reply your mails uncutz

interesting story can't wait for more updates

Yiiiipppeee! Yes I remeber this story very well, I was once a ghost follower of that trend. Welcome back, hope you'll finish it this time. And pls, update soon.... Thank you

Fijumokesayo:
Yiiiipppeee! Yes I remeber this story very well, I was once a ghost follower of that trend. Welcome back, hope you'll finish it this time. And pls, update soon.... Thank you

Dnt mind him, he is a naughty guy he wont update on time

Klare:


Dnt mind him, he is a naughty guy he wont update on time

Let's just hope he won't disappoint us this time around

Fijumokesayo:




Let's just hope he won't disappoint us this time around

I bet it with you, he will, thats his nature

Fijumokesayo:




Let's just hope he won't disappoint us this time around

He will disappoint us again , its in his nature

I am sorry...my job schedule has robbed me of update...just came in from field work. M&E work is really tasking ...

Klare:
reply your mails uncutz

Sorry...i will get to you. I was away on a trip from work place

snowhite07:
interesting story can't wait for more updates

Thanks for the followership ...expect updates from tomorrow...

Fijumokesayo:
Yiiiipppeee! Yes I remeber this story very well, I was once a ghost follower of that trend. Welcome back, hope you'll finish it this time. And pls, update soon.... Thank you

i am a promise keeper...that was why i was restless and relentless... I am a promise keeper

Klare:


Dnt mind him, he is a naughty guy he wont update on time

lol...Ajala tani eni naa to na o? Se bi eyin naa ni....lol

Thanks again...I will be updating tomorrow...we should be able to finish in the days ahead...

@remiseyi pls mail directly: uncutz@yahoo.com

uncutz:
Thanks again...I will be updating tomorrow...we should be able to finish in the days ahead...

@remiseyi pls mail directly: uncutz@yahoo.com

Reply my mails uncutx

14

I went back to work and finished the last tax year. Like the rest, no errors. That, in and of itself, was amazing. Books this clean were usually done by professionals. The FIRS can dig as deep as they desired, there was nothing to find. Shade was pleased to hear my summary. I could still see a little fear behind her eyes, but the FIRS had a tendency to do that.

"Do you remember Dolapo?" I asked pointing at the charity ball ledger.

"Sorry, there are lots of attendees and most of them bring cheque from their friends." Shade's eyes went sad. "I'm sure she was lovely, I can see her in you." I could only nod at that. Dolapo was certainly lovely.

Fabio joined me for dinner once again and he told me about his day. There was an accident on the bridge that marred his time keeping, but, other than that, it was the same day as always.

Jummai sat down next to me, her face all crinkly with her smile. I guessed I had become a regular and was considered safe. Fabio placed my fish on her plate. I gave him a confused look. I had never seen him give up a fish. I thought maybe he was hitting on Jummai.

"Jummai got me new shoes," Fabio said, nearly bringing his leg and a HSE boot up on the table.

"Nice one, Jummai," I said as I admired the nearly new treads on the sole.

The boots did look warm and I knew Fabio saw the value. It was strange how my priorities were changing. A month ago, I would have just run out and bought a pair if I wanted boots. Now, I was slightly envious. Shade snuck up on us again. This time it wasn't to speak to Fabio.

"Thank you for all your work, Frank" Shade put a bottle of zobo on the table for me. I just stared at it, not knowing what to say.

"I thought you liked zobo," Shade said with pain in her voice. She started to reach out to take it back. She couldn't have known. I reached it before she did and pulled it close and forced a smile.

"It's perfect. It was just unexpected." Thank you." I glanced back at her. She was wearing a grin that spanned the whole room. She turned and went back to her duties on the line, her blue flowered skirt floating across the floor as she moved. Jummai giggled and shared a stupid look with Fabio.

"It's just a thank you," I said, exasperated. Jummai went back to eating. Fabio just smiled at me. I spent a good five minutes examining the zobo. Fond memories of Dolapo washed through me.

I refused to be in a mournful mood. I smiled at my memories. It was well chilled and tasted wonderful. The irony of the day was not lost on me, finding Dolapo's name in the journal and the zobo. There was pain, but there were also good memories. I decided to concentrate on the memories that shown brightest. The pain would have to take a backseat.

