₦airaland Forum

Damilgodwin:
Boss Larry I want to chat you up o on WhatsApp please reply me Biko ��

NurHadejia:
Wow! You removed it..

NurHadejia:
Hello larrysun, today's episode supposed to be number 21 not 22

Vulcanheph:
The story is fascinating as usual but I'd like to point out something to Mr Larrysun...

Maria went to Bekwarra in Cross River and as a Cross Riverian, I feel that there's something you should know.

One if the characters in the story is the orphans is named Edet.

The name "Edet" is actually a name mostly associated to the Efiks (who are indigenous to the southern part of Cross River) and and Ibibios of Akwa ibom.

So someone named Edet who happens to come from Bekwarra (A local government located at the most northern part of Cross River) seems very unlikely.

I am not criticizing your Amazing story but just bringing this "little" plot hole to your attention.

Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to more updates.

do4luv14:
Thanks for the update sah,

but you are holding us an update in Arrears ooo

Vidamia:
Him dey vex say you guys no buy him book nah

Update 20

***

Everyone in the village believed that this year’s Ikpom Festival was the grandest of all the festivals they had been holding in recent times. The palace was so filled that the king had to order that the festival be held in the village square where there was a lot more space. This was the first time the Ikpom Festival would be holding outside the palace. People had come from neighbouring villages. Other kings who could not make it sent their closest envoys. Most of the people that attended were from neighbouring villages; only very few people from the town attended, since it was always hectic to use the bad road that led from the town to the secluded village. The neighbouring villages usually had more people from the towns visiting because their roads were not as bad as the ones that led to this particular village – most of the neighbouring villages had motorable roads, so their festivals were always a lot more exciting. However, it was surprising that this village had such a huge turnout this year.

The kids from the orphanage were highly excited, and Maria was glad that she had taken them with her. They had not come because of the excess food – of course, that was important too – they had come majorly to see the displays of the masquerades, the singing and dancing, and other acrobatic displays by the able-bodied men of the village. Some from neighbouring villages also made some performances the kids found very interesting.

Maria moved them close to herself and ensured that none moved any far away from her, for it was easy to lose any one of them among the huge crowd. Matron Nene would run mad if Maria did not return to the orphanage with all the kids intact. However, she allowed them to dance and sing along with the performers. They were having the best time of their lives. Since Maria came to the orphanage, things had turned out more exciting for the kids.

Among the guests that came to the festival was a foreigner. He was a journalist who had come to cover the event. He had heard about this secluded village and their way of life, so he had done everything possible to be present at this festival. While everything was going on, Mr Lewis, the white man, was taking various pictures of the event. Everything that happened here would be published in a foreign newspaper the following week. But pictures alone were not alone. As a journalist and a photographer, he needed to conduct some interviews, so he had been considered as a special guest by the king.

After all the merriment, it was time to introduce Mr Lewis to the people. Most of the villagers had never seen a white man before, so they strained their necks to see him and also hear him speak – of course, they wouldn’t be able to understand what he would say, but still they wanted to hear the sound of his voice. Some had called him a ghost that came from the sky because of the colour of his skin.

But there was a problem. Mr Lewis rose to his feet to address the king and the villages. He started speaking but no one understood anything he was saying. Even those who thought they understood English couldn’t understand his own kind of English. It was quite frustrating. However, many of the kids from the orphanage understood what he was saying.

“Is there anyone here that understands English for Christ’s sake?” Mr Lewis asked, he was getting frustrated by how the king, chiefs and villagers stared dumbly at him. And, of course, he could not understand their language either – not even the Pidgin English they spoke.

The villagers were beginning to ask one another what the white man was talking about. Some thought he had gone mad and was now rambling incoherently.

Maria watched the confusion with amusement and smiled. She had kept herself considerably hidden from the attention of other people. She did not want any of the guests recognizing her. She understood what the white man was saying but she wouldn’t dare step forward to speak. So she drew Edet closer to herself and whispered into his ears. “It seems like the white man needs an interpreter. Would you like to interpret for him?”

Edet nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, Maria.”

“Okay, then go and tell him,” she pushed him forward, smiling.

Edet walked confidently out of the crowd and walked towards Mr Lewis. All the villagers and guests watched him as he walked towards the man. Some had whispered that the gods had inflicted him with madness, for, according to them, only a mad person would attempt to stay close to the man with the strange skin.

Mr Lewis watched the boy walk towards him and frowned. Edet reached him and asked in English, “Do you need someone to interpret for you?”

The white man beamed. “You speak English? That’s wonderful! Yes, yes, please interpret for me. I’d really appreciate it.”

Edet smiled and nodded. Then he walked to the king and said in the local language, “The white man would like me to interpret his words to you and the villagers. I’m here to seek your permission.”

The king stared at him in utter shock. “You can speak the foreigner’s language? How is that possible?”

Edet’s smile broadened. “I learnt his language.”

“Who taught you that? Anyway, that is a question for another time. Yes, please tell us what he’s saying. You can also tell him what we say, right?”

Edet nodded.

“Good,” said the king, “Then you have my full permission to interprete, my child.”

Because there was no microphone, Edet had to speak a lot louder for everyone to hear what he was saying. Maria was watching everything and there was pride written all over her beautiful face. For the first time in a long while, Maria was indeed proud of herself.

The ceremony ended that day with Edet being the hero of the day. Topics about him were the words on every villager’s mouth for days after. Even Matron Nene was proud of the kids and of Maria after hearing about what went on in the village square.

However, she did not expect what was going to happen the following day. By the next morning, Matron Nene woke up to a group of people gathered outside the gate of her compound. She was initially scared that something bad had happened. Perhaps what she feared had happened – a government official had found out that she allowed the kids to leave her care yesterday, and now they had come to punish her for it. The villagers had come to witness her disgrace.

She walked slowly to the wooden gate and opened it, slowly. She did not find anyone dressed like a government official among them. There were villagers and their children with them.

“What can I do for you, please?” she asked in the local language. Although Matron Nene wasn’t an indigene of the village, she had learnt their language within the ten years she had been there.

A man stepped forward. Matron Nene recognised him as the lead hunter of the village. In the ten years that Nene had been in the village, she and the hunter had never uttered a word to each other.

“We are all here to make a request, madam,” the hunter began, “We want you to teach our children to speak the white man’s language, too.”

Matron Nene frowned. “The white man’s language?”

“Yes, we want them to speak like your boy. We want them to be able to speak their language. Your boy spoke with the white man yesterday. Our children want to become like him. They won’t allow us to rest. They want to be like your boy. Please accept our children. We don’t care how much you are going to take – just teach our children to be able to speak the white man’s language, please.”

Matron Nene shook her head sadly. She really wanted to help them but there was nothing she could do about it. It was impossible to admit the children into the orphanage. The home was only for kids without parents; she could not possibly bring those kids into this place.

“I am sorry I can’t help you,” she said pleadingly, “This is an orphanage, not a school. Your children need to go to school if they want to be able to speak the language.”

“There is no school in this village, you know that, not even in the neighbouring villages.”

She nodded. “I know, but there are schools in the towns. You can take them there.”

“The town is too far, madam. It’s impossible for them to school there. Please help us! We are willing to pay anything. Please help our children.”

She shook her head. “I am so sorry, I can’t help them. I will be in serious trouble if I do. I am so sorry.”

She sadly shut the gate and returned to the building.

But the parents would not give up easily, and neither would their children. They went to the palace after leaving the orphanage. The king was responsible for every villager. The ones that left the orphanage met other parents and children at the palace. They had all come to make known their grievances. They wanted their children too to speak like the boy from the orphanage. They wanted their children to be able to speak with a white man like they had witnessed the day before. They would not rest until the king found a solution to their problems.

On the third day, Matron Nene and Maria were going about their daily activities with the kids when the received two messengers from the king.

“The king requests for your presence,” they told the women.

“Who?” Matron Nene asked.

“Both of you,” the first messenger replied.

“And the boy,” added the second messenger.
Nene frowned. “What boy?”

“I think they mean Edet, mama,” Maria said.
“Why does the king want us?”

“Our job is to deliver the message. He asks that you come with us immediately.”

And so Maria, Matron Nene and Edet left the orphanage and followed the messengers. They left the kids in the charge of the older orphans in the home. Maria already had a pretty good idea about the reason the king requested for them.

On their way to the palace, the villagers that saw them stared at Edet like they were looking at a god; some had to call others to come and see the boy that could speak the white man’s language. They arrived the palace and found the king, chiefs and the white man waiting for them. All the chiefs were looking at Edet as if they had just seen a very important person.
Mr Lewis stood from his seat and walked to Edet. He shook the boy’s hand and said, “Hello boy, it’s so nice to see you again.”

Edet smiled and said, “I am happy to see you too, Mr Lewis.”

The white man was surprised. “Oh, you know my name? But I don’t know your name, and these folks won’t tell me. I don’t understand anything they are saying.”

“I am here now, Mr Lewis, you have nothing to fear,” he turned to Maria and looked back at the foreigner, “Please meet my mentor and teacher. Her name is Maria.”

Lewis stretched her hand forward again and said, “It’s such a pleasure meeting a beautiful woman like you in this place.”

Maria laughed and said, “Chivalry does not work here, Mr Lewis.”

Lewis laughed genuinely. “It’s so nice to meet people I can speak freely around.”

“And here is my mother, Matron Nene,” Edet introduced further.

After all the pleasantries had been made and a few jokes passed around between the foreigner and the other three, they all settled down for the main discussion. Edet took his rightful position as the official interpreter.

Asiseeit:
Hi Oga Larrysun, how's the family and life. I need to reconnect with you on whatsapp as my previous phone went bad and the number on your profile isn't on whatsapp. Can you please send me the whatsapp number? Thanks

Update 19

***

Within ten years of living with Matron Nene and running the orphanage alongside her, Maria did what she said she was going to do – and more. No matter how subtle she tried to be, her greatness manifested itself in that little village.

