Chapter 3: NOVA
Nova's POV
My name is Nova, I am Rufus' wife. I and my husband communicate almost every day, sometimes through calls, chats, SMS or video calls. The boys love video calls. That is how we have been able to cope with the distance. It is unlike him to disappear for a whole four days. I have been calling his number, no response. At some point, his number wasn't reachable. Many thoughts ran through my mind. I thought of whether he had been kidnapped, but if he was kidnapped, they would have called to demand a ransom. I wondered if he was cheating on me. It is possible, but 4 days in a row? My heart jumped each time my phone rang, thinking he was the one calling.
Finally, he called. I grabbed the phone and answered the call, but the voice I heard was not his and the news I got was not pretty. I was shattered when I heard it. He was involved in an accident four days ago and I didn't even know. "Was he being properly cared for? Who has been with him? How serious was it? Is he unconscious or maybe dead?" These thoughts chased one another in my head. I flinched at the last thought. Strength left me, fear and uncertainty enveloped me, and the tears poured unhindered.
Zara, my bosom friend and my other colleagues rushed to my side to console me. Zara was there when I got the call and she saw fear transform me before her eyes. She held my hands and said- "Don't jump to conclusions, go and see things for yourself first." She hugged me and wiped my tears. I drew strength from the hug and her words.
I nodded, stood up, and staggered to Mr Segun's office down the hall. Mr Segun is my boss. I informed him of the situation and took permission to travel. Zara agreed to pick up my children from school and keep them till I return. I called the school to inform them. Zara called an Uber taxi to take me to the airport. I live in Lagos with my two sons, Shadrach and Mark. With my heart in my mouth but trying so hard to appear brave, I boarded the next available flight to Abuja where my husband lived and worked.
*******
Nova got to the hospital and called Silas. He directed her to someone that had information as to where Rufus was. She was taken to identify his body. She completely broke down on seeing his body. She cried and wailed, pulling at her hair. The ghost was watching her the whole time. He wanted to console her, wishing he could hold her and tell her everything will be fine but he couldn't. He sat there feeling very sad and helpless.
Nova was very worried. "How did he die?" she asked, but no one could provide the answers she needed. "Please, can an autopsy be carried out?" She was told it was too late for that. Nova needed some closure, she needed answers. What will she tell the kids? Where will she start? She sent messages to Zara and Rufus' brother. She put a call through to Silas but he was busy in his boss's office and the phone rang unanswered. She didn't know what to do next, but she was determined to hear how he died.
Condolence calls and messages were pouring in; news spread fast, especially bad news. She cried even more after she received the calls.
"So, this is happening, I am now a widow," she cried. Fear and helplessness gripped her heart and squeezed it! Her legs could no longer support her so she sat down and hugged herself. Her tears flowed. Silas got back to his office, saw Nova's missed calls, and returned them.
"Why didn't you tell me he was dead?" She tearfully asked.
"I am so sorry for your loss, ma," was all Silas could say. There was a pause.
"Where can I see you?" she asked.
He gave her the address of the eatery close to his office.
In half an hour, they were sitting face to face. Silas dreaded this meeting but knew there was no way he could dodge it. He was still contemplating how much information he could reveal to her regarding how he found the corpse considering her current state of mind. He felt he should tell her everything perhaps it may help to find out who killed him. They sat in silence for some minutes. Then he handed her Rufus' phone and a piece of paper on which he scribbled his phone number.
"Oh, before I forget, this is his car key," he said, dangling the key in the air. "The car is packed at my house. I can get it across to you, I know you may not be in the best shape to drive now. Just tell me where you live."
Nova told him she lived in Lagos with the kids. This new piece of information surprised Silas. "So you came from Lagos today?" he asked.
She answered in the affirmative and said, "Do me a favour, keep the car with you till I clear my head, please?"
Silas nodded.
"I know you have a lot of questions; you can ask me. I will do my best to answer the ones I know."
"Were you guys close? Did you know my husband?" asked Nova.
"No," Silas replied, "I didn't know him at all. I met him after he died!"
"What?" Nova spoke in hushed tones now; she grabbed his shirt sleeve in fright looking around furtively. "How do you mean after he died?"
Silas replied, "Ma'am, I don't know how to tell you this, but I was the one who discovered his body."
