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Sam and his family have just moved house, but it is a different story this time, as they are no longer moving into a rented apartment as they have been doing for many years. It was a lovely moment for the family that reminded them of how God had delivered them from the hands of many Pharaohs and had finally brought them into the promised Land.
Mary, her wife’s face, was beaming with a smile as she alighted from the lorry that conveyed them with their belongings to their new apartment. Her happiness was like that of a child who, after living with their parents for a long time, suddenly gained employment after graduating from college and began living life independently.
Before they were finally able to build their own house, they had lived in three different houses in the same city within the six years that they had spent in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
As Mary paces back and forth the building, she is deeply engrossed by the magnificent and the loveliness of the building – the modern architectural design given to the building by the architect, the ash and white color combination of paint on the building that blends with the flowers that are already emitting alluring scents, the well-fitting electrical bulbs that are strategically positioned on the building’s walls and fence – she did not know when tears started flowing from her eyes. It was her ten-year-old daughter, Ukeme, who awakened her consciousness by snapping,
Mummy, why are you crying?
It was only her mother who knew why she shed those tears, Ukeme never did. Though she had also witnessed some of her parents’ embarrassing moments with some of their former landlords and sometimes co-tenants, she did not in her puerile mind understand how difficult it was for her parents to bear that shame for those number of years.
The recent among them happened at the last house they stayed in. Her father came back late from work and discovered that the gate was locked by 9pm.
The order was that no matter where you are, you should find your way to the house latest 10pm dot, returning later than that would mean that you will be locked outside. It was weird for Sam to see that the gate was locked before the usual time and all the pleas that he tendered that night, explaining to his landlord that he spent extra hours at work, fell on deaf ears.
This was one of the reasons her mother cried, but it was all tears of joy as they were finally free from all those humiliations now.
Hey, neighbor, a woman yelled from the gate as she walked boldly into the compound.
Hello, my name is Lizzy. My husband and I own the next building, she said as she pointed towards the direction where their house was located.
You should be our new neighbors, I guess? Lizzy pressed on, giving a welcoming smile that exposed her diastema.
Yes we are. We just moved into our new apartment. My name is Mary, I would have loved you to meet my husband, but he's busy putting the rooms in order. You would certainly see him next time, Mary responded while proffering her hand for a handshake.
It's fine. Just be on the lookout and don't stay out late in the night; the environment is not safe for now; we've had multiple robbery attacks recently, Lizzy disclosed as she responded with Honey, I'm coming to the voice that was calling her name from the next building.
Sorry, Mrs Mary. My husband is back, I have to go and see him. I'll catch you later. Bye, she said as she walked away hurriedly.
Bye-bye, Mary waved back, disguising the fear that the information about the recent robbery attacks had sent to her heart.
Five Nights Later
Sam and his wife were in the living room watching TV when they heard a knock on the door. At first, they seemed unbothered because they thought it was Aria their cat who was always fond of playing around the door.
The knocks grew louder until they became more violent. Sam was about to tiptoe to the door and find out through the door's pigeonhole who was at the door in that late hour of the night when his wife held him back.
Open this door, it will get worse if we break into this house ourselves, a gruff voice announced behind the door.
Who are you? Sam questioned in a shaky, trembling voice.
We're armed robbers, replied the gruff voice.
Sam was unsure of what to do; he knew that they were in great danger. He thought of opening the door for the armed robbers, but on second thought, he discovered how risky would be, as either he or his wife or both of them could be killed in the process.
In a split second, he carried Ukeme who was lying on the floor in the living room, and headed toward the safe room with his wife following closely behind him. He was sure His valuables would be taken, but nothing was as important to him as the safety of his family at that moment.
Ukeme had already woken up and was about to say something when her father gagged her mouth with his hand.
Shhh, armed robbers are around. You are not to say anything until they are gone, Sam said, placing the index finger in his right hand across his lips.
The door of the safe room was the TV stand in the living room. There is a button by the side that flings open the door when pressed. No visitor to the house would ever imagine that the exquisite TV stand was a door in disguise.
Sam and his family had already rushed into the safe room before the armed robbers were able to break into the house. They are three hefty men with dreadful physiques, faces masked, wielding rods in their hands.
Come out from your hiding, you all; don't let us catch you ourselves. Otherwise, the consequences will be great, the biggest among them, who seemed to be their leader, roared.
Boys, we are not here to harm them. We are only to take what is important to us and leave this place before they call the police on us. Go ahead and pack them quickly, he ordered his boys.
He was inspecting the house to see what he needed to carry when he suddenly caught sight of Sam's portrait that was hung on the wall of the living room. He wanted to take his eyes off it but the face he saw in the portrait seemed familiar. Moving a little closer to it, he scrutinized the portrait, the faces of some people he'd met with appearing one by one in his mind, yet he couldn't tell where he met the fellow.
Disturbed, he slumped into the living room sofa and scratched his head, exclaiming oh as he continued scratching his head aggressively.
Capone, wetin dey sup? (Capone, what is the matter?), one of his men asked.
As he looked at the portrait again from the sofa, he remembered an incident that happened some years back. He'd broken into a grocery store and stolen a loaf of bread because he was famished and the angry mob was about to execute jungle justice against him by setting him ablaze despite his pleas. He was exonerated because the man intervened by pacifying the angry mob and paying for the bread too.
Yes it was this man who made me live. Boys, we're in the wrong place. Do not take anything from this house. We leave immediately. Do you understand me? He commanded.
Yes, boss chorused his juniors as they quickly ran out of the house.
Sam didn't want to hesitate any longer in the safe room before coming out, even though his wife tried to hold him back. He was privy to their conversations and he knew certainly that they were gone because he too remembered that incident.