The first thing she did within a week of living in that orphanage was to use some of the money she had left on her to buy a bicycle with which she transported herself around the village. Then she used majority of the rest of the money to travel back to town to buy stationery. There were more than a dozen children in the orphanage and so she bought exercise books, textbooks, pens and pencils, erasers, crayons, sharpeners, mathematical sets, portable blackboards, chalks, and other learning and teaching materials. The children were highly excited when she brought home all these materials. She had taken Edet along, he was the hardworking boy Matron Nene had said had come to the orphanage after being left to die alone in an evil forest. And Matron Nene had been right; Edet was indeed hardworking, and he spoke Pidgin English in an accent that made Maria laugh most times. She immediately liked him on the first day, for the boy was not only strong, he was also quite diligent. He carried most of the educational materials when they were returning from the town. He had been excited to go with Maria, for he had never left the little village since the day he walked to Matron Nene’s door.

“I wan be like that man,” Edet had pointed to a man dressed in suit in the town.

Maria had smiled at him, patted his head and said, “You will be more than him if you are really determined. You can be whoever you want to be, Edet.”

“I wan learn book. I wan speak oyinbo Engrish.”

Maria laughed and said, “You will. Now let’s go home. We have a lot of work to do.”

Maria realised that, although Matron Nene had tried to teach the kids a few things about education, only very little reflected in the children. They all spoke Pidgin English in the home; even the matron spoke Pidgin with them. And so that was the first thing Maria was determined to change about the kids. They must speak proper English. Even if they didn’t know how to, they must try – and he was ready to teach them that one, at least.

It was pretty hard trying to change a language that was already the kids’ tongue but Maria would not relent. He would reward the ones that spoke good English, and the reward would encourage the others to polish their words. Before Maria’s arrival, the kids only wrote on wooden boards with charcoals they got from burnt firewood. None of them had the luxury of owning an exercise book, let alone textbook. And all Matron Nene could really teach them was the English alphabet, stringing words together, and basic mathematics. But Maria taught them a whole lot more. She taught them reading, grammar, essay writing, letter writing – then she taught them fractions, decimals, equations, and other stuff she knew about English and Mathematics. She also taught them some other subjects she considered quite important.

However, at a point, she was scared that she would have nothing more to teach them. The textbooks helped immensely but she was reaching some topics that were even beyond her own comprehension. Besides, some of the kids were already studying the textbooks on their own. Edet turned out to be a really fast learner. He was the first orphan in the home able to speak proper English, although his local accent still reflected in his speech, and they still made Maria laugh – but he was a very brilliant child. Maria decided to make him her assistant. While she taught some students, Edet would teach other students. In a few months, things were beginning to change in the orphanage; many of the kids could now read and write perfectly. The villagers were aware of the change in them whenever some of them went to sell goods in the market. The kids were no longer speaking Pidgin English like the other children in the village. Other kids who were not orphans began telling their parents that they wanted to be able to speak proper English like the children from the orphanage. At first, the parents dismissed their children pleas as nonsense. They never believed in education. They believed there was no point educating children in this village when they would eventually end up to become farmers and fishermen like their parents. Besides, even if they wanted their children to learn, there was no single school in the entire village – so there was no point promising their kids what they might never receive. Many of the parents agreed that the kids in the orphanage were only wasting their time on something they considered irrelevant.

But something happened that changed the impression of the parents about education. Before the end of that year, there was an annual festival always held in the village. It was the only day in the whole year that some outsiders would come into the village. The festival was always highly anticipated by the villagers and it was always organized by the village king, who was also an illiterate. On this day, the villagers would wear their best clothes and gather at the king’s palace for the usual merriment. There were always songs and dances, eating and drinking, and meeting new folks. Food was always eaten in excess. Fishermen, hunters and farmers always contributed and donated in big to the event. It was the only event they were all proud of. Even the very old always insisted on being taken to witness the event.

However, Matron Nene never allowed any of the children at the orphanage to attend the ceremony. She believed such festival was unfit for those kids; besides, they were never supposed to leave the orphanage. She didn’t want to risk any government official finding them at the ceremony and accusing her of not doing her job well as the matron. The kids always wanted to attend this festival but they could not go against the orders of the matron. The only thing they did was listen to the sounds of singing, shouting and cheering that echoed to the orphanage.

This year, however, even Maria was interested in attending the festival. She needed something fun in her life after all the terrible things she had experienced in the past. And as soon as the kids realised that Maria was planning to attend, they begged her to help them convince Matron Nene to allow them go with her. Maria could see the desperation in their eyes. She understood why the matron forbade them from going, but she also understood that it would mean a lot for the kids to attend the festival. Besides, witnessing the activities could be a form of education. She remembered how kids from other school always talked about the various excursions they attended in school, and Maria had always wondered how it felt to go on excursions. Matron Nene never allowed them to go anywhere; she never let them leave the orphanage. The only time they left was when they went for an external examination. Even then, Maria remembered that one of them had run away – the girl never followed them back to the orphanage. She was sure something like that was not going to happen here. This was a small village; there was nowhere any of the children could run to. It was even something inconceivable; none of the kids would dream of leaving the orphanage. They never wanted to leave Matron Nene, for she was the only mother they ever knew – and the old woman had always worked hard to take good care of them.

“I’d like to attend the Ikpom Festival,” Maria had told Matron Nene two days before the date of the festival.

The matron had frowned. “Why would you want to attend something like that?”

Maria shrugged. “I think it would be fun. I think it’s something I need. I want to sing and dance,” she laughed.

“You can sing and dance here,” Nene had responded flatly.

Maria scoffed. “How? There has never been any music here. Your old transistor radio hardly picks any station. Even if it does, all we hear is news, news and news. They can’t seem to stop talking about the fate of Ken Saro Wiwa.”

“You should feel a little sympathy. The poor man will be hanged in November.”

“I do,” replied Maria, “I really do, but there are a lot more freedom fighters awaiting death like him. Why are they not talking about all those ones? Why is KSW different from the rest of those people? They are all humans too. Should they not have a voice too? Anyway, all I’m saying is that a person deserves a little fun in their life. I just want to go there to have some fun. It’s just a day. I will be back before dark.”

“I don’t understand what people enjoy in all that noise, but if that is what you want, then you can go. I appreciate that you have chosen to take permission from me, but you are an adult, Maria, you can do whatever you want as long as it’s the right thing to do.”

“You’re my mother. From who else would I seek permission if not you?”

Matron Nene smiled. “Thank you, my daughter.”

“I would never trade you for anyone else. I love you so much, mama.”

“I love you too, my daughter. You know I love you so much and I would never refuse you anything.”

“Aha! There’s another request.”

Matron Nene’s expression became serious. “I hope there’s nothing wrong.”

“I’d like to take the kids with me,” Maria said cheerfully.

“Absolutely not. You know that’s not going to happen, Maria.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not right. My job is to keep them here in the orphanage, not to go and attend some festival. I’m not going to put them in danger by allowing them mix with people I don’t know about. Besides, they could easily get lost or kidnapped there. No, the risk is too enormous. I’m sorry, I’m not going to grant this particular request.”

“Nothing bad is going to happen to them, I promise.”

Nene shook her head. “I can’t risk it. The kids mean a lot to me.”

“Don’t you believe in me?” said Maria, “I’m assuring you that nothing bad is going to happen to any of them. They really want to attend this festival. Let’s do this for them, mama. In the very least, these kids deserve a little fun in their lives. They have worked hard to earn it. Have you forgotten all the rigorous classes and assignments they have been doing. They have improved considerably within a few months. I know you are also proud of them. You should show them that you appreciate them by giving them this chance. Once again, I am promising you that I will bring them all back safely.”

Matron Nene stared at Maria silently for a while. Although she did not like the idea of the kids attending the festival, she agreed that Maria had a point. The least she could do was allow them to attend. Her fear was something terrible happening. Besides, it wasn’t like they were always stuck in the orphanage. Some of them always sold things in the market. If they didn’t run away or get kidnapped then, they probably would be safe at the festival too. And Maria had promised to watch over them. Well, she wanted the kids to be happy.

“Okay, you can take them; but you must be very careful.”

“Thank you so much, mama,” Maria was excited.

When she shared the news to the kids, all the children went to Matron Nene and hugged her in gratitude.

Update 18

“Who is Peter Black?”

Maria was surprised by the question. “You have not heard of him?”

Matron Nene stared at her dumbly. “Was I supposed to know him?”

“He’s a very popular person. I thought you might have heard news of him.”

The elderly woman shook her head and said, “Look around, my daughter. How am I supposed to know him? There is no electricity in this village. I only listen to the news with a battery-powered transistor radio that only carries a single station – that is even once in a while. Most times, what I receive are statics. I power it by buying batteries from the mallam at the end of the street. He’s the only one who sells batteries around here. Otherwise, I would not have known anything whatsoever happening in the outside world. Anyway, tell me about this Peter Black.”

Maria smiled. “You would have loved him. He’s such an incredible man. I wish you had met him. I’m sure he would have loved you too.”

“It seems like this Peter Black is a wonderful person.”

“Getting married to him was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“You’re married? Oh my goodness! My daughter is now a married woman. I am so happy for you. I hope to meet your husband soon,” then her smile became a frown. “I don’t understand the logic. Didn’t you just tell me that you had nowhere else to go? Where is your husband? How did he feel about you coming here? Did something bad happen between you two? Did you have a fight with him? What’s going on, Maria? It seems like there’s something you are hiding. Talk to me, my daughter.”

“Peter is in prison.”

She gasped in shock again. “Prison? How? What did he do?”

“That’s why I was surprised that you have not heard of him. He’s serving life imprisonment in a prison in Lagos.”

“My goodness! What did he do to warrant such sentence?”

“He was a thief.”

Matron Nene frowned. “Your husband was a thief?”

Maria nodded sadly.

“You got married to a thief? I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I thought I raised you to be better than this, Maria. How could you stoop yourself so low to getting married to a criminal? How could you marry a thief for crying out loud?”

