The Knock That Ruined Everything
Genre: Nigerian Neighborhood Comedy
Power Up
It was about 4 pm in the evening and there was power supply, which made many people sit indoors watching the news or the latest movie. This was one of those compounds in a slum in the city of Port Harcourt, one of the southern states in Nigeria. Port Harcourt is an oil-rich state that boasts of much infrastructure, with oil companies in every inch of the state vying for what people called the black gold. The compound had eight rooms — four on either side, facing each other. Port Harcourt is a very rich city, even richer than California in the United States. It could have been a destination for foreigners and tourists wanting to see the marvels such a city produces, but alas, it turned out to be a city of slums and gangsters.
That day when the power came on, everyone was shouting. It had been more than six months since the people last saw electricity, and yet through all those months of darkness, the electricity bills kept coming and people had no choice but to pay. So when power returned, those who had televisions hurried inside to watch the latest movie or listen to the news.
Sunny and Dick
Dick and Sunny were two mischievous kids who took advantage of the moment, since everyone had gone indoors. They used it to cause trouble in the neighbourhood. That day they were passing through this particular compound, planning their next trick. Every door was closed, and as they reached the last door on the right-hand side of the passage — with each door facing the other — they both froze and listened hard, because they heard a voice inside the room. The voice was scared and pleading. The two kids looked at each other and grinned, pressing their ears to the door to listen.
Now, Dick was the only son of his parents. From the age of five he had been stubborn, disrespecting people at every turn, and now at fifteen it had only gotten worse. He had a big head, big eyes, and a mouth as wide as a crocodile's. He was short with a stout body. Sunny was skinny with a perfect face and look. He was tall, and when he smiled, it melted people's hearts.
Sunny stood by the door opposite the one they had heard the frantic pleading from. Pressing their ears close, they heard a woman's voice. "I can't take it anymore. It hurts — please stop."
They could hear her breathing hard. Then a desperate male voice, which they recognised as Randy's — a short man with a stingy nature — said to her, "Please, just hold on a little longer and it will go in. Please."
"No," her voice came out sharply. "That is too big. I can't take it anymore."
"Calm down, please. Just endure — it will go in soon."
"No. I can see blood. That is not what you told me. Please, I can't."
"Relax, I beg you. Don't leave me like this. I promise I will do anything for you — mention whatever you want and I will do it."
"Are you sure?" she asked him.
They could hear Randy's relieved breath as he said, "I swear it on my ancestors — I will give you whatever you want."
The Knock
The two kids grinned. They took a few cautious steps back, and when they were sure he wouldn't hear them, Dick said, "That man is wicked. We need to save the lady inside."
"That is adult stuff," Sunny said, grinning. "How do we save her?"
"That is a problem," Dick said, scratching his head. "How about we knock?"
"I get it," Sunny said, grinning wider. "We knock and run away before he opens the door."
The two kids agreed, and big grins split their lips. They moved silently to the door and gave it a hard knock. At first there was no answer, so they knocked again. This time they heard the lady's voice. "I'm in trouble — someone is here." And Randy could be heard reassuring her. "Just calm down," he said, then raised his voice. "Who is there?"
But the two kids just clamped their hands over their mouths and grinned hard, not answering him. When he tried to start again, they knocked harder, bringing down a little dust from the frame.
"WHO IS THERE?" he roared, swearing with words that could make a pastor cry at the pulpit. "If I get that person," he swore, "I will deal with you."
The two kids had already run away by the time he opened the door and found no one. He let out a nasty snarl. "Today I will commit murder," he growled, stepping back into his room. The lady had already dressed and was about to leave. He couldn't believe his eyes. You could feel the anger rolling off him. He tried to calm himself as he begged her. "Please don't go. There was no one."
"I'm sorry, I have to go. Besides, I can't bear the pain." And with that, she left him — high, cold, and dry.
Randy's Fury
A few moments later he was sitting in front of his door, talking to himself about missed opportunity. He had been chasing this girl for three months, and when he finally got the green light, some fools had spoiled it. He shook his head and balled his fist, slamming it into his palm. "If I catch who knocked my door," he muttered, "teeth will be surplus on the ground. This is wickedness. How can they spoil my chance? Now look — what makes me a man is still rising and wanting to be settled."
