denis post 407703
Published on: (Updated on: )
BETRAYED
He just sat, staring into space. He knew that things were going on around him, but he hardly noticed them. He was just there, lost in his own world, his own world of misery, the world of misery he had brought on himself. A warden walked up to his cell and pushed in some watery beans decorated with weevils along with stale bread. "Make una share am. " He said and walked away as the remaining inmates rushed and struggled to get a share of the poor meal. He didn't even flinch, he had no appetite. Within minutes the plate had been washed clean by the tongues of the inmates and was now discarded carelessly for the warden to come pick up. Still, he didn't move, not even to shrug off the fly on his shoulder. From the corner of his left eye, he saw an inmate making his way towards him. He said nothing and just continued staring into space even when the man finally stopped beside him.
"Na three days now and you never chop, e be like say you plan to go meet baba God sharp, sharp." The man said bad breath flowing out of his mouth.
He didn't answer.
The man looked at him. "Wetin dey worry you self? You just dey quiet. Omo, e go take some time before we commot for his o and as tins be, you need to survive, you go need make friends o. Well, except, like I talk before, you wan go see baba God. We fit help you if you wan die. We go make am quick."
That made him laugh.
"So you fit laugh? Mad o. See as the laugh con make you fine. Ahh, you be wan resemble good pesin for my eye, especially as you smile. Wetin bring you here? Wait o, hope say you no be innocent o?" The man said concern etched on his face.
That made him laugh again. "No. I'm not innocent." He said.
The man raised an eyebrow. "Wetin you do, wetin bring you come his?"
"My name is Stan. I worked in a company and I was the accountant there. A few bosses of mine came to me with some illegitimate deal which they needed my help to work out. I needed money at that time because my sister, my only living relative, was in the hospital and she needed a surgery badly so I agreed to help then and they promised to pay me my own share. The deal worked out, we duped our own company but somehow, they implicated me and I was arrested while they shared the money and contjued their jobs in the company. I was prosecuted and then sentenced to imprisonment."
"Chaii!" The man said. " Your sister nko?" The man asked.
"She is dead. She died just before I was charged to court." Stan said emotionlessly.
"Nawa oh. But, you no fit tell dem EFCC say no be only you do am? Wetin I dey talk sef, no be you bring the deal nau? Abi? So, at least, if you dey go down, dem go follow you crash too."
"I tried but they had somehow cleared themselves."
"Na money dem use work that one o."
"I guess so." Stan agreed.
"But sha, dem beray you oh!" The man said.
"Yes...I was betrayed." Stan agreed again, a lone tear rolling down his right cheek.