I was getting really impatient by the moment. I was waiting for someone. Marvin. I've known Marvin for a month. He is a very nice gentleman, well, nicer than the previous guys I had gone out with. Prior to that day, I had always thought I suck at keeping to time, but this friend of mine had just upped the record. We had a date, I wanted to go to the cinema. We lived far off from each other, I along IBB way and he along Abak road, so Old Crescent road seemed a good place of contact. 1:00pm was the time he had suggested, it was 1:32pm already. A good 32 minutes.
.
I felt something wet land on my cheek. I felt it. Water? From where? Another landed on my arm and yet another on my forehead. Oh no! It was starting to drizzle. Perfect. I looked around in search of any available shelter. None seemed near, so I began to walk. I see a mechanic workshop by my right, but No thanks, I really do not like the man in blue. Everything about him screams 'Pervert'. So I keep on walking. My light chiffon blouse is getting soaked already, and for the umpteenth time I blame myself for believing Marvin would stick to time.
Finally! Relief washes over me upon sight of a boutique. It looks shabby and deteriorated. The paint coats are beginning to peel off and the surroundings are littered with garbage. There is no visible source of shelter up ahead so I walk hurriedly towards the boutique. Two ladies are seated outside. I immediately greet the older of the ladies as I assume she is the shop keeper. She mumbles some alien language in return. I then greet the younger lady and she smiles back sweetly. I steal a glance into the shop. Clothes are hanging off hangers in a haphazard manner. A showcase containing cheap jewelry is mounted close to the door. There is a seat close to the showcase so I haul myself into it.
.
Back to Marvin! I dial his number again but the customer care lady has no chill. I'm told "my account is too low for the definition I'm trying to call." Let's hope it doesn't rain all day.
"You have to dry your hair or else you'll suffer from itching today ehn", a voice permeates the air. It is the younger lady. I look at her briefly. She is putting on a short gown made with danshiki fabric. Her face is well made up, she has a dimple on one side of her cheek which deepens when she speaks. She is pretty, very.
"Ah, you don't even have to tell me that one o. I have a blowdryer at home anyway, I'll dry it once I get home." I answer in return and look away. I'm certainly not feeling chatty.
"My name is Brenda, by the way." She says yet again.
"Oh, I'm Mercy."
"You've been frowning for minutes now. Is everything okay?"
Well, if you observe I've been frowning, you could at least keep away. That was in my head.
"I was supposed to meet up with a friend but he's really running late. He's not even picking my calls to let me know if he is still showing up or not." I say instead.
"That's frustrating. You just got all dressed up and pretty for nothing." She teases.
"I'm not even worried about that." I giggle. "The fact that I would have been home, all cuddled up and warm, getting my much needed rest in this oh-so-cold weather just pisses me off the most." I reply to her tease.
Lightning strikes and we scream in unison then laugh heartily afterwards. Okay. I like her. I like this Brenda. Its unusual of me to get comfortable with someone I just met but she seems way different. Everything about her screams 'Talk to me', 'Open up to me'. We are engrossed in a conversation oblivious to the shop keeper though I hear her light snores time and again.
.
"Its finally stopped raining." I tell her.
"Thank God. This environment is giving me goosebumps", she whispers. I nod in acknowledgement.
The shop keeper is awake so we express our gratitude for the shelter and she mumbles yet another alien language in return. We begin our journey.
"Brenda, please let me know if you see any airtime vendor around. The hundred naira wey I been recharge don finish." I break the silence.
"Big girl like you dey load 100 box. Omoh, na wa o.
"My friend, sharrap dia." I retort back playfully.
THIEF!!!!!!
We stop immediately in our steps.
.
The shop keeper is running after us. "Stop them. Thief O", She screams even louder. Our faces register embarassment as we look at each other.
"Let's go. She clearly can't be talking to us." Brenda says while tugging at my handbag.
"Babe, are you being serious right now? She's referring to us. See her pointing nah."
The mechanics begin to come out of their workshop. A small crowd is beginning to gather too and we are the cynosure of all eyes in no time. The shop keeper finally catches up to us panting heavily.
"E no go better for una. E no go better for una for this life. Ashawo na im una two be", she begins to rant.
"Abeg abeg, calm down madam. No call me something wey I no be. Look your shop, wetin dey dia wey person wan thief? No, tell me. Wetin person wan thief for shop wey don empty?", I am visibly angry at her baseless accusations.
"All that one na story. You go helep me search them till you find my bracelet", she tells one of the mechanics. "Na so them just dey waka dey thief thief anyhow. Shameless girls."
The mechanic she refers to wipes his greasy palm on his dirty coveralls. At that point, I know he means business. I look at Brenda and she is as speechless as I am. The severity of the mess we are in seems surreal to us. The mechanics look at us greedily and I don't know where the thought comes from, but I start to picture what I am putting on under my Jean trouser and chiffon blouse.
"Ma please, we did not take anything from your shop. You saw when we left", Brenda finally says with a shaky voice.
"So why e be say as una two comot for my shop, I no come see my bracelets wen been dey my showcase?"
Showcase. Oh, I remember. The showcase. It was right behind me, I leaned on it but I took nothing from it. I would never. I mean, were not showcases locked in the first place?
"Madam", one of the mechanics says, "you for like make we search these girls or make we for dey here speak English?"
That is all the motivation his colleagues needed. They come at us amidst our begs and screams. We are powerless against them. Two of the mechanics tug at my blouse looking for a zip or a fastener. They find none so they begin dragging my blouse forcefully over my head. Brenda is not left out. As I peep at her, I see her short gown being lifted above her head exposing her long, shapely legs and her black tights. The shop keeper stands with her hands akimbo watching us wrestle to cover up parts of our skin that have been exposed with disgust clearly etched on her face.
