A LITTLE VIOLENCE

I used to have this very stubborn friend who feared nobody. He preferred to fight than engage in a mere exchange of words. I remember his common phrase, "them never born the person". 

"Igbegiri" was his name. Guys feared him. I could slap a soldier provided he is somewhere near. But now, I wouldn't want to hurt a fly because Igbegiri is six-feet under the ground.

It was a cool evening of the unfaithful day at the pitch, we were playing football like we normally did. 

"Last throwing, last over!"

The people timing us as we played, shouted. Tempo became high as none of the players wanted to leave the field of play. In the last counter attack of the 10 minutes match, the ball hit a younger boy's hand. Igbegiri didn't want to waste any time decided to "touch and play", but the younger boy played the ball away so his team mates would return to guard their "monkey" goal post. 

In anger as usual, Igbegiri went for a punch. "Ahan, na wetin I do you na, you go see today" the boy said. As his mouth was gradually becoming a pool of blood. People rushed in to hold and beg Igbegiri. 

"See this small boy o! Me, you say I go see?" Igbegiri said, for what the boy said infuriated him.
"

"You no go calm down, when e go happen, na your body go tell you o!", people shouted at the boy who was busy pacing around, looking for weapon. 

The boy suddenly headed for the little crowd around Igbegiri. Running with all his strength, he bombed into the crowd with a great hit. "Yeeeh!!! My neck o!" Igbegiri shouted and fell to the ground. A bottle has been implanted in his neck. 

"Your father, near me na!", the boy said, bouncing and boasting.

People started begging Igbegiri to allow them take him to a near-by hospital. He was on the ground as attempts were made to pull out the bottle off his neck. 

Finally, it came out! His jersey was already soaked in his blood. He didn't mind, 

"make una leave me!" He shouted as he forcefully pulled himself out of the midst of the people taking him to the hospital. He approached the boy fiercely. At this point, no one dared try to hold Igbegiri back. The boy past away as he couldn't withstand several punches and strangling Igbegiri proffered.

How has the mighty fallen! Igbegiri thought he was still as strong as he was. He fell on his kneels when he tried getting up. We rushed to hold him in care. I saw it in his eyes, "weakness". He was gradually getting cold, and his eyes needed just some micro joules of energy to keep them open. He dependently and unconsciously fell into my hands.

We rushed him to the hospital. The doctor came out several minutes later, shaking his head in disappointment and failure. We needed not a soothsayer to decipher that gesture to us. We looked at one another in disbelief. I was personally disheartened, those soldiers could come looking for me.
Violence took my friend. Temper and impatience fell an Iroko tree. It could then happen to you, me, or even us. What's then the need of it?