Ella and Yosef were the only two people I trusted the most in the entire world other than Nene. I introduced her to them when I saw things were getting serious. Yosef kicked against it but Ella was in full support. I wasn't expecting less from Yosef. I knew he was like that. He always wanted to follow the rules and he always have. After a while, he finally decided to be friends with Nene. Ella on the other hand, didn't find it hard to connect with Nene and to my surprise, it became impossible to separate the two. They became best of friends and did mostly everything together. I was glad that happened anyway. It was hard to have the most important people in your life to be at odds with each other especially when they are women. The troubles would be unbearable.
After I got back from my mission days ago, they had called me to inform me about their visit. I was glad they were coming around because I already heard back from Kareem and I have been very worried about what he told me. I wasn't sure how I would lay out my suspicions about the director without enough evidence but now that was a different situation entirely because to my knowledge, the director was not someone to be trusted. I was ready to talk to them once Nene was absent. Right now, it was hard to get rid of her. She was not going to leave anytime soon because of her gossip with Ella.
"Did you get the flowers?" Ella asked as she turned to look at me.
"Uhmm...yeah. Yeah, I did," I replied slowly. I wasn't really paying attention to anything they were saying.
"So, the flower was your idea?" Nene asked Ella.
"Of course, it was. Adam is a little too shy when it comes to expressing feelings," Ella said teasingly.
"Oh... I am aware of that and it makes things even sexier."
I just smiled to Nene's comment. I wasn't the kind of guy who talks when I had company with my woman. I always preferred we were alone. Nene, however was the complete opposite.
Nene continued, "Well, he hasn't been shy since he got back. He just won't let me leave the bed."
I was completely dumbfounded to hear her say that. I just gazed downward. It wasn't the first time she had said that in the midst of my friends especially when Ella was around. Yosef just looked irritated while Ella just laughed.
"Come on.....hell no, woman. That's too much information," Yosef said glaring at Nene with narrowed eyes.
Nene and Ella just laughed and I was unaware how this conversation was fun. I loved to keep things private but with these two in my life, that was utterly impossible. I just sat there without uttering a word. My focus was far away from the edge of the world. After a couple of minutes, Nene called my name. I wasn't sure how their conversation led to my name because I wasn't even listening anymore.
"Uhmmm," I just jerked up forcing a smile immediately.
"Let me cook something for them. I will be back to join you guys once I am done."
"Okay," I said as I smiled back at her.
"Uhmm you guys continue. Let me join her in the kitchen," Ella said.
"Heyyy....uhmmm sweetheart, do you mind if I just borrow Ella for a couple of minutes? I promise she will join you soon," I said as Ella and Nene were about to take there leave. Ella just looked at me with such quizzical eyes, surprised at my request.
"Alright," said Nene as she took her leave.
Ella sat back down with her gaze focused on me with such curiosity in her eyes. I was sure she would have had a million guesses even before I started talking. I sat down there silently for a couple of seconds to make sure Nene was far away from where we were sitting.
"What's wrong?" Yosef asked.
I hesitated to speak up and immediately, Ella took the floor.
"I knew it......she's pregnant," she said bluntly.
The shock on my face was not in any way comparable to being surprised. It was a mixed feeling of both amazed and disappointed. I just slammed my hand on my face. It was Ella and her imagination was unlike that of any normal human.
"What?!" Yosef shouted without raising his voice.
"Is she....." Yosef continued but I shut him up quickly before he completed his sentence.
"Noooo....oh God. Ella, get a grip of yourself."
"Are you trying to propose or what?" Ella said again.
"Ella?! Can you please just listen? I am the one who wants to talk to you guys. Stop making up crazy ideas, okay?" I said furiously as I turned to her.
"Well, you have been disoriented since we got here and you barely even looked up. What could have made you so nervous other than that?" Ella continued.
I just scoffed at her as I moved closer to them adjusting myself on my seat.
"It's about the director," I whispered.
The word 'director' made Yosef and Ella took a slow glance at each other before they turned back to face me. Yosef readjusted himself on his seat and Ella just bent her head downward. I knew exactly what they were thinking at that moment.
"Guys, it's not about my hatred for him that is the concern, okay? I found something you guys will love to hear about."
The expression on their faces made it assuring that they weren't ready to listen to me. I just didn't care about that so I just continued.
"I understand we are not at liberty to discuss our missions with one another but I think you will want to hear this. I am being serious and I really need you guys to make sense of what I know."
Ella took a deep breath before turning to look at Yosef. Yosef was a man of few words, obviously but his expression always says more than what he spoke. I was sure he was pissed to hear me bring up issues about the director again especially after what happened the last time I spoke about the director. He got angry and we got into a fight. He however, made me promise I wouldn't bring up such issues again. I tried as much as possible to avoid looking at him directly but I could feel the heat of the icy stare he had on me.
