THE BURIED PASSION
THE BURIED PASSION
Sarah’s heart pounded rapidly within her as she raced along the alleys of Amuna town in the heart of darkness. She kept taking backward glances to see if the three boys had relented. She could still make out heavy footsteps behind her. She wished she had not hurled insults at them when one of them had approached her on campus 2 days ago.
She had walked a mile away from her private hostel down the town to buy herself a food at the major junction. She had felt her stomach rumbling within her when she woke from a long sleep, for the day’s tedious lecture. There she had met the three boys who then followed after her when she finished buying bread and sardine. She had started down the silent highway with a fast pace, gradually faster and nervous when she observed that those three boys were also walking in the same direction; she had broken into a race and so did the boys behind her. She realized she was in trouble when she sighted the flickering flash of knife-like objects in their hands. She guessed they were cult members.
The streets of Amuna town in Kumasi were always quiet at 11:00pm till dawn. Armed robbers had been haunting the town lately like chickens scavenging for food; yet no police could dare their sophisticated weapons. Most of the residents had shut out the world against themselves in their various habitations at this hour. If they heard any call for help, all windows and doors would definitely bang at their frames and thresholds.
“Ouch!” She gro-ned as she ran into puddles.
Above her she saw neither moon nor stars, but thick clouds. At least, that would have been a source of illumination for her to run in the right lane. No single light around to weaken the darkness either, except for few houses where lanterns and candle-lights twinkled through their opened windows – the electricity supplies seemed to be off for the night.
An idea struck at her to hide somewhere. What if she ran away from red sea and into devil’s hand?
It had rained heavily during the day. So the piercing wind of September swept over her like bucketful of iced water as she ran helplessly through the lump of darkness which had now rendered the buildings like burial monuments. Most of the houses were in two-three stories except for a few bungalows. She felt a numb s-nsation in her limbs and they became useless to continue the hundred feet that remained of her journey to the hostel. She strived over and over, knowing that the gangs would soon desist from her as there was armed corps securing the hostel.
She shivered convulsively and slumped to the ground.
The polythene bag containing her food was wrenched away from her grip by the greedy wind. Her heart was gone as she submitted herself to the tragedy that was about to befall her.
Lying on her back on the ground, she wondered how the three terrors had suddenly turned a single one above her.
She couldn’t make out who the person was amongst those 3 terrors as she peered into the shadowy figure. Perhaps the rest were lurking somewhere in the darkness.
She shut her eyes tightly, waiting for her body to turn to a slaughtered cow at abattoir. The cult members had killed several students that way. Most times, corpses of students would be found without hands or legs in the bush behind the main campus.
One minute gone – she hadn’t felt her body butchered by the blood-craving machetes.
“Please, don’t hurt me!” Her voice faded out.
The obscure figure offered her what seemed like a helping hand, but she refused. Instead, she pleaded with the hand to spare her life.
“It’s me … Kwame,” said the shadowy figure.
The voice jolted her into a vigorous consciousness, but she was confused as to how the three terrors had suddenly turned her boy-friend.
He switched on a torch light over the s₱0t she was lying and helped her gently to her feet. Her fantastic figure was now visible through the brilliant shaft of light from the torch. She was clad in a blue blouse and flaring, feminine trousers that defined her h¡ps and overall shapely body. She had a radiantly brown skin, and her typical African beauty was stressed by her braided coiffure. She seemed to be in her early twenties.
“W…where are the guys?” Sarah’s l-ips quavered in terror, trying to catch her breath.
“They have stopped chasing you a while ago,” said Kwame, “I saw them chasing after you from afar off and I trailed behind them; I was afraid as I knew they might hurt you. Fortunately, with the help of my torch light, I discovered that two of them were my faculty mates, so I have pacified them on your behalf. I was the one who’d been running after you from the main road, asking you to stop… I guess the shock had prevented you from hearing me.”
“Ooh! … My God” Sarah heaved a sigh of relief with her palm placed on her chests; she embraced Kwame thankfully, “thanks for saving my life.”
“Where is the stuff you were holding? “Kwame asked after withdrawing himself gently from her.
Sarah crouched and finally fetched her nylon bag with the aid of Kwame’s torch-light. She resumed her feet and Kwame led her out of the awkward alleyways with his torchlight, and they walked along the highway that led to her hostel.
Power supply generated suddenly through the town, and the once gloomy neighbourhood was lit up to depict a fascinating landscape. Cheers of light-arrival could be heard from every household around. Apart from that, everywhere was silent as usual.
“What have you done to them?” Kwame asked after a long walk in silence.
“I…I don’t know,” Sarah stuttered uneasily.
She kept stealing glances at Kwame’s face when she observed he had kept quiet again and paid no attention to her any longer after the question.
Kwame was a good-looking lad his late twenties. His fair skin and dominating physique really intensified his attractive masculineness. Sarah had always felt uncomfortable being around him, for he had asked her on a date three years ago in 100 level, but she had rejected his dating proposal and accepted him as a friend instead. She was passionate over him secretly, but had hidden her feelings from him due to her excessive pride. She had discovered that Kwame was not from a rich home, unlike her whose parent were affluent. She had always been saying amongst her friends that Kwame was below her class as she was amongst the top girls in Kumasi University of science and technology.
Two years ago, Kwame had proposed to another girl called Nene; a lady that was superior to Sarah in every status – fashion, family background and elegance. In fact, her father was the formal governor of Kumasi.
