Chapter 19
"Get inside the car." Aunty Vivian said coldly to her children, "We're leaving Kaduna now."
David took a step forward but Davina pulled him back by his collar.
"Why?" Davina snapped, "Who said we want to go?"
"Davina." Her mother frowned, "I don't have time to argue with you today. If you love your life, better enter this car now."
"I love my life, so I'm leaving you." Daniella said to Davina and took David along with her to the jeep.
Davina glared at her mother before she said to me, "Let's enter."
Kauna and I were about to enter the jeep but aunty Vivian stopped us.
"Wait wait wait." She sneered at me and Kauna, "Whose this?"
I looked at her in disbelief. This woman must be blind.
"Mummy." Davina waved her hands, "Its Miriam. Our cousin."
"This?" Her mother pointed at me like I was a 'thing'. She looked at me up and down in disdain before shaking her head. "I don't who that is. Davina enter the car."
"Mummy are you joking right now?" Davina scoffed, "We can't just leave them her-"
"Don't make me repeat myself again!" She snapped.
Davina eyed her mother and hissed before stomping to enter the other side of the car.
Aunty Vivian sneered at us before searching through her bag. She brought out some amount of 20 Naira notes and held it up.
"If it's money you're looking for," She said and stretched her hands outside the window, "Take."
I glared at her and slowly folded my arms, refusing to take her stupid money. What does she take us for? Cheap beggars?
"Because I'm being considerate." She hissed and flung the money to our faces, "Useless children."
She winds up her window as the money notes flew in the air around me. The jeep started driving off, leaving Kauna and I to stand alone outside.
Kauna looked at the money scattered on the ground and bent down to pick them up.
"Don't." I warned her while glaring at the jeep in a distance. The witch thinks I'm very stupid to believe she doesn't remember me. Let alone she thinks she can treat me like mess after what she did with aunty Claire.
Kauna didn't say anything but obeyed. I turned to the side to see a group of children watching us in a distance as they sat under a tree in front of the nearest house.
I ignored their stares and took Kauna's hand to leave that area. As we walked away, the children ran to where we left and all gathered to pack the money from the ground.
Kauna and I got to the house while the jeep was still parked inside the compound. As we entered the gate, I heard aunty Vivian shouting inside the house. At the same time, Davina stomped out of the house and entered the jeep before slamming the jeep door.
"Where's that stupid girl!" Aunty Vivian shouted as she rushed out of the house to beat Davina. But kaka pulled her back and aunty Vivian jumped in annoyance.
"Can you imagine?!" She shouted in Kaka's face, "I've been calling this girl for 3 days and she hasn't been picking up my calls. How do you expect me not to come and carry them away in case anything happens to them?! And that stupid girl has the mouth to insult me!" She hits her chest, "Her mother?!"
Kaka just stood there with folded arms, unconcerned about what aunty Vivian was telling her. I knew how much kaka didn't like her and no amount of shouting will make kaka care either.
Kauna and I just stood by the gate as we didn't want to get involved with whatever was happening. Aunty Vivian's driver came out of the house with the two boxes the triple Ds came with and put it in the boot.
"Daniella! David!" Aunty Vivian shouted from outside the house door, "Come and enter the car now!"
Daniella was struggling to come out of the house because she was dragging a wailing David.
"Mummy I don't want to go!" David cried as she was dragging him outside the house.
I shook my head at the scene in front of me. These people were full drama.
Aunty Vivian didn't waste time as she lifted David from the ground and carried him into the jeep.
"You think I have all the time! It's night and we have to get back to Abuja before 10!" She said as she threw David inside the back seat.
Daniella quickly rushed to the jeep as well and entered in order to avoid her mother's shouting. Aunty Vivian entered the front seat as the driver rushed to start the car.
Without anybody telling me what to do, I opened the gate and waited for the jeep to pass by. The jeep moved and as it passed the gate, Daniella wind down her the back seat glass and shouted, "Bye Miriam! We'll miss you!"
I waved at her and smiled. I took a quick glance as Davina was just sitting at the other end, and staring outside the window in annoyance. And David was in between them, still crying. Poor children.
