Featherlight Heart

Episode 26

”OH MY God, oh my God oh my God!!” Mercy cries as the man who c—s the gun is walking towards her and Emeka.

”Emeka, do something, do something, what happened to the securities? What happened to the police, oh God oh God!!” she cries
”Calm down Mama, it is okay, I am sure they came here for something, when they get it they would go, maybe they came in as the staffs left, and I told them to all go home, Damnit!!!” he curses
He is looking at the door, something wasn’t right, where the hell was Ambross, he expected him to show up right before he broke Diana, he wanted to clear his system and his life from two of them, he wanted to show his mother how disgusting and how bad her husband was, and that he never changed and that finally, him Emeka had paid him back for all the things he had done to them. He wanted to show his mother that Ambross is now what they were ten years ago, a man without anything… and he prays he dies on the streets, like they never did.

But he didn’t show, he didn’t!!

Where the hell was Ambross?

Well, maybe he changed his mind, maybe, it is better, his mother would never know. And he would be happy that his father was paid ten times over for his sins.

”I said, move!!!!” the hooded man with the gun nudges Tayo and Tammy away to the corner, breaking Ambross out of his thoughts as he watches them.

”Who are you, what do you want?” Emeka speaks, Grace and Diana are holding each other in fear, Olive is by the corner, one of the men is staring down at her, she isn’t scared..

”Don’t touch me!!!” she warns him as he comes closer to her, he laughs

”Oh baby, soon you would be begging me to” he tries to touch her legs, she slaps his hands away

”Hey!!!”‘ the one with the big gun turns to his colleague, ”calm the c–t down, and don’t distract me!!”

They each had a gun, one of them throws down the rope he had over his shoulders.
”Tie them all up!!” he commands ”Anyone struggles, shoot them”‘

Tayo throws a look at Emeka, Emeka shakes his head

They started with the shivering Diana, and Grace who are shaking in fear ”Oh God oh God!!!” Diana cries ”please!!” she begged, ”Please, don’t kill us”

”Shut up!!!” the man says as he ties their hands and legs seated, then they get to the men, they make them kneel with their hands and legs tied behind them…

Then they get to Emeka and his mother, Mercy is holding onto Emeka tightly, he could feel her body shake in fear,

”Your turn, let go off him woman!!!”
”No please, please!!” she holds Emeka tighter

”I said let go off him woman before you be the first escape goat here!!”

”Mama, don’t worry I am here with you okay, nothing will happen to you I promise, just do as they say!!”‘

She looks at him, just when she was about to leave him one of the men pulls her away from him forcefully which causes her to lose her step and fall hard on the ground, she screams as her back makes contact with the hard ground, she groans in pain.

Everyone gasps, Diana Screams.

”Mama!!” Emeka shouts, he grabs the man and punches him hard to his hooded face ”I told you, don’t hurt my mother!!!”

The man staggers back, the other three c—s their gun and points at Emeka, ready to shoot.
The one who was punched stops them, with his hands, he touches his face, going to his lips, despite the hood as he removes his hand he sees blood, he laughs ”Nice one fella, nice one, and no!!”

He straightens up and looks at Emeka ”Oh I am sorry, I didn’t introduce myself, my name is Donald, but my friends call me Don, not you and I don’t take fxxking orders from you!” he grabs Emeka’s face with both hands and nods him

Emeka staggers hitting the floor immediacy as the pain soars high in his head, he groans touching his nose, the liquid treks down his face in quick successions, as his eyes clears, and he sees blood. He is shocked, why did Jide do that? This wasn’t part of the plan.

He looks up sharply ”You a—–e! I want this to end, all of you out, all of you out or I will have your heads” He gets up, blood staining his cloths as his mother began to cry and calling out his name, Olive is suddenly alert, the two girls are crying ”Oh God!! Are we going to die?”

Tayo is looking at Emeka. This wasn’t supposed to happen; no, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

The man laughs…”Oh, we ruined your party? Sorry, we are party crashers, and you want us out…?” the man laughs turning to Emeka ”Sorry sir, we run this s–t now!!” he kicks Emeka so hard he tumbles backwards hitting the table, groaning.

