EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE. EPISODE SEVENTEEN (17).

Before Maxwell could get inches closer and stand face to face with Raphael, he was impeded by Prince and Linda all at once. Both of them stood as a shield between Maxwell and Raphael in the fiery moment. "Maxwell please stop this", Linda pleaded with tears in her eyes. "You cannot destroy whatever brotherhood you have built over the years with your friends here and like this", Linda said, while looking at the faces of the people that were gathered in the room. "He should have also thought of that brotherhood before going on ahead to act so selfishly", Maxwell barked back at Linda referring to Raphael . "Some of us risked a lot and all of it was for nothing, Linda, nothing!" "All thanks to my selfish friend over here", Maxwell added as he tried to breach the barricade and have a go at Raphael. "Why did you do it?", Maxwell yelled at Raphael, still trying to break free and get closer to Raphael. "Why have you jeopardized the future of every single one of us here and stand there without speaking?", Maxwell asked. "At least be  man enough to tell your friends here why you had to stab them in the back this way", Maxwell continued. "Come to think of it, why didn't you tell us this earlier when you had the chance but you had to wait till now when this has blown up in our faces and the future looks bleak?", Maxwell asked. "You are more intelligent than this and I strongly believe you had your own ulterior motive to achieve and it led you to do this", Maxwell added. "Why didn't you come to see me when you were in trouble and you knew you couldn't meet the deadline?", Maxwell asked Raphael who was still pinned to the corner of the room by his twin brother, Rudolph. "We are supposed to be brothers and help each other out with our issues and that is what we have been doing ever since we became friends so why did you do this to all your brothers?", Maxwell barked. Maxwell was a very fast speaker so it took those who knew him very well to understand him when he spoke. He was always being asked to repeat what he had just said to a listener who had not heard him before till that person got used to his way of speaking. The speed with which he spoke with naturally doubled when he was angry or in a rage. "I guess we were supposed to be brothers when you went ahead and slept with my girlfriend", Raphael said while still pinned to the wall. "What are you talking about, Raphael?", Linda asked. Linda turned and walked slowly towards Maxwell and also asked, "Maxwell, what is Raphael talking about?". All the boys in the room turned to look at Maxwell and the struggles seized for a moment. "Ruth told you that I slept with her?", Maxwell, who appeared to be shocked asked Raphael. "Ever since that time, we never got along and I had to do everything possible and sometimes I had to do things I didn't want to do just to please her and keep her by my side", Raphael revealed. "I have never attacked you on it because I know you guys had once dated", Raphael explained. "Stop acting surprised and tell all of us that you didn't do it!", Raphael added. "So you did this as revenge; to get one over me for sleeping with your girlfriend?", Maxwell asked. "And I would gladly do it over and over again if I had the chance because as far as this brotherhood goes, you are the one who betrayed it in the first place! ", Raphael added. "So you could not let this slide after all these years and you could not even consider the fact that this project involved more than just the two of us for you to act more selflessly?", Frank, who had now stepped aside asked Raphael. Some sense of uneasy calm was returning to the room and the two parties involved were still exchanging words. "Raphael, you still haven't answered my question!", Maxwell started. "Did Ruth tell you that I slept with her after we had broken up and you guys had started dating?", Maxwell asked. "Did you expect her to tell me this to my face?", Raphael asked sarcastically. "You expected her to walk up to me and say, oh Raphael, I forgot to tell you but I just went back to Maxwell to sleep with him?", Raphael asked rudely. "Raphael, just cut through the chase and help us make meaning out of all of this", Frank said. "Ruth was acting weirdly so I decided to keep some close tabs on her", Raphael started. "It was during those times that I realized she had contacted you and was checking up on you", Raphael said. "So how does this lead to knowing that they slept together?", Rudolph asked. "One time, I was on my way to see Maxwell but I got a bit held up so my arrival time stalled a bit", Raphael narrated. "Before I got to the gate, I saw Ruth coming out of Maxwell's house and she was looking around to see of she was being watched or followed", Raphael continued. "I didn't allow her see me so I quickly walked into the space between the big gate to Maxwell's house and that car washing bay", Raphael added. "This is absolute rubbish!", Prince yelled at Raphael. "So you saw your girlfriend coming out of her ex-boyfriend's house and you draw the conclusion that they made love to each other; what kind of logic is that?", Prince asked. "Just let me finish", Raphael pleaded. "So I didn't make her see me and when she was out of sight, I went in to see Maxwell who was supposed to be my brother and tell me everything that goes on", Raphael started. "I gave him the chance to tell me what had just happened because I feigned ignorance earlier but when the truth was not forthcoming, I asked him of what he had been up to all day and he told me he had been in bed all day and what made me more suspicious was the fact that it didn't even occur to him to tell me that my girlfriend had just visited him", Raphael added. "So after seeing Maxwell, I went over to Ruth's and while she was taking her shower, I went through her phone and found out that she had just been chatting with Maxwell and if my memory serves me right, there was a message from her that read, 'you are such a darling and will forever take a special place in my heart regardless, thanks for the thing, you know what I want and you do it better than anyone'. "Do we need a prophet to tell us what 'the thing' is?", Raphael asked. All this while, there was dead silence in the room as Raphael narrated his side of the story. "Raphael, I still maintain that you are an ingrate and increasingly growing in non-existent hatred for me", Maxwell said. "Oh, if it is coming from my friend who screws his friend's girlfriends, I would take it as a compliment", Raphael said sarcastically. "So why didn't you ask me about it then?", Maxwell asked. "Just like now, I also expected you to act as a brother and tell me what was going on without me having to ask first when it has blown up in our face like you are saying", Raphael added. "So all you did and thought about was to stage a revenge against me for allegedly screwing Ruth at the detriment of all the people here including your own twin brother?", Maxwell asked. "I guess there is no need holding on to the truth anymore so this is my version and let us allow the rest of the people here judge between the two of us", Maxwell said. "This is what happened..."


