Danladi was in a good mood. Every sunny day was a good one for his petty trade. He had sold three bags of 'pure' water and two crates of La-casera drink. From the proceeds, he had secured a full bowl of indomie noodles for himself and his best friend Salisu. Salisu's business was not thriving as he barely made two hundred Naira daily from hawking kola nuts.
His reddish-brown eyes and dusky skin bore testimony to the harsh Abuja sun. At a young age of twenty, Danladi already had a near permanent crease on his broad forehead.
He whistled as he strolled home and occasionally waved and called out greetings to his room mates as their Keke Napep tricycles drove by.
Home was an uncompleted twin duplex on a street behind the Apo Legislative quarters. Danladi shared a room with more than a dozen other boys. Mats were littered all over, interspersed only occasionally with thin mattresses. Some said it wasn't an ideal accommodation but Danladi had never known better. It was a far cry from his nomadic childhood. At least he had a mat of his own to rest his body and a roof over his head that shielded him from the elements.
After gobbling his dinner with his friend Salisu, he lay on his mat and soon dozed off, even before the resident comedian, Salisu could finish his first joke of the night. Soon after, the chatting and laughter gave way to silence as one by one, they yielded to the demands of their exhausted bodies.
Danladi woke up in a start. At first he could not figure out what had so brutally interrupted his sleep. As soon as he lifted his head off the mat however, he heard the commands. 'Come out now!' The voice carried so much authority that Danladi's knees buckled as he attempted to stand. Then someone gave him a shove and he fell heavily on the concrete floor. Every effort to stand failed as bodies pinned him down and trampled on him.
When Danladi finally exited the building, he fully came to terms with the danger as trigger ready men in uniforms spat out commands. 'Get down!', 'Go on your knees!'
Danladi at once hugged the floor ant held his head with both hands.
Then all hell let loose. The sound of gunfire filled the air amidst the terrified cries. Danladi raised his head briefly and in that brief moment, his Heart froze. He saw his friend Salisu falling helplessly just after the stairs that led up to the house.
'Salisu!', he called out. Impulsively and in a daze, he rushed towards his friend. Before he could reach him however, the pain tore through his left leg. Danladi fell very close to Salisu who lay in a pool of his own blood. The last thing he remembered seeing was the terrified deathly gaze in Salisu's eyes.......and the tears......
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