"His name is Don, the only child of the late Billionaire 'Sir Gordon The Don', founder of SFC (Sixth Figure Cult)" officer Stone's partner informs ignorant cops who acted wildly minutes ago, towards the young man who entered the police station with a bottle of Ballentines whiskey and a cigarette burning on his mouth.
"What...!" Wondering voices wobble from different corners among the cops, their faces looking so surprised, seeming to be famous everyone has ever heard about on hearing the name.
"Hope all of us know about a saying; 'Never judge a book by its cover," he give a piece of advice to them.
"At least everyone here knows the contributions his family did for the good of our city and the wellbeing of the country at large..... Upto now our families continue to benefit from those contributions," says the police officer to fellow officers loud and clear.
People in the region from the elderly to the six year aged, if someone has never seen at least has ever heard about the achievement and the contribution the late Sir Gordon The Don and family did.
Every bank in the region was started by him, the biggest and most expensive five star hotels in the country, the number one leading university in the country and not forgetting a third of the funds which the government used to fight against the pandemic came from the same family as it was announced by his excellence the president of the nation on national televisions. The same family has been awarded with medals of honor from the office of the president occasionally as country heroes.
The late Sir Gordon The Don and his family's achievements can not be underrated and their big influence. Anyone attached to the root is so much respected in the country.
Now to the officers at the police headquarters, it happens to be shameful if not a crime to all of them that the young man they have wildly handled is noticed to be the hair, who owns everything under his father's name as he is known to be the only son and the only child of Sir Gordon The Don.
Everyone shrinks from his or her own atmosphere after knowing about officer Stone's visitor, Don. Some the cops move outside to check the convoy and the bodyguards as it is always heard and seen that he moves in a Rolls-Royce phantom and an Escalade following behind but to their surprise nothing is seen. "Watch carefully," one of the cops tries to head alert the others without pointing a fine so that he is not seen, "those two giant men in black suits opposite at the càfe, their eyes can't miss five seconds without looking this way."
"I think I've ever seen them somewhere if am not mistaken," another cop responds looking keen with very keen eyes across at the men.
"Yes....!" Officer Stone's patrol partner comes out from behind and confirms to them, "the convoy has ever parked here at the police station but that was a long time back only that their boss didn't come out of his car."
On this reminder, memories refresh. Now every cop who was around by then can remember.
"So true!" This is what one of them says nodding his head frozen and walks back inside the station. The rest of the cops follow quietly behind without mentioning any other word, leaving officer Stone's partner behind on deck.
"It is six months since Lala disappeared from my world," faking the smile, Don speaks as he moves his eyes around officer Stone's office.
"You can please have a sit, Sir," requests officer Stone pulling the chair closer to him in a more convenient position.
Don then places his Ballentines whisky bottle on the work desk and takes his sit. "What you have here is quite a nice office. I think I like it," he gives his complement with a smile. "I think my cigarette has burnt out" he says, "please provide me with anything for ash."
Officer Stone quickly picks his office dustbin and places it closer near Don's reach. He dumps the filter and then rests his hand on the arm of the chair to relax.
"You need to sit down Stone this is your work place" says Don, feel free in my presence at least this time when am in your premises."
"All the respect that people show to me maybe for my family's reputation and the riches around my life do not count," on a serious note he speaks.
"How much haven't I invested...! where haven't I reached...! What is that I've been told to do and I have not done perfectly!" tears start dripping and rolling down his pale cheeks.
"The money you people cherish, can't even bring back that one special thing that has ever made me happy" he yells on top of his voice infront of officer Stone, "it is all useless."
"I have failed to find Lala..... Stone!" lowering his voice and bending his head down on the table, he speaks crying more louder. Tears and nose fluids continue to flow out of him, pouring on his clothes. His pain seems too much that he has even neglected his way of life. He doesn't mind about anything anymore.
Only with worries on his face, officer Stone can look speechless. He picks a few wipes from the box on the side and gives to his boss to wipe. "Am so sorry Sir to put you in such a situation," he say.
It's not your fault Stone" he whips and sniffs saying, "I've failed as a person.... Only a bottle of whisky and a cigarette I trust will never betray me."
On tears, he opens his bottle ofvwhisky and takes a long sip.
"I think I feel better now," relaxing his head backwards on the chair, he says.
Python and Cobra inside the càfe opposite the police station; "look he is finally coming out," Cobra. "Quickly... let's got," Python. They both rush out of the càfe so they don't loose sight off their boss Don. From a distance, they continue monitoring him as he walks on the streets.
"Five minutes to midnight. We've waited for five full hours.... and our bill came out so crazy, man." Cobra speaks. "This has turned out to be a hard task," says Python. "Yes, you're right but this is our job to do" responds Cobra, "beside, whatever happens and however stubborn he behaves towards us, he is our boss that we must protect. At least let's focus on that."