“It’s not like you think, mama. Peter is an incredible person.”

“There has never been anything incredible about being a thief, Maria. There’s nothing good about criminals. I never expected that you would give yourself up to a criminal,” tears streamed down her face. “It’s all my fault. Everything is my fault. I wish I hadn’t left you. If I hadn’t left you this would not have happened to you.”

“Mama, I also went to jail too, remember? I told you I went to jail. Did you even ask what led me to prison?”

“I’m scared of asking that question.”

“I was a thief too. I was all alone in the street. I had no one to take care of me. I had to survive somehow. Returning to that orphanage was no longer an option. I had to survive anyhow I could. I was once a thief, mama. If you could accept me, then you should give Peter a chance.”

Nene shook her head. “It’s different with you. At least you are now out of prison. You have been given a chance to turn your life around, to turn a new leaf. Your Peter does not have that chance. He has been condemned for life.”

“Do you even know that I escaped from jail?”

“Christ of Nazareth!” Matron Nene stared at Maria as if she had seen a ghost. “Are you telling me that you are a fugitive?”

“Everyone thinks I’m dead. That’s why I had to find you. I know you are going to protect me, mama. I don’t want to go back to jail. I can’t go back to jail, mama.”

“That Peter made you become a thief like him,” said Matron Nene sadly, “There’s nothing good about him. He deserves to be in jail. He’s a bad influence.”

Maria shook her head. “He didn’t make me a thief. I was already a thief before meeting him. I meet him after I escaped from prison. He protected me.”

“What do you mean by everyone thinks that you are dead?”

And so Maria narrated everything. From how he met Peter Black to how they both got married, and then how she was shot and pronounced dead by the doctor, then to her decision to find her here. She carefully left out the part where she gave birth to a male child and gave the child out to someone else. She wasn’t sure about how Matron Nene was going to take the news. She was scared that her mother might hate her for giving up her own son. Besides, she’d already heard too much of information she didn’t approve of. By the time she finished her story, Matron Nene’s handkerchief was damp with tears.

“Whoever the doctor is, may he always find favour wherever he goes. He saved my daughter’s life. I am forever indebted to him.”

“He’s one of the few kind men we have in this country. He put his own career and freedom on the line to save me. He treated me like I was his own daughter. I will be forever grateful to him.”

“It’s surprising that it’s the same policeman that put you in jail that also put your husband in prison. It seems like fate is weaving something. Anyway, it’s sad that you may never see your husband again.”

Maria smiled and said, “Do not be too sure about that. If it’s the same Peter Black that I got married to, he will come out of that prison.”

“I don’t know what to feel about that,” replied Matron Nene, “Don’t think I’m going to harbour a fugitive.”

“But you’re harbouring one now.”

“It’s different. You’re my daughter.”

“And he’s my husband.”

“You seem to love this Peter Black so much.”

“He’s my everything.”

“Well, we shall cross the bridge when we get to it. For now, let me rejoice on the fact that my daughter is back with me.”

“We are going to take good care of the children together, mama,” Maria said brightly, then she frowned. “There are so many of them, even after many had died. How do you manage to feed them without government’s donations?”

“The same way I managed to feed the ones in Lagos. All the kids are hardworking. We all farm. Some mature ones among them sometimes go to the river to fish and sell in the market.”

“You allow them to leave the orphanage?”

“Only the ones that can take good care of themselves.”

“How about adoption? How often do they get adopted?”

“I don’t give them up for adoption.”

“That’s strange,” Maria commented, frowning, “Isn’t that the objective of the orphanage. You cannot continue to take care of them all alone. You need to give some of them up for adoption.”

Matron Nene leaned forward and said, “This world is a very wicked one, Maria. It’s a very wicked world indeed. I used to allow people to adopt them but stopped when I realised that many of those who came to adopt these children were not kind people. There had been some cruel people who pretended to be couples looking for kids but were actually ritualists. They would take the kids and kill them for money ritual.”

“My goodness!” Maria whispered. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Are people really that cruel?”

“You have no idea. The heart of man is filled with wickedness, my daughter. They take these children and murder them. Some did other terrible things to them, like selling them into prostitution, or even raping them. It’s very sad. Every day, I blame myself for the ones I allowed to be adopted. I’m never going to allow that again. I worked so hard to save these children; the evil people wanted to render all my effort void. I won’t allow that. I will continue to take care of them until they are old enough to take care of themselves, then they can go into the world to make good lives for themselves.”

“But more may still come, mama.”

“Then I will accept them with open heart. God has been providing what we eat. I trust that the God I serve will never forsake me or the children. Do you know that some of these children were condemned?”

“I don’t understand.”

“A lot of them were accused of witchcraft and were sent to the evil forest to die – they were condemned by their own parents and family members. Only kind people bring them here for me to take care of. Thankfully, this community is an isolated place, so none of the fanatics could locate this place. Once, a kid of about six years old had trekked to my compound. He had also been condemned to die alone in an evil forest, but the little angle had found his own path to my doorstep. Now that child is fifteen years old. He’s one of the most hardworking kids in this place.”

“How about their education?”

Matron Nene cast her face down and said, “Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about that. There is no school in this village, and there is no one learned I can employ to help me teach them. I only manage to teach them the little I know, but my own educational background is limited. I only reached Form 4 before my education stopped. I have taught them everything I know.”

“So what do you plan for these kids if they are not educated?”

The matron shrugged and replied, “Well, there’s nothing for them to become other than farmers or fishermen. Those are skills that require no extensive trainings. Some of them have become established farmers that sell goods in town. They are doing nicely for themselves as far as I know. Some of them are even married and raising families.”

Maria shook her head sadly. “That is not enough, mama. That should not be their fate.”

“But there was nothing I could do. You can see that my legs are already failing me. I can’t move around far anymore. I cannot help them more than I am already doing. It’s a great privilege that they are even alive in the first place.”

“I appreciate what you have been doing for these kids, mama. You have always been an angel sent from above, and I know that it is only God that can reward you for everything you have been doing. But these kids deserve a lot more. The fact that they are here in this village should not stop them from reaching greater heights. Maybe that is why I had to come here. You have done a lot already. It is my turn to take charge from where you stopped.”

The elderly woman looked at Maria with eyes full of hopes. “So what are you planning to do?”

“These kids must be educated. I will make sure that they are not derived of proper education. That is their right.”

“So, what’s your plan?”

“I will start by teaching them. At least I still know a little more than you do.” She smiled and continued, “Then I will do what you did for us in Lagos. I will home-school them by bringing in teachers.”

Matron Nene frowned. “That’s impossible. Where will you find teachers in this forgotten village?”

“Nothing is impossible, mama,” replied Maria, “If I would have to bring the teachers from the town, I will do that for these kids.”

“But you can’t show your face in public.”

Maria smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, mama. I am smart.”

Update 17

Maria dismissed the escort immediately. She had come home.

Matron Nene was walking with a stick, and it broke Maria’s heart to see her this way. She could tell that the ageing woman was not looking healthy. Besides the fact that she had aged considerably since the past ten years, she also looked a lot thinner – as if she had been starving herself for a decade.

Matron Nene stared deeply into Maria’s eyes and took careful strides down the steps. She walked towards Maria and stood a few inches from her. She reached a hand across and felt Maria’s face. The old woman could hardly believe her eyes. Tears came to her eyes as she said:

“Maria?”

Maria wept.

“It’s me, mama, it’s me.”

“I-I-I never thought I would ever see you again,” Nene said, “Where have you been all these years? Why have you left me all these years? My wish had always been to die with you by my bedside. I never imagined that my wish would be granted. God has answered my prayers. He has brought my daughter back to me.” She looked up to the sky, the ray of the sun reflecting through her tears. “Thank you, Lord. I will always serve you.”

Maria and Matron Nene hugged each other tight. They remained that way for a long time, not willing to leave each other alone. Through the hugs, they were catching up on those years they had been apart from each other. Maria felt like a child again, like that little girl that was loved and cared for by her mother. Oh, how she had missed Matron Nene so much. Matron Nene had always been her guardian angel, and she was grateful to have finally found her. She had come to the end of the earth to find her lost mother. She was most grateful that her mother was still alive, even though seeing her so sickly broke her to pieces. Well, she was going to take good care of her mother – Matron Nene was a saint; she was not supposed to fall sick this way.

Maria looked towards the door and saw a couple of kids less than ten years of age staring at them. She smiled and waved at them but they did not wave back. They looked unhappy and malnourished. Maria wondered what was wrong; she could not imagine that orphans would be unhappy under Matron Nene’s care. Something was out of place; well, she was going to find out.

Nene broke the hug and studied Maria better. Now she was smiling. “Oh, my Maria. Look at you. You are so beautiful. You have grown exactly into the kind of woman I thought you were going to become. You are so beautiful. I can imagine that men would be falling over heels in love with you.”

Maria laughed.

“Please come in,” Nene said, “We have a lot of things to talk about, my daughter.” She noticed the kids standing at the doorway and said, “Those are some of the children under my care.”

Maria looked around the large compound and her eyes caught the heaps she had initially noticed. “What are those?” she asked, pointing at them, “Did you plant some yam?”

Matron Nene quickly slapped Maria’s hand down. “Don’t. You shouldn’t point at them. It’s a taboo.”

Maria frowned. “Why?”

“That’s not a yam plantation, Maria. It’s a graveyard.”

Her eyes opened wide in astonishment. “Graveyard? That does not look like a graveyard. Those heaps are too small.”

“They are the graves of the children that died here.”

“What!” She looked at the heaps again. There were at least a hundred of them. She could not imagine that about a hundred children had died in this orphanage. How could that be possible?

“Let’s go in,” the old woman told her, “There’s a lot to talk about. I’m so glad you are here. I hope you would spend some days with me before you leave.”

Maria looked into Nene’s eyes and said, “I came to live with you, mama.”

