Stop Beating My Son!

Mr Bassey opened the front door of his house and he stepped inside with a big smile on his face. The smile immediately evaporated when he saw what was happening.

“Stop beating my son!” he shouted at his wife with his fists clenched.

“Don’t defend him again,” Mrs Bassey said brandishing a cane popularly called ‘koboko’.

“He’s the only son I’ve got thanks to you and you’re hell-bent on killing him,” Mr Bassey said. He has an exceptionally loud voice and he always shouts while he’s talking.

“Akpan, your son was accused of stealing two thousand Naira by Mama Joy from her shop and when I searched his room I found ten thousand Naira. How did he get such a large amount”

“Lies! Mama Joy is a liar,” Akpan shouted from where he was hiding behind his father. “The money you found in my room belongs to a friend.”

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re really Akpan’s mother,” Mr Bassey said with an angry look. “You always jump into conclusions without hearing his own side of the story whenever he’s accused of stealing”.

Mrs Bassey wanted to say something but she knew that it wouldn’t be enough to convince her husband. She left the living room and went to the kitchen. Mr Bassey consoled Akpan who started crying after his mother left the living room. Akpan immediately wiped the tears from his eyes and dashed out of the house after his father had given him a five hundred Naira note to buy whatever he likes with it.

Mr and Mrs Bassey had been married for about thirty years and the marriage was blessed with seven children. Akpan, who was the only son was the last child. Four of the girls where married while the other two were at the University while Akpan was still in Secondary School. Mr Bassey pampered Akpan right from the day he’d been born; nobody was allowed to punish Akpan for any wrongdoing.

A month later while Mr Bassey was watching a Nigerian Premier League Match between Rangers and Enyimba on his 21-inch Television his phone rang. It wasn’t a number he recognized but he picked the call.

“Hello!”

“I’m I speaking with Mr Bassey?”

“Yes! Please who is this?”

“This is Inspector Linus. Your son was caught while he was shop-lifting at a supermarket earlier today and before the police could intervene he’d been mercilessly beaten by an angry mob.”

“What! Where is he now? I hope he is okay? Who dares lay a hand on my son? I’ll sue them all to court. I’ll kill…….”

“Enough with the threats. Have you forgotten that you’re speaking with an officer of the law? Your son is currently at intensive care at the Rufus Memorial Hospital”

“I’ll be there as soon as possible. Thank you”

The policeman hung up the call and Mr Bassey picked up his car keys and rushed out of the house. He almost ran into his wife who was about to enter the house. He told her what had happened and they drove to the hospital.

Akpan died a week later due to internal bleeding. Mr Bassey died of a heart attack a month later.

 

 

P.S — I know that this is  longer than my other stories but I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks

ADEWUYI