We Are Able

Episode 46

The kidnappers turned around to face me first since I was the
one who was here before Austin. They began to shake a gourd
over my head. I didn’t hear a sound, but I knew it was making
a sound because mother had told me about it while we were
watching a Yoruba Nollywood movies many years ago. She
had told me that people could be used for money rituals but I
laughed over it. Now I would be a sample, perhaps a
scapegoat.

My heart beat fast but I didn’t move since my external organs
were all numb. They were talking to me, but I was speechless.

Following the movement of their lips, I knew what they wanted
—my name. Everything in me was willing to tell them my
name, but how would I do it? I tried and tried to voice it out
through my mouth, despite the fact that I knew I couldn’t do it.

It didn’t just work, then I put my hand to use. They were
confused with the way I gesticulated, but it gave them the clue
that I was deaf and dumb.
“Speak,” they said in their dialect which I understood by lip-
reading. They gave up.

The kidnappers turned to Austin who was looking directly at
me. He was in school uniform, perhaps he was just returning
from school when he was kidnapped. Austin fastened his
eyeballs on me to the extent that they suspected that we knew
each other. They asked him if he knew me and he nodded his
head in the affirmative.
“Ki ni oruko e?” they asked him and I understood by watching
their lips. I knew that they were asking for my name from
Austin. The boy didn’t hesitate before saying, “Rosa Rosa!” My
eyes were fixed at his lips and I knew he was pronouncing my
nickname and not my real name. I was bitter because I wished
he would pronounce my real name—the spell was really on
me. Only my close friends in school would know me as Rose
and not an intruder like him.
The men smiled and stood before me, shouting my nickname.
They touched my head with the local timbrel in form of a long
gourd and chorused my nickname, but nothing happened to
me.
They were surprised.
They went back to Austin and asked for his name. He easily
told them his name and they put the gourd over his head. He
fell flat and passed on. They laughed–a wicked laughter.
They came back to me and recited my nickname over again. I
was unmoved. They were contemplating on setting me free,
but one of them said they should ask me for my name again,
perhaps I was pretending that I was dumb earlier. They asked
me in both English and Yoruba, but I couldn’t respond, though
I made the sign language to them as a reply.
They sweated. I wondered why they couldn’t slaughter me
directly with a knife, perhaps that would not produce the kind
of money they wanted, I thought. All my spirit wanted to tell
them what my name was and I just desired to speak at once,
but I couldn’t. They were amazed when they saw tears
flowing. They asked me why I was weeping. I perceived what
they asked and waved my hand over my mouth to show my
willingness to speak.
After trying several times to speak without success, they gave
up on me, but I still had the urge to say my name. I shook my
fingers in a way to show that I needed a pen to write my
name. They understood me. I remembered I had a pen with
me earlier into which my name was already written on a rolled
paper. I scrambled for the biro in my pocket with my left hand
but couldn’t find it. I swapped the hand I was using to carry the
big calabash from the right to the left so that I could use the
right hand to search my right pocket now. I did but didn’t feel
the biro there. Then I pointed towards Austin who was lying
lifeless beside his bag. They understood me.
Hastily, they ransacked his bag and came up with a pen and a
paper. I would now write down my name and then, they
would call it and I would fall dead. I knew I would fall dead but I
couldn’t just control my desire for death at that moment.
I held the pen and scribbled something into the paper. The ink
wasn’t flowing. I tried hard but it wouldn’t just flow. The men
were scared. They ordered me to leave immediately, leading
me through a path. I had to find my way home.
It was already too late for me, so the main gate of our house
had been shut. Toyosi and John didn’t even care about my
whereabouts. They were sleeping soundly in the house
already. I hit the gate hard for minutes. It was Taiba and Mrs
Omotayo who came to open it for me. The latter turned
around and left when she saw me; only Taiba remained. I
shook with shock as the horror of that day came rocking my
brain again.