Night Runs – chapter 7 – Finger

Chapter 7

Finger.

“What is she looking for at this time of the night, for God’s sake?”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t take this ride. This woman looks all shade of trouble.”

“I need the money for the trip. I need to pay back the cooperative loan I got last week to repair the car. Right now, every passenger counts.”

His next rider was this senior citizen that had her hair styled in neat yet wild curls as the storm-whipped sea waves, with strands that swirled to her face. Her face bore the evidence of time well spent in love and nurture, but the wrinkles and folds of skin were so pronounced it was hard to tell what she must have looked like as a young woman.

Perhaps she was once admired, courted, and coiffured. Now she just looked like a party balloon almost bereft of its helium, sagged and deflated.

She did not look like trouble.

Adio was running low on fuel and hoped that this passenger would be considerate enough to enjoy the cool evening breeze rather than the filtered and cool air from his AC.

“Good evening.” He wanted to start on a decent note.

“Good evening driver, how are you today?”

“I am well ma’am. Very well.”

She carried with her several small bags. Each stuffed to the brim with clothes and other stuffs.

Adio looked at his fuel gauge again, nodding his head as he turned the ignition.

“Good. Please leave the windows down. I would like to enjoy the cool evening breeze.”

“God bless your soul.” But the words didn’t leave his mouth.

“Lucky you.” Don shared in the relief. “You should have bought some fuel when you had the chance.”

Curiosity soon got the better of Adio and questions that begged for answers popped into his head.

Why was she out at 11pm alone? What was an elderly woman doing carrying 4 small bags and a small trinket box? She surely couldn’t be in a marital crisis in her seventies. She had to be in her early seventies or late sixties, is she not?

He looked into his rearview mirror slowly, perhaps to start a conversation or to watch his passenger deftly, but he surprisingly met her disapproving gaze.

“Oh my! Was she looking at you? Something is fishy”

“No God please. I could use some peace. No more drama, dear God. Please hear the cry of your humble servant.”

But still, his eyes darted to the rearview mirror again.

Thankfully, she was looking out of the window this time.

“Is this thing in my head right now?” a confused Adio wondered.

“Dude I am the only one in your head.” Don chuckled.

Then his eyes rolled towards the rearview mirror again.

This time, she was still looking out of the window, sitting gracefully with her hands clamped in a loose grip. Adio then turned to look at the side of the road she was staring at. There was nothing of interest.

The questions in his head remained unanswered. No matter how often he looked at his passenger, the answers were not on her face.

“Maybe she is a prostitute.”

Haba! Don, this is an old woman oh.”

“There is nothing strange anymore in this world again, or how do you explain what an elderly woman is doing up late at 11.20pm when her mates are snoring in the comfort of their beds.”

“ I am going to see my daughter, her water broke one hour ago.”

“Is she listening to our conversation, Adio?”

“Oh dear! I hope everything works out just well.” Adio offered some comfort to his passenger.

But there was no comfort in the voice that searched for answers in his head.

“This woman can hear our conversation Adio. I swear to God.”

“Why don’t you ask a question, let us test this theory of yours.”

“Okay then. I wonder how old she is?”

Silence, then…

“I will be seventy-eight in two weeks.” Came the voice of the woman in his backseat.

“Jesus Christ!” Adio shouted looking into the rearview mirror to see the woman smiling mischievously.

“ Is everything okay?” The worried woman asked, ever so calm and unmoved by his reaction.

“Yes. Yes. Ma”

“I suspect my children are planning a surprise birthday party for me.”

“This must be some coincidence.” Don remarked.

“They have been speaking in hush tones when they see me around. I have seen this too often to know that they are up to something.”

“Interesting!” Adio remarked.

“Let’s try another question. This time unrelated to the ones we have asked before.” Don suggested. “How many children do you have? How many are females and how old is the eldest child?”

Adio tuned his ears, breath abating, hoping that this strange woman in his car would not answer the questions Don had asked.

Silence.

” I thought so! There is no way she could be listening in on our thoughts and then replying in reality. No freaking way!”

“Phew!” Adio felt relieved.

“Adunni, is my eldest. She is forty-six and having her first child. That is why I need to be at her side. All her other four sisters have had children effortlessly, but she had to wait on end for many years. I am really happy for her.”

That was it, Adio slammed on his brake pedal suddenly. They were not even at her destination yet.

He then looked into the rearview mirror slowly. He could see a woman who was fulfilled with life, wearing a smile that refused to disappear as though held in place by the wrinkled folds on her face.

“Thank you for the ride, Adio.” She handed the exact fare in cash to him as she alighted, hurling all her small bags.

“Did you tell her your name? Was it the ride-hailing app. What is going on Bro?”

Stunned, Adio sat rooted at the same spot staring into space. He wondered what had just happened.

Then he scanned his backseat quickly, only to find that the woman had left behind her trinket box.

“What is this again?”

He stretched out his arm from his seat to grab the small box. It opened easily.

He retched into his backseat the moment he opened the box.

It was the sight of a freshly cut human middle finger that welcomed him.

Drop your comments and read more in the next chapter.

I promise, no more surprises.