Nova was quiet for some time, after which she sighed and asked, "How and where did you see it?"
Silas looked around nervously and lowered his voice, "It was his ghost that directed me to the scene of the accident."
Nova's eyes widened in disbelief. She searched Silas' face carefully and realized he was serious. No one jokes about such serious matters at this point, she reasoned. "You mean you saw my husband and spoke to him after he died?" she asked.
Silas nodded and said "I know it sounds crazy but it is true, and you are the first person I am telling."
"What sort of accident was it?" She asked.
Suddenly, Silas' face lost colour and he jumped up from his chair and darted out of the eatery. A confused and startled Nova followed him.
"Wait, Silas please wait," she called out.
He reluctantly stopped close to the main road, sweating profusely, and breathing heavily with nostrils flaring. She hurried to catch up with him.
"Why were you running? she asked.
He looked at her, fear written on every feature of his face.
"My husband's ghost appeared again right?" she probed.
He nodded.
"What did he say?" Nova asked.
Silas replied, "He didn't say anything; he just sat on the seat close to you!"
"How many times have you seen him?" she asked.
"This is the second time," replied Silas."
"Maybe he is trying to send a message through you, don't be scared. He was not a violent or wicked person," she said.
"That is easy for you to say, I didn't even know the guy!" Silas protested, spreading his arms wide and tilting his neck slightly to the side.
"Stop running, and talk to him," she said slowly but emphatically.
Silas could not say anything.
"What kind of trouble is this?" he wondered. "What was his name?" he said out loud.
Nova replied, "Rufus."
Silas looked down crossing his wrists. The appearance of the ghost had destabilized both of them; Nova forgot all the other questions she wanted to ask.
Silas was in a bad mood when he stormed into his office. He was angry and worried about the unpredictable ghost. "I have informed his family, what else is he appearing for? Now that I know he is a ghost; he is supposed to avoid me," he muttered.
Nova went to the apartment Rufus lived; only the security man was there. She collected the landlord's number and sent him a message, telling him Rufus was dead. She stood at the door. Unable to bring herself to open it, she turned back.
Nova returned to her station. She called Rufus' family to inform them officially of his death. His siblings called and consoled each other and arrangements for the funeral began.
She broke the sad news to their two children that their daddy had gone to heaven. The children were very sad and asked her many questions like, "Does that mean we will not see him again?"
"Will he come back?"
"What happened to him?"
"Why did he go to heaven?"
"Do they cook Banga soup in heaven?"
Banga soup and starch was Rufus' favourite food.
Nova and the boys cried together. "You have to be strong for mummy," she told them. They were still very young and didn't understand much but they nodded and agreed to be strong. She was overwhelmed with grief and could not sleep that night until the wee hours of the morning.
Silas was too terrified to go home, so he went to his friend, Loni's house, and they talked till almost midnight before they slept. He was careful not to mention Rufus or the ghost. He didn't want to transfer his fear to his friend. Loni, however, noticed that Silas was bothered about something.
The next morning, he woke early and headed home to shower. Silas would never repeat the same cloth he wore to work the day before. He was a clean man and very particular about personal hygiene. His house was clean and tidy most of the time.
He showered, dressed and went to the office. He did some work and called Nova during lunch to ask how she was holding up. Her voice was weak; he gave her some words of comfort and encouragement. He decided to stop at a bar for a drink and some isi-ewu (a delicacy prepared with goat head) before going home. All these were tactics to buy time and reduce the number of hours he would spend alone in a house where a ghost could appear at any moment.
"Sometimes when you play the good Samaritan, you end up inviting trouble for yourself," he mused, swirling the drink in his glass.
"I have informed his family, I have returned his phone, I didn't steal or use his car, so I'm sure he will not appear to me anymore," he reassured himself.
"Not when you are the only person who can see him," said the second voice in his head.
"But his wife said he will not harm me," Silas caught himself in the middle of a soliloquy.
"It is not enough that I am seeing ghosts, I am also losing my mind on top of it."
He drained his glass and set it down with a thud. He stood up, dusted imaginary dirt off the seat of his trousers and headed home. Unknown to Silas, the ghost was scared of appearing again and making his life more miserable.
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