I got my phone number back two months after Maria's visitation. I figured there was no point hiding away anymore; if the police wanted me, they would have gone to the phone company to get my address and they would have arrested me by now. Joseph probably threw my phone away before the police got to them and that's why they have not come after me. But, in retrospect, I think the reason I got the line back was because of the call I received the next day after I got the line back if you believe in fate.'Hello,' the person on the other end said when I picked the call. 'Is this Mr. Paul?''Yeah?''My name is Patrick.'I was silent for a couple of seconds trying to remember which Patrick it was. 'Yeah?''I am...was Tolu's friend.''Tolu?''Yes. He gave me your number. He asked me to call you.''Yeah? What does he want?'The voice on the other end hesitated. 'He asked me to give you a letter,' the voice said. 'I am at Jibowu Park in Lagos trying to send it to you. Do you know Bonnyway trans
I went back to the nursery school, this time as an admin officer. The salary was lower than what I received working in a crèche.When I pointed it out to the proprietress, she said if it wasn't good enough for me, I could leave, because hundred other applicants would be glad to replace me.She said the reason I got the job in the first place was because mom came and solicited for me. I apologized and told her I was grateful to have the job. I would have stayed on that job for eternity if not for the chess competition we had at Hilltop School the next year. I played with one of their staff, a white guy, Stephen. He had beaten me twice, but this time I played with all the frustrations and anger I felt inside. I won the game. Stephen was surprised. He asked for a rematch after the game, and I beat him again. The third game convinced and humbled him, and we became friends. He suggested we meet periodically to play, and I agreed. He asked about my hand in what of the games we played, a
The wedding was planned a month from that day, and we made preparations toward the day. Two weeks before the wedding, I dropped Sarah at the Wedding Gown shop and headed to work. I worked for about two hours before I saw Sarah's call."Hi, Beautiful," I said, keeping my voice down so my student won't hear what I was saying."Hello," another voice said."Who is this?" I asked, my heart beating fast. "Who are you?""There has been an accident involving the owner of this phone?" the voice said."What happened?" I asked and stood up from my seat. "The owner of this phone was hit by a car while crossing the road," the voice said. "We rushed her to Plateau Specialist Hospital. Can you please meet us there?""What happened?" I asked again, my mind confused and my palms getting wet with sweat. "Is she okay?""Can you please meet us there? We are waiting for you."The phone went dead.I am dreaming, I thought. I must be dreaming.But the phone was still in my hand, and I knew that I had spoke
Mom and Jasper came about ten minutes later. Mom cried when she discovered Sarah's death. She cried so much I had to tell Jasper to take her home. The police came and asked some questions about my relationship with Sarah, and then they asked the doctor who hit her with his car. It was then I discovered that his car was a Mercedes Benz, and that he had come into the country for his wedding."I feel so horrible about the accident," he said. "She came out of nowhere.""Do you have a license?" I asked, and I smelled the peppermint all over his body again."Yes, I do. I have one in the UK, and I have one here." He looked into my eyes. "I wasn't driving roughly.""Did you take alcohol today," I asked. His eyes shrunk for a moment and then they grew wider. "I was not drunk," he said, and then he lowered his head, as if avoiding my eyes. "They police can confirm it. They checked me; I wasn't drunk."I nodded, looking into his eyes. He lowered his eyes from my gaze and looked down at his pho
By the time I reached home, the time was ten minutes past eleven. But I saw the car parked in front of my house and knew that Stephen, Sarah's brother, had come to see me. I parked the car and got out, and then Stephen came out of his car too. I walked to him, and he came and embraced me."I am so sorry," he said, and then he cleaned the tears from his eyes.I was crying too. "I shouldn't have left her alone," I said. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have left her."Stephen pulled back from me. He cleaned more tears from his face."Is that what you think this is?" he asked. "Are you blaming yourself for Sarah's death? Are you the one who drove the car that knocked and killed her?"I took a deep breath. "But if I was there with her…if I had gone with her, Sarah would be alive. It was all my fault; I shouldn't have let her go alone. I should have gone with her.""Nonsense. You had work, and she needed to collect her gown. What could you have done? Would you have asked her to go to the of
I dreamt about dying. That I was running in the field and policemen were chasing me, calling me to stop. I ran, but the faster I ran, the closer they got to me. Then I saw Sarah. She was standing right behind a tree, and she was frowning at me, an expression she carries on her face when she wasn't happy with me. I stopped and stared back at her, afraid to draw close to her. She seemed strange, different, a ghost of her former self. She stretched out her hand to hold me, but for some reason, I drew back again."Don't you love me?" she asked."I love you," I said. "Come back to me, Sarah. I love you.""Then hold my hand," she said. I hesitated again. "Come, my love," she said. "I won't harm you. I love you."I stretched my hand and held her hand. "That's lovely. Now I know that you love me, and you would avenge my death."Then her face turned into Talatu's face, my former girlfriend who jilted me to marry the doctor. She had longs hairs that had the heads of snakes at their end.I s
The next morning, I called Dr. Agaba. "Can we meet at the hospital?" I asked. "Sure." he said, and I could hear the sleep still in is voice. "What time?" "Would ten o'clock be convenient for you?" "Yeah, ten is okay," he said. "Okay," I said and rang off. Mom and Jasper came to see me in the morning. Mom brought a bowl of soup and packs of noodles. "At least this would hold your stomach," she said. "I know you have not been eating." "Thank you," I said, keeping the packs in the store. "Jasper, help me keep the soup in the refrigerator. I am going out." "Where are you going to?" Mom asked. "Are you going to the office? Did they ask you to come?" "No, mom," I said. "I just want to find out if there are other things we need to handle. Then for us to make preparations with her brother." "Alright," mom said, but her eyes were still looking worried. "Do you want us to follow you to the hospital?" "No," I said. "I will be with Steve. Everything would be alright. You can go home
Sarah was buried two weeks later. It was an event that I would never forget; it rained that day, and the crowd was more than we expected. The school gave me a three-week break. I stayed in the house all by myself. Mom wanted to move to the house or for Jasper to come and stay with me, but I refused all of these suggestions.Steve also offered to stay with me or that I should move to his house. I also politely refused this. I think they were all worried I might kill myself or do something that might be injurious to me, probably mentally.I stayed in the house for a week, not mourning, but thinking of what to do with Dr. Agaba. I thought about nothing else but how to harm him, and how to harm badly. He wasn’t at the burial, and I think that was rather wise of him, because I didn’t know what would have happened if I had seen him there. With my emotions out of line, I was sure I would have attacked him, not caring if a burial was going on or not.On the fifth day after the burial, I hea