Act Of Faith - Episode 18

.Act Of Faith
Episode: Episode 18
Title: Alvana
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Stepping into the toilet of Royalty primary school for the first time reminded me of my primary school, Umuede Primary School Atata, as a matter of fact, Umuede Primary school toilet is much better than that of Royalty’s. I never knew the children living in the city could be so evil, their DNA has been transduced with wickedness. How do I explain this, they had filled up the water cistern toilet with *** and even the floor. The once white tile had been given a new rainbow colour. I wanted to curse the students but I decided to leave it for God, anyways, there shall be no peace for the wicked. With the broom, mop, detergent, brush and detergent provided to me, I was able to wash the toilet to the best of my ability. I was in the washing act when a call came into my phone, I went out to pick up. It was a call from Morgana, she had said she wanted me to come over and help her in some stuff, some stuff concerning our mission. I finished the washing and had my bath in the staff toilet, I then change from the cleaners dress to my normal dress. ” Hello Mr not interested” Tobi called as I walked pass the basic five class, I turned back and went into the class. ” Hi Tobi, how are you doing?” I asked walking close to her. ” Good morning sir, you welcome to our class” The students greeted in union. ” Good morning students, how are you?” I asked smiling although i still held grudges against them for the wicked attitude displayed in using the toilet. ” Fine thank you sir” they replied and sat down in union. ” I like this your earpiece o” Tobi said as she made to remove the micro earpiece from my ear. ” Thanks” I said letting her have the earpiece. ” What do you use it for?” She asked trying to wear the earpiece. ” To receive calls” I replied. ” Can you dash it to me?” She asked again while I shook my head. ” its the only one have got ” I replied removing the earpiece from her ear. ” Let me leave you to your class, I am also quiet busy” I told her as I turned to leave. ” So, like seriously, you won’t tell me your name?” She asked as I got to the door. ” Gabriel” I replied smiling. ” Not a sweet name” she complemented. I left her class and headed to the principal office, I needed permission before leaving the school. ” Good morning sir” I greeted him as I stepped into the office, he looked up from the note he was writing. ” Mr Cleaner, good morning” he replied. ” Sir, I am done with the washing of the toilet, I have an appointment with my doctor by 9:00am, I came to seek for per…” he interrupted me. ” so far you have done the chores assigned to you, you are always free to leave” he replied and continued with his note. ” Thank you sir” I murmured and made to leave. ” sorry sir, when does the school dismiss?” I asked when I got to the door. ” 2:30pm” he replied without looking up. The time was just 8:45am, there is enough time to catch fun with Morgana. I had had an encounter with sir Jude Ike that morning, I was just stepping into the main gate when he arrived with his old beetle car and parked it in front of the gate. ” Good morning sir” I had greeted him smiling. ” Good morning young man” he replied cheerfully. ” Do you work here?” He asked as he walked into the school premises, the time keeper was already standing in the compound with the bell ready to be jingled. ” I am a cleaner sir” I had replied him. ” A cleaner, how can a guy like you be a cleaner, a fine guy like you” he said. ” The economy of the country sir, and I am not even qualified to work as a teacher, I just have a secondary school cert” I told him. ” hmm, let’s talk tomorrow, I will see you tomorrow ” he said and walked into the school. That was the encounter I had with him, from the way he talked, he seem a very nice man and I doubt if he had any skeleton in the cupboard.
