When the gritty reboot of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is inevitably announced, the screenwriters can look to Noela Rukundo for inspiration. Like Tom and Huck, she attended her own funeral; unlike Tom and Huck, she was there to confront her husband, who had hired hit men to kill her.
Noela, who lives in Australia, was in her native Burundi, Africa, attending her stepmother’s funeral when she received a call from her husband, Kalala. She was feeling overwhelmed, so he asked her how the weather was and said to go outside for some fresh air. Waiting for her was a man with a gun.
As she told the BBC:
“He just told me, ‘Don’t scream. If you start screaming, I will shoot you. They’re going to catch me, but you? You will already be dead.’ So, I did exactly what he told me.” (Via)
Noela was thrown in a car, where more mysterious men awaited her. A 30- to 40-minute drive later, they arrived at their destination, where she was tied to a chair. Her kidnappers asked, “What did you do to this man? Why has this man asked us to kill you?” When Noela replied with confusion, “because I don’t have any problem with anybody,” they responded, “Your husband!”
The phone was put on loudspeaker for Noela to hear the reply.
Her husband’s voice said: “Kill her.” (Via)
They didn’t, though, because “we don’t kill women and children,” the gang leader said. Also, they wanted more money. So, they called Kalala back, demanding “that the fee for the murder had increased.” He refused, and two days later, Rukundo was freed. The last thing her kidnappers told her:
“If God helps you, you’ll get to Australia.”
Noela called God’s buddy, the pastor of her church in Melbourne, and said, “It’s me, I’m still alive, don’t tell anybody.” Meanwhile, Kalala was telling everyone that his wife had died in a “tragic accident,” and he “spent the day hosting a steady stream of well-wishers, many of whom donated money.” Which brings us back to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 2.0.
“I was stood just looking at him. He was scared, he didn’t believe it. Then he starts walking towards me, slowly, like he was walking on broken glass. He kept talking to himself and when he reached me, he touched me on the shoulder. He jumped. He did it again. He jumped. Then he said, ‘Noela, is it you?’… Then he start screaming, ‘I’m sorry for everything.'” (Via)
Kalala was arrested and sentenced to nine years in prison.
(Via BBC)