Beating the Odds episode 27 – finale

Beating The Odds – Episode 27 (Finale)
© Brian Ngoma
 
Boadi felt tired he rested himself on a chair. From a distance, he saw a number of hospital staff standing by a room and looking at something. He got up and walked to where the small crowd was. He got there and found that they were looking at an almost unclad male nurse who was laying unconsciously. He didn’t need to be told what had happened. He quickly took off running to Shekinahs room and busted it open. Face to face, he stared at Cayn who was standing by the window. He looked at Shekinah and she was in tears. All the anger towards Cayn which was bottled up in him drove him to ran at him and dived at him banging him against the wall.
 
Shekinah scre-med.
 
The two officers ran in,side and found the two men slowly getting up. The first officer ran towrds Cayn in hopes of cuffing him when he received a blow on his face blackening him out. The other one picked the chair and swung it to him when he missed and went with the all energy past Cayn. Cayn then grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back and punched him in the face he hit the door and fainted. It was now him and Boadi.
 
“Please don’t do this,” Shekinah cried.
 
Boadi bustled himself to Cayn throwing a punch which Cayn slightly ducked staggering himself and before he could grip his legs to the floor, Boadi had recovered with another punch that hit Cayn on his face sending him down to his fours. Still down and trying to get up, Cayn landed in kicks from Boadi which he blocked and stood up grabbing one of his legs. He lifted him up and slammed him against the opened door.
 
Boadi was not going down easily, he picked himself up and charged against Cayn with more powerful punches which he kept blocking. Cayn was not retaliating, he wanted him to tire up and he did. Leaving his face in the open, Cayn threw a s-cker punch which sent Boadi and landed him on his butt. He gro-ned getting up with the support of the bed handles.
 
“Please Stop it,” Shekinah yelled.
 
It was like these men wanted nothing but to rip each other apart. Boadi picked the visitors chair by the window and ran towards Cayn swinging it and hit his head, he kept hitting him while he knelt covering his face. The power with which the Chair hit Cayn showed how much Boadi hated him. He quickly grabbed both of Boadi’s legs and lifted him up while he kept slamming the chair on his back. Ignoring the pain, he ran with him and banged him against the wall both of them falling separately screeching in pain.
 
Cayn got up and dragged the tired and hurt Baodi to the bedside table. He got hold of his head and bashed it against the edge of the table leaving him unconscious. Breathing heavily while holding Boadi’s head, he caught a glimpse of Shekinah looking at him scared. He then remembered that was his sister. He let go of Boadi and slowly staggered to the window with the intention of getting away.
 
“I have a family Kani. My first and only child is a boy, your nephew, Mayi’s grandson,” she sobbed. “His name is Kani.”
 
Cayn stopped at the window and felt all the weight he had been carrying slowly getting off.
 
“He’s known you all his life. He even says when he grows up he’ll become an investigator so that he finds you,” she chuckled wiping tears. “The boy loves you despite not knowing you. He knows you are my only relative and he’s a s-cker for family.”
 
Cayn dropped to his feet touching his head. He didn’t say anything but realized this wasn’t all about him as he thought it was.
 
“I will make all of this go away please. Trust me, i failed you once, I’m not failing you again. I just want my family to be complete.”
 
 
 
In a minute, police officers swarmed the room securing it while two officers cufffed Cayn. Some nurses and doctors came and checked on Boadi and the other officers. They were all fine but pretty banged up especially Boadi. They stood Cayn up and dragged him outside. He stopped at the door and looked back at Tasha.
 
 
 
“I promise,” she yelled at him.
 
 
 
She looked down on the floor and told one of the officers hand her a photo which was on the floor. She looked at it and looked at the door and placed it on her chest.
 
 
 
It had been five days since Sky last talked to Cayn on the phone and later watched the NEWS of his arrest. In her condition, she couldn’t do anything. She was badly beat. She knew that his mother had only her and there was no way she was leaving her side. She sat by her bedside feeding her when the door opened and it was Shekinah with a neck brace and a cast on her left hand. She quickly got to her feet. “Please don’t arrest me, Cayn’s mother has no one.” She begged.
 
 
 
Shekinah didn’t say anything but walk to Mayi. She started crying and when she got by the bed, she knelt down and sobbed even more. “Mayi I’m here, it’s Tasha your daughter.”
 
 
 
Sky was confused. She stepped back. A moment later, she saw a man and a boy come in and all went to Cayn’s mother. The boy cried holding Shekinah. Sky was confused she decided to step outside. When she wanted to leave, Mayi started getting uncomfortable and only her could stabilize her. She went back and stood beside her while she watched Shekinah, the boy and the man all dropping tears..
 