Maxwell and Ruth used to be the neighborhood’s favorite couple. There was no place you would see one without the other. They talked, laughed, held hands and even cuddled to the full glare of any company they kept. They were so fond of each other that the word making rounds on the street was that the two of them had been secretly engaged to get married when they were of age. This rumour made a lot of sense judging by the way the two of them basked in the glory of each other's company. Maxwell and Ruth got on well for months till Ruth started demanding outrageously even when she knew full well that Maxwell was not enjoying any form of income. Maxwell tried the best he could to satisfy Ruth's 'high libido' of wants for the luxuries of life. When Maxwell could no longer take it, he asked Ruth to slow down on her demands but Ruth misinterpreted it as a way of driving her away. When this happened, the once talked about “Romeo and Juliet” love affair came to an abrupt end. Before Maxwell could think of getting over Ruth, he heard rumours that she was now going out with one of his friends. It took little effort for him to find out which of his friends was going out with Ruth. When Maxwell confronted Raphael, he didn't deny it and openly professed his love for Ruth. "You had a taste of paradise and you lost it", those were the exact words of Raphael to Maxwell during the confrontation. Maxwell did not like the idea that his friend was seeing his ex-girlfriend. During the period in which Maxwell found out about the relationship between Raphael and Ruth, Ruth called and asked to see him. Maxwell was at home when Ruth arrived. "Hi Max, don't you miss me?", Ruth asked when she was ushered into Maxwell's room. Ruth found a spot close to Maxwell and sat down. "You are looking really beautiful", Maxwell said as he tried hard to take his eyes off Ruth's shining cleavages. "Who would miss you if they were in my position?", Maxwell said sarcastically. "You are nothing but trouble to a man's pocket and I am not afraid to tell you", Maxwell added. Ruth laughed and said, "I have always loved you for your frankness and the way you speak your mind freely without being intimidated by my beauty like all the other men are", Ruth said. "Today is not the day for your comparison games", Maxwell cut in to cut Ruth off before she started talking about the past . "Maxwell, stop being rude and cynical", Ruth pleaded. "I heard you are going out with Raphael now", Maxwell said. "How is that turning out for you?", Maxwell asked. "That is absolutely none of your business unless you tell me that you want me back then I would consider your comeback terms and conditions", Ruth replied. "So what brings you here this hot afternoon?", Maxwell asked. "This is embarrassing but there is no one I can do this with but you", Ruth started. Maxwell got alarmed and asked if Ruth was having problems with Raphael. "No, we get along fine", Ruth answered Maxwell's question to allay any fears of friction between the two of them. "On the contrary, I think I am in love with your friend", Ruth confessed. "The thing is that Raphael's birthday is coming and I don't know what to do", Ruth revealed. "I want to get him something that would let him know that I care so much about him", Ruth said. "So what is stopping you from getting him the thing?" "Or is it that you want my advice on what to get for him?", Maxwell asked. "Yes", Ruth answered. "And one more thing", Ruth started. " I am broke and I don't think I can come up with any money from now till the birth date", Ruth confessed. "It is quite unfortunate Ruth, but at the moment, I am also cash-strapped", Maxwell revealed. "I don't know if I can come up with any money so I don't want to promise and come up short so try and get a loan from a friend so that we can offset it when I get some money", Maxwell suggested. "I have actually run out of options and I didn't consider asking you for help looking at the fact that you know Raphael and it sounds awkward to be asking for your help to buy a gift for my boyfriend who happens to be your friend and I, your ex-girlfriend", Ruth confessed. "At least I tried", Ruth said and started to leave. When she got to the door, Maxwell called her back. "Even when we were dating, I never saw you talk so passionately about me like you are doing now", Maxwell said. "Come and take a seat and let me see what I can do", Maxwell said. "Your happiness is mine too", Maxwell said. Maxwell ransacked his suitcase which was positioned at the far end of the room and returned with a new shirt and a box of perfume. "I had planned to wear this on my first date when I found another girlfriend but you can have it for Raphael instead, he is my brother", Maxwell said and handed the stuff over to Ruth. Ruth was elated and could not thank Maxwell enough. "This is such a beautiful shirt!", Ruth exclaimed as she admired the shirt that Maxwell had just handed over to her. "I know Raphael would love this!", Ruth added. "I am so happy!", Ruth exclaimed. "I knew I could count on you, Max!", Ruth started. "You are a life saver", Ruth added. Ruth hugged Maxwell tightly and as they hugged, Maxwell said, "I am glad you are someone else's problem now". On hearing that, Ruth broke the hug and said, "I am the best thing you never had and never will". "Yeah right", Maxwell responded and they both broke out in laughter. After chitchatting for a while, Maxwell saw Ruth off to the gate. "Please promise me something", Maxwell said. "I would promise you anything!", Ruth exclaimed. "Promise me that you would never tell Raphael that the gifts came from me", Maxwell started. "And promise me also that you won't burden Raphael with so many demands", Maxwell pleaded. "I would try my best possible to be a loving and caring girlfriend to your friend", Ruth replied. "Thanks for the thing one more time", Ruth said and left Maxwell's house. A party was organized in Raphael's house and all his friends were in attendance. Ruth presented the gifts which she had received from Maxwell to Raphael and they shared a passionate kiss. Ruth never mentioned how she came across the gifts...


"Raphael, you remember what I told you when you confided in me right?", Maxwell asked Raphael who was now sitting on a swivel chair which was placed behind a big study table. "You told me that you were not jealous of my relationship and you would do anything to ensure that none of us gets hurt", Raphael said, now looking very embarrassed. "I still stand by my words", Maxwell said. "You can call Ruth right now and find out", Maxwell added and handed over his phone to Frank to pass on to Raphael . "Raphael, you were actually hating me for the good I did you and look at the number of people you have allowed that hatred to drag down along with yourself", Maxwell added. "Raphael you have messed up!, Frank yelled. "Is there any way we can make up for this misunderstanding?", Raphael asked, with his head bowed down. "A resolution will require cool heads", Prince suggested. They all agreed to go down to 'Cool Running', the pub that was down the road to grab a round of drinks and come back to figure out the next step to take. Before they left for the pub, Maxwell decided to take Linda home to freshen up for the task ahead. Now, they had to work around beating their previous proposal which had already been tendered in for approval. "Do you think we can pull this off?", Linda asked Maxwell. "We have the brains and this time, we have more people to bring out ideas but it has to be damn good", Maxwell confessed. As they arrived on the landing of Linda's porch, she held Maxwell's hand tightly and said, "Maxwell, this is not the right time and probably not the right thing to say but I think I am falling in love with you", Linda confessed. Maxwell leaned in to give Linda a kiss but Linda pulled away. "What is the matter?", a confused Maxwell asked. "I don't want to rush into doing anything now", Linda said. "I think you should come with me to church one of these days", Linda added and rushed into the house but before she banged the door behind her, she said, "Please don't forget to call me when you get back". "One more thing, please do not get drunk because we have a task ahead to accomplish". Maxwell rushed back to the house and called the other boys and they headed straight for 'Cool Running'. After the second round of drinks and with Linda's advice ringing in his head, Maxwell kept his drinking to a minimum. As he orders for the third round of drinks, Maxwell received a call from his Grandmother. Because of the loud music that was playing, Maxwell went outside to answer the call. "Grandma, I am just around the house, do you need something?", Maxwell asked. "Maxwell, please come home, I think I am going to suffer another heart attack", Maxwell's grandmother said...

MAXWELL IS ON TRACK WITH THE WORK TO ESTABLISH HIS FRIENDS BUT HAS THAT MADE HIM FORGET THAT HIS FAMILY ALSO NEEDS SAVING? A MAN CAN ONLY DO ONE THING AT A TIME.... WATCH OUT FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF"EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE. MORE AT  randomafricanthoughts.blogspot.com

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EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE...EPISODE SIXTEEN (16).

