EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE...EPISODE EIGHTEEN (18).

Maxwell rushed back into the pub and immediately informed his friends that his grandmother was in trouble so he had to rush back home to take care of her. In solidarity, all the boys paused their drinking, paid what they owed and joined Maxwell to his house to help him with his grandmother. When Maxwell got close to his house, he started shouting out his grandmother's name, "Grandma, Grandma, Grandma!". Maxwell opened the gate and left it ajar. He had gone on ahead of his friends and entered the house about five minutes clear before his friends followed. Maxwell, already soaked with sweat barged into his grandmother's room. His grandmother was laying on the floor sweating profusely and also in what seemed to be like excruciating pain. She had both arms firmly pressed against her chest and was trying the best she could to get air into her lungs. A bottle of pills had spilled on the floor close to her. In the midst of the chaos, she tried her best to lift her head to see who had just walked in but her conscious effort failed woefully. "Grandma, what is happening to you?", Maxwell asked as he rushed to her side. Maxwell sat on the floor with his grandmother and gently placed her head on his lap. He yelled out to his friends and start barking out orders at them. He had even forgotten about the feud that had just ensued between himself and Raphael and shouted out the first order to him, "Raphael, take my cell phone and please call my father and ask him to call his brothers and ask them to come home at once because my grandmother is having a crisis", Maxwell barked and handed his phone over to Raphael. "Rudolph, go into the kitchen and wet a towel for me but before that, get the towel from the top shelf in the bathroom in the top left cabinet. Immediately Raphael stepped out to make the call, Maxwell yelled after him, "Raphael, when you are done calling my father, please call Linda and ask her to come at once". "Prince, check the inside of the drawer over there and get me some drugs; they should be in a green or blue container", Maxwell said to Prince as he pointed to the dresser in the centre of the room. "I have stopped taking that medicine", Maxwell's grandmother managed to let out. "Maxwell, please ask your father and his brothers to hurry up, this time I think I am not coming back", Maxwell's grandmother started. "The pain is too much and at my age, I think I have been a burden enough to your  parents and I think it is time I joined your grandfather", Maxwell's grandmother added. "Grandma don't say that", Maxwell rebutted. "You know that we are in a crisis as a family and you are the only one who can get this thing all cleared up in the absence of Grandpa", Maxwell added. "If you let go now, who is going to get this family back together as the loving family we once were?", Maxwell asked. "Maxwell, I am too old for these things and as you know, your grandfather was the unifier; moreover, your father and his brothers won't listen to me because they think I am an illiterate and that whatever I would say will make no sense to them", Maxwell's grandmother added. "Don't say that, Grandma, you have been an amazing mother and grandma to all of us regardless of your level of education", Maxwell started. "If you allow yourself to die now, this family is going to collapse totally and the repercussions would be grave for us", Maxwell added. "This is a family matter so level of education has nothing to do with it", Maxwell said. Maxwell quickly stopped talking when Raphael walked back into the room. Raphael told Maxwell that he had called his father and he said he was on his way to the house. Linda too said she was on her way. When Rudolph brought the towel into the room, Maxwell's grandmother went into another crisis. "Argh, my heart!", Maxwell's grandmother let out in a shrieking cry. This time, Maxwell had to act fast to save his grandmother. He quickly ordered Rudolph to get a taxi so they could rush his grandmother to the hospital.......