WAIT!!!!!!, someone shouts from the crowd. The mechanics stop and look towards the direction of the sound.
.
A young man is making his way towards us, he should be in his late twenties, probably.
"Ma", he addresses the shop keeper, "you ordered a search of these ladies because you think, emphasis on the word think, you think they stole a bracelet from your shop."
"Yes o, I just dey my own 'jejely' when rain start to fall... "
"... I know the rest", he cuts in, "Now my question is", he turns and faces the mechanics, "These ladies each own handbags. Why didn't you start your search from there, why rush to peel off their clothings instead?"
"Bros, women get plenty places for their body wey dem fit hide property", one of the mechanics who identifies as Rufus answers. Rufus is the name tag on his coverall, so I assume that is his name. He is the leader of the 'search party'.
"Search their bags first", the young man orders.
Without waste of time, the contents of our bags are emptied out onto the ground. House keys, a novel and a tampon fall out of mine amongst other belongings. A thorough search of our bags is conducted by the mechanics who now squat on the ground. Brenda comes over and hugs me tightly. We have managed to re-arrange our clothes back to a state of normalcy. She holds me and sobs quietly, her body shuddering with every inhalation she takes. I pat her back continously as I have lost the strength to speak. I have lost the strength to re-assure her that all will be well.
We watch in silence as the crowd rummage through our bags, tossing contents out without a care. The crowd has doubled to twice it's previous size, hawkers and passers-by now stop and take in the drama that is enfolding while those that have been there from the start fill in the new arrivals on what is really happening. Soon, more and more people are gathered.
"I don see am, I have seen the bracelets! "
Brenda lifts her head up from my shoulders. The earth stops spinning. Bracelets? How? Which bag? The crowd go into a frenzy. Everyone is talking at once. I feel dizzy, I think I'm going to puke. All eyes are fixated on us. Do we run? Is this the part where we run? I'm going beserk due to too much constructive thinking. The young man who intervened on our behalf holds up a bag. "Whose is this?", he asks, I sink to the ground. The crowd presses closer. No, It can't be. When?
.
Brenda.
.
"I'm sorry", she says to no one in particular. She is crying heavily and her nose is running. " I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry. Mercy, tell them, I'm sorry", she keeps on pleading.
The mob charge angrily at her, hitting and beating her wherever and with whatever they can reach. I run to the man who intervened on our behalf, our intercessor.
"Please get them off her Sir, they will kill her. You know they will", I cry out.
"You've seen them. You've seen how many they are. If I get in there, I could be trampled to death. She should never have stolen in the first place."
"But you can say something, don't just stand and watch. Please, you... "
I'm interrupted by Brenda's screams. I can't see her through
the crowd but I hear her shouting and crying for them to stop. Tears run down my face at the realization that I can't do nothing about the situation. I heard a squeaky sound behind me and I turn to see one of the mechanics rolling a tyre with his right hand while holding onto a jerry can with his left. No! No! No! It can't be what I think it is. The shop keeper is urging on the boy to hurry. I run over to her and literally fall at her feet.
"Ma please, we are sorry ma, please ma, don't let them do this to her ma, please ma, we are sorry ma", I beg amidst tears and hiccups. She pushes me away without so much as a second glance and makes her way into the crowd.
"Babe", Someone says behind me. I turn around at the sound of the voice I know so well. Marvin! I hug him and cry loudly while he holds on to me while taking in the happenings around us.
" Where have you been? What took you so long?"
" Forget about me. What is going on? Oh my God, look at you. Your hair, your..., babe, what is happening here?" His eyes search mine frantically trying to make sense of the situation.
"Brenda."
"Who's Brenda?"
"She stole some bracelets. I didn't know, how could I have known? They're going to kill her. Come talk to the shop keeper, please, she'll listen to you maybe." I'm talking way too fast. I pull Marvin by the shirt at the same time look out for the shop keeper.
It's too late. A cloud of smoke fills the air instantly. I jump back on impulse. Fire! The crowd that had once gathered around Brenda like flies to faeces now stand at a considerable distance due to the flame. I run towards her but Marvin holds me tight, all I can do is scream and struggle against his weight. Brenda isn't struggling. She isn't running. Brenda isn't even moving. She just sits there while the flames peel off her skin. Maybe it's the weight of the tyre around her neck, maybe she is weak from the beatings, maybe she is tired of fighting on for a life that is gradually dwindling. She sits facing my direction but I doubt she can see me.
"I'm sorry", I say silently. "I failed. I should have tried more to discourage them. This is all my fault." I know she can't hear me. But I just had to speak. My voice is hoarse from shouting so much. Marvin presses me tightly against his chest. He tells me it's not my fault, He says I couldn't possibly win against the crowd. I don't believe him. I should have tried a little harder. Marvin lifts me into his arms.
"Let's go before these savages change their mind."
.
Its been two weeks since her murder. She was all over the tabloids the following day. She was on the lips of everyone. Some told the story as it was. Some fabricated lies and made her look evil. I'm sure you heard about her too. Do not believe everything you heard. You would have loved her. She was the sweetest thing to ever happen to me. She was life itself.
Its been two weeks of sleepless nights.
I dream of her every night.
In my dream, she tells me why she did it, because I could never understand why.
She tells me she misses our budding friendship. Me too.
She says we shall meet soon, I want that more than ever.
The weight of her death has taken its toll on me. During the day, I behave like I'm in a haze, at least that's what my mom says.
But I don't mind. I pay no attention to them, for I know when night falls, I'll be in bliss.
When I close my eyes, all I'll see, is Brenda.