Maxwell and Linda got back to working on the proposal that they were working on before Maxwell recounted his story. Maxwell was very intelligent and often had great plans but never had the chance to implement them. He felt that this was the right avenue to really know how good he was at organizing people and planning something worthwhile. He had the tendency of evaluating people and despite his own shortcomings; he knew the strengths and weaknesses of all his friends and acquaintances. As he drafted the proposal, he put into consideration the role each of them was going to play should they be awarded any contract. He had carefully designed the proposal and he knew it was going to fly with anyone who set eyes on it. As he tried to explain something to Linda to get them to rectify the proposal and put finishing touches to their work, he caught Linda staring at him and it made him feel a bit uneasy. "Why are you still staring at me like that again?", Maxwell asked Linda trying to hide away the impression that she had already made a thousand and one inferences about him from  his story. "You are the first person I have fully recounted everything I have been through to and I would be very disappointed if I heard this from anyone else", Maxwell warned, feeling somewhat insecure. "Your secret is safe with me", Linda assured Maxwell with that banality. "Come to think of it", Linda started as if to say she had just remembered a multimillion pound idea. "In your entire story, you never mentioned your father and the role he played in all of this because from the get go, it has been your mother who has been fronting for you all this while", Linda said. "Before I went to secondary school and even on the eve of my departure to the university, my father sat me down and advised me", Maxwell started. "He told me that the best legacy he was leaving behind for myself and my siblings in the instance of his death was not wealth or possessions obviously because he had little of that but he said his legacy to us was going to be the name that was passed down to him by his father", Maxwell explained. "My father told me that when he received his surname he was told by his father that he had successfully passed on the baton of integrity to him and he was to maintain that integrity and pass it on to his children and if possible, see to it that his children passed it on successfully to their children too", Maxwell added. "But you can see from my escapades that I failed my father woefully because I could not live up to that name and I ended up disgracing my family's name by dragging it through the gutters of promiscuity and amorous behaviour", Maxwell added, bowing his head down in disappointment. Linda gently held his hand and rubbed it against hers, "I know how it feels to somewhat be a black sheep in a family but in life, we should always remember that broken crayons still colour so no matter how far you have gone down the wrong road, you can still come back and make something of the rest of your life on earth because hope is mankind's greatest asset so if you have hope, you have enough to fight the odds of life", Linda preached. Maxwell forcefully pulled his hand from Linda's hold and yelled, "You don't know how it feels, Linda, you don't!". Linda was startled by Maxwell's sudden change in tone and composure and moved back a bit because she felt Maxwell was going to go into a fit of rage but Maxwell gently got off his seat and slowly paced the room and after a few rounds in the spacious confines of his room, he returned to his seat, held Linda's hand to assure her that he was fine and said, "Let me explain something to you". "My father and his brothers, for whatever reason known to them were and are still in competition with each other", Maxwell revealed. "They sought to outdo each other maybe to gain the favour of their father so they all did things in that regard", Maxwell added. "And I guess it included the way their children were also brought up", Linda suggested inferring from the way Maxwell was making his point. "Exactly, and this singular act of mine had brought to naught all the conscious effort my father had put in to make us appear more prim and proper than the children of his brothers", Maxwell said. "But that was insane on their part!", Linda burst out. "They are blood brothers for crying out loud!", Linda exclaimed with disgust written all over her face. "Unfortunately, that is the kind of family I was born into", Maxwell said. "I have never been able to look my father in the eye ever since this happened and I think this is how things are going to be till we die", Maxwell said and immediately, tears started rolling down his cheeks. He tried to hide the tears away from Linda but he was too late. "Maxwell, are you crying?", Linda asked. "No I am not", Maxwell responded trying to wipe the tears away expertly with the back of his palm. "I am such a disappointment to my family and there is nothing I can do to make up for all the pain and emotional trauma I have put them through", Maxwell confessed. "It is all well and good and maybe some things are just meant to happen to help make our lives take the trajectory that destiny has in place for us", Linda said, in an effort to try to console Maxwell. "No, Linda!", Maxwell started. "Let's face reality here", Maxwell said. "When my parents found out that Alberta was pregnant, they vowed to keep it a secret from the entire family and cover it up in the best way they could because first of all, they didn't want to rat me out and my dad also had his integrity to protect in the eyes of his brothers but as fate would have it, Alberta's parents eventually got in touch with one of my uncles when my father wasn’t going forward to tell them anything and informed him of what had happened and he also informed the rest of his brothers who carried out their own checks to verify the claims made by Alberta's family", Maxwell recounted. "When they were satisfied with their investigations, they invited my father over and gave him what was probably the worst verbal bashing any man could take", Maxwell explained. "My father took all of this in his stride and never raised his voice at me but believe you me, I knew he had a heavy heart when he came back home that night", Maxwell said. Linda kept totally silent as Maxwell spoke and did not make interjections like she did earlier. "By now, all my cousins know that I have a child out of wedlock and how do you expect me to look them in the eye and pretend as if everything is alright?", Maxwell asked. "Things are not the same anymore and I have little doubt that things would come back to be as they were", Maxwell added. "That doesn't change the fact that you are a good young man with a lot of potential to make something out of this life", Linda said. "I see what you are trying to do Linda, but it still won't change anything", Maxwell cut in rudely. "Change is a state of mind, Maxwell and you of all people can relate better to it", Linda interjected. "Where were you all this while when I was going through all of this?", Maxwell asked, looking at Linda in awe. Linda smiled and moved close to Maxwell and placed her head on his shoulder, "Let's just say I was a few seconds late in this case", Linda said. Linda looked at her watch and said, "Unless you plan on holding me hostage, I think I have stayed out too late and I have to return home before the police are alerted of a kidnapping", Linda said jokingly and both of them broke out in hysterical laughter. Maxwell and Linda went through their proposal one more time before Maxwell decided to see Linda off. "I have really enjoyed myself and I have learnt a lot from your story and I am glad that you have started on a road to redemption by doing this project with your friends", Linda revealed. As they walked down the pathway to the gate of Maxwell's house, Linda still had a lot on her mind and wished she could get some clarity. "So when was the last time you heard from Nancy?", Linda asked. "Well, I tried to reach her several times to apologize for all that had happened and beg her to come back to me but she claimed she could not see herself in this mess and that I had to clear up my mess all by myself", Maxwell said. ""I think she has a point because even though it hurts to be treated this way, I am the one who cheated on her in the first place", Maxwell recounted. "In one of our conversations, in which she was crying, she asked me point blank to find someone else who would understand that I have cheated and let that person fight this battle with me", Maxwell said. "Okay", Linda responded and turned to face Maxwell as they finally got to the gate. "Maxwell, you are one amazing young man and...", before Linda could finish here statement, Maxwell grabbed Linda by the neck and planted a kiss on her cheek and hugged her tightly. "What was that for?", Linda asked, trying to hide the blushes on her face. "That was for being a good friend back there and not being judgmental at least to my face owing to the fact that we are mere acquaintances", Maxwell said. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves because if we are going to act according to how we are feeling right now, we might end up doing something we might not be able to reverse", Maxwell said. Maxwell gracefully opened the gate and ushered Linda out and both of them walked the lonely street in silence till they arrived at a semi-detached house a few blocks from Maxwell's house. "This is my house", Linda said pointing to the house which was painted in bright yellow and green colours. Maxwell watched Linda as she graciously cat walked unto the landing of her porch and waved her goodbye and started down the road alone in silence on his way back home. As he approached his gate, he was hit by a pinch of veridical perception. "How could I tell all my secrets to another woman; the same species that has landed me where I am today?", Maxwell thought out loud. He pondered over the happenings of the night as he took his shower and retired to his bed to catch some sleep.

The following morning, Maxwell called up all his friends and arranged a meeting with them that evening. When they all honoured the invitation and were seated at the dining table in Maxwell's house, Maxwell presented a copy of the proposal to all of them and they went through the details together. They all brought their expertise to the table. Raphael made very intelligent suggestions after just a first glance at the proposal and made many recommendations. Maxwell jotted down all the points Raphael made and quickly edited his copy of the proposal. Raphael was the most intelligent among all the young men gathered at the table so it was little wonder to all of them gathered that he had his own reservations and additions. The other boys made their inputs and soon, they had a well-defined proposal with all the ideas they pooled together. Maxwell edited the previous proposal he had drafted with Linda and asked Linda to work on the edited proposal. In a matter of days, the new proposal was ready and Maxwell had it personally delivered to all his friends to look thoroughly at one more time. On each visit, he carefully explained the role that each person was to play. Maxwell took some time off work to go round in search of a company they could sell their proposal to. With each day that passed, Maxwell returned home with little success after trying to get a company that would grant him audience. Many of the organizations he contacted wanted to know more about the track record he had raked for himself before they listened to him. Maxwell had virtually no record to boast of but he was determined to get their proposal to a bidder who would reward them handsomely. The leave he had requested from work had almost run out and still, he did not have anyone to look at their proposal. "Just grant me five more minutes of your time and I would show you how this proposal would benefit your organization", Maxwell said, at one of his many meetings with some C.E.O's. "Young man, the business world does not thrive on trial and error and more importantly, it is not a field for new entrants like yourself", one of the board members said. "Build for yourself a good track record and some extra experience and come back to us", another board member chipped in. Maxwell was at the verge of giving up, he gave his friends a daily report as to what was happening on his hunt. "Maxwell, do you think this is going to work?", Frank asked, during one of their meetings. "This proposal is fool proof and we just have to hope that someone would agree to take a look at it for just five minutes", Maxwell answered.

