KARMA'S LOVE - Episode 12

Juwon changed the stations on the TV distractedly. He tried to be involved in the football game showing on TV but he couldn’t be. All he wanted was for his wife and children to go to bed but he knew if he told them to go sleep, his bitch of a wife would cry bloody murder and make sure all the neighbours knew that he had done something wrong.

The crazy woman could create drama and disaster out of a simple matter. He couldn’t believe he had managed to remain married to her for the past 12 years. At the time he met her, she had been 16 years old, hot, young and beautiful. She had also being a virgin and he hadn’t been able to help himself from her. It hadn’t mattered that he was almost 14 years older than her.

Before he could say Jack Robinson, the brainless air head was pregnant and her parents had gone about reporting him to everyone. His parents had been desperate to save themselves from shame and had insisted he marry her or they would cut him off permanently. Since he wasn’t working then and had no intention of going to get a job, he had agreed and married her.

Of course it turned out to be a mistake almost from the beginning. He could immediately tell she had no home training, she was very dirty and could not take care of anything, she also liked to gossip a lot. Within their first 4 years of marriage, they had fought huge fights and she had moved out almost 6 times. His parents always brought her back though because of the mere fact that she was always pregnant every time.

12 years of marriage and they had 6 children already. He could barely remember a time when she wasn’t pregnant. The things that had made him marry her, her hot sexy body, her firm, young breasts, her supple buttocks and her tight vagina had all been eviscerated by her constant pregnancy and childbirth.
At this point, she had stopped caring about looking good or being classy. She had no training or real education and she was just one more tacky, wrapper-tieing, children carrying housewife. He didn’t care anymore and she didn’t matter to him. The only things that he enjoyed about his marriage were his children and the happiness that those children brought to his parents.

He knew it was the existence of these children that made his parents continue to finance his lifestyle so he could at least appreciate something about the crazy woman he had married. Of course, with the healthy allowance he received from his parents, he was able to keep a few other women who would attend to the needs that his always pregnant wife could not fulfil.

Juwon: “Aren’t the children supposed to be in bed at this time?” He asked when his youngest child, 6 months old Abigail poured her fruit juice on the couch where she sat. Her older ones were all scattered all over the sitting room in one trouble causing position or the other.

Biodun: “What is your own? Please, watch your TV and leave my children alone. They are in their father’s house, if you don’t like it, go to your father’s house!”

Juwon: “Isn’t this what I’m always complaining about? You don’t have the brains God gave a chicken!!” He shouted, startling his children who quickly huddled together like they always did when their parents fought.

Biodun: “Don’t shout at me oh! I’m not your child, mad man!”

Juwon held his nose with thumb and fore finger and tried to calm down. Biodun was created to drive him mad, he was very sure. He decided to drop the issue before the fight would distract him. With her, there was no winning, she was always ready for a fight, no matter what. He needed to be composed or this would drag out longer than it needed to.

He hissed and concentrated on the TV gain. He had brought home 10 million naira he had managed to siphon from his father’s company with the help of his father’s accountant. He had to divide the money 70:30 and he couldn’t trust anyone else with the job.

If he continued to fight with Biodun, she would manage to lengthen the conversation and if he left her impatiently, she would follow him about until she found out exactly what he was up to. So, he kept quiet and waited for her madness to run its course. That money was meant to be his insurance for whenever his father decided to carry out his promise to stop funding him and his family.

They were all still downstairs 30 minutes later when they heard a knock at the door. Their maid, Kudi quickly ran to get the door. Immediately she opened the door, there was a scream followed by a muffled sound and then 7 men dressed all in black from their boots to their face masks and caps, holding heavy guns burst into the sitting room.



Robber 1: “Down on your face, now!! Now!!” They shouted as Juwon, his wife and children dropped to their faces on the floor except his youngest Abigail, who fearlessly looked at the men.

Robber 2: “Where is the money? Where is it?” When Juwon didn’t answer, one of them dragged him up to face his scary face.

Robber 3: “Where is the money?” The one Juwon felt was the Leader asked him

Juwon: He shook his head quickly, hoping to bluff his way through this. He had no intention of dropping his hard earned money for anyone. “I don’t…. I swear I don’t…..no money, please”.

Robber 4:“Where is the money, madam?”From the floor, his wife screamed as he slapped her on the butt.

Biodun: “Sir, we don’t have money, I swear! Please believe us!” She cried, her voice muffled by the floor.

Leader/ Robber 3: “Eh ehn? You think we are here for play, right? They think say na play we come for! Burger, fire away!” He ordered one of them holding a gun.

Juwon wasn’t sure if they were trying to scare him with that order but before he could decide either way, he saw the guy who was called Burger level his gun and fire away.

His wife and children screamed when the gunshot sounded and he turned around to see where the bullet had gone. He saw then what was apparently the remains of his daughter, Abigail, half her head blown off. He screamed. His wife heard the scream and looked up, only to see her daughter’s body and she started screaming.

