THE INSIGHT - CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 17



"Dayo! Dayo!" she continued tapping and shaking her till she opened her eyes. She jerked and sat up suddenly, looking up and down the room like she was in a strange place.

"Bola!" she called solemnly.

"You were screaming Kunle's name from sleep". Bola sat down beside her on the bed. She had just returned from work and she met Dayo sleeping, she didn't want to disturb her so she got busy with some other things. Suddenly she heard her from the sitting room screaming Kunle's name. She came to meet her and tried to wake her up.

"What's wrong?". The look on her face scared her and she couldn't wait to hear why she was screaming his name.

"Do you have Kunle's U.S cellphone number?"

Bola gave her a weird look.

"How and why in the world will i have his number?"

She suddenly got up and started pacing the room.

"I think Kunle is in trouble"

Bola's eyes were still on her with that look of 'are you sure you are okay'

"Dayo, the last time i checked, Kunle was the reason why you are like this"

"I saw him in my dream, tied to a tree. He doesn't look okay. He looked worn out. He's suffering Bola. I need to get across to him at all cost to check if he's okay". She continued pacing the room.

"Dayo, are you sure you are okay?"

She stopped and looked at Bola.

"Yes! I am fine!"

"You don't look it. You slept and woke up and it's that foolish boy's name that's on ur lips. Oh please Dayo, you are not fine ooo"


An idea suddenly popped into Dayo's head. She discarded all Bola said picked her phone and dialed a number.


**************************************

"Where have you been?". She was sitting on the relaxation chair facing the entrance of the gigantic house, shaking her legs vigorously in anger.

It's some minutes past 4pm in Newyork City and Feyi had just arrived from work. Kunle came in with some shopping bags. He almost fell over the bulky bags when he heard Feyi's voice.

"Ooh" he said as he tried to find balance. He packed the bags in one corner.

"Well, as you can see I'm coming back from the mall"

"Kunle, don't tell me you just went to buy all i asked you to now. What the hell have you been doing all day". She got up. Kunle folded his arms.

"Well, I've been quite busy"

She raised her voice. "Busy doing what exactly Kunle? You don't work and there's no baby to cater for. See the pile of clothes i left in that corner for some weeks now. Even courtesy demands that you help me wash them without asking you to"

Kunle's face changed.

"Feyi!  I'm your husband for Christ's sake"

She rolled her eyes

"And there we go again with this old story. Where in the book of law does it say husbands mustn't do wifely duties. Kunle, please just don't try make me angry this evening. I've been working since morning to make money so that YOU will eat.........."

She was still talking when the home telephone started ringing. She paused and looked at him.

"Would you at least go pick the call?"

Kunle was still in rage, however he suppressed his anger. He could only wish it's one of the companies he applied to for a job. It's been over 3months since they arrived and anytime Kunle brings up the topic of him getting a job, Feyi waves it off by saying he should focus more on settling down since it's his first time outside the country, besides she earns more than any company can ever pay him since she's a citizen. Kunle went behind her back and started sending his CV for some job offers he saw online. He went over to the telephone while Feyi took the shopping bags to the kitchen. She's had enough of Kunle's attitude. She did him a big favor by bringing him here. "Does he even know how many people will die to have such an opportunity to travel down here?" she muttered under her breath.

"Hello" he spoke into the receiver.

"Kunle, is that you?" Dayo's voice blotted from the other end.

"Please who am i speaking with?"

"It's Dayo, Ifedayo" she replied

He checked to see if Feyi won't be able to eavesdrop and then he whispered

"Dayo! How on earth did you get my number?  Why are you calling?"

"i collected it from John. He doesn't have your personal number so i asked him to give me your home number" she paused, "Kunle, how are you?" she asked solemnly, ignoring his unaccommodating voice. Kunle sighed and paused for a while.

"Why are you calling, Dayo?"

"I saw you in my dream Kunle. I just needed to know everything is alright with you 'cause I'm worried"

"A dream? What was it about?" he's curious now. Dayo's dream is not one to wave off. He started respecting her dreams the day he got a job few weeks after she dreamt about it.

"I saw you tied to a tree in my dream Kunle. It was so scary. Are you sure you are alright?"

Kunle paused for few seconds before replying.

"Yes i am. As you can see from my voice. I have to go. Take care" he quickly dropped the call as Feyi walked into the lounge.

"Who were you talking to?" she sat down as she placed a cup of orange juice on the small stool beside the cushion chair.

Kunle cleared his throat.

"Dayo"

"What the hell!" she spewed her juice.  "Where did she get this home number from? And what does she want?"

"She was just checking up on me. That's all"

"I'm changing this house telephone number tomorrow" she picked up a magazine nearby and starts reading without raising her head to look at Kunle's countenance.

"You can't do that"

She raised her head up.

"Why not?"

Kunle swallowed his saliva. He's short of words. He doesn't have a concrete reason to give her not to change the number so he just went back upstairs.

He got into the room and sat down on the queen sized bed.

"I always take Dayo's dreams into consideration but i think i'd have to discard this. Me! Tied to a tree? How could that ever be possible?" he laughed and picked up a magazine beside the bed.

"I'm sure she only used that as a decoy to hear my voice. She has to get over me abeg. Thank God Feyi is changing the house number tomorrow, she won't be able to get in touch anymore"



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        A year later


"Honey, did you hear that?". Mrs Jones got up from beside her husband and went over to the window facing the side of Feyi and Kunle's apartment.

"I think they've started again"

Mr Jones got up and stretched. He was just beginning to sleep when his wife woke him up to listen to the new couple fighting next door.

"Really?"

"I think we should call the police honey. I can hear the breaking of things" Mrs Jones moved over to the telephone and dialed 911. Her husband moved closer to the window maybe he'd hear a word and suddenly he heard a thud like something rolling down the stairs and Feyi's voice seized. He could still hear Kunle ranting and later his voice subsidised and he could hear him sobbing.

"Honey, have you called them? I think some shit just got down right there".


30mins later, a NYPD (NewYork Police Department) van drove into the compound. Mr Jones and his wife went downstairs to identify as the caller. They explained all they heard and few policemen, together with the old couple charged into Feyi's house. They were taken aback at what they saw.



©Toluwanimi Odeniyi