Drum Bits of Terror: Drum Bits of Terror

5

37 5 ne night, after working the whole day, Sam returned to his room completely worn-out. He did not have the strength to visit the Den. Instead, he took a quick bath, went to the dining hall and ate his supper hurriedly. He returned to his room before sun down, locked his door, shut the windows, turned off the lights, and walked all the way to his bed. He kicked shoes off his feet and dropped his body onto his bed like a log. He did so without pulling his sheets out. He heaved his feet-up, stretched across the bed, and simply lay there face-up. He closed his eyes as his mind took flight to the night before his departure from his small idyllic home of Mung’oma. That night, he had one simple plan on his mind: to attend Bumbe Polytechnic, complete his diploma, and find a job in Kakamega town. This was not too far from his grandparents’ home, though this did not make much difference. If he earned enough money, he hoped to purchase land, build a home, get married and bear lots of children. He desired a family more than life itself. That was his aim, a noble goal many young men his age desired and hoped to fulfil. It galvanized his resolve. He had no father and, as for his mother, as long as he could remember, was as absent as even when present. She had no hand in his upbringing and upkeep. She was dead to him. Worst still, he never addressed her as mother, but by her maiden name, Kangonya. So, as he rested on his bed, his mind took flight to an incident that happened many years ago. He was primary schools. Ah! How foolish he was. He chuckled a little at its remembrance. Before that day, he knew his grandparents were his parents. He even called them Mama and Baba respectively. That was until one fateful day, when he had got into a scuffle with another boy. He called him a bastard after a stupid misunderstanding. The boys were competing for a girl. She was not particularly beautiful, but that was hardly the point. Ndooli, the boy with whom he fought, had a sweet tongue. Everyone in the O 38 school knew it. He knew it. The girls knew it. He could seduce and win a girl’s heart with just a wink of his eyes. After gaining her trust, he discarded her, as though she were rubbish and devoid of feelings. Sam hated the way he treated women. He felt women were delicate, a precious and had to be handled gently. He wanted to protect the girl whom he and Ndooli coveted. Even if she was not attractive, she had a pure and clean heart. She did not speak ill of other people, even if they were unkind to her. She was ever so kind! That is why she deserved protection. The only physical and attractive aspect of this girl was the gap in her teeth. Whenever she smiled, most boys were drawn to her. That is how Sam became attracted to her. Little did he know the effect she would have on his adult life! Before Sam made his intentions to the girl known, Ndooli interfered. He appeared on the scene with his usual wink and a smile. Boy was he a smooth talker. The girl, just in a fraction of a second, felt reeled into Ndooli’s charm. He promised to give her little trinkets to clench his win and as a testament to his love for her. That should have been enough, but he did not stop there. He wanted to make sure his conquest was guaranteed. That was when he called him a bastard. Those fateful words altered Sam’s life permanently. “Forget guys like Sam! What can he give you,” Ndooli said, trying to entice the girl. “After all, he is a bastard. He can’t even buy you BIG G! Imagine that, he can’t buy you a freaking BIG G,” he added with a triumphant smile plastered across his face. What an awful word, a bastard! Immediately, Sam’s mind froze. Then, fury, real fury, an astronomical rage ambushed him. “Take back what you’ve just said,” Sam barked. “No!” “I mean it . . .” “No!” “Take it back! Or else . . .” “Or else what!” “Or else you will regret you ever said what you just did,” Sam said fuming. By then, he...