Flames

Flames

Ken was many things. He was called many things; many things he didn't like.

Image Source

His course mates said he was named Ken because his parents foresaw that he was going to be short: a short name for a short person. Even though he argued that his full name was Kennedy Ajani, no one listened. They said he made it longer so as not to call attention to his stature.

They also called Ken 'C-4'. This is because he explodes at least once a week. A student who does not turn in their assignment on time for Ken to submit to the lecturer stands in danger of Ken's anger. Once, he even went on a tirade on phone with a lecturer because the lecturer had kept the students - the second year students of English and Literary Studies - for two full hours waiting on a Saturday before the lecturer called to say he would not be able to make it to class that day.

One name they called Ken that no one was sure how it came about was Flamez. There were rumours that he was a pyromaniac. No one could confirm that for a long time. Another deduction on how he came about Flamez was that he was a passionate lover. That was obvious, because he was the only one who still had the same girlfriend since SS 2: Zainab!

Image Source

The day everyone in Federal University, Akure knew that Ken was really all flames was the day a telecoms company brought Sean Tizzle to perform in o?the school. Everyone was excited to see the superstar live. The Motion Ground had already been decorated with banners and flags of the telecoms company and pictures of Sean Tizzle. A makeshift stage was set facing the main gate of the school.

By 4pm, there was no single student in any lecture theatre in the school. The crowd at the Motion Ground spilled over onto the road and the traffic cadet of the school had a hard time moving traffic. Suddenly, we heard sirens, the campus gates swung open and two buses with tinted glasses drove into the school, closely followed by a Jeep and a police van.

For the next thirty minutes or so, no single person in that motorcade could come down. The crowd left the grounds and gathered around the vehicles. Some were peering to see which one was in, others were just there cheering. Somebody raised a song and everyone started singing.

Someone got a hold of a mega phone and began talking. “Sean Tizzle will not perform if you don't behave yourself and go back to the field,” he announced. Immediately, like hounds, the crowd raced back to the field.

Image Source

“Clear the road,” the announcer continued until the crowd made enough space for the vehicles to move slowly until it got to the back of the stage. Five hefty men got out of the first bus and ran to the front of the stage. One of them pushed a very short man away from the stage. Ken!

One can not hear what Ken was saying because of the noise from the crowd and the feedback noise from the sound system, but clearly you could see that Ken was pissed and was yelling at the bouncer. While the bouncer looked unfazed and began scanning the crowd, Zainab tried to calm her man down. Her heart shaped face devoid of makeup, her large clear eyes pleaded with Ken to be calm. “Please, my love,” she begged. “Don't do this here. Just let it go. Let's enjoy the show.”

Zainab didn't have to plead for long, for just then, Sean Tizzle climbed the stage and the DJ let loose the first song: “Mama eh!”

Several songs later, it was beginning to get dark. Sean Tizzle asked the DJ to play only The instrumentals of “Perfect Gentleman”. The crowd cheered and started to sing along as soon as the instrumentals started playing.

“Let me be your, a perfect gentleman oh,” Ken started to sing with his body and soul, his small frame swaying here and there like the banners on the Motion Ground. The one evening couldn't have been any better for the lovers. A moment ago, Ken was threatening to beat up a bouncer four times his size, now he's declaring his undying love for the love of his life.

Perfect Gentleman. I shot me.

“Let me be the man to always hold you down,” Ken continued excitedly. When the song got to the chorus, everyone jumped up and down singing excitedly. Ken's excitement was however short-lived. The bouncer he had an altercation with picked him up like one weightless can and shook him in the air like a flag of freedom. He then let him fly into the audience.

As soon as Ken started charging towards the stage, he stopped mid flight. He couldn't believe his eyes. Within the moment he was thrown into the midst of the audience and the time it took him to get up, Sean Tizzle invited Zainab to come and dance with him on the stage.

“Zainab!” Ken screamed. Just then, some mischievous boys started to cheer “flamez-a, flamez-a”. Ken charged towards the stage but another bouncer caught and tried to lift him. He couldn't, because Ken latched onto his leg like a leech. They both struggled, but just then, the lights went out and the blaring speakers died. The crowd let out a disappointed groan.

“Fire, fire!” A voice yelled before the groans died out. Everyone froze for a second to determine the direction of the voice, but Ken had already started galloping to the shed where the generator plant that the event was housed. There was smoke visible only when one squint their eyes in the setting darkness.

Image Source

By 10pm that night, Ken and a few of his course mates made their way to the campus security office to report that Zainab was missing. By the time they put out the fire earlier, Sean Tizzle had left and the crowd dispersed. Ken called Zainab’s line several times so they can meet and go to his off-campus hostel together but she did not answer the phone.

By 8.30pm, he had been to her house and the houses of all of her friends. No one knew her whereabouts, no one saw when she left the Motion Ground.

“Wait till 10pm,” Femi advised seeing that Ken was agitated. “If she doesn't call back, then we can go and report at the Security Unit.”

They were close to the Security Office when Ken received a text. The text read: ‘One of Sean’s guys took me out after the show. We are at the club, I'll be back by 1am. Should I get you anything to eat?’ Ken went into a fit.

“What kind of stupidity is that?” He ranted. “Somebody better hold me, else I'll go to jail for murder.” While Ken yelled, Femi was frantically whispering to the other members of the group.

“Fire, fire! Fire!” The boys shouted with Femi in the lead as they started to run. Ken followed shouting “Where? Where?”