Jabali's Redemption - Episode 30

Jabali's Redemption.

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Flashback.

Lulu huffed the basin of dirty water as she walked to pour it behind the house on the banana plantation. It was late at night and the lighting behind the house was not good. She hated the dark and wanted to be done as quickly as possible. She wondered why her younger sister would choose such a time to take a shower. And why was she the one to dispose of the dirty water? Lulu cursed her luck . As she approached the banana plantation, she thought she heard the rustle of leaves but on looking behind she didn’t see anything.

Suddenly some strong hands grabbed her waist and Lulu would have let out a shrill cry but her mouth was covered.

‘It’s me Naiti,’ the warm amused voice whispered at her ear and she instantly calmed down. Naiti released her mouth and embraced her, her back to his front. Lulu practically melted to him the empty basin still at her hands. Then she remembered their last discussion and she moved away from him.

‘What is wrong Lu?’ Naiti asked and she turned to face him. His rough looks intrigued her but what moved her were his wide brown eyes. They contrasted largely with his general outlook. Lulu had a crush on him for a long time and she had kept it from Neema. Naiti’s sister and her best friend.

‘Lu?’ Naiti called her again and Lulu chose that time to hit him with the basin she was holding,

‘Ouch, what was that for?’

‘What do you think you are doing here? I thought you didn’t want to see me again,’ she hated sounding desperate but she couldn’t help but pout

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. His words had cut deep inside her, deeper than he would ever know. ‘And stop calling me Lu,’ she hated how he could he harsh on her but still maintain the soft tone when speaking with her.

‘I missed you,’ he admitted in a low deep rumble that forced Lulu to look at him, in the dim light Lulu could feel his gaze. ‘and I’m sorry of what I said but you know I can’t stop now. I have come a long way.’

Lulu walked up to him and held the cuffs of his shirt, she tried to plead with him like she had done several times before, ‘Naiti you will be killed inside that forest. Your body will never be recovered just like your father was, why don’t you understand that?’ she pleaded with him. Being much shorter, Lulu had to rise to her tip toes to reach his face.

Naiti wrapped one of his hand on her waist to hold her in place and the other he trailed her cheek, ‘you are worried about me,’ he said with a small sad smile.

‘Of course, am worried for you. Majid is a cruel person; can you imagine the type of master he must be having. Once they realize what your aim is, they won’t spare you. Or rather Mzee Kasri, he won’t spare you either when he finds out you’re part of the ring smuggling inside his tea plantations in the mountains,’ Lulu continued to plead with him

‘Lulu I didn’t come here to talk about my messed-up lifestyle. I came to see you,’ he added hesitantly,’ how are you doing?’

Lulu moved from his embrace, ‘don’t you remember Naiti, you said we couldn’t be in relationship, what changed?’

Naiti reached for her again but Lulu slapped his fingers away, ‘I didn’t say that. I said that we can’t be in a relationship now because of my...you know… But once am done, we will be free. There is a lot of danger now that I don’t want to drag you in it. It would kill me if something happened to you,’

His admission shocked her, ‘But I thought…’ Lulu trailed off,

‘You thought what?’ this time he managed to bring her closer again, he tipped her jaw so that she was looking at him, ‘Lu, you are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. If only I could give you everything you wanted in life,’ he proclaimed and Lulu felt her gaze go blurry and her throat clog with emotions.

Lulu relationship with Naiti had begun months before and they kept it under wraps so that no one knew about it. Not even Neema, she had no idea and Lulu didn’t know how she would react if she found out. Naiti would take her out of the town for their dates on his trusted motorcycle. Naiti claimed that it was the best solution since if she was seen with him, Lulu might be targeted and hurt when things go south.

Lulu understood his fears but she couldn’t wait till all this was over and they were free to date the way they wanted at last. She wanted to let the whole world that she had managed to tame the wild Naiti Kadiri.

‘What about Neema and Jabali? Will you let them be?’ she asked expectantly. Lulu knew her best friend was falling hard and fast for the mysterious Jabali Kasri.

