No Man No Cry

Nimbus Before The Storm

[1]

Man is free to dream. Dreams make life delectable. Without dreams, life will lose its significance. I will dream and I will achieve, if not all, most of my dreams.

That was an inscription on a paper, which Peter Okoye pasted on the wall inside his office. That was his philosophy of life since his youth, and it was deeply ingrained in him. Driven by that inspiration, he worked very hard during his secondary school days and distinguished himself by excellent and record-breaking performances, following which he was awarded federal scholarship to study to the university level. That was how Peter a poor boy from a wretched and indingent family found himself in the university. During his university days, Peter Okoye, in his characteristic manner, nursed many robust ambitions: He would marry a beautiful and well behaved wife; he would build a duplex in Aloma City where he would live with his wife and children; he would have choice cars and live comfortably with his family. When he graduated in Public Administration from the university of Nevoria, Nkassi (UNN) and was later employed in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources as a Personal Manager, he knew that given his huge salaries and allowances, his ambitions would come true. These dreams, dreamt and pursued with determination, were indeed hoisted with much success. Within three years of working in the Ministry, he bought state-of-the-art cars and built a duplex in Aloma, the Capital City of Eloma State in the Federal Republic of Nevoria, which after he married the most beautiful girl around, the amiable Adora. God blessed them four children. Cynthia was their first daughter, Jessica the second, Precious the third, and Samuel their last and only son. They lived comfortably. These were the proceeds of foresight and perseverance.

Peter's compound had a landscape decorated with assorted species of beautiful flowers: cactus, acalypha, allamanda, hibiscus and convolvulus. Their arrangements was an excellent work by a renowned gardener; it was a beauty to behold.

What Cynthia hated so much was to be idle, anyway. She has been studying her books for the past two hours. Apart from Isa Suleiman, their gate keeper who also doubled as their security man, Cynthia was the only person in the house now. Peter and Adora had gone to work. Cynthia's two younger sisters, Jessica and Precious had gone to school. Her only brother, Samuel, had gone to school too. But Cynthia had no school to go to. She had finished her secondary school and was preparing to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which was conducted annually by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) throughout the Federal Republic of Nevoria, for candidates seeking to gain admission in to the various universities and other tertiary institution in the country. She started her morning studies at 8 a.m and when it struck 10 a.m, she decided to rest so as to enable her brain assimilate the much she had read. Pruning flowers was a way to rest for her. Cynthia had so much cultivated the habit of taking so good care of the flowers that her father saw no need of employing a gardaner any more. Pruning flowers was one of Cynthia's most cherished hobbies.

But unknown to Peter and the members of his family, a snake had been hiding in one of the hibiscus flowers in the compound for the past two days. This morning, the was enjoying the morning sunshine. How the snake wished that nobody would disturb it's peace. If nobody disturbed it, fine. But should anybody disturb it, that person would surely receive a bite. The snake fiercely lashed it's tongue up and down in readiness - peace or pieces.

Cynthia came out from the house, inspected the flowers and saw that some of them needed to be trimmed. As she was inspecting the flowers, there was something she did not see. She did not see the snake,which was lurking in one of the hibiscus flowers. But the snake saw her. How the snake wished not to be disturbed. But Cynthia had decided to prune the flowers. She went into the house and came out with secateurs, ready to prune the flowers. She kept her mobile phone in the veranda of their house. When she started to prune an acalypha, which was two yards close to the particular hibiscus in which the snake was lurking, the snake was getting ready for an attack. As started the work, her phone started to ring. She went to the veranda to answer the call, which came from her friend , Sandra. She discussed briefly with Sandra and went back to the flower she was pruning. As she walked past the hibiscus in which the snake was hiding, the snake stared at her angrily and again lashed it's tongue up and down. The snake knew that something would soon happen.

********

Adora drove her car into her husband's compound, in company of four journalist who came in an NIT Press Hummer Bus. They parked directly in front of the house, just close to the veranda. Adora came to take her laptop computer, which she forgot when she was going to work in the morning. Adora was not a journalist, but a newscaster. She worked in the Nevorian Independent Television (NIT). As they drove in, she saw Cynthia pruning the flowers. She told her to go into the house and bring her laptop. Cynthia dropped her secatuers in the veranda and went into the house. When Cynthia was coming with the laptop to give to her mother, the glasses of the NIT Press Bus started winding down. The gentlemen of the press were eager to fully observe Cynthia's alluring beauty.

