Gabriel, still on the hospital bed with queen by his side could be seen smiling as he chatted with her.
“Hmm, Gabriel, am sorry for all you have been passing through, all the beating you have received…” Queen was saying but she stopped and busted into laughter, Gabriel also smiled.
“You are laughing bah, I am taking all these beatings because of you” he told her and she nodded,
“Thank you” she said and smiled.
“So, that guy, that your John Femi is a cultist?” Gabriel asked,
“Who is my John Femi?” Queen asked with a fake smile.
“When I say your John Femi, I don’t literally mean he is your guy” Gabriel told her.
“Let’s forget that now, how do you feel now, will you be able to make it to class tomorrow?” Queen asked him, he nodded.
“I should be able to make school tomorrow, I have missed out two days already” He told her. “Thank you for staying with me all through” He appreciated her and she smiled,
“If I don’t stay with you, who will?” She asked him and they both laughed, just then Nkechi came into the ward, she was wearing a jean trouser and a white top to match the white foot wear she had on.
“Good morning Gabriel” She smiled as she greeted Gabriel and ignored Queen,
“Good morning” Gabriel murmured.
“Sorry, I was just hearing from Israel today that you were beaten up by some group of boys” She told Gabriel as she sat close to him on his bed. “How are you feeling now?” She asked him,
“I am fine, all thanks to queen” Gabriel answered her and she took a glance at Queen.
“The same girl they had beaten you for” Nkechi said.
“Don’t start Nkechi, she did not cause them to beat me, they beat me up because I had what they wanted but couldn’t get” Gabriel turned to her as he tried to sit up on his bed.
“Which is what?” Nkechi asked,
“Which is her” Gabriel said and pointed to Queen, “They wanted her because they knew how lucky I was to have her” Gabriel smiled, Queen also smiled but Nkechi let out a long, loud hiss.
“Don’t worry, by the time you are dead because of her, then you will know how lucky you truly are” Nkechi said and walked out of the ward.
“Who the hell is that girl?” Queen asked after Nkechi had gone,
“Some sort of secondary school ex- girlfriend” Gabriel answered, “She dumped me back then in secondary school but now, I don’t know what she wants” Gabriel explained.
Visit www.pobsonline.com for more amazing stories
*********
As Nkechi was coming out of the hospital, so also was Alika driving into it. Alika had come to check on his best friend who had been admitted into the hospital for about a week now. He was about rushing into the building when he noticed the young beautiful, crying girl who was coming out of it. Trust him, Alika, he never miss the chance of stopping a girl talk more of a beautiful, crying girl like Nkechi.
“Hey, don’t worry, everything will be fine, just hope in God” Alika said as he walked towards her, to him, the only reason she should be crying is because one of her relation is being admitted in the hospital.
Nkechi didn’t mind him, she has gotten use to boys stopping her a lot of times on the road.
“Talk to me, I can be of help, is it about the hospital bills, I might just be God’s angel sent to help you” Alika told her again and this time she turned to face him.
“Fool, I am not mourning anybody” she shouted at him,
“Then why should a beautiful girl like you be crying on this good day?” He asked her.
“A guy just broke my heart” she said and continued with her cry, this time, more than the first.
“Is that why you are crying?” he asked her and she nodded, he smiled.
“That is how guys are, heartbreakers” he told her and patted her shoulder, “you shouldn’t be crying, I hate seeing fine girls like you cry, tell me, what do you want to be done to him?” he asked her.
“I want him dead” Nkechi said without thinking, “I just wish he dies” She added,
“You know, at times wishes come true, especially those made by beautiful girls like you” Alika smiled and for the first time, Nkechi also smiled.
“So tell me, what is the name of this guy?” Alika asked,
“He is Gabriel, Gabriel Eugene” she told him, Alika smiled and stared at her, it was the same guy his capon wanted dead.
“Maybe he is destined to die” Alika thought to himself.
****
Gabriel was discharged from the hospital the next day, Queen was there to help him home, she was always there for him. Nothing much happened to him for the first one week after he was discharged, he continued his love life with Queen, should it be called love life or love play? Come to think of it, Gabriel never asked her out.
For the first week after he was discharged, nothing happened, but on one fateful night of the second week, tragedy struck. This particular night, about 8:15pm, Gabriel Eugene could be seen on the lonely road of his street, he had a school bag on and no doubt, he was going for night class. He had made arrangement with Queen for them to meet that night so as to read together, but he had other plans. He had purposely fixed the class so as to ask her out that particular night, he wanted her to be his girlfriend. He walked happily on the street and hummed a catholic hymn as he walked, suddenly, out of nowhere, two hefty men came and blocked his path.
The first was with a gun and the second with a knife. There was no one or nothing in sight except a car that looked like an abandoned car which was park by one corner of the street just beside them. The first guy cocked the gun and pointed it at him,
“You were warned to stay from her” The first guy reminded,
“Please don’t kill me, I promise to leave her alone from now” Gabriel said with vibrating legs, he must have obviously peed on his shorts.
“We don’t need your promise, we can help you leave her by just killing you” The guy said, he was about pulling the trigger. Suddenly, from the abandoned car, gunshots were heard and just like the wall of Jericho, the two men fell down. From the abandoned car, five hefty men jumped out and covered his face, he knew he was carried into a car but it was certainly not the abandoned car, the car he was in was very comfortable.
He tried shouting for help but something was placed in his mouth which prevented him from shouting, he didn’t know when he slept off, but the next time he opened his eyes, he was in an uncompleted building, he was kneeling and he was face to face with a guy sitting on a big chair, it took him no time to recognize his roommate ISRAEL, the capon of the night crawlers