CHAPTER 23 –
© OPEYEMI OJERINDE AKINTUNDE
” He is dead!”
” He can’t be dead!”
I sat in one of the school cabs asking myself if truly
Reuben was dead. I was communicating with the good Samaritan who
had finally taken him to a nearby clinic. He gave me the good news that my Reuben was not
dead “Yet”. He said the doctor had put him on oxygen. I got to the hospital with my heart in my mouth. Thankfully it was a standard hospital. At first, the
hospital refused to receive him when the good
Samaritan brought him, but I had spoken to the
doctor, Identifying Reuben as Bishop Acme’s son. I
believe that made them put so much effort into
resuscitating him…
I was taken to the ICU where he lay. Oh! The bruises
were so much, he had bruises on the head, hand, and
leg. “Please, what was the accident like?” I asked the good
Samaritan
“Everybody dey talk say na Brake failure”
“Brake failure?’ I knew a few things about cars and
Reuben’s car a recent model was not one of those
cars that would develop a brake failure. I kept this in
my heart. Two hours later, my parents and Reuben’s parents got
in. To Reuben’s parents at that time I didn’t exist
especially his mother. She was torn into pieces. I had
never seen our mummy G.O. that distraught looking
in all the years I had known her. I saw a mother’s
love…
“You can return to school, I am here with him,” Reuben’s Mum said the next morning. Reuben still had not woken up. Bishop had returned
to home, and because of the hospital policy of not having more than 2 people with the patient, my parents
booked a hotel room close to the hospital. “No mummy, I won’t leave until Reuben wakes up”
“I hope your old boyfriend has nothing to do with this because if he does, I will ask the Angels of God to
crush him for me”
“No ma… I don’t think so” She kept mute after that… My phone rang and on checking the caller ID, it was
June my roommate… She had been calling since the
previous day. It was high time I answered her call, as
my battery was almost flat. If my line went off without
speaking to her, I knew June would lose it. “Hello June”
“Oh thank you, Jesus… How is Pastor Reuben?” she
asked straight up
“How did you know?” I said excusing myself from the
room. “News flies quick… but guess what a student said he
saw someone working on Pastor Reuben’s car last
night around 1:00am when he was returning from
night class after he slept off”
“Really?”
“Yes, so people are suspecting someone caused the
accident”
“Hmm… thank you for the update, you know men of
God has a lot of enemies”
“Yes, you can say that again, we hear he is still in a coma. We pray he wakes up soon…”
I went into the hospital garden as I needed to have a
discreet conversation with Daniel.
“Hello… Finally, she calls” Dee said
“Tell me you didn’t do this,” I asked
“Well, let’s say my disadvantaged life has some
advantages to it. I mean, I may not have the money he
has, nor the fame, or inherited popularity, but I sure
did inherit the knowledge about cars”
“Daniel, you are a cow, a goat, a stupid wickedly
wicked human being. If no one has ever told you, I
will tell you the truth about who you are, you are a
psychopath. Listen well and listen good, for the sake
of the stupid love I once had for you, RUN… RUN…
Disappear, because if anything happens to Reuben, I
mean if he doesn’t wake up, I won’t be the only one
coming for you, everyone will come for you…
“Nwala! So it has gotten to this, I thought killing him
will be an answer to your prayer, I thought if he wasn’t
alive, your parents will let us be” I couldn’t understand the
stupid rationale, at that point I was grateful, I had left
him.
‘Daniel, like my mother said, you are a broken boy who
will cause me pain… Goodbye!”
“No… it’s not goodbye, it is later, because if I can’t
have you, no one will…”
I ended the call before he had the luxury of saying
more nonsense into my ears…
To be continued…