When Pago reentered the bar, Ese was on her third bottle and there was still one more unopened bottle in front of her. He gave the barman a wink as he sat down at their table.
"I can see you are enjoying yourself."
"Yes, I am." she drawled, then added "I never knew alcohol could taste this good, I'm beginning to feel a bit lightheaded but I just can't stop myself. And the bartender isn't helping either, he keeps bringing more."
"Actually I asked him to serve you as much as you want, anything you want."
"Are you trying to get me drunk?"
"I'm trying to make you forget your sadness. There is nothing better than a couple of bottles to do that."
"I'm still mad at Siji, though I don't feel as bad as I felt initially."
"You see? It's working. You are going to be alright."
"You think?"
"I know" he replied as he uncorked the remaining bottle and poured her more wine.
"I can see you are enjoying yourself."
"Yes, I am." she drawled, then added "I never knew alcohol could taste this good, I'm beginning to feel a bit lightheaded but I just can't stop myself. And the bartender isn't helping either, he keeps bringing more."
"Actually I asked him to serve you as much as you want, anything you want."
"Are you trying to get me drunk?"
"I'm trying to make you forget your sadness. There is nothing better than a couple of bottles to do that."
"I'm still mad at Siji, though I don't feel as bad as I felt initially."
"You see? It's working. You are going to be alright."
"You think?"
"I know" he replied as he uncorked the remaining bottle and poured her more wine.
★★★
He slapped himself in an unconscious attempt to kill the sandfly that had landed on his cheek. And that woke him up.
"Damn it." He cursed when he looked at the palm of his hand and discovered that the insect had escaped after all. He had dozed off while waiting for her at her doorstep. He checked the time on his handset. It was approaching midnight, yet she had not come back. He called her one more time and just as before, the disembodied voice told him her phone was switched off.
---Maybe she had gone to sleep at Teju's place--- he reasoned. He thought of calling Teju but he decided against it. She was too annoyed and not in a state of mind to talk to him yet, he would let her cool off. She would be ready to talk to him in the morning. He stood up and started walking back to his hall.
"Damn it." He cursed when he looked at the palm of his hand and discovered that the insect had escaped after all. He had dozed off while waiting for her at her doorstep. He checked the time on his handset. It was approaching midnight, yet she had not come back. He called her one more time and just as before, the disembodied voice told him her phone was switched off.
---Maybe she had gone to sleep at Teju's place--- he reasoned. He thought of calling Teju but he decided against it. She was too annoyed and not in a state of mind to talk to him yet, he would let her cool off. She would be ready to talk to him in the morning. He stood up and started walking back to his hall.
★★★
Ese knew she had outdone herself when the fourth bottle was half empty. The lightheadedness had somewhat increased, but she still looked at the remaining liquid in the bottle longingly.
---just finish it up, after all you are going straight to bed and you've got a free day tomorrow--- the voice in her head that had been urging her on, whispered again. And Pago, as if reading her mind emptied the remaining bottle's content into her glass cup.
"What are you going to do about your girlfriend?" She asked with a drawl
"Huh."
"Your girlfriend, Stella."
"What about her?"
"I asked what you're going to do about her since she is cheating on you with your friend."
"Stella isn't really my girlfriend, we've got a special kind of relationship. We are both free to do as we please. I don't belong to her exclusively, neither does she belong to me exclusively."
"Oh! I have forgotten I am talking to the very independent Pago, too bad my case isn't that uncomplicated." she said sarcastically. He ignored the sarcasm and asked instead "So what do you plan to do about Siji?"
"I don't know, maybe I will tomorrow. Right now all I wanna do is to go home to my bed." She tried to stand up but she staggered and fell back on her seat. She was drunker than she thought. She tried again and this time she would have tumbled over if not for Pago who had quickly stood up to hold her steady.
"Thanks." She muttered.
"You're welcome. Now let's get you home." he said smiling at her. He beckoned on the barman and paid him with a tip, then he walked her to his car, holding her as she leaned on him.
He made sure she was secured in the front passenger's seat before he started the car. She was half asleep all through the journey to her apartment. He helped her to her doorstep and asked for her key. When she wasted too much time groping in her bag, he took the bag from her and brought out the keys. Immediately he opened the door, she went straight to her bed and fell on it, she was too tired to change her clothes or go to the bathroom.