"Okay, conspiracy hunter. Five minutes......"
"That is too much. Two would do," I said interrupting Yosef before he finished talking.
I started to lay out my suspicions, "For the past six months, my targets has been political heads."
"And when is that a problem?" Yosef said furiously.
"Let me finish, Yosef. Senator Bash, Senator Jude, Senator Ikemba and Senator Kofoworola all in the last five months and just last week, youth leader Denani in Kano. They were all said to be corrupt and involved in some sorts of misdemeanors."
"So....." said Ella as she touched the base of her neck.
"Well, I made my own research...."
"And when do field operatives become the geeks behind the computer?" Yosef interrupted me bluntly. He was getting furious and I could tell.
"I had some one do it. I wasn't just going to let these slide by. Turns out these people were just as corrupt as every other politician in this country. Some are even worse than these people I was sent to kill."
I continued, "It was like I was taking out the pawns in the game. It didn't make sense so I went to see the director.....not willingly."
"And what did he say?" Ella asked looking more serious. Yosef just stared at me looking irritated.
"He told me to just do my job and not question him."
"Which is the answer you will get from any other director, Adam. Fuck this, you are just trying to make an excuse," Yosef spat angrily. His bulging eyes and red face could scare the life out of me.
"I....I am not using this as an excuse. The director didn't even transfer any of those cases the EFCC like it was supposed to," I said trying to make a point.
"And how did you know he didn't?" asked Yosef with his eyes narrowed.
"Because I asked him. All he just told me was that he would take care of it. I was the agent who took out these guys and my statement was supposed to be documented. There was no documentation of such."
"This is just another one of your goose chase. You just act like you know everything going on and you don't," Yosef said as veins pooped out of his neck and temple.
"Really? It seems you know something I don't know, Yosef. Could you please enlighten us?" I replied angrily as I finally gazed directly at him.
"God....you just see yourself. Those bastard you took out are fucking thieves who have ruined the lives of countless other people without a second thought and you are blaming someone who is trying to do something about it."
I just stared at Yosef because I would not have expected him to say what he had just said.
"Killing those bastards was more than what they deserved and you should be lucky you were the one that took them out because you have rescued countless lives from their torture," Yosef continued.
Ella eyes widened with the whites showing. She was shocked as I was to hear Yosef talk like this. He was like that sometimes but this was way different from the way I knew him.
"I thought we had a justice system for that and was our job not to protect that system from crumbling? Killing them isn't justice," I replied angrily.
"Yeah, killing them was justice because the justice system has already crumbled, Adam," Yosef replied as he stared dead at me.
"Killing them was justice? How the hell am I different from them? Besides, if that was the case, shouldn't we be going after the godfathers? Cutting a leave out of an unwanted plant is just a waste of time. Pulling it out of the root should have been the best idea," I spat angrily.
"Yeah. You should but the boss asked you to deal with the low lives first and you fucking do as you are told because we are soldiers and nothing more. You just keep lying to yourself thinking you are something more," Yosef said with so much venom in his voice.
I was sure I heard him quite right and I was certain I knew what he was talking about. I turned to look at Ella just had her hand over her mouth with her as awe transformed her face.
"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" I asked angrily as I clenched my fist tight.
"Adam, stop lying to yourself. You are a soldier and soldiers are expected to stay focused. You have been more distracted since she came into your life and you are now a weak link," Yosef said.
"What?!" I said silently as I stared angrily at Yosef.
"Yeah. I once thought you hated the director because the old one left but I am not so sure anymore. You of all people talking about who deserves to be killed or not was low of you. I mean, you have more than what? Hundred and thirty kills?"
He smiled cynically, "And you are telling me someone who has destroyed this country millions of times didn't deserve to die?"
I couldn't even say a word. I was more than amazed than anything in the world at that moment. One of my best friends just called me a weak link and worst of it, a murderer.
"You shouldn't be the judge. You are a warrior who has now misplaced his focus. We are supposed to make the world a better place by taking out the ones who were going to destroy it. That is our mission and you better get out of this dream you call a relationship because sooner or later, you will need to be that warrior again," Yosef said more calmly, like he was giving me an advice on how to live a good life.
I just didn't understand what I was feeling right now. I thought friends were supposed to help you through your troubles not be a part of it. Somehow, what Yosef said struck me hard because in between all that crazy talk, he was right. I was tired of being a soldier and it was exhausting because I had another life outside my job. The secrecy was killing me but I was sure I wasn't taking it out on the director. My life couldn't just be about killing people. At least, it wasn't supposed to be.
I raised my head to look at Yosef who was sitting calmly on his seat, "I thought you were my friend."
"Yeah, the best of friend which is why I had to tell you this before you lose yourself," Yosef replied even more calmly.
