PERSONAL VENDETTA!

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Chapter 20

GEOFFREY

"Don't let it get away." His high pitched voice rang out.

"I'm trying, but it's moving away real fast." I replied.

The snake slithered away and we chased after it, but lost it in the underbrush. We ran after it as brambles and dry thorns bit into our tender skin. A shout rang out from the house behind us.

"You boys had better come inside right now before I spank your behinds."

After a short while, we came out looking bedraggled, our skins bruised and bleeding, our clothes dirty and torn.

She stood at the doorstep of the house, an attractive young woman. A hand on her ample hips and a heavy frown on her face.

As we got close to her, she gasped aloud.

"What happened to you two? You're both bleeding. Look at your clothes, they're filthy. You've gone running off again, I see. What happened?" She focused her eyes on us.

We looked down shamefacedly, not saying a word, then he spoke up timidly.

"I'm sorry, mum, we were chasing a snake and it got away so we ran after it." He looked down again."

She gasped again and shook her head. "You nutty boys. Now come on in so I can attend to your wounds."

As we passed her, she took a hold of each of our ears and dragged us in. It was quickly followed by a whopping on both our bums, eliciting loud yelps from us. We were told to take a bath to wash off the filth from our bodies, after which our wounds were tended to. We sat at the kitchen table where we were each given a large biscuit and a glass of milk. After our snack, we were sent to the study room to do our homework.

Instead of doing our homeworks like we were told to, we snuck outside to the courtyard where we began throwing a ball at each other.

"Osaze, catch!" He threw a ball at me and I caught it perfectly.

"Eyare, I'm bored, let's climb up that tree."

"But mum will not like that." Came back the reply in a small voice. "She gets really mad when we don't do what she wants us to, so I won't climb the tree. I'm going to do my homework. You should come too." And he ran off into the house.

I grudgingly followed him back into the house. He was always the responsible one.

I sighed as I got up from the bed. I was covered in sweat. I had been having the same dreams for some time, especially since I told Osagiede I loved her.

Could it be guilt?

I threw off the covers and got up. I padded to the kitchen to make some tea. I wondered, not for the first time, why people liked coffee. Tea was bliss.

I made a cup of my specially blended tea, added two cubes of sugar and some honey and sat down on the chair in the kitchen to drink it while I stared out the window.

I hadn't seen Onari in over two weeks now and I wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing her. She had called yesterday, jubilating on how well her plan was going. I prodded and prodded her about this new found plan of her's, but she hadn't budged. She refused to tell me what it was all about. I only hope it wouldn't involve hurting Osagiede. I sighed tiredly and rubbed my face.

What was happening to me?

Why this sudden love for a prey?

It had never happened in all my years of conning women.

Now what? I just didn't know what to do. I really want to be with her but she's a married woman with a baby to boot. Best leave her alone, no more messing with her. I shook my head to clear it.

The bell rang and I frowned. Who could have come here so early in the morning? It was still too early for visitors, besides I didn't even have friends. I mostly kept to myself.

The bell went off again, this time more insistently. I walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the front door. Checking the peep hole, my eyes almost bulged out when I saw who it was.

I yanked open the door with a frown on my face. The man standing there had his arms wide open with a big smile on his face. I took a step back, not sure if my eyes were deceiving me.

"What are you doing here?" My voice came out in a whisper.

"Is that the way to greet your father." He asked.

I noticed the travelling bag beside him.

"What are you doing with that?" I asked stupidly, pointing to the bag beside him.

"What do you mean what am I doing with that?" He brushed past me, leaving his travelling bag on the ground.

I opened my mouth, and closed it again. Sighing, I picked up the bag and went back into the house. He was in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Chief 'bazuaye, what are you doing here?" I asked, yet again,

dropping his travelling bag on the floor.

He turned round to face me.

"When you talk to me, you will address me using father, not chief. This is not the palace and I'm definitely not before the king, his wife nor his son." He finished with a stern look on his face.

I grudgingly nodded and replied. "Yes, father."

I sat down on the stool while he sat opposite me.

"I'm here for a number of things." He began ticking them off on his fingers. "First. To find out how your side of the plan is going. Secondly. To inform you of how my end of the plan is going." He paused and grinned at me. "Thirdly. To renew your charms." He picked up his tea cup, took a sip and hissed, as hot tea burnt his tongue.

I was silently pleased. I hoped it would burn his tongue such that he wouldn't be able to ever speak again. He looked at me, anger darkening his pupils.

"Can't you even say sorry?" He snapped.

"I didn't do anything to you. Why should I apologise?" I shrugged and stood up, ignoring his travelling bag still on the floor, and walked into my room.

He followed closely behind me and began nagging. I wished I hadn't opened the damn door for him.

"Osaze!" he started, resorting to my native name. "I'm trying to understand why you're behaving so coldly towards me. We have to work together, especially at this crucial point in time."

I laid down on my bed and covered my face with one hand, while he sat down on the edge of it facing me.

