[Series] The Sticky Note: Episode 3
Fumbi, Janet And Pheya’s roommate woke up from her lengthy sleep. She sat at the edge of the bed obviously confused about what next to do with her life. She finally got up having realised she hadn’t picked her clothes from the line. Her feet gingerly bore her body down the stairs like a tray of fruits balanced on an amateur hawker. Two left turns, and she was at the quadrangle. She piled the clothes on her hands, covering half her field of view.
“Fumbi!” Her name filtered through the pile of clothes to her auricle. She turned some degrees to look. A hand was waving at her from the balcony on the topmost floor of the block of rooms opposite her. It wasn’t only her laundry basket she left in the room.. She did not pick her glasses too. She gesticulated that she could not see the face of the person beckoning. The fellow gesticulated that she was coming down in response. Few minutes later the figure was approaching Fumbi whose feet remained glued to the patched field. She had almost walked through Fumbi before Fumbi noticed it was Omohafe.
READ ALSO: The Sticky Note: Episode 1
READ ALSO: The Sticky Note: Episode 2
“Omohafe?” She managed to ask, or was she just mentioning. She sounded a little startled because they were not that close. Omohafe was a “second-hand” friend (the friend of a friend). She was a friend to Fumbi’s roommate the previous session. She visited only a few times. Fumbi herself as not really close to the roommate.
“How have you been dear? You look sleepy” Omohafe said with different emotions for each sentence.
“I’ve been surviving o. I just woke” Fumbi lazily managed to reply.
They did some catching up for a few minutes. Left to Fumbi, the conversation was totally unnecessary.
“What are you up to this night? There’s this special programme at my fellowship tonight. Yomi Coker will be around to lead the worship, Bishop…”
“Oh! You attend CCF? I’m aware the programme” Fumbi cut in, not willing to prolong the conversation any longer. The programme was one of the most publicized fellowship programmes on campus ever.
“So, you are coming?”
“Not today”
“Why na?”
“I will be at Tumininu’s place this evening.” Tumininu was also a former rommate. She was not close to
“Aww! Your roommates around so I also invite them too?”
“No, they won’t be coming either. They are going with me.”
“What going on at Tumininu’s place that can’t wait?”
“She has a little birthday party tonight”
“Oh! I see.”
Fumbi who was not willing to go on with the conversation bade her farewell and left in a hurry. She could hear a lot of tension in the voices of Janet and Pheya seeping through the door when she got back to the room. She wanted to knock but hesitated. Then she turned the lock with her own key. She stood at the door for some minutes, barely notice.
“You girls should go and prepare for this party na.” Fumbi cut them short. They finally gave her attention since she walked in. Not long, Janet’s phone bleeped. She picked it up, stared at it for a while like the phone was trying to deceive her. The other two girls gazed at her expectantly.
“See how you people are looking at me? Is it every time my phone sounds that you expect a news?” She snapped at them. They shrugged in response.
“Tumininu changed the venue of the party. It’s now holding at her Uncle’s house outside school.” She added, a little disappointed. The trio hated the hustle and bustle outside school. The only times they leave the school’s compound are when they go to a nearby market or decide to have a Saturday to themselves. Other times have been when they were going back to their various homes for the break.
“Okay, let’s do this” Pheya announced.
In no time, they were all dressed up in the finest they could be and set out for Tumininu’s Uncle’s house.
Plasir estate was not really strange to them. It was just oppsite the as school’s main gate. They were monthly patronizers at the estate’s bazaar. The estate also has a couple of blocks for students who can afford them. A couple of Janet and Pheya’ s class mates live there.
“Fine girls, Which side unna dey go?” a motorcyclist asked them no sooner than they stepped the Estate’ s premises.
“House E19” Janet answered.
“Students’ block? Three of you, pay 400 naira”
“No. It is not students’ block. You are a covetious kidnapper! Ritualist! Carry the three of us and disappear with us” Pheya clapped at him. Fumbi tried calming her down but she snapped at her too. The motorcyclist rode away, a lot embarrassed.
“They flagged down a cab that took them to E19. It was a long drive. At the end, E block really looked like a student block or they just built the houses like the student blocks’. Like every other evenings in the Estate, the serenity and peace was appealing. The moon light augmented the beam from the street light. Across the road, there were about three cars parked one of which looked like the car in which someone offered them a ride. They were quite aware that Lady Bermota uses that kind of car which confirmed the fact that Lady Bermota was at Janet’s neck. On seeing the car, Janet stood, startled, pointing at the direction.
“Don’t be scared yet. I’m sure it isn’t the same car” Pheya was told her, trying to ease her of the tension
“How would you know?” Janet replied.
“The one that was following us has an Abuja-registered number plate. This is Lagos State registered.”
Janet moved on with her newly found confidence. They were late for the party already but it did not seem like anything was going on in Tumininu’s Uncle’s house. The more Janet and Pheya got closer to the door, the lesser the length of their stride. Their fears were unknown it them but obvious to Fumbi. Quite unusually, Fumbi was leading then in. She had barely knocked when the door open. It was as if those inside were aware they were at the door. A personality stood in the way of the light leaving the trio a silhouette to look admire. The figure looked familiar to Fumbi but she did not want to beat the gun. Her guess was confirmed when the bulb above the flickered on. They could also notice a couple of armed able-bodied goons manning the entrance. Well it felt like a scene from Ghost Ship but neither of the girls could really describe what was going on, a drug Lord’s niece’s party?
“Omohafe, I did not know you’d be here. I thought you said you had a programme in your fellowship tonight” Fumbi finally found her voice.
“The last time I was in a church was during my dedication ceremony 22 years ago” Omohafe replied with one serpentine look like that. That annoying type you get when someone is trying so hard to make sure the disappointment hurts you. Fumbi’s mandible dropped for a second.
“Yes, madam” Omohafe tried forcing the shock down Fumbi’s spine. It was a great attempt though. Now, the problem here was that Fumbi had not been updated on the Sticky Note issue. She had not heard of the Black Car and Bermota Phenomenon. Also, Janet and Pheya were not aware of any encounter between Omohafe and Fumbi earlier in the day. All of a sudden, Omohafe pulled Fumbi by the hair and threw her to the floor inside the lobby. Fumbi gave an ear-piercing scream as she slid a few millimeters before being stopped by a couch. Since people’s faces were not at their feet, she could not ascertain whose feet were beside her. But obviously, the person was seated on the couch. For the first time since Janet And Pheya had been standing at the door, they were finally able to peer into the house as Omohafe flung Fumbi. It was not only the sight of the large bodies standing at both ends of the couch that prompted Janet and Pheya to attempt to run, but also the size of Lady Bermota who had little space to breaht well in the tight couch she was seated. As they turned to run, the goons at the entrance were large enough to obstruct the way.
Fumbi tried raising her head to at least get a good picture of what was really happening above her. But, Bermota used her foot to push her head back down. Not only did her feet smell terrible, Fumbi could also smell trouble.
TO BE CONTINUED….