"Lose myself?"
"Yeah. You should get your head back in the game," Yosef said. He turned to look at Ella, who looked furious.
He continued, "You talk to him. He is your friend, isn't he? We need him so tell him to wake up."
I turned to look at Ella. I couldn't even understand what I was feeling but I was sure the rage building up in me was enough to crush an entire planet. I looked at Yosef so angrily that I wanted to pull his head off. I slammed my hand into the table violently that Ella shook on her seat. Did he just say all that to me? I felt like I had been stabbed in the back with the big sword you could imagine. It felt like I have been fed my own heart. So many question kept popping up in my head. Has he just been pretending all this while to like Nene? Or maybe he was working for the director? Could he be angry about something else? I had no answers to my questions and I wasn't ready to ask such a friend.
I leaned back on my seat in disbelief as I finally gave a gasp. My stare was darted at Yosef who just frowned back at me without show of being remorseful about what he had just said. My jaws just clenched tightly unable to say anything. I got up from my seat gently as I could and walked into the house. Ella called me as I walked away but I wasn't ready to talk to her. I walked into the living room and I noticed Ella raced after me.
"Hey.....come on."
I stopped walking and turned to face her looking more furious.
"What? You are here to advise me about how I am much of a killer than a normal human. I think I have heard enough of that already," I said angrily making sure I kept my voice as low as possible. Nene was in the kitchen which was on the other side of the living room.
"Calm yourself, okay? Yeah, he said those things and it doesn't mean it's true. I understand your grudge with the director but......"
"My grudge?" I scowled.
I continued, "You think I said all of that because of my grudge with the director. Of course, you would side with your lovely boy's scout."
"I am not supporting anyone. I am just stating the facts," Ella said trying to convince me.
"The facts? So the fact that I have been taking out corrupt politicians without further process as due to proceedings is not a fact enough?" My head was about to pop because I expected her to even have my back her. My teeth clenched even tighter and my eyes widened.
I continued, "Why did you think I told you guys about this? You guys can't do anything about this. Not now, not ever. I just needed to tell my friends what was going on but instead, I told.....I don't even know what you guys are."
"What? I didn't even say anything."
"You just sat there listening to him. You didn't revolt against it either," I said angrily.
"You are unbelievable. I didn't......."
I cut Ella off angrily, "You didn't what? You know what? You guys can just fucking leave my house. This was a fucking mistake anyway. I would like to continue to live in my dream as long as I can."
"What? You wouldn't even hear me out."
"What more can you say that could help me get worse?" I replied her even angrily.
"Adam, I am not your enemy here, okay? You calm the hell down and we can talk about this like civilized people," Ella spat back at me.
I wasn't ready to listen to her so I just did the best thing that came to my mind.
I shouted at her, "You go get your stupid boy's scout and get the fuck out of my house."
Nene walked out of the kitchen immediately she heard me shouting.
"Hey, you guys? What's going on?" asked Nene.
Ella and I just stared at each other. At that moment, I was sure I was going to regret what I just did but I was past caring. I didn't want to hurt Ella but it was necessary. I needed sometime alone and if she was around that was impossible. She always watched out for me even when I was a jerk to her. I hope that doesn't change now. We just stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Nene broke the silent. She walked towards me and saw how angry I was. She turned back to Ella instead.
"Ella? What is going on?" asked Nene as she turned her back to me.
Ella took a deep breath before speaking, "Ask your boyfriend. He wants me to leave because Yosef insulted him about something personal and he wouldn't listen to me."
Ella looked up at me with moist eyes, "Just know that this....this is your doing. I want to help but you are too stubborn to see that and that is your problem not anyone's."
As soon as Ella finished talking, she hugged Nene and picked up her bag and she walked away. Nene turned back to look at me with her eyes narrowed and lips pinched before she chased after Ella. Few minutes later, I heard the sound a car engine start. I looked through the window as I watched Ella and Yosef drove away. Nene walked back into the house looking more furious.
"You see what you've done, right? You just sent away the closest person you call family out of your house. I don't care what happened but you need to learn how to cool it. Friends will piss you off but you have to try and look past that because they are your friend."
She paused for a while waiting for me to say something. She continued after she noticed I wasn't going to speak.
"You are just unbelievable. So you have nothing to say. I just can't find the words to describe how much angry you make me right now. I just made a meal for them and you decided to chase them away."
As soon as she finished talking, she walked away into the room and as soon as she shut the door, I heard her lock the door. She always do that when we fight. Now, all I would do is wait in the living room until she comes out of the room again. I just wish she knew this was all because of her. One of my best friends just called my relationship with her a dream and I won't take that lightly because that was the only think I had in my life that really mattered. How I wish this had ended differently.
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Aftermath: Inception 
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