CHRONICLES OF A COMMON MAN


Police man: Move, I say move, u this bloody civilian. You will rut and die here if possible. You court case is in 6months time, ok.

Siju pleads as he his beaten into a cell containing 2 other inmates

Siju: Please sir, please. I am not the one that killed the officer, ha …ha .ha..ye

Police man: you had better shut up before I padlock your lying tongue (at this time the police man is locking the gate of the cell using a padlock.) as I said earlier your are in court 6 month from now.

Song

CELL
Inmate1: what is your name? I am talking to you. (siju looks in his direction)

Siju: you mean me?

Inmate 2: no he was talking to me, FOOL. Who else would he be talking to?
Ehen,,, how many of us they here?……

Inmate 1: wetin be you name, abi we plenty pass we wey dey here?

Siju: (with fear)….. siju,,,,.. sijuade

Inmate: wetin bring you caome kalakuta? You still? or you kill person?….wetin be the original thing. just tell us the truth, we be your first judge (they both laugh)….

Siju: ….it is … a long story. yes,… a very long story.

Inmate 1: who told you that ours is a short story like that of wole soyinka or shakespare (both laugh).

Inmate 2: look we have being here for over 7years awaiting trail for taking what does not belong to us… I mean we stole….f rom …

Inmate 1:… I will not take that …..ehn… don’t start again. The man was only careless and foolish, we where smarter than him. So? He was a greedy one too….

Inmate 2: I hear you. Siju what bring you here?

Siju: should I say I am sorry for learning that you have being here for 7 yrs awaiting you trial.


Inmate2: yes we are in Nigeria. Anything can happen. Tell us wha happened to you.

Siju: it started when I was a kid. My parent never had my time because they always quarrel and fight at easy. As a young boy growing I was scared and ran out of the house whenever they are fighting. There was this day my father nearly killed my mother with a mortar, I ran out and did not return until it was night. Getting home at night my mother was nowhere to be found, my father had sent her packing in the afternoon. Really I taught she ran away, but my neighbor told me all that happened after I ran out. 3months later my father married another wife. I was barely 9yrs, I just finished my common entrance waiting to gain admission into secondary school. This part I call the DOOM. My stepmother was not a mother at all. She came with her own kids and made sure my father liked her children more than me. She made sure he did not pay for my school fess again and also stopped him from giving me pocket money. This did not allow me sit for my junior WAEC. Then I was no good in the eye of my father. There was this day my father was looking for some money and a pendant he bought when he traveled to England…….em lets do it like this, you be my father (inmate 1) and you my stepmother (inmate 2).

HOUSE

Father: yes, where is everybody?

Stepmother: bola, biodun and owolabi are having their siesta.

Father: I am looking for my money and my gold pandant.

Stepmother: ask him I saw him beside your wardrobe, he his the one that stole it…. Ask him what he was doing, I caught him red handed, like this.

Father: ……….ehen, so you have become a thief now abi? I will kill you myself. With all I have being doing for you. You this bastard, good for nothing idiot, you want to resemble you mother abi?

Siju: no daddy… I did not take anything….pls ssir, pls sir….

He bits him till he runs inside the cell which should paint a picture that he ran out of the house.then the father and stepmpther joins him immediatels as inmates.

CELL

Siju: since I did not know where my mother was. I had to leave under the bridge of Lagos, where I had to find a source for living. I never bothered looking for my mother because she never cared to know how I was doing. So I hacked the street of Lagos, trying to make living form pure water and sometimes oranges. When I was finding it difficult to feed, I started the job of a bus conductor. One day at the bus top I was call-in passenger…


Siju: agege pen cinema…. Agege pen cinema, wole pelu change e o no change o. a bag was snatched and tossed in my direction. I caught the bag and hid it under my shirt. The guys involved then came to me and gave me some share of the money. I was happy and say so much money with little stress done. So I decided to join them. After so many success full operations we did, from stealing of pus and bags to robbing of shops, houses and also banks. What broke the camels back was the day my friend was apprehended by the police and I did not know. You be the policeman and you my frined.

Friend: siju bobo, siju bobob jooooo..oooo, oti po ju.

Siju: weda lomo. Ladugbo mi ti tin yo wan tun lon yowo sebi, ladugbomi tin tin yo. Wo ti po to kan lo se fotokopi wa.

Policeman: ehen, you are under arrest come out here now.

Siju: ye ye . o set me up. Dapo o set me up. Ehen officer ba wo loshey ma je.

Policman: you are arrested for advance free fraud known as 419.

Siju: olopa, …if na that won, we no dey return mugu money o. at all, at all. Ha. Emi o le da owo mugun pada o. olopa see , your share is .5 …. 500,000.

Policeman: ehen . sshssshhhhhhh. Ehen lets go and settle it, oya.

Siju: that was how we escaped the police that day. It was just luck.
They walk back into the cell.

Siju: it came to this time in my life that I was tired of the way I was living. Though I was comfortable but I had something in me telling me what I am doing was wrong. Then came this preacher. He said I should ne norn again and I was. I gave my life to Christ, yes but things where to tight. All I was hearing was I should pay my tight, and sow to the house of God. I hardly eat because there was no source of income again. Garri was all I use to take. I tried getting a job but I could not, so I went to bro Festus church deacons for assistance. Lets do it this way now. Both of you are the deacon.


IN CHURCH

Deacon: God is in control bro. Siju. He his the one that owns a thousand cattle on the hill will he not provide for you. He said seek first his kingdom and all other shall be added on to you. His eyes are on the sparrow he cannot forget you fir he watches over you. Don’t give it a taught on what you shall eat for he will provide it. He his JEHOVAH ELSHADIA. He shall supply all you need according to his riches in Christ Jesus. Has he said a thing that he will not do it? He will.

Deacon 2: so bro siju God is capable of turning thing around. He has done it before in the case of prophet Elijah he can do it again. But concerning the job we shall tell other deacon, I am positive they shall have something to do.

Siju: I have not eaten since yesterday deacon……

Deacon: let us see you off so we can attend to others that came for coounselling to.

They walk back to the cell.

Siju: I was fed up with this new life of mine. As I was thinking a friend of mine ran to me and told me of a job for that nite, that they where counting on me. I decided to go. As we stepped out with our loots we fell into the hand of the police. We fought back … but in the process I killed one policeman but they killed every body in the gang.
Really that is what brought me here.


6 months later

COURT
Court clerk: court!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Judge: this is my judgment, Mr. Siju you have being sentence to death by hanging. I rise.


End

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