Ever since he had begun to date Nene, Kwame had always been meeting Sarah once in a while on campus as a friend, and each time, Sarah would look for a way to pour out her hidden feelings. It was too late for her as she had taken him for granted for a wh0le year before he fell into Nene’s hand. She had always been jealous anytime she saw them together, but she daren’t show it.
At that moment, Kwame also stole a glance at her as his mind wandered back to the first day he’d met Sarah on campus. He had been struck by an impulse to approach her. He had walked up confidently to her under the tree next to the library. He had talked for so long, manipulating several tactics to win her heart. In the end, Sarah had worn a smile and told him she would think over his dating proposal. Kwame had called her phone endlessly for a wh0le month; she would not pick it up. The day she finally answered his phone call, their conversation had gone thus:
“All I’m requesting from you is a YES to my dating proposal,” Kwame had pleaded with her on phone, almost tearfully.
“I’m sorry; we can only be friends. I’m engaged.” she responded curtly.
“You mean we can’t go on a date?”
“Yes, just friends.” She had said firmly and terminated the call.
Kwame had been dismayed. However, he’d been happy that she could accept him as a friend at least. He couldn’t afford to lose her after all.
“Friendsh¡p would always grow to love someday,” he had consoled himself with that. Kwame had become completely despaired when he presented a love card to her during Valentine’s Day, and she responded with a text message, stating she’d never loved him. She had only liked him as a friend.
Chris brown’s – I LOVE YOU – ringtone from Kwame’s phone jerked both minds to present from their thoughts.
“Hello dear,” said a gentle voice from the phone, “What has taken you so long?”
“Nene, I’m sorry. I will join you soon.”
They both halted since they were now in front of Sarah’s hostel. The illumination from the streetlights and the four-storey hostel that towered above the street bathed their figures with magnolia glows, leaving along the tarred highway a lilac glint.
An extreme Jealousy was written all over Sarah’s face having realized it was Nene that just contacted him.
“Are…are you really going now,” she asked, tilting her head to fight back the regretful tears pricking within her eyes.
Kwame smiled broadly, “Yeah, my angel has missed me already. That is how your boyfriend cherishes you too. Isn’t?”
“Not really,” Sarah said, shrugging her shoulders and revealed back her face, “I have no boyfriend presently; I’m single.”
“Cut that crap, baby… you can’t be serious?”
“I am,” Sarah responded firmly.
Kwame stared at her for a moment; a mischievous smile flickered across his face.
“How come…just let me know your boyfriend; perhaps I can settle the quarrel.”
“Never mind,” Sarah responded brusquely.
“Alright…if you say so”
A spine-tingling cold surged through Sarah’s body and she shuddered. Faint thunderclaps could be heard from the distance while the wind heaved their attires around them in swirls, sweeping dust and rubbish here and there. For Sarah, the ordeal of the previous moments had faded into oblivion. She felt no much hunger either. She was only pleased having Kwame around her. Kwame checked on his wrist watch – 11:25pm.
“I’ve got to take my leave right away. Nene is awaiting me in the car,” Kwame said, stressing a look at his wrist watch stylishly, standing face to face, but one foot away from Sarah, “I’ve only excused myself by telling her I wanted to buy something at the junction when I saw you from in,side the car.”
Sarah stared affectionately into his eyes; Kwame never noticed it as they embraced.
“Thanks once more for rescuing me,” mouthed Sarah.
“It’s okay… what are friends for?”
Kwame wanted to withdraw himself on time, but Sarah didn’t let go. Instead, she mo-ned softly with pleasure. She released body slightly and Kwame thought he was eventually free. She seized the opportunity to stare sed-ctively into his eyes, groped for his hands, wanting them to car-ss over her butt instead of being merely wrapped around her back. Kwame noticed everything, including the frets in her body now as she advanced her trembling l-ips towards him.
“We are just friends. Aren’t we?” Kwame protested, “I think friends don’t k-ss. A peck is okay.”
“Yeah, I know,” she whispered, “but, I…I…love you”
Kwame unlocked himself abruptly from her hold. He was dumbfounded by the statement and thought for a moment if he’d not heard her quite well.
“I don’t think you know what you’re talking about!”
“I do,” she said, staring into Kwame’s eyes with hot tears dripping down her cheeks; her l-ips, quavering with emotion, “I… I have always loved you, but….”
“It’s too late for this, Sarah,” Kwame cut in calmly, holding her by both shoulders to console her. Sarah nestled her head in his chest as Kwame patted her back gently and continued, “I have fallen in love with Nene and she had also shown love to me. Nene’s parent and mine have just met for introduction two weeks ago. Her parent had wanted her to get married on time because she is their only surviving child out of 3 children.”
He withdrew himself gently and stared right into her glistening eyes, “We can always be friends forever.”
On hearing this, Sarah collapsed to her knees, weeping earnestly. Some women were passing by across the road with loads on their heads, and cars had been passing by occasionally. Sarah still rooted on the s₱0t. She was heedless of the drizzles that had now augmented into showers of rain, damping the pavement under her.
“I’m sorry, I have to take my leave now,” Kwame helped her to her feet, “it’s very dangerous here at this hour of the night.”
Kwame reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and wiped her pretty face. He embraced her once more and left her to her fate, lonely on the street.
BY Ajenifuja Adetokunbo