When the taxi arrived, Maxwell with the help of his friends got his grandmother into the taxi and sped off to the hospital. On the way, he called his father and asked that he meet up with him at the hospital. He also called Linda and asked if she could make it to the hospital. Linda said she was already on her way and that she managed to get some fruits for Maxwell's grandmother even though it was too early for visits. When they finally arrived at the hospital, a stretcher was brought out and two beautiful nurses came to take over proceedings. They strapped Maxwell's grandmother safely on the stretcher and rushed her into the hospital. A doctor was summoned on the P.A system and in five minutes, a well-built man in his late thirties quickly dashed past Maxwell and his friends and went straight into the room where Maxwell's grandmother was being attended to. It was only became obvious that the young man who just passed by was the doctor when Maxwell spotted a stethoscope hanging out of the right pocket of his trousers. Soon, his grandmother's condition was stabilized and she was put to bed. The doctor came rushing out because he had been once again called to attended to another patient who had just been brought in. One of the two nurses who rushed out to help Maxwell's grandmother came out of the room and briefly explained to Maxwell what was happening and what had been done to stabilize the situation. "The woman you brought in is fine but she is asleep now", the nurse explained. "She is under so much stress and her blood pressure indicates that she does a lot of thinking which she shouldn't be doing at her age", the nurse added. Before the nurse turned to go back into the room to check up on Maxwell's grandmother, Maxwell's father walked into the hospital, spotted Maxwell and quickly rushed to the spot where they stood. "Madam please is my mother alright?", Maxwell's father asked the relatively young nurse politely when he got to where she was standing. "Yes sir, her condition is stable now but you cannot go in to see her now because we have just administered some drugs to enable her get some rest", the nurse added. "Don't worry, we will wait here till she wakes up", Maxwell's father said. "This is my son, Maxwell and the woman inside is his grandmother", Maxwell's father said in his introduction, first pointing to Maxwell and later pointing to the room in which his mother was kept to explain his point to the nurse. "Oh okay, nice to meet you Maxwell", the nurse said and extended her hand to exchange pleasantries with Maxwell. "My name is Alberta Johnson", the nurse said. Immediately Maxwell heard the name, he stuttered in his speech, "Nice...nice...to meet you, Alberta", Maxwell struggled to speak. Maxwell was still holding on to the nurse's hand when he exchanged glances with his father. "Is anything the matter?", the confused nurse asked as she witnessed the strange look in Maxwell's eyes. "It is just a coincidence that we already know an Alberta and the two of you are worlds apart from my standpoint", Maxwell's father cut in. Instantly, Linda walked up behind Maxwell and tapped him on the shoulder as she witnessed the introduction that was going on. Maxwell quickly turned and let go of the hand of Alberta the nurse. "I have to go now", the nurse said and slowly walked back into the room. Maxwell's father excused himself and sat on a bench that was placed directly opposite to the room in which his mother slept. He joined Rudolph, Raphael, Prince and Frank on the seat and struck a conversation with them.....

"How is your grandmother doing and who was that lady you were talking to?", Linda asked Maxwell all at once. "My grandmother is responding to treatment and the young lady is the nurse who is attending to her", Maxwell answered both questions simultaneously. "She is called Alberta", Maxwell added. "Can you imagine?", Maxwell asked. "Another Alberta?", Linda asked and they both laughed. As they laughed, the boys walked up to Maxwell and asked him what they were going to do about the proposal they were yet to start. "I think we all need some rest so let us all go home, get some rest and meet up early in your grandfather's house tomorrow so we look at what we have to do", Linda suggested. "That sounds like a good idea and moreover, not all of us are in the right state of mind to think straight", Frank added. They all agreed to go with Linda's suggestion and Maxwell decided to see them off. When they got to the entrance of the hospital, Maxwell's uncle drove up to them and rolled down his front door window. "Where are they?", he asked Maxwell. "Uncle please they are in the ninth room on the right when you start counting from the main entrance", Maxwell answered. Maxwell's uncle rolled his tinted window back up and drove past Maxwell and his friends to look for a parking spot. Maxwell looked back at him as he quickly made his way into the hospital. "Thank you guys so much for that much needed assistance with my grandmother", Maxwell said to the boys as they stopped a taxi and sat in it. "Come on Max, you have an enviable family and any of us will kill to be a part of your family", Prince said. "Your family is also our family and family takes care of family", Frank added. "Thank you all for the love", Linda said. "Aren’t you joining us back home?", Raphael asked Linda. "Not yet, I would wait with Maxwell a little longer", Linda said. Rudolph who was sitting in the front passenger seat of the taxi pulled his head out of the taxi and said, "If there is something going on between the two of you, you guys should let us know before it is too late". Maxwell laughed and said, "Please don't read any meaning into this simple and kind gesture". That being said, Maxwell signalled for the taxi to move and he stood at the entrance of the hospital and waved as the taxi made the first turn into the curve.....