• I arrived home around 9:15am and changed into a short and a top which I covered with a jacket, our black spy Jacket. I wore a black cap and canvas to match. I took a small pistol and hid it in my waist region, covering it with the top. I opened my briefcase and brought from it a well arranged row of knives, i embedded them in the jacket. I took the key to my black bike and about 5 minutes later, I was on the way to perfect peace. From the beginning of the street perfect peace which was named after the perfect peace hotel, I could see the edifice building of the perfect peace hotel. From any point in the street, you are sure to have a clear view of the hotel, it is the largest structure in the whole street, not in the whole street but in the environs of Iyana Ipaja under bridge area. I parked my bike in a safe corner of the street and bounced off to the hotel. Just as Morgana had said, men in suits could be seen around the building, they must surely be Sir Jude’s guards. I went into the hotel proper and was impressed by what I saw. ” I need a room” I told the reception as I stood in front of her. ” Welcome to perfect peace sir, what sort of room would you like?” The beautiful young lady asked me. “Any comfortable room” I replied her. ” Room 234 will be perfect” she said smiling. ” How much per room?” I asked her smiling back but also making sure my face was well shielded by the face cap. ” For room 234, it 80 thousand naira ” she replied . ” Am new here, can’t you reduce..” She interrupted. ” That is the fixed price sir” She replied. “Okay, I have no cash at hand now, Can I pay with this?” I asked bringing out my ATM card. ” Of course you can, pay over there and come have your key” she said pointing to the P.O.S stand. I walked over and deposited the money, the receipt came out from the machine. ” Have a nice time Sir ” She said handling the key to me. ” Please I will also need a tray of well friend chicken and a good quality wine, am kind of very hungry” I said to her. ” it will be delivered as soon as possible sir” she said and I walked away in search of the room. In the quest of my search, I got to pass Morgana’s room, room 222. There were two men in suit watching over it like there was a kind of treasure in there. I adjusted my cap well before passing by. I had barely sat down on the big bed of room 234 when a young man walked in with a tray of chicken and Wine. ” Your order sir” he said smiling, he couldn’t tell if I was smiling or not as my cap covered my face. ” Thanks” I told him. ” If you need anything sir just put a call through” he said and turned to go, I quickly stood up from the bed and drew him back, I twisted his hands backwards and turned his face to the ground. Almost immediately I brought out my gun and pointed it directly to his head. ” See, I dont kill, just co operate with me, keep quiet” I told him while he nodded his head vigorously and his whole body started to shiver, his sweat gland seem to produce more sweet or maybe his skin probably allowed more diffusion from the internal environment of his body, he was sweating profusely. ” Dont be scared, I promise not to harm you” I assured him as I pulled off his overall, his work cloth. He was left with just a boxer and singlet, both soaked with sweat. I removed the bed sheet from the bed and tore it into two piece, with one piece, I tied his hands to his legs, with the other, I tied it round his mouth. ” Have fun struggling ” I said as I put on the overall and cleaned my face, I then walked out with the tray of chicken and wine. ” She ordered for food” I said to one of the guards guiding room 222 and he opened the door for me without interrogations. Morgana could been seen sitting comfortably on the big, fine bed of room 222.
AS NARRATED BY MORGANA
” let’s go” Gabriel said to me pulling my hands towards the door. ” Nope, I can’t go out, he had instructed his guards to enclose me here” I replied as I got freed from his hand and sat on the bed. ” oops, we need to find a way out. ” he said putting on his cap and taking a stroll to the side window. ” Perfect, there is a long plastic wall pipe here” he said looking down the side window. I joined him there and he was right, there was really a pipe there, those pipes use to channel water from the bathroom to the suck away. ” Then how are we going to pass the gate, his guards are also there? ” I asked. ” We descend through this pipe to the fence level and jump out there” he said again pointing to the free land surrounded with bushes, the land was just beside the hotel. ” The pipe might get broken” I said. ” it won’t get broken if you dont rest your full weight on it, we are to move with our legs on the wall while the hand holding the pipe for support. Its well fixed to the wall” he said again, sometimes I wonder if I and Gabi finished from the same