"Na hot slap I go give you now if your hand should shake and the hand fan should fall again. I won't say because you are a novice here o. I get your size for hand big time! A man whose age should be between the age of forty and forty-five spoke harshly at Benard in the police cell. He has a cracking voice that could have sent a fearful little child back to her mother with her tiny legs touching her skull.
"Red snake, leave am first. You no say he just come here. Let's welcome him first. I am sure, he will learn fast as time goes on. He is still small pikin in the game. Goliath said to Red snake. Goliath gained his nickname as a result of his height. He's a tall man with a heavy chest to complement it. He has a clear obvious scar on his forehead which he might have gotten from the street fights. He's a notorious guy whose politicians used as a tool to steal away pilot boxes and to carry out all sorts of bad activities. Nemesis caught on him and his gangs as they had gone to snatch away some ballots boxes again but police later caught up with them and dragged him and the rest into their vehicle which they later locked up in the cell. Their judgment is to spend twenty years in prison and they have spent five years and still counting.
"Look here, I be a correct notorious boy. I no dey take a shit. But I understand you well. If you cooperate with us, you go enjoy this cell wey you dey so. And if your village people follow you reach inside here, na him be say you go die here o. Because you can see how that man's eyes red for you yesterday. If to say he gets gun, you for don enter grave since yesterday" Goliath pressed further. The whole scenario happened in their presence yesterday. They saw how Gloria's father's eyes nearly turn into a flame of fire. Even, if a pot of water to make garri was mistakenly placed on his body temperature, hardly will it spent up to three minutes before a bawl of eba will be ready. He was really angry. Some policemen around had to calm him down and promised him that they will handle the case much more effectively.
"Your daughter will surely come out from where he might have hidden it. Trust me. He will take us down to where he had dumped your daughter. A case like this hardly takes us so much time before the culprit is shown and dealt with" Seargent Mattew testified and calmed Mr. Eugene down before he could leave and go home.
"You should produce my daughter or you rot in jail because I will never take it lightly with you. Foolish man!" Mr. Eugene blurted before he dashed out of the police station like a mad man to his destination
Benard was the only one that could testify to what he had been passing through since last night. He knew that there was truly another world entirely as he was thrown into the cell with a shirtless body and a nickel. It was even a short black man that quickly left his sit and walked majestically to meet him and shook hands with him. Even though Benard had wanted to refuse to shake him, the devil before him refused and forcefully held his hands to shake him with force.
"You dey craze. You do want to shake hands with the governor. Welcome to my territory. As I have said earlier, I am the governor in this cell. If you don't agree to my terms and condition, I have the power to make you pack shit and urine for the whole of your stay in this cell. Okay?" Devil proclaimed
"All right sir. Benard replied in a shaky voice. He greeted everyone before he proceeded to find a suitable position to lay his ass down. Everywhere seems to choke with the odor of urine and feces already. He almost passed out immediately. He can't afford to spend another one hour in the same cell because it was nothing to write home about. But it seems the whole thing has become part and parcel of those guys in the cell. They feel no remorse. As he was busy closing his nostrils from choking, those guys are there eating bread and Akara and still looking more excited. He tried to squeeze himself into a little space. It was in the middle of the night that he almost called out to his late parents to come over and rescue him from the wrath of those heartless guys. The one known as Goliath appeared to be the boss while Devil is he's a personal assistant. Goliath had ordered him to fan him as he's still a fresher and that's what he will continue to be as an errand boy in the cell until another person joined them. But in the process of fanning Goliath, the hand fan had mistakenly fallen off from his hand for like two times but Devil had warned him. He had been so much careful this time but a slight sleep just crossed his eyes and he dozed off while the hand fan fall off his hand immediately. He feels very tired and wishes he could take a nap but the compulsory work he's doing coupled with giants mosquitoes singing here and there will not just give him a breathing space. But when a little sleep crossed his eyes, he forgot what he was doing and a hot slap given as a bonus to him by Devil quickly jolted him back to reality
"You must be very stupid!" When has this place turned into your room and parlor? Oya, pick up the fan and start fanning me now!" Goliath retorted.
