Triumph of evil

SALLY'S PREDICAMENT

Sally was lying on the three-seater in their living room watching a movie. Her father was also there reading his newspaper. It was a weekend and everybody except her mother was at home.

Sally’s mind was divided between two worlds. She was watching the movie which was a bit interesting but something kept nibbling at her heart—the thought of Steve. She had heard about what happened to him—his imprisonment. She was in a deep thought on how to go about the whole thing, but the more she thought, the more confused she was.

'How could I help Steve? But come to think of it, is there anything else one can do after he had been sent to jail? Wouldn’t it look like crying over a spilt milk since the head is gone?'

Sally continues to talk silently to herself. 'How about his mother? Poor woman! Steve was all she had got and now, look at what is happening. I must go and see her. Ah-aa! My God! Steve! A d**g pusher? I still can’t believe this! That my own Steve is a d**g pusher. Does that means that anytime he travelled abroad then, he went with drugs? What could have pushed him into that?'

She continues to roll on the seat as she’s brooding on Steve. 'I think all the money he was giving me then was from d**g pushing. God! I’ve been spending d**g money with Steve? I pray the police do not come for me O! What will I tell papa and mama? Anyway, I’ll see Joke and Helen to seek their opinions. Should I try to help him? But he never told me he was a pusher? After all, he did not tell me he was a d**g pusher. Let me seek advice before I conclude on the decision to take.'

Sally got up from the sofa on which she later sat as she was ruminating on how to go about the whole issue. At last, she rose to pick her handbag and was on her way out.

'Papa!'

'Yes,' responded her father as he takes his eyes off the newspaper he was reading.

'I want to go and see my friends at Ojota,'

'Which of your friends?'

'Joke and Helen.'

'Alright. Don’t keep long out there. You know your mother would soon come back from her shop.'

'I won’t stay long, Dad. I will soon be back.'

'Alright.'

'Bye bye sir.'

As Sally got closer to her friends' residence, she could hear the blaring of sound systems from their house; she said with wry smile. She pressed the door bell and someone responded from within.

'Who is it?' the high sounding voice inquired.

'It’s me!' Sally replied.

'Who are you?' Another voice asked.

'My friend, don’t die. Come and open the door for me. Can’t you recognize my voice?' Sally retorted with obvious humor.

'Ehe! Sally! The girl’s crushed as they came to open the door.

'Aha! Na wah for you O! Where have you been since all these days? Helen asked.

'Won’t you allow me to enter before bombarding me with all these WEAC and JAMB questions? Bad Manners!' Sally reacted trying to push her way inside.

'Why not! Come right in. You just walked in at the right time; Joke replied cheerfully, 'Abeg! Come and have your seat.'

'But seriously, what is happening today?' Sally inquired curiously.

'See you! Have you forgotten?' Helen asked.

'Forgotten what? What are you talking about?'

'See this girl O! Joke; Helen remarked jokingly 'So this is how forgetful you’re…'

'Don’t tell me now! Don’t keep me in suspense!' Sally replied eagerly.

'If I should tell you, you’re going to pay a heavy fine for being so forgetful.' Helen said mockingly.

'Tell me, I’ll pay.'

'Today is Joke’s birthday,' Helen announced.

'Oh! My God! My God! How could I be so forgetful? Joke! Where is she? Joke!'

'Yes O!' Joke replied emerging from within with two bottles of red wine.

'I’m sorry. I’ve forgotten today is your birthday.'

'Really? I thought that was why you came.' Joke said bit surprised.

'No! I just came to see both of you on an issue. No wonder I was hearing loud music as far as from the other street. Happy birthday my dear. I wish you a long life and prosperity." She greeted as they gave her a hug.

'Oh! Thank you. Have your seat. Let’s enjoy ourselves before other people come in.'

'Yes O,' Sally expressed with enthusiasm.

'Helen, please go and bring some food for Sally.'

'Okay. Which of the food do you prefer? Rice or amala?'

'Please give me rice. Igbo girl dey chop amala?' she replied jokingly.

