Philomena! You see her type every day and underestimate what they are capable of doing. Most times their threats don’t match their stature, but ladies like Philomena, can go to any extent to get what they want. They are master planners and perfect executioners.
I jolted back to consciousness with a shriek, the instant I felt it pierce my bare skin. A bucket of icy water had been poured on me, and I had no idea who did because the floodlights were all out, and there was no single trace of any other light form. Oh! I had been blindfolded again, and wasn’t even sure how long it’s been I had passed out. The bruise on my left cheek still hurt terribly. I heard footsteps, like someone walking away from me, accompanied by a squeaky sound of a steel bucket; perhaps the one who poured water on me, walking away. I couldn’t really figure out if there were more people in here with me, because it was slightly bigger than the first place I was kept. The last things I saw before I passed out, were walls, floodlights, and a chair with me tied to it, as well as Philomena, “that crazy bitch,” I thought.
The door creaked open again, followed by footsteps heavier than the first, walking in gently. Something dropped leaving a squeaky sound, like sound of an old wooden chair. “Hmm…, a second chair,” I thought. But for what? Maybe I would be interviewed again with stricter measures and torture this time. More footsteps came in again, but this time much more uneven that the first, as if they were struggling to bring in something heavy into the room. I heard a thud to the floor followed almost immediately by the squeaky sound of a chair. Then came friskier noises as if something or someone was being tied to the chair. Someone walked up to me and untied my blindfold. Footsteps hurled away, door opened with a creak and once again, everywhere was quiet. My mind raced back to my ordeal with Philomena.
Remember who said this, “See as handwriting be like where two fowl dey fight? Remember? Yes you do. The interview I went for almost two years ago, where I meet my boss for the first time. Remember that receptionist? Yes, the one that made mockery of me that day before I went in for my interview? That’s is Philomena. She was the naked masked girl with a short-gun that was with me in the room before I passed out.
The floodlights came back on and to my greatest surprise, seated tied to the chair before me in the same room was my boss, Sean. “Seeeeaaaaaannn,” I screamed. “What the fuck is going on?” I yelled in shock. “Hey, Kay,” he said as blood reeled slowly from his nostrils. “Who did this to you Sean? Who the fuck o the freaking earth, did this shit to you, Boss,” I cried. “Hey, hey, hey, buddy, relaaaxx. Okay? It’s going to be alright,” he said trying to force a smile on his badly bruised lips. A pang of pity surged up my chest. I felt helpless and hopeless. I wished I could do something for him at that moment. He was really I a bad shape. Few tears escaped my eyes and ran down my cheeks. The tears gave me a slight sting as it ran over the bruise on my left cheek. Again, lots of questions started to crop up in my mind, though I tried to restrain myself from asking him, seeing the shape that he was in. I waited a moment to see if they will subside, but the kept coming. So I decided to ask him, regardless.
“Boss, do you have any slight idea of who could be responsible for this madness? Do you?” I asked him gently. “Kay, I need to pass across to you a very important information. I tried these few days to open up to you but I kept postponing it, thinking we had all the time in the world,” he muttered. “Boss, what’s more important getting out of this mess?” I asked curiously. “Listen to me, I’m not sure I can get out of this mess. And I honestly wish I don’t, because right now, life is all messed up for me.” He said, sadly. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about boss! I don’t understand!” I cried. “What happened? How did we both get here? Is this Gina’s plan? Your ex-wife? Is this one of her ways of getting back to you for what happened between you and her? Or is there someone else you suspect could be responsible for this?” I asked with anxiety. “I don’t know Kay. I wish I did but I don’t honestly know where this is coming from,” he said, drooling. “What did they do to you, boss? You’re looking terrible. What happened?” I asked. “Oh Kay! You don’t wanna know. You sure don’t wanna know. It’s terrifying. I have never been so terrified in all my entire existence, than I’ve been these last few hours. I’m surprised I’m still alive,” he said, gasping at intervals for breath. I thought of moving my chair close to his, but it was very impossible with the way I’ve been tied to it. “Don’t bother Kay. Don’t bother. I need to tell you certain things, in case I eventually don’t make it out of this alive. I can’t even place a hand on who could be behind this, because I have offended a lot of people in the past,” he said as he managed to raise his head up a bit and looked towards me. My eyes widened with surprise at what he had said. “Yes Kay,” he said as he noticed the surprise look on my face. “I have. Even you. I have offended you, but then after a while…,” the door creaks open, cutting short his confession.
A masked man, dressed in all black suit and white hand gloves, pushes in a trolley with two cups, a flask and few slices of bread on a plate. The aroma from the cup of tea seemed to me at that moment like a pot of jollof-rice. He stops in front of me, picks up a fork and feeds me the four pieces of sliced bread, which was apparently a normal slice of bread but they divided it into four. Next, he lifted the cup of lukewarm tea and place on my lips. I gulped it down like a hungry wolf. I looked up at him, expecting more. Then he smiled as he pushed his trolley away towards the door. “Heeeyyyyyy…! Heeeyyyyyy…!” I yelled at him. He stopped and turned, facing me. “You didn’t bring anything for him? I asked, using my head to motion toward the direction of my boss. He smiled again, said nothing, made no gestures and then, disappeared through the door. “Get your sorry ass back here. Did you hear me? Get your black sorry ass back in here,” I yelled in anger. “Calm down Kay! Calm down. None of these was your fault, okay? I am totally responsible for the whole mess,” he said. Somehow, his smile has shown up again, but lightly.
