Wild West of the Heart
EIGHTY ONE

"Do you ever regret anything, Fi?"

She looked from the rooftop, their back against opposite sides of the chimney as they gorged on the pasta Deborah had brought. Once she sucked the last strand through her lips, she'd pass it beside her to Fi.

And they just sat there, talking about the most random things. It was how they spent most of their breaks these days. "Do you ever regret not doing something?" She asked again, in a way that was rephrased. "Not really_" "Did Obi tell you about Marissa and Collins and how he thinks-" Fi wiped her oily lips, sniffling through her nose because of the peppery food. "Yeah, he did actually. Just makes me really disgusted at such a man" She replied. "Literally"

"Look Fi, i've been thinking about you. About Collins and maybe, no pressure at all but maybe it's time to report this. To report him" There was silence between them as she pushed a lump down her throat. "It's just a suggestion and since there's some sort of proof now that there's two people, it wouldn't be that hard to finally get him arrested" Deborah put the food aside, standing up to face Fiyin.

"But then again, if you don't want to, it's totally fine"

"I've been thinking the same thing Deb, trust me. Nothing will make me more happy than seeing him in prison. Than being rest assured that he wouldn't put another soul, or another body or person through the same pain and grief and depression that he put me in" She whispered. "But then, i fear it's too late. Like it's been months and that'll be an excuse not to take me seriously" Deb fell to her knees, immediately taking Fiyin's hands in hers.

"I don't think it's ever too late" She whispered, with tears in her eyes. Both of them. "Let's just take it one step at a time" She added and Fi scoffed lightly. "I've been thinking about Mira and her concept of the right time then, i think it's now" She nodded. "I think i'm ready to speak my truth. That feeling that i'm in a better place right now" She said.

"And looking back at how heart wrenched i was, thinking i will never get over it and even though somedays i still think about it or get these vivid flashbacks, i think i'm getting there" There was a crack in her voice. And Deborah had a proud smile on her lips because truth be told, she had been there for most of it if not all. All the phases, the stages that led up to this very moment.

"Small steps Fiyin" She whispered. "Small steps."

-

"Are you just going to delete every terrible homophobic comment on the video?" Silva asked, peering into the laptop from above.

Mira hummed, bothering not to turn around. "Well that's why there's that button right?" "It's funny-" She paused.

"It's funny how people can be so hateful when we're literally the good guys. Calling it a made up government ploy to reduce the population" She rolled her eyes and Silva walked to the opposite side of the table. "At the end of the day it's about mentality" Her fingers scrolled the cursor as she navigated her inbox full of raging slurs and death threats-as if AIDS on it's own wasn't that already.

"They deserve whatever is coming for them?"She read aloud before looking to Silva. "It's God's way of punishing them after all these years" She read the next, and the next.

Now they weren't bad. There was that few, the two good eggs in a crate of rotten ones. And amidst that crate, there was a verified message and Mira jolted at the name.

"Hi Silva and Mira, we would love to schedule an interview regarding y-" She halted, her eyes scanning the rest of the important ones. "Discuss your recent videos and oh my God Silva" She exclaimed. "You won't believe it"

"Who's that?" He sat forward and she scoffed. "The Guardian. The Guardian wants to meet us" They jumped to their feet, jumping frantically. "The Guardian wants to meet us" She grabbed his arms, swaying it side to side.

And all Silva did was let out a frail exhale. There was a sly smirk at the corner of his lips, and nothing more. "Come on, Silva. Do you know what this mean?" She asked him.

"I know, i know"

"Then why aren't you dancing with me?" She halted, stopping to look him directly in his eyes. He just shrugged "Is it really a victory?" He asked and Mira faced the laptop, pointing towards it. "Uh Silva, we're all the tv and the news. We get to finally do some good in the world for Jazz and the millions of people nationwide" Mira replied.

"Now i don't know about you but sixteen year old DaSilva would be ecstatic. That's even an underwhelming way to describe it" He scoffed. "Look Silva, we did it. We're doing it even i haven't acknowledged that all morning because to be honest, it feels kind of surreal, the amount of change and conversations that have come from this " She looked back to him. "We're doing it"

A tear slipped from his eyes which she wiped away. She never let go of his hands. "Cut yourself some slack. We should dance for even the little victories are still victories" He nodded, just before her phone rang in her pockets. "Now after this, i'm going to play some ABBA, before we formulate whatever reply we're going to give the freaking Guardian" She squealed, taking the phone from her pocket.