Soon, Maxwell had exhausted all his leave days and had to return to work. On the day he was supposed to report to work, he called in sick and requested to stay home. He decided to use the excuse to take one more chance at getting someone to look at the proposal. "I can't fail my friends", Maxwell thought to himself as he sat in the commercial bus heading into town. He had seen an advertisement in the newspapers and it was in line with their proposal so he decided to tender in their proposal to see if they were going to get lucky. Maxwell was ushered into the lobby of Passione Global; the company that was in need of ideas for their capacity building project. He sat there and day dreamed about working there as the new Project Coordinator. His daydreams were cut short as he ushered back into reality by the words, "Sir, the board would like to see you now". Maxwell followed the beautiful receptionist to the entrance of the conference room where the board of directors were waiting to hear him out. "These heels must cost a fortune!", Maxwell thought to himself as he could not help but keep staring at the stunning shoes the receptionist had on. "Soon, all of us would be wearing some of all these expensive stuff", Maxwell said to himself. "My bosses are easy-going therefore you shouldn't have a hard time convincing them, all the best", the receptionist said and held the door ajar for Maxwell to enter. After the exchange of pleasantries, Maxwell handed over the proposal to the board members who glanced through it individually. After the last of them had skimmed through the document, the chairman of the board started, "You have made very solid points in your work but I don’t know whether it is coincidental or something but we have received this same proposal already two days ago and what is more, the wording in the document are the same. Maxwell could not believe what he was hearing. "There must be some sort of mistake somewhere sir", Maxwell stammered as he adjusted himself in the seat. One of the board members, to prove their point, handed over a document to Maxwell. All the information in the document that was provided to Maxwell was exactly the same as was in his own proposal except the fact that the producers of the documents were different. Maxwell could not believe his eyes. He was at a loss for words. "We reviewed this proposal yesterday and we are to meet its producers next week to discuss their terms of employment", the chairman of the board revealed referring to the earlier proposal. Maxwell did not know what to do or say. "Can I come back tomorrow?", Maxwell requested. The board members agreed and Maxwell quickly rushed out of the building without even stopping by the desk of the pretty receptionist to say goodbye.

When Maxwell arrived home, he quickly called an emergency meeting for all the individuals who were involved in their proposal. He wanted to remain as calm as possible but it was not working. "Which one of you leaked our proposal?", Maxwell shouted as he commenced the meeting. All the people gathered in the room started exchanging glances at each other looking to find the culprit. "Linda, did you per chance show your copy of the proposal to anyone?", Maxwell asked angrily. "I wouldn't do that for anything in the world", Linda said in her defence. "So which one of you guys did this?", Maxwell barked, scanning the faces of all his friends. "For your information, I visited a company this morning and they are going to award the new owners of our proposal a contract; our proposal, our hard work!". "All they had to do was to present it and in a matter of days, they are going to be smiling all the way to the bank", Maxwell added. "Someone better start talking so we see if we can salvage anything from this mess because I know one of you is responsible", Maxwell barked out. "Okay, okay, enough already", Raphael started. "If you have something to say, say it now!", Maxwell cut in. "Three days ago, an old school colleague contacted me and asked that I helped him draft a proposal for a fee", Raphael started. “I had forgotten about it so when he called saying he had deposited the money into my account, I had to also fulfil my part of the deal so I sent him our proposal to use as a sample”, Raphael continued. “I didn’t know he was going to stupidly present the same thing”, Raphael added. Immediately Raphael finished his submission, Maxwell burst out in a fit of rage only to be held back by Prince and Rudolf. “Raphael, you are a fool!”, Maxwell yelled. “Up until today, I always thought that you were the most intelligent among us but this your action has confirmed how shallow-minded and daft you are!” “Your stupidity has let all of us down!”, Maxwell said as he tried to wriggle free from the hold of Rudolf and Prince and pounce on Raphael. “You have sold our future and a chance of a better life for a something not worth the price of fine wine!”, Raphael was standing at one corner of the room and tried to defend himself, “How was I supposed to know that he was going to present the document verbatim?”. “Shut up, Raphael and accept that you action was not merited”, Frank burst out. “All the sacrifices and sleepless nights were for nothing?”, Maxwell yelled. “Come to think of it, I had to put my job on the line for all of us and see how you pay me back you ingrate”, Maxwell added. All of a sudden, Maxwell broke free from the hold and dashed towards Raphael…RAPHAEL’S ACTION IS ABOUT TO THROW YEARS OF BROTHERHOOD INTO DISARRAY BY HIS SELFISH ACT. WERE MAXWELL’S EFFORTS ALL FOR NOTHING? MORE TO COME IN THE WAKE OF THIS BETRAYAL OF FRIENDSHIP. KEEP YOUR EYES ON 

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JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED!

                                           JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED!


After the gruesome murder of one of our lawmakers in Ghana, J.B Danquah-Adu, both our higher-ups and general public alike called for the "head" of the perpetrator of such a heinous crime. Forty-eight hours after the irreversible act was committed, the Ghana Police Service responded rapidly and tactically apprehended and brought to book the alleged murderer. That is all well and good and let me hasten to add, "kudos to our "GPS" for a job swiftly done". The word making rounds in our background leaves little to desire but much to consider. Immediately pictures of the alleged assassin started making rounds on our glorious social media platforms, people were of the view that the suspect looked less of an assassin but more of a "common" criminal who petty crimes could be associated with so it was little wonder for him to have acted the way he did which ultimately led to his apprehension and capture. I am not  a lawyer yet but with my pocket law analysis, this act was not like a "robbery-gone bad" but let me not go too deep into it. The police are on a hunt for other accomplices if there are any. Again, the alacrity with which the alleged assassin claimed ownership of the crime quickly reminded me of an episode from the almost all-black hit T.V series, "EMPIRE". We would resign our fate on this issue to the fact that, crime is crime and crime does not have a face. My major concern however was the swiftness with which our law enforcement officials cracked this case. I am not in anyway saying that it is not a step in the right direction. But I have a question, If our late lawmaker (May God rest his soul), were to be an ordinary "Joe", would our law enforcers crack the case with the same speed with which they cracked the late parliamentarian's? Were they doing it for show? People would argue that this case was an easy one because the alleged murderer took along with him from the crime scene something that was going to implicate him some hours later. It would be very unfair on my path to say that our hardworking law enforcement agencies do not solve various degrees of crime on a daily basis. I just want us to make a lot of considerations. There are crimes being committed everyday but if the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to book with the same alacrity, Ghana would be gradually crawling towards a crime-free state. We hear of many similar crimes which at most, get newspaper and online mentions and that is it, end of story. Poof!, paper trail gone! Crime definitely does not pay and if we all agree to the premise that crime is crime and has no face, we should not have a hard time accepting the inverse premise that justice is justice and has no face too. We are all assets to this country regardless of our situations or positions or statuses now. To our law enforcers, I say, "More grease to your elbows" Let me quickly add that the law is for all of us and all of us are for the law. To the bereaved family, I say no replacement, be it whatever form it takes can replace your dearly departed. To other bereaved families and victims of other forms of crime awaiting justice, I say, "A new dawn is coming and justice is in sight". All this being said, I still maintain my previous stance that "JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED". To those it may concern. Not everyone will agree but it is not as if that is not to be expected.

THIS IS A RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHT. MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND WE AT R.A.T BELIEVE THAT ALL LIVES MATTER.

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EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE...EPISODE FIFTEEN (15).

THE ANNIVERSARY WAS A SUCCESS THANKS TO YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT. NOW, BACK TO NORMAL... THE STORY CONTINUES. ENJOY. REGARDS, EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY.