“Kay, ’ he called. “Yes Boss,” I answered. “I am sorry in any way I have offended you. I know I have in many ways, even though you never would tell me,” he said. “What are you talking about Boss,” I asked curiously. “I took advantage of you Kay, and I still regret it up till date. The more I have come to know you, I regret what happened that day, every day,” he said. “It’s alright Boss. That’s been like ages now. You should let go. Moreover, I’m not complaining about it,” I said. “I have not always been as good as you come to know me to be. I have duped people, framed and set people up with false allegations and accusations. I have met with high and mighty men and set them up for some few dollars or more. They are often forced to pay, because nobody wants to be stigmatized with some kind of activities. I used my charm to make myself some money which I used to start up my own business. But a lot of toes I did step on in the process. So, right now it could be any of them that is responsible this mess, which I shouldn’t have gotten you into in the first place. I can’t tell you all I’ve done, but I have done so much to deserve this kind of treatment from whoever it is. Let’s just say, it’s payback time,” he said.
I was speechless. I could only stare at him. “Kay, I’m a man of many sorrow thought I try to hide behind my smile. I have damaged myself beyond repair. To be very honest with you, I don’t have a wife, not to talk of an ex-wife. I only used it as a decoy to keep myself out of impending trouble.” he said shamefully. “You don’t have a whaaaaaat? What the fuck is wrong with you, Boss? What did the do with your brain?” I yelled. “Listen to me,” he yelled back at me, looking sternly at me. “Listen to meeee Kay. I don’t have all the time,” he continued. “Remember the hooded guy that came after you, the night you ran out on me from the office?” he asked. I said nothing but nodded in affirmation to what he asked. “I sent them after you,” he said. “You fucking whaaaaat? Are you trying to play games with my mind boss? Because if you are, you can’t get my head fucked up,” I said bowing my head, trying to hide the tear brewing in them. My heart felt like a little knife had cut through it, and it hurts really badly. “I know this is hard for you, but I still need you to listen to me. I asked them to get you back to the office, because I thought you were gonna report me or do something out of place. I never asked them to frisk you,” he said. “Frisk me? Frisk me? Those guys would have raped me that night. It was like from frying pan into fire.” I cried. “Forgive me Kay, I’m really sorry, but you have to listen to me. I left a letter in-between your laptop. It contains details of everything I want you to know. I have in saved in your laptop as well and I put a password on your laptop so no one can gain access to it easily. You will find the password…” he was interrupted again as the door creaked open.
Philomena entered, still masked, but no longer naked. She wore a black silky shimmery body fitted gown, with her red heeled shoes and red lipstick to match. “Well, I can see you two are having fun, aren’t you? Well, I know..., I know… boys affair right. You guys don’t care about tits, do you? Well, I came to see how you guys are faring, and if you do need anything just let me know. Oh, I forgot, we don’t have telecom here. Too baaadddd. Anyway, I’m off. My tits and regional headquarters are available, in case you need any. You guys are just too cute. Just a baby from each of you and my world is made. Ciaaaaooooo!” she said as she walked out of the room, leaving us to behold her ‘unpanted’ buttocks beneath her gown.
“Kay, if you survive this, promise me one thing,” he barely had finished when I said, “What sort of nonsense are you talking about Boss? You’ll be fine,” I said. “Kay I do not wish to be fine. I am beter off dead. I was… I… was,” he sighed a deep sigh and kept quiet. “You were what Boss,” I asked inquisitively. “I was raped Kay,” he stuttered. “I was raped several times,” he said and then he started to cry. “Raped? How? By who?” I asked, looking confused as I tried to comprehend the meaning of what he said. “Last morning, when I left you a note, I had an appointment to catch up with before I went for church service. So, I called the younger security man on his phone, who doubles up also as my cleaner, but he didn’t pick up the calls. I felt he was somewhat tired and needed some rest, so I decided to make your coffee myself, which I served on your table together with the cookies and the note I wrote. I had barely stepped out of my house when four hefty men like bouncers, pounced on me and gave me the beating of my life. They beat me so hard I passed out. That was all I could remember when I woke up,” he said.
“Wait… wait… wait… boss. Are you saying you don’t know anything about my coffee being drugged,” I asked him, still shocked and dumbfounded. “Drugged? What do you mean drugged?” he asked, sighing deeply. “I know I’ve done terrible things in the past Kay, but I would never drug your drink for any reason. You seem not to have understood where I am going to with all I’ve been trying to tell you. Do you? Kay, you changed a lot of things for me. My encounter with you opened my eyes to a more humane part of me that I have denied myself to be for years. When I met…” I cut him short again and asked, “Boss… boss… boss… boss… waaaiiiiiit! If you didn’t drug my coffee or cookies, then who did? I asked furiously, trying to figure out what had happened. He kept quiet and after a while spoke up. Believe me Kay, I don’t have a hand with drugging the coffee. Whoever it was that sent those thugs to beat me up or the thugs themselves must be responsible for the drugged coffee. I made the coffee myself and I know I used nothing more than required,” he said.
My head raged with anger and pain. I stared into the light filled room as if nothing was there. “So, Philomena cannot keep to a single plan,” I muttered to myself.
Chukwudi Udoye Eternal
#MrnormanWrites 2017 ©®
#MrnormanWrites 2017 ©®
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