Their shadow had gone before them yet, unable to warn them. They stood ringing the bell to his apartment, he didn’t seem to hear. He had been engulfed by the cold breeze having its passage through the broken windows. He was in his world, a world now different from theirs.
After ringing severally, Tade decides to leave, thinking Rodriguez is out on the island enjoying the chill breeze of the night. He states his mind out to his wife whom felt checking his surrounding could result to seeing him as they had tried calling his number which turned out a futile attempt. They both go behind the house where they assumed was his room, it was dark and seemed empty. They felt they had done their best and resorted to heading back to their apartment to prepare for their trip back to Nigeria.
As they walked heading out of Rodriguez’s apartment surrounding , Lola screams out of pain,she had been pierced by a glass. Apparently, the sharp edge of the glass had penetrated her sandal into her foot. Tade carries her to the entrance of Rodriguez door which had a light stand turned on. He checks her foot and carefully removes the glass that had dug deep into her sandal penetrating her skin. She groans in pain while Tade pacifies her. As Tade tried positioning her to ease her discomfort and his, he leans against the entrance door and his back goes backward in a falling motion. Regaining his balance, He and Lola stares at each other communicating ‘what does this mean’.
Tade helps Lola to stand and walk into Rodriguez apartment. They were quite familiar with the living room compartment but it seemed to them that things were not in its usual state. There was an air of shrilled coldness that gave them a premonition. They walked into the kitchen compartment and to other rooms turning on the lights. Alas! nothing seemed to be strange. They concluded Rodriguez was out on the Island or some other place. He probably had forgotten they were leaving the island going back home the next day. They both decide to write a note to him stating their inability to bid a proper goodbye, as their flight is scheduled to take off 8:00a.m the next day. They dropped the note on the bar table knowing him for always sitting there, as he had stated once to them that the bar was his favourite spot and thinking space.
Back in their apartment, Tade does the finishing touch of their preparation back home as Lola could not do much. He orders for a first aid box from the resort’s reception and asks if Rodriguez whereabout is known. ‘No i haven’t seen him today’ came the reply from the receptionist whom speaks English to the tourists. The first aid box comes forth and Tade treats Lola’s injury with great care. As he conceals her wound with bandages, he talks about Rodriguez. Stating Rodriguez present behaviour to be unlike him. They both decide if they are still unaware of Rodriguez whereabouts the next morning, they would seek the resort to find out his whereabouts as they know his life had been threatened once. They lay on the bed reminiscing wonderful moments of their honeymoon and the fear of the unknown about Rodriguez absence.
Before the break of dawn, Lola wakes up to the banging noise occurring in her head. It could pass to be real as it was so loud in her head. It had interrupted her dream of her being pregnant of a girl. The doctor in her dream had told her about the test result and she clenched her tummy in great joy telling her baby ‘you will be fine’. In her subconscious she was trying to figure where Tade was and instead of Tade she saw Rodriguez smiling and then crying. She suddenly saw Tade from behind Rodriguez. He moves from behind appearing in front of Rodriguez while Rodriguez was appearing farther. When she finally got close to telling Tade she started hearing the banging noise in her dream. That jolted her back to life though she was still sleepy and her head ached terribly from the loud noise. She tries to sit upright and then she realizes she has an injury. The pain gripped her whole being as she places her feet on the floor to stand. She sits back realizing the banging was actually real. She wakes her husband. Tade looks at Lola wondering why she had woken him, He hears the banging and recalls her pain of last night, he knew the pain must have hindered her from getting the door. He pecks her, serves her the water by his lamp table and heads for the door. He hoped it was Rodriguez and then he flung the door open to see men in uniforms which appeared to be police uniform. Throughout his stay at the resort he had only seen the security men on uniforms and the resort workers. He was stunned to be standing in front of them. He wondered what they had come for. He stood at his apartment entrance for seconds but it seemed like minutes to him.
Eres tú señor Tade Adams (Are you Mr Adams) ‘Yes i am Tade Adams’ Tade replies. Donde esta tu esposa(where is your wife) asked a police officer. ‘English please English!’ Tade states irritatedly. ‘Where is your wife?’ asked another police officer whom speaks English to English-speaking individuals to aid communication. ‘She’s with me, is there an issue?’ Tade asks still wondering why they had interrupted his sleep. ‘Yes there is, Rodriguez is dead!’…..
Misublu series III.
From the desk of Mary Elebijo.
maryelebijo 
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