"Thanks for the zobo." Shade was busy watching the hall as I spoke. She turned to me with an honest smile. She really needed to smile more and so did I.

"Your time is done here," Shade said cheerfully, "what will you do with your day?" I looked around the room and felt a kind of affinity towards the place. I hadn't been here long, but I was comfortable here, for now.

"The work here is kind of therapeutic. I wouldn't mind staying on if you can use me." Shade looked at me with curiosity. I could almost see her thinking. It wasn't the reaction I expected.

"Food preparation or the line?" Shade asked when her mind was made up.

"The line. Might as well learn it all," I said honestly. Shade laughed before she spoke.

"1 o’ clock, you'll just love the cleaning." Shade had a mischievous grin on her face. I had seen it on another woman before. I smiled graciously, somewhat wishing I would have said food preparation.

15

Cleaning up was really a task. Shade was adamant about sanitation. Nothing was clean until she inspected it and it usually didn't pass on the first inspection. Luckily, there were four of us so the work wasn't totally oppressing. I washed hundreds of plates, pots and pans, a lot of them more than once. The floor was done twice. She seemed to relish finding issues when I thought I was done. I think she took my volunteerism as a challenge.

I spent the next four weeks learning the hard part of running the kitchen. Shade began to trust me to manage the deliveries. She was hesitant at first and I don't believe she had ever allowed anyone else to do it in the past. The first time she watched me like a hawk. It was simple stock control to me, but to her it was like lopping off an arm. Reluctantly, she began to trust I wasn't going to screw it all up.

We would receive both ordered goods and donated goods. The donated had a very short shelf life, the reason the supermarkets donated them in the first place. It was priority that these short-lived items found a place on the next day's food and everything was visibly marked so nothing expired would ever find its way onto a plate.

I watched Shade develop food menus. This was something she would never relinquish control over. It was as much art as science. The expiration dates drove some of it and experience drove the rest. She worked up to five days in advance, solidifying a day's menu as it drew near. It was not something you could easily automate. There were food clashes that needed to be avoided and last minute donations that needed to be squeezed in. She allowed me to watch, but laughed when I offered to help. This menu was her domain and it would take an uncontrollable situation to drag it away.

The situation arrived a week later. I walked into work to find Shade, pale and sweating, slumped on the kitchen stool trying to work on the menus. Her eyes were bloodshot and I could tell she hadn't slept the night before. She looked absolutely miserable.
"Go home," I said compassionately.

"I can’t, there are much to do." Shade covered her mouth with her hand when she spoke. Her voice was raspy like something was stuck in her throat.

"Give me the keys," I said forcibly, "and go home. You're going to get everyone sick." I think it was the thought of contamination that finally convinced her. Reluctantly, she handed me the keys.

"I promised Richard," Shade said softly while looking around. It was important to her that I understood why she was here, as sick as she was. I understood, maybe the only one who could.

"I will make sure the promise is kept." I said it with conviction because I meant it. When Shade's hesitant red eyes meet mine, I added, "I promise." Her eyes sparkled for a moment as she held my gaze.

"Thank you." Shade moved off hesitantly.

I ran the City Kitchen for the next three days. I had to send Shade home every morning those three days. I made it easy for her to leave, everything was in perfect shape and I was the picture of confidence. It couldn't have been father from the truth. I had no idea how Shade did it seven days a week. I felt like I was being pulled in ten directions at once. Workers didn't show, deliveries were late, menus didn't fit supplies and clean up done later than it should. I messed up on the first day sending the next two days' menus into turmoil.

The days were long and gruelling. Shade had made it look so easy. With the help of some of the more experienced volunteers, we were able to pull it together at the last minute. 'I Need An Angel' always played at 4:00 and people were fed. I was a stressed mess.

Shade took back the reins on the fourth day. She smiled at the obvious relief on my face. I confessed it all, the problems, the botched menus and the overall mismanagement. She walked around inspecting the kitchen as I explained the problems that still needed solving. She ended in front of me as I explained about things I threw away because I didn't use it in time.