Now Tayo and Tammy made to stand up even when tied…”Tsk Tsk Tsk! I will start by slicing your necks with this Suya knife in my belt” one of the four masked men tells them ”Fxxking bow down, bow the fxxk down, lie like a puppy, good boys, good boys” he threatens them, with a sharp knife and beckons that they bend obeying him and lay flat with their tummy, while their hands and legs are tied behind them, they stare back at Emeka who is struggling to get up from the ground.

Something is wrong, something is definitely wrong. Tayo mutters under his breath,
The man who had kicked Emeka is walking towards him..

”Hey, don’t destroy his pretty face before he gets here!!” someone stops the guy who was intending on running his fist through Emeka’s face as he grabs him by the collar, his fist is folded

”I just want to humble the fxxker, never to punch a man who has his life in his hands “‘

”Yeah!! I think he learnt his lessons or better, I think he just realized that this isn’t some game, we are the real deal!!” he laughs as he goes to Emeka, nudges the other man away and pulls him to his knee..

”Surprise!!!” he laughs in his face ”Get the rope and tie this fxxker down too, tell the boss we are ready for him!!”‘

They tie Emeka up, his mother is crying, he looks around the room… this wasn’t supposed to happen, this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen..

Everyone has fears in their eyes, even Olive too, even Tammy, and Tayo confirms his suspicions… as their eyes meet, Tayo is shaking his head. They are all going to die, who ever this men were, they weren’t who they think they are.

Emeka stares at the men, looking at them again.

This weren’t Jide and his boys, this were actually real life robbers, and they will kill them,.

He had openned his door and has endangered his family, what has he done?

---

The men are going through the house, after like ten minutes they come back dragging a wailing Mama Tito by her hair and flings her to the floor which she lands with a thud.

”Tie that one too, she was in the kitchen, good thing we caught her trying to call the securities” he laughs dangling a phone which he had taken from her, then he dips his hands into his pocket and brings out another phone ”We are the securities old woman, hahaha” he laughs showing her the phones ”tie her down and join her with the others”

He steps away as one of them approaches her, she tries to struggle, a hot slap calms her down, Emeka’s jaw clenches.

”What the hell do you want, who the hell are you, what did you do to my men?”

The one who stopped his other from hitting Emeka turns to him, he removes his hood and then smiles at Emeka ”Good, you are smart, no need to hide my face because you don’t know who the fxxk I am, my name is Agede, and what I want? Well… is what my boss wants and your men? Hmm, let’s just say they are in a very very good place, I promise they didn’t suffer” he laughs
”You killed them?” Emeka choked
”Collateral damages, they refused to cooperate, Don and I hate when no one tries to cooperate… but hey, don’t blame me” he is turning away ”So I assume you are the owner of this sweet place and those companies in town right? I envy you bro, you are rich, too rich, and I wonder, what a rich bloke like yourself be planning a stupid stunt on his wedding day… really stupid!! You hire make-believe men to act like your guests, and police officers to act like what, kidnappers, why? You are Odinaka Unchendu right?”

”What is he saying Emeka?” Mercy turns to her son

Emeka doesn’t answer, this men had overpowered his men, killed them, they could kill his family too, if they are thieves they came for money, he would give them money, so they don’t harm his family.

”You want money right? Money, how much so you and you men can leave me and my family alone”‘

”Emeka what is he saying, you… you planned this?” Mercy exclaims ”this too, you planned this?”

”No Mama, I… I will explain it later, it wasn’t supposed to be like this Mama” he looks at her “I swear it, you weren’t supposed be here in here like this”

The man is laughing ”Oh poor mama, to find out her son planned a mini show for her, no… not for her, when we drilled the fool what was his name, Jide? Yes, He says it was for the madam of the house right… to prove some s–t! Oh man, you are one tacky muderfxxker, going all out for a woman… just to prove what? She must have done you a huge one to want to ruin her so. So much pain but that is not of my business, when the boss comes, he will tell us what to do with you… oh you are brilliant, so brilliant!!” he laughs at Emeka.

”’Who is your boss?” Emeka wanted to know as he groans going on his knees
They turn to the door as someone opens it and he walks in, wearing white over white, his hat on his head, pipe in his mouth and with the walking stick , he walks fully into the house, looking at everyone ..