As Maxwell slowly pulled Alberta's hand from her eye to see the damage he had caused, Alberta tightly squeezed his other hand. Maxwell's heart was racing and pounding with great alacrity inside his chest. Out of reflex, he shut both eyes to prevent himself from seeing the blood which had already started to clot. When he finally downed Alberta's hand and managed to open his eyes, he saw that his punch had missed Alberta's eye just by hair's breath but there was still damage nonetheless. There was a big cut just beneath Alberta's right eye. Even though Maxwell breathed a heavy sigh of relief, he still had to attend to the cut. "Oh Alberta, I am so sorry", Maxwell repeated over and over again as he lead Alberta outside to wash the blood off her body. As they both tried to make the best out of the mess they had created, Maxwell's mother approached them and fired off, "What is going on here?", "I heard what both of you said over the phone and I want to know what is going on this minute before I involve your parents", Maxwell's mother added looking at Alberta who was sitting on the ground with her head hanging between her legs. "Maxwell, I am talking to you!", his mother screamed. Before Maxwell could gather enough courage to explain, Alberta lifted her head and Maxwell's mother saw the cut beneath her eye. "Oh my God!", she exclaimed. "What happened here?", Maxwell's mother enquired. Maxwell wanted to jump in and say something but before he could think of what to say, Alberta said, "Mummy, your son has gotten me pregnant and when I tried talking to him about it, look at what he has done to my eye", Alberta said, pointing to her wound. "Maxwell is it true that she is pregnant for you again and you just beat her up?", Maxwell's mother asked Maxwell...

"I just can't believe this", Linda cut in, bringing Maxwell back to reality and giving him a chance to get a break from his story. "You don't look like what you have been through", Linda said, looking at Maxwell who was also now standing in front of the huge mirror in his room looking at his own reflection. "You look very calm and collected and it would be difficult, if not impossible, for someone to believe that you went through all of this" Linda added. Maxwell fetched his phone from where he was charging it on the sill of the window and showed Linda pictures of Alberta and Nancy. "Alberta is too pretty to have done all the things you are telling me now", Linda remarked when Maxwell revealed her identity to her. "If I saw her on the streets any day, I would never attribute such things to her", Linda said. "Nancy too is beautiful", Linda added. "So what happened when Alberta told your mum that she was pregnant again?", Linda asked Maxwell giving him the indication that she wanted him to continue the story. "And what happened to her eye?", Linda requested to know. "My mother got very angry and as usual, jumped to my defense and it almost flared tempers", Maxwell recounted. "I knew there was nothing she could do to save me from the path I had chosen by my own volition but who was I to interrupt?". "I did not like the back and forth and banter that ensued after this revelation so I moved out of my house to live elsewhere", Maxwell revealed. "When Alberta's family heard about what had happened, they reported the issue to the police and the mounted a search for me", Maxwell said. "I had to always stay indoors for fear of being seen by a familiar person who would give me out to be arrested by the police for hurting Alberta", Maxwell said. "The last time I heard about this issue, the word that was making rounds in the neighborhood was that I had gotten Alberta pregnant and beat her up despite her condition and it was a classic case of assault and domestic violence", Maxwell added...

"So when all of this was happening, where was Nancy?", Linda enquired. Maxwell looked at Linda and sighed. "She was around, I went to see her several times", Maxwell revealed. "We made the best out of whatever time we had on our hands", Maxwell added. "I loved her so much and I wanted to tell her about what had happened but I didn't know how she was going to react to it", Maxwell said. "I wanted to find an opportune moment and tell her about Alberta’s pregnancy ". "At a point, I was willing to damn the consequences of what may lie in the wake of telling Nancy that Alberta was pregnant but every time that thought came to mind, I lost all courage and melted in her presence and in the warmth of her loving arms", Maxwell said. "The day I had finally gathered enough courage to tell her about Alberta's pregnancy, something happened and it further complicated my situation", Maxwell said. "Tell me about that, I am interested", Linda said with a sense of excitement because she knew it was going to be an extraordinary episode. "What happened, Max?", Linda asked getting ready to delve into another suspense-filled rollercoaster ride about Maxwell's life....


Maxwell visited Nancy one afternoon during the days he was waiting to get posted to do his National Service. Maxwell had missed Nancy so much because it had been weeks since he last saw her. Nancy was more delighted because she knew that Maxwell was going to surprise her like he did all the time with gifts whenever he visited her. In preparing to welcome him, she cooked him his favorite meal and waited for him impatiently. When Maxwell finally arrived, Nancy was so excited and jumped into his arms, she welcomed him in and gave him royal treatment. Maxwell enjoyed Nancy's food to the last morsel but he enjoyed basking in her company even more and above all things, he enjoyed her body and took his time to explore every little fiber on her body. Nancy could not control herself during Maxwell's visits. She found herself moving at his whim and caprice as if to say she were his stooge. She loved to be in control but she lost her senses when Maxwell took over. When both of them finally lay in the bed gasping for fresh air out of exhaustion, Maxwell received a phone call from the National Service Secretariat. Maxwell had been posted to a far away place and when he told Nancy about it, her countenance suddenly fell. "What is the matter with you?” Maxwell asked sensing that she did not like the idea that he was going far away from her. "This is just going to be for a couple of months and I would be right back here with you", Maxwell explained. "I know that, but I am just not happy", Nancy said. "It is just that...", "It is just that...", "It is just that...", Nancy started. "What is the matter, Nancy?", Maxwell asked. "Please talk to me", Maxwell pleaded. "Don't worry about me Max, I would be fine", Nancy said, placing her head on Maxwell's chest. "Come on Nancy, it is not as if I am going so far that you cannot come and visit", Maxwell explained. "I would be glad to host you anytime and any day", Maxwell added. Maxwell pulled Nancy closer to his chest and planted a kiss on her lips. When their lips parted, he realized that Nancy's eyes were filled with tears. "Nancy, why are you crying?", Maxwell asked, hugging Nancy tightly. "Maxwell", Nancy started. "I have not seen my period yet this month and I am a couple of days overdue", Nancy revealed. "What?!", Maxwell exclaimed. "Does that mean you are pregnant?", Maxwell asked, as if missing ones period could mean another thing. "It is possible", Nancy replied, with the tears beginning to drop from her eyes. "So why are you crying?", Maxwell asked. "I promised myself not to get pregnant out of wedlock but if my guess is right, I have just gone against my word", Nancy said amidst sobs. "I know you are not ready to settle down right now and I would not want my child to suffer", Nancy said. "We can think of something", Maxwell said, adjusting himself in the bed. "I love you so much, Nancy and I am willing to settle down with you right now", Maxwell said. "You don't know what you are talking about", Nancy said. "This is not a fantasy so stop saying what you are saying", Nancy added. "If you are willing to have this baby, I promise you that I would do my best to help take care of both of you", Maxwell said. "I am not going to have this baby", Nancy revealed. "I am not ready for that, honestly", Nancy added. Maxwell tried to convince Nancy but she would not just budge. Maxwell, when he left Nancy's house wondered why he badly wanted Nancy to carry his baby. Before long, reality set in and he began to see the sobriety of his actions. "Two women are carrying my babies and look at what I am thinking about ", Maxwell recounted. "I am in one of the worst situations any young man at my age can find himself in", Maxwell thought out loud. "What am I going to do now?"....