"Did anyone leave hungry?" Shade asked calmly.

"Well no, but..." Shade didn't let me finish. She went up on toes and kissed my forehead.

"Thank you, David. You did wonderfully." Shade's smile burst through my misgivings. I let out the breath I was holding and stopped the tirade of my failures.

"I'm glad you're back," I admitted as I handed her the keys. It felt really good to put the place back on her shoulders. She was even stronger than I had given her credit for. The kiss was a little disturbing. I could still feel the impression her soft lips left. I was happy when she sent me to reset the tables for the day.

16

Three days later the FIRS invaded. A black-suited field agent with two similarly-suited accountants descended on Shade's books. It was a witch hunt. Normally, an auditor would look at significant transactions and a random sampling of others. These three did as I had done and checked every transaction and journal entry. Each, and every, bank statement for the last three years was scrutinized. The questions were insulting and bordered on acquisitions. My indignation was already sky high when the audit came to a close.

"We will assemble our findings and you will be notified within two weeks of the results," the head field agent said. His name was Tade Ibirogba. I could see the frustration on his face. I suspected he wanted to find glaring problems.

"You don't foresee any issues, do you?" I asked, thinking I already knew the answer.

"We will make a formal response only." Tade's face was not friendly as he packed up his note pad and calculator. My anger was growing. The FIRS was always a pain, but usually polite.

"You must have some idea," I added with my hands on my hips. Tade looked at me from head to toe, then at Shade with more than a bit of disdain.

"I recommend you secure proper guidance." Tade closed his file folder and started walking out. It was all I could do not to take a swing at him. His words told me they intended to find problems. I couldn't imagine it would get anywhere in the long run, but they were going to pull Shade through the ringer.

"What are they going to do?" Shade asked. I saw fear in her eyes.

"I'm not sure, but it won't be good." I didn't have the heart to lie to her. "In the long run, nothing will come of it. I'm just not sure how long the long run is." Shade looked ill. She seemed to be taking it as a personal failure.

"We'll get through this." I thought the words would be comforting. Shade found them shocking.

"We!" It was the first time I had heard Shade raise her voice. "There is no 'we.' It's me they are attacking. You're just some guy who dropped out. You risk nothing and then walk away clean." She raised a hand to shoo me away and returned to the kitchen. She returned to work, making sure not to look my way. It was time I left. I just didn't know where to go.

I left as quietly as I could, unseen. Shade was right, I could just walk away. I walked for the rest of the evening, my stomach churning with bile. I thought I saw friendship in Shade, I thought I could help. I had done nothing but raise her hopes, only to watch them get flung from a bridge.

That night was cold. The seasons were changing and I wasn't ready. I huddled sleeplessly in a warehouse entrance down the street, trying to avoid the wind. I closed my eyes and tried to see Dolapo, build her face in my mind. I saw only Shade, hating me. I shivered with my knees tucked tightly to my chest. I wanted my wallet, keys and phone back. I wanted Dolapo and my life back. The shaking increased, memories of my first wet day under the bridge. The cement I was sitting on did me no favours. I nodded in and out.

17

The air tasted colder than it should. I realized my nose was non-functional and dripping mucus. My body had caught up with my soul, both feeling horrible. Maybe it was time I went home. I didn't like the idea, not with all the memories, but I knew I wasn't built for the streets or to become homeless. I was no Fabio, not strong enough. I needed sleep. Then, I could do what was needed, whatever that was. I tried to cough, but my lungs argued about it and decided to remain clogged. At least the shaking had stopped.

I stumbled forward for blocks. Directions were muddled and I wasn't sure if I was going the correct way. It was still dark and traffic was minimal. Fabio would know what time it was. I laughed at that, me and my university degree easily shown up by an uneducated homeless man with bad teeth. My laughing didn't sound right, way too throaty. A laughing frog came to mind which made me laugh more. I had to stop with my hands on my knees to catch my breath. It felt good to laugh, but I knew it was sapping my energy. I had to find a place to sleep. I found a church, God’s Promise Evangelical Fire Church this time. What a name? It was just a small building consist of woods and corrugated iron sheet.

