Yemisi
Bonn, Germany

Blast! Damn and blast! Holy grail! What the heck was this situation?!

This isn't the moment to land into trouble with a fish farmer especially when my husband is in a sexually conducive atmosphere with Irene. If I waste too much time trying to get the informant out of the silo, something regrettable might go down between Chris and that wench.

What if Irene would only fall asleep if she made Christopher have sex with her? Yes, the plan was to spike Irene's drink with a sleeping pill so they could carry out a pregnancy test on her but all that needed to be done for that to happen was to build up the mood not engage in the act.

But with this grizzly, temperamental man? I know I'm in for it.

"Aren't ye going ter answer my question?!" the farmer yelled as he moved closer, pointing the light of his torch directly into my eyeballs, The rain was falling through. I could see it clearly in the light and of course, it was still falling heavily through my clothes.

I held on firmly to the mud before me which served as the land demarcation. The pond was a bit deeper than it looked. I tried to get out of the pond because I couldn't stand those bloody tilapias hovering obnoxiously over my body.

But the farmer was yelling at me and demanding answers so I couldn't focus properly on trying to get out of the pond. Fear overruled my reasoning so when I opened my mouth to utter a few words, I gulped a mouthful of fish water which must contain, (I wish not to imagine) some elements of fish poo and miscellaneous fishy jargon.

I climbed harder with the resolve to stay afloat and my attempt was successful at last.

"I swear mister, I have no business with stealing any of your fishes. I'm a lawyer in search of an informant who has been kidnapped on your premises. The premises of your fish pond."

"Huh? Are ye now sayin' that I kidnapped someone? Look, miss, if ye will confess and tell me that ye are hungry and in need of fish, I will let ye have some. Homeless people like ye come very often to steal my fish. Don't be like 'em and tell me da truth."

"You think I'm homeless?" I pressed my fingers harder into the mud and slowly brought my feet up till I was able to get out of the pond. "If I intended to steal your fish, I would have told you an easy lie or a cheap story. That is what thieves do but my reason is detailed enough. I couldn't have thought of that reason right on the spot of being caught if I planned to steal. My reason explains why I'm here."

"No, it don't. I'm glad I found ye stuck inside my pond because ye were clearly trying to grab a 'old of 'em tilapias."

Face-palming mentally, I can't believe that I am having to deal with this right now. What was always the matter with old people and over-scrutinizing every situation? Why was it so hard for him to believe me? I desperately have to know if the informant is there or not so I can get back to my husband.

By the way, tomorrow is Gifty's birthday and whatever I make do with this situation will determine if I would be able to wish her a happy birthday or not. A lot was at stake. I'm wondering if it would even be okay to let him know that I'm not alone. Would that heighten his suspicions or scare him?

"Sir, I—"

"Shush. Don't try too hard miss. I know what to do with people like ye. Come with me!" he moved closer.

The rain had started to subside. It no longer fell in torrents. This was the point where I thought it perfect to pull out my gun because I was clueless as to what this man was going to do to me. But I hesitated, not sure if that was the right thing to do at the moment since he already had a bad impression of me but at the same time, I didn't want to look helpless because it would only affirm his assumption that I was a homeless lady in need of anything to eat.

I made the final decision to simply cooperate.

Albert would be out anytime soon. He's my only hope now. If the farmer sees him, he'd probably believe me. So, I followed the old man slowly to wherever he was leading me. He made me walk in front of him of course.

We had almost reached the front door of his bungalow when I heard footsteps crushing on nylon and empty bags which produced a kind of rustling sound that was unusual from the common rustling of trees or fallen leaves.

The footsteps didn't belong to one person. I was sure of that.

I stopped moving and that made the old man stop too. When I turned, I saw Albert coming out of the silo with another guy whose left arm was draped over his shoulder. Albert was holding the guy steadily because he had lost his stamina and was unable to move his legs.

Albert had found the informant. Praise Jesus!

"Ma'am—" Albert stopped talking when he saw the old man behind me. The old man frowned.

"What is all of this supposed to mean?" his eyes shone in fear and disbelief upon realizing that someone was truly hidden inside the silo but what he said afterward frustrated me. "Oh...so ye came with yer accomplice to make the stealing easier yeah? What is this game ye are playing with me?"

What the hell is wrong with this man? Why does he keep making unthinkable assumptions? Is he even listening to the things he's saying?

"Sir...someone was kidnapped and the chances that he was held captive in the premises of your fish pond are not slim. I don't understand why you find it so hard to believe that. If you weren't so careless with your fishes, those homeless people you speak about won't come around very often to steal. Your fish pond arena wouldn't be an avenue for abduction—"

"And that is exactly why I'm going ter deal with the three of ye because ye are trying to put me in trouble and I ain't gonna let that 'appen."

Oh, God.

Had I expressed myself in the wrong way? I had but this man was being so obtuse.  He thought me a thief and a filthy, homeless woman and wouldn't let me explain myself in the way I wished to. Even after seeing Albert with the informant, he went on to assume something so insane.

