I had lived with the old woman for almost a week. I had become more like a member of the family. I did some house chores like splitting of wood and drawing of water from the well. Her three children whom I had come to realize were actually her grandchildren had fallen in love with me. I helped them do their take-home assignments, and they were very grateful that they had gotten a new uncle from the city. However, I planned to leave as soon as possible and go back to my former life, but not before finding the keelers of the deceased girl.
I had been running for many days for absolutely nothing. No one was chasing me. It was my guilt that was dealing with me. Now that I had learned through my conversation with the old woman that I was not the cause of the lady's demise, my confidence had returned, and I had realized how big a full I had been these past days. But then, my conscience still bothered me. I took advantage of a lady in distress instead of helping her. That made me somehow remotely responsible for the sad fate that finally befell her.
We all know how powerful one's conscience can be. In fact, we have all read how my conscience kept me a prisoner these past days and made me run around from place to place like a mad dog. So, I was convinced with all certainty that if I didn't atone for my sin, I would never really have peace, and what better way was there to atone for my crimes than to track down the people responsible for the girl's demise. But how?
That evening, after my old host's grandchildren had gone to bed, I engaged her in a conversation.
"So, Mama." I began. "That man whose wife you said sent people to take care of that poor girl. Where does he live?"
"He lives in one of his houses at the other end of the village. He has the biggest house in this village and that is only one of his numerous houses. He has houses all over the country." She replied.
"You say he is a cocoa farmer?"
"Well, I would prefer to say he is a dealer, a cocoa dealer. That is because he has cocoa farms and also sells and buys cocoa. He has other businesses, too. He has hundreds of people working for him."
"Hundreds?"
"Yes, my son. Hundreds."
"Ok Mama, do you think I can get employment from him?" I asked.
"It depends on your speciality, but I am sure. A handsome, educated, and young man like you would be a great asset to him."
"Okay, Mama. I will go see him tomorrow."
"Wish you all the luck, my son."
The next day, I got a local village bike rider and asked him to take me to Mr. Sunday's residence. When I got there, I marveled at the magnificence of the building. In a city, a house like that was supposed to have armed guards at the gate. But since it was a village, I simply strolled in and asked one of the people I met there if I could have an audience with my Sunday.
Just at that moment, an elderly titled man of about fifty emerged from the main entrance of the building. He was talking to another person who seemed to be one of his workers.
From the air of authority around him, I quickly figured that that could be Mr. Sunday himself. So, I walked up to him and waited until he had finished talking to the worker. Then, I spoke.
"Good morning, Sir."
"Good morning, young man. How are you? And who are you?" He looked at me suspiciously.
"Sir, my name is Ben Samuel. I am here to seek employment, but as it stands, I do not have my documents."
"What am I doing with your documents? If I had to ask for documents from all these people working for me, would I not have opened a library by now? But as you know, libraries are not profitable. SO I am not in that line of business. What can you do? Make it fast, I am a busy man." He spoke.
"So, I can be your personnel manager or your foreman." I said, happy with his tone. He seemed to be an expert in deadpan humour.
"I like your courage, young man. You just walked into my establishment today and want to be the boss of everyone? Who knows how long it will take before you try to boss me, too? Are you married?"
"No, Sir."
"You are still doing fine, boy things, right? Well, sorry to disappoint you, I don't have any female daughters at home. Anyway, can you count money?"
"I don't understand what you mean, Sir."
"Do you have any knowledge in accountancy?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Alright, you will be my new accountant. You begin working today. My assistant will show you your office. I know what is going on in your mind. You are surprised that I am putting you in charge of my money when I have only just met you and do not even know anything about you."
"Yes, Sir. You are right, Sir." I replied.
"Yes, the former accountant thought the same thing and tried to be smart. Guess where he is now?"
"I am very bad at guessing games, Sir."
"Alright, I will help you. He is in jail as we speak. He tried to swindle me. He stole my money and ran away. Little did he know that no one could run away from me. I have the most sophisticated underground contacts you can ever imagine. If you screw me and my contacts in the police don't get you, my underground boys will."
