*FRIENDLY ENEMIES* *Episode 11 -14

[Edoman]

*FRIENDLY ENEMIES*

*Episode 11 & 12

Eno picked her bag and walked out of the gate. She couldn’t determine what time it was because her phone was on the chair where she was sitting before she went to the bedroom. After Dozie threw her out, she tried knocking on the door and screaming his name but he didn’t answer her. She had no option than to leave the house because she didn’t want their neighbours to find out that all wasn’t well with the new couple. She was determined to put up appearances so that they would appear like the best couple to outsiders. Outside, the compound, she realized that it was already late as they were just few people around with few cars plying the road. She thought of calling her mother to send someone to pick her but she remembered that her phone was inside the house. She was still thinking of what to do when a cab pulled beside her.
Taxi man: “Madam, taxi?”
Eno: “Oh yes, Wuse 2”.
Taxi man: “Where for Wuse 2?”
Eno: “Aminu Kano crescent”.
Taxi man: “You money na N3,000”.
Eno: “Ah-ah. That is too much, now”.
Taxi man: “Madam, it is almost 11;30pm o, no be same amount wey dem dey charge during the day na im dem dey charge for night”.
Eno: “Okay, let’s go”.
Eno asked the driver to open his booth for her to keep her box but he declined and asked her to keep it with her at the back seat. They had been driving for more than ten minutes when Eno felt something moved inside the booth. She startled and turned around but she didn’t see anything.
“Driver”, she said. “Is there any living thing in your booth? I felt something moved there a while ago”.
Driver: “No o, maybe one passenger don forget something inside the booth be that o”.
Eno: “In that case, I think you should park and find out what it is then because …” she was still talking when a hand grabbed her from behind and covered her lips. “Shhhh, cooperate with us and we will do you no harm”, the voice said”. She tried to scream but the hand held her securely on her mouth. They drove to a secluded part of the vicinity and the driver parked.
Driver: “Come down quick, they barked”.

Eno obeyed and came down with her hands over her head. She tried to make out the environment but it was dark and she couldn’t even see the faces of her abductors.

Eno: “Who are you and why have you brought me here?” she summoned courage and asked.
Driver: “You don’t need to know who we are. And as for why we have brought you here, we brought you here to have our share of the national cake”.
Eno: “Your share of the national cake? What do you mean by that?”
Driver: “My sister, if you know what is good for you, you better give us all the money and valuables that you have now. I am sure that won’t be a problem, considering the fact that you are from the upper class of the society”.
Eno: “I don’t know what you are talking about. I am not a politician’s child, I work hard to earn my money”.
Driver: “You are lucky to have a job. Do you know how long I have remained jobless even though I graduated with a second class upper degree in Electrical Engineering from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka? Only God knows how much I have spent on attending interviews and printing CVs. Since the government will not give us what is rightfully ours, we have decided to take it by force”.
Eno: “I am not the government, channel your grievances to the appropriate persons if you have any score to settle with anyone”.

The other man who had not said a word ever since they got out of the car pushed Eno to her knees and collected her bag. He ransacked the bag and when he couldn’t find any valuable in it, he became furious and faced his colleague.
Man: “I tell you say this one no resemble big man pikin. Maybe na all these runs girls wey dey go meet your papa mates for night”.
Driver: “But I saw her coming out of a big house na. Search her well, I am sure she has some money hidden somewhere”.
Man: “Guy, nothing dey this bag jor. Na only women clothes and undies, even phone no dey inside, which kind badluck be this one na”. 

His countenance changed and he charged at Eno who cringed and covered her face with her palm.

