Stones and Metals

By LAWRENCE CHITERI
Published October 4, 2009

Therea is momentarily stunned by Gofu’s almost passionate reminder of the deep past that she thought had been safely buried in the mist of new comfort. She glances at Zake, who is as abrasive as ever. Zake realizing Therea’s dilemma, firmly reiterates his earlier instruction. ”Give him back his medicine I said.”

The children are meanwhile agitated, and rearing to execute Zake’s stark order. They are all the time however restrained by Zake. When the children have been cooled down, and Therea back the centre of all attention; a chilling silence reins the house, and Zake appropriately cuts into it by his final order, “Now!”

Therea motivated, throws all cares to the wind of uncertainty, and begins to lash at Gofu. As she lands each stroke on his whole body, her ire rises unrelentingly. At some stage she breaks down, after hurling every unprintable epithet at Gofu. Her energy evidently wanes, as she loses balance after every lash; she at times ends up lashing into the air instead! Therea is partly frustrated by Gofu’s unperturbed reaction to this apex of humiliation. All this time, Gofu has without an iota of pain, or reaction, stood to Therea’s lashes. He has made the whole scene one big case of child play.

One would expect Gofu’s sarcastic behavior to rile Zake. He has all the time felt demeaned, and chided at Gofu’s refusal to budge, to the token of embarrassment from Therea. Then to add insult to injury, when Therea cannot go on anymore, Gofu calmly asks, “May I now go?” This is more than the conceited Zake would be ready to stomach. He is nearly erupting from the painful inner burning; burning with the desire to annihilate Gofu; and he readily expresses it, ”What cheek, I am not yet done with you, by the time I am done, you will wish you were never born.”

Gofu has grown bolder, and more resolute. He is the one person with nothing to lose in this case, and is therefore going to stand up to anything that will not exhibit or allow self actualization. Gofu therefore quickly responds to Zake, ” I wish that everyday; every time I have to deal with irresponsible, carefree, stones and metals like you. ” Zake immediately cuts in with a final threat, “Do you know I can have you killed? But Gofu is right on cue too, ”I am already dead you’d be told; one dies only once.” Zake is taken aback, he has been derided before, but never once right under his nose, and in the presence of a woman and children!

Zake is not deterred, and decided to majestically move towards Gofu; hands in pocket, and before he utters anything, Gofu moves away from him, and faces Therea. Gofu looks long, and dryly at her and then ponders, ”So this is your husband, our Therea. This man here, this beast,  the man who would let his patients out in the cold, to deliver on the pavement. This brute, this devil, who in the guise of a pragmatic leader, supplies chalk in the name of chlorine. This brute, this epitome of greed, who would sink a ferry on the eve of the day he knew the insurance would expire, to win insurance compensation. This man who doles out expired beef from his grocery stores, in the name of generosity. You shock me!”

Zake cannot keep up with this pace, never before in his haven of pretence, had he imagined things would come to this, and he screams, “I will deal with you,” but a calm and stern Gofu is at the top of it, “Why don’t you untie me, then dare touch me.” Zake takes this as the usual joke from the likes of Gofu, and he quickly tries a last one.” Do you really know who I am?” To which Gofu readily retorts,” Who you are , is not important, I know what you are, Great Zake! I’ve heard” and there is a sudden glow in the face of Zake, thinking he was on ascendancy once more; but alas! Gofu is not done yet…, great rubbish! “Zake has had enough; he barks at his guards, and asks them to rid the house of “this lunatic,” “Take him out and deal with him.”

Gofu waits for the guards whose role in this room, had been turned to spectators. Therea and the children have been taking in the exchange between Gofu and Zake with mixed trepidation. Gofu times the guards well, and just as they make it to less than three feet of him, he begins to back pedal. He moves deliberately towards the children and Therea, till he is in their midst.

The guards are now strategically in front of them all, as Zake takes the far right position. Nobody notices when Gofu wriggles his tied hands into his side pocket, rummages quickly and almost urgently, before unleashing a white rounded object, which he hurls right behind the guards. As the guards react, and turn to the direction where the object landed, Zake freaks off; and like his guards and, Therea, focus their attention to that one new direction. Gofu seizes this chance to grab the children, push them before him, and leads them out of the house into the oblivion.

To be continued.

________________________________________________________________________
Reach Chiteri at lchiteri@eafricainfocus.com
________________________________________________________________________

Related Posts