Agony of the deaf episode 15 – 16
AGONY OF THE DEAF
(Faded Feelings)
Episode 15 & 16
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Written by Author Nath
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Claude stood shirtless by the window of the large tent at night. Only a knicker rested on his w–st. In his hand was a glass of wine. Through the window he saw burning fire at every side of the land being utilized by his subjects to drive away cold and to mourn the dead they had buried. As the intensity of fire reflected in his blue eyes, he heard them singing in French, a sorrowful song that ignited the pains of his heart and activated his mind to think about that which he tried to forget. Unfortunately, hærdly can someone train his mind not to think about his feelings because one’s emotion is the product of his mind.
Stories you read when you’re the right age never quite leave you. You may forget who wrote them or what the story was called. Sometimes you’ll forget precisely what happened, but if a story touches you it will stay with you, haunting the places in your mind that you rarely ever visit. Claude was being haunted by Eniola’s story. When the voices of his subjects grew high and emotional on the song, he remembered the very moment Eniola hugged him saying, “I love you too, Claude. I love you, I love you so much!” That was a strong profession of love. Eniola loved him, he knew it and felt it. Why she suddenly turned her back on him was something he couldn’t write home about. Nevertheless, he sipped the wine and heard a footstep that entered into the lonely room.
“Have you confirmed his death?” he asked without looking back.
“Yes, your highness. He’s dead and the police are investigating the cause of his death.” a male voice replied from the door.
“Tell everybody to get ready. We shall be living tomorrow morning.” Claude concluded and sipped the wine again thereby bringing back the atmosphere of tranquility. Sooner did he hear another footsteps that entered the room. He couldn’t detect the onwer, so he waited for the person to speak first.
“Son..” A female voice broke the silence. Only then did Claude know who was with him; his mother. Yet, he never averted his eyes from the window, at the same time reading meaning from the sorrowful song. “You’re beating yourself up, Claude. You have to let go!” the mother added.
“Let go of what, mother?” he asked and took another sip of the wine.
“Let go of who or what that is in your mind.” she replied and stepped further into the sanctum. “You are really becoming the person we all want, so don’t let us down by what you think or feel about a total stranger whom you rendered a help. If you had helped and let go of her, the burden would have been less rather than falling in love with her.”
“I wish I had done that. I wish I never met her. I wish I never came back to her after five years. I wish…” Claude swallowed hærd and bent his head down.
“It’s easier it use the word ‘wish’ when we make a mistake especially when we suddenly realize that what was, wasn’t what should have been. That’s what makes us humans. There would be no regrets without mistakes. So, cheer up and move on, son.” Her footsteps trailed away from the room, while Claude sipped the wine again, giving thought to the last words of his mother. Yet, the sorrowful song never ended and silence never seized to return into the room.
Expectantly, another footsteps creeped into the room. “Chief is dead.” a female voice said.
“Yes, I know. One of the guards just reported.” Claude replied the voice whom he knew was Chloe’s. Finally, he turned away from the window to behold the young lady in a night gown. The fire also reflected on her eyes and made her appearance more attractive.
“You know, letting Chief die in his car on his way home was a wise tactics.” Chloe stepped closer to him in a way she looked up at him from his abdomen. “You’re brave and strong, Claude.” she began to run her hand from his stomach to his chest, feeling every bit of the packs and muscles. “You need to calm your nerves and relax your body.” she stepped back, dragged down the spaghetti hand of the gown which flopped on the floor. Claude got attracted to her full nakedness; a double handful full of br–st and a sprouting hairy p–sy. Her thighs, with the help of the reflection of the fire seemed gushy like the irresistible oil of a roasted fish. Claude couldn’t think of anything else but what he was seeing. He dropped the glass cup, walked up to her where a gentle k-s began and metamorphosed to a passionate one. Getting to the bed, he pulled himself off from her.
“No, I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” he tried to stabilize his breathing rate as he moved back to the window.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Claude.” Chloe met him.
“No, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why?”
Claude turned to her. He gazed at her without knowing how to tell her that he was still having feelings for Eniola. Of course Chloe didn’t need to be told. She saw it in his eyes and said, “She has moved on with her life. It’s time you do so too. She doesn’t care about you anymore. You witnessed it. Please, you really need to put her behind you.” she gently took him by the hand, brought her l-ips closer to his, but Claude pulled back for the second time.
“I’m sorry.” he briskly walked out of the tent. Chloe couldn’t believe it. She exhaled and put on her gown..
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In one moment, someone goes from being a person to becoming a memory. Chief had actually become a memory his family would treasure forever. Nkeiru, his wife cried bitterly in the living room where Ogechi vibrated, walking to and fro in a short black gown.