Man: “Where are you hiding your money and your phones?’
Eno: “I swear, I don’t have anything on me”.
Man: “How is it possible that you don’t have anything on you? Which chic walks about without at least a phone these days? You are lying to us right? Okay, let's see if they will bury you with your money and phone”. He grabbed her neck and brought a sharp pocket knife. She screamed and began to plead.
Eno: “I swear that I didn’t come out with my phone or any money. My husband threw me out of the house and he didn’t allow me pick all my stuff. I had the intention of paying the taxi driver when I get home. I swear”, she was crying and didn’t notice that the button of the dress she had on was opened revealing her cleavage. Her abductor softened at the sight of the round mould of flesh on her chest. He tried to look away but the bulge that was forming in between his thighs urged him on. He came close to her, parted her dress with the knife he had on his hand and dipped his hand into her bra. Her breast felt warm and soft, he thought of the ecstatic feeling of his lips sucking hard at her nipples. She noticed that her pants were already getting wet at his fondling but she repelled like one touched by a scorpion. The driver when he noticed that his friend was getting carried away drew him aside.
Driver: “Guy, wetin dey worry you na? Na business we come do for here o, if konji hold you, abeg go Sokale go relieve yourself. I have warned you several times not to mix business and pleasure”.
Man: “Wetin na? which kind yeye business be this one this night? We don search her bag and other places, nothing dey. Instead of us to do 2-0, e no better make we knack her. The babe fine well well, she fresh, omo, the orange wey dey her chest get enough water. I been don dey imagine how I go take suck the juice”.
Driver: “You will do no such thing, do you know that we can easily get caught when carried away by that act?”
Man: “My friend chill. How many minutes you dey last? I go first enter her, when I commot, you go enter your own. Na chop and clean mouth things we go do”.
While they were arguing, Eno took advantage of the distraction, crawled under her feet into the bush nearby and bolted. The men turned and when they saw her retreating figure, they went after her.

After Samantha drove out of Dozie’s house, she went to a bar in Games Village and began to drink herself to stupor. It was the first time she was deliberately getting drunk but she didn’t mind as she needed to forget the events of the day. She hadn’t in her wildest imagination thought that Eno could betray her so much by marrying her fiancé. She was at the bar, dead drunk and stupefied when the bar man asked her to leave so he could close for the day.
Bar man: “Madam, you should go home now, it is almost 12am, all the customers have gone, I have  been waiting for you to leave so that I can close”.
Samantha ignored him and after the bar man kept on pestering her, she stood up to leave. When he asked for money for the drinks she had, she threw her wallet at him and staggered out. She turned the ignition in her car and began to drive home. She was on top speed when she saw a traffic light ahead of her, the signal was red and she had no option than to stop.  She was waiting for the signal to move when a trailer on high speed came and cleared her off the road. She tried to control the steering but she lost consciousness and the car crashed into the ditch along the road......


Episode 12*

Eno kept running without turning back. She knew that she was getting deeper into the forest without knowing where she was going but she didn’t mind so long as it would take her far away from her abductors. She heard footsteps behind her and when she turned, she fell down heavily bruising her knee and her elbows. She made an attempt at getting up and running again but she bruised her big toe on a big stone that she didn’t see because everywhere was dark. She fell and this time around, her abductors caught up with her and slapped her twice.

Driver: “You bitch, you think you can outsmart us? To even think that I was pleading with my colleague on your behalf”. They dragged her back to where the car was parked and ordered her to lie on her back. She did and one of the men unzipped his trousers and came on top her. She screamed while he attempted to pull down her pants and this attracted the attention of a local vigilante group that was going around for inspections. “Who be that?” They shouted and flashed their torches at the direction from which they heard her voice. Her abductors on realizing that they may be caught, abandoned her and their car and ran away. She ran towards the men who were flashing their touches at her suspiciously. “Please help me, they almost raped me”, she shouted. After some questionings, they drove her home in one of their patrol vans after she promised to give them money for petrol if they take her home.

Mama Samantha was about stepping out of the house when her neighbour who had just left for work earlier that morning came running back into the compound.

Mama Samantha: “What is it? Why are you running as if someone is chasing you? Is anything the matter?”
Neighbour: “Hmmn, the thing wey my eyes see this morning, my mouth no fit talk am finish”.
Mama Samantha: “What is it? What did you see? Just say it anyhow”.
Neighbour: “I was on my way to work this morning when I saw people gathered at an accident scene. Our car stopped and went out to check what was happening, we saw officials of the FRSC trying to rescue the driver of the car that had fallen into the ditch. Alas, we saw that it was your daughter Samantha. I was shocked when I saw her mutilated body”.

Mama Samantha: (Rushed and grabbed the woman on her top). “What are you telling me this evening? That my daughter was involved in an accident that claimed her life? My own Samantha?”
Neighbour: “Just take heart. I thought of coming to inform you so that you can go to the general hospital and identify her corpse because I know that you have been searching for her since yesterday”. 