"Here is the laptop," Cynthia said as she came to her mother.

"Put it on the back seat," Adora instructed her.

The journalists eyes all riveted on Cynthia. One of the journalists, Chris Okoro, climbed down from the bus for the first time.

"Mrs Okoye, is this girl your daughter?" Chris asked.

" Yes, she is my first child," Adora answered.

Chris' eyes followed Cynthia's every move.

Cynthia kept the laptop on the back seat of the car, closed the door and greeted Chris.

Chris returned her greeting and introduced himself to her. "I'm a colleague of your mom in NIT. My name is Chris Okoro. Cynthia's beauty attracted men as magnet attracted metal particles.

"In which school are you?" Chris asked.

"She finished her secondary school few months ago ," Chris said. "I want to hear her voice."

" All right," Adora said amiably.

" I finished my secondary school last two months. I am now preparing to sit for the forthcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which is coming up on the 18th of July."

" That remains about two weeks from today,"

Cynthia smiled and blinked her clear bright eyes as she said, " Thank you."

Her smile was warm and charming. The keen eyes of the young journalist were on her.

"Would you mind giving me your mobile phone number?" Chris asked.

" I wouldn't mind"

She gave him her phone number and he stored it in his phone.

" Would you mind if i call you from time to time ?"

"No"

"She is still a small girl," Adora said with a frown.

"Madam, a girl who has finished her secondary school is no longer a small girl," Chris said, and laughed hysterically.

" We are late, so let's go," Adora said and drove out slowly.

Chris entered the bus and they drove behind her. Cynthia then went back and continued to prune the flowers. By this time, the snake was being disturbed by the chattering noise made by Cynthia's secateurs. What is more, if Cynthia finished with the flowers she was pruning now, she would go to the one that was habouring the snake. The snake was ready for her.

********

When Adora drove off from the house with the journalists, Chris Okoro's mind refused to leave Cynthia. His mind was full of her image. As Chris was driving the NIT Press Hummer Bus behind Adora's 607 Peugeot saloon car, he opened up a discussion in which Cynthia was the topic.

"I have seen many beautiful women, but Cynthia's beauty is exceptional," Chris said." She is a paragon of beauty."

" So your mind has not left that girl, Chris?" Yakubu, one of the journalists, asked.

"I like everything about her: her fair complexion, her succulent and sleek skin, the perfect curves of her body,her sonorous voice - everything. She like a goddess come down from..."

" It is enough," Adebayo, one of the journalists, cut in. "Leave beautiful women alone. They sleep with wolves, dine with tigers, kiss snakes, hug crocodiles,put lions on their laps, caress the claws of beasts and spread legs for the devil. Leave beautiful women alone they are not perfect murderers."

" cannot leave that girl," Chris said. " Other men should rather leave her for me."

" Daydreamer!" Akpabio, who was on the back seat,said mockingly. " You have not told her of your love for her and here you are dying for her." "I know she's will be mine,"Chris said. " Didn't you see she was smiling warmly when I was discussing with her ? I will call her now and the way she will respond will show you that she can read the handwriting on the wall."

Chris Okoro brought out his mobile phone from his suit pocket and dialled Cynthia's number.

********

Within a short time, Cynthia would be through with the acalypha flower she was pruning, after which she would prune the hibiscus flowers in which the snake was lurking. The snake was still praying not to be disturbed. But in less than two minutes now, it would be disturbed. Cynthia soon finished with acalypha. The next she was going to prune was the hibiscus that was habouring the snake. As she was going to the hibiscus, the snake got ready. Cynthia made four steps towards the flowers and her phone started ringing in the veranda. She turned and went to answer the call. The in-coming caller's number was in known to her.

"Hello, who is on the line?" She asked.

"Chris Okoro," Chris' voice came.

" Chris Okoro, the journalist who left our house a few minutes ago?"

"Yes I just called to hear your sweet voice. Your voice makes me feel okay."

"You are funny," Cynthia chuckled happily.

" Cynthia, I love you," Chris declared and waited for her answer.

Cynthia did not respond." Why don't you say you love me too?" Chris asked.

"To say so will be a perfect example of love at first sight," she said, "and it is not advisable to fall in love that way."

" Cynthia listen, the saying that love at first sight is not advisable is a general rule, and in every general rule there must be exception. Cynthia, you are an exception to that general rule. Your charming beauty, supplemented by your good behavior, is what no man can resist so easily.