”Allow me introduce to you the boss, Teco-Musa Ghadi, underdog, loan shark, mafia, the man who would wish you were sorry!!” Don says stepping away, he returns with a chair he pulls from the dinning and brings for him to seat, Teco-Musa seats, he drops his hat, a cigarette tray is placed on the table for him by Don who brought it out of a bag he carried. Teco-Musa hits the pipe to the tray..

Then he turns to them ”So, forgive my manners, congratulations on your marriage ceremony!” he says to no one in particular ”Now that pleasantries are over, I came to collect my money, so who would be so kind to give it to me….?”‘

”What money?”‘ Emeka asks,
”You must be Odinaka Uchendu, the one who stole my money, yes?”

Gasp
”Stole your money? I don’t have to steal money from no one, if you haven’t noticed, I am rich enough to do what the hell I want, I do not have to steal. Who are you and what do you want? Because if it is money you want, I have a lot of it and I will give it to you so you can take your dogs and leave my family alone, or you will be sorry!!!”

Teco-Musa laughs hard, smokes on his pipe and hits this walking stick to the ground “Óh, this is a funny one, funny one”

”Yeah!! For someone who is tied and slightly beaten, he has a sharp mouth, say it boss and I will cut out his tongue “‘ Don says

”Don’t be a spoil sport Don, if you cut out this tongue, how does he tell me where my money is, don’t be a fool!!” Teco-Musa cautions

The other men laughs ”Shut up!!”‘ Don shouts at them,

”Don’t mind him Boss, he gave the man a bloodied face already, he isn’t a good guest!!” one of the hooded men says taking off his hood, the rest of them do the same.

”Keep talking Keke, keep talking!!” Don tells him, Keke laughs.

”So back to the crux of the matter at hand, where is my money, that is what we came here for and hmm” he looks around ”Maybe take one of these pretty damsels for ourselves, and we are good to go!!”
”Touch them, and you are dead!!” Emeka threathens

”Oh!! How about we take that wife of yours… the one you wanted to hurt so badly, that is why you hired those men to play pretend right? You see I am Teco-Musa for a reason, the one who is feared and revered, the one who knows everything, so we came, well I told my boys what to do after we got the information about what was about to get down, so they went, and there they were, getting ready, to come into the house, grab you, ask for a ransom. And then go…er something like that, I don’t know how your stupid idea was going to work but you were going to hurt her, so… how about we take her off your hands yes? Who is she.. is it that one?”‘ he points at his mother
”You do not go near her!!”

”Or this one!” he points at Olive who shakes her head in fear
”No no no please” she cries
”Or that one!!” he points at Grace who hides her face

Emeka clenches his face ”You will not touch her, you will not touch anyone!!”

”Oh it’s this one!!” Teco-Musa gets up and walks to where Diana was tied up ”It is this one right? it cannot be that old fart on the ground here because I believe you have taste, it’s this beautiful woman here right? Her, it is her you want to hurt right, she… what did she do to you that you hate her so much, what?” he pulls her hair, Diana screams in pain.

Emeka is quiet,
”You hate her don’t you, all this was for her to hurt deeply, and then send her away with this pretend kidnap game, get her to fall into her own habits and puff, the final stray to rid her off today from your life, something she can never come to apologize for, let the law handle her, that is what they do to thieves right? Is that not it? but do you know what we do to girls like this in our place? We rape them, and cut off their hands and then feed them to the dogs, women who toil with men’s hearts, take their hard earned wealth and run, those women are heartless, really heartless, in my village, we treat them worse than harlots, so permit me to help you deal with her, yes” he drags Diana as she cries out, Grace and Mercy and even Olive cries out begging him to let her go.

”See, see that man there, he hates you, he isn’t saying anything to save you” he has his lips close to her face as Diana cries struggling ”Ssshhh shhhhh” he looks up at Emeka who is quiet still, his jaw set, his eyes in slits.

”Get me that my favourite suya knife Don, I am good people. I like to see justice be meted out to offenders, I am also called the punisher, I am… so do I pass a verdict on her, yes Odinaka, before we go on to our business because it would be so rude of me to quash your party and stop you from achieving why this was created in the first place yes..?”

