me and then, this was Oloye's Den. The venom had long begun to spread in her system and she was too weak. She might even die if I delayed. If we were caught by either Oloye or Snipper's gang, we were dead meat for sure.
Getting to this Iya Olu fast might be my best chance at saving her and myself. I was conflicted.
"Don't think too much o. Abi you want me die?"
"No. Of course not." The response came with a streak of tears rolling down my eyes.
"Ah. Fresh boy, kini? If you cry, me too cry o."
I dabbed the tears away and knelt down beside her.
"Wait for me... I will bring Iya Olu to you and you will be fine."
This time, she nodded and I felt her body shake.
That was all the confirmation I needed. I climbed out of the hole and took the right, according to her description. I dragged my injured foot along and ran as fast as it could carry me.
By the time I arrived at the busy lane, Iya Olu was just coming out with her pan. I scanned the place to find that she was the only one with kose pan.
I ran to her, shirtless, breathing hard. Iya Olu stopped upon seeing me. She had a shocked expression.
"A girl is inside Oloye's pit. She said you will know her. she has been bitten by a snake. She is this tall, and very skinny. She has big eyes. Please save her. she said you will save her." I was hysterical. I was scared. I was worried.
"Omaye!" The woman shouted. A young girl came out. "Yes, mo."
"No be him be this?" She asked the girl, not moving her eyes from me.
What? Had Snipper gotten here so fast? I took a step backward. Was I in the wrong place?
Omaye looked at me from the head. "Ehn... he look like am small. Iya Olu, that boy fresh o."
The woman gave her a dirty look and then turned back to me, smiling. "You say Olorun ma je dey Oloye pit. Eyya poor boy. Na where you bin dey be that?"
I was now really scared. She saw through my actions and said to her employee. "Omaye, go and call Olu. We dey go Oloye pit go carry Ma je. You go wait ni abi you wan go?" She asked me.
Despite all the warnings my brain gave, despite my usually rational self, I responded. "Ma, I will wait for for Maje."
The woman smiled. "Come and sit inside. Very soon, Ma je will be here with us. Oloye snake na poisonous ones o. But we sabi commot am fast fast. You get money pay?"
At that time, I nodded. I didn't have a dime, but I wanted them to cure her first.
The woman laughed and hit my arm playfully "Omo lowo. You get money well, well. Oya, wait for me here. Olu!!!" She shouted. Again. this time, her daughter answered.
"Oya, come, Oloye house dey call us."
"Mama, e never too early?"
"Early your head. That good girl wet dey bring us pepper dey inside his snake pit by mistake. We dey go carry her out."
"Eh? Ma je is where?" The girl rushed out wearing her slippers, and following her mother in urgency. She didn't even notice the presence of a stranger.
Okay, AlhamduliLlaah they all seemed to like my friend. Who wouldn't? She was so compassionate and selfless.
"Oya take. You don too run today." Omaye said, passing a cup of water to me. In gratitude, and without hesitation, I finished the cup in a gulp, then I vegan to doze off.
The last thing I remembered hearing was "Omo lowo, just sleep ehn. This money no go pass my madam."
End of Flashback
***
"So... that was why I did not meet you when I woke up." She asked.
I nodded. "Your Iya Olu gave me up for the reward. I discovered latter on that my Missing pictures had been posted everywhere, with a reward of 5 Million Naira."
Amanah hugged me tightly. "As she should. She was the only woman, until then who had shown me true kindness. She, her family and employees. When I delivered Pepper from the Hausa trader, she would give me akara and sometimes, with bread. The reward for you was well deserved."
Then she paused and touched my beard.
"Indeed Allah works in miraculous ways. I never thought Fresh Boy would be an important part of my life. I had been disappointed when I didn't see you after I woke up. But Iya u told me everything, so it was easy to forget you. You were so high after all. Friendship between us was an impossibility in it self. Plus, after all you went through, I felt you deserved to be happy."
I closed my eyes at her words. "I am sorry Amma. I forgot most of the ordeal. For years, I had nightmares about that day. But I could not recall the whole incident."
She moved back, so that she can see me clearly.
"Yes Amma. I forgot about the details of the pit, and you. I only remembered Oloye Street. It was the biggest part of my nightmare. I knew something huge had happened there, sometimes collected the pieces, albeit, in pain and mystery, but not everything. Like the pit, I always dreamed of it... But I always saw myself alone there.
It was so bad that one day, We had a drug trafficking matter with the EFCC, The SAN on the other end was Oloye something. I rejected it immediately and told everyone never to accept any matter the SAN was a part of. It was... Just the name."
She hugged me again. "You went through a lot." She comforted. "But Allah never leaves His servants. You have been in so much pain for years, yet you were able to mask it from the public. Allah aided you in concealing your weaknesses for from the public eye."