Thank God it was warmer. I curled up against the corner away from the cold. It was better than the cement. I closed my eyes and Shade's image formed in my mind. I was puzzled why it wasn't Dolapo's as I drifted off to sleep.

It was music that woke me. It entered as a dream on the tip of my memory and then the dream faded away. I was late, late for dinner. I sat up too quickly and ended up in a small coughing fit. When my eyes focused, I was in an office I knew well. Shade's office. I could hear 'I Need An Angel' playing and the general noise of food being served. It was muted by the closed door, but it was obvious it was 4:00. I was on a fold out cot with two thick blankets now bunched up on my lap.

I wasn't sure how I ended up at the City Kitchen. I remembered finally finding the small church building and trying to get some sleep. In hindsight, it seemed like a silly decision to sleep outside last night. I should have gone to the bridge to see Fabio. I still wasn't good at dealing with pain. I stood and coughed some more. My feet were steady, but my head felt like a brick. My nose was stuffed up and I could feel thickness in my eyes. I must have found my way back here. Shade must be really pissed. I had to stop this stupid self-loathing homeless shit and get my life back.

Good job Uncutz, really good job. . Patiently waiting for the next update. .

Akwa United are the promise keepers

Running isn't freedom so Frank, your dead wife is nipot the end of life na, abeg Oga OP, carry go o he re, and hope you know you on the front page

Found this story on frontpage and i decided to peep.... Well no regrets nice and unique story line.

oya uncutz come and update o. the story is ghenghen.

VanTee20:
Good job Uncutz, really good job. . Patiently waiting for the next update. .

Thanks for your comment...I will be updating soon

tall2ce:
Akwa United are the promise keepers

Really?

18

The kitchen was in full swing. I was walking slowly with a foggy head. Felicia spotted me ambling toward the dining room and called out, "Frank is awake." Shade swung quickly around the corner, her green flowered skirt swaying with the momentum. Her lovely hair extension flowed just moments behind her, catching a small draft and flaring out for moment. I saw determination in her eyes. I was ready for an earful so I pre-empted.


"I'm sorry." It came out hoarsely, my throat wasn't ready for words. So I cleared it with a cough quickly and continued, "I'll get out of here and leave you alone."

"What were you thinking?" Shade's voice was controlled, and I don't think it carried past me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the office. I followed, her will being stronger than my mushy brain could counter. "I had everyone looking for you." She pushed me back on the camp bed and began covering me with the blankets.

"I thought..." Shade didn't let me finish.

"You didn't think," Shade stated firmly, then her voice cracked, "if Fabio hadn't found you...God... you were gone when he brought you back." There were tears running down her cheeks which she quickly wiped away. I was confused and my brain wasn't processing at full speed. She sat down on the floor next to me, spreading her skirt evenly around her. "I am so sorry." It sounded like she wanted to say more. She couldn't get it out and wiped away another tear.

"I don't understand," I said quietly. One minute I thought she wanted me to leave and the next to stay.

"I don't either," Shade said, her voice cracking, "it was cold last night, and I thought you were going to die." She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed.

"I didn't though." It was an obviously useless statement. I thought back to crawl into that small open church building. It was almost my grave. "My stupidity isn't your fault." Shade tried to say something, then thought better of it. She stood, instead, wiping her eyes.
"I'm going to get you some food. You're not to leave." It wasn't a request. I watched her leave. Something had changed and I couldn't completely wrap my head around it.

Shade returned and allowed me to sit up. She placed a plate of semo and hot ogbono soup on the desk. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until the smell hit me. She sat with me, watching me eat, smiling while I devoured the meal. When I pushed the empty plate away, she spoke.
"I want to take back what I said." Shade looked at me, then her eyes drifted toward the empty plate. "I was angry...I can't really explain it and it confuses me." She looked back at me. "I don't want you to leave, although I know you might. I wouldn't blame you."

"I'm pretty messed up," I admitted. I tried to kill myself and then almost did it accidentally. "I'm not sure if I do more harm than good." Shade put her hand over mine.

