Tonia was now jittery, not because she had been bad to all this people, but she didn't know what they had to say that would bring her neck out of the hangman's noose. The atmosphere in the courtroom was tense. The judge's face showed no emotion at all, and it scared her so much, the prosecutions looked cocky, like they had all the proof to crucify her themselves. Sitting on her dirty mattress in the tiny cell, she knew she had lost it already.
She was lost in thought when Tony's voice brought her mind back to the television, 'My Lord, like I earlier said, Tonia had been abused physically and emotionally severally, and the fact has been established that, if she should go through that kind of trauma again, she might never be herself for the rest of her life. We have her friends here in the courtroom, people who knew her from childhood and who were aware of the pains she had been through. Their testimony will make us know that she didn't intentionally kill Timi. She did it out of fear of what he might later do to her, please permit me to call on Tunde Agboola'.
Tunde walked into the witness box, he took the oath, here is his testimony. . .
'I have been friends with Tonia since she was very young. I was her first boyfriend. I am not proud to say that I took advantage of her innocence and dumped her later, but that was exactly how it happened. When I broke up with Tonia, I noticed she couldn't let go easily. Anytime I went back to her, she would always be there waiting, in spite of how many months or years' separation we might have had. Knowing the kind of soft heart she had, I always went back to her, not because I loved her, but because she would always let me. She was just too attached to let go. Most times I would be with her for a stretch of one month or a little more, before dumping her again. I dumped her over and over again, yet she never stopped loving me and reserving a place for me in her heart. But then, what I noticed was that, anytime I left her to come back again, I always saw scars on her body. Most times they look like razor cuts, or knife cuts, which were always at odd places in her body. Her explanations were always accidents, like she cut herself while cooking, or she fell on something and cut her body. At a point I wondered if Tonia wasn't trying to commit suicide'.
That was all Tonia heard from Tunde's testimony, though he said more, the tears that welled up in her eyes prevented her from seeing clearly, and now she was crying loudly in her cell. What had been a secret between her and Tunde was now exposed to the whole world, her strange attachment, her awkward commitment, and the shameless manner in which she accepted him back anytime he came begging was no longer a secret. They are killing her in that court room, they are tearing her into pieces. Why won't Tony just let her be, he should let the state kill her, it would be better than this shame they are bringing on her.
Next to testify was Rolake. . .
'Tonia had been my baby since 100 level, though am a few years older, we were very good friends. We were so close to the point that people called us lesbians, they felt I over-protected her, I didn't let her make friends, I played mother hen when it came to Tonia's issue, but I had my reasons. Tonia came to school 3 weeks after everyone else had resumed, and even then she refused to stay in the hostel, she preferred coming from home. Looking at her outward appearance then, you would see a strong, outspoken, bold girl, but inwardly she was scared, she was paranoid and jittery. I urged her to come and start living in the hostel which and she obliged. We were coursemates and she had other friends too, but I noticed she never went out with them when they had shows to attend and all, she would rather sleep in the hostel all alone. There were times I would enter her room, meet her all alone with red eyes and running nose, crying. She loved keeping to herself so much, but being so close to her, she opened up to me about Tunde, and the way she had been unable to let go of him, even as she knew that was her best option. She was helpless as far as Tunde was concerned. That was why I protected her so much, I didn't let any man come near her, because I knew she was battling one off and wasn't even successful yet, I became her mother hen. And yes, Tonia had something for knives, aside the fact that she injured herself most times in my presence or not, she loved scaring people with them. Tonia would ordinarily tell you she would stab you rather than whip you with her belt, that was how she played. I can't remember the number of times she injured herself while playing with a knife, deep cuts that drew so much blood. She would have me screaming my head off in the hostel, and my little Tonia, seeing the blood on her own body, wouldn't stop laughing and asking me why I was being so scared about just a little cut'.
Now Tonia has stopped crying and was paying serious attention to what Rolake was saying, all the details Rolake was now spreading out were so vague to her. Yes, she loved knives, so what? Would they see that as an excuse for killing someone, for stabbing her own boyfriend on his birthday? What were all these people saying?
Tolu came next, she now looked so fat and robust. Definitely she had been enjoying her marriage. Her testimony was not too different from Rolake's own, infact she corroborated it. However, she mentioned an occurrence which shed more light on what a hopeless romantic Tonia could be.
'I was staying off campus while she stayed in the hostel. My fiance was with me so she couldn't come to my house, Tonia would always give us privacy. Then she called, I picked it up and Tonia was crying on phone. Her words were incoherent, she was inaudible. I calmed her down and told her to give me ten minutes and I would be with her in the hostel. I got to the hostel, she was all alone, bleeding from her right wrist, the bloodied knife was lying on her carpet, she was weak. So I screamed, Tonia what happened? She told me she had been raped, by a guy she started dating when we were in year one, they dated off and on because Tonia was scared of committing herself again. He was two years ahead of us, and started acting strangely as soon as he graduated. He wanted her, yet he wouldn't stop seeing others. He came to town, invited Tonia over, she declined. He insisted, so she went to see him after some days. He got angry because he thought Tonia unnecessarily kept him waiting. So when she got there, he raped her, after which he brought out a photograph of another lady, flaunted it before her and told her she was his new girlfriend, and that she was even prettier than Tonia. Then, in her presence, he brought out his phone and deleted Tonia's numbers, after which he walked her out of his house. I consoled her, told her to put it behind her and move on. She said it was okay, though she wasn't herself for almost one month, but she eventually forgot about him and moved on, at least that was what I thought, until I saw Tonia with the same guy after her youth service. Again, she had allowed him to come back. Tonia would never let a man leave her, she would never be able to stand it'.
Tonia was now sitting straight up in bed, eyes wide open, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. So Tolu brought this to the court? What she had shared with only her and no other soul? What she had even kept from Rolake, her mother hen? Who made her say this? Tony? For what? What were they going to achieve with all this?
Again, Tony's voice broke into her thoughts. . .'My Lord, now that the prosecution has no more questions for the witnesses, I will like to have testimonies from two more witnesses, they are Timi's friends and were at the bar with him the night Tonia killed him. This is an attempt to establish the fact that Timi's murder was not premeditated, and to make it clear that when she got to the bar that night, she had no knife on her, until she took Timi behind the joint and stabbed him'.
Sola came first, testified to the fact that she hugged Tonia that night when she joined them at the bar, and that he felt nothing harmful on her. He maintained that it would have been dangerous to keep such weapon on her own body even if she had always thought of harming her boyfriend. To him, he believed she acted on impulse.
'Hmmm', Tonia sighed to that.
Tosin came next, and he was her last witness. She had been particularly close to Tosin. She liked him so much, they played whot and scrabble together. At a point Timi was even jealous of their closeness. His testimony. . .
'I was with Timi, Sola, and another friend, Bayo, that night. Tonia was late, it was quite unusual of her. So we started bothering Timi, but he said she was on duty that day and would come shortly, so we waited, and before long, she showed up. We greeted and I teased her as usual, before he took Timi to the back of the joint and stabbed him. I wouldn't have been here ordinarily, but I really have to say what I know about the knife'
'The knife?', Tonia asked herself, 'which knife?', she had the knife on her when she went there. What the hell was Tosin talking about? What does he know about the knife? Now she paid full attention.
Tosin continued, 'before Tonia came, I went to ease myself at the back of the joint, while coming back, I saw that same knife with which Tonia stabbed Timi on the floor. I didn't pay much attention to it because it was not my business. It became my business when I saw the knife buried in Timi's neck'.
'Haaaaaa', Tonia exclaimed,why was Tosin lying? She had the knife on her. Right from when she alighted from that cab, she had it tucked in her back pocket. Why was Tosin protecting her? Why was he betraying Timi to save her? She bursted into tears. She didn't expect such loyalty from him.
All these people, though they exposed her little secrets, have been so wonderful, even if the court would still say the execution should take place, she will forever be grateful to them, even in her grave.
The prosecution cross-examined the witnesses, but didn't really have much to counter, and rested his case.
Then the moment came. The judge cleared his throat. . .'This is my judgement'. . .

