Don't! Look Closer - Episode 3

 

Her mind razed every idea that popped out for help in her head. She had no option than to call Kike again. The innocent girl would be her savior again. Different scenarios played in her head as she still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Ayo and Tolulope were together on the bed.

“Kiki, where are you?”She lamented when the call connected.

“We’re stuck in the spa. Mumsy wants to have massage and facial by force . And she made me also…”

“Can you come for me? My car’s tyre has deflated”.

“What of A.Y?”

“Leave there or that house will be a hell hole for you”.

“She won’t allow me. And you know I’m just courting her favour after these years”.

At that time, a bike man drove into the street with no passenger. Ideas formed in her head. What would people say about her using a bike for transport? She couldn’t even imagine the disdain it would bring to her reputation.

She knew Kike wouldn’t be able to leave her mother’s side until she wanted to release her. But she still had to try her luck again.”Will you come or what?”

“What’s wrong? It will take a while to get to you… We are on the Island”.

“You know what? Don’t bother. I’ll come home myself

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/don-t-look-closer

. I’ll find my way…”

“But babes…”

Ireti disconnected the call. For some odd reason, the bike man drove so slowly and she couldn’t fathom the reason for such awkward riding. Nevertheless, she needed to leave that area before she changed her mind about the duo in Ayo’s flat. She opened her car and picked her bag. Just as she locked her car, the bike man drove past her. She waved it down and had to withdraw because of the irritating way the man sneezed.

“George Avenue…” She murmured when she was sure he wouldn’t sneeze again. Despite her disconnection from the present world, she wouldn’t want to be bathed with the deadly mucus of a strange man.

“Ah! That place too far.” The bike man replied.

“Any amount you want to take”, she announced as she climbed the bike.

“If I say 700 naira, e no go do”, the bike man said. ‘We never talk about money finish you don climb bike!”

“Let’s go. I’ll give you 2K”.

“Challe!!! Let’s go”.

The bike man drove off and her mind read like the novel, Helter Skelter. If the world could do just what she wanted, those two would have lost consciousness. Suddenly, the bike man stopped, jolting her back to reality. The street was empty. The estate, like one of those numerous expensive ones, housed the most silent people Ireti had ever encountered. Her mind needed solace.  Tolu would have been the one to take care of that for her; however, she caused the pain.

Kike might eventually take the place of Tolu in her life. Nothing would make ever forgive Tolu. Her action portrayed how much of a backstabber she was and she wanted nothing to do with her anymore. Their relationship had snap short from that day. In fact, the sight of Ireti might eventually unearth the devil hidden in her. She preferred Tolu stayed in her own house and they not meet again because her life depended on her. The most painful aspect was that if they were on a war front, she would have allowed Tolu man the back because of the level of trust she had for her.

“Madam… Sorry o”, the bike man pleaded.

“What?”

“Please, get down”

“Are you for real?”

“Na for your good”

The bike man hit different places on the bike and wouldn’t stop sneezing. The silence of the area was enough for her. The man’s disturbance would soon end. The rest of the week or month would be spent in her room and the only songs she wanted to listen to were all the songs titled betrayed or those with its theme. She would download them and put the playlist on auto-repeat.

“What’s all these?  Why the delay?”

“Madam, no vex. The thing just dey act like say he don drink kain kain”.

She moved a bit far. Her anger ought not to be expended on someone as useless as the bike man, whose cloth was enough to make one have an infection. All that mattered there was that she got home. And like out of fairy tale, a red Mustang drove into the area. Comparing it to a fresh tomato wouldn’t be enough to do it justice. The owner had taken the time to pimp it and that gave it an appeal she couldn’t understand.

Her heart lurched for it. Her prince charming had come, almost immediately to get her off the rubble her former lover and best friend had put her. She would jump at any opportunity. Her skin tone was enough to show any man how important she was. Luckily for her, her car’s key still hung from her hand.

The car slowed down in front of her and the driver wind down. He was one of those beard-gangs and that made her spin in her imagination. She totally forgot all her home training. Times like this happened once in a lifetime and she wouldn’t dare lose it to arrogance. The odor from the car was enough to show how classy the young man was. The air was lavender mixed with a little piece of rose and the coldness of the car’s AC.