“No doubt Claude or whatever you call him killed my Dad! The handwriting is on the wall! Who must have planted an explosive in,side his car? Who would want him dead if not the so called Hugo from Burkina faso?!”
Hearing that, the mother raised her head and looked at her surprisingly.
“Oh, you think I don’t know that Dad had a basement where he had been studying about the hugos. I must deal with them all especially the one called Claude. He may think he had succeeded, but he should just wait for me!”
“My daughter,” the mother began. “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people; to focus your energies on answers – not excuses.”
“I do not care! Watch and see!” she ran upstairs aggressively.
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A person does not grow from the ground like a vine or a tree, one is not part of a plot of land. Mankind has legs so it can wander. Claude and his subjects wandered through the desert into the land promised them by Gbenga. By this, Claude was closer to Eniola because it was on the same village that a land was set apart for them. They had built local houses, created pathway to the village square and discovered nearby streams. Isiala couldn’t believe the joy in his heart when he met the hugos face to face. He could be seen with Claude, Gbenga and other elders of the land. Guillaume and Charlotte were there too in one of the houses. All seated in a round shape.
“The female toad said that husband is so sweet that when she got married, she carried her husband permanently on the back.” Isiala began with a funny proverb. “On behalf of our Oba, we welcome you people into our land. You can stay as long as you like. Nobody will disturb you, but never you disturb anybody because If a woman decides to make the soup watery, the husband will learn to dent the Garri before dipping it into the soup.”
“Exactly!!” Gbenga agreed.
“Your kind can also marry our kind if your customs and tradition demand it, but do not defile our own because we can be deadly on such issues. You should have a knowledge of where you are. The blacksmith who doesn’t know how to forge a metal gong should look at the tail of a kite.” Isiala concluded.
Gbenga cleared his throat and began. “Hear the words of the wise man: Cleanse yourself before your own eyes, lest another cleanse you. When you prosper, found your household, take a hearty wife, a son will be born you. It is for the son you build a house when you make a place for yourself. Make good your dwelling in the graveyard, make worthy your station in the West. Given that death humbles us and life exalts us, The house of death is for life. Seek for yourself well-watered fields, Choose for him, a plot among your fields, Well-watered every year. He profits you more than your own son, prefer him even to your heir.”
“If you tell a wise one, he understands; tell a dunce, he runs into the bush.” Isiala concluded and they dispersed to their various houses.
Claude came out from the house after they left. He placed his hands on his w–st, spacing into the sky. Guillaume approached beside him on the right while the mother on the left.
“Hope you understood the words of the wise man, your highness.” Guillaume told him.
“Not quite well.” Claude looked at him. “What exactly does it mean?” he asked him.
“It’s all about how to take care of your household, your son, the heir to the throne especially. And how you lead him to a better place. So it’s time you get a wife.” Guillaume explained.
“Yes, son, Chloe will make a good wife.” the mother added.
Hearing that, Claude directed his eyes to Chloe who was far, attending to some people to settle down. He exhaled. “I hope you said I can marry Eniola deaf and dumb.” he looked at Guillaume.
“Don’t tell me you’re considering having a deaf and dumb as a wife!” The mother interfered harshly.
Claude didn’t reply her, rather waited for Guillaume to answer him as silence creeped in among them.
“Yes, you can.” Guillaume finally answered.
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Days had past, Eniola, having the knowledge that Claude was living in the village, never made any attempt to see him. Actually she was preparing for her traditional wedding with Paul. She could be seen with her mother in the living room, smiling and selecting a befitting material for the wedding. Just then, Gbenga knocked at the door and entered.
“Aaah, papa Gbenga. You met us well!” Ayomide said, placing a colourful fabric on her thighs to examine it. While Eniola waved at Gbenga.
“Aah, which occasion are we planning?” Gbenga asked as he took a seat.
“My daughter traditional wedding na.” Ayomide looked at him surprisingly. “I thought you are aware.” she added.
“Yes, but I never knew it’s this soon.” Gbenga swallowed hærd. “So your daughter is happy getting married to that man.” he asked her.
“Yes, look at her.” Ayomide replied.
Gbenga looked at Eniola to see her looking at a material and smiling happily. He stood up, hit his staff on the floor and adjusted his cap. “Is okay. Happiness is all that matters.” he left the house.
At night, Gbenga could be seen briskly walking through a narrow road with a torchlight like a snail hunter. He soared through grasses to the land of the hugos. He met a guard who called Claude for him. Both stood at a corner like premature thieves.
“Papa Gbenga, what brought you to our place by this time?” Claude whispered.
“The toad doesn’t run during the day for nothing; either its after something or something is after it.” Gbenga began. “I know that the love between you and Eniola is meant to be. It’s real because what an elder sees sitting down, if a child climbs on top of the hills, he will not see it.”