"I understand, Sir. Thank you, Sir."
When I got home that day, I told the old woman all about my meeting with Mr. Sunday. She told me that was how Mr. Sunday behaved. He was a very easy-going man until you crossed him. She advised me to be careful, assiduous, and diligent. That same evening, I called my boss, I mean my former boss.
"Young man, what is your problem?" He barked.
"I am sorry, Sir. As I am speaking like this, I am in a kidnapper's den. I have been kidnapped, and they are asking for ransom." I lied.
"Liar."
"It's true, Sir."
"So, how have you managed to have access to your phone?"
"Sir, I just stole it from them. I have to return it now before they find out."
"Alright, I have heard. I just want you to know that the company is suffering because of your absence. You have up till the end of this month to show up. If you do not, then you will be replaced. Are we clear on that?"
"Yes, Sir."
My main aim of going to work for Mr. Sunday was, of course, not because I wanted a job. I already had one, though I had been fullishly running away from it. My aim was to find out who the girl's keelers were. But after working there for a week, I realized that that was not going to be easy. I needed to get close to someone whom I could trust so that I could ask some pertinent questions.
However, since I was new, no one was ready to trust me yet. So, I decided that I was going to change strategy because I had to be fast. My boss had given me up till the end of the month to show up for work or kiss my job goodbye. So, whatever I was doing here, I had to do it fast otherwise I would lose my job in the city and get stuck in this village forever; and I didn't want to get stuck in a village.
During my stay as Mr. Sunday's accountant, I had not been able to see his wife. But I had sneakily and casually asked about her from his secretary, and she had told me that she was a beautiful woman and was still pretty young. I couldn't wait to see the face of that woman who had the guts to send people to keel another human being simply because she was dating her husband. Didn't she know that we, Africans, are polygamous by nature? As to why I hadn't seen her yet, the secretary told me that she travelled to the city and would return soon.
Well, I didn't have to wait for long because the very next day, she came to my office to see me. It was both a shock and a relief to me when she came. It was a shock because that face of hers didn't look like that of a keeler, and it was a relief because I had been wanting to see her.
"Good morning, Madam." I spoke as she walked into my office. "How may I be of help to you?"
"Good morning, young man. I don't need your help. Instead, you will need mine." She replied with a stern face. She called me a young man, though I was sure of being older than her.
"Come again, Madam, I don't understand."
"I am Mrs. Sunday."
"Oh! Welcome, Mam. I am so sorry. I didn't know it was you."
"It's alright. Please, relax. I came in last night and was told that we have a new accountant. So, that is why I came to see you. Hope you are enjoying the place?" She spoke in a softer tone.
"Yes, Mam. I like it."
"Good. Now, get back to work. I will be seeing you later. In fact, see me before you leave."
As she walked away, I couldn't help looking at her well rounded behind and the way she rolled it. Mr. Sunday sure had a good taste and liked young things because his wife couldn't have been more than thirty years old.. But come to think of it, how could a woman this beautiful also be a keeler? Well, I have always heard that women with beautiful faces are always very dangerous. Roses, of course, always have thorns.
The way she spoke to me; the way she rolled her eyes, and her body language suggested that she was that kind of woman who wouldn't mind getting into an extramarital affair. But if she was that kind of woman, why then would she be so jealous of another woman dating her husband until she even keeled her? I was perplexed. I had a lot of questions that needed answering, and I had a very short time to do it.
The only way I could get all my answers and do whatever I had to do on time to move back to the city was to get close to Mrs. Sunday. That would be dangerous because if her husband caught me, I would be a done deal. She, too, was a dangerous woman. It was going to be risky, but I had to do it for the sake of the poor girl whom I had taken advantage of and also for my own sanity.
It was closing time now. I locked my office and went to see the young and beautiful Mrs. Sunday. I wondered what she had in store for me.
TO BE CONTINUED…