The players sat on each side of the bench, the game board was the centerpiece. Surrounded by them was a group of onlookers each cheering on a party. The play was progressing smoothly, until it was disrupted by shouts from a man who was running to them. They all looked to that direction. Their expression as they glanced at him was, “ it better be worth it.”
He arrived at the place, instead of talking he was panting.
“Speak,” all said.
“Kilgos,” he called.
“ Yes, what is it?”
Kilgos was the player seated on the left side of the bench playing draft.
“Your girlfriend is making out with another man,” he uttered.
The draft was left shackles on the ground as bottle tops spread out. He stood up and with a voice boiling, “ What? Where? Show me, this man is dead,”
“Yes, he is dead,” the crowd there said. All was a group of ten people, friends since childhood and overtime had become like a brother to each other. United as one together we fall.
“I will take you there, follow me,” said the messenger.
“We show up and beat that man. Does he know not of the struggles you made? We were there to witness it all. Gifts bought. Dates carried. Outings undertaken. Travels made. And now this, no, by God it shall not be in vain,” one said.
“Yes,”
“Yes,”
“Yes,” almost all of the group agreed.
They thumped Kilgos chest every now and then by tapping on his shoulders as if in preparation for a boxing match.
It was a two minutes walk, the place of their destination and behold there before them Anita was occupied. Kissing with another man.
Who was Kilgos? He approached to where they were, separated them and landed two blows to the man’s face and another two to the stomach. The man was prepared to retaliate, however, he saw the reinforcement Kilgos had come with and he knew better when to converse.
All this time Anita was uttering, “stop it, stop it,” while grasping Kilgos, who whenever that action was done reacted by diversion.
“I, I…”
Kilgos did not let Anita finish before he grabbed her hand and forcefully walked her out of the fiasco.
The man beaten, who was in a blue jeans, red t-shirt and black rubber shoes uttered loudly, “ you will regret this, do you know who I am?”
Kilgos checked him, “ bring it on right now , so you want more.”
The man chickened out.
After that incident Kilgos and Anita were left to sort their issues
“ So is this the end?” Kilgos asked.
“No, no, it was just a span of the moment,” answered Anita.
“What swayed you? What is it he has that I do not have?”
Silence.
“When you have an answer, you know where to find me.”
With that Kilgos went the other way and left Anita there.
***
Kilgos was a late riser, plus it was the weekend, there was no reason to wake up early. He heard, the wailing, it was near his house but he was not alarmed though, nothing came to his mind. He continued to enjoy the comfort of his bed.
It happened so fast. The bedroom door was knocked ajar first and the next he knew was him being escorted out of his bedroom by people not in a friendly way. A lot he had to do. First to properly wake up and become alert, scan the environment of where he was just to be sure if not dreaming, he saw the door broken, shocked was he, “who are you? Where are you taking me?”
He needed no answer when he saw a police van and who were hoisting him were police officers. It is luck that he slept with a sweat pants and a t-shirt, if it had been the other way round, things would have turned shameful.
“You messed with the wrong person, “ one of the police officer said.
Well, well, the human race. Always intrigued, they never miss the action. Always present. There were countless observers there. One of his childhood friend was also there to witness the sight.
Like wildfire, words spread on what Kilgos had done to deserve the arrest. He killed. He is the suspect to a rape case. He usually wins tenders, perhaps it is from corruption that he gets them. His close ones though already knew by then what had gone amiss. He had awaken a sleeping lion. They did what they thought was best and the only help he might get. They approached Anita. They pleaded with her to assist.
That whole Saturday, Kilgos spent the whole day in jail. Early the next morning, he was awoken by being splashed with a bucket of cold water. The cold breeze exhibited in him and not waiting that realization to portray through him shivering, the police officers took him to another room. His hands were tied to a rope and was left “hanging” from the middle of the room. Headbutts, slaps, blows and kicks was what greeted him good morning. He replied in growls of pain.
“What did I do?” Kilgos asked.
“So you still do not know?”
That agony of Kilgos continued for 45 minutes, before he was left to hang there first. It did not last long before a police officer came and started spraying Kilgos with spirit. Kilgos cried out.
Five minutes later he was told he was free to leave. On the counter was Anita, two of his friends and the man he beat who was kissing Anita the other day. The man was laughing.
One of his friend while outside the police station said, “ the man you beat the other day is the son of the county commissioner.”
Kilgos uttered nothing. He smiled. He knew his day will come. Patience. Patience.
Photo by Carlos Alberto Gomez Iniquez on Unsplash