"Officer Dare" She placed the phone to her eyes, the title as some way that she mocked him. "I thought you would never call after seeing the news"

"Mira" He interrupted, his tone dead serious. And she halted in her steps, brows furrowing with worry. "What is it?" She softly asked. "Mira, something's happened" And she could tell from those words that it wasn't good.

She turned to back to look at Silva- It never was.

-

"That was his former school. Campbells" Marissa suddenly said, looking over the phone in her hands like a top detective as if she wasn't talking to a seventeen year old.

"He was a Dean there, in one of the most prestigious schools in Nigeria. It didn't make sense how he'd leave there to come settle here. I'm not saying Hillway High isn't good, i'm just saying it's nothing compared to a British-Nigerian school the very first of its kind" She added. "Except he did something really bad that he was fired."

"That's the thing. That's the very thing, because al he keeps telling everyone was that he left, wanted something different" She looked to him. "But that could be the case as well, couldn't be?" Olamide asked and she chuckled. "You talk as if you have no idea how selfish he is, most of the days, he doesn't even want to be here, it's so obvious" She replied as Mide leaned against the walls

"Are you trying to say Collins did the very same back in Campbells?" He whispered, and she handed the phone to him, opening it up to an article. "I'm saying someone like him, it's obvious this has been going for a really long time. But that was merely a doubt not until i saw that article" His eyes scanned to the top, reading aloud the headline.

"Lekki Teacher accused of Sexual Assault by parents of a sixteen year old girl?" Ola had doubt in his voice as Marissa fell back in her chair. "Lekki?" He echoed and she nodded. "But then you take a good look at the address, and there's only one school in that province" Her lips curved.

"Campbells"

"There's only one article on this to ever exist. And a stellar recommendation from the school board only points to one thing-They did everything to cover this up" She said.

"I don't know how i'm going to prove anything but i know it's him. I know it's that bastard" She gritted through her teeth. "How could they mask such a terrible man?" Again, she laughed at his naivety. "Sometimes, people care more about their own reputations than anything else" She said.

"I've been working on this all week and i'm this close, this fucking close to ruining that son of a bitch" She had evil in her eyes, but the good kind. Ola uncrossed his arms.

"We're"

And she locked eyes with him. "We're close" He replied before his phone buzzed in his hands. It took him a moment before he got to it, but when he did, he could swear his heart skipped at the message across his screen.

Hi, i saw your message. Glad to finally hear your voice. Between school and work, i barely have anytime but I'll you call sometime i promise. Will. x

He turned off his phone with a smile on his lips. Looking to Marissa "Find out what you can about that article. I think i have an idea" He narrowed his eyes. "I know someone that has known Collins for quite a long time" He continued so calmly as if that person wasn't his father. Akin.

But one thing about Ola is that just like his mother-

-

he would always have a plan.

Ola held the strands of his bag with his left hand and the book in his right as he made his way into the parking lot.

He could swear he still felt the stares and the murmurs whenever he passed by, but it had grown on him. So much that he didn't care as much. His eyes settled on his red bike that had fallen into the shrubs. And it wasn't until he picked it up that he saw the words that had been painted across it.

And the tires had been slashed as well.

He just sighed, hearing the chuckles that came from behind the building and then he pinched the bridge of his nose, abandoning his belonging there. He crossed the street, just opposite Fiyin but somehow, they didn't see each other. Placing his headphones over his head, he buried his face into the book in his hands and made his way through the shortcut that led to his house. Like i said, he was used to this-but somehow he was quite foolish to think that the bullying would end now that Ayo was dead. That was a lie.

It was a reach, nothing but a foolish thought.

In fact, he thought he'd gotten worse. "Six weeks" He muttered under his breath. "Six weeks and it would all be over" He thought of life after high school, and somehow this was the first time it didn't seem so bad. Not at all.

On the other hand, Fiyin held the door of her car open as she eyed Deb halfway across. "Have you told him?" She mouthed and Deborah turned to her driver. "We'll be making a stop off-route today" He looked to her from the corner of his eyes. "We won't take that much time"

They sat the back seat, their hands instantly holding unto each other. "No need to tell father. Please" She pouted and he just rolled his away, igniting the engines. It wasn't until a second later that Deb looked to Fi.

