He mastered enough courage, but he seemed to struggle, clearing his throat, he was uneasy. I could clearly see this was hard for him but he had to tell me everything without holding back even a single bit. Since it is him I feared he would leave a lot out but I needed to hear all the gritty details.
"Again I'm sorry to drag you into this; it's beneath and the low of the low and dealing with such people you are sometimes blindsided with some things.
I will never make that mistake again. I had no option, at all, after he brought you up in our last meeting and I didn't know I was a pawn in his games or anything until it was too late. I couldn't do anything at the moment to help us both. His entanglement with me is one-sided, to involve you, was another and it turned out to be crazy. Actually, you weren't in the program at all until recently and I had no choice. I left my day job to invest in myself and run the businesses my parents left. I have worked so hard on the project that got me in bed with Matt. Unfortunately he kind of owns part of the chain and thinks he can play with my money and inheritance, and dangle you on a hook for me like a trap..."
He gulps down the contents of his glass, and adds another, does the same thing, then fills both glasses. He hands me one and goes ahead holding the glass, lost in his thoughts, he needed a nudge, we were deep in this already knowing what kind of person Matt is; I needed to know everything now.
"Go on." I sip, giving him all the attention. "I got you, so how do I come in?"
"He wants an audience with you before he signs the leases off to me for ownership. I want to buy him out." He chuckles; "he demanded rather: the audacity of that gluttonous man."
"He mostly wants things to go his way and he is achieving big time."
"Unfortunately I don't know what he wants with you; it wasn't my intention to put you in this position."
"What if I don't want to?"
"You know what he will do. You do know how he reacts or responds…I know, I have thought of it, pondered over, and haven't come up with any solutions; nothing I haven't thought of nor tried."
We fall in silence lost in the moment. Matt is a total asshole and Rahim has fun poking the bonnet.
"Your charm didn't work?" That lightened the mood and had us chuckling.
"It was rubbed off my face. You can't imagine how that went down for me, though I left with my pride intact, my ego was bruised and battered." I knew how that felt.
"We need to think before coming up with a solution. Find a way to trick the bastard and approach with caution…Become the master of deceit and twister of minds and words. We must have the upper hand; we are doomed if not entirely fucked."
"I'm sober."
Chuckling, I agree "Yeah! Matt can do that."
The tension that was between us has lessened. I can totally see where he is coming from, not excusing his behavior earlier but I get it; Matt did tend to drive people insane sometimes, I am one of his victims, I had sworn never again, but with the uprising demands am afraid I was and made a false promise.
Taking the drink, he pours out some liquor and makes cocktails out of them. I'm dreading the hangover that follows after the drinking. Am not in my house and that worries me because am pathetic during those times; throwing up, headaches, and mood swings. These all will give him better reasoning with me and look for help somewhere else, not ready to be in any part of the commitment that holds an axe around my neck, even favors for old "acquaintances".
I walk out to the adjoining doors that open to the balcony, him on my toes holding the two glasses in his hand; he sets the drinks on the table and joins me on the seat by rails.
"Stop thinking too much."
"Do you have a sunrise or its set view?"
"Morning view, it's everything, but my neighbor has the evening setting, though you can see the embers on the horizon from this side."
Sipping slowly on the drink staring out, he looked at peace, like a tonne had been lifted off him. The breeze up here is cool and am glad, no chills nor goose bumps on my arms, I feel free and the feeling is foreign. Only the ocean calms me enough but this, at this hour it is just what I need in this jammed-up city. The sky is beautiful, the moon hanging low in a curve. There is almost no traffic, only the laughter more pronounced. The adjacent buildings don't draw too much interest, I can't decipher in this state what they are, leaving me wondering, how he acquired this place, how long has he lived here and how often.
Lost in thought, I couldn't figure out why Matt wanted to see me, the day I left the estate was the last time I had contact with the whole family. I had bid that family goodbye and wasn't looking back. Was my family aware of him trying to reach out to me? The agreement was for them not to interfere with my life anymore and let me have my freedom. Why was he using his nephew to get to me? Was he on it?
I remember they didn't have a good relationship and Rahim couldn't wait to get out of that house that he went abroad for his University studies. What changed, or nothing did change at all? But the question that is screaming the loudest is, why now why Rahim, couldn't he just talk to Zakari, he handles all the family affairs. Didn't he know the family would have to be involved? What was Matt playing at? What did he want? I had to talk to my brother.
"I need to go," I sigh loudly.
"I hoped we could deal with this and be done."
"I will need my mind clear to tackle Matt, he is a needy, slimy, shady, man; but you can jog my mind with ideas, maybe we could murder him and be done. You tell me what you do in situations like this."
"Let's sit here on this beautiful balcony and watch people who are drunk than we are or just absorb the night while we drink and welcome the day, or we can do TV, we can't miss something."
"Deal with everything tomorrow after a massive hangover?" I ask
"Yeah."
"Sounds like fun."
I sigh as I sink into my thoughts. I was in limbo. If he is in cohort with his uncle, well let's hope. Time passed between a comfortable silence before he spoke up, I hadn't heard him leave or come back.
"Zoned out already? Do us the favor of lighting up this one."
"King size, you do know me well I see."
"This shit is good," I say coughing out the first puff.
"You got to inhale it well not to choke you."
"Cheers."
"On liquor or weed"
"Both, and your craziness too."
"To you too and all that"
Puff, puff, pass, to and fro, sipping drinks, talking about nothing in particular, like old friends, we were back. Hours passed as we were lost in the moment, laughing out, and reminiscing on stupid occurrences and memories.