Naiti let out a deep sigh, ‘I don’t know Lu, Jabali is a contradicting man. He looks like the enemy but act like a friend. It’s troubling to see him confusing me this much,’ Naiti answered remembering his encounter with Jabali deep in the forest a few days earlier. Jabali’s prediction had turned out to be true. They were notified that the meeting was cancelled since Mzee Kasri was planning a surprise raid with the police dogs. ‘It doesn’t matter. Neema will not listen to me anyway. She is adamant that he has pure intentions for her.’

Lulu smiled at Naiti’s frustrations, ‘Let them be. Jabali seems like a good man, he picks Neema up every evening without fail when she goes home.’

‘I had hired a boda to do that but she dumped that man when Jabali drove in with his fancy car. I tell you Lu sometimes I don’t understand Neema. She is simply the smartest and the senseless person I know at the same time.’ Naiti groaned in frustration.

Lulu burst into a laugh and she threw her head back as her whole body shook with laughter.

‘I am happy to see you laughing at my expense,’ Naiti couldn’t hide the half smile and it lit up his face. The hard lines became soft and he leaned down for a kiss but Lulu turned her head aside shyly, his lips landing on her cheek. Though they had managed to kiss more times than she could count, she still felt shy when he tried to kiss her.

‘You tease,’ Naiti tickled her waist and Lulu laughed even out loudly.

‘Lulu,’ her mama’s booming voice carried through the banana plantations and Lulu wrapped her fingers on her mouth and Naiti’s as she peered through the banana plantations to the back of her house door where her mama was standing with arms akimbo looking for her. ‘Lulu where are you?’

‘I have to go,’ Lulu whispered at Naiti who reluctantly released her,

‘Tomorrow, I have something to show you, please come to our meeting point at noon. Don’t keep me waiting,’ with a quick brush on her lips Naiti melted into the darkness the same way he had come. Leaving Lulu touching her lips and wishing for more.

……………………………………

Neema wondered what was keeping Jabali. She was ready to close the restaurant and go home but he was not around to pick her up. He was almost an hour late and he wasn’t picking his calls at all. Disappointed she kept herself busy with locking down. She wanted to call Naiti and ask him to pick her up but resisted. Naiti was working now. He had taken an evening job and he couldn’t be disturbed. She would have to brave the road home alone, Neema decided.

She locked the main door and started walking away. The air was cold and she tied the scarf tightly around her neck. The dim streetlights revealed very few people on the road. In fact, she couldn’t see anyone. The fickle street lights flicked on and off creating shadows and setting her blood pressure to rise.

‘Neema,’ the dark voice of Majid called from one of the dark alleys she was passing. Her heart beat faster. Majid was the last person she wanted to meet alone in a dark night. She ignored him and increased her pace.

‘Neema!’ he shouted out her name again and Neema could hear irritation in his voice. He didn’t like being ignored and she increased her pace almost half running, half walking. Neema could hear his steps behind her, he was gaining on her and she panicked and broke into a full run.

‘Stop! stupid girl. Today I have caught you.’ He said before pouncing on her and tackling her on the hard ground. Neema felt the air leaving her body as he held her down. She could taste blood and her head hurt.

‘Help!’ she screamed on top of her voice and tried to get away from Majid’s awful heavy body. He had pinned her down and her hands on her back,

‘Shut up or else I will finish you,’ he yanked her head back grabbing on her braided hair and showing her a sharp knife he had in hand. Neema swallowed back her screams as the knife was held dangerously to her throat.

‘Now you will stand up and walk to that dark corner like a good girl or else you will lose your pretty little head,’ he whispered in her ear as his hot stinking breath nearly made her gag. His slimy tongue traced her cheek and Neema openly retched.

Roughly he made her stand up and shoved her deep into the dark alley. Neema couldn’t see anyone in the street and she knew if she ended up in the alley with Majid, he would do the worse to her.

‘You always walk around here in those tight clothes, tempting men and teasing us. Today am going to give you what you always wanted,’ he dragged her roughly as he bitterly spat in her ear. His spit landing on her cheek as he held the knife close to her throat, if Neema swallowed she could feel the sharp edge digging on her skin.

