CHAPTER 9
I was first shocked and then, relieved that Delia had contacted me. I had been so worried about her. I thought she was in an uncomfortable situation as a result of all that had happened, but it seemed I was wrong. So, with a broad smile across my lips, I texted her back.
"Delia, it is wonderful to see hear from you again. I thought that by now you would be in serious trouble." I wrote.
"Yes, I would have been, but I had anticipated that we were going to be caught and had already put things in order." She replied.
"How do you mean? Please, tell me. How did you get Mr. Sunday to let you off the hook?"
"He had no choice. I am not just his wife; I am his business partner. So, he believed me instead of the maid when I explained everything to him."
"I am still lost, Delia. Please, tell me more."
"Well, the truth is that I put the blame on you. I lied to him that you were blackmailing me and all what I was doing was under coercion. He believed me though with great difficulty. He said he was going to put me under probation to know whether what I was saying was true or not." She explained.
"But that means putting me in trouble. He is going to come after me for bl@ckmailing his wife." I was worried.
"Yes, he is. He is very upset, especially by the fact that you were unceremoniously released from jail. He even contacted the police headquarters and asked why you were let go. They told him to relax, and that the order came from above. So, for now, you are free. However, I advise you to watch your back. Mr. Sunday doesn't forgive easily. He might still look for a fiendish way to pay you back."
"I think you should also watch your back. He may have forgiven you, but I think he is now wary of you. So, you have to be careful, Delia."
"Yes, Ben, I know that and that is why I contacted you. I do not think that I will be able to live with Mr. Sunday any longer. So, our former deal still lands. As dangerous as it may look, I still want us to run away, if only you will be interested. I still have the money I told you about, and the one in the bank. Let us run away and start a new life all on our own."
"Delia, your proposal looks tempting, but how about my job? My company has so much faith in me. They rely so much on me. How do I leave them like that?" I was skeptical.
"Is something wrong with your head? For how long you want to keep working for people. You have to be your own man. You have to be your own boss. If you keep working for people, you will never grow. You are going to be a poor man forever. You need to change your mindset." She advised.
"I understand you, but what if this one doesn't work out? Where do we go from here? Me, I am tired of running."
"It will work out, trust me. We have money. With money, everything is possible."
"Alright, I will give it a thought, Delia."
"We don't have time. Take up to tomorrow to make up your mind and get back to me."
"Alright, before you go, I have two more questions." I spoke.
"Yes."
"How did you get my number?"
"From the secretary. She is missing you so much. Are you sure you were not grinding her?"
"I was in the process of before you showed up. I didn't want secretary and Madam to be dragging me. So, I let her go." I attached laughter emojis to the text.
"Just like you and Mr. Sunday are dragging me now, right?"
"What an irony. The second question is about the maid who betrayed us. What about her? What has become of her?"
"I tried getting her to be removed from her position, but my husband declined. I am sure he has something to do with her. She is going to be my replacement. That is one of the more reasons I have to leave, Ben."
"Alright, Delia, let me sleep over the whole thing. Tomorrow I will get back to you."
That night, back in my home, I thought about everything and realized that Delia was making a lot of sense. I couldn't continue relying on my salary for ever. No rich person is a salary earner. Most rich people are businesspeople. So, with all the money Delia and I are going to have, we are going to start a big and profitable business and remain rich forever. What a bright idea!!
But there were risks involved. For a start, Mr. Sunday would come after us with everything he has. So, why couldn't we just silence him forever so that we wouldn't be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives? No, that would not be a good idea. Taking his money and his wife away was already too much. There was no need taking his life too.
Towards dawn, I arrived at my decision. Yes, I was going to resign from my job and elope with Delia. Yes, I would do it. It might be risky but worth it. So, I got my phone and started typing a text but quickly deleted it after second thoughts. It was around 5:00 AM now. That meant Delia would still be asleep by her husband now. As a married woman, it was highly unlikely that her phone was password protected. So, I would wait until later to text her, to avoid running the risk of her husband reading our chats.
Later that day, I called her.
"Hello, Delia."
"Yes, Ben. What is the news? Are you in or out?" She asked.
