My only addiction - Episode 36

 

Arya's POV
"What do we do Andrew, we are running out of options????" I asked in a concerned tone.
"Why are you worried???? Tonight we will get to see that lousy greedy MP face to face and whether he likes it or not he has to listen to us..."

"What about Ben???? He is dead, are we going just to sit and mourn??? We need to go back to the streets..."
"Look at you all grown up..I  can't lose anyone  else little lioness..Plus I promised Nick that I won't put your life in danger ever again. You got shot, what if you died???"

"I don't care Andrew . Ben is died because of me and even without your help I am gonna avenge his death...." I cussed out..

I could feel my insides churning with rage..I can barely sleep at night as the events of that day keep playing in my head in  slow motion. I had Ben's blood on my hands and that fact was slowly killing me.

"How???" He yelled at me that I flinched,
"You are still nursing your bullet wound little lioness, no one is going back to the streets and that's final..."
"And who is going to stop me???You..."
"Arya,"He sighed," I care about you..I know you think it's your fault but he sacrificed his life for you and I will always be grateful. But I can never lose you, I would die

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/my-only-addiction

. Nick would die, why are you been selfish????"

"Because I can't sleep at night," Tears dripped from my eyes, "Everytime I close my eyes, I see him lying helplessly there. I want to forget but I can't...Maybe if I avenge his death, the guilt would go away..."

"Come here," I hugged him and he  placed his arm around my waist.
"It's not your fault....Right now we have to focus on the future. Focus on changing our community. Focus on rocking that interview tonight okay????"
"Yeah...."
"Go get ready, I will pick you up at 5pm..." He beamed and pulled back.
"Okay...."

******
There was a comfortable silence between Jackie and I as she applied my make-up when she broke it.
"Short woman, tell me the main reason you are risking your life???"
"Our community needs change...." I replied dryly .
"That's Andrew's reason. What's your reason????"

She wasn't buying my story, was she????

"I want to be worthy of Ethan..." I said in almost a whisper..
"Why would you do that????The Arya I know wouldn't give a heck about what people think about her..."

"I care about what Ethan thinks about me. He thinks I can't survive on the limelight but I am gonna prove him wrong."

"Haven't you heard of mysterious disappearance or deaths of those who challenge our MP????" She sounded so scared and worried.
"I have..."
"Then are you ready to risk your life in the name of love???There is always other way Arya..."
"My mind is made up. So will you get done with my makeup or do I do it myself???I don't want to be late.."
"Just be careful...." She said in a low voice and continued with what she was doing.

****
After we arrived at Norway Media House, there were some few friends and supporters waiting for us . When they saw us, they started cheering  and for a moment I felt like an Icon.

"Tim, what are you guys doing here???" Andrew asked unable to hide his charming smile.
"We are here to give you two moral support. I hope you two will be able to do what we have been able to do for years. Put that lousy murderer in his place.." Tim sneered.

"You know that's what I do best....." Andrew boasted and held my hand, "Let's go..."

After our pre- interview with the producer, we decided to look around before Jeff Mbote was done with reading the News...

"You look like a damn CEO Arya....I am happy life has bee good to you.." Andrew stated.
"I am happy I get to help you fulfill this crazy dream of yours..."
"If dad and mom were here, they would be proud of us especially their little girl..." There was a pinch of sadness in his voice

"Let's not go there Andy. Let's focus on the present for now. Where did you steal this suit from????" I teased him only for him to be writhed with laughter.

"Life has also been good to me..."

I arched a perfect eyebrow at him and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "Nick bought it for me..."
"That suit looks good on you brother...." I flattered to make him feel better but he only just smiled.

"Aren't you going to say i look pretty Andy???"
" You always beautiful...."

I had worn a white blouse with a bow, a black pencil skirt and completed the look with a black blazer and  my nude stilettos heels.

"Jeff is almost done with the News guys," The producer said in a firm authoritative voice.
"We will be there...." Andrew smiled and turned to me,"Are you ready little lioness???"

"I think so...."
Andrew took hold of my hands and squeezed them lightly,"We got this..We need to prove to Nick that he doesn't have to babysit us anymore..."
"Let's do this..." I sighed...
"Good girl..."

We began walking back to the News room when a familiar voice called out behind us,"Andrew Almasi..."

As we turned to look at him, Andrew had clenched his teeth and squeezing my hand more tighter that I felt pain but it wasn't the time to squirm.

"I would say it's nice to see you but I would be lying..." Andrew snarled more than he spoke.
"Hello Almasi, I am sorry I have been busy and unable to see you. I see the little girl all grown now..." He smiled and turned his attention to me, "I always knew you are going to grow into a beautiful woman."

I tried to reply back but no words came from my mouth. I just looked at him trembling like a leaf.

"Almasi," He got back to Andrew,"Why do you want to make things so messy???We can sort this issue out in another way...Just name your price..." The nerve of this lousy greedy murderer.