"Thank you and goodnight." She said sleepily when she heard the door close. Assuming he had left, she pulled her pillow to her bosom, backed the door and settled to sleep. Then she felt his hands on her back undoing the zip of her gown. She jerked up and turned.
"What are you doing?" She asked in alarm as she tried to hit his hands, but it came out as a mumble.
He pulled her gown off her even as she hit his hands repeatedly, albeit weakly. Then he started removing her undies.
This time she shouted. "What the hell do you think you are doing Pago?" But it came out as a weak protest.
"Undressing you." he replied as he smiled down at her, hovering above her. Though she was drunk, what she saw in his eyes made her heart skip, and she started struggling, fighting him off when she discovered his intention. But even sober, she was no match for his strength.
"Stop it Pago.... Leave me....no no" she screamed as she fought him but her cry was a little more than a whisper.
"Stop what?" He jeered "isn't this what you want all along? A guy to make you feel like a woman."
"No no no, please please Pago." She begged as he started pulling her panties
"Yes baby.........call my name as I give it to you. What Siji was stupid enough not to give you.......I have waited for this opportunity too long."
She felt a piercing pain as he molested her. He had both of her hands pinned above her head and she was too weak to fight, all she could do was plead weakly.
He collapsed on her when he was spent.
"That was the first." He said. "We still have a long night to go."
---just finish it up, after all you are going straight to bed and you've got a free day tomorrow--- the voice in her head that had been urging her on, whispered again. And Pago, as if reading her mind emptied the remaining bottle's content into her glass cup.
"What are you going to do about your girlfriend?" She asked with a drawl
"Huh."
"Your girlfriend, Stella."
"What about her?"
"I asked what you're going to do about her since she is cheating on you with your friend."
"Stella isn't really my girlfriend, we've got a special kind of relationship. We are both free to do as we please. I don't belong to her exclusively, neither does she belong to me exclusively."
"Oh! I have forgotten I am talking to the very independent Pago, too bad my case isn't that uncomplicated." she said sarcastically. He ignored the sarcasm and asked instead "So what do you plan to do about Siji?"
"I don't know, maybe I will tomorrow. Right now all I wanna do is to go home to my bed." She tried to stand up but she staggered and fell back on her seat. She was drunker than she thought. She tried again and this time she would have tumbled over if not for Pago who had quickly stood up to hold her steady.
"Thanks." She muttered.
"You're welcome. Now let's get you home." he said smiling at her. He beckoned on the barman and paid him with a tip, then he walked her to his car, holding her as she leaned on him.
He made sure she was secured in the front passenger's seat before he started the car. She was half asleep all through the journey to her apartment. He helped her to her doorstep and asked for her key. When she wasted too much time groping in her bag, he took the bag from her and brought out the keys. Immediately he opened the door, she went straight to her bed and fell on it, she was too tired to change her clothes or go to the bathroom.
"Thank you and goodnight." She said sleepily when she heard the door close. Assuming he had left, she pulled her pillow to her bosom, backed the door and settled to sleep. Then she felt his hands on her back undoing the zip of her gown. She jerked up and turned.
"What are you doing?" She asked in alarm as she tried to hit his hands, but it came out as a mumble.
He pulled her gown off her even as she hit his hands repeatedly, albeit weakly. Then he started removing her undies.
This time she shouted. "What the hell do you think you are doing Pago?" But it came out as a weak protest.
"Undressing you." he replied as he smiled down at her, hovering above her. Though she was drunk, what she saw in his eyes made her heart skip, and she started struggling, fighting him off when she discovered his intention. But even sober, she was no match for his strength.
"Stop it Pago.... Leave me....no no" she screamed as she fought him but her cry was a little more than a whisper.
"Stop what?" He jeered "isn't this what you want all along? A guy to make you feel like a woman."
"No no no, please please Pago." She begged as he started pulling her panties
"Yes baby.........call my name as I give it to you. What Siji was stupid enough not to give you.......I have waited for this opportunity too long."
She felt a piercing pain as he molested her. He had both of her hands pinned above her head and she was too weak to fight, all she could do was plead weakly.
He collapsed on her when he was spent.
"That was the first." He said. "We still have a long night to go."
★★★
The loud and reverberating knock on his door startled him up. It was early in the morning, his bedside alarm which he had set for 6:30am was yet to go off. He rushed off his bed as he shouted. "Who is that?"