"So what did you do?", Linda asked. By now, Maxwell knew that all the thoughts Linda had about him, going forward, were probably thoughts Maxwell would not even have about anyone. "I was in a dilemma but I had to figure out how I was going to get out of it", Maxwell replied. "Nancy had resolved to terminate the pregnancy so no matter how many times I tried to convince her, she had already made up her mind not to have a baby out of wedlock", Maxwell revealed. "And what about Alberta?", Linda enquired. "What became of her?". Maxwell felt the need that at that moment , there was little use holding anything back so he decide to let out every little information he had concerning his escapades. “I was afraid to contact Alberta for fear of giving up my location so I didn't really hear from her that often”, Maxwell  revealed. "One afternoon, Nancy called me and said she had managed to find a pharmacist who was willing to give her a drug that could terminate her pregnancy, so she needed me to come up with the money to acquire the drug", Maxwell revealed. "I tried my best possible to come up with the whole amount but as hard as I tried, I came up short and she had to pay the difference herself", Maxwell added. "So she acquired the drug and to administer it, we had to have sex". "So I went over to her house and we sealed the deal", Maxwell added. "For days, I was haunted by what we had done", Maxwell revealed. "What haunted me the most was the fact that Nancy had terminated her pregnancy and I didn't even know what was wrong with Alberta's or how she even survived", Maxwell told Linda. "So how did you plan on telling Nancy that she terminated her pregnancy whilst Alberta still carried your baby?", Linda cut in. "What were you thinking?", Linda asked. "Did you think she was going to take it lightly?", Linda enquired. "She would feel so used", Linda explained. "Several months later, while I was still with Nancy, I received a call form Alberta that she was successfully delivered of a baby boy", Maxwell said. "I thought she was calling my bluff as usual so I paid little attention to her until an old friend called me and confirmed Alberta's claim. "She was really carrying your child?", Linda asked. "Yes, she really was and she had actually put to bed", Maxwell replied. "I honestly didn't know how I was going to tell Nancy about it because I knew telling her was going to end our relationship and I was not prepared to lose her to anyone", Maxwell said. "The mere fact of keeping it away from her meant you had already lost her", Linda said. "So did she ever find out?", Linda asked. "Yes she did, to my disappointment", Maxwell answered. I had wanted to tell her about it myself but one day, we were eating out and she passed a comment about dating single fathers", Maxwell revealed. "That was the day I came closest to telling her but what she said scared me and I had to coil back into my shell of secrecy", Maxwell added. "So how then did she find out?", Linda enquired. "This is what happened", Maxwell started...


Maxwell visited Nancy and spent the night with her. The following morning, both of them were in the shower making love and Nancy decided to go back to bed because she was tired after several bouts. Maxwell took  his time in the shower to recuperate after what had just ensued between Nancy and himself. Before he stepped out of the shower, Nancy barged into the bathroom, "Maxwell, so Alberta is carrying your child and you made me kill mine?", Nancy said. Maxwell did not have any defense because Nancy had gone through his text messages and had found out that Maxwell was still in contact with Alberta and that they had a child together. Maxwell tried to explain to Nancy but she would have none of that. She accused Maxwell of being a selfish and inward-looking person who thought about no one but himself. "Baby, it is not what you think", Maxwell said in his defense. "Don't give me that crap!", Nancy yelled. "You knew that she was pregnant all this while and you could not tell me?", Nancy enquired. "I dint have the chance to tell you and moreover, I knew telling you was going to be dangerous because I was going to lose you bearing in mind that I made you kill our baby", Maxwell desperately explained. "I love you Nancy and I don't want to lose you now or ever", Maxwell confessed. "You should have done the right thing if you claimed to have loved me", Nancy cut in. "What was stopping you from telling me this earlier, Max?", Nancy asked. "We could have found a way out together because I loved you", Nancy said. "Hold on Nancy, did you just say you loved me?", Maxwell asked for clarification. "Yes, I did!", Nancy replied. "I have loved you with all my heart but after this revelation, I don't think I can still continue to hold onto that love because I would be deceiving myself", Nancy said…

“This has been my story so far”, Maxwell told Linda. “I am far from a happy person and I would do anything to make peace with myself and all the people I care about”, Maxwell told Linda. “So where is your son?”, Linda asked. “He is with his mother”, Maxwell answered. “I hope you are taking care of him the best way you can”, Linda enquired. “Yes, I try the best I can”, Maxwell answered.  “So what are your plans for the future?”, Linda asked. “Judging from your situation,  It is quite obvious that dating of these women would cause you a whole lot more trouble”, Linda suggested. “But I love Nancy”, Maxwell cut in. “If she loved you that much, she would have been here with you”, Linda said. “If you genuinely want to make anything out of this life, then you have to get up and work hard to clear this mess you are in so you can have clear sight to go forward”, Linda suggested. “That is what I plan on doing”, Maxwell responded… WILL MAXWELL FIND PEACE AFTER SPEAKING HIS HEART OUT? WE ARE IN FOR ANOTHER ROLLERCOASTER RIDE IN THE EPISODES TO FOLLOW. STAY TUNED. RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHTS HAS CROSSED THE ONE YEAR HURDLE. MORE AMAZING PIECES WOULD BE RELEASED IN THE DAYS TO FOLLOW. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE TOLD TO WTCH THIS SPACE. MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND THIS IS ANOTHER R.A.T(c) PIECE.

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THE STORY OF RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHTS

                                                    THE STORY OF R.A.T.

When we started writing, we did it as a hobby. I wanted to impress the friend who asked me to create the blog. Personally, I had no idea about blogging but I started anyway. I created a group on WhatsApp where I shared some of my posts. I knew I had the capability of putting words together but looking back some 12 months ago, I did not know we were going to evolve so quickly. For the record, I am not a motivational speaker. Truth is, sometimes I need motivation more than anyone. It takes me longer to get things done and it is a part of me but when we started taking the blog and writing more seriously, it changed our lives in many ways. I am not famous or a millionaire yet, I have not received any nominations but the truth about all this is that, there is a sense of satisfaction that comes to you when you accomplish something worthwhile. Satisfaction, to me, has not been monetary value or possessions but the fact that people are being touched by your work. Take this from me, if you want to know how good you are, start something on your own. You don't need to always have capital to start but just start it and put your passion and back into it. I never wanted to share this story but I guess "Desperate times call for desperate measures". I used to share my pieces frequently with my colleagues at work. One day, my supervisor called me and said I had to put a stop to sharing my work because my colleagues read my stories more than they did his mails. I was astonished but I had to obey. I couldn't possibly tell my colleagues the main reason for hoarding my work from them but eventually, they got so puffed up and almost lynched me. So I started sending the work to them individually. The recipients kept growing and almost everyday, I got a new mail from a new colleague asking me to add them up to the mailing list. I wondered what made them so intrigued and one of them told me, "The suspense is too much so I can't wait to see what will happen next". I learn a lot from them when they sit to chat (unknown to them). The moral here is, sometimes, you don't need to find clients, just do your best and your clients would find you.

When I started the blog, I used to write thinking my readership base was going to be in just my home country but I had the shock of my life when during our early days, I looked at our page view locations and I found 10 people reading from Indonesia. I was so delighted. My pieces really did mean something even to people living beyond the shores of my country. From then on, I fine-tuned my pieces to make sense to people from all nations. Here too, the point is, we need to be versatile in our dealings. Our blog now has readers from over 20 countries and that is a huge achievement. I come from a country where we do the same thing over and over again but expect different results but "Variety is the spice of life", so dare to mix it up.