Newriton,he loves to take risk. ” I can’t do that, it is dangerous” I protested while he smiled. ” You fear too much” he said smiling. ” Anyhow, I am not killing myself ” I said. ” okay, I will back you” he suggested. ” Back me?” I asked him. ” Hey that’s the only way we ….” I interrupted him. ” Okay” I fell in. ” Now, we have to first give them the impression that I have left here” he said to me ” I mean the guards” he added. ” That’s easy, are you with your phone?” I asked me and he nodded. ” Okay ” I said and put a call to him. ” Pick it up, hide somewhere, with the phone you will be able to hear our conversation and know when to come in” I told him, he understood and went out immediately like the way he came. I held the phone and went out to meet the guards. ” Hello guys” I greeted the both of them smiling. ” Good morning madam” They replied in union. ” why dont you join the others downstairs, I dont like you guys standing by the door. I am still safe if you guys aren’t at the door” I said to them. ” Oga asked us to watch you ma” The well built one among them spoke. ” I can’t run away if you guys stay at the gate, there is no other exist here and moreover, I wanna get some sleep and I dont want you guys here” I said with all seriousness, they nodded and went down, about some minutes later, Gabriel walked in. ” Sweet!!” he exclaimed as he locked the door and I disposed the tray of food. ” Now let’s go” he added bending his back for me to climb on. I touched his shoulder, his muscles were firm, well built and smooth. I spread my leg across his back and enclosed them in his waist region. His scent was good, my hands touched his muscular chest and for once, I wished he was mine. ” You can close your eyes so you won’t have nightmares” he said smiling. ” Come on, let’s go” I said enclosing my legs more to his waist region, I felt something move round me, dont know what it was. He walked to the side window and opened it, my weight didn’t weigh his down, I was small compared to him. He spread his leg across the window but prevented himself from falling by holding the edge. ” Here we go” he whispered as he stretched his left hands to the pipe connecting the bathroom of the room beside mine to the suck away. ” Guy be careful” I said to him as he released his second hand from the window. ” Oh. God” I almost shouted as he hung freely in the air, his left hand which was holding the pipe was the only thing that prevented us from falling, I held him more tight ” Hey calm down” he said as he held the pipe with the other hand, he then placed his both legs on the wall in a way that the pipe was a demarcation. Gradually and slowly he climbed down gently until we were at the fence level, the fence separating the hotel from the bushy land. ” One, two, and Go” He said as he jumped with me into the bush, we rolled separately as we got displaced from each other.
AS NARRATED BY ADANNA
I took my water pot and headed to the stream, It was around 12:00 in the afternoon, I didn’t go that morning due to depression, I was busy thinking about Gabriel. My mother wasn’t around as she had gone to market early that morning, my dad had travelled to a neighbouring village the day before.
• I had finished fetching my water and heading back home when I saw the guy from the city, Alvana, coming from the path leading to his farm. There was something strange about this guy, he came to the village some years ago, he didn’t come with a relation, no one knew where he came from. He acquired a land and started farming, he also built a small hut for himself and he hardly associates himself with any one. The only chance I had gotten to be close with him was the day he saved Gabriel from Mbe. ” Adanna” he greeted as he walked to me, I was surprised as he had never talked to me before. ” City guy,good afternoon” I greeted him. ” I had not seen your friend lately” he said as we walked together. ” Which friend?” I asked him. ” Dont pretend like you dont know, That guy you were tripping for of course, Gabriel” he said smiling , ” He had gone back to the city” I replied him frowning my face. ” Eyah, sorry dear, he will surely come back to you ” Alvan said laughing . ” He is engaged already” I said angrily. ” Engaged, that is a lie, who told you that?” He asked . ” No one, he told me through a letter” I replied him. ” Hmm, I won’t believe you until I see the letter” he said. ” Gabriel isn’t engaged to anyone” he said confidently. ” Then follow me to my house to get it” I dared him.
• Alvana stood outside my compound with the letter in hands but over his face, he read the content out loudly and bursted into laughter, his laughter soon changed to a frown but he quickly covered it up with a smile. ” I can assure you of something” he told me. ” What?” I asked. ” Gabriel didn’t draft this letter” He said confidently.