"I am sorry sir. Benard replied with red eyes. Goliath's palm had shown on his cheek. He was still rubbing the pain off his cheek and continuing in the must task. He just has to gulp down the pain and continue with the task given to him. He dare not mistakenly closed his eyes at the moment let alone sleep again except he wants those desperate guys to draw the direction to his village house on his body.
This is what he keeps on doing till daybreak. It was just around six o clock that the boss known as Goliath gave him his consent to sleep a bit
"Sha sleep small. Make you no go just die for here" Goliath ordered.
"Thank you so much, sir. Benard bends his head low to thank Goliath.
His legs are hurting already. He's bones crack with so much pain. He gently sat on the floor and rest his head on the wall like an old woman who is coming from a distance and needed to rest her weak bones. Sleep is no longer coming. He began to think about his life. He wished Gloria and Chioma can be found in a good condition and everything gets settled. He's into trouble he knew nothing about. He believed if Gloria is never found, that means he had to spend the rest of his life in the prison yard with notorious guys like Goliath and the rest. He knows that what he had just seen between last night and today was just the tip of the iceberg. He will see more. He sighed heavily and bend his head to cry on to his ancestor.
"Who be Benard for here?" A policeman spoke aloud through the iron gate of the cell
"Benard Abi a Berlandila. Dem they call you joor" Devil roared in his coarse voice while everyone in the cell laughed over the pronunciation of the name.
"Your parents sef. Dem no see better name give you. Dem no fit give you Tomboy or Jacques or..... The policeman cut Red snake's words short.
"Will you keep quiet before I descend on you!" Policeman questioned.
Benard stood up and walked towards the door gate while Sergeant Patrick opened the gate for him to come and see his visitors. He met Dr. Anthony, Ngozi, and her children. Ngozi couldn't hold on to the tears in her eyes as soon as she saw the young man shirtless and with a huge bite from mosquitoes all over his body.
"You only have five minutes to speak with him" Sergeant Patrick instructed
"All right sir" Dr. Anthony replied. Sergeant Patrick took his leave so that they can talk briefly before their time is up.
"Benard, what happened? What's going on? I thought you came to report the case of two missing sisters to the police. Then what are you doing here?" Ngozi queried. She's very anxious to know what happened even when Dr. Anthony had briefed her earlier before now. Benard pressed further to explain how the whole scenario had happened. He had already gone to report the case to the police station and while coming back, he thought of going home to freshen up and return to the hospital while he awaited feedback from the police station and even try to help them with their investigation but on getting home, he met Mr. Eugene, Gloria's father who had been anxiously waiting for him at the gate with two policemen and their vehicle. Only God knows how he managed to know about the issue. Probably, Gloria's friends who have known him might have called him to ask about Gloria's whereabouts. He didn't ask any questions. He only pointed at Benard and instructed the policemen to get him arrested saying "that's the criminal" They have to bundle him and throw him like a sack of beans into their vehicle while he left his car in front of his gate.
Some drops of tears fall off Ngozi's eyes and down her cheeks. She had used her misfortune to implicate an innocent soul. Benard wouldn't have fallen into this mess if he and Gloria had not stretched forth to assist her in the first place. She regretted putting him into the mess. She blamed herself for everything that is happening. A poor innocent soul is cruising his ass in the police cell. She imagined what he could have passed through over the night. She had not been in the police cell though but those things she watched in the movie and the news she listens to, gave her a clear picture of what a police cell looks like. She never prayed that her enemy should fall victim to being entrapped in a police cell. How much more is someone close to her? Another hot tear fell and dripped down her cheeks like a spoilt loosed tap. Benard could hardly say one more thing when Sergeant Patrick came around and inform them that their time is up.
"I don tell una before. Una time don finish. Oya, move, abeg" Sergeant Patrick ordered while Benard left reluctantly into the cell
"Please, let's have one more word with him. Please, I beg you in the name of Jesus" Ngozi folds her two hands together and kneels to beg Sergeant Patrick but he never looked back. He turned his deaf ears to her plea while he escorted Benard into the cell.