Chapter Three
This chapter opens with a long silence as the children are lost in their thoughts. This reminds Ummi of the silence her husband’s revelation of the HOD in the previous chapter brought her twenty years ago.
The long silence was broken by Ummi telling her husband to go to Dr. Samjohn and apologize on her behalf as she could not imagine facing the HOD herself. Her husband understood and agreed. Ummi meets Dr. Samjohn the following week and the latter greets her jovially.
Omar then asks his mum the narrative about the quiet one their father made reference to their mother. Others are also eager to hear the story. Ummi, before starting the narrative, tells Omar that the tale would be relevant to him, since he would be leaving the small community for a bigger city. She says that he should not judge people on the face value; should not trust everybody he meets.
She starts by telling them that everybody knew each other in Lafayette town. And the tradition is that no stranger is given accommodation without the knowledge and approval of the District Head known as the Hakimi. This is to check the incursion of criminals or fugitives to the community.
It is totally different from what happens in the town where anybody can just come and leave as they like. In the town, two people living on a street or neighbors could live for years without knowing one another.
The quiet one in this narrative is Talle. He was not named the quiet one at birth as everybody knew when he was born and the circumstances surrounding his birth. Talle’s parents were indigene of Lafayette and were very responsible and humble. They did not have children several years after their marriage. They were then urged later on by the elders to consult a boka; a traditional medicine man. Their prayers were answered as it resulted in the birth of Talle.
Though several insinuations were given to it; some said it was the potent concoction given to them that worked, while some said that it was the medicine man that was responsible for the pregnancy that produced Talle. He was named Talle because his mother died shortly after he was born. His father married another woman who also did not give birth to any child; she was responsible for the upbringing of Talle.
Talle was known to be very quiet and never fought anybody in the community, hence he was referred to as “the quiet one.” At the age of twenty, he lost both his father and stepmother in a car accident; this made him to be more reserved and kept to himself the more.
Talle worked at the local government as a driver between eight o’clock and four o’clock in the evening, but whatever he does in the evening and nights is not known to anybody. He lives alone; nobody to speak to.
He was so dedicated and pious in the office; he was always on the front row during prayer. People believed that Talle was a holy person. He does not fight or engage in arguments with anybody.
Talle was well known with his simple life and what he buys in the market; they know the quantity of his purchases whenever he comes around to buy something. The sellers suddenly realized that there was an increase in his purchase and one of them suggested they call the attention of the District Head.
Talle was summoned by the District Head who asked him what he bought in the market that day but could not give an instant answer. He was shivering while responding to the answer.
They asked him why there was a sudden increase in her purchase. He said he thought he should buy plenty and not to suffer in case he doesn’t have money. They then asked him where he got the money he used in purchasing more goods from. He was just gazing at the ground as if looking for something
At that juncture, there was commotion and the sound of siren outside the gate of Hakimi’s residence. Three police vans parked outside the gate. This was very strange to the Lafayette people as they have never experienced such a thing before. The people then came around to know what happened.
When Talle heard the sound of the siren, Talle stood up and ran into Hakimi’s house but was brought back by the courtiers who ran after him. This action from Talle revealed to the people that he was indeed guilty of something. When asked why he was scared of the siren, he couldn’t give any answer.
At this instance, three armed policemen entered asking whether they were in the palace of Hakimi Lafayette. Hakimi responded that he was Hakimi. They told him that they were looking for one Talle in connection with kidnapping, armed robbery and extortion.
One of the policemen ordered that Zaki be brought in. Zaki, in chains, was brought in. The moment Talle sees Zaki, he nearly faints and is told to get up. Without being asked any question, he was declaring his innocence that it was Zaki’s idea.
Hakimi was confused as something like that has never happened in the community in his over thirty years as the head of the community or even to think that Talle could be a culprit of such heinous offences.
It was narrated by the police that Talle was in need of money and went to the town on a weekend where he met Zaki who gave him the idea of getting money. Zaki told Talle that there was a friend of his that lives in the GRA and was always seen driving with his son in his car.
Zaki then suggested the kidnapping of the boy so as to collect ransom from his father whom Zaki was sure would be ready to pay any amount for ransom. The boy was later kidnapped and drugged, he was then taken to Talle’s house in Lafayette in the night where he has been kept for a week before the boy got his freedom.
They contacted the father to pay one million as ransom and later bit it down to two hundred and fifty thousand naira. It was at the point of collecting the ransom that Zaki was arrested.
Though they warned the father of the boy not to involve the police, the man sensed that the kidnappers were inexperienced, since they requested for one million naira and still bit it down to as low as two hundred and fifty thousand naira. That gave him the effrontery to involve the police.
The police then went ahead to Talle’s house where the boy was rescued. Talle in handcuffs was bundled into the police vehicle and taken away from Lafayette. Nobody heard anything about him for some years.
An unconfirmed rumour has it that he was seen up north in the border town where smuggling was the order of the day. It was also reported by the Hakimi that Talle and his conspirators were sentenced to some years of imprisonment with hard labor.
Ummi explains to Omar that he was like the kidnapped boy in the story; he should be careful as he would be going to the university, he should not trust anybody as he makes friends.
He should also not mix with bad friends or keep bad company like cultists and those that engage in Exams malpractice (EMAL) Ummi cites the example of Salma who was expelled from a university for exam malpractice before coming to their school.