Across the road they both continue watching over him in his lonely and depression state walking on the streets.
It's another full year making it two years ever since Lala went missing.
Due to the fact that love was lost, a lot of sad memories were making her uncomfortable. This is when she decided to relocate to the USA and separate herself from the what she refers to as a misfortune. It is now a period of three months of Dodo in the USA where she stays, managing her father's real estate businesses. Currently living at ease, life seems so fine for her. Her daily schedule is to go to field with her personal driver, puts on a helmet within a construction site, monitors the great job being done by workers on different projects and then after lunch in the afternoon she spend the rest of the hours at the offices.
In one of her father's hotels she stays. It is even more easier for her to meet with clients and other business personalities incase of any business meeting.
She enjoys sitting in the hotel gardens near the giant swimming pool during evening hours as she sips on a bottle of red wine. Sometimes at the bar counter at the ground floor listening to songs in a play list and here she sits with a bottle of liquor and a shot glass infront of her.
As it has always been through her life time in her mother land, she is not so familiar with friends, so even the three months she has spent in the USA have been totally with no friend.
Her interest for men seem so low since she knew only one man and that was Don, the man she grew up with, whom she took as her fiancée until when things fall apart.
She admires handsome men though and she smiles when she sees one but that's the end of the story.
The beard grew too long and his hair has missed a cut for a very long time, another Gandalf of the Harry Potter. Excessive consumption of alcohol twisted Don gorgeous personality and turned him into a pitiful beggar. He abandoned everything that he owned with all his responsibilities and ended up sleeping in the countryside long abandoned one room very old house with cobwebs in most of its corners. It has very old timber supporting a very old roof.
During day time he walks with his torn dirty clothes on his ashy looking, yellowish brown patched skin to the urban areas in search for what to feed on. The garbage from disposed items near restaurants he visits most. Many times people gives him some coins and food as he goes on to beg whereas sometimes he get kicked out of places when he enters to ask for what to put in his stomach. He smells really bad.
When the day gets dark, he walks back to the stand alone ramshackled house where he resides.
"It's just that I miss home," speaks Dodo behind the phone with her dad Mr James. "You have to get married my daughter and leave the lonely life that you have imprisoned yourself into," says Mr James. "Dad..!" she addresses him by his title, "I know mom is the one applying all the pressure but you don't have to take her side on the matter."
"No my daughter" he responds on a serious note, "it is obvious you're not growing any younger. Your mom is so much worried about you day in day out as a parent, especially well knowing you are so much stuck in the past. It really drives her crazy. We want you to live a happy life Dodo."
"Good men are like a big fish in the lake dad, not easy to catch" she says, "but I promise you...., not so long from now I will introduce one to you."
"Make sure you don't delay," Mr James can have a smile on his cheeks hearing her daughter putting his request into consideration. "I promise to be the best father-in-law," blissfully he speaks.
"Have you managed to bring him back home?" Dodo ask his father sadly. "Not yet my daughter. You know how he turned into a very different person after becoming so alcoholic," Mr James sadly speaks.
Dodo lifts a hand and scratches her forehead as if it itches in a worried face. Mr James continues to say, "I can't lie to you that I even know where he stays right now ever since he disappeared from the eyes of his bodyguards, on the streets where he used to sleep."
"Dad, his life is in danger please don't relax" she begs on tears behind the phone, "do whatever it takes to bring Don back home."
"I am trying hard with your mother. We're extremely worried about him. The police is searching for him everywhere possible and we hope soon for good news," he tells his daughter.
"Is that our daughter you've been talking to?" Mrs James walks in on walking sticks asking. Her husband turns around to look at her and replies, "yes she's the one."
"Any positive news about my proposal?" Curiously she asks. Mr James smiles and walks close to touch her, crossing his arm from her back on the shoulders;
"You know how our daughter is whenever you talk about her getting married. Besides, men are the ones to approach her and put in their request," he explains.
"That's not an excuse" Mrs James say, "I think she doesn't play her part." "What do you mean by that?" He asks.
"She doesn't work in her physical appearance properly or maybe she doesn't go to places where men can talk to her" says mother, "if am wrong then she keeps rejecting them."
"I think you need to take it smooth on her," Mr James advises his wife who doesn't want to listen when it comes to her daughter getting a man for herself. She is so much worried that her daughter may end up a lone and most importantly not give her grandchildren.
"You can get my salad ready," Mrs James tells a house servant as she takes a seat with support from her husband.
"I don't care whether she introduces a poor man, all I need is my daughter to get a someone who can make her life happy" as a concerned and caring mother, Mrs James says, "never has my daughter ever experienced even once in her lifetime the happiness in a relationship."