"I have been playing Richard's favourite song every day at 4:00 for nine years." Shade smiled as she thought about it. "I've been hiding in here behind a promise. My acquaintances all live on the streets. I am the poster child of messed up and I am highly efficient at it." I didn't move my hand, thinking she might remove hers. I felt guilty enjoying the human touch. The last person I touched died in my arms. It felt nice to be close to someone again.


"I threw my life away to live under the bridge with Fabio," I said to top Shade's concept of messed up. She laughed as I smiled. It was nice to see her eyes crinkle and little dimples form on her cheeks. I was happy she didn't remove her hand.

"So you'll stay for a while?" Shade's eyes were hopeful.

"I could use the distraction this place provides," I said honestly. "Those little solvable tasks are welcoming. I would also like to see this FIRS thing through. I kind of pisses me off." Shade's smile widened.

"You can sleep here until you find someplace better." Shade rose and picked up the empty. I felt a small emptiness when she removed her hand from mine. "If you feel better in the morning, I'll put you to work." She started walking out, then stopped in the doorway and turned back toward me. "Thank you for not hating me." She spun back around and disappeared out the door before I could form a response. I had no idea where that came from. I was hating myself, not her.

19

I ate dinner with Fabio the next day. I thanked him for finding me the other night. It turns out I actually walked back to the City Kitchen with his help. I remembered nothing of the walk. Fabio's lecture on how to survive on the streets was long and disjointed. I listened patiently, knowing he was the reason I was there to learn it.


Shade and I began working closer together. I learned proper menu management and stock control. The problems that plagued me during her brief sickness were the norm, not the exception. She just had the tools to deal with them without panicking. The management skills she taught me would put Harvard Business School to shame. There was a change in Shade during the period. She would smile more and become more tolerant. I still had to do it right, without exception. She just identified the many errors in a pleasant, non-demanding way.

I was able to get into cookery contest with Shade. I worked with vigour and was handily beaten again. She had nine years’ experience, but I think I did a lot better than the first time. I suspected I could beat her given a few more tries. I loved her triumph face. Maybe I would never win.

I really enjoyed the escape from my past. I also knew that staying forever wasn't much of a possibility. I had commitments I had been ignoring that would cause festering problems if I continued to neglect them. Using the office computer, I logged into my bank account. Nothing has changed on my account. I was a little concerned about my car. I had left it in the parking lot of a mall and I wondered if it was still there. I shrugged my shoulders and made payments to the Let’s Fix It Initiative, an NGO I support quarterly. It felt a little weird transferring the money. I had spent a lot of time these last weeks, trying to avoid real life. I was taking a step toward normalcy, and I still wasn't wholly comfortable with the move. I had already checked the boxes and hit 'pay' so I couldn't step back. I stroked my growing beard and logged out.

It was just a step, I'll take the leap later.

Three weeks after the FIRS audit, a letter arrived. Shade was crushed and I was livid. The FIRS had identified the one thousand, five hundred naira window cleaning payment as an undocumented cash disbursement. They claimed it indicated fraud and were notifying Shade that a seven year audit of both the City Kitchen, and her personal account, will commence in ninety days. It was the second time I had seen Shade cry. This time it was on my shoulder. It took a few minutes to return to work.

20

The City Kitchen's fundraising banquet was a week prior to the new audit. The pressure mounting on Shade showed in her face. She couldn't stop the banquet, its proceeds are necessary to keep the kitchen running.


"They're going to ruin me," Shade said with surprisingly calm, "maybe this was all meant to end." I saw the signs of depression setting in. I knew them well.


"Only if you let them." I avoided the word 'we.' It was hard not to try to make it our problem. It felt like it was ours.


"I'm going to need you if I fight," Shade said as she stopped slicing onion and looked up at me. I tied off the garbage bag I had just pulled it out of the can and smiled with confidence. She needed the support.


"I wouldn't miss it for the world." I watched her lips curve into a malicious grin as she went back to the onion. The knife moved with blazing speed. I think she was imagining FIRS fingers as she cut.


Shade woke me early the next morning. She handed me the morning paper. There was a small article in the bottom right of the front page. 'Promise Keeper Alive?' was the heading.


