Night Runs – chapter 9 – Reward

Chapter 9

Reward

At first Adio didn’t take the news on the radio and news bulletin seriously about the cholera outbreak in the city. He couldn’t be bothered. A few weeks after his mysterious encounter with the absconding policemen, his faith had truly been shaken. It left him wondering how anyone in the society could feel truly secured when the men saddled with the responsibility to keep everyone safe cannot hold their own against an unarmed woman.

Several questions from that night’s matter remained unanswered and he had stopped searching for answers. Somethings were better left unspoken.

But after spending seven days in bed severely weakened from continuous stooling and vomiting, the several jingles on the radio started making a lot of sense. His young secondary school drop out neighbor was kind to nurse him back to good health.

She bought drugs and administered the Oral rehydration therapy at short intervals to help him recover from the debilitating effect of the ailment. It turned out that she was the only occupant in the tenement building, where twelve families co-habited, that didn’t suffer from the epidemic that ravaged the town.

She therefore had unfettered access to his only debit card and there was nothing Adio could do about it. As he lay in bed, weakened from non-stop retching and stooling, his mind wondered if there was a chance that anything would be left in his bank account at the time he fully recovered. He wasn’t bothered to give thought to how he contracted the disease, whether it was from the road side food stall or from the sachet water he consumed on hot afternoons in the traffic. He only needed to get his strength back and to get out of bed.

His ”kind-hearted” neighbor cooked his meals, and he enjoyed the pleasure of her attention. She also cleaned his room and washed his soiled bedding. No, they were not an item. Adio didn’t fancy her much. He was glad to have someone care for him, after all it could have been worse. He knew, for certain, that it would cost him his savings and that this woman may be an unassuming school drop-out, but she had worked to earn the money she spent off his account.

In the heat of the epidemic, while he laid in bed between sleep and consciousness, it was rumored that two young adults died after they were rushed to the general hospital.

He was glad to be back on his feet. He still felt sore from strained muscles around his lower abdomen, but work was work. He had to earn a living. The soreness was nothing compared to the sadness he felt when he checked his account balance.

His neighbor was gracious to leave his account with a modest balance of seven thousand naira only. From his deduction, his treatment had set him back a whooping forty-nine thousand naira in only seven days.

When he thanked her for all she had done to nurse him to strength, he felt like he had been defrauded and almost sounded grunted like an ingrate.

His first passengers on this late-night ride were a set of teenagers. Two boys shared the company of a girl. The couple snuggled into the backseat of his freshly vacuumed car while the lone ranger sat in the passenger seat in front. They looked like a fairly decent bunch and so Adio had no worries that the ride would be uneventful.

They neither shared pleasantries with him nor paid him any attention. They seemed to be completely caught up in their little gossip and weird laughter. The girl hummed a song as they settled in.

Perhaps they were coming from a karaoke bar. It was after all 1am in the morning.

“Shall I start the trip please?” Adio still cared for his rating, being polite would do him a lot of good, he has since learnt.

“Yes sir!” replied the one in front.

Adio looked him over for a few seconds, taking in his appearance for a moment. He concluded that they looked like spoiled rich kids who were out of the house because their parents were away.

When he turned his air-conditioning on, their perfume wafted through the air like sweet lavender with its floral, herbal, and evergreen woodsy scent blocking his nostril at the same time.

“Spoiled rich kids.” Don whispered into his ears. “How could some parents be so irresponsible as to allow these youngsters freedom to roam about this late?”

Adio did not encourage the conversation with Don. But Don continued, nonetheless.

“These ones are doomed. The boys looked like they have been smoking hemp by the redness of their eyes.”

No response.

“Just be careful not to pass by a police check point. I honestly have no idea how you can explain why you have three underaged kids in your car at this time of the night without being labelled a kidnapper.”

That statement caught Adio’s attention. He knew Don was absolutely right.

“Where are you all headed?” Adio queried the kids as he looked at the two cuddled up in the back seat trading kisses.

“Is that her hands inside his pants?” Don exclaimed.

Adio looked closer into the rear-view mirror closely, slowing down the speed of the car while at it.

“Mr. Man, keep your eyes on the road.” Came the voice from the boy in the front passenger seat.

Just then Adio noticed that the teenager in the front seat had turned his phone camera deftly towards the two at the backseat. His phone was tucked beside his waist facing the lovebirds. He was recording the scene and it appeared that the other two were unaware of it.

“What are you doing?” Adio’s disapproving stare searched for answers on the boy’s face.

“I am cleaning my phone screen.” The boy returned the phone to his lap feigning a slow pretentious swipe over the phone screen with his t-shirt.

The two in the backseat could not even be bothered. Their lips smacked loudly as the young girl’s hands continued to tug vigorously inside his underpants.

“Strange!” Don remarked.

Adio continued driving, focused on reaching the destination in good time. It was no business of his whatever they did.

But the boy soon returned to filming the two at the back again.

“Please can you adjust the side mirror on your side for me.” Adio tried to distract the teenager.

The boy ignored him, his camera continued to record the scene the whole time.

“Please what says the time on your wristwatch?”

The boy turned briefly to look at Adio, with disgust written all over his face. But still, uttered no word.

“Can you just mind your business and drive!” The words came in a whisper as he steadied the phone.

Adio looked into the rearview mirror to see the unfolding romance from the back seat. This time the boy was fondling the girl’s breast, while still in deep kiss.

“What nonsense!” Adio shouted. “Stop this nonsense!”

His raised voice caught the attention of the two at the back, as they broke away from their embrace, while the boy in the front seat promptly tucked his phone into his pocket.

“Why are you recording them?” Adio accused the boy.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I saw you recording your friends with your phone.” He continued and then faced the lovebirds at the back seat. “He is filming you both.”

“No I was not.”

The others looked unperturbed.

“Mind your business Mr. Man. You are just a common driver. Stick to your job.” The boy in the front passenger seat gave him a mouthful of invectives afterwards.

“I will not tolerate bad behavior in my car, especially from you kids.”

“Mr. Man, please drive.”

“Common driver.” Don echoed.

Those words hurt.

“Common driver.”

Sadness descended on Adio like a mist in the early morning.

Let’s find out what Adio feels about his extended family joining him in his night runs.