The pungent smell of urine reeked, I felt sick from the stomach but nothing was to there to throw up, I felt a poke from behind and I steadied myself to avoid falling into the bucket that housed the natural waste of all inmates.
‘Barbie doll carry dah tin joor, abi you tink say na ya papa aus.’ Danger yelled and my heart leaped in fear, I quickly carried the bucket to its destination.
Karma is a strong thing, one thing was sure, it will surely catch up with you and in the most mysterious ways, the ways you least expected. All I can hear is barbie doll this, barbie doll that from all corners, that’s the name Danger gave me upon sighting me.
‘Dis wan resemble barbie doll o!’ She had said and that was it, months ago.
Its been long, I stopped keeping count,and stopped hoping someone would come to my rescue.
Life is strange, I had known nothing but luxury ever since I could remember, I’ve been here sometime but I can’t get used to it, not the smell that makes me sick, Danger’s yelled that makes me super intense nor the food that I’d have nothing without. Am living my worst nightmare, my whole world had turned inside out and am wishing I took different decisions.
When I discovered Asad’s philandering I decided to destroy him, but you can’t play with fire and not get burnt, you also can’t pay fire with fire all you get is more fire and eventually everyone gets burnt.
The last thing I remember is boarding a plane and next I find myself on a hospital bed, police officers, men with NDLEA on their jackets and doctors stood by my bedside with very horrid and scaring expression on their faces and I just knew karma had caught up with me, just didn’t know it would be that soon. I began screaming for my kids but to no avail.
Later I was faced with series of questions later which I couldn’t answer, somehow I was accused of drug trafficking and I was not surprised.
I was given an option of jail term or to spill the beans of my operation, where we I got the drugs, where I sell and whom I sold too, I had ended up with loads of drugs in my blood, while poisoning Nadia I got enough to be classified as an addict. I had no information and I ended up in jail living my worst nightmare.
The worst part was not knowing where my kids are left with my illiterate maid.
I cry myself to sleep every night, that’s when Danger the leader in our cell has slept and it wasn’t my turn to fan or massage her.
‘Barbie doll.’ A Warder shouted from the gates and I jumped up.
‘Yes.’ I answered.
‘Na shahanaaz be ya name?’
My heart stopped and I just stared, someone had come for me, I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad, images began to crowd my mind, how will I face up with my deeds.
‘Answer abi cat don catch ya tongue.’
‘Yes’
‘Ehnn wic kin name be dat, go come mek u come tell me the meaning.’ Danger said as I followed the Warder out.
Reluctantly I walked behind the Warder my heart beating wild in anticipation of who I will see, every step was heavy with my deeds, my wrong decisions my mistakes, my sins.
I’ve never visited the visiting room before, no one visited me, I thought I was dead to the world, I accepted that my life would bleak out awaiting trial in this cell.
The room was small, I was welcomed with the smell of my own perfume, a wave of sensation I can’t explain waved through me as I saw Ladi and Nafisa and I remembered all the days I spent in the hospital, it was always Ladi and Nafisa that were there for me, they were still the ones I had rated lowest, my jail term taught me who matterd and it was those who were there at your lowest.
Tears ran down my cheecks as I saw them, Ladi quickly got up upon sighting me, a look of confusion and fear plastered her face, but she wearing my perfume was the least of my concern.
Nafisa came forward and hugged me, I broke down in tears but I kept glancing at Ladi, asking her with my eyes about my kids she nodded and I understood they were fine.
I knew Nafisa knew what I did from the way she kept on looking at me, she was going through the formality of me leaving jail, I wouldn’t have stayed that long even if I was sentenced, but I was awaiting trial all the while and somehow the case was dimissed.
When we left the prison premises, Nafisa looked me and asked.
‘How come drugs where found on you?’ I didn’t answer, if she had any evidence and lead she would have surmised that my contacts with drugs was from me poisoning Nadia carelessly with hope destroying evidences by burning her house.
‘I don’t know how you’re going to take this.’ Nafisa said.
‘What, how are my kids?’
‘They are fine but I can’t say the same for your husband Asad.’
My heart beat increased, I try not to think about Asad, he was wrong but I was worst, I don’t know if he’ll accept me back after knowing all I did, and Nadia she did not deserve what I gave her.
‘He suffered a heart attack and died.’ Nafisa said, Ladi who was suppose not to understand english let everything she was holding fall to the ground and I slumped.
When I woke up, I was on a hospital bed yet again, Nafisa was there so was Ladi. I held Nafisa and wailed.
‘I didn’t want Asad dead, I just wanted to teach him a lesson, I can return the money.’
‘What of Nadia? Nafisa asked.
‘It was only her, I didn’t know what came over me when I poisoned her and made her car tumble, Nafisa am sorry.’
‘And the video?
‘That was to punish them not kill Asad.’
Asad’s ghost came for me, I saw it advance from the door, I tried to scream but I couldn’t my voice had left me. The ghost sat beside me and kept on looking me.
‘Ladidi.’ He called, the voice seemed human.
‘Asad am sorry.’ I said shivering.
‘Why?’ He asked.
I touched his face, then his arms I felt the flesh.
‘He’s alive.’ Nafisa’s voice came.
The cat was out, my sins were out from my own mouth. I came down from the bed on my knees.
‘Asad please forgive me, I was carried away.’ I begged holding his legs, he stood up and jerked his legs away.
‘If I forgive you what of Nadia, would that restore her life, Ladidi what you did was inhumane.’
I sat on the floor and Asad left the room, and I knew my life was over, if Asad left me I would be better off in jail with Danger terrorising my life, but how could he want me back I was a murderer.
I heard hushed voices of Asad and Nafisa, but I knew Asad won’t accept me and my kids if they grew up and heard their mother’s story, how she schemed and dseigned their Father’s downfall, how she suffered them for months in a hotel room with the maid they would hate me, I can’t commit suscide God would reject my soul but I could leave and repent elsewhere.