That was what she always told men to do for ladies. They ought to give them the best treatment and scent always. Women were creatures of the nose. Like dogs, they had a sensitive nose.

“Beautiful wonder, why are you frying yourself in this wicked sun?” He asked in a cool voice that almost made her forget her name. The dream of every princess, looking glamorous, had just used a hot pickup line. Nothing could stop her from following him.

“My car had a flat tire and this bike I decided to take also stopped. I’ve got to get home”.

“No worries. Where’s home?”

“George Avenue”.

“Not my way but get in”.

“Aunty! My money”, the bike man called.

She opened the door and spun around with the most venomous look on her face. “Have we gone anywhere? Don’t let me display for you here”.

She climbed the car and could hear the faint yell of the bike man calling her stingy witch as she closed the door. She wouldn’t mind being whisked off the world to dreamland at that point in her life. The young man, who looked like one in his early 30s, had the features she needed in a man.

Where are your manners? She chided herself.

“Thanks”.

“Typical thing! Those things called vehicles- they can be both devils and angels. The car of a beautiful wonder breaks down. A handsome man like me sees her and gbam! We are married. I’m Bayode”.

“Ireti”

She wondered what his problem was. He was too pompous for her liking. Very soon, they might clash as her egoistic part detested such men. If they eventually have things to do together, she wouldn’t want a man that might later have the desire to be her lord and savior. Wait! Why was she even thinking of a relationship with him when men had just shown her how much they could do? After her period of depression, she would show men the true color she was made of.

“Are you sure…?” Bayode asked. But she couldn’t take his repugnant nature anymore and she needed to put him in his place.

“Mr Man, shut up… If you want to…”

“Easy. Please, calm your nerves. Look at the car following us. It started since we left the other time?”

“How’s that my concern? I just want to get the hell out of here!”

Bayode peeped. Truly, a black 2015 Honda Civic trailed their path. She had no fear; the kidnappers were coming at the wrong time. They could have waited till she got to the gate. Everyone just had a problem with keeping their part of any deal. She hissed.

“It’s just that…” Bayode voice lingered off. A black Toyota Camry headed their way. His eyes darted between the side mirror, the windscreen, and the rearview. She wanted to tell him to calm down but it would do no good if she made him aware of the situation. Everyone talks eventually. He might rat her out and her father would definitely look for a way to make her pay everything she took from him.

“Why are they chasing you?” Bayode asked as he glanced about.

“Chasing me? They can’t possibly be chasing me?” She feigned ignorance.

“It’s not me. You must have done something to them!!!”

“If you don’t know what to say, don’t talk to me”, she retorted. Despite knowing he was right, she couldn’t allow him to go on with his belief. It would ruin everything.

“I’ve been driving through this area for years and I can categorically state this is the first time of seeing this rides”.

 The car coming from the front obstructed their path and the occupants climbed down. They looked fiercer than regular fraudsters or was her mind playing a trick on her? They shouldn’t make her afraid. However, Bayode needed to have his share of fear and the best way to ensure that happened was when she ensured he had the same fear as she. She screamed.

One of the men, another equally handsome beard gang, marched towards them. These men would ruin every of her plan. Her father would only heed their calls if they had done it in front of the building. Now, he might demand a part of her body to ensure she was definitely the one they kidnapped. He always believed she doctored everything to swindle him. Yet, his fear had elements of the truth: all she did have always been to make money using the simplest of things, thanks to Kike.

“Get out”, the leader barked.

Read " Purified Tomorrow: The Mad Awakening " by the same author ( Akíntayo Akinjide )

. Despite his goatee, she couldn’t endure the cracks in his voice. They reminded her of her Ayo.

“What do you want?” Bayode screamed as he covered his head with his hand. The men brandished crude weapons such as cutlass and she would have hissed had Bayode not being there. How could they have imagined anyone would be afraid of such ludicrous weapons?

 “Get down before I decapitate you. I’m sure you know the meaning of the word. De- means to extract from something. Cap means to… You understand what I mean. I’ll have your head rolling on the street”, the leader yelled.

They led Bayode and Ireti into their own Camry and drove them off. One of them followed them in Bayode’s car. She glanced at Bayode and mirrored him by whimpering. They couldn’t possibly harm him.