‘Majid please, let me go. I promise I will not do it again,’ Neema pleaded with him though she didn’t know what she was pleading for. ‘Naiti will not forgive you if you hurt me. Please let me go,’

‘Who said am planning to let you go?’ he laughed sarcastically and her blood ran cold, ‘you have already seen my face Neema. I am not letting you go and report me. I would rather die than let you go and tell everyone am the one who assaulted you. In short am going to kill you,’

‘Please Majid, I beg you,’ Neema didn’t doubt for a second that Majid would kill her. he threw her down on the dirt ground and Neema felt for anything she could use in defense. All she could touch was sand and she gathered a handful before Majid threw himself on top of her. her arm twisted from his weight and she screamed in pain, the sand slipping from her fingers. He punched her hard and Neema lost her bearing for a second. She literally saw stars.

‘I told you to shut up and stop screaming,’ with his knife he cut her shirt and Neema used everything in her to fight. She pushed, she scratched, she punched, she tore, she screamed and bit. Majid punched her again and again. Her face, her chest and Neema could feel her life fleeting before her eyes. Her mama’s open face, Ngao’s contagious laugh, Naiti’s wide eyes and Jabali’s smile. She was going to die on a street corner and leave everyone behind. She could taste blood on her mouth and she was choking on it.

Suddenly Majid’s weight was lifted from her. She could breathe in deeply now.

Majid was flicked like an insect and thrown on the ground and he was being beaten. Neema struggled to sit up straight and clear her vision.

‘How dare you touch her?’ Jabali’s angry voice screamed over and over again as he punched Majid. ‘How dare you lay your hands on her? You are a despicable human being,’ Neema heard the breaking of a bone and Majid screaming at the top of his lungs. That didn’t stop Jabali from his rampage and Neema feared that Jabali might kill Majid.

Jabali had saved her from her attacker, the thought brought tears of relief in her eyes. Her crying must have caught his attention as he let go of Majid and jogged to where she was laying. Majid took that chance to shakily stand up and practically stagger out of the alley.

Jabali cursed and wanted to run after him but Neema called him, her voice trembling and she tried to cover her naked and bloody body. Majid had done a number on her.

‘Am sorry sweetheart,’ Jabali took off his jacket and covered her shoulders before picking her up and carrying her out of the dark alley. Neema tears flowed endlessly. She could not believe that she had escaped death by a whisker. She held tightly to Jabali’s strong shoulders and cried her heart out. Jabali whispered hundreds of comforting words to her and assured her she was fine. She was going to be fine.

Gingerly, he placed her comfortably inside the passenger’s seat of his car and drove off. One of his hands was on the steering wheel while the other Neema clung on. Her tears stopped flowing and she had a dazed look on.

‘Let me take you to the hospital,’ Jabali insisted seeing how silent she was, ‘then we will make a report to the police station.’ Neema didn’t say anything, she only nodded her head. She was going to report Majid. He shouldn’t be allowed to walk around after the ordeal he had passed her through. He couldn’t be allowed to do it to someone else.

The ride was quiet and Neema avoided Jabali’s eyes. She was afraid he would look at her differently.

Read " The Dancing Bride And Her Spirit Warrior " by the same author ( Razia Iminza )

. She wanted to see his love and adoration. Not the anger, hate or what she feared most, disgust. She was sure he would look at her differently. Even though Majid hadn’t succeeded in raping her, she couldn’t put it past Jabali to think differently of her.

They arrived in the hospital and he carried her inside. A nurse brought a stretcher and she was taken inside a room. Jabali remained outside to give her details.

Out of his sight the nurse asked if Jabali was her attacker,

‘No, he is the one who saved me,’ she answered without missing a breath. The nurse checked her and found apart from several bruises and broken arm she didn’t have much injuries. Her face had taken much of the beating. The nurse promised to bring changing clothes and left her alone. She was to spend the night in the hospital for observation. The police were informed and they would come to the hospital to take her statement.

..........................................................................

A new chapter for you.

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