THE WELLINGTONS

TUNDE sat on the floor, with his back resting to the wall, his left leg stretched out flat on the rug and the right was in 30 degrees to his body in a way that his right hand could sit outstretched on the right knee. He must have been sitting in that spot for about two hours, only switching posture for comfort. The lifeless body of his mother by his side, drenched in blood. Millions of thoughts and thousands of questions on his mind. But one thing was certain about all these feelings, the flame of vengeance has been ignited in his heart. His phone vibrated and a short SMS popped up, before he could unlock his phone to view the content of the message his mother’s phone also vibrated. Both phones had received an SMS from OTUNBA. The message was very short and precise. “Leave the house, your life is in danger…” More questions popped into his head, who is this Otunba that walked into his not so perfect but peaceful life and turned it into an action thriller Hollywood movie just in a couple of hours. He checked his phone and the same message was what has been sent to him. As he rushed into the room to change his blood soaked youth service uniform, he began to play in his head. How his easy going life has taken a U-turn of not just sorrow but also to a life of fear and uncertainty. *************** Just about 3hours ago, he was coming back home after a year, he could not wait to get home, though he was done with his mandatory one year national youth service of his nation since a week ago, he still wore the white t-shirt, well stocked into the lemon green colored khaki trousers, he wanted his mother to see him in that, that will be the first time she is seeing him after a year. He was never far from home not until he was posted to the western part of the country for his one year service as that was the norms for someone with a background of living all is life in the northern part of the country. On getting home, just as he about to alight from the cab, two suspicious looking men fully dressed in black smart suits came out from the house and beckoned on the third person who was left in the car to drive off very fast in a black tinted SUV jeep with the plate number registered as OTUNBA 24. The manner in which they left made him worried and he hastened his entrance into the house. “Ammee, Ammee,” he called out, The sight of disorganization of the house, made him more furious and scared, “Ammee will never let the house be like this, she loves everything to be in other and immaculate” he thought to himself. Just as he was about to exit the sitting room into the lobby that leads to the bedrooms, he sighted the blood trail leading into the dining area, he quickly rushed there, and found his mother at the entrance of the kitchen. His worse fear, the thought he has been trying to wave off his mind from the very moment he saw those men rushed out of the house. His mother was laying in her blood pool with dagger stabs on different part of her body. Tunde came on his knees and pulled her to his laps, he wasn’t crying but he could not hold the tears finding its way down his cheeks. Sobbingly, Tunde could hardly motioned words from his mouth “Ammee, who did this to us” She didn’t reply. Rather, she handed him her phone and said to him “OTUNBA…” He quickly rushed to contact and searched the name Otunba, he showed her he had found the name and was about to dial it when she looked up at him and with her last she made a ground breaking revelation to him. “He is your father…” and then she gave up the ghost. Just as he heard that, the sight of the car registration number on the car came back like a flash to him and at that moment his head was in complete confusion. Here he was holding the lifeless body of his mother and the cloth he so wanted her to see him in, is completely covered with her blood and his mother just told him one Otunba is his father, the same Otunba whom to him must be responsible for her death, or at least, he has an explanation to give about the reason for her murder. As, he obviously owns the car that was used to carry out the murder of his mother. Yes, he had never known his father, as his mother never referred to him, nor ever showed him anything with relating to him having a father. The last time he had asked was when he was just about getting into college and due to the way she reacted with anger, he promised himself, never to mention him again. In grief of just losing his mother, surprised for the revelation of his dying mother, confusion for who Otunba is and why he will want to kill the mother of his child and finally anger and the burning rage of revenge in his eyes, his mother’s phone rang with a call from the one big confusion in his life at the moment. He quickly picked the call and the voice on the other side quickly said… “Funke, you need to leave, you in danger, she knows…” TUNDE could only force a handful of words out of his mouth, “It’s too late already father…” And the call was disconnected ************** Now here he was, in a hotel room in a remote area, totally terrified as has just lost his mother to brutal killers and have also just been informed by a stranger, who was supposed to be his father that his life is in danger. Many questions running through his mind, who is OTUNBA? Why is the number one clue to the killers his mother’s calling to warn her about an impending danger? Why is his life in danger? Was this trouble the reason his father went far away from them to avoid? Just minutes after midnight, as all these questions play on his head, a call came in on his phone again, even though the number wasn’t saved on his phone, he already knows who it was calling him, it was no other person than Otunba. “Tunde” the voice from the other end said “How did you get my number? Who killed my mother?  Who are you in the first place?” tuned fired quickly, the anger and bitterness was very obvious in his voice. In a cool calm voice, with a little traces of grief, yet explicitly authoritative, the voice from the other said… “My name is OTUNBA GBENGA WELLINGHTON, General managing director of c****x group of companies. And yes the wellington I’m referring to is the one you must have known as the most fearful name in the mafia world in the whole of western Nigeria, that also ring bells in the heart of many up in the north too” Tunde rubbed his head with is left hand indicating this is trouble, while he get himself to sit on the reading chair next to him while Otunba continue with his introduction. “Obviously, your mother Funke has told you I’m your father, so about your question on how I got your phone number, have had your contact saved on my phone sine the day you got your first phone, and not to brag, I’m the first person to get it aside funke.” After a little pause of hew seconds, otunba continued.. “Your mother’s killers are people I call family, but have known they are not for a very long time and that’s one particular reason why I secretly married your mother and in all honesty aside my grandma, no one else loved me as much as your mother did, because how will a woman beautiful and intelligent lady who is so full of life give up her life for a waste of a marriage like the one we had”. Otunbas voice started to shake, and it was obvious the powerful mafia lord is sobbing and Tunde was very sure his eyes are wet at the moment which is evident from the two hard sniffs he took before he continued. “Right now your life is in danger, they know you are not dead and will sure want to make that happen, lay low fir now I’ll keep contact with you. And let you know what’s going to be the next line of action”. “What about Ammee’s body, she deserves a burial at least” Tunde said Otunba chuckled and said “I was surprised when she told me you called her Ammee, but was not surprised, as your stay in the north must definitely leave a mark on you. Well, Don’t worry, my men have taken care of that, sorry you won’t be able to attend her burial service, even I wished I can make it there, but ones the dead is gone, the once alive make sure to keep surviving. And right now having a burial worthwhile your mother will make surviving a little harder for you and I” “I know you have allot of questions running down your head at the moment, and I can assure you of answer. But right now, I want you to get yourself together and get ready for war, because you just got into one of a lifetime” Otunba said and ended the call. Tunde went to his phones gallery and viewed his moms picture, and for the first time since all this twist started, tears rolled own uncontrolled down his cheek, till he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.