It was almost seven in the morning when the four friends were back at the beach house. Despite the attacks of the previous day, the beach house still had some guests around and they could not close down their services just like that. The news of the attack had gone around and there was a little crowd at the entrance who were literally rumourmongering. Gerald drove past them into the main compound that surrounded the astounding house, and parked right where they did the night before. The car looked worked out because of the mud and rain splatter all over its tyres and body.
Although the town's people wanted to find out what was happening, the compound looked a lot of peaceful and normal - as though nothing had happened the night before. Most of the staff were back, although they looked very shaken by what they had experienced. But besides that, all was at ease.
When the four entered the reception quietly, they looked suspicious because of how weary and dirty they appeared. They looked like they had their hands dirty over the last few hours. However, Gyasi showed their receipt at the front desk and the key to their room. The new receptionist was calmed and assured that indeed they were not strangers to the place. However, her steady grimace demanded answers which were none of her business. Gyasi looked at her with a smile while she verified their stay from the books.
'Oh we just went out all night long and we decided to walk the beaches to have fun. Especially those two who wouldn't be calm after a few shots,' Gyasi lied to the receptionist to make sure she was very comfortable with the sight of Lancelot and Nurudeen, who truly fit the description of people who had just absolutely had so much fun that they had reason to look that dirty and dishevelled. With that, they took the stairs – they just could not wait to get into the suit and finally relax. She nodded agreeably as they turned away, heading to their room.
As they walked away, Gerald was obviously withdrawn from the rest. He was brooding intensely about the events of the past twelve or so hours of their lives. Twelve? No. The past week had just been too eventful, dangerous and life-threatening. The chronology of events – from reuniting with a long-lost friend to the dangerous goose chase they had just happened, to the near death experiences – were almost impossible to link because of how far off they were as individuals from such. The speed with which they unfolded was indeed implausible! The disconnect lay in how nobody will believe these prim, proper, career men had just found themselves in such precarious affairs that could mar their reputations.
Soon, they were in front of their suite. Gyasi sighed and looked at the others and unlocked the door for them to enter. Probably the trauma of the night sizzled a tremble in their spirits and caused a hesitation that paused their instant entry into the suit. Gerald was first to sit, dropping the car keys and his phone on the coffee table right beside the couch. Gyasi took a bottle of water from the fridge and took one for Nurudeen on request.
Gerald was just seated, eyes closed and almost dozing, as the events flashed through his mind's eye. He could not wrap his mind around the fact that it was just six days ago that they had convened at their alma mater to celebrate the school's 70th anniversary, where Nurudeen, the long-lost friend was the keynote speaker. He could not marry with what had transpired over the last twelve hours – that the keynote speaker was currently seated with him, Gyasi, and Lancelot, looking as though he had been through the worse phase of life in the streets. Nurudeen almost died; from what he had told them about how he got there, where they found him, he was almost six feet under. It was almost unbelievable that that had happened and so quickly.
All four were just seated in the living room space in their suit in silence. They were in some form of reflexive mood and only Gyasi had his eye open. He looked around the room. They had really gone through so much and they were tired. There was nothing much to say at this moment.
'Thank you guys,' Nurudeen said, startling everyone.
'Thank you? For what exactly? Because we did what we had to do.' Gerald replied instantly; with his eyes still closed to everything that was happening around him. 'And I don't think we should even have this on our discussion table. It's too much of the dark cloud to drag along with us,' Gerald finished. The apprehension and staunchness in his voice was a bit judgmental - pointing to the fact that all that was happening was Nurudeen's fault and he did not like it. That sound of displeasure in his tone had begun hours before when they picked up Nurudeen.
'Gerald, come on! You don't need to sound like that. This is not the time!' Gyasi muttered.
'Sound like what? The man himself has accepted how much all of this has been his fault so why do you want to categorise the honesty of my statement?' Gerald frowned.
Gyasi realised that Gerald's temper would flare further due to the frustration of the situation they found themselves in so he stopped.
'No need to argue over this, guys. Gyasi, Gerald, all these are happening definitely because we are here, on this trip and I started it. I guess it would be best to cancel everything so that we all just leave…'
'It's too early to decide that in my opinion, Nurudeen. We haven't had any rest nor sleep so let's just get some rest and talk over a good lunch or something.' Gyasi suggested.
Lancelot was already asleep.
Nurudeen sighed.
Just about four to five hours before, in the heavy rain that pummelled him and the trees and the asphalt, Nurudeen's waves at that on-coming car was not in vain. He was not only excited and glad but also surprised that it was truly his friends who had turned up in the middle of nowhere to save him. He almost did not believe his luck when the car raced past him, missing him by inches and screeched to a halt. That was his car!
Gerald was driving so fast that he almost did not see that someone was halfway in the road and waving that they stop. He missed knocking down Nurudeen by just inches and he screeched to a violent stop, almost skidding off the road.
'The heck, Gerald! That could have been Nurudeen!' Gyasi bellowed when they reached a stop.
'How do you know?' Gerald asked, in agitation. He was also scared because news of highway robberies were on the rise. What if it was a patsy to get them to stop.
