Everybody’s Man – Chapter 16

Everybody’s Man – Chapter 16 – Everybody’s Man, Brostitute, Lite Novel, Web novel, Trauma, Femi, Alero, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Fabling, Pam, Free Web Novel

It was late at night when they pulled into their compound. The ride back had been quiet. 

“So,” Femi started.

“So, what?” Alero asked, defeated.

Femi had been focused on Alero throughout the ride. He couldn’t bring himself to say the things he wanted to. And now it felt like she would abandon him the second she stepped out of the car.

“Thank you.”

Alero looked at him and sighed, then opened the car door.

“Alero, thank you for sticking with me all this while and not trying to fix me.”

Alero sat back. “Femi. I can’t keep doing this.” 

Femi sighed. “I know.”

“I’m moving in with Chidi.” She added.

“I understand.”

Alero tried to read his face but Femi was doing a good job at bottling up his emotions. She signed then opened the door to become aware of the commotion that was heading their way. 

“Drag am! Drag am!” One of Aisha’s brothers shouted. 

Femi got out of the car and three men grabbed and pulled him to the centre of the conflict.

A mob had congregated around their building in celebration of Femi’s Accuser.

“Rapist!” That word got Alero out of her dazed state.

Rapist? She looked around as she began to understand what was going on.

Amina had told her brothers that Femi had raped her, and now her brothers were out for blood. 

Alero hurried to the centre. She had seen this scene before. It was from when she was 10. She had watched a mob drag then burn the paedophile who had once raped Femi. 

She hurried to the centre of the crowd before things could get more out of hand than it already was. 

“STOP!!!” She screened. 

The chants and murmurs of the crowd drowned out her voice, but it seemed to draw Femi out of his own daze. 

He punched one of her brothers and fell back.

Alero spotted a bottle and threw it between them before there could be a reaction from the brothers, then she screamed again. 

“Stop this madness!” This time they paused. 

Alero ran between them. “Soldiers are on their way!” She lied. “I will make sure that anybody that moves again dies today.”

“Wetin!” One of the brothers moved to hit her. “See who dey threaten person.”

Alero stood her ground with a harsh glare.

“Your boyfriend raped my sister!” He screamed. 

Alero turned around and shouted. “Who here has once been in a relationship with Femi?” 

The crowd went silent.

Femi too.

“Who has Femi slept with?” She asked again.

The women shifted uncomfortably.

“Who agrees that Femi is an asshole?” This time all the women and some men’s hands went up.

Then she turned to Aisha. 

“Aisha. Are you a wicked person?”

Aisha did not expect the question. 

“Aisha, are you a wicked person?” 

“Which kind of stupid question be that?” The brother that Femi had punched approached Alero but she halted him by lifting her hand. 

“Aisha. You tried to get close to me to get close to Femi.”

“What non…” The brother started but Aisha cut him off.

“Idiot!” She shouted. “Do you want the blood of an innocent man on your hand because your sister manipulated you into killing a person who rejected her?”

The murmurs in the crowd grew.

“Aisha, what is she saying?” The brother who seemed like the eldest approached his sister. 

Tears began to flow from her eyes.

“Aisha talk.” He demanded. 

“I loved him.” She cried.

Her words seemed to pierce Femi’s insides. He sat on the floor, his eyes fixed on her. 

“You wanted to kill someone that you loved.” Alero egged her. 

“No, I did not want to kill him.” She said 

“What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t come,” Alero asked. 

“I would have saved him!” Aisha.

“You would have saved him.” Alero laughed. From what? Your mindless thugs?”

“I just…”

“Aisha,” Alero shouted. “Did Femi rape you?” 

Aisha stuttered. 

“Aisha,” Alero shouted again. “Did Femi rape you?” 

Aisha looked at Femi, her emotions running at a million miles.

“Aisha…

“No!” She said firmly, then broke down in tears. “No, no he did not.”

Alero turned to her brothers. “If I call you mindless idiots now you go vex.”

“Aisha, what actually happened?” Her brother asked calmly.

“I, I thought that he would like me.”

Dayo burst into a feat of laughter. Everybody turned to her. 

“Like you! If you like tear pant, break back, in fact, turn God self. Femi no fit like you.” She taunted.

Some other women started laughing too.

Aisha hid her face. 

“I gave him my virginity.” She muttered.

Alero heard her and sighed.

Aisha’s eldest brother looked up at Alero and they seemed to reach an understanding. 

He walked over to Femi and stretched his hand to help him up. 

Femi took it and got up.

Then a large fist barged into his face. He was back down in an instant. From the fist, and from the bullet. 

The crowd dispersed at the sound of a gun going off. Alero ran to Femi’s side. 

“That wasn’t me!” Aisha’s brother said.

Femi kept his eyes fixed on the direction the bullet had come through, and he smiled. He saw her, his former HR. 

She had come to kill him that evening, gun in the bag, dressed to escape. Then she saw the commotion and felt the satisfaction of watching his life fall to pieces, then like everything good, that satisfaction was snatched away from her, and she knew why. She had left her happiness in the hands of others. Femi would only come out of this more desirable, she thought.

So she pulled the trigger and escaped through the commotion. 

 

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