"I am in."
"Yesssssss!!!!" She exclaimed.
"So, when are we leaving?"
"Tomorrow night. This is what we will do. You know that small junction that leads to the village, right? You will meet me there by 8:00 PM at night. Please, travel light. Do not bother about clothes and other personal belongings. We can buy new ones. Just have a small backpack for your personal effects. I have already arranged with a bike rider who will get us from there and out of the village."
"Wait a minute, Delia. Why a bike? Why can't we get a cab instead?" I was worried.
"Bikes are more maneuverable. Also, it can easily avoid checkpoints in case there happens to be a manhunt for us. It is very, very convenient." She explained.
"Alright, I agree. Tomorrow night, 8:00 PM."
That day, after work, I stood in front of the company building and looked at building with deep nostalgia and a deep sense of sadness. It had been part of my life for almost seven years, but today, all that would come to an end. I would be leaving forever. When I got home, I packed a few things in my backpack. They contained my certificates, some precious family pictures, my bank cards, and passport. I walked through every room of the house for the last time and ate all the food in the pot.
The next day, I called in sick at work and my boss granted my permission immediately. I went to a hotel, booked a room and started waiting for evening to come.
Time runs very slowly when you are anxious. So, in order to pass the time, I went downstairs to the hotel bar and got a carton of wine. When I got back to my room, I sipped it slowly while watching a match on the TV. Because I had had very little sleep for two nights in a row, I soon drifted off to sleep.
It was nighttime now. I had gotten to our meeting point with Delia, but instead of meeting Delia, I met Mr. Sunday. I was shocked and wanted to run away, but he sent his boys after me and I was captured.
"Ben, so you insist on taking my wife and money away from me, right?" He growled. His eyes were crimson red.
"No, Sir. I didn't come here for that. I was only passing." I lied.
"Indeed, you were only passing. You were only passing, Ben, at this time of the night. So, why did you try to run when you saw me?"
"Nothing, Sir. I was just afraid." I was shivering now like someone experiencing his first winter.
"Of course, you were afraid. Only the guilty are afraid. Well, let me inform you that I know all about your plans with Delia, my trophy wife. I let you go the last time but this time, you won't be so lucky. Say your last prayers."
So, saying, he raised his pistol and fired. The bullet hit me in the chest and the pain woke me up. It was a dream. What a scary dream. I got up from the bed, sweating. I thought about the whole thing and prayed that it was not a sign of things to come. I went to the bath and freshened up. When I was done, I felt better.
I checked the time and it was already 7:00 PM. Oh no! I was already running out of time. I checked my phone and noticed that there were almost ten missed calls from Delia. How did I sleep so deeply that I didn't hear her calls? It was the wine. Whoever told me to drink wine when I knew that I was not an alcohol person?
I grabbed my back quickly and ran downstairs. I paid the receptionist for the room and ran out of the hotel. I stood outside trying to get a bike that would get me to our meeting point, but no bike was coming.
"What is wrong with all the bikes in this town?" I lamented to myself.
As I impatiently waited for the bike, I looked at my phone again and noticed that there was a text message from Delia. I opened it and this is what it read:
"Ben, where are you? I have been calling you forever. Please, do not come to our meeting point again. Mr. Sunday, my husband has miraculously found out about our plans once again. He has asked his men to catch me and tie me up. This is the last message you will get from me, and I am typing in a hurry. My phone will be taken away from me soon. Please, Ben, save me. Do everything you can to save me. Bye, I love you."
My hands were trembling as I read the message. So, the dream I had was a premonition. Delia had been captured. No!! There was no way I was going to allow her to stay in that place. I would not allow her to suffer in torment and de@+h. Not while I still had strength left. I had been running away from trouble for too long, but this time, I will be running right into trouble. I had to save Delia.
I dialed the number of the police officer whom I had pushed and who had arrested me. We had now become friends. He picked after three rings.
"Hello, Mr. Ben. How are you? It's been a while. How may I be of help to you, Brother."
"Inspector, I need your help. Do you know how I can have a gun?"
TO BE CONTINUED…