Maxwell and Linda made their way back into the hospital to see what was happening. Before they got to the entrance, they heard lots of noise coming from within the hospital; a place where silence was one of its hallmarks. Maxwell rushed to the room that his grandmother was being kept fearing that the worst had happened but on arrival he saw the security detail of the hospital trying to separate his father and uncle from having a go at each other. Even in the separation, they engaged in a war of words. "I think I have had enough of your nonsense and arrogance", Maxwell father said as one security personnel held him back. "It is this same nonsense and arrogance of mine that pays the bills, pays the hospital bills, helps you in your time of need and has in a huge way contributed to educating your son up to the university", Maxwell's uncle fired back. "Sirs, please this is a hospital and as such we don't tolerate noise here", one of the security detail warned as the two men traded 'word punches'. “Look at how you are dragging the name of this family down the mud and wash our dirty linen for all to see!”, Maxwell’s father said. “Look at who is talking”, Maxwell’s uncle started. “You are the one who started it in the first place, always accusing me of being arrogant and self-centred and selfish and all the other foul words you describe me with”, Maxwell’s uncle purported. “I will never bad-mouth you in anyway and if that is the reason why you have suddenly developed that hate for me then I am sorry to inform you that you have missed it”, Maxwell’s father barked back. “Sirs, I am the director of this hospital and I have been informed of the scene you both are creating and as a result, disturbing the whole hospital”, a broad-looking man in his late fifties said as he managed to join the increasingly growing crowd and found himself between the feuding brothers. “You leave me with little choice than to ask you both to leave this premises right away”, the man added. As the crowds gathered, Maxwell could not hide his embarrassment. He tried his best to separate his father and uncle but it seems the bad blood had reached its climax but the time and place they chose to trash out their issues was the wrong one. Alberta the nurse stood in front of the door leading to the room in which Maxwell’s grandmother lay and watched what ensued from there. “Daddy, please stop embarrassing all of us”, Maxwell whispered to his father as he pleaded with his father to quiet down. “Don’t tell me what to do!”, Maxwell’s father yelled at him. “Tell that to your uncle who wants to complain and let the whole world knows that he is the Lord God Almighty in the family because without him, we are all useless”, Maxwell’s father added. “I never knew you were such an ingrate”, Maxwell’s uncle fired back in response to Maxwell’s father’s claims. “How did all this start?”, Maxwell asked his father. “I just asked your uncle if he brought enough money to settle your grandma’s bills and he went into this rage”, Maxwell’s father responded. As Maxwell tried walking up to his uncle to enquire why they were arguing, his uncle gave him a stern look and he remained rooted in his position. “Alright, Alright I think we have had enough!”, the director of the hospital shouted on top of his voice to express his anger. “Please escort these two men off the premises!”, the director ordered. Maxwell’s father and uncle were forcefully shown the exit and even as they were heckled by the security personnel, they still would not stop throwing curses into the air at each other. As they were forced out of the premises, the crowd that had gathered to witness the near-brawl started to disperse. Maxwell pleaded with the director of the hospital to allow him stay on with Linda to keep an eye on his grandmother in case she woke up and needed anything. When both Maxwell’s uncle and father had been successfully seen off the premises, Maxwell and Linda went back into the hospital and sat at the entrance on the same bench on which they sat earlier. “People who are not in my family see my family as the envy of the neighbourhood and as the family everyone should look up to but today, you all have seen the true reflection of the white-washed life my family has been living in the eyes of the outside world all this while”, Maxwell lamented. “Don’t worry, Max, everything will be fine”, Linda encouraged and placed her head on Maxwell’s shoulder……

