Bab 5: 5

Mira and I set out for this in a Mercedes ride, we had our guns ready for action. 'Oscar, you didn't even ask me about the security update.'

Well, that was true, I seemed rather focused on how to empty my magazine into the unlucky family.

'The senator has just a security guard in order not to draw attention to himself, not even the neighbours know about his political status. It took months of trailing to get enough information. He is a really smart and meticulous man.'

'Yes, we have an appointment with him', that line helps every single time. We stepped into the house and I was attracted to the family portrait hanging on the wall. The man in the picture looked familiar but I still couldn't place where I knew him.

He came in and welcomed us, now his voice sounded familiar. I couldn't be mistaken, the last time I heard a similar voice was ten years ago. Just before he was unconscious, he cried out to those men, 'don't hurt my son.'

Mira was about to fire at him, then I refrained her. 'Could it be? Could it not?' I called out Mr Arogunde out of curiousity and the man was probably shocked I knew his name. I called him dad and he moved closer to me, he touched my face, 'Is this really you, Oscar?'. All I could do was nod my head, now we were both in tears.

Now Mira could do nothing but just watch, she was overwhelmed with shock.

'What has life done to me? Is this a blessing or misfortune?' My long lost father and I reunited on the verge of death, and I am to decide his death. Damn! What could possibly hurt more?

Even my sisters were not exempted, I could remember us growing together. Should I spare their lives? Then, if I should spare them, I took an oath and the Messiah would still kill them.

I could remember my dad had a strong abhorrence for politicians in the country, what caused the sudden change?

'Dad, growing up, I remember you disliked three things; traffic, noise from neighbours, politicians. What changed over the years?'

My dad smiled and cried simultaneously, 'son, a lot happened over the years. After those men abducted your mum and sisters, I was compelled to cover them up and helped them in another successful scam. I was stabbed in the back, a friend of mine was working with them and decided to call the police on me. I was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment, thanks to amnesty, I spent only four years. The prison yard was not paradise, I suffered and during my stay, news of your mother's death reached me. When I left the yard, I reflected on what took me there, I wasn't totally guilty. I suffered for being innocent, my family suffered for being honest. I had to embrace the crooked life and I can say I have enjoyed it, we have all enjoyed it. Now it's your choice whether or not to kill me.'

My sisters were pleading with me telling me not to kill my father. One of our mantras in the glaziers is no mercy, even if it's your blood. They kept on telling me childhood memories to make me do otherwise, 'isn't this too late'?

This was definitely the most difficult decision I would have to take, I just had to do what's right. With a pistol pointed at my father, he started singing the lullaby he used to sing while I was very little; " E ba mi ki Ishola oo, penkele aah, penkele. Oba loke nba busi oo, ko tobi lanti lanti". He kept singing in tears, I couldn't bear it anymore.

I dropped the gun, I told Mira I couldn't do it. We both stormed out of the house, I rushed back in and told my father to make sure he remained oblivious for some months.

We arrived at the arcade trying to conceal the betrayal, well, it was a sticky wicket. I couldn't take the emotional blackmail. It was the normal shower of praises as we told him we executed the task perfectly. I had a long nap and suddenly, it was dusk already. The atmosphere was accompanied with a sense of guilt which struck me. "How am I different from the politicians? They betray their nation, go against their pledges for selfish reasons. So did I. Fine, they might have done it for money, that does not change the fact we(the politicians and I) did it for our loved ones. We are both beasts." Like a sheep, I decided to go meet the Messiah. I was about knocking at the door when I started hearing; "dear, you can't come now. It's not over yet, the phase has not been concluded yet. You and the kids should just bear with me, in a matter of months, victory will be ours."

I was left shell-shocked.

Messiah has a family! All these years we've been kept in darkness and from the little I heard, they were definitely not in the country. What else could he be hiding?" I totally forgot about my betrayal, the Messiah was equally not innocent in the land of betrayal. "I need to gather more information about the Messiah, I know little or nothing about him. Just his name I guess, Benedict Simons."

I went back to my father after two days, it was quite awkward but I couldn't just forget about him. He was definitely someone who could help me solve the puzzle I discovered. I asked him about his friend, Benedict Simons.

"Where and how do you know him? Oscar, that man is a true description of a chameleon. He is a fox, who would do anything to satisfy his selfish desires."

"Wow!" I definitely was left shocked with the review of the Messiah I got. "He was the friend I talked about, the one who stabbed me in the back and sent me to jail. We were both involved in the scam but he decided to play a fast one on me. Hmm! Simons himself".

I was left convinced that the Messiah was not to be trusted. He has a family and he is sly, what more could I unfold about him? 'What is his agenda? The glaziers? The love? Is everything not a charade?'

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