The jeep drove off into the street and I shut the gate and walked back into the house. Kauna had already entered while Kaka was still standing in front of the house.
"Wow." Was all I could say to Kaka. She scoffed and shook her head.
"But isn't it late for them to be traveling back? It's already dark." I said while looking at the night sky.
Kaka took her notepad from her purse bag and wrote on it.
'I warned her but she won't listen.' She wrote.
I shrugged, "I wish them safe journey."
We walked back inside the house and I shut the net door. Before I closed the main door, I stood and stared at the outside compound through the transparent net door.
The triple Ds were gone. They were vanished from my life. Just like that.
****
I didn't know what time it was, but it felt like early midnight when Kaka barged into my room. I was deep asleep and she shook me from my bed, causing me to groan.
I sat up in my sleepy state and stared at her through the dark room and she held her phone to my face. I couldn't see her face but I was too tired to be concerned about why she woke me up.
"Yes Kaka?" I yawned.
She shook her phone in my face and I could see she was on a call with... Aunty Vivian.
I frowned at the phone and kaka gestured that I should answer it quickly, since she couldn't talk. I didn't want to talk to the witch but since it looked urgent, I quickly took the phone and answered it.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Miriam!" Aunty Vivian shouted over the phone, causing me to remove it from my ear for a second. "Is this Miriam?!"
"Yes?" I responded in confusion, it sounded like there was trouble. "What's wrong?"
"Arm robbers!" She shouted while panting, "Arm robbers!"
My eyes widened and I looked at kaka, who was very curious to know what was happening.
"Aunty calm down." I said and stood up from my bed, "Where are you?"
****
It took a little while before the taxi driver and I could get to where aunty Vivian and her children were. I had to take a late night taxi because aunty Vivian had explained that the robbers busted their jeep tires before robbing them.
I looked outside the window from time to time to find aunty Vivian's jeep. Once we got to an empty road, not too far from a small village that was on the outskirt of Mansur, I noticed aunty Vivian's driver standing in the middle of the road. And the jeep stood few metres behind him.
I told the taxi driver to stop and quickly came down from the car. I rushed to their side and the driver shouted, "Aunty Help! Please help us! We've been robbed!"
"Where are they?" I asked him.
He understood who I was talking about and rushed me to the jeep. Once I got closer to the jeep, the first thing I noticed was how the two front tires were deflated. The doors of the jeep were open and I noticed all of them were asleep in the back seat, except for aunty Vivian who sat on the passenger seat and was staring into space in shock.
"Aunty." I called.
She looked up immediately and jumped down from her seat.
"Thank God you're here." She said sharply, "We've been stranded for almost two hours because there was no service. Lets go before those robbers come back. "
"Is everybody okay?" I asked curiously. "Did they touch anybody?"
"Nothing bad happened! They just stole our things and left." She said before putting her head inside the jeep, "Children! Wake up!"
I nodded in relief and quickly went to the back seat to wake the others. Davina woke up first and Daniella followed when her sister pushed her head from her shoulders. I noticed David was not sleeping in between them and looked round the car but didn't find him.
"Where's David?" I asked.
"He was here-" Aunty Vivian said and stopped when she looked at the driver's seat. Her eyes widened and she looked under but didn't find him. "Where's David?!"
"He was sleeping beside you mummy." Daniella said in her sleepy state.
Aunty Vivian ran to the driver's side of the car and looked around. But didn't find him.
"Titus!" She called the driver and he ran quickly to her, "Did you see David leaving the car?"
"Ahh." He shook his head, "No ma."
"I'm finished." She put her hands on her head and jumped, "Everybody come down and search everywhere."
We all did. I also told the taxi driver to wait and help us to find a small boy with a red tshirt. Titus and the taxi driver went into the bush to look for him. The rest of us looked for him around the jeep area, even under the jeep and in the boot.
"David." Aunty Vivian kept jumping and panting worriedly, "Where are you?!"
"Don't worry we'll find him as soon as possible. Maybe he went to piss." I said.