Nene stopped walking and looked back at Maria. “What did you just say?”

“I came to live here with you,” Maria repeated, smiling.

Matron Nene shook her head. “No, you can’t live here.”

The smile disappeared from Maria’s face. She had thought her mother would be happy to hear that she wanted to live with her. “Why not?” she was confused.

“Can’t you see? This place is cursed. This is not a place for someone like you. No, you can’t live in this cursed place, Maria.”

“But I want to live with you,” her voice was sad. Again, she was back to being a kid.

“This place is unfit for someone like you,” Nene said, “I’m surprised that you even want to live here. This is a forgotten place in the country. Only few people know about the existence of this place. You can see that there is no government project anywhere. There is no electricity. No good roads. No pipe-borne water. We get our water from the river. Only few people who are rich enough dig wells in their compounds. This place is what you modern children call a GRA.” A brief smile crossed her lips, but her eyes registered sadness.

Maria frowned. “A GRA? Government Reserved Area?”

Nene shook her head and said, “Had you been living under a rock all these years? GRA – Government Rejected Area, of course.”

Maria smiled and said, “It does not matter. What I want is to live with you. There is nothing you can do about that. Besides, I have nowhere else to go. I am stuck here with you. You have to deal with it. I am going nowhere.” She started walking towards the building.

“It will even be better to live under a rock than to live here, Maria,” she spoke, trying to catch up with her. “And what did you mean by you have nowhere else to go?”

“It’s a long story.”

They both went into the building. There were rooms on either sides of the large passage. The design of the building was not much different from the orphanage Maria grew up in, and she said this to Nene, who in turn told her that this particular one was a lot older than the one in Lagos. She claimed that this was the oldest orphanage in the entire country, probably in the whole of West Africa.
Before taking Maria to her room, Matron Nene introduced Maria to the rest of the kids she was taking care of, the ones that were still alive, according to her. They turned out to be pretty sweet children. Matron Nene explained that they had not returned her greetings because they thought she had come to adopt one of them. They never wanted to be adopted; they never wanted to leave Matron Nene. The matron was the only mother they knew; they didn’t want anyone else taking care of them.

“I’m hungry, mama,” Maria said, “I have not eaten anything all day.”

Actually, Maria was dying to eat Matron Nene’s food. She was hungry, of course, but she was not that hungry. She just wanted to eat her mother’s food again after ten years. And Matron Nene, too, knew what Maria wanted, so she rushed to the kitchen to prepare a meal for her long-lost daughter. She had taken care of many children after Maria; some had died but more had survived, yet there was none of them as dear to her heart as Maria was. There was that deep connection she and Maria shared which she could not really find with any other child, no matter how close that child was to her. Sometimes she would go to bed and cry herself to sleep thinking about her Maria. Now that Maria was back, she was filled with a certain kind of energy. Maria’s return had brought back her strength.

She cooked the most sumptuous meal and all the kids were happy; they thought they were having a feast. Although Matron Nene always worked hard to ensure that none of the children ever knew hunger, they had never had such a feast as this before – and so the children welcomed the arrival of Maria, for it was because of her they were having such a delicious meal.

When Maria had finally eaten to her satisfaction, Matron Nene started questioning her. She could not wait to know what her daughter had been up to since the past decade. She wanted to catch up on a lot of things she had missed.

“So, tell me,” the matron said, “How was your life? Tell me everything about your life – about your experience.”

“My life turned upside down the day you left me at the orphanage.”

Matron Nene hung her face down. “I am genuinely sorry, my daughter. I had no choice. I could not bring any child with me to this place. I had no idea about where I was coming but I was told there was a disease killing children here in the orphanage. I could not risk bringing you here. You might have died if you had followed me. Did you see all those graves outside? They are the graves of all the children that have died all these years. Many had died before I came, and when I came a lot more even died. I had to work very hard to ensure that no more of them died. I made herbs and concoctions. I went to the city to buy drugs. I worked tirelessly. It was really bad. I’m glad you didn’t have to see all that was happening here. No one wanted to take care of the children. Every matron they had been bringing had been rejecting the jobs. Everyone had given up all hopes on the children. I could not be like everyone. They were innocent little children. I could not stand back and watch them die in multitude just because I wanted to be with you. Leaving you broke my heart more than you could ever imagine. I know you thought I betrayed you, but I really had no choice.”

“You said that you were going to come back to pick me. I waited every day for you to come for me.”

“I couldn’t come until I was sure that the sickness killing the children had gone. But when I finally came for you, it was too late. I had no idea that the matron that took charge after me was such a monster. I could not find you when I went to pick you at the orphanage. We realised that the foolish woman was forcing you girls into prostitution. It was so sad. I searched around for you but couldn’t find you. At first, I thought you had died, but I knew how strong you are so I dismissed that thought. I believed you were somewhere else surviving somehow. But no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t find you. But I made sure that the silly Madam Comfort paid for all her atrocities. She was put in jail. I had to take the rest of the kids in the orphanage with me when I was leaving. I’m sure the woman is still rotting in jail by now.”

“She’s dead,” Maria said.

Matron Nene’s eyes opened widely. “She’s dead? How did you know?”

The next words were heavy but she had to say it. “I met her in prison.”

“Oh my goodness!” Matron Nene brought her hands to her mouth in shock. “You went to jail.”

Maria smiled and said, “Going to jail was probably least of all the terrible things that happened to me, mama.”

“Oh, my daughter!”

“But it’s also the reason for the best thing that ever happened to me. If I hadn’t gone to jail, I wouldn’t have met Peter Black.”

Update 16

II

For the past ten years, Maria had been living in Cross River State. She had been working in an orphanage in Bekwarra alongside the only woman she knew as a mother – Matron Nene. Maria had decided ten years ago that the only place she would feel safe was with the woman who would give her life for Maria’s protection. That was what Maria had always wanted, to live with Matron Nene again. When she was a child, she had begged the Matron to take her along to Cross River, but the woman had not – and so she decided to seek her out after about a decade.

With the money Doctor Rukewe had given her, Maria had embarked on the journey to find her mother without telling anyone. Besides the doctor and the nurse who saved her life, Matron Nene was the only person she trusted in the world – especially now that Peter was in prison and would not be coming out for a long time. Even though she knew that her husband had been sentenced to life imprisonment, Maria was absolutely sure that Peter would find a way to break out of jail, no matter how long it took him. No prison could hold Peter Black – none had been built. But pending the time that Peter would be in prison, Maria would be waiting for him in Cross River. She would be waiting for him to come out so that they could be a family again.

She hated leaving her child with the Balewas but agreed that there was no better family to take care of the child. She was extremely grateful for Rhoda for agreeing to take her child. Even though the history between she and Rhoda was a little rickety, Maria trusted her when she promised to take care of the child like her own. No matter what Rhoda must have done in the past, Maria believed the beautiful woman was a good person. It was unfortunate that things went the way it did. Maria had no doubt that they would have been good friends in a different circumstance. Maybe someday, they would be – but she didn’t know how that was going to be possible. But little did Maria know about the connection she had with Rhoda, for the orphanage she was visiting was just a few kilometres away from Rhoda Gold’s ancestral village.

It was hard locating Matron Nene in Cross River. The state was a large one with eighteen local government areas, and Maria had no idea which of the local governments her mother was in. She started by asking around. First, she landed in Calabar and asked if there was an orphanage there. She had pretended to be a woman looking to adopt a child. Because of her fair skin, most people had thought that she was a rich foreigner. They had thought she had come to take a child to America. So instead of taking her to the orphanages in Calabar, a lot of the indigenes had taken her to their houses and offered their little kids for adoption.

“Here, take my last child,” they would say, “make him your child and take him to America.”

“She’s my daughter but we are unable to take good care of her,” some parents had said, “Please adopt her and take her to England.”

Maria had been surprised by how parents could easily give up their children to total strangers. But when she thought deeply about it, she agreed that she was not very different from these people. She, too, had given her own child to someone else, even though the circumstances were different.

She politely turned them down and sought further help locating the orphanages in Calabar. However, none of them had Matron Nene as the manager. After searching three other local governments, Maria was beginning to doubt whether she would ever see the woman again. She was scared that the woman might have died. She wished she knew the name of the orphanage. That would have saved her a lot of stress and money, for the money Doctor Rukewe had given her was beginning to run out. She was scared that she would spend all the money and still not find the person she sought. She did not want to go back to the doctor, even though she knew that the man would not hesitate to give her more money if she asked. But the doctor had done more than enough for her. He had saved her life and she was eternally grateful to him. The best thing she could do for the man was stay as far away from him as possible, and remain under the radar. For if it was discovered that she was still alive, the doctor would be in serious trouble. Thankfully, no one in Cross River knew her facially, even though they had heard of her – that was why her search for Matron Nene was no harder than it initially was.

She sincerely prayed that Matron Nene was still alive, and that she found her, for she did not know what else she was going to do if she didn't. Leaving the country as the doctor had suggested was not an option. She did not want to leave her birth country, and she definitely did not want to stay so far away from her son. She felt that she was still somehow attached to her child knowing that they were both in the same country, and eventually their paths were going to cross. No one could stop that. But for now, she needed to remain under the radar, she must stay hidden and observe things from the shadows.

She thought about her son and wondered what he was doing at this moment. Was he laughing or crying. Had he started to roll on the bed or was still laying on his back? Had he started crawling? How did he sound when he cooed? Had he started recognizing faces? Maria had no idea about the child’s development. The only thing she knew, however, was how old her son was – how many months he was. She thought about what name they might have given the child now. Her only regret, besides giving up the child, was not naming the boy before handing him over to Rhoda. She thought about the name she could have given the child. She would have loved to name the child after the matron, but it was a boy, not a girl. But now that it was a boy, she could not really think of a proper name to give the child. She had assumed that Peter would assume that mantle when it was time. Neither she nor Peter ever thought that things would go in that direction.