At that moment, he saw Sunny coming down the passage. He rushed at him, grabbing him by his shirt with a nasty grin, spittle flying all over Sunny's face. He clenched his teeth, and Sunny could feel his hand trembling as it moved slowly toward his neck. After a few deep breaths, he controlled himself and asked, "Are you the one who knocked my door?"
"No," Sunny lied with a straight face. "As you can see, I'm just coming in now."
"Did you see anyone as you were coming?" he asked Sunny, controlling the murder in his eyes with such effort that birds perched on a nearby pole took flight in alarm from the heat of his anger.
"I suspect you," he said through clenched teeth.
"Of what?" Sunny asked, looking innocent.
"Don't deny it. I have no evidence, or you would have had it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sunny said, shrugging his shoulders and trying to remove Randy's hand from his shirt.
"I will get you one of these days," Randy said, letting him go.
Sunny hurried to his house and when he was sure he was alone and couldn't be heard, he burst into laughter, holding his stomach. It had been so close — he had almost laughed when he saw the angry look on Randy's face, but he had held it together, knowing one mistake would have meant blue murder.
Drinks and Grievances
That evening, Randy and his friends were sitting in the compound common room drinking. They all noticed Randy was drinking like a drowning man. "My guy, you need to calm down," one of his friends named Alister said, trying to take the bottle from his hand, but Randy held it firmly, not letting go.
"Come on, Randy. What is the matter with you?" Barry, another friend, asked him.
"Those kids — I swear I will kill them. How could they do this to me?" Randy said, looking at his friends.
"Now, it hasn't come to that," Barry said, glancing at Alister who shook his head. "What happened?"
"They ruined my show," Randy said, taking a swig from the bottle. His two friends sat there not sure what he meant. The air was cold and there was no longer any power supply — they had taken it back just a few hours after it came on. Everyone was sitting outside trying to catch the cool air.
"What show?" Alister asked.
"I was having a go with Benita. You know I have been chasing her for three months now?"
"Yeah," both friends said, nodding.
"Well, we were indoors, getting things started, and it turned out she is innocent."
"Wow, man — you've got a record now," Barry said, beaming. "You broke an egg, eh?"
"It never came to that," Randy said, his hand twitching. He had just spotted Sunny and Dick sitting a short distance away, laughing and glancing over at him. He pretended he wasn't watching, but subtly turned his head to observe them. Dick was mimicking a girl in distress, and he could have sworn he heard Sunny pleading to have a go. He tried to stand, but his friends stopped him.
"What is it, man? You have murder in your eyes," Alister said.
"Those kids," Randy said. He inhaled a huge gulp of air and then exhaled slowly. "I'm going to strangle them."
"Who?" Alister asked.
"Sunny and Dick," Randy said.
The Soldiers
The two friends looked over at the kids, who were both laughing. "What did they do?" Barry asked.
"They knocked my door and ran away, and when I got back inside, she changed her mind and left."
The two friends hissed. They knew what it felt like to be left high and dry. They turned to look at the kids, who were now laughing hard and turning every head in the compound — but they didn't mind. They were looking at something specific and pointing, still laughing. Barry followed their gaze and took a step back, quietly keeping his distance from Randy, who was inching slowly toward the kids.
"Are those soldiers?" Alister asked, noticing about ten soldiers heading their way with a girl among them.
Randy stopped and looked in the direction Alister was nodding at. He blinked and looked again. It was Benita — but why was she with soldiers? He tried to remember anything about her but couldn't. He watched as the soldiers reached the kids and asked them something, and they both turned and pointed him out, still laughing. He looked back at his friends, only to find they had both already run away. That was when the drink he had been consuming hit him all at once, and before he could run, a heavy fist slammed into his stomach. He doubled over, vomiting.
"You get the mind to tarnish our sister's image," one of the soldiers said, dragging him by his trousers.
All Randy could hear — and vow to avenge once he got free — was the sound of the two kids laughing and mimicking his humiliation.
The Ledger of the Damned
"When hunger speaks, the soul stays silent."
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The Gnawing Hunger →
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The Breaking Point →
When the walls close in and the money runs dry, the man who emerges from the shadows isn't the same one who went in.
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