When the men tried to calm her down and she refused to stop screaming or be consoled, they fired another shot, this time at their 7 year old son. His wife stopped screaming immediately and crawled as she grabbed her son.

Biodun: “Ire! Ire!” She screamed as she cradled her son to her chest, his blood seeping into her clothes. His other children started crying.

Juwon was dazed and in shock. He couldn’t believe they could shoot two of his children dead over money.

Leader: “Where is the money?

Biodun: “You evil men! We have no money! You killed my children for nothing! God will punish you!!”

Leader: “I will shoot another person.” He said to Juwon over Biodun’s ranting. “Tell me where the money is.”

Biodun: “We have…..”

Juwon: “It’s in the garage! Please, don’t shoot again, it’s in the garage! Inside the trunk of my old car in the garage!” He begged, tears leaking from his eyes.

Biodun: “So, you had money in this house?!” She screamed as she dropped her dead son and grabbed his head. “You bastard, you killed my children!! Mo gbe oh, Juwon ti pami!!”

Leader: “Stop it! You…”he pointed with his gun at Juwon “……follow them and get the money out.”

Juwon pushed the crying Biodun from himself and in shock, led the two robbers to the garage where he opened the trunk of the old chevy he put there and gave them the 10 million naira stored in two bags. When the men got back to the sitting room, they opened the bags and after agreeing that the moneywas indeed how it should be, they nodded to their boss.

Leader: “You know say you be bastard like your wife talk?” He said to Juwon. “You get the money, you con dey waste our time? Guys, finish this guy children, make we go.” He told his cohorts as he left the house carrying one bag.

His wife screamed as the rest of them started shooting his family. They left immediately they were done and he rushed over to his eldest child who was still groaning from the gunshot in his belly. He started crying as he grabbed his phone and tried to dial the police. His hands were shaking and his bloody fingers slid off his touch screen phone.

When he finally managed to dial the number, his voice shook so badly, he could not answer the dispatcher when they asked him what his address was. “Help….please…..God, please, p…….please help, us!”

…………………………………………………………………………..

Nelson walked out of the church angry and upset. How could the Pastor tell him that? How could the Pastor treat him like he was sinner or something? He had made all his money legally! He had never scammed anybody in his life and he was not a criminal. How dare that ridiculous Pastor tell him that he saw a revelation from God telling him that he, Nelson had done something evil to another person in his past.

He stood for a minute in front of the church looking for his wife and children who had come outside over an hour ago when the service had ended while he waited to see the Pastor. As he stood, he saw some people eyeing him in funny ways, refusing to approach him for their usual sycophantic greetings.

Of course, he realised the reason. His circumstances had changed. He, who used to come to church with different cars every Sunday could now be seen walking into the church premises. He had sold all 3 of his cars and the 2 cars his wife used to pay back a bank loan he wouldn’t have collected in the first place if he had an inkling about how things were going to turn out.

He picked his phone out of his pocket to call his wife but he realised as he dialled the number that he didn’t have any credit. He hissed in anger as he stared around the church grounds. He saw them then, standing by the gate waiting for him. He quickly walked in their direction.

Seun: “Where have you been? We have been standing in the sun waiting for you!” She cried.

Nelson: “Didn’t I tell you the Pastor said he wanted to see me? That’s where I’ve been.” He said as he scooped up Evans into his hands. “Lets go!”

Seun: “Erm, what did Pastor say? Did he pray for you?”

Nelson: “No, he told me bull crap. That’s all he said!”

Seun: “Haha! Pastor Jim??! That doesn’t sound like him at all oh!”

Nelson: “Would I lie against him?” He asked as they got on the road and he hailed a keke Napep.

Seun: “But, Nelson, Pastor Jim is a man of God, I believe whatever he said is revealed from God most high. He works with the Holy Spirit.”

Nelson: “I used to think so too but the Holy Spirit isn’t always right, is it?”

Seun: “Nelson, that’s blasphemy! What exactly did he say?”

Nelson: “He said God told him I did something evil in my past.”

Seun: “What? Pastor Jim said that?”

Nelson: “Oh oooooo! Didn’t I tell you?”

Seun: “But…..when did he say you did this evil?”

Nelson: “Who knows for him and his holy spirit?”

Seun kept quiet till they got home. She spent the whole afternoon ruminating. She cooked, served, cleaned, ironed and prepared for the new week but she couldn’t let go off what her husband had told her after the service. She had known Pastor Jim for 9 years and in all that time, she had never heard that he gave any false revelations so she was inclined to believe whatever he said was true.

When she met her husband at the former church they had being going 16 years ago, she had known there were some things he was working on at the time. He was a struggling Christian who still womanised, drank heavily and went to clubs. With help and prayers, he had finally let go off those bad things and become the exclusively serious and dedicated husband that he was.

What if he had done something wrong that time when he was in the world and didn’t remember? She made up her mind that she was going to visit Pastor Jim during the week and inquire from him what he told her husband.

Oh dear! Innocent children again!