THE DARK SECRET (PART TWO)

THE DARK SECRET (part two)
Olufunmi Olutade

“Hello”
I froze at the sound of his voice.

“Hello, hello, who’s on the line?” That voice, it hadn’t changed a bit.

The voice took me down the memory lane of how it all started.

Uncle Dave, as I fondly called him was one of my dad’s favourite employee.

My dad was a widower, he had refused another wife after the demise of my mum. He must have Loved her deeply. Or so we believed until event unravelled itself.

Being the only child of my father, I lacked nothing. If you called me an over pampered princess, you won’t be
wrong.

On this fateful day, one of those days the sun vowed never to smile. That same day was the the devil in all his fullness decided not to delegate assignment to any of his subordinate. The very day the himself showed up at our mansion.

“Baby” my father called me. He never called me by my first name, because of that, every one called me baby. “Baby, I’ve transferred some money into your account” my father said over the phone.

I already knew what that meant. I must remain in the campus until he wants me home.

I had never questioned that attitude, why should I? Everything I had was provided for. I was a big girl everywhere I went.

But being that the devil on this fateful day was duty, I wanted to damn the consequences of returning home against my father’s instruction.

“who’s on the line?” Uncle Dave brought me back from my reverie. I ended the call. The time wasn’t ripe yet. Every courage must be gathered, the write words must be properly arranged.

“Then you’d remain in this shackles forever” a voice spoke to my mind.

How did I get entangled in the devil’s web?

I remembered picking of view things and I headed home. Against every instruction father gave me. “Don’t come home without a call and a confirmation” my father’s words echoed loud in my heart. “Whatever” I murmured under my breathe.

“My car won’t start!” I called my mechanic over the phone. That’s impossible. It’s a new car. My father gave it to me as a birthday present on my eighteenth birthday. The car was just two months old, it shouldn’t be faulty.

Abeeb, my mechanic arrived in a good time. He got into the car and turned on the ignition, it answered perfectly. “Madam baby, wetin you say do this car? (What did you say it’s faulty about the car?)

But once I got in the car, I turned the ignition on in vain. After back and forth, I paid abeeb off . I don’t have to drive, I can book a taxi.

I was bent on going home. It was as though, there was a trophy awaiting me at home, and there came upon me a huge urge of urgency.

I got the first taxi, by the time I got in it, the driver won’t be able to start the car successfully. When I stepped down, it worked. The driver sped off without apology.

“More reason I must go home!” I encouraged myself.

After trying several taxis to no avail, I decided to join the public bus, it would be my first time but I cared less, I must get home today.

Didn’t I get the handwriting on the wall? Wasn’t this a bad omen? But curiosity won’t let me stop my journey halfway.

We had only gone a few miles when we had an accident. Many died, few were injured but I came out unhurt. “You must be serving a living God” one of the rescue team said to me.

Serving a living God, what does he mean? Where does a living God live? I served no one. I served ‘me’ , everything I served was woven around ‘me’.

I knew the accident was because of me. Those who died untimely did so on my account. A bible story I was taught in my elementary school flashed across my mind.

Jonah, the ship he boarded was going to capside. They did everything they could but it grew worst. If Jonah hadn’t told them to throw him into the water, they’d have all perished and Jonah might still be saved.

If only my co passengers were discerning, if only they knew death(me) had boarded the vehicle with them , perhaps, they’d have alighted or better still, bundled out through the window, but they were all blind even though there eyes were opened.

Blood on my hands, how did I get here? Why didn’t I give up on this mission at the first nudge? But I’d gone too far now to turn back. Whatever it’d take, I must get home today.

I stopped a bike, I was determined to get home at all cost. The bike man, he was a strange man because what happened next is what I can never forget in my entire life.

To be continued…