"Open this door, or we would break it down." A voice shouted back at him, then another said "Spiro why you dey waste time talk to the baggar? Break this thing jare."
Siji knew who Spiro was, he was the Students' Union Chief Security Officer. Siji wondered why he was at his door and he obviously was not the only one. He could hear other voices threatening and asking him to open the door. He had no business with the Students' Union guys, he had always made conscious effort to stay clear of them for that matter, which was not exactly easy since Pago had lots of them as friends.
"Give me a minute please, I'll open it now."
"Abi o fe si'ere ni? Silekun yi nisi" another unknown voice shouted.
"Siji abandoned the trousers he wanted to put on and went to the door in his boxers. As he unhooked the latch, the door came crashing against his face hitting and breaking his nose. The force knocked him to the floor and about ten or so guys rushed into his room
"Se o ya were ni? O fe silekun na tele abi?" One of them said as he slapped him.
"Afeexo duro, duro nan. Don't hit him yet." Spiro said as he held the guy back.
"What's all these about?" Siji protested. "What have I done?" he said as he tasted the blood from his nose in his mouth
"We are here to search your room, we got a tip-off and we are acting on it."
"A tip-off? Search my room? Alright, go ahead, but God help you all if you don't find anything." Siji started shouting as the guys moved about his room turning it upside down.
"You can't barge into someone's room without prior invitation or notice, and hit him without being provoked and think you'll go scot-free, no you can't, it's not done. I will make sure I ........." The words froze in Siji's mouth as he saw what one of the guys discovered in his wardrobe. The guy was holding a red banner, on it was a painting in black, of a skull with two bones across. As if that was not enough, another guy brought out two cutlasses from the wardrobe and dropped them on the floor then went back and came out with a handgun. " Cultist ni bobo yi sha." One of them said loudly.
"So you are a cultist. Don't you know this school has zero tolerance for people like you?" Spiro said calmly but coldly.
All Siji could say was. "Rara, mi kin se cultist ejo. I am not a cultist please." His pleas fell on deaf ears as they all descended on him.
"Open this door, or we would break it down." A voice shouted back at him, then another said "Spiro why you dey waste time talk to the baggar? Break this thing jare."
Siji knew who Spiro was, he was the Students' Union Chief Security Officer. Siji wondered why he was at his door and he obviously was not the only one. He could hear other voices threatening and asking him to open the door. He had no business with the Students' Union guys, he had always made conscious effort to stay clear of them for that matter, which was not exactly easy since Pago had lots of them as friends.
"Give me a minute please, I'll open it now."
"Abi o fe si'ere ni? Silekun yi nisi" another unknown voice shouted.
"Siji abandoned the trousers he wanted to put on and went to the door in his boxers. As he unhooked the latch, the door came crashing against his face hitting and breaking his nose. The force knocked him to the floor and about ten or so guys rushed into his room
"Se o ya were ni? O fe silekun na tele abi?" One of them said as he slapped him.
"Afeexo duro, duro nan. Don't hit him yet." Spiro said as he held the guy back.
"What's all these about?" Siji protested. "What have I done?" he said as he tasted the blood from his nose in his mouth
"We are here to search your room, we got a tip-off and we are acting on it."
"A tip-off? Search my room? Alright, go ahead, but God help you all if you don't find anything." Siji started shouting as the guys moved about his room turning it upside down.
"You can't barge into someone's room without prior invitation or notice, and hit him without being provoked and think you'll go scot-free, no you can't, it's not done. I will make sure I ........." The words froze in Siji's mouth as he saw what one of the guys discovered in his wardrobe. The guy was holding a red banner, on it was a painting in black, of a skull with two bones across. As if that was not enough, another guy brought out two cutlasses from the wardrobe and dropped them on the floor then went back and came out with a handgun. " Cultist ni bobo yi sha." One of them said loudly.
"So you are a cultist. Don't you know this school has zero tolerance for people like you?" Spiro said calmly but coldly.
All Siji could say was. "Rara, mi kin se cultist ejo. I am not a cultist please." His pleas fell on deaf ears as they all descended on him.
THE END?
About the Author
Soji Adeola Ayanleke was born about 3 decades ago in Kano.
He studied Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, he speaks Yoruba and Hausa fluently and he is
trying to learn Igbo and Spanish. His hobbies are reading, writing and
playing some indoor games.
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