It was after searching through nine local governments that Maria finally located the right orphanage. She travelled into the heart of Bekwarra and, with the help of an escort who amazingly undercharged her for taking her around, passed through various villages and settlements – places she never thought ever existed. At a point, they had to trek places no car, motorcycle or bicycle could ply. After a while, Maria was beginning to get scared, fearing that her escort was leading her to her death. She was not unaware of how people killed other people for money rituals – and since she was a fair woman, her escort might assume Maria would fetch a huge sum of money upon sacrificing her. She almost gave up and decided to head back to town, but something kept pushing her forward. She believed fate had brought her here for a reason. It was hard to imagine that Matron Nene would be in a place like this, or that an orphanage would be located anywhere around here. She doubted that even the government of the state – and the country at large – had any idea that a place like this existed.

Finally, after trekking for half a day, they came upon another narrow path that led them to an open place, a new settlement, and in the middle was an old building surrounded by a compound. The escort pointed towards the building and told her it was the orphanage. The building was so old that it looked deserted, and a part of the fence that surrounded the house had already fallen. And the community was populated by mostly old farmers and fishermen who stared at Maria as she walked towards the orphanage. Apparently, they had never seen someone as fair, or as beautiful all their lives. If Maria had told them that she was a goddess, she was sure all these people would believe her and they would worship her. But she was past that now; her days of deceiving people were over. She had been given a new lease of life, and she intended to use it for good things. The old Maria was dead, a new being had been brought back to life. She wanted to live a saintly life now.

The escort wanted to return to town as soon as Maria paid him, but she begged him to stay with her until she was sure that she had come to the right place. If the orphanage proved to be the wrong one, then she would need the escort to guide her back to the city. The man was happy to oblige, for that meant another payment.

She walked to the wooden gate and found it slightly ajar. She pushed it in and stepped into the compound. It was wider than she thought, but she found a lot of heaped earth and wondered what was going on. She expected to find children in the compound as common with most orphanages. She had grown up in a home, so she knew exactly what to expect. The more she walked towards the house, the more she doubted that it was inhabited by anyone. Everywhere was strangely quiet in the compound. The only sound she heard were the voices of people in the street as they passed by and greeted each other, and some little children chasing each other across the road. The sounds were occasionally assisted by the bleating of goats, crowing of cocks, and the barking of dogs. The only means of transportation in this community was bicycles.
This was a very primitive place. She had never imagined that anywhere would be as primitive as this, but this was. And she wondered if this was a community she would want to live for a major part of her life. At this point, she began to hope that this was another wrong orphanage. She didn’t mind the stress she passed through to get here – she just didn’t want to live in a place like this. She wondered if there was even a school or hospital in a place like this, and how an orphanage even came to exist here. If Matron Nene had been transferred to this place by the government, then surely it was a registered orphanage, but it was highly inconceivable that kids would grow up in a place like this.

She wondered about a lot of things as she walked further into the compound. How did people adopt children from this orphanage? What kinds of people adopted children from this place? It was unlikely that adopters knew that a place like this existed. How did the kids survive? Did they receive any donation from anyone? Maria knew that nothing would ever come from the government. Even the ones in town hardly received anything from the government. Most importantly, Maria wanted to know what the kids that came from this place grew up to become. Whichever way it was, if this place was being headed by Matron Nene, she was sure the kids would be responsible, no matter the circumstance.
She was only a few steps to the door of the building when the door opened and an old woman stepped out. She cast a suspicious look at Maria.

“Can I help you, madam?” the woman asked politely.

Maria recognised Matron Nene immediately and tears ran down her cheek. Her voice shook as she said: “M-m-mum.”

Update 15

The doctor stared at him and said, “I think that’s the best thing you can do for your boy right now. You have to lay down the right path for him and for the sake of his mother. You should put him in a good school and raise him as a responsible citizen.”

Peter thought about the last statement and smiled, “This country does not really give you the chance to be responsible. Even when you try to be, society will make a little bit of villain out of you. We all know that this country is a dream-killer. I will not force anything on my boy. I will leave him to make his own decisions. At his age, I was already independent. The only thing I will do for him is lead by example; it now depends on him if he wants to follow my footstep or carve his own path.”

“Do not make a thief out of that boy.”

“We are all thieves; the difference is what we are stealing, or who we are robbing. In a way, we are all thieves – even pastors and clergymen are thieves. People who control the affairs of the country today are thieves. Imagine a world without thieves, such world would be a boring one. All my life, I have always stood on one virtue – stealing from people who deserve to be stolen from. And if you can successfully steal anything without getting caught, then you are meant to have that thing – that’s a philosophy that has kept me going all these years.”

“You are talking like the same old Peter Black,” said the doctor, shaking his head, “I don’t think much have changed about you.”

“I don’t pretend,” responded Peter, “except when it’s absolutely necessary. At this point in my life, stealing has gone beyond the desperation for owning a property. To me, stealing is an art. It’s abstract; I see it differently than most people. Yes, of course, stealing is against the law – but you will agree with me that some form of stealing are more acceptable than others. A man who carries a gun and kills people before taking their property is only being controlled by the touch of the devil. That’s outright cruelty. It’s a vicious audacity. The beautiful form of stealing is that where the victim does not know that he is being robbed, at least not at that moment. So, I do not subscribe to the idea of hurting victim. A person that carries weapon to rob other helpless people deserves to be killed. A real thief does not need weapon; and, indeed, a true thief does not rob the poor.

“Even you told me that you take from the rich to give the poor – that’s the objectives of TBF, according to you. How is that different from what I believe in? Anyway, I would like to have a moment with all the members of TBF. There is something very important I need to tell them. I hope you can make this meeting possible.”

Rukewe nodded, “I will contact Uche and Muyiwa. Just tell me when you want to meet them so that all the members can be gathered before then.”

“Of course I will, but there is something very urgent I need Murphy and a couple of other people to do for me.”

Murphy Khalid came forward, “What is that?”

“It’s something pretty dangerous,” replied Black, “I hope you are up for it.”

Murphy smiled and said, “I live for danger.”

Peter nodded satisfactorily. “I want you to gather three or four men you absolutely trust, and these men should be strong.”

Khalid shrugged his shoulders and said, “There are no people I trust more than Yinka, Solo, Uche and Warden Kareem.”

Peter shook his head, “No, you can’t get Warden Kareem involved in this.”

“Why not?” Kareem frowned, apparently not pleased with what Peter had just said.

“What I’m asking them to do is a little crime,” answered Black, “It’s a task unfit for someone like you. You are an upright man, and you have a career. I don’t want you to ruin your reputation because of this task.”

“I want to do something for you,” insisted Kareem, “Besides, I intend to tender my resignation very soon. I don’t need to work anymore; the diamond you gave us will make all of us very rich. Also, the governor has retired, and the new governor there now is a terrible man. I don’t want to work under a man like that.”

Again, Peter shook his head. “First and foremost, you have done more than enough for me already. I am forever indebted to you. The diamond is not enough gift for what you have done for me. Secondly, you cannot resign now.”

Again, Khalid frowned. He thought Peter was saying nonsense. “What are you talking about?”

“You do not know how important you are in that prison. It is because of you that there is a little semblance of sanity in that prison. Even if you do not know it, there are many prisoners there looking up to you to give them comfort as you always tried to do. Imagine how they are going to feel if they learn that you have left them. You are the only kind warden in that prison and those inmates are very lucky to have you. Now that you said the new governor is terrible, the prisoners will need you even more than ever now. You cannot give up on them, not just yet.”

“You understand that I cannot be there forever,” said Kareem, “Even if I don’t leave now, I will eventually leave – and we would be back in the same spot.”

“By that time, I sincerely pray that someone as good as you would be there for them. Those prisoners have no one to depend on but you. I know about how you often use some of your salaries to take care of some of them.”

“Okay, I have accepted what you said, but at least give me this opportunity.”

Peter thought deeply about this request, then he shrugged his shoulders and said, “If that is what you really want, then you can join Murphy. But this is a dangerous mission. You have to be very careful.”

“Stop keeping the young men in suspense and tell them what you want them to do for you,” the doctor said impatiently, then he turned to Murphy Khalid, “Besides, why didn’t you choose me? Don’t you trust me enough?”

Murphy smiled and said, “Of course I trust you, but I don’t think you are fit for the kind of job Peter is asking us to do.”

“You don’t even know the job yet.”

“I don’t but I suppose the job is for younger men.”

“I want you to break someone out,” Peter suddenly said.

Silence descended on the room as soon as Peter made the statement. They all looked at him in shock. No one thought that he would make this kind of request, and they had no ideas who he was trying to break out.

“Break someone out?” Solo demanded. “Who is that? Who could that be?”

“You know who it is,” Peter replied.

Solo frowned as he racked his head, wondering who else was close to Peter in prison. He gave up when he could not come up with any name. As far as he was concerned, Peter was close to only him, except, of course, the governor, who was not a prisoner.
“I don’t think I do.”

“Have you forgotten Tony Erabor so soon?”

Solo’s eyes opened wide in excitement. “Don’t tell me you are talking about the same Tony – the one that got killed for killing three prisoners.”

“Yes, I’m referring to the same Tony. And, no, he was not killed. He’s still alive.”

Solo shook his head, “You must be somehow confused. Everyone in prison knew that Tony was killed. He was sentenced to death, all thanks to Officer John Balewa.”

“That’s what Basket wanted me to believe, but he kept Tony somewhere else.”

“Where?”

“He’s kept in a psychiatric hospital in Yaba. We have to take him out of there; he does not belong there. They treat patients like animals in that place. Tony is more human than a lot of those zombies in that facility. We must break him out. Besides, Tony saved my life. He killed those three men because they wanted to kill me.”

“I don’t know who this Tony is,” said Murphy, “But if you care so much about him that you want him out of where he is, then he must be a very wonderful person.” Then he frowned and asked, “But why is he in a psychiatric hospital? Is that not a centre for mad people?”