* * *

It was a rainy season, but the sky was unusually bright, and the day was sunny. Despite Tonia's haggard look, she plastered a smile on her face. It was a day to her birthday, 22nd June, 2021. She was supposed to be executed that same day, and she would be 34 the next. Tony sat across from her, also smiling. Though he looked tired, but you could tell he was happy. That was when Tonia spoke.
'Tony, I don't know where to start from, but from the depth of my soul, I am very happy. If someone asked me why you did all these, my answer would be 'I don't know'. Only God knows why you have done all these for me, without charging a dime, and only Him knows how he will pay you back. But what I know is, I will always be grateful to you. You are indeed my friend'.
'Hmmm, little Miss Tonia', Tony replied, 'can we please save all these gratitude for now, and tell me what you want me to bring for you tomorrow. Am sorry I will be too busy to take you out, but we will have a date within this your little facility here', to which Tonia laughed and replied,
'Yes o, at least I will be having a date with my lawyer here, when I should be trekking miles to heaven to say only God knows what to Angel Gabriel'.
'Don't worry dear, I won't get tired of coming hear to visit you from time to time. And I have started praying for you to be granted parole. At least we can now sleep with both eyes closed, knowing we no longer have an execution hanging on our neck, but just a life sentence to enjoy this beautiful facility', he winked at her.
Tonia laughed and punched him, 'you will never stop being naughty. If the facility is such a beautiful place, why not join me here and let's rock it together?'
'Nah', he said, 'not yet, wait till I kill my wife on her birthday', he whispered, 'hope no one heard that? See you tomorrow jailbird, and put on something sexy for your birthday, I don't wanna see you in this same garb'
'Then get me a bikini while coming tomorrow, and bring camera men', she teased back.
Tony stood and they hugged, tears rolling down her face. He left while she watched him go. She would never forget him. Also Rolake, Tolu, Tunde, Sola and Tosin, she would always remenber their odd loyalty. And Timi, hmmm, even though she killed him, she would always love him, even in death, he would always be her obsession.

* * *THE END* * *

What is the problem? Can't you post all these in the same thread instead of creating new ones?

Am sorry, this is the first time I ll be posting a story here so I don't really know how to go about it.

Nice story....more ink to your pen....but u ought to have posted everything in one thread.

Anyways, I'm xpecting anoda interesting story frm u soon.

Fantabulous.....