LIGHTENING AND THUNDER By Favour Isaac

A soft voice roused Nkem from her light slumber. She opened her eyes, and was dazzled by the intruder’s white-toothed smile. She took in his well-ironed clothes and silver cufflinks in one surreptitious glance. Her eyes lingered on the bald patch sitting rudely in the middle of his afro. His face shone from an excess of petroleum jelly, and a pus-faced pimple lay on his upper lip, just below his left nostril.

His eyebrows were arched like one expecting an answer, but because she didn’t know the question, Nkem greeted him. “Good morning, Oga.”

“Good morning. My name is Oniru.“

Wondering what to do with the unwarranted information, Nkem rearranged the oranges in the tray before her, in a way she hoped was attractive to prospective buyers.

“I’ve always wanted to write a story about albinos. “He said, still smiling. “But the words never came. “

“Mmm” She replied, uninterested. “How much orange I go put for you?”

Oniru watched the shutters come down on her face, closing off her expression. The change of topic was so tactless, it was obvious she didn’t want to discuss the unique color of her skin.

“Put for five hundred.“ He instructed. “As I was saying. I am hopeless at writing. I tell stories through pictures now. Let me tell yours, pose for me.”

She eyed him balefully and hissed .“Oga camera-man, which story you wan tell? Who wan hear story of albino wey dey sell orange for motor park?“

He winced at her choice of words. Placing his right hand on his chest, he pledged solemnly. “ I can make everybody listen to you. Let me make you a queen, a model.“

“Like Agbani?”

“Yes. Like Agbani Darego.“ He affirmed, impressed that she wasn’t totally oblivious of such things.

She peered at him from beneath her gold lashes, frowning. Under her breath, she murmured .“Thunder no like Agbani.”

“Who is Thunder?”

It heightened his curiosity when her shoulders stiffened and she tossed the polythene bag of oranges at him, hissing an urgent “Nobody!“ through her kola stained teeth.

“Leave this shakara. Pose for me. How much do you want? ”

“How much ? I nor be ashewo. And I no want trouble. Abeg, dey go.“ Her eyes were narrowed to slits from the perceived insult.

But the problem was that Oniru’s photography was like a bad itch. Like a cocaine addiction, like an erect penis. Once he had his mind on a project, he knew no peace until it was done. Nkem’s flawless skin tormented him.

He marveled at how she never got sunburned, despite the long hours she spent under the fiery November sun. He longed to point his lens at her, and tint her complexion with the many filters of his Nikon-D610.

He had the angles for the shots planned, and had decided to keep the editing minimal, preferring to showcase her freckles as beauty marks. Just thinking about it filled his head with air and made it float pleasantly.

So, he kept going back to the park, every day. He would buy five hundred naira worth of oranges and repeat his request. “Pose for me. Let me change your life. “

Nkem’s answer remained unchanged, though her hostility disappeared. She told witty stories from her childhood, gesturing animatedly. When he teased her, she laughed with her mouth opened too wide. He touched her wherever her skin was bare, amazed that albino skin didn’t feel any different. If any of them noticed the wagging tongues, they didn’t say.

One evening, things took a drastic turn. Nkem watched dreadfully as Oniru approached. She caught herself fidgeting with her wrapper and tried to relax, but failed. Tension bounced off her, and Oniru was wary of it when he greeted her.

“Nkem. How market?”

“Fine,” she mumbled. “This na my husband”. She pointed at the man beside her.

The man’s biceps stretched his Arsenal jersey almost to tearing. An ugly jagged scar spread across one side of his face, from eyebrow to his thin black lips. His eye socket on that side lay empty, making the smile he wore look sinister.

Oniru offered a handshake, Thunder took it, cleverly turning Oniru’s hand over to admire his gold-plated wristwatch. “I be Thunder, and this motor park na my yard. Dem talk sey na you dey disturb my woman.”

He aimed a confident smile at Thunder’s good eye. “Nkem here is a special woman. You should not be afraid to share her with the world.”

It must have been the wrong thing to say, because he didn’t quite finish when the bigger man repeatedly slammed clenched fists into his face. Oniru staggered from the shocking impact and fell to the ground in an undignified heap. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and he felt a tooth hanging loose.

“You dey craze? If I see you for here again, I go kill you! Bastard!!” Thunder kicked him a few times for good measure, and stormed away with Nkem trailing behind him. She didn’t even spare him a parting glance.

Sitting in the swirls of harmattan dust all the kicking had raised, Oniru understood fully what it meant for Thunder to strike a person.

4 thoughts on “LIGHTENING AND THUNDER By Favour Isaac

  1. Tim says:

    Wow….this is wonderful…
    I hope it continues

    Poor Oniru😂

    Reply

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