'We can’t say now. Jollof or fried?'

'Prefer Jollof.'

'I’ll be with you in a moment.' Helen said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

'How is everybody at home, daddy, mummy and your brothers?' Joke asked.

'They are all doing fine. What about yours?'

'Daddy travelled last week to London and he won’t be back until after two months, while mummy has gone to see one of her friends. Brother Kene also travelled to Abeokuta to see our grandmother. He would be back next weekend.'

'That means you have the whole place to yourselves.'

'Na so we see am O!'

Helen emerged from the kitchen with a steaming hot plate of Jollof rice with two big pieces of meat and a bottle of chilled malt drink.

'Here you are,' she said as she set the plate before Sally.

'Ehen! All this for me this means I won’t eat again till next week.' Sally quipped.

'Sally. You said you want to discuss an issue with me.' Joke began.

'Yes' Sally replied with a mouthful of rice.

'Why don’t you allow her to finish her food before talking? Bad table manners.' Helen rebuked playfully.

'I know. It’s only that I’m eager to hear what she has for us.'

'Why are you in a hurry? She is here with us. So keep your cool.'

'I can still tell you. It is something that has been gnawing my mind since it occurred.' Sally mumbled.

'What is it? Is it that serious?' Helen inquired with interest.

'It’s somehow serious. I believe the two of you know Steve.'

'Steve? Who is…?' Joke was about to ask before she was cut short by Helen.

'You want to tell me you don’t know Steve. That is Sally’s boyfriend!'

'Eh! Poor me! Can recollect him now. The tall fair guy.'

'Yes. That’s him.' Sally responded. 'You know he was arrested for d**g trafficking? Recently.'

'Ehen! d**g Trafficking? How come?' Joke and Helen asked in unison.'It shocked me when I heard about it too. Now he has been sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment.'

'Ewooo! Prison! So that guy is now in prison! That means he is now a convict.' Helen asked incredulously.

'He is now a prisoner O! My friend, I’m just confused. I don’t know what to do.'

'What do you intend to do?' Joke asked sarcastically. 'What else do you want from a prisoner? Or you want to follow him to prison too?'

'But Joke why are you talking like this? They’ve been friends for long and now that the guy is in problem she just can’t forsake him like that.'

'Look at you. So you want her to be hobnobbing with a prisoner. Somebody that everybody knows was a prisoner, nothing spoils one’s name than that.'

'Joke, don’t be so myopic. This guy needs all the assistance Sally can render. The fact that he is in trouble today doesn’t mean he would never become something good tomorrow!'

'Sally. Don’t mind my sister. You better stay away from him as far as possible. A prisoner cannot be anything in this country again.' Helen asked in disgust.

'Who could he become? With all the stigma that comes with being an ex-convict? Sally, I’m warning you stay away from him.'

'Sally Don’t mind her. She is just being unreasonable.'

'What do you advise me to do now? Steve was very nice to me. He really took good care of me, although it’s painful to hear he was involved in d**g trafficking.' Sally said in a confused tone.

'He took care of you with d**g money. You better don’t let the police hear this. I pity you,' Joke retorted.

'That is the reason why you should rise to his aid. Remember the good time you had together. Remember the good things he did for you while your relationship lasted. You should not throw water away with the baby. Be closer to him and help him if you can in any way for old time sake.' Helen implored.

Helen continued, 'He might even have been cajoled into doing it, you know, because the guy did not look like somebody that can be involved in all these messy things.'

'That’s where you got it all wrong.' Responded Joke. 'You see, anybody that is taught evil and he committed that evil, it means that the person already has the intention of committing evil. Forget about the talk that he might have been cajoled. Couldn’t he have walked away from them?' Joke asked.Joke don’t talk like this. It is he who has not tasted battle that boasts that he is a man. These people are evil. Anyone who interferes in their business might not have any choice but to do their biddings. He had already known their secret and failure to keep their words will have its consequences. They might even kill him.'