The following day, Maxwell woke up early from bed after a short night’s sleep upon his return from the hospital and walked into the hall to get ready for the meeting with his friends regarding the new proposal they had to work to come out with. To his surprise, Raphael was already seated in the hall busily scribbling something on a white piece of paper. “What are you doing here this early and where are the others?”, Maxwell queried. “I created this mess in the first place and I figured the least I could do was to make up for it by coming early and draft an idea that came to mind last night as I got home”, Raphael replied “Come and have a look”, Raphael requested. Raphael walked Maxwell through his idea and explained to him in detail how the whole project was supposed to pan out. Before long, the two young men were joined by Rudolph and Prince. Linda and Frank joined the group later on. Linda was tasked by Maxwell to prepare some dishes for his grandmother and take them to her so that explained why she was late to the meeting. Frank had virtually no excuse to be late because from the time all the boys started growing up, he was always the last to show up for any event that was organised. After hours of brainstorming and information-pooling, the new proposal was finished and put together into different file formats. “Let me sound a word of caution to all of us gathered in this room”, Raphael started. “If this proposal is leaked, know that I am not the one who did it”, Raphael added. Immediately he finished talking, all those gathered in the room broke out in hysterical laughter. Raphael and Maxwell were nominated to submit the proposal at Passione Global. Raphael was the most astonished of the two when they arrived at Passione Global. He could not believe that an organization could be so beautiful. Maxwell walked up to the receptionist and said, “Hello, do you remember me?”. “I was here some days back but there was some sort of mix-up so I had to leave without even saying goodbye”, Maxwell added. “Yeah, I remember you”, the receptionist said in a sweet voice. “I wondered where you had gone after the meeting”, the receptionist added. “I had to quickly do some work on my proposal”, Maxwell responded and gave the receptionist a cute smile. “Today, I am ready to face your bosses and this time, I came with back-up”, Maxwell explained to the receptionist. “Meet my very good friend, Raphael”, Maxwell introduced his friend. “Hello”, the receptionist said. “My name is Edwina”, she added. “That is a lovely name”, Raphael said. “And I am Raphael”, Raphael introduced himself. The receptionist once again led the way to the conference room where the meeting was supposed to be held, this time, she was clad in a red dress with matching shoes. As Maxwell walked into the conference room, there were giggles among the members of the panel. “I hope you are going to present an original proposal”, the chairman of the panel said. “Yes, please”, Maxwell answered feeling somewhat uneasy and tense. Maxwell presented copies of their proposal to all the members of the panel who went through the pages and were astonished at what they were seeing. The panel requested that there be a presentation by the owners of the two top proposals that were submitted. The two proposals involved the first proposal that was ‘stolen’ from Maxwell and the current proposal presented by Maxwell and Raphael. With the aid of Raphael, Maxwell presented the details of their new proposal to the panel seated and were completely blown away by the passion that was exhibited by Raphael especially. The panel asked them to take their leave and wait for feedback from them in a week’s time. The second group was made to present the details of their proposal and were given the same feedback by the panel after their submission. Maxwell and Raphael walked up to the receptionist and exchanged phone numbers before they exited the building of Passione Global. Maxwell and Raphael were heavily interrogated by the rest of their friends when they arrived back home that evening. They wanted to know how the whole presentation went and were eager to hear the good things that both Maxwell and Raphael had to say about Passione Global. Soon, Maxwell had to visit his grandmother in the hospital so the boys had to go home. Maxwell visited his grandmother with Linda. When they returned, Linda joined Maxwell in his room. Maxwell went out to take his shower and came back into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. “I am shy so let me excuse you”, Linda said as she turned away from looking in Maxwell’s direction. “Come off it, Linda”, Maxwell said in response. “It is not as if you have not seen a sexy male model like me before”, Maxwell added and walked to where Linda was seated and started to give her a lap dance. Linda pushed Maxwell back and when he made another attempt to dance in front of Linda, there was a knock on the door. Maxwell tightened the towel around his waist and opened the door. “Hello Maxwell, I knocked at the gate for minutes but when I was not getting any response, I pushed the gate and it flew open so here I am now, I hope you’ve missed me because I have”, Nancy said….

MAXWELL IS APPEARING TO BE A LADIES’ MAN….IS THIS THE CASE?

WHAT WILL NANCY THINK OF HIM NOW? HOW IS HE GOING TO EXPLAIN THE PRESENCE OF LINDA IN HIS ROOM? AND WHAT KIND OF INTRODUCTION WILL HE GIVE? WILL NANCY AND LINDA ALSO FIGHT OVER MAXWELL TOO? THESE QUESTIONS NEED ANSWERS SO STAY TUNED. HAPPY NEW MONTH TO YOU ALL. REGARDS, THE R.A.T TEAM ®

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