“Tony has a mental challenge but he’s not mad. He is often misunderstood. He is not mad. He is a very nice boy to whoever is nice to him. He was a wonderful friend to me in prison.”

“Then we have no choice than to break him out,” said Yinka, “I hope that you will go with us to break him out.”

Peter shook his head, “No, I’m not going to do that. You will have to bring him to me. I don’t want to expose myself because Basket is seeking for every opportunity to arrest me. He is hoping that I would commit another crime so that he would have the cause to arrest me. I don’t want to give him that privilege. I’m afraid you will have to go and bring him to me.”

Solo frowned and shook his head, “I don’t think that is going to work. I know Tony very well. There is no way he is going to follow us if he does not see you. He might even hurt us.”

“I can overpower him, don’t worry about that,” Murphy said.

Solo laughed hard on hearing that. “I know you are very strong, Murphy, but trust me, you are no match for that Tony.”

“Is he a big man?”

“No, he’s actually a frail-looking boy, but you cannot match him in strength. He’s very powerful and fast – and from what I learnt about him, he might look like a retard, he’s quite a smart boy. Kill the thought of ever overpowering Tony from your mind. Like I said, you are no match for him. In fact, the lot of us here is no match for Tony. The only way he would follow us is if he wants to follow us.”

“Is that true?” Murphy asked Peter.

“I’m afraid everything Solo said is true.”

“Then how are we going to break him out of there if you don’t follow us?”

Peter was silent for a long time. He tried to consider any other angle or trick the men could use to break Tony out of that place but only one option occupied his mind – he would have to follow the men in breaking the boy out. There was no other way to go about it.
He sighed audibly. He knew he was putting his own freedom in jeopardy now. There was no way Basket was not going to know that he was responsible for breaking Tony out. As a matter of fact, Peter was sure that Basket might have put various things in place because he would anticipate Peter trying to release the boy. Basket would always look for every opportunity to re-arrest Peter Black.

Peter made the final decision. “Okay, I will go with you. Let’s go and break my friend out.”

As he said those words, he knew he was already back in action. The chase between him and Basket would return as soon as Tony got released.

This time around, however, things would be totally different, but neither Peter nor Basket knew that.

Salahdin:
This is some masterpiece you've been creating for so long now, Oga Larry. Even though, I'm not a big fan of taking from the rich and giving to the poor. I concede to the fact that sometimes evil can only be fought by evil and not good, which is the only reason I'm supporting someone like Peter.

I believe every society needs A Peter. A rebel. An outlaw to question the way things are. I believe the Nigerian Movie industry needs a Larry Sun. A skilled writer. A weaver.

That said, there's something I would like you to look into in this last update... You have Peter break a diamond in one of the scenes in the chapter... I thought diamond was the hardest known substance. And can only break itself.

Just sharing my thoughts though.

Update 14

Again, the five men stood to their feet and stared in awe as Peter approached with the black object.

“Oh my God! It’s the black diamond!” the doctor whispered.

“It’s so beautiful!” said Warden Kareem.

“And shiny!” commented Yinka.

“I never thought I’d ever set my eyes on the famous black diamond,” Solo said.

“I thought it was just a myth,” added Murphy, “I didn’t know it was real.”

Peter Black stared at them in amusement. “How did you all know about the diamond?”

“It was all over the streets ten years ago,” explained the doctor. “Everyone knew that it was the reason Roberto killed Maria; it was a major news topic for a very long time. At a point, people were searching for the black diamond. Everyone knew how priceless the diamond was, so the search for it was like treasure hunt; but none was able to find it. No one had any idea that it was in this apartment all along.”

Peter smiled and shook his head, “No, I didn’t leave it here. I wouldn’t act so foolish. I’m sure that those searching for the diamond would have searched this house. That’s probably why I met a different padlock when I arrived here from prison. And I also noticed some few things out of place. Those who searched this place had only wasted their own time.”

“Then where did you hide it? I’m sure you didn’t take it along with you to prison.”

“With Peter Black,” Murphy chipped in, “anything is possible.”

Peter scoffed and shook his head. “Some things are impossible. No, I didn’t take it to prison. I couldn’t even if I wanted.”

“Then where did you hide it?”

Black spread his hands, “In plain sight. The best way to hide something is in plain sight with just a little bit of disguise. If those searching for it had considered the most unlikely place with a little bit of deep thinking, they might have found it.”

“And where was that?”

“It was buried in Basket’s backyard,” Peter replied, smiling.

“What!” all the men chorused.

“You mean the diamond had been lying in Officer John Balewa’s compound for ten years?” Warden Kareem asked.

Peter nodded. “That was the only place I knew I could hide it.”

“And Officer John Balewa did not discover it?”

“Luckily for me, he did not.”

“What if he had?”

“I doubted that he would,” answered Peter, “Basket is a rash fellow. Although he’s a very smart person, he is often too impatient to think things through before acting. If he exercises a form of patience before acting, he can even be smarter than I am. Basket is one of the smartest persons I have ever known, but his impatience is his bane. I was counting on his rashness when I buried the diamond in his backyard. Even when he visited me in prison and asked about the diamond, I gave him the clue to its location but he was too impatient to understand what I was saying. However, if he had discovered the diamond, I would have been greatly impressed. I’d rather have Basket have the diamond than any other person, as long as my child was still under his care. Besides, he lost a lot because of the diamond. His men, father-in-law, and mother-in-law died because of the diamond.”

“But there is something I don’t understand,” Yinka said. “How come the diamond was hidden in Officer John Balewa’s backyard? I know I was with you when you were arrested, and I knew the diamond was in the bag you carried.”

“Did you?” Peter asked him, still smiling. “I have been expecting someone to ask that question. The truth is, the diamond had been buried in Basket’s backyard weeks before Roberto came after me. I already suspected that someone would try to take the diamond away from me. I thought it was going to be Chief Salami; I never knew someone a lot more dangerous was involved. Anyway, I sneaked into the compound one late night when the family was sleeping and started digging the hole in his backyard. But I was discovered by Rhoda when I was about to put the diamond in the hole and cover it with sand.”

“Who is Rhoda?” Murphy asked.

“Officer John Balewa’s wife,” Solo responded immediately.

“I thought she was going to scream in fear that night,” Peter continued, “But to my surprise, she was very calm. She recognised me immediately and asked what I was doing there. She had caught me red-handed, so I could not lie to her. I truthfully explained my mission there and she agreed to keep it a secret. She promised that no one was going to find out the truth.”

“Is that not the same woman rumours had it that you had been sleeping with?” the doctor asked.

Peter was genuinely shocked by that question. “Who told you that?”

Rukewe shrugged, “It’s just a flying rumour. We don’t know the origin of the information or how true it is. Further rumour flying around was that the main reason why Officer John Balewa put you in jail was because you had been having an affair with his wife.”

Peter was silent.

“Were the rumours true?” the doctor pressed.

Black slowly shook his head. “No, they were not true – at least not entirely. You see, it happened when we were still very young. We were about teenagers at the time. In fact, that was what ended the relationship between Basket and me. It was a long time ago, long before Basket married Rhoda. Maybe someday you will all learn the full story.

“So, that night, Rhoda promised to not tell anyone about the location of the diamond. I had no choice but to trust her promise. Besides, I knew that she was still in love with me; she would do whatever I told her.”

“So what do you plan to do with the diamond?” the doctor asked.

Peter smiled, stood up, reached above a dusty shelf in the living room and extracted a hammer. He returned to his seat, carefully placed the diamond on the table and hit it hard with the hammer. The diamond broke into four uneven pieces.

“What are you doing?!” Warden Kareem screamed.

“Have you gone mad?” the doctor demanded in shock.

The rest of the men opened their mouths in utter surprise.

Peter ignored them and carefully picked two pieces out of the four. He held one of the two pieces up and said, “This one belongs to Junior and me.” He held the other one up, “This one belongs to someone special.” As he spoke those words, he gave the doctor a knowing glance.

“Who is this special person?” Yinka asked curiously.

Peter, still maintaining his smile, replied, “Maybe someday you will find out, but for now I’d like to keep that a secret if you don’t mind.”

“What about the remaining two pieces?” the doctor asked.

Peter shrugged, “It depends on you.”

Rukewe frowned. “I don’t understand what you mean by that.”

“The remaining pieces belong to TBF.”

“You are giving us your diamond?”

“Well, technically, the diamond does not belong to me. I thought it belonged to my father – that is why I stole it from Chief Salami. It turned out that both my father and Salami stole it from someone else. Roberto Bonifacio is the real owner of the diamond, but he is dead now. Giving TBF half of the diamond is my way of thanking you all for everything you did for me. You all contributed to making this moment right here possible. How many members of TBF are there?”

Murphy spoke this time around, “Besides the lot of us here, there are two other pioneer followers – they are Nurse Muyiwa and Uche.”

“Who is this Nurse Muyiwa, and how was she a member?”

Rukewe explained, “Nurse Muyiwa is my most trusted nurse in my hospital. She was very loyal to me, but she was more loyal to Maria – before her death. She was also one of Roberto’s victims. Roberto had her family massacred when she was a little girl. She still bears the scar of that terrible machete cut inflicted on her. She miraculously survived. I can say that Muyiwa played a significant role in ensuring the downfall of Roberto Bonifacio.”

“She sounds like a very nice woman. I’d like to meet her someday.”

“She will be very pleased to meet you.”

“How about Uche? How did he become a member? And why is he not here with the rest of you?”

“Well, Uche would have been here had he known that we were coming to this place,” answered Murphy, “He has been dying to meet you. You should know that Uche used to be a trusted employee of Roberto Bonifacio. In fact, Uche was Roberto’s second-in-command. He had been working with Roberto for about thirty years.”

“How were you able to turn someone like that into helping you defeat his master?”