 
 
“Is this how severe it is?” Shekinah finally spoke.
 
 
 
“Yes,” Sky answered confused.
 
 
 
“I’m Tasha,” Shekinah said. She saw how confused Sky was. “This is strange to you but I’m Cayn’s sister.”
 
 
 
Sky remembered that one time when Mayi mentioned Tasha and Limbikan’s name at the house. Cayn had never mentioned her in their conversations. “But you had him arrested.”
 
 
 
“Can we talk outside?”
 
 
 
 
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Sky looked at Mayi.
 
 
 
“We’ll be outside,” Trey said getting the young Kani and led him outside.
 
 
 
Shekinah and Sky were left alone with Mayi. They sat on a chair facing each other. Shekinah cleared her throat. “Cayn told me all about you.”
 
 
 
“When?”
 
 
 
“Today.”
 
 
 
“You saw him today? How is he? Is her hurt? Is he eating? Please tell me he’s fine.”
 
 
 
“He’s strong. He’s at the remand. For the past four days, i have been begging him to tell me where Mayi is and i understood why he was hesitant. He doesn’t trust me but today after seeing how persistent i was, he told me. He only told me on one condition.”
 
 
 
“What?”
 
 
 
 
“That no harm should come to you or Mayi. That under no circ-mstances should you be known to the public,” she looked at Mayi. “He told me that when he’s charged, you shouldn’t be included.”
 
 
 
“Oh Cayn,” Sky wept.
 
 
 
“And i also told him that i would agree to his term on one condition.”
 
 
 
“Which is?”
 
 
 
“That you would come home with me together with Mayi.”
 
 
 
 
“I cannot do that,” Sky said.
 
 
 
“The woman laying here is my mother and she’s unwell. Cayn told me you two get along and i want her with me. Please come live with us, do it for her and Him.”
 
 
 
Sky looked at Mayi. Shekinah was saying the truth. Her and Mayi seemed to have gotten along. It seems like she trusted her. “I’m doing it for her,” she said. “How long will Cayn be in prison.”
 
 
 
“Not for too long.”
 
 
 
****************** 10 Years Later ***************
 
 
 
****
 
 
 
Cayn took in a long breath as he inhaled the fresh air he had missed for the last 10 years. He took a step forward and turned around to look at the gate of Mukobeko Maximum prison. He nodded his head and smiled, he thought this day would never come. It was like he was in there for fifty years. He tightly gripped his bag and started walking to the main road. After walking for a kilometre, he saw a car from a distance. It got to where he was and stopped. He bended and peeped through, it was Shekinah. “Hey tiger!” she smiled at him.
 
 
 
“Hi T,” he threw the bag in the car. “For a minute, i thought you were not coming.”
 
 
 
“Come on,” she laughed. “Get in!”
 
 
 
He got in and hugged her. “I missed you,” he said.
 
 
 
“So you don’t miss me now?” she jokingly said. “And i thought you said you’d never forgive me for letting that judge give you 15 years. All these years you’ve been whining about that.”
 
 
 
“I was hurt. You promised me a few years.”
 
 
 
“All i wanted was a fresh start for you, you needed to pay your dues. You had been a criminal for a long time and that doesn’t just go away, people have eyes. At least now you are a free man.”
 
 
 
“I appreciate your patience with me. I know i was a knucklehead during the first five years but you stuck with me.”
 
 
 
“I told you that day in the hospital that i was never letting you out of my sight. I lost you once and i was never going to.”
 
 
 
“Anyway, of the 15 years, i have only spent 10 that’s what matters, you did your magic,” he laughed.
 
 
 
“Hasn’t been easy though but you know your sister, I’m a bad one,” she started the car.
 
 
 
“Where have you been? In fact where has everyone been? No visits from you guys for the past three months. I thought i was neglected.”
 
 
 
“We wanted you to miss us.”
 
 
 
He nodded his head. “You’re all fools.”
 
 
 
“But seriously, we missed you Kani.”
 
 
 
“I did too Tasha.”
 
 
 
She drove the car to town where everyone was waiting for him. They had all come to Kabwe, they couldn’t wait for him from Lusaka. Three months they had stayed away and they couldn’t wait any longer. She drove into Mwizu lodge. After parking, she gave him the key to go to a room they had booked for him to freshen up. He went to the room and got in. Upon entering, he saw a Tuxedo on the bed. He smiled while checking it out. He went to the bathroom. After finishing, he wore the Tuxedo and checked himself in the mirror. He had grown. Not only had he grown physically but also mentally, he was no longer the way He was 10 years earlier. He was now turning 35 and prison had somehow humbled him.
 