Growing up as a young boy, there used to be a gathering of older men in front of a bar every night and I wondered why they always came to sit to drink. I was told they were networking (whatever that meant to me). Out of their nightly drinking, they established a gym and all the men in my neighbourhood go there and the best part is, the drinkers are the ones making money because every new member of the gym had to register and pay monthly bills. Fast forward to my time, when I started the blog, I wondered how my story was going to circulate. I networked with a few people and it was really worthwhile. Out of the network, I got my pieces posted on modern Ghana, a news website, international posts and shares on various sites. Networking is good. Finally, good old determination was an enemy I had to convert into a friend. Sometimes, I had to improvise and write in a noisy commercial car, I had to try to figure out ways of getting new posts, I had to figure out how to design stuff (I still suck at designing). When the pressure seeps in giving up is so easy but just try to hold on. We are all still learning. All my readers have been amazing. This year, we at RAT aim to do something more intriguing and interesting. We aim to share stories of others to motivate and encourage ourselves. Destiny awaits!!! We are all RAT. We also aim to create a network to intellectually assist each other in attaining greatness. RAT IS ONE. MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO YOU ALL. THE DAYS AHEAD LOOK PROMISING. LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE:

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HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY Y'ALL!!!

                                                  HIP! HIP!! HIP!!! HURRAH!!
       

                               RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHTS IS ONE YEAR OLD!!!

It is 12:52 AM GMT and I am honestly lost for words right now as a
I lay on my couch. I am trying to look for the right words to commemorate the first anniversary of this page that I started a year ago. Even though I am sitting in a bigger couch, it is still a couch... (what am I typing?). Let us cut the Chase. I started this blog with the encouragement from a very good friend. I was doing it to pass the time because I was in somewhat of a slump then. Soon, I started to get the hang of it and approached it with a lot more seriousness than I usually gave a lot of things in my life.  It has been amazing seeing the blog grow from a few page views in the early months to having thousands of page views per post. This seriousness allowed me to see life differently.  Most of the writings on the blog have a personal touch and I cannot thank enough all those who in one way or another helped in making every post a delight.  There have been a few sleepless nights, there have been times that I was behind schedule, times that I had to look beyond myself to gather the little strength I had left in me to do something for my readers, times that I knew I was not in my elements but had to take everything in my stride. The blog has taught me valuable lessons; lessons that cannot be learnt being idle. It has been an awesome journey looking back a year ago. I have had an amazing support system comprising editors, critics, fans and advisors.  I can never forget the amazing readership base this blog has been able to amass. We have made progress but we believe better opportunities still lie ahead. We don't give up and we won't give up. We keep doing this for the love of it. It has been an amazing one year and I thank all those who kept me on my toes when I was stalling. We salute everyone. The day has just began. Happy first anniversary y'all!!!! I sign off here with my trademark, MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND THIS IS A RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHT!!!

                                                             Yours truly...

BETWEEN ONCE UPON A TIME AND HAPPILY EVER AFTER (POEM).

Between once upon a time and happily ever after, my words fill the void. Yes, I am the creator; a sub-creator of the All-creator. My words create joy, ecstasy, pain, reflections and hope. I am a jack of all trades. I architect my words like an architect architects his dream house. I doctor my words to sooth like a doctor doctors a patient back to life. I engineer words to cause heightened wonder and awe like an engineer engineers a high-rise building. I preach my words to touch the depth of hearts and souls like a preacher preaches without mincing words. You can call me a chameleon because I take on many forms; I am a lover, hapless romantic, story teller, mystic, fortune teller, angel of doom, thinker and philosopher. Between once upon a time and happily ever after, I decide who lives and dies. I choose who gets to get the last laugh and my audience have little choice but to accept the fate I have tailored just like a tailor tailors the emperor's new clothes. Between once upon a time and happily ever after, I play God with my pen and in that glorious moment, my pen is mightier than any sword. Between once upon a time and happily ever after, I am not just a storyteller, a writer or poet, rather I am an analyst, a strategist and my notepad is my war room where I move my pieces at will like a puppeteer puppeteers his favourite puppet. Between once upon a time and happily ever after, I am the general and I am second to none. Some call me poet, others call me writer but in theory, I am jury, judge and punisher. I am a proud writer because the power I wield is unmatched. Between once upon a time and happily ever after, I would keep you glued to your seat and leave you wanting more and more....

 My name is Edwin Oko Lamptey. More at randomafricanghoughts.blogspot.com

EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE..EPISODE FOURTEEN (14).

Hello lovely People, February is Here and for us at RAT, it is a very happy month.... Stay tuned but for now....




EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE...EPISODE FOURTEEN (14).


"So what did you do when you saw her standing at the door?", Linda interrupted while sitting at the edge of her seat holding Maxwell's right hand very tightly as if she was watching a horror movie. Maxwell looked at her as if he was upset for being interrupted and asked, "What do you think I did?". "Tell me Max, tell me!", Linda said with mixed feelings and a pinch of suspense due to Maxwell's escapades. "So what I did was..."




Maxwell went back into the room and searched his wardrobe. He found some money and quickly handed it over to Alberta. Alberta looked at the money and shouted, "Is this the same amount you took from my room?". Maxwell who was by now surprised and shocked altogether said, "The amount I have given you is more than what I took". "I haven't asked you to give me your money", Alberta cut in. "All I want and all I came all this way for is to take the money you took from my room", Alberta added. So to avoid creating a scene, Maxwell wore his clothes and went downstairs to ask for change so that he could give Alberta the exact amount. It took Maxwell a while but finally, he had several denominations at his luxury. He hurriedly rushed back to his room to give Alberta her money and send her on her way. When he entered the room, Alberta was not there. He quickly rushed to the balcony to see if she was there but Alberta was not on the balcony. He then saw Alberta running toward the taxi station with something that looked like a laptop. Maxwell quickly dashed back into the room to see if his laptop was where he left it before going to bed. To his horror rather than amazement, his laptop was gone. It was then that it dawned on him that Alberta had taken his laptop. Maxwell dashed downstairs with all the sped and energy left in him to stop Alberta but his efforts were a little too late because when he got to the landing of the ground floor, Alberta had already ordered the driver to speed off and she carried Maxwell's laptop with her. Maxwell could not believe what was happening...




"Did you get the laptop back"?, Linda interrupted again, this time sitting very close to Maxwell on his bed looking intently into his eyes. She could not believe that one person could go through all of the things Maxwell recounted and still live to recount it. She could not tell whether her opinion about his choices in life could make her see him like she did the first time they met. "Linda, there is more so please stop interrupting", Maxwell said politely.


"So.....", Maxwell continued.....

Maxwell rushed back into his room, picked his phone and called Alberta, "Alberta, I beg you with the mercies of God, please come back with the laptop", Maxwell pleaded. "I have all my research information on it and my dissertation is also on it", Maxwell added. "We would see how you are going to finish school", Alberta said. Maxwell's heart missed several beats because he knew what Alberta was capable of. "I am going to sell your laptop, take my portion of the money and send the rest to back to you", Alberta said. "Alberta please don't do this", Maxwell pleaded. "This is my future we are talking about here, in fact it is my life", Maxwell begged. "Did you for one second also sit down to think that it was my life you were messing with?", Alberta asked. "If you could not have mercy then but heartlessly threw me under the bus, why and how do you expect me to have mercy on you?", Alberta fired back. "An eye for an eye, Maxwell", Alberta added. Maxwell was confused. He knew full well that if not for anything at all, Alberta had always been a woman of her word and she more often than not carried out all her plans....




