To Albert, it was like a spark that ignited the keg of powder that he was. That was when he pulled out a revolver and aimed it at Okem.
“You seriously think I’ll let you keep my fiancée? Eh? Which alternate universe did you both arrive from?” he yelled and waved his gun dangerously at both of us.”
“Put the gun down,” Okem ordered, gesturing with both hands in Albert’s general direction.
Albert ignored him and fired a shot at the television. The bullet made a hole through the glass, and fumes gushed out of the screen. I was frozen to the spot, unable to cry or scream.
“Call the police,” Okem whispered to me.
“If you move,” Albert said, pointing the gun in my direction, “I need not tell you what will happen to you. Do I?”
I stared at Albert and then at the gun. It was pointing right at my head.
“Albert, you’ll shoot me?” I asked, choking on my words.
“Without regret.”
My head reeled as I fell slowly to the ground. I remembered Okem’s visit to Luenah, and that gave me strength. Okem was destined to take the staff and nothing, no one on earth could stop him. Soon, I lost touch with my surroundings and slowly drifted away into slight unconsciousness. I thought I was about to die. As I prayed for my grandfather to come and rescue me, I was jolted by the sound of a quarrel, and I moved my legs slowly, trying to get up.
Albert got distracted by my movements, and Okem ran towards him and tried to grab the gun from his hand. They wrestled before the pistol fell to the ground, making a loud crashing noise as it let out fire on impact. I was so frightened I felt as though my heart would stop. I crawled as fast as I could to reach the gun, but Albert was faster than the rest of us. Okem lunged at him, and they struggled for a few seconds before I heard a loud pop. I screamed, not knowing which of the men, Albert or Okem had pulled the trigger.
Albert dropped the gun and sank to his knees, grabbing his throat with both hands, a wild look registering on his face.
I ran to his side in terror while Okem got on the phone with the police. While we waited, I grabbed a sheet and held it against his neck to prevent excessive blood loss. Hotel security, having been alerted by the three gunshots, stormed into the room. Okem’s driver, Albert’s security team, and hotel guests crowded the door, almost causing a stampede. It was an excruciating fifteen minutes before the ambulance drove Albert to the hospital. He had lost a lot of blood and was barely conscious when the paramedics arrived at the scene. My pleas to accompany him fell on deaf ears as they denied me entry into the van.
* * *
The policemen drove us to the police station in their car. Okem and I were taken to different rooms and interrogated for hours. I still had Albert’s blood on my skin and my clothes, and I was drained from hunger and exhaustion. After answering their questions the best I could, I felt battered and beaten in the end. It was not until close to midnight that I saw Okem again. His driver drove us to the hospital where the doctor, having been previously alerted about the incident at the hotel, asked his staff to wheel me to the examination room immediately. After a thorough assessment, the doctor kept me under observation for another hour. By the time Okem drove me home after two in the morning, there was nothing left of me. There was also nothing left for us to do. Just the dreaded talk with my grandmother to explain to her what had been going on.
* * *
As expected, news over the airwaves had alerted my grandmother of the happenings that day, so she was waiting anxiously for me by the time I got home. Despite my state, she gave me a long hug. Ifedi was standing behind her.
“Ona, what caused all of this?” my grandmother asked, her voice broken to the core. I could tell she had been crying. “How are you? Look at your face.”
I sighed. “Grandma, Okem will fill you in.”
“Yes. Ifedi told me Okem was back. Is he the cause of all this?”
I shook my head. “As I said, he’ll fill you in. Can I be excused? I need to rid myself of this stench,” I said, pointing at my bloody clothes. “Okem will soon come in. He’s outside, giving some instructions to his driver. I’ll join you after I get a thorough wash.”
“Okay! We’ll wait for you.”
I left for my bedroom, and Ifedi, who hadn’t uttered a word since I stepped in, followed me closely behind.
“Ona, what did you say happened?”
“I don’t have the energy to talk now. I’m in so much pain. I was hoping Okem will do the talking for me.”
“Okay. Will you like me to help you with your bath?”
“No thank you. I’ll be fine.”
She followed me into my room regardless and watched as I stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. Relieved to be alone, I poured a generous portion of my lemon-infused bubble bath in the tub. The sharp fragrance was strong without being overpowering. I filled the tub with water to about the half-way mark, ripped off all my clothes, and threw them into a disposal bag. After settling in, I scrubbed my skin until it almost blistered. Satisfied that I had cleansed all of Albert’s blood from my person, I pulled out the stopper for the water to run out. It made a loud gurgling noise as the liquid rearranged itself to escape from the drain. With the showerhead, I rinsed the excess soap from my body. The feeling of the sprinkles on my skin got me to relax for the first
