Episode Three: The Identity (Innocence and Evil)


Flashback: September 1998

Essien relaxed in the uncomfortable hospital seat at the reception, impatiently waiting for his turn to see the doctor. He's finally suceeded in his plans, infact he had surpassed the target he set for himself. He'd played the dangerous games, mingled with the underworld, involved in criminal activities, escaped death through sheer luck, just to raise the fifty-eight thousand naira he needed for his sister's treatment and he surpassed the target price times six......but at a great cost and almost at the loss of his life. Lagos is hard! Sometimes he feels like giving up and returning to Calabar with Adaobi, but that would mean failure and his father and friends would not fail to rub it in every single day, he would live a life even more worse than that of Lagos at Calabar now, everyday would be full of shame and dejection. He would surely return, but only after Adaobi gets better and he makes some millions out of the smart investments he plans to make with the rest of the money. He's going to return to that damned village a millionaire! The youngest millionaire, Nooooo....the ONLY millionaire in their entire godforsaken history! The fingers of his right hand grazed over the compact suitcase by his side in a soft caress, memories of how he had gotten the money came back to him and a wave of shame and guilty conscience washed over him, but he quickly pushed that away, convincing himself that he had no choice....life thrives on the jungle rule and only the strongest and smartest survive.
The death of Remi saddened him, though Essien believed Remi's overconfidence and stupidity had played a huge part in his death and to be factual, Remi's death and his own survival had meant more money for him.
Those bastard Yoruba politicians are never to be trusted! Essien knew and he never felt comfortable with going to the general's house to get paid for the job. They had given their best for the job, the process of infiltrating the warehouse which was heavily guarded and setting fire to place was an ardous task, and then the extra care and intelligence they had to apply to be get out unnoticed by the security cameras, the well trained guards and the ferocious dogs. If they'd been caught, that would have been the end of their lives. Remi had to do a lot of work to convince Essien to partner him on the job and Essien would never have taken him up on the offer if there was any other choice to make the quick cash needed urgently for his sister's ailment. They'd succeeded, surprisingly, got the warehouse on fire, even without knowing you it's contents, they didn't care anyway...they fufilled their part of the contract and were invited by Gen. Kayode Folayemi to his secret condo in a remote area. Remi was confident, too confident because he's been working with the general before, his over familiarity and elation at being successful in such a dangerous mission clouded his sixth sense, but Essien's instincts sirened danger throughout their arrival and converse with the general. He was too smooth, too slick that Essien couldn't trust him from the onset of the deal. The man had given them the money and bid them farewell, not taking the courtesy of seeing them off, that had switched Essien's radar on, he'd remembered the man claiming boastfully to be a stickler for the ethics of being hospitable and playing the perfect host to all kinds of visitors the first time they'd met, and the general of course accompanied them for a considerable distance on that day. Essien's observance made him extra wary as they leave the house, but his wariness would never have been enough to save him if not for a slight stumble that made the sniper shot hit him at the shoulder instead of headshot which was the shooter's aim. Remi had died instantly, as he was less lucky and the bullet found his brains. Essien had escaped into the nearby forest where he hid from the frantic search of the general's boys for days, it was the knowledge of herbs that he'd gained from his late mother that had helped him in treatment of the gun wound. He'd had to fake a death with a blood trail to the river to set things up as if he'd drowned before the goons gave up the search and he found a way out of the forest.
"Mr Essien! The doctor is ready to see you" Essien broke out of his reverie, picked up the compact suitcase and marched towards the doctor's door with an hundred watt smile...As from now on, for him and Adaobi life is gonna be good! His smile even increased the more as he knocked on the door.

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Aisha hummed a happy tune as she diced onions in the kitchen, she loves cooking unlike most twenty-first century ladies who consider the process of cooking an arduos task. Local meals, foreign cuisines she loved the idea of learning how to work magic with utensils in her kitchen, she'd told her fiance before they got married that one thing she expects in their house must be a state of the art kitchen in which she can freely express her culinary creativity. She'd learned to make most indigenous yoruba meals from her mother who is a kitchen mage herself. Her mother had been a total Ekiti lady and she'd married an Osun man....so from the vintage pounded yam to the èko, everything was possible for her mum in the kitchen, she has always emphasized to Aisha the need to use her kitchen prowess to keep the husband under her spell. Aisha took this very important and she had to learn how to cook new foods entirely since her husband turned out to be from the East.
The sound of the front door opening made her clean her hands quickly on a napkin and step towards the kitchen doorway to stare at her kid brother as he entered the house on his return from school. She smiled as she appraised the kid with her eyes roaming over him affectionately, and she was proud of what she saw; he has the classic handsome features that runs in the family and he was at the gangly stage where he's as tall as Aisha but quite thin and there's a certain natural swagger to his movement that come with the confident state of Teenagers. Aisha slightly chuckled to herself as she made up her mind to tease him about his lady friends, especially Dora, she's noticed that he has a special liking to Dora from the way he's always been crooning Dora this, Dora that throughout last month, but she noticed that he hadn't talked about his pretty classmate recently, in fact, he has hardly opened up in like a week. A frown pulled at Aisha's brows as she goes through the young boy's mannerisms in the last few days, he's been acting weird, locking himself up for hours, eating very little, he's also not hung out with his neighborhood friends.
The boy in question shut the main door and walked past Aisha without even acknowledging her. Aisha got angry and pulled the boy's backpack....."Delani! What's gotten into you these days, how can you pass me by without even greeting? What has come over you? You don't eat, you lock yourself up for hours, I checked your room this morning and it was in disarray!" "You checked my room without my permission or presence? That is trespassing Sister, and you know it!" Delani shouted at the top of his voice. Aisha was taken aback, her mouth slightly hung open in surprise "Adepoju Adelani! Are you in your right senses?" Aisha shouted, "Yes I am!" Delani replied rudely "I should ask you that question Sister, why would go in to my room? You poke nose into things that're not of your concern, you're......" A resounding slap stopped Delani's flow of words, he was shell- shocked into silence and his eyes went wide, he'd never been slapped by his big sister, she has her several ways of instilling discipline in him but it's never been physical. Sadness filled his soul, tears welled in his eyes, but his teenage pride couldn't allow him let his Sister see how hurt he was, he turned from her and stomped away towards his room.
Aisha walked back unsteadily into the kitchen, her previous joy of cooking now forgotten. She was confused because this wasn't her brother! This wasn't the gentle, easygoing and respectful Delani who's lived with he