"What is it?" Fiyin whispered as Deborah noticed some green in her eyes. "Are you sure you want to this?" She asked and Fi brought her head to her shoulders. "Yes i am"

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life"

"I'll be there, as always" Deb placed her head on hers that the braids from her suku fell across her face. Fiyin looked to their hands that were still intertwined. If there was anything as such as a soulmate that was Deborah to her. "I'll be there" She whispered again, like a promise. And she was, for the most of it. She was there as they were walked into the police station and then the floor counter.

She rubbed her palms together but never let go of Deb. "Hi, my name is Fiyin Bamidele" She looked to the man behind the desk, the sound of the news just behind her. And she pushed a lump down her throat. "I'm here to uh-“ "I'm here to report a crime" She felt Deb squeeze her hands and the stuttering halted. "I'm here to report a rape."

And that was the very first act to take down Collins.

-

Mira felt her throat go sore, dry. And agonizingly painful for a lump to go through. She stood above the two bodies with tears in her eyes and Dare was right beside her.

Alongside Silva. "Told you it wasn't a victory" He said and Mira looked away from the inhumane way the dead body was placed it into a black plastic bag. Now, thankfully it wasn't anyone that they knew. But no one should have to go through what they had just seen.

"Stab wounds" Dare whispered, the siren behind them as some sort of background music. Mira nodded. "And when we came, the bodies had already painted, together" He added. "What did it- What did it say?" Mira stammered. "Aids" "That's all?" She asked and he nodded.

"What do you think?" He asked and a scoff escaped Silva's lips. "I think the person behind all of this isn't bothered about hiding his intentions anymore. He's killing people with the disease, thinking it's some good for the society. It is because of us that this hap-" Dare halted his next word.

"Don't ever say that. It's because of you we'll catch him. This is a serial killer on the loose" A tear slipped down his cheeks. "I don't think anyone's safe" He looked to Mira, with worry in his eyes and she looked back at him. "What are you going to do?"

"What we've always done. I have an interview with the Guardian and if this person wants to go low, we go to hell. We're going to tell the world it isn't just AIDS, now it's far deeper than that. We're going to fight-" Mira paused. "I am, until my dying breath. I wouldn't stop until this person is brought to books. I don't care how much it takes, or how dangerous it is, i wont stop, Dare. I can't stop" She added.

"Because i'm sick and tired of this entire world, acting like we have less of the rights that they have. This isn't just a hate crime, it isn't just a murder, it isn't just-It is a human rights violation and the most vile thing you could do to a person. These are people" He looked to the bags.

"These are people that have a family, that have a future and it's just taken away from them. Stripped off them alongside their clothes. I don't think anything's going to be done until we take an action. Screw a video or an article" She turned her head to Silva. "We take to the streets. We march. That's what we're going to do" There was tears in her eyes.

"We tell them what they need to hear. That Queer Lives Matter-And no life will matter unless we matter" Dare looked to the people around them as Mira raised her voice.

"That's what we're going to do what i'm going to do."

-

Obi buried his face into the novel, knowing he had gone at least halfway. There weren't all that many pages left and he already began to dread the moment he'd complete the book as he walked across the pavements of Abule-Egba. He'd gotten so carried away between the music and the pages that he failed to hear the horning of the call beside him. He marched forward, only for the car to drive past him and halt at its front. He paused, taking off his headphones as if that would make him see better. Or make consciousness of his environment.

There was a shiny black 1969 Chevy Camaro just in front of him and slowly the tinted windows drew down to reveal behind it. Obi stood right opposite it, holding the book out of his face as he gasped.

His eyes squinted because of how wide his grin was.

"Hassan Madu?" He squealed, trying to keep calm. There was a man beside her in a suit and one that drove. She took off her glasses to see Obi, and she as well had a smile on her lips. "Told you i'll be coming around" She whispered.

Her nails scraped against the car. "Come on in, Obi" She tilted her head. And he screamed, forsaking any caution Mira had told him about getting into a stranger's car. But the thing was-Hassan Madu wasn't a stranger. She was an icon, and she was the moment.

And she was the guardian angel Obi needed in the moment.

Only then, did things finally seem right.

"How are you?" She flashed a smile at him and he rested his shoulders. She squeezed it, shaking her head. "I saw-"

"I saw the news" Was all she said. "It's why i'm here, Obi❞

To be continued...