"But you don't know anything about my character or behavior," she countered. "You only saw me today for the first time, and we didn't discuss for a long time. Don't you think that a hasty declaration of love is risky? Don't you think so?"

"Your type of beauty is rare. You are created perfect. God used you to show that He is the Master Creator. I praise and glorify God for the wonderful work."

She smiled broadly. "I'm flattered."

"That is exactly how you are. I will call you again next time."

"Thank you."

"Bye."

Even though Chris sounded obsequious, yet his call gladdened Cynthia's heart. After the call, she fastened her phone to the belt holder of the jeans trousers she was wearing and went back to the flower in which the snake was hiding. On bringing her secateurs to the flower, she came face to face with the snake. It was exactly when her secateurs touched the snake that it raised it's neck above the flower and aimed it's mouth menacingly towards her. Horrified, Cynthia jumped backwards and fell down. Her phone fell off from the belt holder to the ground. She swiftly rose up and ran away, shouting, "Snake -o ! snake - o !

" Where I am the snake?" Isa Suleiman, their gate keeper, asked,. exposing his poor construction of English grammar, which was common among the predominantly illiterate Bariwa tribe of Nevoria. Isa instantly ran to her aid, holding a double barrel g*n. What Isa meant to ask was simply: "Where is the snake?"

"In that flower, that one, "Cynthia said, pointing to the flower.

They moved towards the flowers, Isa's finger holding the trigger of the g*n. Cynthia was dazed with fear. After few steps, she stopped and pointed at that particular hibiscus. Isa then tiptoed until he was close to the hibiscus but he saw no snake in the flower. The snake had glidded away from the hibiscus flower to a nearby cactus flower. Isa searched until he saw the snake in the cactus flower. It was a cobra. He trained at it and fired a shot. The snake fell to the ground and started wriggling violently. Cynthia burst out screaming. Isa fired at the snake again. The snake now wriggled slowly until it finally died and stopped wriggling. Isa raised the snake with his bare hands.

"Oh God of Mercy!" Cynthia screamed as goose pimples spread all over her body. " What brought the snake into our compound?" she asked as Isa was carrying the snake to the security room." This type of snake like fragrance of flowers," Isa said. " It probably climbed over the fence at night."

" God saved me," Cynthia said as she picked up her phone from the ground. She saw that the phone was no longer on. She pressed the switch on key, but the phone refused to switch on. Her camera phone had developed fault. She sighed.

"What is it?" Isa asked.

"My phone has refused to switch on."

"it can be repaired."

"That's what I will go out to do now."

Isa carried the dead snake into the security room. Cynthia went into the house, changed and came out. She went to the security room and told Isa that she was going to repair the phone. She then walked out from the compound and Isa closed the gate.

{2}.

As Cynthia was going to repair her mobile phone, she knew that she would return home by 2 p.m, which was the dismissal time for all the secondary school in Aloma City.

She must return by that time in order to open the door for her siblings since in obedience to her parents instructions she did not leave the key of the house with isa, their gatekeeper.

As she was walking along the street that 4th July, 2007 , every head turned in admiration of this beautiful damsel. Cynthia's beauty was indeed rare. God added extra time, so it seemed, in creating her. There were other beautiful girls in Nevoria, but Cynthia's beauty had no rival, Born on 25th August, 1990, she finished her secondary school on the 8th May, 2007, the past two months, and was going to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on 18th July, 2007. She was endowed with good looks, high intelligence, average height with a pleasing figure. A sight of her had a mysterious way of kindling a fire of desire in every living man.

Cynthia soon walked past one man, and the man turned his head in admiration of her beauty. The man continued to look back while walking forward until he stumbled on a stone and fell flat on the stony ground. The people around shouted pitifully. Cynthia looked back and saw what had happened. The fallen man quickly rose up, dusted his clothes and looked around him. He looked at Cynthia once more, shook his head and moved away too.

"It's a pity," Cynthia muttered to herself and away.

Soon a taxi drove past her. The sight of her arrested the taxi driver's mind such that he was looking back at her while the taxi was moving forward until the taxi swiftly entered the left lane and headed towards an oncoming trailer for a head-on collision. The taxi driver had lost control of the car! The passengers began shouting and invoke their various faiths, including some who were passionately invoking 'blood of Jesus