'Because the location of the watch is just this area.' Gyasi said.
Gerald nervously backed up in a reverse and the car's lights revealed Nurudeen in the darkness. He heaved a sigh of relief. Lancelot instantly opened the door for him to enter the car. The rain was so heavy that the amount of water that splashed into the car with the opening of the door was too much. Nurudeen was so soaked but everyone could see the wounds on his face and how his clothes had suffered wear and tear from the struggles and fist-cuffs.
'Where have you been? What happened? Are you alright?' Lancelot asked.
Nurudeen was shivering and his teeth literally chattered. 'Turn off the air conditioning for a while please. And I think I am fine and safe now,' he said as he frantically reached to the back where the items they had packed for the trip still remain unpacked. He ravaged through them and found what he badly needed - a large white towel to keep himself warm. 'Thank you, guys.' He added.
Gerald made a quick u-turn and they were headed back to Cape Coast.
'Who and who took you? Where are they?' Lancelot probed further.
'The car crashed. I think we should call the police to inform them that there has been an accident because Issah is dying. The other guy is probably dead. The third, I kicked him out of the car while it was speeding. I stabbed him and kicked him out.' Nurudeen said nonchalantly.
'You stabbed who?' Gerald asked, in a shocking tone.
'The third guy. And Issah too a few times to get us into an accident.' Nurudeen sounded as though it was a very normal thing to do and that unnerved the rest.
'How many American films and reality crime stuff have you been binging on because you sound like you just got off a movie set. Are you serious right now?' Gerald wanted to remain in disbelief.
'I do watch American movies and I do believe today was the day of practice, Gerald. I had to save my life and I had to do what I had to do.' Nurudeen replied.
'Where is the knife?'
Nurudeen checked his pocket and it was there. He took out the knife that was bathed in partially died blood. Gerald looked into the reverse mirror and was more horrified. His legal mind was considering the various ways in which this tale to tail them into more trouble.
'This is just crazy!' Gerald not excited. 'Things could be traced back to you…'
'I had to defend myself, Gerald. They would have taken me all the way to Tamale to kill me!' Nurudeen said.
'And who are they? Who were they?' Gyasi asked. 'Because you just called one of them by name. Lancelot mentioned that he remembers you asking them to take you instead of him. That means these people are familiar people, people you know, people you have had engagements with. You owe us that explanation, at least.'
'I know Issah. He's my ex-wife, Amina's brother. Amina died by suicide. But her family never believed that. They thought I killed her,' Nurudeen dropped the bombshell.
'Even I would think you killed her, with the way you sound so comfortable about having to stab two men to escape danger and death!' Gerald said, unpleasantly.
'Gerald, you do not understand…' Nurudeen tried to explain.
'Understand what exactly?' Gerald was almost shouting. He slowed down suddenly and parked on the shoulder of the road. He turned to Nurudeen. 'What exactly do I or do we not understand? I mean we hadn't seen or heard from you in years, decades. You suddenly become this big person whose name and wealth and impact echo across the entire globe and your one suggestion for a vacation brings us so close to death and danger than our riskest lifestyles would have. And you say we do not understand? Help us understand you.'
'You have no idea the kind of hell I had to go through to get here! All three of you knew me, you knew I had no hope! You knew I could not even move beyond Rand's because my guardian couldn't continue supporting. You knew! I wasn't asking anyone for help because I couldn't even reason then to say probably some of your parents could help me. But did you even keep in touch? Did you all follow up? Did you even try to find Nurudeen because you could have! Now, you are shocked about my heights? About my impact? You think it dropped from the sky? I have had to put my life on the line to reach this point. Marrying Amina was not a plan. After Rand's, I had to become an errand boy for one of the wealthiest people in Tamale. I was too good, too smart that he trusted me too well. That was Issah's father. Issah became my friend and I was doing well. They decided to put me through school and when I finished, they started pitching me as a strategic manager to their wealthy friends. I didn't know that their clandestine idea was to make sure I knew so much about these rich folks that I would report back to them and strategise with them so they would take over their wealth. I leaked their company secrets, their sources of wealth and the loopholes in their investments to Issah and his father and someway somehow, they managed to rob the people I worked for with my help. I was stuck in that trap, with promises that they could make me a big man. Father and son were in the game together and it was so clandestine that I couldn't even make sense of how much I was trapped. The money furthered my education and gave me a good life. It was that time that they gave me Amina to marry. I was stuck. It was then that more secrets popped up through Amina. She was a depressed and deranged young woman who had been at the mercy of her own family for long. Then I had a big break with UNICEF when I once met an executive director who worked with them. He liked my skills and intellect and gave me a huge international recommendation. The night before I left Ghana, Amina had a manic episode and she killed herself. Issah and his father sent a message that they knew I killed her. I did not! I run out of the country for my life because they would have killed me. Then my life changed and it was like that chapter was done. But indeed, the choices made today have haunting effects tomorrow - the horrible choices! It just starts a cycle of bad omen and it never stops! And I have dragged you all along without meaning to and…' Nurudeen sighed.
Gerald started the engine again and drove.
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