December to Remember 6

The moment they shoved me inside, my entire body tensed. I never had the finest things in life—I've never been a bread and butter kid—but nothing prepared me for the horror of being locked up in that dark cell. It was a new kind of suffering, one that clawed at my mind and soul. Worse still, I realized the bitter truth: I was truly alone. No one was coming for me.

At that moment, the consequences of my rash action hit harder than I ever imagined. If I had known that laying hands on Seun would leave me rotting in a police cell, forsaken by my colleagues, my boss, and the owners of the company two days before Christmas, I would have swallowed my pride. Maybe I would have looked the other way like my bosses or told my staff to turn the other cheek. Even kissing his overpriced shoes like everyone else instead of foolishly choosing to be the defender of the defenseless suddenly seemed like the best option. But it was too late for regrets.

This is your doom — a voice in my head wailed like the muezzin near my compound during the first call to prayer, ringing loud and clear. The stench of sweat, and something disturbingly metallic hit my nostrils, making my stomach churn violently. Then came the panic attack.

A cold sweat broke out on my skin. The cell walls seemed to close in as my vision blurred and darkened, followed by a sudden dizziness that hit like a wave. My last meal was clawing its way up my throat when the floor tilted. I heared somebody screaming for help, but I barely registered the sharp pain in my head before the world went black.

I woke up on December 24th—Christmas Eve—strapped to a hospital bed.

A single cuff bit into my wrist, chaining me to the railing like a hardened criminal, but I had never been more relieved. The air here was fresh, the lights weren’t flickering, and best of all—I was out of that cell.

For the first time in my life, I was glad to be sick. I wasn’t in a rush to get better either. If I had to fake dizziness, hallucinations, or full-blown madness, so be it. Anything to extend my stay. I was halfway through plotting my fake symptoms when I saw him.

Seun.

He strode into the ward, his usual smugness absent, his expression unreadable. Behind him, a middle-aged woman followed closely, her heels clicking sharply against the tiled floor.

And just like that, the air in the room turned suffocating again as my body started trembling.

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