The reunion

I made sure I tried to look my best for the reunion. I had bought a really nice gown a week ahead. I had already been informed that it was to be a formal event. The reunion was scheduled to hold for three days. The first night would be a reunion dinner. Second day would be more of a party. Last day would be an outing to the beach. But for the first day, I tried to make sure I looked my best, mostly because of a guy if I must confess. His name was Briggs. Jonathan Briggs. He was a former classmate whom I had gotten in touch with through Facebook. From what I could tell he was a former DSS operative who had left the agency to inherit his mom’s business empire. Yeah. His mom. How cool is that? Apparently his dad had died when he was younger and his mom had stepped in to takeover. Not so easy I must say considering she was a woman. His mother had died a few years ago. So he was rich, good looking and quite tall. Really tall compared to most guys. He was about 6'4… at least. And was really fit, like some actors. So I was determined to make a first impression. A really long lasting impression.

I arrived at the event center quite early. My car had been giving me problems earlier so I was relieved that it didn’t today. I took that as a good omen. I made my way into the hall and was greeted with cold air, thanks to the mighty air conditioners blowing at full blast. The caterers had people moving around with trays containing glasses of Chapman. I took a glass and looked around, and saw that I wasn’t the only person to have come early. So I went around and mingled a little. The dinner was supposed to start at 7 but started at 8, because this is Nigeria and events don’t start early. This particular one didn’t start early because the crowd wasn’t yet large enough. And if you attend enough events in Nigeria you’d know that for an event to start after an hour after the proposed time was early.

The dinner started and I looked around for Briggs. I didn’t see him until he walked into the hall an hour after the event started, looking majestic and dare I say really handsome. At this point of the program, everyone was milling about or dancing or serving themselves from the buffet. For a few moments he waited by the door as he looked around, when he saw me he smiled and made his way towards me. I surreptitiously took out my phone and sent an important text and put it back in my purse just as he reached me. “Hi” he said.

“Hey” I replied “what took you so long?”

“Yeah, my car broke down so I had to call a cab. Sorry. Hope I didn’t miss much?”

“No” I said with a smile “you’re just in time for the slow dance”

“Oh. Cool. May I?” He said offering his hand.

“Sure. I don’t see why not.”

“By the way, you look really beautiful in person.”

“Thanks.” As we made our way towards the dance floor his phone vibrated in his pocket. He brought it out, looked at the screen with a frown and said “I’m really sorry but I’ve got to make a call. I’ll be back really soon. I’m so sorry”

“It’s okay.”

“Thanks a lot. I’m really sorry.” As soon as he said that he disappeared into the crowd and was gone. I bit my lip in anguish and said “fuck” under my breath. About twenty minutes after he left, the power went out. Everyone was plunged into darkness. People started murmuring and complaining and arguing about whether it was actually NEPA that took the light or if it was the generator for the event center that developed some fault. But before a consensus could be reached, about a dozen men in bulletproof vests and machine guns with flashlights mounted on their shoulders bust into the hall from all the entrances. They shouted for everyone to get down on their knees.

We obeyed, after all we’re Nigerians and we love our lives. As we knelt down on the ground, they went around looking at our faces, it was pretty obvious they were looking for someone. When they had gone round and couldn’t find who they were looking for, one of them-whom I assumed to be in charge-stepped forward and asked “which one of you is Briggs?” We all looked at each other in fear. No one answered. As he was about to say something again a bullet went through his head, nobody knew where the shot had come from except the guys with the machine guns cause they obviously turned towards the direction and opened fire while the rest of us hostages were busy diving down and covering our ears in the cascade of gunfire. The men with the guns seemed to be the ones being gunned down by whoever was shooting. Everything lasted for a few seconds and after everything was said and done, there was only one person standing amidst the dead bodies and chaos. The lights had come on now so we could see the man standing over the bodies with a gun in his hand.

It was Briggs.

