DIARY OF AN OKADA RIDER.

 A CLOSE SHAVE.

(CONTINUATION)

 Jaji swallowed painfully. In his mind's eye he saw his painful end  -a sharp knife slicing through flesh and bone,the wriggling of his helpless frail body and the final gasp of breathe. A tear rolled down one cheek.

"Crying won't help you son." the bald headed priest smiled gently.

"..w-what will?" Jaji whispered. Each passing second was pure agony. So he was going to die? Just like that? He nearly choked.

The priest eyed him thoughtfully and said,"Do you have your bible with you?"

 Jaji's forehead furrowed in confusion. Bible? For Christ sake he'd just been kidnapped on his way from Mama Jimoh's,how could he have been one?But wisdom nudged him to be silent.

"You anger me!" the priest cried suddenly and punched him hard on the face.

 A startled Jaji screamed and fell back on the floor. The priest gave that gentle smile again and produced a bible from underneath his red garment. "You should be with your bible at all times." He eyed Jaji for a moment and began to flip through the pages of the battered bible. "The wages of sin is death." he read aloud. Jaji could hear his own heart beat so audibly in the semi dark room. His face tingled. Jeez,Jeez.. so this was how men earmarked for ritual killing felt before being slaughtered? Damn,this was worse than death itself!       He watched the priest do the sign of the cross and place the bible gingerly on a table. His eyes were getting accustomed to the dark now. He noticed a rugged vertical mark run down one gaunt cheek,and shivered uncontrollably. The priest looked anything but human,an eerie creature in the dark.

" I'll have Bosco bring food for you. You'll eat and stay strong for me." He said,then moved slowly to the door. " No escape for you son." was his parting remark. The door was firmly bolted from outside. Jaji quickly scanned the dimly lit room,no window seemed to be visible,the ceiling high so that even if he'd thought to climb ,hope was squashed now. He began to chew at his lower lip,the growing feeling of trepidation washed over him.

 Bosco turned out to be a giant that reminded him of Goliath in the bible. He came in a few minutes later holding a tray of food. Wordlessly he placed the tray on the table without so much as sparing a glance at him.
  He left the room afterwards. Out of curiosity Jaji uncovered the dish and peeked. He couldn't make out if the brown lump was a piece of yam or if the brown,stale substance was soup! He turned his head away,heart sinking deeper with each passing moment.

 He must have fallen asleep for he was jabbed into consciousness by the giant. He quickly got to his feet. Bosco held him by the collar and pulled him out and preceded him through a tiny passage that led to the backyard - a bushy expanse of land that reeked of decomposing human flesh. Jaji turned to the giant,and the priest,and now there was another man  standing close to the priest. May be he was the executioner. He must be! Uncontrollable tears began to roll down his cheeks. "Please... " he squeaked. A certain strange feeling of impending death settled in the pit of his stomach. "Please sir,let me go.." He trailed off when he saw the shinning dagger in the Giant's hand. Oh dear....his limbs buckled.

 "Hold on." came the still voice of the third man. "Don't I know you?"

 "Yes you do! " Jaji hurriedly put in,scrambling to his feet. Was this the tiny flicker of hope people often spoke about? He held the man by the hem of his flowing robe and wouldn't let go.

"Get it over and done with! Now!" the priest
commanded the giant ,who was obviously awaiting a more superior order from the man.

"You are the Okada rider who returned my money when it fell from my pocket,aren't you?I told you about the white man's job too."

 Jaji instantly remembered him. "Yes sir! Yes sir I remember you!"  That particular afternoon's incident flashed in his mind. The kind gesture. The appreciation. The job offer. The slightly crazy lebanese. Everything.

 "Don't kill me please.." Jaji's teary eyes looked up at him.

Then it happened so fast :The priest suddenly drew out
a knife from a sheath strapped to his leg side and lunged towards the man. He plunged the sharp knife right into his arm. " Kill him!" the priest bellowed at the giant.
  "Kill him." came the soft command of the man,to the giant. The giant chose to obey the man who obviously was master and shoved the dagger into the priest's chest,and dragged till vital organs ripped out. Blood oozed from the convulsing body of the dying priest. "It is well with my soul.." he muttered under his breathe,and convulsed on to death.

 "Master,you're hurt." The giant said,rushing to him, but the man seemed to be more concerned about the Okada rider. "Now take your leave. Bosco,see him to the highway where he can pick a cab -"

"No sir,i can find my way!" Jaji interjected. The giant still looked mean.

"Hahahaha," the man laughed," Bosco will do as I say. He won't hurt you."

 Jaji thanked him profusely as Bosco the giant led him away. All through the narrow walk to the highway he kept mute. He only said "goodbye" when a cab came and Jaji got seated on the passenger side.

 "Oga wetin? Na so so hmmmmm hmmmm u dey do since,I beg mek I hear word!" the driver rebuked as he sighed an umpteenth time.

"You will never know..." Jaji inwardly thought. He took a deep breathe. He was glad to be alive.