"Some of us can't be bought Sir...We want change and we will get it..." Andrew emphasized word by word.
"Why do you want to put your little sister's life in danger???"
"Is that a threat???" Andrew moved closer to him that they were nose to nose.
"You know I hate people messing with me. You should have probably learnt that by now.."
"Touch even a strand of hair on her head and you are a dead man..." Andrew warned.

"Two million....Just praise me on live TV and your life will never be the same again..."
"As I told you Sir, we can't be bought..." Andrew stepped back and dragged me to the news room.

"Andrew I am scared..." I whispered to him as the technician was busy clipping a livier microphone on me.
"You got me. You shouldn't be scared. He won't hurt you..." He assured and I nodded wordlessly.

"Remember to disagree firmly but always politely.." The producer advised and we nodded wordlessly.

"Hey guys," Jeff beamed as he walked toward us, "How do you feel about tonight???I won't lie it always get intense on the round table.."
"We are ready Jeff..." Andrew replied with utmost confidence whereas I felt like my heart was in my mouth.

We all sat around the roundtable and I could notice Andrew and that lousy greedy murderer throwing each other deadly glances..Jeff was right, it was going to get intense tonight. After some few seconds the police commissioner joined us and we were ready to start...

"We going live starting in 5,4,3,2,1......Jambo Kenya, I am your host Jeff Mbote and you are watching the Hotseat. With us today is Member of Parliament of Stera constituency John Naina, Police commissioner Mark Masaai and concerned activists Arya and Andrew ready to talk out their grievances to their Member of Parliament. As you all know, it gets intense by the minute and you never see what's coming..." Jeff started us off..

"So Arya do you think you used the right channel by leading a riot which left one of your closest friends dead????" Jeff continued.

"It might have not been the right channel but at least we were heard or else we wouldn't be here..In every battle there is always a winner, a loser and several casualties. Unfortunately Ben was among the casualties, may his soul rest in eternal peace.." I answered and just by the mention of Ben's name I felt my eyes pepperish with tears..

"But his death would have been prevented if you just followed the right procedure. I feel like you are just justifying your recklessness...." I had a feeling Jeff wanted to provoke me.

"If our MP was good at doing his job, we wouldn't have to bury our young men every day because of police brutality. When there is no change we force it. But how would you understand while you live on the other side of town..." I rolled my eyes at him.

I guess he sensed my anger and decided to avert his attention from me. If he thought I was the weak link then he was wrong.

"Andrew Almasi, why an activist??? It's a very dangerous and risky job..."
"I love the dangerous and risky jobs. I need to be the voice of our people, I need to do the impossible for them. I think that's my purpose in life..."

"John Naina sir, what do you have to say about all this????"
"I think they are young, immature and reckless..."

That was a wrong move lousy greedy murderous man. As I had predicted, Andrew snapped.

"Immature, you are a greedy, a dictator and a murderer. What good have you done in our community???All you are best at is taking advantage and killing anyone who goes against you. John Naina I am going to bring you down.."

I tried to hold his hand to calm him down but he drew it back.

"I am sick and tired of your leadership," Andrew slammed the table, "Our youth are being killed everyday as you fatten. There are no jobs, no clean water and Sokomoko is Nairobi's dumping site..If you are sick and tired of your job, just quit..."

"How dare you Andrew Almasi talk to me like that????" That lousy greedy murderer stood from his seat and pointed a gun at him. The police commissioner tried to hold him back but couldn't....

There was tension in the air as I held my breath and from Jeff's shocked look he seemed he would get a heart attack soon.

"Finally you have shed off your pathetic skin. Shoot me, isn't that what you are good at????" Andrew raged.

"Guys, we will be right back after the break...." Jeff trembled.

"Guys, please calm down. You are on Live TV for crying out loud..." Jeff beseeched but one of them seemed ready to back down.

"Andrew Almasi, I will never forget this humiliation..." That lousy greedy murderer warned.
"Bring all you got John, I am not scared of you..." Andrew stood from his seat and walked to where he was,"I will bring you down and that's a promise.

"John Naina Sir, can you put the gun away???.You are scaring my colleagues..." Jeff pleaded.
"Then tell this man to respect me..."
"Okay. Andrew Almasi you need to calm down. We are going back live in five minutes so you all need to find you grip..." There was a warning edge in Jeff's voice.

That lousy greedy murderer put his gun away and walked from the News room followed by the police commissioner. That fool couldn't do anything or was he his little puppet??? Our country is fucked up. Until we get rid of corrupt leaders, we will never move forward.

"What was that Andrew???" I stuttered and he just ignored me.
"Here, have some water..." He handed me the bottle of water that was on the table and fidgitating I quickly gulped the bottled water down my throat.

"I don't wanna lose you Andrew..." I trembled only for him to squeeze my hand.
"You won't lose me Arya. Now calm down, I don't want you to look scared Infront of him like earlier or he will use that to his advantage. You are our little lioness, anyone who attacks you bite them if you have to.."

I didn't understand half of what he said and so I nodded.

"Andrew Almasi I hope you are calm. We are going back live and please try and be calm.." The producer stated in a pleading tone and Andrew just nodded.