“I’m sure it was all luck; and it turned out that Uche’s heart was not entirely black; he had a sliver of humanity left in him. He was not in support of Roberto’s decision to kill the twins. Although he did not care about what happened to you or Officer John Balewa at the time, he just would not allow the killing of innocent children. He also fell in love with Nurse Muyiwa. Now they are married and living happily with two kids. Killing Roberto Bonifacio might not have been very easy for me had Uche not helped us. I was determined to sacrifice my own life into killing Roberto, but I am alive today because Uche chose to help us.”

“And what about the rest of Roberto’s men?” Peter asked.

Murphy hesitated about responding to the question. He was not sure about how to answer it. He knew the history; he had learnt that some of Roberto’s men had been responsible for Maria’s death. He was not sure how Peter was going to take the news; he had not yet prepared himself for this kind of question, or that this situation would present itself so soon.

“What’s wrong? Why are you quiet?”

Doctor Rukewe spoke. “They have been converted.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by converted.”

“When their master died, they had no other leader to look up to besides Uche. So they considered Uche as their new master. Uche made them become the foot members of TBF; but a few of them walked away because they could not cope with the new lifestyle. The ones that left were hardened criminals who had no intention of turning their own lives around. However, a significant number of them are now member of TBF.”

“How many are they?”

“They were about thirty before but the number has increased to about fifty.”

“How come?”

“Well, there were so many other people who were faithful to you. Many of them were people that loved you and Maria so dearly. They joined as their form of loyalty to you.”

“Are you saying TBF is filled with criminals and thieves?”

“Of course not,” replied the doctor, “Many of us are respectable men and women. Our major goal is bringing down powerful people that use their power to oppress the masses. We simply find out about the skeletons in their cupboards and expose them – then the law always did the rest. Of course, some of us take from the rich and give the poor, but we choose to believe that we are doing the right thing. We try to do for the less-privileged what this blasted government will not do for them. In a way, we work based on your principles. We all know about how you steal from the rich and give to the poor. You were like our own Robin Hood.”

“I’m not a prince of thieves,” Peter replied, “Actually, I’m planning on turning my life around. I have a son now. I must try to be a responsible father to my boy.”

Update 13

***

Peter finally decided to invite the five men into the house. He finally admitted that they were a very important part of him. Murphy and Yinka had been responsible for getting him out of jail. If not for them, he would not have received the pardon he got. And Solo had also been responsible. Peter was grateful to all these people. Even Warden Kareem played a significant role in his release, and the warden had been very nice to him in jail. Although everything that led to his imprisonment could be blamed on the doctor, Peter was still grateful to him. It was because of Doctor Rukewe that he might be able to see his Maria once again. Peter Black owed a lot of them big and it would not be fair to just ignore them now. And he felt extremely honoured that they considered him a leader. Life had worked in a mysterious way for him; he had gone to prison a lonely man but had come out not only as a free man but a man surrounded by loyal people. He was grateful to them.

“I’m excited to know,” Yinka said.

“Know about what?” Peter asked.

“When will you go and claim him?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Your son. When are you going to take him from that cruel officer?”

“Basket is not cruel,” responded Peter, “He only thinks he’s doing the right thing. And come to look at it, he was only doing his job.”

“Even with everything that man did, you still have nice things to say about him.”

“He was my friend. He was my only friend when I had nobody. We both went through a lot together. It’s only unfortunate that things went ugly between us. But deep down, Basket is a very nice person. People who do not know him as much as I do will find that hard to believe, but it’s the truth. I am grateful to you all for making sure that Roberto did not succeed in killing him.”

“Well, we weren’t planning to save him, actually. We were preventing Roberto from killing the innocent kids. And by saving you and the children, we automatically saved him too. I even visited him during his promotion ceremony and handed him the picture of Roberto’s corpse.”

“Why did you do that, Yinka?” Peter was not pleased with that news, “That was a very rash thing to do. It seems like you are underestimating how smart Basket is. He is not someone you can taunt. He likes people thinking that he’s dumb, he loves being underestimated because that is when he is the smartest. He could have easily located and arrested you.”

“I made sure that he didn’t see me,” explained Yinka, “I timed my approach perfectly. He did not even see my face. Anyway, we must find a way to get your son out of his house. You have to be reunited with your son. While we couldn’t stop Roberto from taking your wife from you, we cannot sit idle and watch Officer Balewa take your son from you too. We are ready to invade his home and bring home your son. All you need to do is give us the order.”

Peter shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”

All the men exchanged glances. “What are you saying?” asked Solo, “Don’t you want to be with your son?”

Peter smiled and said, “I already have him.”

There was a murmur of surprise.

“Where is he? Where is he?” Yinka’s excitement could not be contained.

Peter stood up and said, “Wait here.” Then he disappeared into an inner room. He came out a few minutes later holding Danny by the hand.

“Everyone, meet Junior Black.”

All the men stood up and in respect. It seemed like they accorded the ten-year-old boy the same respect they had for Peter Black.

“He’s such a goodlooking boy,” said Solo as tears ran down his face.

Peter frowned. “Why are you crying, Solo?”

“How wonderful would it have been had Maria been alive now?”

Peter patted him on the shoulder and said, “Everything will be fine. Don’t think too much about it.” But that was not reassuring enough as the ex-convict continued shedding tears.

Doctor Rukewe walked up to the boy and said, “Hello Junior. I am doctor Rukewe. I brought you to this world. You are going to be a great person because your father is a great man. I had the pleasure of meeting your mother too. She was also a wonderful person. Do not be afraid, boy, because you are surrounded by loved ones.”

“My name is Yinka,” Yinka said when the doctor stepped back, “I am your uncle. Always call me Uncle Yinks. You also have an aunt named Binta. She’s going to love you. She will be so happy to see you.”

“It’s such a pleasure meeting you, Junior,” said Warden Kareem. “I have known your father for ten years. You couldn’t have asked for a better father. We are all going to watch over you. We all love you.”

The boy did not know how to relate with these new people. Everything seemed wildly overwhelming to him. It was like the world that he knew had suddenly turned upside down. The only family he used to know was his father and mother, granny and his twin brother. But all those were not true; he was not a twin, Izzy was not related to him. Not only that, his name had been converted from Daniel Balewa to Junior Black. Everything was still like nightmare to him. He stared from one man to the other, trying to find out anything he could like about them, but he was indifferent about his feelings for them. He was still in the process of accepting Peter as his own father.

Peter seemed to understand the boy’s confusion. He said to him, “You can return to the room, Junior.”

The boy was grateful for that. He did not appreciate the attention all the men were giving him, as if he was a trophy or something. He still desired to return to the family he originally knew; he missed them immensely. Most importantly, however, he wanted to be taken out of this terrible house where there was no electricity, and everywhere looked dusty. He was not allowed to go out or meet people in the street. He was living like a prisoner – but the man who claimed to be his father had promised him that this was going to be for a short time.

“The boy does not seem happy,” the doctor said as he watched Danny walk to the inner room.

“Everything still feels strange to him,” replied Black, “But I think he’s adapting well, considering the situation. He’s taking the revelation in a more mature manner for someone his age.”

“He obviously takes after his father in maturity.”

This was when Peter suddenly remembered that Solo was supposed to be rich. “Considering the fact that you are sixty million richer now, your clothes look pretty cheap.”

Solo hesitated before responding. “You didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“I didn’t receive any money.”

Peter smiled. “The senator did not hold up his end of the deal, did he?”

“He didn’t.”

“I’m not surprised. Politicians should not be trusted. When you make a deal with the devil, you should expect a little heat. I suspected that the man was going to renege on his promise.”

“The bastard even tried to have me killed.”

“Count yourself lucky that you are alive. You were playing a dangerous game. He probably discovered that you didn’t keep your mouth shut like you both agreed. Anyway, that would not have changed anything. The senator is most likely a greedy man who wouldn’t want to part with a whooping sixty million naira. He figured that it would be easier and cheaper for him to have you killed instead. Even if the truth about his son is released out there, there is really nothing to do about it. The ten years’ sentence has already elapsed. I’m sure his son would be back to the country now just to tell people that he had done the time. You do not have any concrete evidence against him. Besides, dead people do not testify.”

“Well, I escaped death,” emphasized Solo, “And I’m going to make him regret trying to kill me.”

Peter carried an amused expression. “What are you going to do to him, really? Are you sure you are ready to face someone like Senator Bankole? He’s a very powerful politician.”

“I will get back my sixty million naira from him.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

Solo looked uncertain. “I-I will find a way. I spent ten years of my life in jail while his criminal son lived in affluence abroad. I deserve that money and I must get it.”

“You might just be inviting him to try to kill you again. This time around, he might be successful.”

Solo frowned. “But something weird happened the night I was supposed to be killed; I saw Officer John Balewa at the scene the soldiers working for the senator were supposed to bury me.”

“Basket?”

Solo nodded.

“Are you sure about what you just said?”

“I was surprised when he told me the same thing,” Warden Kareem said.

“Officer John Balewa most probably saved his life,” said Murphy, “Why he did it is still a mystery.”

“I thought he was dead when I saw him there that night. He seemed to have a gunshot wound, but he was able to bring down the two soldiers that tried to kill me.”

“If Basket was really there, then his intention was not to save you. He most probably had his own agenda,” Peter explained.

Solo’s eyes opened wide. “Are you saying Officer John Balewa was working for Senator Bankole?”

“Of course not. If he was working for the politician he would not have killed the soldiers working for the man. If I’m to guess, I think Basket was investigating the politician.”

“Investigating him? About what?”

“Could be something related to your imprisonment. I strongly advise that you desist from trying to associate yourself with the senator now that Basket is involved. You know him, he will eventually find out the truth, and if he does, you will not have enough days to enjoy your sixty million naira. No amount of money is worth your freedom.”

Solo shook his head. “Oh, no! I can’t simply have spent ten years in jail for nothing. I must take my money from the man.”

“It’s dangerous. I assume that Basket will be on your trail by now. Even if you get the sixty million naira, you will continue to live in fear. You have to lay low and disappear. If Basket finds you, he will drag you back to jail. This time around, he will make sure that you don’t ever come out, especially if he finds out that you are connected to me and Maria. Just keep your head down. Perhaps someday you will be able to get back your money from the senator – this is, of course, if the Basket does not put the senator himself in prison.”