"I stole the staff of office!" His voice was quiet yet ominous.

"YOU, WHAT?" I shot up from the bed. Blood rushed to my head, making me feel lightheaded. I held my hand in my head to stave off the dizziness that suddenly engulfed me.

He rushed to me and began patting my back, but I shrugged his hands away and stood up.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Stealing the staff of office wasn't part of the plan, or was it?

"You forget so soon, son. He took what's mine. That dead bastard took what was rightfully mine." His voice took on a menacing tone and I turned round to look at him.

His face was twisted, his lips curled into a sneer. His hands were balled into fists at his side. I took a step back, a bit scared at what I was seeing. Suddenly, it all deflated from him and he slumped unto the bed. "Please understand, son. We must stick together. The queen is defeated now without this staff." He brought it out from under his agbada (Big shirt). He had been hiding it there the whole time. "See!" he said gleefully. He held it up for me to see.

My mouth had suddenly gone dry. "What have you done, father? Eyare is supposed to be the next king. The rightful heir to the throne. He's ---- "

Suddenly, my words were cut off with the vice-like grip of his hands around my neck.

His eyes were red and bulging. He looked crazed. Black spots began to dance in front of my eyes and I was becoming weak, choking on my own spit.

Just as stars began dancing in my periphery, the chokehold was released from my neck and I gasped for breath, gulping in deep pockets of air into my lungs. I held my neck as I slumped unto the floor.

He towered above me, a sneer on his face. "This is who you are now? A coward?" He dropped on one knee in front of me and I scuttled away, my back hitting the wall.

Nowhere to run now. He's going to kill me for real this time.

My mind flashed to the nights of beatings from him. His belt in hand, lash after lash, bringing it down unto my bare bottom. I couldn't sit down for two weeks after every beating.

How was it that after all this time, I was still afraid of my him at my age?

The fear of my father is the beginning of wisdom.

I shuddered as he came close to me. I tried pushing away from him, but it was no use. The hard wall behind me was a testament to that fact.

"Remember the oath you took, that we both took. You can't get out of this, we see it to the end. So I suggest you toughen up, little man and continue as you have been doing." He stood up, dusted his hands and walked away from me.

He stopped suddenly and turned round. "I sincerely hope you have been carrying out the plan?" He asked this, an eyebrow raised threateningly.

I nodded.

"YOU HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT, BOY!" he bellowed.

I cringed and struggled to sit up. He came close to me, one arm outstretched to help me up.
I looked up at him in fear but took his hand in silence and he hoisted me up. I scrambled to my feet, almost loosing my balance in the process, but stumbled to the bed and sat down on it. I felt so drained, but I forced myself to speak.

I told him how I had started an affair with Eyare's wife but left out the part about teaming up with Onari. If I dared mention her, he would demand to see her and I would have had not one, but two lunatics on my hands.

And I didn't want that. I just wanted this whole nightmare to end.

I droned on, leaving out huge details, just giving only the basics. I eventually zoned out as my mind went down memory lane once more.

"Osaze!" Someone whispered my name. I opened my eyes and sure enough, my father was standing by my bedside, looking down at me with a slight frown on his face.

"We are going somewhere now." Was all he said as he tossed me some clothes to wear. I rubbed my eyes, willing them to open wider. I was still so sleepy.

"Boy! If you don't get up now, I will scar your behind so bad, you'll never be able to sit down again." His voice held a menacing tone to it. I didn't need any more push.

I swung my legs from the bed and hurriedly wore the clothes he had tossed at me. He said not a word as I followed him out the door and into his car. I braved a glance at him. His face was set in concentration as he drove. On we went until he drove unto an untarred road. He stopped the car on the side of the road, then turned to me. He looked tired as he assessed my face for what seemed like a long time. Then he spoke.

"My son, we are going to a place that will help you get back your birthright. Your rightful place in this world. So whatever you are told to do, no complaints, just do it. Under no circumstance must you tell anyone about what we are going to do now, not even Eyare do you hear me?"

'Yes, father."I replied.

It had already gotten dark and was beginning to drizzle. We went to a shrine that night where I was given different bitter concoctions to drink. My palm was cut and my blood was extracted. Same as my father's. If I had known the path it was going to lead to, I would never have followed him there that day.

I snapped back to the present to see my father looking at me. 

"So how do you plan on separating them?" His face was a mask of seriousness as he looked at me.

I opened my mouth and closed it.

I didn't know how.

Question is, did I want to?

He can't know I had developed feelings for Eyare's wife.

He stood up and began pacing the length of my room. I eyed him from my corner on the bed.

"We have to kill him." He said suddenly as he turned round towards me.

"Who?" My voice came out in a hoarse whisper. I was too scared to hear his reply.

"Eyare!" His face was set in an indifferent mask as he said it, then he smiled. "And you're going to do it."

My heart lurched at hearing those words.

I had to warn Eyare somehow.


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