"Maxwell I can't take this anymore, I feel like I am going to explode", Linda cut in again the third time. "I just can't take it anymore so please take me out of my misery", Linda pleaded. "Okay", Maxwell started. "I called Nancy and told her about it, she in turn called my sister and reported the issue to my mother", Maxwell recounted. "Hold on", Linda cut in. "How did Nancy get your sister's number?", Linda asked. Maxwell changed his position and sat in the swivel chair that was in his room and sat down properly, crossed his legs and placed his hands on his laps as of he was granting Linda an interview and responded, "Well, she wanted to acquaint herself with my sister and I could not refuse". "Okay, you can continue", Linda ordered. Eventually, my mum got involved and apparently, Alberta had hoarded the laptop in her room so my mum went pleading and Alberta promised to give out the laptop on one condition", Maxwell said. "And what was her condition?", Linda asked. "Her condition was that I come over for the laptop personally", Maxwell said. "So what did you do"?, Linda asked. I was peeved, Nancy was equally peeved for many reasons but I had little choice because all my efforts of trying to finish my dissertation would be in vain should any damage come to the laptop so I obeyed her terms", Maxwell said. "So what happened when you met her?", Linda eagerly asked. "Well, nothing really happened because I wanted the act to be quickly dealt with", Maxwell said. "So when we met, I paid little attention to what she said because she was crying amidst talking but I felt nothing but bitter scorn and cold hatred for her but eventually, I got the laptop back in one piece and went back to school", Maxwell added. "Nancy refused to talk to me for weeks and I was very sad because I loved her so much and I was prepared to do anything to get her back", Maxwell said. "I see", Linda responded in a tone that was all well too familiar to Maxwell. "So you managed to get the love of your life back?", Linda enquired. "Yes I was and those periods were unarguably the best days of my life", Maxwell added, with a smile on his face. "But I guess things were not meant to be", Maxwell continued...




After all the fuss had died down, Maxwell was almost through with his dissertation and was just one more hurdle away from calling himself a graduate. During one of his crunch meetings with his dissertation's supervisor, who was giving him a run for his money, Maxwell received a call from a strange number and politely excused himself to answer the call. "Maxwell, this is Alberta", the voice on the other side of the line said when Maxwell answered the phone. "I am pregnant and you are responsible for it", Alberta added....

"Come on, Maxwell not again but how could you?", Linda cut in....

Maxwell continued.....


"What is all this, Albie?", Maxwell asked. "Why do you do this to me all the time?", Maxwell asked. "That is a silly question to ask", Alberta fired back. "You did this to yourself", Alberta added. "Think about what I have told you and call me back to tell me what you intend to do", Alberta said. "One more thing, I am not going to risk my life for you or anyone so please, termination should be the last thing on your mind", Alberta added and hang up the phone. Maxwell was confused but he managed to compose himself and marched back into his supervisor's office. Maxwell concluded the meeting with his supervisor and left for his hostel. Most of his mates including his roommates had all gone ahead home because they had finished their dissertations before Maxwell owing to 'Alberta's hold-up'. Maxwell called Alberta and asked her to stay put because he was going to soon come home so they could solve their problems. Maxwell was highly confident that he was possibly not the father of Alberta's supposed pregnancy. He actually made it the least of his worries. Soon, Maxwell submitted a finished dissertation to his supervisor after staying on for one full month after all his colleagues had finished and submitted theirs. The school was almost empty with very little activity when Maxwell finally made his way to the bus terminal to board a bus that was going to take him back home. Even though he had dreamed about this day several times; the day he was going to be able to say, "I came, I saw and I conquered", the feeling he had in those dreams were far sweeter and better than how he felt in reality. Flashbacks of his escapades filled his mind as he journeyed on out of his campus. He was overwhelmed by the feeling of indifference; a feeling which should not be juxtaposed to his accomplishments in the school  but it so happened that his love choices left him little to desire about. When he boarded the bus, the wind that gushed into the bus from where he sat close to the window forced him to close his eyes and for the first time in a long while, Maxwell fell asleep like a little baby. When he finally woke up, he was just two stops away from his stop point. He quickly looked around and saw that the bus which was full of people who chatted and made noise was almost empty with the rest of the passengers sparsely separated. He accounted for all his luggage when he alighted and signalled for the driver to move on when he went over his check list marking his luggage against the little piece of paper he had in his hand. "I made it", Maxwell said to himself as he stood by the ear of the road trying to get a taxi to carry himself and his luggage home. When he finally arrived at his gate, his mother and sister were waiting for him at the entrance of the house to welcome their first graduate back home. There was a short merry-making ceremony held for Maxwell and after he had eaten to his fill, he asked to be excused and like anyone could guess, dashed to Alberta's house to ascertain the truth about the matter concerning her pregnancy.


When Maxwell got there, Alberta had also managed to get a bottle of wine to celebrate Maxwell's accomplishments. Maxwell poured himself a glass and held it in his hand. Earlier, he informed Nancy that he was on his way home and that he was going to call her. Nancy had waited several hours and Maxwell's call was not coming so she decided to call Maxwell. Maxwell's phone was on a table and it happened that Alberta was the first to see the name that appeared on Maxwell's phone. Immediately, both Maxwell and Alberta made a dash for the phone. Amidst the struggles, the call dropped. In a matter of minutes, there was another call and this time, it was from Maxwell's mother. Alberta still did not want to let go of the phone, "Albie stop this so I can answer the phone", Maxwell said, trying to catch his breath. "I wont allow you answer a call from that girl in my house", Alberta said. Unknown to Maxwell and Alberta, one of them had unknowingly answered the call from Maxwell's mother amidst the altercation and she heard every word they were saying. "Maxwell, why can't you just leave this girl and come and be with me?", Alberta enquired. "Is she better than me in anyway?", Alberta asked. "If you care to know, she is better than you in a lot of ways", Maxwell fired back. "How can you sleep with both of us and claim you are better than any of us?", Alberta asked. "Max, you are the worst kind of human being if you treat me this way", Alberta added. "I won't stand here and be party to all your nagging and jealousy", Maxwell said and made for the door. Alberta pushed him aside and got to the door first and locked it. Maxwell snatched his phone from Alberta and placed it in his pocket, it was only then that the call from his mother dropped. "Move out of the way", Maxwell warned and started walking toward the door. Alberta braced herself against the door to deny Maxwell passage. Maxwell held Alberta by her blouse and tried to yank her from her position. Alberta stood her ground and grounded her feet and weight in such a way as to make it difficult for Maxwell to push her away. Maxwell yanked her again and still, Alberta remained immovable. Alberta reached for Maxwell's phone from his pocket but Maxwell quickly held her in a choking position with his right hand and Alberta was now gasping for air. The two of them struggled and when Alberta realized that Maxwell's chokehold was getting her to the point of passing out, she bit Maxwell on the arm so hard that Maxwell let out a shrieking cry and instantly let go of Alberta. When Alberta stood upright and took in tons of fresh air to fill her weakened breathing, Maxwell felt the spot where Alberta bit with his other hand and it was swollen red and if he had not let go sooner rather than later, she would have managed to bite off that part of his arm. Out of reflex, Maxwell rushed towards Alberta and punched her in the face with a clinched fist. Alberta fell to the floor instantly and covered that portion of her eye with her hand. Maxwell quickly made for the door, unlocked it and quickly rushed out. After walking a little way away from Alberta's door, Alberta was not coming out after Maxwell and he got alarmed. He rushed back to the door, left it wide ajar and stepped back onto the room. Alberta was still on the floor and all she was saying was, "My eye!, My eye!, My eye!". Maxwell approached her and put his hand on her shoulder, "Alberta, are you okay?", Maxwell asked in a trembling voice. When Alberta lifted her head to look at Maxwell, blood was oozing down the hand with which she had used to cup her eye. The blood was not stopping and Maxwell instantly knew he had done something terrible. Maxwell quickly sat on the floor and put Alberta's head on his chest. "Oh my God, what have I done?", Maxwell said. He picked Alberta up and placed her in a chair and went in search of first aid. He got a sachet of water and a dirty blouse from Alberta's laundry. He quickly rushed back and asked Alberta to let him have a look at what he had done. As he slowly lifted Alberta's hand, she said, "Look at what you have done to me just because of the love I have for you". "I am going to be deformed because of you, Maxwell", Alberta added while Maxwell slowly took her hand into his and pressed it tightly...IS ALBERTA A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE? DID MAXWELL STEP OUT OF LINE? FIND OUT MORE IN THE NEXT EPISODE OF "EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE".

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