Don gives him the knife; he loosens Diana’s hands behind her and places them, in front of her.

”Do we start with one finger or all the fingers hmmm?”

Tayo and everyone else have their heart in their mouths.

”Emeka, Emeka please, stop him, do something ” Mercy cries out ”Please don’t hurt her, don’t hurt her!!” she begs Teco-Musa.

”No talking Mama, let the man who is hurt say something, I want him to tell me how to ruin the woman he hates, come on son, you wanted to hurt her yes? Well I like hurting people too…so tell me, should we start with the rape, maybe the rape then Ii cut off her fingers. Don, show the woman the reason they call you Don!!!” he pushes Diana to Don who grabs her, his hands quickly goes on her knees, he begins to run his over her thighs as he takes his hands higher, Diana sq££zes her legs tighter, she is screaming and begging them, to leave her, he laughs at her.
Emeka’s hands clenches behind him..
”Emeka?” Tayo looks at him
Don slaps her twice as she tries to struggle with him pushing him off as he pulls her beneath him, Grace and Olive are crying, Mama Tito is sobbing, Mercy mumbles prayers, Tammy is shaking, Emeka’s eyes are hard, Tayo prays for a miracle.

”Let her go, touch her again I swear I will kill you!!” Emeka says, his fist clenches harder, his eyes red, a tear rolls down.

”No Don, make it rough, make her cry out in pleasure, destroy her womb with your big boy, Don you are called, but they should have called you big boy!!” Teco-Musa laughs as Don tears off her dress from her legs and proceeds to pull down her p@anties, Diana is screaming, so is everyone else.

”LET HER GO, I SWEAR, I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU, I WILL KILL YOU!!” Emeka made to get up, to rush to them, to rip Don’s head from his shoulders, for daring to touch her, daring to hit her, daring to think to rape her, but the hit to his back causes him to fall forward as he groans in pain ”I will kill you, I swear it!!” he groans as Teco-Musa and the others laugh

He nods to Don to stop, Diana is sobbing as she tries to cover her exposed body, she pulls herself to the corner shaking, Grace can’t go near her, she is crying, she is shaking, she is staring at Emeka.

He did this to her, he did this to her, Emeka did this to her. She cries.

”For a man who looks tough, for man who seems like his heart is made of stone, it seems to me your heart is soft, maybe paper weight, maybe it’s even a FeatherLight heart you have buried within your chest. You want to hurt someone who hurt you, you hurt them… but I see something different in your eyes, Yes! and I knew that if I let you go right now you will make do what you say, you will kill him. Don, if that is not man who is twisted and still has a soft part for his pain causer, I don’t know what it is!!” he turns away and goes back to seat

”Raise the fool up, we would come to that later, now, where is my money?”

Agede drags Emeka to his knees ”I don’t have your money, I do not know what you are talking about, I do not even know you!!!”
”No? Right my apologies, maybe you will know him”‘

”Him? Who is him?”
”The one whom you took all that belongs to him under a day, out from under this nose, the one who was once a giant but now a cockroach. I swear I envy you, I applaud your brilliance, such brilliance! To take from him unawares, just like that, I mean, when he told us how he lost everything to a young man not even close to his age in half, I was flabbergasted ” Teco-Musa laughs unbuttoning his suit ”I have no money, no money, he cried, he took it all, my house, my cars, my money, even my wife left me… the fool cried ” Teco-Musa laughs again “I knew I wanted to meet you, first to tell you you are brilliant and second to tell you that you collected his money yes, I don’t care about the man, I would have done worse because he is a lying cheating thief who doesn’t make good on his word. I wanted my money from him so since you took his everything, that everything also belongs to me because that old bart is owing me NGN 50 million naira and I want it back… so you see, again you are brilliant but… wow!!!” he claps “he slept on the streets you know, told us how he was beaten , how his little cloths was stolen and who he ran all night away from, men who wanted to take his life, how he had to eat from the bin for food… hahahaha!!” Teco-Musa laughs heartedly ”how did you do it, but most importantly; why?”

