Chapter 6
972 Words
"Audu do not open the gate for him!" Ajani shouted as he ran after him.
"uncle Audu please open the gate for me. uncle Audu please!" he cried desperately as he scratched his body roughly.
"Oga Toriola wetin happen? where you dey run go this night?"
"don't ask me silly questions. just open the gate!" he yelled.
" Toriola! come back here at once! what has come over you?" Ajani demanded angrily.
"uncle Benson it hurts! my body is on fire!" he cried.
"my dear I don't understand what is going on anymore. how can your body suddenly be on fire? I'll make a call to the family doctor" Mrs Benson said and hurried inside to pick her phone.
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" baba, we've been waiting here for three hours now and my son isn't here yet. what is happening baba?"
Ewawunmi cried from the wheelchair.
" He must come ! he has to come. if he doesn't come then it's all ruined. both your life and mine. he has to come. " so he stood up and added more fire to the big pot they put toriola's picture in.
an hour passed without them seeing Toriola. the old man was in a frenzy already as he tried all he could to no avail. suddenly, the door was opened from outside and a hurricane blew in and scattered the shrine. it took the man more than a few minutes to settle it down.
" this is strange. this is very strange. what could be going on?" he muttered to himself and moved closer to his idols to consult them.
"eewo! young woman. who did you say the child is again?"
"he is my child baba, he is my son!"
" shut your mouth up! you know who he is don't you? you are here to implicate me on purpose. you see, if you don't get the boy here within 30 minutes, the more pains he is in, the faster your life gets ruined!". the man said angrily.
"ah! egbami. baba please do not let my life be ruined. baba all I wanted was to get my son back!" Ewawunmi cried.
"he isn't yours to begin with you foolish woman. start making whatever calls you can to bring the boy here now else I'll have no choice but to escort you out and let you deal with the consequences of your greediness yourself.
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" yee, yee! wetin be this? blood. oga Toriola dey cough blood o. oga make we quick carry am go hospital!" Audu said nervously.
Ajani was both confused and nervous. what went wrong? why is the boy suddenly coughing out blood. he was extremely worried about Toriola. he quickly fished out his phone from his pocket when he heard it ringing without looking at the caller.
"Hello"
"hello please nothing must happen to Toriola else my life will be ruined. please Ajani bring Toriola here now. the man can save him." ewawunmi's anxious voice sounded from the other side.
"Wunmi what are you talking about? how do you know that something is wrong with Toriola. I hope it's not what I'm thinking? this woman I hope you didn't do something stupid!"
"There's no time to talk Ajani please. I'll send you an address now, just bring him there I beg of you. have pity on me. " she said and ended the call.
Ajani together with his wife lifted the unconscious Toriola and drove out of the compound.
Minutes later, he rushed Toriola into the baba's house.
"wunmi! wunmi Toriola is no longer breathing. wunmi what did you do! where is this?" Ajani yelled as he placed the unconscious boy on the floor.
"welcome great one. you must have suffered a great deal. forgive my ignorance for I never knew it was you. do not let me witness your wrath great one" the baba knelt before the unconscious boy as he fondled with his hair before turning to face Ajani and his wife.
"you are welcome my son. may you never be unfortunate. "
"Amen" Ajani muttered.
"you see this woman here" he said pointing to Ewawunmi. " she is an unfortunate being and nothing can cure her anymore. if something happens to the boy then she's done for"
Ewawunmi sobbed harder when she heard the man's word.
"baba, I still don't understand. what are we doing here? what happened to Toriola, what is wunmi doing here?" Mrs Benson asked
"my daughter, everything will soon be clear. just have patience.
before you got here, this woman made me understand that your husband was well aware of how Toriola was conceived. so I ask you my son, where did you get this boy?"
"baba, ah! what you're asking me is quite difficult. I swore to my deceased friend never to reveal that secret. please don't make me do it baba". Ajani pleaded.
"You see, what you say and do not say right here will determine who will come out of this place alive or not. if this boy should die, we all go with him so start talking instead of worrying about a promise you made to a dead man. "
"I'll talk, I'll talk please do not let anything happen to Toriola. I'll talk baba "
"then start talking!" the man said impatiently.
"what happened was that, when toriola's parents were newly married, they couldn't conceive a child no matter what. they went for different tests but nothing was wrong with them. they waited for five years still nothing. To top it all, they were as wretched as a church rat. business wasn't booming. they went to the church, mosque, even to herbalists but they all told them one thing. that their wealth is tied to their child and they can only get it when the give birth. so...
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