 
 
He walked out of the room and went to the garden where he found everyone. They all jumped to their feet when they saw him. They ran to him and hugged him. His name sake nephew who was now 16 years old. His brother in law Trey. His former employee Wezi and Sky who was standing at a distance smiling. He broke out of the embrace and walked to her. She excitedly jumped at him and tightly hugged him while dropping tears.
 
 
 
“I missed you,” she said.
 
 
 
“I missed you too my love. Where is Little Tasha?”
 
 
 
“She’s with Mayi.”
 
 
 
“This way,” Tasha told him.
 
 
 
“Go,” Sky let go of him.
 
 
 
He walked with Tasha to where his mother and daughter where. Tasha looked at him and nodded her head. “What?” he said.
 
 
 
“When we heard of Sky’s pregnancy, we thought she had cheated on you,… Even after you told me, i didn’t believe i had to do a DNA test,” she laughed.
 
 
 
“Serious?”
 
 
 
“Yes. Growing up the way we did, we have to give a benefit of a doubt. Wait…. How the hell did you manage to bang her in prison? Do they allow that kind of thing? So all those 10 years she visited, you were banging her? How?”
 
 
 
“You have a lot to learn from me,” Kani laughed.
 
 
 
They found Mayi sited on a chair holding baby Tasha. As soon as she saw them, she smiled at them and said. “Tasha.”
 
 
 
“Sometimes i get confused who she’s calling, whether it’s the baby or me,” Tasha said sitting down. “Come sit with us,” she told Kani.
 
 
 
“How has she been?” he asked sitting down in the middle.
 
 
 
“She’s getting better. She remembers somethings from time to time and she calls your name all the time. That doctor of yours has been helpful over the years.”
 
 
 
“I told you, you can rely on him.”
 
 
 
“So what’s next for you?”
 
 
 
Kani looked at Tasha, Mayi and his little daughter and said. “Honestly i don’t know.”
 
 
 
“You have to know,” she laughed. “You have a family now, no tricky businesses. You have to be straight.”
 
 
 
“I know, 10 years is a long time to go back in. By the way, what happened to Boadi?”
 
 
 
“Boadi retired a long time ago. Old man that one. He sure gave you a beating,” she smiled. “It’s just unfortunate he never got to know that you had been mortal enemies since you were a child.”
 
 
 
Kani laughed. “It’s true and how did you make the prison break thing go away?”
 
 
 
“I tempered with the only evidence, the gun. I got rid of it,” she winked and went on. “I know things will be tough now but you have me, if you need anything come to me.”
 
 
 
“Don’t worry, I’m good,” he thought about the money Sky had taken from the hospital elevator which she had deposited in the bank under Mayi’s name. “I doubt if we’ll have money issues,” he laughed.
 
 
 
“I’m just saying,” she shrugged.
They were all quiet feeling the fresh air full of the garden aromas roaming about. It felt perfect. With his mother and sister on both sides and a newest addition to the family; Little Tasha, there was nothing he could have asked for.
 
“Mom!” Young Kani called. “Everyone’s waiting, come!” he ran back.
 
“We better join everyone now,” Tasha said standing up.
 
Kani stood up and held Tasha’s hand while he placed his other hand on his mothers shoulder. She looked at him in her mental state and smiled while turning back her eyes to Little Tasha in her arms. He felt beautiful, it was like she had told him that ‘Welcome home son’… He breathed in relief as he walked with them. He was now complete.
 
“Let’s talk about your work Tasha,” he laughed.
 
“What about my work?”
 
“Admit it, I was the baddest criminal you have ever encountered in your career, right?”
 
“Don’t fool yourself,” she laughed.
 
“Come on,” he whined.
 
“Okay if any consolation, you were the smartest and baddest of them all.”
 
“I knew it,” Kani smiled. “There will never be anyone like me.”
 
“Are you sure?”
 
“Damn right I am.”
 
“Criminals are born everyday Kani, don’t kid yourself.”
 
 
 
“I would love to see that one.”
 
 
 
“And don’t forget that there will always be people like me to stop them.”
 
 
 
“Yea, somewhere a villain is born and a hero is already on his butt.”
 
 
 
They both laughed and joined everyone.
 
 
 
************* THE END ***************
 
 
Please drop enough comments to encourage the writer