How was having Albert by my side going to help my 'theft scheme'? It made no sense what he made out of that situation and I was sure the old man saw me jump into the pond immediately after he yelled at me.

But I knew there was no point in staying mad at the fish farmer's insane manner of thinking. What else can I say to convince this man that I didn't give a damn about his fishes? I didn't want to explain my entire story to him because he didn't deserve to know it but at that point, I didn't have any other option.

But before I could say more than necessary, Albert, the informant and myself found ourselves inside the farmer's cottage. His extremely, dusty cottage.

***

The punishment was to clean his house and it was ten times difficult than we could have ever imagined. Jesus, how did he ever live here without contacting a major respiratory ailment?

The informant was very feeble and was incapable of doing the insane chores that Albert and I were forced to do. The farmer saw this but adamantly chose to remain skeptical enough to think that it was all an act.

Thankfully, Albert had had a conversation with the informant before getting him out of the silo and he was able to establish the fact that Irene's Dad was dead which automatically meant that Irene had no right to be around my husband.

The most important thing however was telling Christopher about my discovery but the fact that the informant's phone had been snatched by Irene's men and Albert and I didn't have our phones with us was my biggest concern.

"Is that old bugger capable of having a cellphone?" I whispered, dusting a heap of sand off the curtains with a long broom. Albert was dusting the sofas that reeked of urine.

"Yes, I'm sure of what I'm saying. I saw a burner on the living room table when he forced us in."

"How are we going to make use of it?"

"If he falls asleep?"

"He won't fall asleep, Albert. Don't forget that we are thieves, " I rolled off the sweat from my forehead to stop it from falling to my neck. "I don't think we need to worry about how we are going to use it any longer. I'm not taking any precautions. It's time for us to show this man who we are. Just bring the informant with you."

I dropped the broom. Albert was reassured by my statement probably because he knew what I meant. When we got to the living room, we didn't see the farmer. We didn't have to look around before spotting the burner by the side table. Quickly, I picked it up, biting my lip.

I flipped the burner open and pressed a button that I believed would start the phone. I punched in hard but the burner wouldn't come on. Anxiously, I dropped the phone. Albert's expectant eyes dimmed.

"What are ye doing near my phone?!"

Immediately I heard the fish farmer's voice, I tried my best not to hide or say a word talk more of coming up with a vain, flimsy excuse. Instead, I pulled out my gun from my pocket as I planned and rested my hand on the trigger, pointing it directly at the man, and immediately, he fell on his knees, trembling and wide-eyed.

He looked so scared that it started to make ms wish I had pulled out my gun when he started to harass me out in the ponds. I should have shown him instantly that I was no homeless woman.

"I...I'm just a farmer trying ter survive. Please don't shoot me, " he started to cry in the literal sense of the word with saliva bathing his lips.

"Don't tell me what to do with that irritating accent of yours, old punk. If I decide to blow your skull away, I will. I don't care how delicate or pitiful you portray yourself to be."

I was enjoying every bit of the moment. It felt very good to tell wonderful lies that scared the living daylight out of the old geezer. He deserved it though. Thinking of how he wasted my precious time and delayed the movement of my plans, and the idea that Irene has probably engaged my husband sexually started to make me want to shoot him for real.

"Now, stand up and open the damn door. I'm right behind you and my index finger is still lingering around the trigger, ready to pull it if you do something silly."

Albert was behind me with the informant who had regained a good amount of his stamina now and was able to walk on his own with little help needed. The old man rose with shaky hands and a shaky movement as he proceeded to open the door that led us out of the cottage.

We moved out. I shut the door loudly in the farmer's face and immediately, the three of us ran out of the fish pond and its surroundings. So much time had passed by because the rain had stopped falling completely and the night was already upon us.

I heaved a sigh of relief only when we got to Albert's car and I found my phone right on the seat I sat. Quickly, I tried to text him about the information update but my message suddenly could not be sent for reasons unknown to me.

I was sure it was already midnight because we had worked at that dusty cottage for hours so I decided to call my daughter to wish her a happy birthday. Yes, I was worried about Christopher but this should be a moment where I'm supposed to trust him. He wouldn't let Irene have her way. I should make a conscious effort to be sure about it.

"Hello? Gifty...are you there?" once she received the call, I immediately became enthusiastic for that moment.

"y-yes, " she answered in a not-so-bright way.

"Are you okay? Are you not happy about today?"

"I am."

"This was the same vibe you gave the last time we spoke. What's bothering you? Is it Zion? Or you wished I were around for your birthday? Is it school?"

"I'm okay, mum. I—"

My phone vibrated against my ear. When I checked the screen, I saw that it was a message from Christopher. My message was finally able to send. Whatever it was, I was very curious to know.

"I have to go now love. Talk to you later."

I clicked on the message and it read:

We won.