Mama Samantha screamed and woke up to find herself sweating on Samantha’s bed where she had slept off.
She glanced at the bed side clock and realized that it was already past 7am. She remembered the events of the day and her heart sank. “God, what kind of a dream was that? It felt so real. I hope my daughter is safe? Please have mercy and protect her wherever she is, Lord”. She got on her knees and began to pray.

Mama Eno woke up that morning and was surprised to see her daughter in the house.

Mama Eno: “What are you doing here? Are you not supposed to be in your husband’s house? In fact when and how did you come in that I didn’t know?”
Eno: “Too many questions, mum. Anyway, I got into the house when you were already asleep. I knocked for several minutes before the security guy opened the gate for me. He helped me to call the house maid with his phone and she opened the door for me. I didn’t want to wake you up since it was already late”.
Mama Eno: “That is just one out of my many questions. Why are you here instead of being in your husband’s house?”
Eno: “Which husband, mum? Me I am not going back to that house again o. That guy is psycho, he will just kill me there one day”.
Mama Eno: “How do you mean? You people just got married o, it is too early to start having issues”.

Eno narrated to her mother all that had happened when they got home and how Dozie threw her out of the house and how she was almost raped by some men but for the timely intervention of some security operatives.

Mama Eno: “You mean that useless boy had the guts to throw you out at that time of the night? What if something bad happened to you? Get ready we are going to report him to the police”.
Eno: “You know what, mum? I am sick and tired of all these drama. It is certain that that guy doesn’t want me in his life, there is no need forcing it. The fire I saw in his eyes yesterday scared me. I will rather be on my own and be happy than force myself on him”.
Mama Eno: “Now I know that you are very stupid. What gibberish are you uttering? Haven’t you realized that it was the presence of Samantha that spoilt your husband’s mood? So, you want to bow out of the marriage just because of this simple misunderstanding? The earlier you learn to fight for what is yours, the better”

Eno: “I understand what you are saying, mum. But there should be a better way of settling this. I mean there must be some other way, not every time police, police, that will create unnecessary attention for us”.

Mama Eno agreed to call Dozie’s parents and inform them of his behaviour rather than going to the police. Few hours later, Dozie’s mother came and picked Eno in her car back to Dozie’s house.

Mama Dozie: “Don’t worry my daughter. This will never repeat itself again”.
Mama Eno: “It has better not. Can he imagine what my daughter went through in the hands of evil men that night? What if they were ritualists? Next time he does this to his wife, I will have him arrested”.
Mama Dozie: “It is okay, my in-law. I will ensure that this doesn’t happen again. Let’s just keep the police and the media out of this”.

Samantha unconscious and bleeding heavily was rushed to the hospital by some mobile police men who were on duty that night. When they got to the hospital, she had lost a lot of blood and she needed an urgent blood transfusion. At the blood bank, there was no blood that matched her blood group, her phone was searched and the hospital authorities called her mother to make hay and meet them so they can find out if her blood matched her daughter’s. The drive from her mother’s place to the hospital was more than an hour and she was worried that she may not make it in time to save her daughter. Frantic and determined to make it in good time, she took a cab instead of driving herself there.

Mama Samantha: “Oga, you have to drive fast o”.
Driver: “Madam, why now? Why you no leave house since so that you go meet up with your appointment?”
Mama Samantha: “Just drive and stop talking, I actually hired you because I know that taxi drivers are better at maneuvering their way instead of those who drive private”.
There was a terrible hold up on the way and even though the driver did his best to over speed, she arrived the hospital more than an hour later. She rushed to the reception and she was directed to the accident and emergency ward. She rushed in there and collapsed in tears when she saw her daughter unconscious in the pool of her own blood. She drew near and on close examination, she realized that Samantha had stopped breathing. She ran out of the ward to the nurses section.

Eno, her mother and Dozie’s mother arrived the house and met that the door was locked.....

Mama Dozie: “Don’t you have your key? Use it to open the door for us to go in”.
Eno: “I don’t have access to this house. He didn’t give me anything”.
Jonny: “Madam, oga Dozie carry him box commot this morning o, e be like say him don travel”. 
Mama Dozie and Eno: “What! Travelled where”?, they chorused.
Eno: “I am finished, mum. I guess he has travelled back to Canada leaving me behind. What do I tell my friends? How can I bare the shame? I am sure that he has eloped with that Samantha girl? God, I am finished!”
Mama Eno: “You just shut up and allow me think”..........

Samathan, stop breathing ke? Oh no, God please revive her, she must not die!

To be continued