The two drivers came back and said they didn't see anyone anywhere around. Aunty Vivian didn't give up and made sure we kept looking.
It took almost an hour before we decided to let it go. The taxi driver complained that we shouldn't be staying in such an unsafe area and it's best we wait till tomorrow morning to confirm.
"Please I can't leave without him." Aunty Vivian cried out.
"Aunty I think the driver is right. We have to go or else somebody else might get missing." I said, "I promise we'll find David tomorrow."
She didn't answer as she kept crying. Davina and Daniella were silent all through, not knowing what to say but they were really scared for David as well.
"This is why I keep telling people not to travel in the night. It's not safe at all!" The taxi driver complained as we walked to his car. But nobody answered him.
We all entered the taxi and Aunty Vivian kept looking back and crying about how she didn't want to leave. We were able to leave the area with the only two items available- the two small boxes. Every other item was taken away from them by the robbers.
Before getting back to Mansur, we went to the nearest house in the village, which was owned by a farmer because it was directly beside a farm. We woke the house owner up and begged to tell the villagers about a missing small boy in the area. We gave him details of David and what he was wearing and then gave him my house address to bring David back if he finds him.
After the taxi driver dropped us in front of my house gate, we entered through the gate door and found kaka sitting outside the house, patiently waiting for us. The moment she saw us entering the compound, she stood up immediately and rushed to our side.
Aunty Vivian was still crying and Kaka looked at her in curiosity. Aunty Vivian fell into kaka and kept weeping on her. Then kaka looked at me in confusion.
"David is missing." I said.
Kaka gasped and quickly reached for her pad. She wrote on it and gave it to me instead.
'Don't worry I'm sure he's safe. We'll make sure we find him tomorrow.' She wrote.
"I hope so Kaka." I said in worrisome. "I hope so."
*****
It was 6am and I was the first to get up from Kaka's bed as I had slept in her room again with her and Kauna. I decided to make breakfast for everyone, even though I doubt most of them will eat.
I walked out of the room and slowly shut the door to avoid noise. As I turned around, I jumped when I saw Davina sitting on the floor and resting her back on the couch that faced the front door.
"You're awake." I said in surprise but she didn't answer or look at me.
I walked closer to her and squatted to be on her level. She just sat there, with her hands wrapped around her knees. She looked very scared, like a lost child in the park.
"He's safe. I promise." I said.
She didn't say anything but just continue staring into space in fear. I sighed and stood up to leave. As I walked, she spoke up.
"What if he's dead?" She said and shook her head, "God I'll kill my mum."
I didn't say anything but just continue walking. Then she spoke up again before I could enter the kitchen.
"How did you heal?" She asked, "From Mama's death."
I stood by the kitchen in silence. She turned to look at me.
"I haven't healed." I responded lastly.
I got back to the kitchen and leaned against the door. My focus to cook was not there anymore. Depression was starting to fall on me. Just like it was for everybody. We really don't know what's happening to David right now and we can't guarantee ourselves that he was that safe.
Everybody woke up not long after I did. It seemed like most of them couldn't sleep. I simply prepared milo tea and bread for everyone. Daniella, Davina and Kauna ate in the parlour and Aunty Vivian refused to come out of my room. So I decided to take it to her.
I knocked on the door before entering my room. Aunty Vivian was sitting on the ground with her back leaning against the door. One of the red boxes were open and she held onto David's Christmas shirt like she wasn't letting go. From her face, I could tell she was crying all night. Her eyes were red and swollen and she smelt like a damp human.
She didn't say anything when I entered and I chose not to talk either. I silently dropped the tray of her share of tea and bread by her side and I heard her speak to herself.
"It's all my fault." She whispered while staring into space. "If only I wasn't absent minded at that moment, I would have seen him leaving the car."
I didn't say anything because I knew if I talked, problem. I completely drop the tray and was about to leave when she quickly grabbed my wrist, causing me to look at her in fear.
"Miriam.." She trailed off while looking at me. Well good to know you remember me now.
I waited for her to say something but then she didn't let out a single word. She quickly removed her hand from my wrist and clutched David's shirt to her mouth and cried on it.
