BETRAYAL

 

Here I was in this shrine abducted and betrayed by this close friend of my new mother.  Baba shook his head and sighed while listen­ing to Mrs Laraba. When she finished narrating her story, Baba told her that she had made a great mistake by betraying a friend’s trust, and that he would not be a party to it. He said he had been a source of her wealth for several years now but on this child that lay before him he saw bad luck ahead of them. He advised her to take me back home. If she could not take me back to my new mother, she must make sure I stayed alive, for the light in me, the guiding spirits and the forces around me were pure.

They did not know I heard and understood every word of their conversation. Mrs Laraba asked the two men to untie and lift me to the back seat of her jeep. Having done as she instructed them, she gave them some money and thanked the Baba for his advice. I kept praying to God in my heart. I could not imagine that someone so pretty could be so evil. Sometimes those we think are close friends may have hidden, unkind agendas for being close to us. We must always ask God to give us good and true friends. It was now late in the night. I could tell we were driving through the bush from the sounds of night insects and leaves. We finally got to the tarred road and she wound down the side glasses for some cool breeze. I was grateful for the fresh air, and at this point on this shocking journey, I felt very hungry. I was able to endure the hunger from my life experience under the Lagos bridge.

 I started imaginig what story Mrs Laraba would tell my new mother when we got back home. I did not know something worse lay ahead of me. “Oh God, do not abandon me,” was my prayer. Suddenly she stopped, came  down from her car, and touched me. I murmured some words as a sign that I was gaining consciousness. She did not want me to be aware of what was happening to me.