"I definitely understand your concern," responds her husband. He gently pulls his wife's head from the side and makes it lean on his shoulder for comfort.
Lala's mother, a stripper who used to dance on the club poles. One day as she was on duty, she was observed continuously by an unknown gentleman who was a little bit hyped by drinks and back to back good songs in the club that night. The gentleman showered her with money as she continued to make her stunning moves on that pole.
Late in the night when the club has closed, he waited in a cab to trace where this beautiful stripper was staying which he successfully achieved through following her.
In the ghetto, was a cheap apartment where she rented. The gentleman ordered the cab driver to wait for him until he gets back and went on to climb the stairs upto the stripper's door. "Knock knock knock," three times in a row the gentleman knocked after confirming the beautiful lady was inside. Within a few seconds, the door opened.
"Have I interrupted anything," he asked with a smile of confidence. The young lady was shocked to see a stranger who was in the club on her door.
"Have you been stalking me?!" She asked in wonder. "Am truly sorry that I didn't think properly of any other better way of meeting you," politely he spoke with an apology.
"You can leave..., please!" with a serious voice she told the man. "Am truly sorry" he apologized more and said, "my name is Clinton." Then the man started seeing his way and continued to wake away. As he reached the cab which was just a few steps away, this beautiful young lady stood on the balcony and shouted, "Mr Clinton" on top of her voice. Miserably he stopped. He didn't believe what his ears just heard. A lady's voice calling his name. He turned to look behind on a very surprised face. The young lady called him back by the hand sign and excitedly, he ran so fast back up stairs to meet her. He was welcomed inside. After some good hours, he came out into the cab so happy. From this day Mr Clinton was not seen again.
After some good years, Mr Clinton showed up on the same apartment in the ghetto. He knocked. This time it was a young girl who opened up the door. "Mom is not at home she is going to come back late," the little girl said. Can I please come inside and wait for her if you don't mind?" bending down to reach the little girl's height, he requested with a smile. The little girl was pleased to bring the man inside the house.
Mr Clinton excused himself before he took a seat to wait. He went back down to meet the cab driver. Jiang was the driver in the cab. "I appreciate you for showing up everytime I call on you Jiang," Clinton said. Jiang smiled and said, "you have always been a good boss though we take long to meet. I am the one to thank you." Jiang adds; "When the cab company fired me, as my client you needed me to drive you. When I told you I quit my job, you were so concerned and asked to meet me. It was two week after being released from prison where I was for three years. With such a kind heart, you bought this car for me even after knowing the heavy committed. A cab driver you knew nothing about," Jiang said.
"Let's not talk about that" Clinton said, "please go and buy for me some KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and a bar of chocolate." He gave him some good money and went back to the apartment to meet the little girl. After a few minutes, Jiang delivered the items to Mr Clinton and went back to wait from the cab.
"I always wait for Mom to come back with what to eat" the little girl said as she pulled pieces of chicken from the bone, "she doesn't earn a lot of money were she works to stock enough food."
"How about your father?" Clinton asked. "Mom doesn't want to talk about my Dad. She used to look hurt whenever I asked her."
"Sorry about that. So, do you go to school?" Clinton fired more questions. "Yes," the young girl replied. "That's good" he smiled and said, "you can call me uncle Clinton."
"Okay uncle Clinton, my name is Lala," the little girl replied.
They continued to bite the pieces of chicken drumsticks and fries happily on a small table.
After some good hours, when the little girl has slept off, the door opened. Clinton was dosing too. Lala's mother happened to be the lady Clinton was waiting for all along. "What are you doing here?" Rudely in a whisper she panicked to ask, "please you must leave I don't want anything to do with you." "Am here to see you, please we need to talk," he tried to calm her down. An argument went on in whispers so that little Lala doesn't wake up to get involved.
Finally the argument was settled and they both sat down.
"I made a mistake I've never expected to sleep with a man I knew nothing about" she told him, "and that child you see sleeping over there, was the result." Clinton couldn't believe he has a child he didn't know about of for all those years but he looked happy for the news. "She's such a beautiful little girl," he says. He got out some good money from his pockets and gave to the lady.
Until 6am in the morning that is when Clinton came out of the apartment to meet Jiang who was sleeping in the cab.
He knock on the cab window to awake him. "Jiang am truly sorry," the first words he says immediately Jiang opened up the car door.
"I have a request to make" Clinton asks Jiang, "help me keep an eye on this family. The young lady has a little girl called Lala and today I've come to know she is my daughter. " "Oh, no!" Jiang got shocked in surprise. "Any problem Jiang?" asked Clinton. "No, not at all" he spoke, "am only surprised."
"Now will you do it for me?" Clinton. "With all my heart I will," Jiang replies.
(AM SO THANKFUL TO YOU READERS FOR READING
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