Ethan's POV
"Jambo Kenya, this is your guy Jeff Mbote and welcome back. I already warned you it gets intense..." Jeff chuckled.

Jack, Troy and I had plopped on the sofa watching Arya's interview.

"I can't believe I am watching NEWS, who still watches it anyway???" Jack groaned.
"Shut up and listen.." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Arya what do you think about what Andrew said??? Do you think there is some truth in it???"

Damn I was so proud of my girl. Just look at her look all beautiful and confident.

"Think, I know so. The rage in his eyes is the proof you need. If someone is tired of his job, he can always quit." Arya pointed out dryly.

"I never knew Arya could be this fierce. She always look like this crying baby..." Jack commented, putting a handful of popcorns in his mouth.
"That makes the two of us. Ethan I don't I understand how you choose a malnourished selfish model over this ." Troy added.

If only it was that easy guys...

"So Police commissioner what do you think about all this???" Jeff asked.

"First and foremost Andrew before accusing anyone you need proof. Secondly it was a bad idea for Arya to lead the riot, that's not how things are sol...."
"And was it right for the police to shoot me???Or beat Andrew almost to death and kill Ben????Our country will never changed unless our leaders change their mindset about everything..."

"But...." Before the police commissioner could defend himself, Arya interrupted him again.
"No, it seems you are also corrupt. Andrew has accused that man,"He pointed at John Naina,"Of alot of things, as a good cop you need to carry out investigations..."

"There is a protocol Arya Almasi...." The police commissioner raised his voice.
"Then follow it, for God's sake...Or aren't you the good cop???We are sick and tired of injustice. A seven year old was shot, how do you justify that???"

I have never seen my Arya this angry...

"Calm down Arya...So Cikuh Hai let's get to you with the tweets..." Jeff was smart to butt in or everything would have gone South.

"Arya must be very brave. John Naina is a very bad man, he hates to be humiliated or even provoked. It takes nerves to stand up to him..." Troy stated.
"Can't you see the kind of brother she has???With such kind of a brother who wouldn't be brave???" Jack shook his head.

"She will get famous soon. She is gaining the people's love and trust. And in this country, that's all you need..." Troy added and gulped down the bottle of beer he was holding.

If this John Naina guy is a dangerous man then Arya's life is threatened..What if he does something to her???Just by the mere thought of that, my heart fell in my stomach.

"What of this John Naina guy harms her????" I asked in a worrying tone.
"He is not a fool after pointing a gun at Andrew, he has already lost the trust his people have for him. Right now all eyes are on him, he won't do something stupid..." Troy tried to convince me otherwise but I wasn't contented with his answer...

"Ethan the reason you couldn't be with Arya was because you were afraid she couldn't handle the limelight. It seems to me, she is handling it so perfectly...She will be even more loved than Ivy very soon. Just watch her pace.." Troy pointed it out, his eyes stuck on the TV.

"Hey Jeff.

Read " Pierced Rose " by the same author ( Fideh Mwangi )

. John Naina,Police commissioner, Arya and Andrew welcome to Hotseat. Today surprisingly we have alot  of tweets and I am gonna a read you some of them..." Cikuh beamed.

"@Albert I love what Arya and Andrew are doing. These leaders are incompetent and it's a high time they be put in their place.
@Ruth Arya you are officially my role model. Your braveness is something to admire.
@Thomas I can't believe John Naina had the nerve to point a gun on live TV that only means one thing, the allegations against him are true.
@Nick Almasi You two are always making me proud. Cheers to making the world a better place.
@Philip Police commissioner Arya is right, you should investigate this crazy MP. I am from Sokomoko and trust me he has done nothing apart from gain weight.
This will be our last tweet and then we will get back to you Jeff.
@Malcolm Raina Thanks Arya for using the right channel, I am so proud of you."

"Guys did you see Arya blush??? Did you see the grin on her face when Malcolm Raina's name was mentioned???" I thundered.

"What's wrong with that???" Jack asked in confusion...
"Malcolm is Arya's boss and Ethan thinks he likes Arya..." Troy explained to him in emphasis.
"Dude if I were you I would act fast or else he will take her from you??" Jack teased me...

"No, I won't allow that. Ivy is landing tomorrow, I am going to end things with her..."
"What???" They both asked in unison.
"It's time to make Arya mine...She is getting famous and I think I like her so everything is good." I said excitedly but they didn't seem to believe me.

"I will believe it after seeing it...I don't trust your words anymore..." Troy pointed out and Jack nodded in agreement.

Thanks Arya for making this easy for me. We can finally be together...

"You can get us on Twitter,Facebook @Hotseat and our SMS number 224455. It's getting hot here see you after the break..." Jeff beamed.

"Incase you do as you have told us, what of Ivy doesn't take it well???We know she can be a little bit gaga...." Jack asked concerningly.
"I will deal with that when I get there. Right now my priority is to make Arya mine..."
"Okay..."Jack shrugged.

Hey smile squad, I know I have been Mia but am sorry...Thank you for your support so far. I send kisses and hugs your way.