“Let the cat out of the bag.” Claude anxiously demanded.
“What have you been doing for days without going to see Eniola?”
“Just scared how she will react. Moreover, I have been working on how to secure a job in Lagos.”
“Well, Eniola is getting married tomorrow!”
Hearing that, Claude became emotionally sad. He exhaled, placed a hand on his w–st and spaced into the sky again. Yes, his mind and soul had been on Eniola. Gbenga could see it in his eyes. So he began, “When your mind is dwelling on a past event, it is not for giving you pain in the present, but it is actually reminding you of an unsolved matter or an uncared wound that needs to be attended to, to get relief from the pain. Instead of ignoring that pain, it would be better if you accept it and find a way to reduce it by taking a suitable action. Always go for what your heart desires!”
“But does her heart desires me the way mine does?” Claude brought down his head.
“Make a move first! When people expect things to be done, that means nothing is done. Time does not wait for any man! Another man will take what belongs to you! If one fails to lick his l-ips, the harmattan will do it for him. The moon comes out; whenever it comes out, it shines. The time a person uses to do something he is able to do, is his own time. Utilize your time wisely!
Claude didn’t let Gbenga to finish before he took on his heels to Eniola’s house. He wore a short and a polo shirt. He knocked at the door severally before Ayomide opened it, surprised to see him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him.
“I want to see Eniola, please.” Claude replied.
“I’m sorry, you can’t…”
Claude interrupted her by barging into the house. Before he could get to Eniola’s door, the girl came out from her room and was also surprised to see him. She wore a night milky gown with a net that parked her hair at a s₱0t. One of her hand was still on the doorknob when she saw Claude. She didn’t say anything but to read his l-ips.
Calude slowly went on his knees with tears that had circulated his eyes. His voice began to break as he said, “Eni, you need to understand that you’re my happiness! You know what we feel together. I’m so sorry for whatever I’ve put you through. I promise to make it right, just give me a little time. I can’t stop thinking about you.. I… I…” he stammered and let the tears drop finally. “I know deep down in,side you, you have the same feelings. Give me another…”
“Enough!” Ayomide interrupted him. “You need to leave. You bring nothing to her but pains. “We are sorry, she’s getting married tomorrow.” she began to push Claude out.
“Please, you need to let her know how sorry I am!” Claude pleaded as he was being pushed away. “Eni, please, I beg you!! Give me another chance!!” He shrieked bitterly, but he was totally pushed out by the woman who locked the door. She turned to see her daughter motionless. Her hand had not even left the doorknob. She seemed confused and speechless even though she couldn’t speak. The whole thing just weakened her so she hurried and embraced her mother.
“Don’t worry, he’ll never bother you again.” the mother consoled her.
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The next day, as Ogechi was in the basement reading more about the hugos and how to avenge her father, so was Eniola in the midst of crowd; her guests who came for the traditional marriage. One could see many of them under canopies and the life band, singing their best. In Eniola’s hand was a cup of Palm wine. The traditional attire fitted her that her beauty doubled. She shook her body, hoping she was doing that according to the beat of the music. Yes, she danced sadly, locating her husband.
Everybody was happy for her, even an ant could testify to that. Ayomide, the mother danced beside Gbenga who played the fatherly role in the front of a canopy. The old man didn’t look happy too. Suddenly, Eniola dropped the cup of wine and ran out of the wedding ground. She could be seen running towards the road that leads to the hugos.
“Heeeeeyyy!!” People shouted.
“Alapa!!” Gbenga added.
“Eni!!!” The mother wanted to run after her, but Gbenga held her back. “Stay here while I do the running for you.” he picked his staff and galloped away.
Paul, the groom, became embarrassed and pissed off. “What nonsense is this?!” He shouted under a canopy.
Meanwhile, Eniola had gotten to the hugos. She stood at a s₱0t looking around and shedding tears. If she could call Claude’s name, she would have done that with all happiness, but the poor girl was dumb, so she did nothing but to look around in tears. Many hugos were beginning to gather around when they saw a young girl in an expensive traditional attire which rose a soliloquy among them thereby attracting Claude’s attention. The young man came out from one of the houses to know what was happening, lo and behold Eniola running to him.
“Eni?” he called her and ran towards her. Both hugged tightly in a way her feet left the ground. The poor girl never let go of him as she cried on his shoulder. She wished she could express how sorry she was, how she had missed him, how she had never stopped loving him, but she couldn’t because of her plight. It was really a painful thing to her so she thought the best way to express it was to cry bitterly without little go of him. Even Claude couldn’t hold his tears too……..
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TO BE CONTINUED.