'Kill him? For what? Listen to yourself. They will kill him because he decided not to commit evil with them? If that was the case, why was he not caught in the first instance? It is covetousness that led him to it,' Joke remarked scornfully.

'What do you think I should do? That’s why I came here. Please, advise me,' Sally said pleadingly.

'Look, Sally if you have a way of helping him, please do. If you don’t have, don’t go near the matter. Just try to get in touch with his mother. By the way, do you know each other?' Helen remarked.

'Oh yes! She knows me very well.'

'How is your relationship with her? Is it cordial?'

'Well, I can say yes.'

'What does that mean? You can say yes?' Joke asked confused.

'The reason I said that was that the first time the woman saw me with Steve, she was somehow hostile to me. But later, she sent Steve to call me. She apologized.'

'Eh-en! She must be a nice and reasonable woman. The means she likes you, but since this incident of Steve’s imprisonment happened, have you been in touch with her? I means have you deemed it fit to see or call her?' Helen inquired.

'Unfortunately, no!' Sally answered with guilt.

'Haba! That’s too bad, Sally!' Helen reacted dejectedly.

'I don’t know how to face her, that’s the reason'

'No. that’s not enough reason. You were not the one that sent Steve to prison. Try and see her and see how you can come in. It’s very important.'

'I wish you best of luck O Sally! I just want you to be very careful with way you go about the issue. You might be implicated.' Joke said softly.

'Who will implicate her?' Helen asked derisively. 'Just for her to go and see Steve’s mother, you are saying they will implicate her. Did they see her with her?'

'I’m just saying my own O!'

'Sally, don’t mind her. Do as I told you. Apologize to the woman for not coming on time.'

'I’ll try to see her.' Sally replied turning to the plate of food she abandoned while speaking with her friends. She guzzled down the food within a twinkle to an eye.'O, girls! Thank you for this food. Quite tasty! I wonder who cooked it.' Sally commented appreciably.

'Who would have cooked it if not me?' Joke answered comically.

'I guessed as much. Anyway, it was fine. Delicious. I think I should be on my way home.'

'Aha! Don’t tell me you’re going home already.' Joke retorted.

'I’m not going, Joke. Just bear with me. It’s only my daddy that is at home and my mum would soon be back from her shop. I Never know today is your birthday. I would have to tell my father so that he would not be expecting me home too soon.'

'Oh! Too bad!' Helen Said dejectedly.

'Not too bad! Sally replied playfully. I’ll surely come back during the week. Please let me have my own share of the merriment and lest I forget, please and please, keep my cake.'

'I’ll keep it for you don’t worry.' Helen Promised.

'That’s my girl.' Sally expressed happily stroking Helen’s cheeks playfully. 'But Sally more importantly don’t forget what I told you to try out with Steve’s mother.'

'Oh! Sure! I’ll try and do it.' She said as she moved toward the door. 'I’ll give you people a call when I get home.'

'We’ll be expecting it. Bye! Greet everybody at home.' Joke said as Helen made attempts to see Sally off.

'Oh! Don’t worry. Please go and continue with your merriment. We’ll see during the weekend.' Sally admonished.

'Alright. I’ll expect you then. Bye!' Helen bade her Farewell Waving her hand.

'Bye.' Sally reciprocated.

On her way home, Sally was fully of thoughts. How was she going to face Steve’s mother? She remembered vividly the way she behaved to her the first time she met her. Though she later apologized, the situation on ground now was totally different.

'We are talking about somebody in jail not mere introduction. Won’t she think I was the one that pushed Steve into d**g trafficking? That her son was into d**g trafficking to satisfy me? God! I fear that woman O!' She thought within herself.

'I’m afraid. I can’t take Helen’s advised though it seemed reasonable but not easy. I’ll rather follow Joke’s advice. It’s not easy to go and face that woman as Helen was looking at it at all. She would look at me with horrible eyes and then walk me out of her house. I’d better stay on my own rather than going to disgrace myself in public. She will shout on me and kick me out. I can’t face that woman.' she said conclusively to herself.