*I do*
The atmosphere was filled with a red hue as the sun was setting on the horizon, she was just returning from classes and being that the classed spawned from the brink of dawn to sunset, it goeswithpiyt saying that any energy she once had, had forsaken her.
She just wanted to go and sleep.
A random guy dressed in all black, he had black air forces one on , he also tied a black bandana over his head with the imagery of a white,bold question mark.
Standing at 194cm, he was a figure nobody could fail to notice, however, Gloria had chosen to pretend like she didn't see him altogether, as acknowledging his presence was surely not going to do her any good
She chose to subtly increase her walking pace.
It didn't help matters.
//tap//
*Capo dey call you*
Gloria sighed as a sign of defeat, indicating that she had been through this before, refusal to follow this strange man could only mean one thing, she would be kidnapped.
This people didn't take no for an answer, even worse now because just last month, "capo" had sent a civilian freshman to call her attention, she told him to get lost and In the peak of his naivety, he went back and relayed the offensive message back to the one who had sent him.
He is currently hospitalised.
Failure to carry out an objective usually spelt doom for the one who had been assigned such objective, and as she had been becoming more and more stubborn in recent days, refusal to accept the "invitation" would
Also mean she would eventually receive some "beauty marks" on her face for her repeated "disrespect"
//tap//
*Capo talk say make I call you*
Gloria realised that she had been carried away in thought, although she was more surprised at the fact that she had not yet been yelled at or outrightly lifted up against her will.
Surprised at this turn of events, she looked up at the man, she could see that although his physical profile was undoubtedly intimidating, he was seemingly unaware of this fact, as he looked even more scared than the person he had been sent to intimidate.
She continued to look at him,
He was not afraid, she had gotten it wrong with her previous assumption,
The look he had on his face wasnt one of fear or uncertainty, it was one of sadness, sad as he just HAD to be the one they would send to get this girl
He was sad as he was trying to keep his involvement with this gang a secret from gloria
She realized this man was dark-skinned and kept a partial goatee, his cold stare and call demeanour was unmistakable.
It was her boyfriend, Jonah.
He told every one to call him Jon, Jonah was too "nerdy"
Why is her boyfriend calling his girlfriend for another man you may ask, well he couldn't refuse, he was of a lower rank, refusal of a direct command usually came with dire consequences.
*so you've joined them* said Gloria, now visibly upset
Jon didn't give her a response, he too didn't want to be there but had to as he had been given an assignment, however, nobody said anything about speaking to the girl.
He took her by the hand and led her towards the big oak tree that everyone dreaded.
The so called "capo" did what he always did, he stumbled over his words toke and time again, as he had a speech impediment that immediately became apparent when he was speaking to any person of the opposite sex.
He had a fragile ego though, so any form of laughter or ridicule in the slightest by any of his men would result in him flying into a rage,
And the offender flying into a beat down from the rest of the group.
It was obvious that this "capo" had joined this "clique" in his earlier days for protection, community, brotherhood, solidarity, blah blah blah and all the slop they fed to young guys as reasons for joining.
Without this position of "leadership" in this group, "capo" would just be another insignificant David on campus as he had a face only a mother could love, his grotesque nature was amplified by the scar on the right side of his face and the glass eye in his right eye, this is what belonging to this group got you, she still a glance at Jonah, hoping he could see common sense and leave this gang.
She was eventually dismissed and had gone to her dorm. Later in the night, she heard a knock on the door, it woke her up from sleep.
//knock//
*it's me gloria*
She recognized his voice
*I want to talk to you*
"There's nothing to talk about"
*please it won't take long*
"I'm not opening this door, say what you have to and leave please."
*fine*
*I'm sorry*
"What are you apologising for I don't understand"
*don't be difficult, Glo*
"Gloria" she retorted sharply
*Gloria please, I had to*
"Why are you apologising, you're a made man" she was obviously being sarcastic.
"If you're apologising, then you know joining wad the wring decision to make right? "
No answer
Pause
*I know*
"How long have you been a member"
He could have told her that he was a member long before he met her, but he decided not to be honest ,as it would only infuriate.
Jonah was in his final year but had met Gloria when he was in is penultimate year, and had started dating the second semester of that year, he had had a change of heart , and wanted out of the gang, ever since he met her, but he didn't know how, all he was trying to do was graduate without her knowledge of his involvement, or at least graduate alive.
He told her that he joined two months ago, it was a lie, but it was at the very least believeable
He told her that he was forced to (a lie)
He told her that he wanted out (true)
He told her that he was quietly biding his time so he could escape alive (true)
He told her he loved her (true).
Jonah had persuaded her not to leave him using a mixture of lies and truths, but she was convinced, it wasn't logical for her to stay with a gangbanger, but since when did love start listening to logic?
A war had broken out on campus between his gang and a rival faction, Jonah had to run away from the city altogether to avoid being killed as he was involved in that life.
This seemed to straighten him out as he had gotten his life back together, and decided to leave that all behind him.
Gloria could clearly remember how handsome he looked in his black and white tuxedo during their wedding, as opposed to the all black he wore during that fateful day
*I do*
She had said this words to him as she had no doubt about the fact that they were going to have a perfect life together, and oh perfect it was.
For a time at least, they had two sons, Ike and Kenneth, they were wealthy, they were In love, they were the family everyone wished they had, they were perfect.
*****************************************
Gloria awoke from her alcohol induced slumber with a splitting headache.
She had little to no recollection of what happened yesterday except from the fact that she had begun her drinking session at the living room downstairs, but she found her self in her bedroom upstairs, her son must have carried her.
Poor boy, ever since the tragedy he refuses to say more that two words at a time, he dosent leave his room, he always has this blank expression on his face, and yet he has seening taken to all these like a duck to water, he didnt even cry at the funeral, was he happy that his father died? Did ne not care that her husband is gone??
The return of the splitting headache had severed her chain of thought, thank God as she would had otherwise thrown a crying fit as gone straight back to drinking.
She got up to get a glass of water.
It seems she had only been dreaming.
Not an fictional dream, as it was merely a reminder of past events that gloria had lived.
Turns out though, that karma comes for everyone, before jonah turned his life around, he was a gang member in every sense of the word.
No, he didn't hate it, in fact he was a high ranking member, just not the number 1.
No, he wasn't absolved of any crime the gang committed, he was an active and willing participant.
All the lives he had destroyed couldn't just be overlooked by the universe, and at fate would have it, Jonah would lose his life in a ghastly car accident, leaving behind a widow addicted to the bottle,and a traumatised son, to deal with their losses respectively.