SIGHT IN THE DARK

SIGHT IN THE DARK

ONE

Sweat gushed out of my body profusely as I ran, cutting through a thick dark forest. The rhythm of my heartbeat sounded like the fearful drumming of the spirits, as I gasped for breath. I ran so hard but could not really tell if someone was chasing me; apparently I was chasing something. I got to a point and saw a lion about to devour a child and I roared, pulled up a dagger and dived towards the lion. I felt a hard spank on my left arm and heard my name from miles away,

“Obinna… Baby… Baby… what is it?”

I woke up and beheld my beautiful wife, Amaka, looking terrified; obviously my scream had woke her up and her bright budging eyes were fixed at me as she wondered what was happening to me. She had never seen me behave like that.

“Huh!” I exclaimed and took a breath of relief. “I had a bad dream, I can’t really explain it,” I said; “but it seemed like I was trying to save a child from a lion. I didn’t see the child’s face though, but he was a little boy… screaming and sounded like Jide.”

I tried to remember the dream, and quickly the thought of my son, Jide, came to my mind and I ran to his room. I saw him sleeping peacefully, and then I went and kissed him on his forehead and covered him properly. Jide was a handsome boy; he could not be anything less, when his parents were the definition of cuteness. He was light skinned with thin pink lips and black neat haircut. He looked just like me when I was that age. I can say that he was the cutest boy in his school, although one other child in his school looked just like him. Ifechukwude was the son of a notable politician, an aspirant to the senatorial seat of his constituency. The resemblance of the short forms of their names also often caused confusion to some of their friends – Jidena was simply called Jide while Ifechukwude was called Chude – the two boys looked very much alike; but I must say that my Jide had more charming looks. Often Jide was identified as Chude and Chude as Jide; their school mates often mistook one for the other, and to compound issues Jide and Chude were close friends.

When I turned to go back to my room, I saw Amaka standing at the door, ogling at me; her hands were folded across her overhung tummy, her beautiful eyes still bulging with fright and her exquisite beauty compelled me to gawp at for a while in profound admiration. Amaka was not blown up with much weight as most women do when pregnant; rather she looked prettier and lovelier. My longing eyes ran through the braids of her hair – coal-dark and coffee-brown mixture – down to her relaxed faded pink lips; then to her protruded tummy. I shunned eyes contact with her to avoid undesired distraction to my pleasure. When eventually I raised my eyes, I caught her eyes still focused on me; she was still confused and needed explanation to my dream and screaming.

“Who did you say that you saw in your dream, about to be eaten by a lion? God forbid! Not our Jide, the devil is a liar,” she said plaintively; her delicate lips stupendously enticing, with hilarious demonstration. “Baby let us pray about it and cancel that dream, please; I’m scared.” She stretched out her hands forward and walked towards me. We held our hands together and prayed a unity prayer against the incident in the dream and then we went back to bed.

The next morning I woke up and started getting ready for my trip to Lagos; I had a motivational speech to deliver in a workshop in Lagos the following day by 1.00 pm. Usually I preferred air travel, I was always conscious of my affluence and the comfort and pleasure that goes with affluence, though I never allowed my affluence to get into my head or control me. I did things the way every responsible and sensible man would, but I was also very particular about my instincts. This time I had the urge to drive, and my instinct to drive to Lagos that morning was very strong and I could not resist it. However I was feeling a little lazy that morning.

I admired Amaka as she dressed our four years old Jide for school; Amaka was already dressed in a gorgeous black flowing gown, which gave a stunning contrast with her smooth-tanned skin. She was wearing a flat cherry-red shoe, which complimented the lipstick she wore. I started missing her and Jide already. Her pregnancy never stopped her from carrying out her duties as a wife and mother, just as it did not tamper with her beauty. As I carried my small box to the car, Jide ran and hugged my right leg. I smiled and threw my box at the back seat of my customised white Mercedes Benz Cla 350, with a red interior, and then I lifted him up.

“Daddy will you be my Hero?” Jide asked; and the question sounded awkward to Amaka and me, especially to me as it awesomely flashed back my previous nightmare, and it made Amaka and I pause for a while.

“Yes my boy,” I replied with excitement, “I will be your hero anytime any day and anyway; you are my little tiger and I know that you’ll also be brave like me when you grow up.” He chuckled, and I then brought him down and slipped a medal into his breast pocket.

“Oya, Jide come let me drop you off at school and go to work,” said Amaka; “Baby please take care of yourself and be safe for me; I love you,” and then she took Jide to her black Acura ZDX car.

“I love you too Baby, I will call you when I get to Oré,” I replied.

Amaka zoomed off and I followed her behind, leaving our mansion in the care of our faithful security-man, Jeff.

My journey was fast so far, and few hours after I left Asaba for Lagos I was already approaching Oré, though I had stopped by at my office to pick up an important document and that had taken almost an hour of my time. I was glad; my driving was smooth and my speed was good. I remembered how my staff were telling me to buy something for them on my way back and I affirmed their request in my mind; and just when I realised that I was at Oré already, and I packed at one of the road side restaurants near a hamburger spot. Just before I put off the car engine, a cute hamburger, neatly and gorgeously dressed caught my attention and immediately sent a mail to my tummy and it rumbled.

“This hamburger won’t go unpunished; I will deal with it right away, why would it stare at me like that?” I said and laughed at myself. My wife often called me a foodie and she loved cooking; she had spoilt me with whatever I craved; and that matched us perfectly. I walked straight to the hamburger seller and ordered for it, and just then my phone rang and Amaka was calling.

“Hey Baby,” I said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I was about calling you, I just got to Oré.”

“Ok, thank God; but have you eaten anything yet?” she said with an unusually soft and sweet voice.

“No but I just ordered for a hamburger...” I was still talking when a red Toyota Venza passed roughly and my attention was quickly drawn to it; especially as I heard the choked voice of a child struggling to scream with much effort, but it appeared that his mouth was shut; and the voice was just like Jide’s voice. I did not have the opportunity to see the child. Just as I was struggling with that thought, and was about to tell Amaka what I just saw – though I was not too sure of what my mind was making of it, everything happened too fast – Amaka asked me to permit her to receive a call on her other phone from the headmaster of Jide’s school. I kept my line on hold and I was hearing her conversation with the headmaster.

“What do you mean by Jide is missing?” Amaka’s asked, with a scream and I quickly rushed to my car. “Baby, the headmaster said that Jide is missing,” she said to me on the phone, dejectedly.

While I was entering my car, the hamburger seller called me but I ignored her; I did not mean to, but I did not have time to spare. As soon as I was in my car I hooked on my phone to the car stereo so that I could be on line while driving without ado.

“I am not too sure Babe, but I fear that my bad dream is coming real; a vehicle just passed and it appears that the occupants abducted a child and are making away with the child. The child was trying to scream but he was being choked; and his voice sounded like Jide’s voice, just as I heard in my dream. My instinct impresses on me what I cannot bear to be true.”

I quickly ignited my car engine and rocketed back to the road while still talking to her. My watching of Fast and Furious movie was not in vain after all; I applied the skills I could remember in chasing the vehicle.

“Jide! Ore? Oh my God what is happening?” Amaka cried and I was almost devastated hearing hear cry, her condition should not be fraught with this care; I was confused but I had to be brave and focused.

“Baby please, stop crying; I will get our son back, I promise.” I ended the call and accelerated.