“I think we can still get back the money from the man if we act fast,” Murphy said. “We only have to be very careful. If he discovers that his plan to kill Solo has failed, then he will be scared.”

“What makes you think he has not realised that by now? Solo himself said it, his soldiers were dead that night. He would have known that something was wrong when his soldiers did not return that night. But like you said, if you are very smart about it, you may be able to get the money from the man.” He paused and added, “I have a personal favour I need to ask you, Murphy?”

“Tell me, I will do anything for you.”

“Please give me a moment.”

Peter Black returned to the inner room and reappeared with the black diamond.

dejavuh0007:
So, that means he came out of jail in 2006, ryt?

I don't think social media and internet-enabled phones were as rampant as u made it seem when Black came out. Though I'm not arguing their existence, just saying they weren't rampant until 2009/10

dejavuh0007:
Larry, what year was Peter arrested and sent to jail, and what year are they in in the book?

markly32:
Thanks for the information.But I have a question regarding the post.

Update 12

Then just as the doctor completed that statement, a car pulled up in front of Peter Black’s old apartment. Immediately, Peter’s sense of flight was activated. He sensed that there was trouble. No one was supposed to know this place besides him and Maria. He blamed himself for putting the address of this place in the hospital form a decade ago. Now his mistake was going to cost him big – he might even end up in prison once again. The thought of prison did not scare Peter Black, but the thought of being separated from his son once again terrified him. Not now, not now when he was just bonding with his son after a decade – not now when he had just found out that the love of his life was still alive. No, he would not go back to jail; at least not now. If he could unite his son with his wife, then his mind would be at rest. Then again, he thought about why he would even go back to jail – as Peter Black was concerned, he did nothing wrong. He had only taken what belonged to him. A part of him doubted that Basket would accuse him of kidnapping the boy. The respectable police officer would not want the scandal exposed to the public. It would not look good on his career if people discovered that he had been harbouring the son of a convicted thief for ten years. His superiors would not like that at all, and they would not want to associate themselves with him. So, the truth coming out would only result in Basket losing his job. Peter knew that Basket was rash and short-tempered, but he was not foolish. Officer John Balewa would not come and arrest him now. As a matter of fact, Basket could not touch him whatsoever now.
Now if it wasn’t Basket and other police officers in the car, then someone had followed the doctor.

“Did you tell anyone that you were coming here, doctor?”

Rukewe shook his head, “Of course not! I would never do that.”

“Did anyone else know about this place?”

“I don’t think so.”

Peter Black was about to rush into the apartment, grab his son, hide the diamond, and then try to run. But as he took a few retreating steps, all the four doors of the car opened and four men stepped out. Peter saw Murphy first but he did not recognise him – all that occupied his mind was that police officers in plainclothes had come to arrest him. He saw Yinka next but still did not recognise him too, for the boy had matured considerably since the last ten years.

“Peter!”

He heard the third man call his name and turned to look at the person. This one, he could recognise.

“Solo?”

“Yes, Peter, it’s me!” Solo said in excitement as he took hasty steps towards the black man.

Peter immediately whispered into the doctor’s ears, “Whatever happens, do not let them know that Maria is alive except I tell you to do.”

The doctor nodded in understanding.

“What are you doing here?” Peter asked as he hugged his old cellmate. “How did you know this place?” Before he could receive a response to his question, he noticed the fourth man and recognised him as Warden Kareem. Peter broke the embrace immediately and looked at the warden in shock. The last person he ever expected to see associate themselves with him was Warden Kareem.

“Warden, what are you doing here? How did you guys know this place? What’s going on?”

The warden was smiling at Peter as he responded. “We only came to celebrate your freedom with you,” replied the warden and pointed to Yinka, “He brought us here.”

Yinka stepped forward and stretched out a hand for a shake. “It’s so nice to finally have you back, Peter.”

Peter frowned as he shook the recipient’s hand. He was not sure about what’s going on. “Do I know you?”

“Oh my goodness!” Yinka looked genuinely hurt, “You have forgotten me so soon?”

“I’m sorry it’s been such a long time. Could you kindly tell me who you are?”

“I am Yinka.”

“Yinka?” Peter said, still frowning. His expression looked as if he was tasting the name in his mouth. Then his eyes suddenly lit up as his mind flashed back to ten years ago. Of course he remembered Yinka. It was Yinka who told him that the police was coming. Yinka had been totally devoted to both him and Maria. Had Yinka told them earlier about the approach of the police, he, Peter Black, might not have gone to prison. He might not have spent ten years of his life separated from his wife and son. But Yinka was not to blame for what happened; he had tried his best to save them but the damage done was irreversible at that point. Everything had been Doctor Rukewe’s fault; the old man had been responsible for what happened to him. If the doctor had not called the police on him, things would not have turned out so bad. But Peter had no grudge against the doctor – the person who hurt you today might make you happy tomorrow. Peter understood what made the doctor do what he did; he was trying to save Maria and felt the only way he could do that was to call the police and have them force Maria for the surgery. He had not been thinking straight, he only wanted what he thought was best for Maria. So, Peter harboured no hatred for the doctor. As a matter of fact, he harboured no hatred towards anyone else at this point. All he wanted now was to simply live a comfortable life with his wife and son. He would search for Maria, find her and the family would live happily far away without any drama or threat from Basket. He had thought he and Basket would grow old together as friends forever, but Basket had chosen his own path. They had both made their decisions, and so it was now for them both to go their separate ways forever. Peter Black was tired of all the back-and-forth between them. It was clear that things would never be the way they used to be between them when they were both stealing in the streets of Port Harcourt. It was good while it lasted; now it was time for either to move on with their lives. But besides Maria and his son, there was still someone Peter would like to disappear with. The person was like family to him, and he was not ready to forsake this person.

“It’s been such a long time, Yinka,” Peter said, smiling at the young man. I never thought that I would ever see you again. How is Binta?”

“Binta is fine. She would be very glad to know that you have been released. She has not been the same since the ugly incident occurred. I can’t wait to share the good news with her.”

Peter didn’t think that was going to be a good idea for now but he did not say anything. He only smiled. He did not want the news about his release to be exposed now. Of course it had been ten years and only few people might still remember who he was, or even care to know anything about him. A lot of things had changed; various things had been happening these days, and they were taking everyone’s attention. This was now a world of social media. Within a few days of his release, Peter Black had learnt about Facebook, which was now gaining grounds in the social media sphere. The world had moved at a very fast rate. These days you could access the internet without making use of a computer system. All you needed was to have access to an internet-enabled phone.

Peter took a few steps towards the fourth man and said, “You must be Murphy Khalid,” he stretched out his hand for a shake.

Murphy, rather than receive the handshake, bowed his head in respect. “It is a great honour to finally meet the legendary Peter Black. I have heard and learnt so much about you. The news about your release from prison is the greatest I have ever heard. You inspire me, Peter Black, and I am grateful to you. In a way, you made me this person I am right now.”

Peter tried to understand that last statement but could not associate any meaning to it. “I am grateful for taking good care of me in prison. You made my time in prison a lot more bearable.”

Murphy shook his head and said, “You don’t have to thank me. I was only doing my job,” he turned to Doctor Rukewe and said, “Hello doctor. Why did you not tell me that you were coming here?”

Peter stared from Murphy to the doctor and asked, “You know each other?”

Murphy nodded. “Yes, we are the pioneer members of TBF.”

“What!” Peter could not believe his ears, “What did you just say?”

“We created TBF in your name.”

“You are telling me that you are responsible for creating that murderous cult group in my name?”

“We are not a murderous cult group,” Yinka said, “We don’t kill people.”

Peter turned to him, “You are also a member?”

Yinka nodded proudly. “I am a bona fide TBF.”

“So am I,” Warden Kareem stepped forward.

Peter’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Has the world suddenly gone mad? How could you, of all people, associate yourself with a group of killers?”

“We are not killers,” the doctor replied.

“Tell that to Roberto Bonifacio I was told you guys killed.”

“That man was evil. He had it coming. He was planning to have you and your son killed,” explained Murphy, “I could not allow that. He was bent on destroying you and your family. If not for our timely intervention, you, your son, Officer John Balewa and his family would have been killed. I take no joy in killing him but that was the only way to stop the madman. And do not blame the others. I made the decision to kill him all on my own. It was something that needed to be done. You may hate me for it but I do not regret what I did. Bonifacio was a terrible man who is better off dead.”

Peter thought about what Murphy had just said and decided that the man had a good point. It was a decision he had no choice but to make. In a way, Murphy had saved his life and his son’s life, and he was grateful for that. And thinking deeper about it, Peter felt it was something he might do if he was in Murphy’s shoes – although he might not be the one directly responsible for the man’s death. He, Peter, had made the same choice when he was faced with Otunba. The only slight difference was that he had given the notorious prisoner the choice to walk away from death, but the man had remained stubborn and had got himself killed for his foolishness.

Peter and Murphy stared at each other for a long time. They both knew, even the rest of the people knew what was going on – this was the moment when Peter would decide if he wanted to associate himself with his followers or not. Even though they had created the group in his absence, he was considered the leader. If Peter said no now, TBF would no longer exist.

“I don’t want grievous crimes committed in my name,” Peter finally said.

Murphy nodded and said, “Bonifacio’s death was unfortunate, but it was necessary. He has killed so many people. He killed Maria. He had to die. Having said that, the fate of TBF lies with you; we now look up to you to guide and direct us, Peter Black.”

sparta191:
If chinua Achebe and chimamanda Adiche had baby boy it definitely would have turned out to be Larry sun. May whatever you believe in bless you and keep you safe

Abosede512:
This is much LarrySun, always on point, thanks for the update, I enjoyed reading your work
Bug kudos to you my brother and have a pleasant week