"Aided us" I corrected. "Are you not a huge part of that a lot? Allah used you to save my life. Allah used you to give me the courage I needed to escape. It was the fear that I never got back to you as promised. The fear of whether Iya Olu kept to her words or failed that haunted me the most... So my memory chose to forget you."
She giggled. "What? So now you are a doctor?"
I smiled. "Somewhat. The doctors said I needed to remember . That until I did, I wouldn't heal. They said I was holding on to a memory and if couldn't recall it, we wouldn't progress."
"You went for therapy?"
"Twice. The first time, they tried to get me down the memory lane of what happened. The second time, they tried to make me forget. Both failed. Ended up making me a wreck for weeks. Mom said I was so ill they thought they would lose me.
So I simply refused to go for anymore. Latter on when our family psychiatrist said to come back and continue, I refused. He got tired of asking and just told Mom and Dad that so far as I was not triggered, I would live a peaceful and graceful life. Nothing would hinder my success, bi'uthniLlaah."
She nodded.l, then slowly said, "That day..."
I knew the day she meant, and I knew it was high time someone heard about what happened. And who better, than the woman in the out with me?
"The night before that day, I had arranged my gifts in the room and wanted them delivered to you before my arrival. I found something unusual about it. I found bounding ropes in them. I hadn't kept them there, but had thought it was mixed order from the company or something. Then I managed to pull away from it.
I got to the garage, and before I could open my booth, someone flashed the light. The lights came on and off... And then off. And then, there was only a flashlight from a distance... The headache was too much. I found my way back upstairs and... Into that room...
The rest of the story, you are abreast with. Amma, I am sorry once again."
She shook her head. "AlhamduliLlaah for everything. I wouldn't have known you had a condition." Then as though an afterthought, she added "Get rid of that room, and... consent to go for therapy."
I looked at her. "I have the trauma and a room, but your trauma and room is inside of you. We... Will both go for therapy.l, Amma. You are deeply hurt too."
She looked like she wanted to complain, but decided against it. Wise woman.
"Okay. The best healing is of Allah, though."
I kissed her hand. "And Allah told us to ask those of knowledge if we do not know."
"Ah. Someone is implementing the ways of a Sunni Lawyer."
"Yes, someone is. What does Ma je mean?" I asked out of the blues.
She stiffened, but replied. "My aunt called me that. Olurun Ma je. Which means God... forbid! I cannot recall my original name."
"AudhubiLlaah!" I couldn't believe someone would name another person's child that. "That was why you said you wanted to change the name, and that I should just call you Girl."
She nodded. "Well, AlhamduliLllah. Umm Sophia understands Yoruba. She changed it immediately to Amanah. She said I was a gift placed in her care."
"And she has never been so right." I said taking her hands again and looking up into her eyes.
"I want to hear what happened after they found you."
She shrugged. "Iya Olu was a very kind woman. She asked what I wanted. I told her I wanted to go to Kaduna. Of course, at the time, I thought it was the farthest place in Nigeria. I had just wanted to leave the place that I could be traced easily to Papa's death. The next morning, she asked a driver she trusted to drop me off in Kaduna, and even gave me money to survive with. She said I should enter the markets and sell for people and I will make it, eventually. The driver dropped me at Angwar Sarki bus stop and I found my way around."
I felt tears trickle my eyes. She had been through a lot. "How... How did Umm Sophia get to you?" My voice came out coarse.
She shrugged. "I found them. I remember walking on the streets and people thinking I was an almajiri. I wandered from place to place. Most confused me for a boy. Not that I blamed them. I didn't wear a hijab and I wore a trouser.
One night, my sleeping post was allotted to someone. I found myself out cold. I had been hungry, tired and out of money for days now, so I just laid on the first door I saw. AlhmaduliLlah, it was in Kinkinau. AlhmduliLlaah, it was umm Sophia's house."
"AlhamduliLlaah." I said also, and I was in deed grateful to Allah. I made a mental note to call Umm Sophia and Sophie tomorrow, In Shaa Allah.
"I now understand why you were so upset about the flour too. Not that either of us shouldn't be."
"Allah says to be grateful to Him and He will give us more." She reminded me.
"What I did was a pure act of ingratitude.... Because I forgot where I used to be a few years back. But Allah reminded me through you, and made it such that I recognized it as a reminder. No... Before you say anything, I have forgiven myself Ahmad and I know my repentance was sincere...." She stood up from my legs finally and with a mischievously smile, said,
"And that is why we are going on a visitation next weekend, In Shaa Allah. Where is the nearest Orphanage?"
She had that playful look now. The one I loved so much, and like that, I knew even if the Orphanage was in Jerusalem, we were flying to meet it Next weekend , In Shaa Allah.