No sense of sympathy or sadness was coming way. The only reason why I was to be sad was for Davina and Daniella. And not this woman.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. I looked up in surprise and quickly went to the parlor to open it. I opened it to reveal Alhaji Maitama. Of course, the Minister of Amebo would find his way to this matter too. He was with both a police man and the farmer from last night.
"Asalam alaykum." Alhaji Maitama greeted from outside the door and turned to the farmer, "This man was looking for you."
"Yes. I'm looking for the mother of the boy." The farmer said.
"I'm here." Aunty Vivian said immediately from behind and came to stand beside me.
"Madam we've found your son." The farmer said. I sighed in relief and Davina and Daniella stood up immediately. "But we want you to identify him."
****
Aunty Vivian and I were the only ones that followed the three men to the farmer's house. I had to go because Aunty Vivian was not familiar with the surroundings and may get lost when coming back.
We had to go all the way back to the small village outside of Mansur, going back to the exact house we stopped in last night.
All five of us entered the man's parlor and Aunty Vivian and I sat down while the men stood and stared at us.
"Before I bring him." The farmer said to us, "I want you to know that I found him in my farm when I went to farm really early this morning."
"That doesn't matter." Aunty Vivian said sharply and looked around, "Where is he?"
The farmer nodded and walked into his room. He was in there for a little while as we all sat there, impatiently waiting for David to come out. Alhaji maitama and the policeman just kept staring at Aunty Vivian who was just shaking beside me.
The farmer came out with a black nylon bag. Aunty Vivian and I looked at him in confusion, wondering why he hasn't come out with David.
"What's this?" Aunty Vivian pointed to the nylon.
"Your son." He replied.
I looked at it in surprise and covered my mouth.
"No I'm waiting for my son to come out." Aunty folded her arms, "So why are you bringing the nylon to me."
"Because he's here." He raised it a little.
Aunty Vivian came to her senses and slowly stood up while frowning at the bag. And I followed to.
She slowly walked to his direction and the man held out the nylon for us to see what was inside. Aunty Vivian was the first to see and when she did... she fell to the ground.
"It's him right?" He asked her.
Aunty Vivian didn't say anything but just crawled on the ground and whispered some things to herself in shock.
My heart was beating fast. I didn't want to look at the nylon. I really didn't want to. But I knew I had to.
I pulled the side of the nylon and looked inside. I gasped and put my hands over my mouth. No no no.
Suddenly, Aunty Vivian started screaming as she was on the ground.
"My son!" She screamed and shook violently on the ground. Alhaji and the police man went to hold her but she kept screaming and struggling. "My son! My son!!!"
I, on the other hand, was still staring at the nylon in shock. My eyes were starting to get watery. Or it was already flooding rather.
"It's him right?" The man asked me.
I nodded while staring at the nylon speechlessly.
"Did... Did you find any lollipop?" I asked him curiously.
"Yes. It was in his trouser pocket." He said.
I didn't say anything but stared at the nylon. It was supposed to be a quick glance but I was too frozen to look away.
David was... dead. He was beheaded. Only his pale little head was inside the nylon bag. With the number '9' written on his forehead.
****
The hardest part was not knowing he was killed. The hardest part was not seeing how he was killed. The hardest part was telling his sisters.
I was the last to enter the gate while we returned home. Alhaji Maitama and aunty Vivian walked into the house as everybody was patiently waiting in the parlour for us.
After shutting the gate, I refused to enter the house. I stood by the gate and stared at what was going on inside through the transparent net door.
I watched as alhaji Maitama said some things to Davina and Daniella before opening the nylon. I watched as Davina froze too. I watched as Daniella removed her glasses and fell to the ground with her hands on her chest.
Davina immediately ran out of the house. I looked up at her in confusion and she was running for the gate. I stood in front of the gate door and she ran to my side and told me to move.
"No." I shook my head, blocking the gate.
"Miriam move!" She cried out, "Let me go and die too!"
"Davina." I called and held her hands. She struggled to remove them but I didn't let go. She slowly started crying and fell to her knees as she held my legs.