"They say there were movements in your accounts," Shade said quietly. There was no one else here so I wasn't sure why she was almost whispering. "They are requesting you come forward."


"I made a donation yesterday," I whispered back. It was contagious, the whispering. "I guess they were monitoring the accounts." I read the article and, as Shade had said, a detective Bakare was asking me to come forward and claim my wallet. "I'm not ready to go back. Not with that singing thing." For some reason, I didn't like being forced back into society. I was planning to drift back slowly. Shade sat on the edge of the camp bed.

"You can hide as long as you need." She took the newspaper back. "Forever if you need to." Dolapo would have loved Shade. Dolapo never let the world tell her what to do. She made up her own mind and then steered the world to it. I saw a lot of that drive in Shade. I just needed to get the FIRS out of her way so she could live her life, her way.

"Thank you," I responded, and meant it. Shade's eyes sparkled as she rose.

"We have work to do," Shade stated. It wasn't lost on me that she used the word 'we.' I jumped out of bed. There were people to feed and an FIRS audit to thwart.

A week before the banquet, my beard had finally come into its own. Shade hated it, but endured it for my anonymity. She gave me a battery operated trimmer so I would at least keep it groomed. I had spent countless hours going over Shade's tax returns. There were no glaring errors. Nothing that would even hint at fraud. I was confident the witch hunt would end the next week. The FIRS has a lot of power, but would still have to defend themselves in court if need be.

Unfortunately, I was not prepared for the next bomb to drop. Shade and I were standing at the head of the line, monitoring the dining hall when a fat gentleman in jeans, red shirt and papa's cap pushed his way to the front. Shade moved quickly, her glare set to dagger mode.

"You must be new." Shade stated the obvious and moved to block the man from moving forward. I moved in next to her, thinking she looked awfully small next the man.

"Shade Aiyeto?" the man asked with little politeness.

"Yes, and your name?" Shade responded with an equal lack of charm. The man handed her an envelope.

"You've been served." The man smiled and headed out the door. Shade's shoulders slumped, then her back straightened again. She moved back to allow the rest of the line through, gritting her teeth.

"Can you keep your eyes on things, Frank?" Shade asked with false calm. I nodded and she headed off to the office. She didn't return.

When the meal ended I started the clean-up process without Shade. When everyone was assigned a task I went to the office, my temporary home, looking for her. I found her asleep on the camp bed. Shade's eye sockets were blushed red and sunken. I quietly moved to the desk where a stapled set of papers lay. The top sheet had a few small crinkled spots where wetness had dried. Tears.

I picked up the papers and read. I felt my throat knot at the first few paragraphs. A class action lawsuit filed by a donor claiming fraud. There were twenty seven pages of legal language and the citing of precedents. Both the City Kitchen and Shade were at risk. These people, whoever they were, were not going to stop with a fraudulent FIRS audit. Shade was right, they were going to ruin her.


I sat on the floor and watched Shade sleep. I wanted to wake her and tell her it was going to be okay, but that would only make it worse for her. In the end, she was innocent and would prevail. I just didn't know when the end would arrive. The lawyers she needed to hire would most likely charge enough to send everything into a financial ruin.

I rose, opened the file cabinet and retrieved the donor book for three years ago. I turned to the page with Dolapo's name and ran my finger across it. Dolapo saw something in this place, something in need of support. There was no way I was going to let Dolapo or Shade down, not while I was breathing. Defense was no longer an option.

I left Shade sleeping, and quietly left the room. She needed the sleep, and I needed to think. I cleaned and inspected, letting the helpers go once everything was to Shade's standards. I locked up and sat in the main hall, thinking. The rudiments of a plan developed, I knew the lawsuit wasn't the end. The timing was deliberate. They meant to kill the banquet and destroy the City Kitchen's funding. Things would get worse before they got better. I would need help, and, to get it, I had to come out of hiding.

Thanks for reading...let me have your opinion on the story...thanks

in my opinion ??, captivating

Beautiful piece, i got thinking at the part where it read THE PROMISE KEEPER IS ALIVE and frank said he made a donation, so my question is how did he do it from the slum without internet acess or neccessary information.

Oya come out of hiding kiakia, Shade needs your help.