The Governor’s Ties
There is a popular myth that says, “The eyes die last.” True or false, no one knows except when they’re dead. I saw everything, while I lay down in a pool of my blood, I saw it, my killer surrounded by other people, some coming others going. While I lay there helpless, I could only wonder, why, till the light in my eyes went dark.
Being a Governor has always been my lifelong ambition. I obsessed with the dream every day of my adult life. Every single step or career progress I made, was suited to fulfilling that dream. I was willing to do anything and everything even if it meant me eating with the devil. I was prepared to pay the price.
I met Benjamin Kuye, the notorious thug at the recommendation of my party’s political “godfather” leader. He had used the young man in the past for different duties and he held his services in high esteem. He spoke very fondly of him.
Ben as he was fondly called wasn't like the others. He was a thug, but he had this air of intelligence around him, he knew what to do even without being told. He could see far and was respected by an army of men. But of all his qualities the one which stood out for me was his sincerity. He always stood by his words. They never changed. He promised me the government house, and he delivered. He was paid in full, for his services as a token of my appreciation.
Our paths never crossed again. I heard sometime later that he had disappeared- - -changed. It sounded weird but I knew it was possible, Ben was smart to know when to stop being a thug.
But right now lying here in a pool of my blood, I wonder why I could see a person who had such a striking resemblance to Ben standing in front of me. I was in shock, my organs were failing one after the other, and maybe my brain was flooding itself with false images in preparation for death. But my eyes couldn’t have deceived me, Ben was there, others were too, but Ben was the most visible.
“How did I get here?” I thought to myself, just before I took my last laboured breaths. It wasn’t by mistake I was sure. One minute I was in the state house eating dinner, the next minute I was in this abandoned warehouse dying slowly, with mere minutes left to live. Someone had orchestrated all of this. I began to search my mind for all those who were tied to me in one way or the other, but I couldn’t remember who it was. I know there was an argument, something about money, and then a loud bangand I fell flat on the hard concrete. But my brain had blocked all the other memories, leaving me with only fragments of vague events.
I’m getting cold. I could feel warmth leave my body. My eyes were strained. But I could still see him, although other people were still moving up and down the room. Their movements distracted my soul from leaving my weary body. I could hear sirens then more movements, then screams, flashlights blurry my already limited vision, muffled voices and cold hands lifting me. I could feel my body move. Outside the building was dark, I could see the moon glistening in the dark. Looking to my right, I saw Ben, in cuffs, I nodded at him, reflexly. Strangely, he nodded back, his face stone-cold. I breathed my last. My heart stopped. My brain defaulted. My eyes still holding on to the last light. Then, after a few seconds, darkness.