Emeka is quiet, he is thinking.
Ambross didn’t show up, and if what this man is saying is true, then that means, he got to his father, that means.. his father told them he was the one who took everything from him, that was why they were here, to take back what he took from his father because his father was stupid enough, greedy enough to borrow NGN50 million from a Mafian lord and didn’t pay. That means, they must have gotten rid of his father, killed him before coming here.

”What did you do? What did you do to him?” Emeka flares up
”Well, what we do to people who think they are smart!!”

”Emeka, what is he talking about, who did you ruin, tell me, who? Please sir, whatever my son has done, I am sorry, we will reimburse you please, just let him go!!”
”Oh no Mama, he didn’t do anything to me, in fact I applaud what he did to the man, I don’t care s–t for him I don’t, I just want all he took from the man because it belongs to me, payment for the loan the man took, in fact… he would be glad to hear that the man has been thoroughly dealt with. See, I said I am a punisher of sins, you can call me God! hehehe” he chuckles shaking his head.
”God doesn’t punish people for their sins” Emeka tells him
”Well, i am a different kind of God and I bring punishments to the sinner, like I will if you don’t give me my money!!!”

”You want NGN50 million? Fine, I will give you that!!”

Teco-Musa smiles ”Óh how generous of you, since you are so rich, how about we make it a NGN100 million, maybe, how about a billion?” he winks ”Eh?

”You are no different from the man I took it from ”

Teco-Musa throws his head back and laughs ”No, I am a businessman after all, and I love to cash in on opportunities and I have checked you out, your company makes twice that in a month, so you wouldn’t lose a thing, however…I not just want the money, I want the house too, his former house sold to you, yes, I found out who bought it, it was you. See that house is good, situated in a part of town that my kids would love, a central place for my work… See? Besides he promised me that if he can’t pay me back. So give me the money and the house and I , well we will leave you to continue on your whatever… everyone is happy. Yes?”
”I will give you your money owed by that man, and nothing more, the house is mine, I bought and it is sentimentally attached to my family!!”

”Hmm, well money and house, or… I can start being angry and you don’t want that!!”

”What man are you two talking about, Emeka you are ignoring me, what man?” Mercy screams at him

”Mama, please don’t talk , don’t let them hit you!!” Tayo begs her
”Mama, he is not important” Emeka says to her ”Please calm down Mama, please, I will tell you all, please” he looks at Teco-Musa ”NGN200 million and you go?”
”NGN500 million, and the house!”
”I will give you whatever you ask for but not the house, please!!”

”You see Emeka, I am not good at negotiating, it bores me then it pisses me off, that house is mine, know why, because when the fool walked into my office two to three times to borrow the money from me, the last time we told him that if he isn’t able to pay, amongst other things he would give me is his house and i take words to heart and it is my money he spent, all of it stupidly if I may add but that is fine, I don’t care. I just came for the house and the money, that is all, give me the documents and C of O of the house, give me the money and I will go, and you can do with him as you please”

Mercy is listening to the talk, the houses, the man, the money. Trying to make sense, to understand it all.

Emeka wouldn’t steal money, she is sure about that. He made his money legally, and house?… which house was this man talking about that Emeka took from a man and his company and everything.

House, documents and the man?

She gasps!

The Ibekwe’s house, the one Emeka just bought for her on her birthday. That same house.. this man is talking about. It had to be, that was the only recent property Emeka had acquired and he bought it for her.

”Who is this man, who is he?”

Emeka looks at his mother; Teco-Musa turns to his boys.

”Don, bring the pig in, before he bleeds out to death in the tuck of my car”

”Mama!!” Emeka began shaking his head,
For some reason, Mercy began to shake, her eyes tearing up, her heart pulling too.

Her head is telling her who it is before her eye sees him.

”It cannot be… Emeka tell me it cannot be!” she says as tears fall from her yes
”Mama-” Emeka trails off
The door is swung open as Don and another person drags a bleeding man to the room, tied, they kick him as he rolls into the parlour, his face swollen, one of his eyes black, he was bleeding from his both shoulders..

”Allow me I introduce to you Mr –” Teco-Musa begins as he places his walking stick on top of the man’s head and then under his chin as he raises it up so that everyone sees, Mercy and Diana gasps.

”AMBROSS!!!” Mercy completes Teco-Musa’s statement as he turns to look at her, then she hits the ground fainting.