EARLY IN THE MORNING (STORY BY: TEMITOPE DANIEL)

The rain wasn't heavy, I just rushed out because I had to save a dying soul. Though, it was still some minutes past four in the morning, she called me and spoke in a way I couldn't understand. At first, something held me back and told me it would be so foolish of me to go. What if she was planning to ruin me? I sat again as I reasoned along. It might be true, I said within myself as I kept nodding like a lizard. I was wondering if she could really do it, but, I finally surmised that she was capable of doing everything bad. She actually was.

She hated me so much, so, why wouldn't she try to ruin me? But this voice I just heard was like she was dying, she was just in agony and pains! I really couldn't continue holding myself back as I dusted my torn jeans and wore it on the unbuttoned boxer shorts. The boxers had lost the two buttons because it was the only one I did use with the second one I had. They were just two. The second one wasn't well too, but at least better. I didn't mind it as I zipped up the trouser. I was the only son of the family. No, the only son and the only child. Yeah, that’s how it’s meant to be. A poor family should also be added because I think church mouse was richer than us. I just left my parents’ place some months back to be alone because I couldn't be in that house forever.

Why would I even stay there forever? Did I know what was usually wrong with my mother? She was always crying! Just weeping! At first, I did think it was because of this poverty, but as time went on, I got to know she preferred the poverty to what was really wrong with her. Wait oh, I still couldn't comprehend what it was. She never told me! I didn't like that attitude! I hated it when she cried, I just couldn't bear it and decided to leave the house because of that reason and some more, though. My father was always brooding too. I just didn't know what had gone wrong with the two. That had always been the case from the first day I got to know they were my parents till the moment I could live on my own. I have always told them, even begged them to tell me what the problem was, but they never shared it for more than twenty-one years now. I just knew that there was problem! A big one!

I looked at the wall clock that was ticking softly again and felt I had no enough reasons to leave my place that morning for Juliana’s place. She was the devil herself! Yes, the devil! I have tried to preach to her severally but she had always turned me down because of her sinful life. She still enjoyed it, really enjoyed it that she hated me because I wasn't a part to it. The hatred was unbearable that she did text my mobile phone to curse me whenever I tried to preach to her. She was just a lady I met during my Youth Service Corps and fortunately we met each other in the same hood again. She didn't like me because I was poor and because I was a Christian who wasn't shy to hide my Christian faith.

So, why would she just call me that morning? Her voice was full of pain, I could hear how she was breathing as if she was in a real agony. Ooh.. Now I remember that she read Theatre Arts in school, she might be acting! I couldn't tell if she had decided to call just to shift the murder of someone on me. I couldn't just stop thinking of different things that might have happened. But I never forgot to pray before I eventually dashed out to help her. Getting to the front of her house, my heart skipped a beat. It was still dark and the rain was drizzling. From where I stood, I could still hear her moan and bellows. What was happening? My eyes popped open as I moved closer. She had lost her parents and was living alone in that house. So, was she attacked? I questioned myself as I pushed her door and it just opened.

I was shocked. I never ever expected that to happen! I saw her lying in her blood, writhing from right to left in great pain. I ran towards her and saw a knife by her side. “Who stabbed you?” My eyes jacked up. She was too tired to talk again. Wouldn't it be a big issue to pull out the knife from her side? I asked myself as I summoned courage and pulled it out gently. She just screamed. I carried her up and she had bled a lot. Who would I call? The poor me who had no car, nothing! The remaining fifty naira on me the day before was used to get bread that I used water to take. “Juliana, sorry.” I said as I carried her and kept going till I got to the junction and stopped the few moving vehicles then, but none waited.

She was dying! I got enraged as I tried to wipe my tears too and stood at the  middle of the road when a car was coming. “Stop!” I screamed and the car halted. A young guy came down from the car and looked exactly like me. I looked at him again and felt like disappearing. “But, my mother never told me I have a twin brother!” I mumbled. The guy also fixed his gaze at me, wondering who I was. Or was that what made my parents cry for years?  I continued wondering.


TO BE CONTINUED...