Inordinate - Part 15
Wayo reached for the door handle, but the door opened before he could touch it, and out came Tele, beaming with excitement. How long has he been in there? Wayo wondered as he entered the room.
Scanning for the girl, he couldn't find her. Instinctively he knew she was in the bathroom, he kicked the door open.
The girl was naked, save for her insufficient lace underwear.
Lace?
She sat on the bathroom floor, arms wrapped around herself, sobbing softly. The arms were supposed to cover what exactly?
It wasn't a bad sight, but Yaga had never seen her naked so Wayo turned away immediately, feeling guilty for looking.
“Take a bath and come out in twenty minutes.” He told her, even as he left the room to give her space.
Tele was a madman, so Wayo did not find this stunt surprising. He only needed to confirm the extent to which the madness had been displayed.
“Only videos?” Wayo asked. He had found Tele hunched over the dinning table, eating the food that Yaga had kept the night before, eyes glued to Nora’s phone screen.
Tele nodded with a mouthful of rice, “That babe dey very stubborn. She's lucky I can't touch her”
“That's right. You can't touch her.” Wayo repeated, satisfied that the madman knew his limits. He fiddled with the kitchen tap, turning it on and off at intervals.
“I beat am small sha. Just a bit” Tele lifted his face and smirked, “you want to watch?”
“No”
Tele let out a chuckle, “You sef don turn goody goody.” He finished the food with gusto, never bothering to clean up after himself.
The night came with uncertainties, whether Yaga would slip into death being the most prominent. His body had been hot to the touch, which worried Wayo more than he could admit.
Some part of Wayo wanted to scold Tele for being so nonchalant about Yaga’s condition. But Tele had never really liked Wayo's cousin.
He had proposed some rather harsh beating on the girl to force her to confess what she had done to Yaga, but Wayo disapproved of such methods.
A phone chimed. It was an outdated Nokia model, preserved for this special purpose.
Nobody moved.
Wayo signed, “Take it.”
Tele reached for it across the table, hiding his smile because he knew his antics has yielded results.
He raised a brow when he checked the message.
Wayo knew that face well enough, but the part of him that should have been excited had died, “how much?”
“Ten” Tele replied.
Her contact had truly been motivated by Tele’s videos. Wayo usually let Tele do whatever he needed to speed up the process- it worked everytime. He did not endorse Tele’s methods, but they were undoubtedly effective.
Tele studied his teammate. Usually, this was around the time they would celebrate their wins but the man had become recluse. He didn't know whether to be his usual self or to mirror Wayo's mood.
He decided to be himself, “ This calls for celebration,” he declared, fishing out his last cigarette from his breastpocket. “Do you mind?”
It was a stupid question. He knew Wayo's asthma flared up at the slightest contact with smoke. Yet every time he would ask the same question.
Wayo glared at him. It had been long since he had fought with Tele, perhaps they needed to fight over something today.
Tele got the message and took his celebration out of the kitchen.
When he left Wayo had an epiphany. What if the girl really did something to Yaga? Perhaps she had prayed him into unconsciousness. He had seen it before, Pastors touching people and sending them into a trance- he never believed any of it-But now he was out if options and anything could be true.
She had prayed in Ewe the other time, and even figured out his real name, what if she could wake Yaga up?
Tele came back in, much to Wayo's irritation. He helped himself to some beer from the fridge, offering some to Wayo.
Wayo rejected it, alcohol made him slow. He brought up the elephant in the room “What about the girl? Should we free her?”
Tele choked on his beer, and it trickled down his chin unto his shirt. “You're joking right? Free her for what?”
Wayo wanted to speak but Tele didn't budge, “She has seen our faces. Don't jeopardize this thing abeg” he continued.
Jeopardize was a mouthful, and Wayo was surprised that Tele could even pronounce it.
“You dey fear?” Wayo taunted.
Tele responded candidly“Based on wetin I don do that babe, I can't let her go and put me in trouble. Either we silence her or send her to Kilo.”
“Kilo?” Wayo frowned, “I don't like him”
Kilo was a wanted criminal, infamous for organ trafficking.
“You don't have to like him, but he can help us get rid of her.” Tele explained “for a small amount. If your boy no gree wake up we fit use im money settle am. We can give him half of Yaga’s cut.”
Wayo was in disbelief, “are you mad?” his next move flashed before his eyes, he would grab Tele by the collar and start a war. But he chose otherwise and stood still, a bizarre idea already forming in his mind.
“Yaga has to wake up first, then we can decide what to do next.” He stated, then hesitantly added, “If she did something to him, she has to reverse it.”
Wayo wasn't sure the girl had taken his advice and showered. But at least she was dressed and he could look straight at her when he spoke, “Get up and follow me.”
Ever the accomplice, Tele observed quietly, wondering what would happen next. They entered Wayo's room, where Yaga lay, if one didn't know the situation, it was easy to assume he was in a comatose state.
Wayo stared into Nora’s soul, “You believe in miracles?”
She nodded, the former lively girl now a shadow of herself.
“Good.” He pointed at Yaga, “You have one hour to wake him up or he-” He gestured at Tele who was hovering at the background, “He will get rid of you this night.”
Nora stood dumbfounded, her mouth wide open “Eh?”
“I said wake him up. Shey you can do signs and wonders?”
She stuttered, “Chinonso please sir, don't-”
Tele spoke up, interrupting her, “How does she know your name? Una dey rapport before?”
Wayo waved him off, “I don't care what you do, my cousin must wake up tonight. Kneel down and pray to God, or lie down if you want” his head was spinning, but he ignored it.
Tele snickered, “I no sure say she sabi do miracles oh, she would have prayed herself out of here if prayer worked.”
Prayer works, Nora wanted to say, but she didn't have the courage to do so.
Suddenly Tele held his stomach, and scrunched his face in discomfort, “Excuse me.” He all but ran out of the room.
Wayo rolled his eyes, then focused on his goal. “He has to wake up. If you wake him up I might even let you go home.” he said. It had been almost a full day since Yaga lost consciousness. He left her there, locking her in with Yaga.
