Thoughts in his head wandered around. To shout what he is or not. Doing so, saying who he is was like inviting trouble. How things change fast in this city. The chaser can be the chased.
What of connections, is he working alone? Or are others waiting to turn the table? The world is a jungle, you might now be the King of the forest and suddenly quick turn of the table to be the gazelle, the prey.
How many times has he heard of that on the news, eye witnesses narrating?
“We were eating food in the Kibandaski and then suddenly somebody started running, he saw and being a good citizen, seeing one has stolen chased after him, saying the forbidden word, the taboo of the city, the thi- word. He uttered, “thi…” immediately and when he started running after the thi-, another behind him started chasing him, “catch that thi…”
“I saw it all, he was suddenly caught, beatings started, blood from him oozing, we together with the mother at the Kibandaski wanted to save him. But you wonder, in this city of the cleverest survive, we knew what was best for us, God forgive us for our sins, but, natural selection, I blame it. Why is it, survival for the fittest? Nature gets rids of the weakest in the link, cut ties and ensures the strongest lays claim to the lands.”
Proceed with caution, he said to himself.
“Catch him, catch him,” came out of his mouth.
But in a city of who knows who, what danger lies ahead of you, with little trust blowing in the air, smelling of deception, betrayal and a drizzle of danger sign ahead, the best if not then the excellent and wisest move, driving from the old ages and used by our ancestors before us, like the collaborators during the time of colonialism, who now ride high and with riches, was to mind your own business. They just gave him way.
“Catch him yourself,” was like they talked to him back but now with action. Actions does speak louder than words after all.
The man entered an alley, nobody else walked that route. It is only the brave, the wicked of them all and the dangerous that did that. How many times? Have death been reported here? Murder? Suicide? Kidnapping? The th… word with –ing? Fights? Brawls, and all manner of things, to it being a base of drug addicts?
Pacodemus stopped, accessed the situation, “better safe than never.”
The thieve on the other end of the alley looked back, talked something, smiled, raised his middle finger, then bravely and slowly walked away like the President of the streets, His Imperial Majesty, His Royal Highness, The Benevolent Royal Crown Prince, the conqueror and the tiger of Tadoba.
Pacodemus like a fan in a tennis court, instead of seating, stood while to his knees and watched while sweating profusely.