He dropped the gun down and raised his hands a little and said in a voice that was meant to address children “Everything’s okay. It’s okay…” But before he could finish the sentence someone darted for the exit and then another… and then another and it became a full on stampede as everyone headed for the exits. Not long after I realized I was the only one left standing and shivering, I wasn’t sure if it was because of the air conditioners or because of what I just saw. I had a feeling it was a little of both. He approached me and said “are you okay?” “Of course not.” I replied a little too angrily. “How could I be okay?” He looked sorrowful as he said “I’m sorry. Can I get you anything?”

“I just want to go home”

“Okay. Can I call you a cab?”

“No need. I came with my car.”

“Okay. But can you drive…in your current state?”

I bit my lip and said “no. No I can’t.”

“I know this might sound weird considering what you just saw. But do you mind if I drive you?”

For a few moments I considered his question, put it together with what just happened and calculated and analyzed everything and came to the conclusion that if he was going to hurt me, he could do it here and now while we were alone. But as long as he took me straight home and nowhere else I could take care of myself. Because something just occurred to me. Something that would prove fatal for him later on. Finally I said “yes”. And then I led him to my car and handed the keys over to him. We got in and I gave him directions and he drove off. While he drove, I silently hoped he didn’t suspect anything in my change of plans. Because if he did, killing him at my house could prove problematic.

We made it to my house just fine. I got out and told him he could come in, while he waited for the cab he ordered. He agreed. As we made it through the front door I told him to help himself to some water in the fridge while I went in to change my clothes. I changed into a pair of trousers and a baggy T-shirt with a gun tucked at the back of the trousers. I came out and saw him sitting on the couch with a bottle of wine from my fridge and two glasses full of it on the center table. As I sat on the small couch beside him, he offered me a glass and said “sorry but I thought this would help ease your nerves. Hope you don’t mind?” “Not at all” I said. “I really appreciate the thought”. We both finished the contents and as he sipped the last of his wine I quickly brought out my gun and aimed it at his head. He swallowed the last drop off his wine and put the glass down and said “Just as I suspected.” He hadn’t even flinched. He just turned slowly and looked at me real calmly. I knew I was in soup. “You knew?” I asked incredulously. “I suspected. Yes.” He said. “The moment you reached out to me on Facebook and invited me to the reunion I became suspicious. I was actually surprised there was an actual reunion. I just thought it would be a simple ambush. But apparently it wasn’t so simple. You just used the reunion to appear less suspicious. Didn’t you?” I swallowed. My eyes were becoming dizzy. I didn’t answer. “Before you kill me I just need to ask you two things.” He said. “Who sent you? And why?”

“The DSS sent me. You inherited your mom’s underground empire of specially trained operatives that’s spread around the globe. You’re the most dangerous person in the world with a lot of enemies, most of which you also inherited. The DSS being one of them.”

“I see.”

“If we kill you, the secrets you inherited from your mom including ours will never come to light.”

“I’m guessing those people that attacked earlier tonight were with you?”

“Yes. They were.”

“And earlier when I saw you operating your phone as I entered the hall. That was you letting them know I had arrived right?”

How did he know? “Yes. It was.” Now my eyes were really spinning and I was becoming really woozy. What was happening? I had to pull the trigger. It was now or never. “I’m really sorry about this.” I said as I pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

I tried it again. Nothing. It was then I realized the gun was a little lighter than normal. Shit.

“I’m afraid that gun isn’t going to fire.” He said. “I arrived at the dinner late because I had stopped by your house earlier. I searched your house, found your guns and emptied them.” The gun had fallen out of my hand just as my body had fallen off the couch. I was paralyzed. I couldn’t move. I was gasping for air. And that was when it hit me. He had poisoned my drink.

“I’m really sorry about this.” He said as he got up and left. I was on the floor trying to get some air in my lungs. But I couldn’t. The lights went out just as my vision was fading. Eventually everything went black and the last thing I heard was the sound of my neighbor’s generator coming on. My life never flashed before my eyes.