I bent down to pat her back and she cried harder. I shut my eyes, trying not to cry too. This was by far, very far, the worst Christmas I ever had.
Few hours passed, and the house was still silent. Nobody talked to anybody. We all sat in the parlour and mourned in silence as we waited for the jeep to come back from the mechanic.
Davina was sleeping on my laps after crying for hours. Daniella was wrapped around Kaka's arms as she was still sniffing. And Kauna was the only one peacefully watching Tom and Jerry on TV.
Aunty Vivian, as usual, wanted to be alone in my room. She had refused to go and write witness statement to the police about her son's murder. So the farmer and alhaji Maitama did.
My throat suddenly felt dry and I stood up from the couch, trying my best not to wake Davina up.
I walked into the kitchen and got myself a cup of water from the tap. After drinking it a little, I banged the cup on top of the deep freezer and shut my eyes. Please tell me this is all a dream. That I can wake up and pretend it's all in my imagination.
"Miriam." I heard someone call from the kitchen door and I turned to see Kauna standing there.
She walked into the kitchen and sat on the small stool while staring at me.
"I really wish this was all a dream." I said to her, "Don't you think so?"
"Lion king." Was her response.
"What does Lion King have to do with it?" I looked at her and scoffed a little, "Please tell me you're not going to sing hakuna matata?"
"You tell me that," She quoted, "'The wicked people either suffer or become good. It's either of those two or none.' That's what you tell me."
"What are you trying to say Kauna?" I asked, "That my cousins are wicked?"
"Aunty." She replied, "I hear she kill your mummy and daddy. Aunty didn't become good. And now she is suffering."
I stared at her dumbfounded. I couldn't say she was right... but at the same time I couldn't say she was wrong.
"And maybe David die so that his sisters won't steal his money." She added.
I looked at her and gave a nervous chuckle. It was so amusing how in times like this, Kauna remembered everything I had said to her and David.
"Maybe... just maybe you should forget everything I've told you." I said, "Can you do that?"
She nodded. I gave a small smile and said, "Good."
****
It was late afternoon, after Wabani came to give Davina her condolences and left, my cousins were getting ready to go as they took turn to shower while Aunty Vivian was away to burn David's body parts to ashes.
As they were getting ready, I sat on my bed and stared at the phone. I gripped my phone on the thought of this morning's incident. Those children killers should be dead. Why was it so hard for those annoying soldiers to find them.
We lost Sanusi. Then Arjun. And now it's David.
I breathe out in frustration and held my phone up immediately. To call the one person who knew the answer to all this.
The phone rang for a long time before Hamid finally picked it up.
"Looks like somebody is already missing me." He said firstly.
I couldn't laugh or smile but I just sighed over the phone.
"Hamid." I just called out.
He chuckled, "So how far?"
"Did you ever find out who the children killers are?" I asked straightaway.
"What?" He asked in confusion.
I shut my eyes and shook my head, "Nevermind."
"Is everything okay?"
I thought for a moment before I said, "Please can you come to my place now? Or anytime soon?"
"Abdul! Hurry up!" Someone shouted in the background over the phone.
"Mariam can I discuss the problem later?" He said quickly, "It's really busy today-"
"Abdul!" The same person shouted again.
He continued, "I'm sorry I don't think I can come today. But I promise I will call you as soon as work closes."
Before I could respond, he hung up. I removed the phone from my ear and sighed. This was the first time he was hasty, on the first time that I actually needed him.
The jeep was ready and Aunty Vivian was back with another car that carried David's little body in a coffin. After everyone ate lunch, they were set to go.
The driver was keeping the two boxes in the jeep's boot while Daniella waved goodbye before she entered the back seat. Davina, on the other hand, didn't say anything but just entered the jeep without talking to anyone.
I stood in front of the house door, waiting for aunty Vivian to finish talking to Kaka. After she was done, she walked straight to the front seat of the jeep with David's Christmas shirt in her hand.
She was about to enter when she stopped and turned around to look at me. Suddenly, she started walking to my side and came to stand in front of me.
I curiously stared at her, mostly staring at her swollen and red eyes, waiting for what she had to say.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything. Especially for-for... your parent's death. I never got to apologize to you or your sister about it."
Of course, when you and aunty Claire killed them.
"I don't know what to say or what to do to make up for everything, but I'm glad to see that you're okay." She added.
I didn't say anything. Because I knew if I did, aunty Vivian would be on the floor now with my hands around her neck. But I just held myself together since this was her grieving moment.
Kaka was at the side, watching us and curiously waiting for what I had to say.
I just turned around and walked away to open the gate so that they could just leave. I didn't want any more headache at this moment. Maybe with time, the forgiveness will come. But not just now.
Aunty Vivian looked at Kaka and Kaka rubbed her back before she gave me one last look and finally made her way to the jeep in silence.
After opening the gate, I stood at the side and watched as the jeep and other car made their way to the gate and outside the compound. Nobody waved goodbye this time as both cars drove off to the main road.
As I was closing the gate, Kaka came to pass me with her black sack bag and I knew she was going for work in Junior Junior's house. She didn't say anything or look my way but just simply walked out of the gate. The moment I was closing the little space between the two large gate doors, Kaka turned to give me a small smile before walking away.
I gave her a small smile in response and shut the gate completely. Despite she made me smile for a second, my heart was still aching.
I turned around and leaned my back on the gate. I was all alone now and the pain was starting to increase. I've always noticed that pain is felt more when you're alone.
Since Kauna was sleeping, Kaka went for work and Hamid wasn't going to show up, I was all alone to feel the pain. I was just ready to cry out now.
The thought of David in my head didn't want to go. No matter how much I tried. The fact that he was beheaded and that number was marked on his head was something that was going to scar me for the rest of my life. If it wasn't for me, the triple Ds wouldn't have come all the way to Kaduna to experience such nightmare.
I continuously hit my chest to calm it from aching too much.
"Why David?" I whispered to myself, "Why David?"
I needed to stop being so dramatic and get back inside the house. I sighed and walked away from the gate. As I was halfway to the house, I heard the gate door open behind me. I didn't bother turning because I knew Kaka had forgotten something.
"Mariam." A voice said behind.
I looked up in surprise and quickly turned around to see Hamid standing by the gate in his uniform. I thought he said he had a very busy day?
I silently stood on my spot as Hamid started walking to my direction with a confused frown on his face.
"I saw Davina inside a jeep." He said, "How come they're leaving so-"
I rushed to his side and hugged him, causing him to stop talking. I had to do so. There was nothing more I needed right now than a hug. From somebody. Anybody.
Surprised by my action, he just stood there then slowly put one arm around my back and patted it lightly. Next thing I know, I start weeping on his shoulders.
"Are you crying?" He asked in surprise.
"I can't believe he's dead." I whimpered.
"Who's dead?" Hamid stopped patting my back.
"David." I said, "David is dead."
He didn't say anything, not even asking about how or when he died. I couldn't see his face because I was still hugging him. But I knew he was as shocked as I was this morning.
I found my tears falling on Hamid's shoulder and I knew this was disturbing. I drifted my head away from his shoulder and tried taking a step back.
"I'm sorry I-" I apologized as I moved away but he held my head back to his shoulder. He put both arms around my back and hugged me tighter, causing me to be surprised this time.
"It's okay." He whispered and patted my back. "I'm the shoulder you can lean on to."
I didn't respond but just stared into space behind his shoulders. Other than Kaka, I've not had anybody else to lean on to. Nobody ever offered me their shoulder through all my pain, not even Kaka because I was the one who always ran to her instead.
For this simple action, I couldn't feel pain anymore. Not even a little bit. I didn't know whether it was the thought of this being my first physical contact with Hamid. Or the thought of not wanting to cry so much in front of him.
I shut my eyes and let my hands rest on his back. We both stood there, hugging each other in silence without any of us uttering a word.
"Thank you Hamid." I whispered lowly so that he won't hear, "For being the shoulder I can lean on to."
"Always welcome." He smiled. "My bread."
_________________
END OF CHAPTER 19