THE SCENT OF YOUR HEART...EPISODE TWO

Sandra walked gorgeously and headed towards the empty seat that was closest to Henry. Henry could not believe his luck when it became obvious that Sandra was heading in his direction. He imagined Sandra all dressed in a wedding gown walking down the aisle to be betrothed to him. Henry snapped back into reality when Sandra got close to him and pulled back the seat so as to be able to sit down.

"Hello", Sandra said with a bright smile on her face as she took her seat. Henry was dumbfounded. He could not come to terms with the fact that such a beauty was talking to him.

"Hello", Sandra said again.

"Oh hi, hi", Henry finally responded. "I heard you the first time, I was just trying to figure out the best kind of answer for such a beautiful and eloquent young lady like yourself ", Henry said jokingly although quietly.

"Very funny", Sandra replied as she extended a hand to greet Henry. "Nice to meet you", Sandra said as she waited for Henry to mention her name. "Oh I am Henry", Henry said as he took Sandra's soft hand into his and exchanged pleasantries with her.

Both of them turned their attention to the instructor after acquainting themselves with one another.

During the entire period that Henry and Sandra sat together, he kept stealing glances at her fair-colored thighs because the dress she wore revealed them when she sat. After the day's session, the instructor asked the national service personnel to fraternize with each other before leaving. Most of the guys gathered around Henry and wanted to find out if he possibly had any information about Sandra. One of the national service personnel, Gideon, spoke as the boys huddled together.

"This Sandra chick is really fine", he started, looking in her direction as she chatted and giggled heartily with one of her female colleagues. "I would do anything to get her phone number", Gideon added.

Another guy laughed and said, "We are here for business and we cannot afford to be distracted by women because they are the fastest in bringing a man down". "Gideon, I think you are barking up the wrong tree if you harbor any ambitions of ever dating that young lady", the other guy continued. "Moreover, you don't expect to take care of her with your meagre national service allowance, do you?"

"Hell no!", Gideon responded and they all broke out laughing.

The attention of the ladies was drawn to the hysterical laughter and they turned to look at the faces of the guys. "Gideon noticed that they were being watched and prompted the other guys, "Hey, the ladies are looking at us and it seems they are talking about us", Gideon warned. The other guys looked in their direction and noticed that they were truly being watched. They all turned to comport themselves.

At 5:00 PM, the instructor walked in and told the national service personnel that they could go home and report at 8:00 AM the following day for the training to continue. Some of the personnel exchanged phone numbers and made their way out of the plush offices of Kaprisky Law Firm. As Henry and Gideon made their way down the flight of stairs, they saw Ben, the man who came into their training room earlier in the day to ask them to introduce themselves, talking heartily with Sandra. Henry's heart missed a beat when he chanced upon the two of them talking. Henry and Gideon walked past them quietly though disappointed and turned to see the two of them laughing heartedly when the got to the entrance.

"You see?", Henry started. "The wealthy old men always get the fine ladies", Henry added. "She would only be interested in his money and the connections she would get by affiliating herself with him", Gideon rebutted. "Do you think a pretty lady like that would marry a potbellied, old bloat like that man?", Gideon quizzed. "I don't think so!", Gideon answered his own question before allowing Henry to even say a word. "I think we are being too judgmental", Henry started. "I am sure they are just discussing official things and not what we are thinking", Henry added to give himself some assurance that nothing was going on between Ben and Sandra.

"Moreover, Ben does not come across as that kind of person who would be interested in sleeping with young ladies, he is a married man", Henry added

Gideon and Henry made their way through the open car park of Kaprisky Law Firm and headed for the bus stop to join a commercial bus back home. As they stood waiting, a blue range rover evoque drove out of the premises of Kaprisky Law Firm and seated in the back seat were Ben and Sandra being chauffeured by a smartly-dressed driver. As the car passed by the bus stop, Sandra looked out of the window, saw and waved at Gideon and Henry. The two young men reluctantly waved back at her feigning smiles.

"I told you!", Gideon exclaimed when they both saw the occupants of the luxury car. "I hope you would believe me now when I tell you something", Gideon said. "All girls like cars and money and they can dump their boyfriends who do not own cars and jump into even a rickety car of another man, provided the car can move", Gideon said sarcastically. "All girls are the same!", Gideon added as he looked around to see if some of the people at the bus stop were listening to their conversation. Henry was shell-shocked. "For a moment, I thought she was an exception but she fell for it like a tree being felled with a chainsaw", Henry said. "What is it with girls and cars?", Henry quizzed. "And she even had the effrontery to wave at us, shameless girl!", Henry retorted. "That explains why she even joined the training session at the time she did", Gideon explained as Henry nodded his head attentively. "She knows that her boyfriend, Ben would defend her at any given time because of the sexual favors she might be giving him", Gideon added. After a few minutes, a bus that was going in Gideon's direction came by and Gideon boarded the bus, leaving Henry lost in thought to wait for the next bus going in his direction.


When Henry got home after his first day at Kaprisky Law firm, his father asked him to brief him on the happenings at Kaprisky and if anyone asked him any suspicious questions about the posting. Henry narrated what ensued that day to his father and assured him that nothing would happen provided he did not do anything that would put him into trouble. Later that night, Edwin and Kennedy came visiting Henry.

They met in Henry's room.

"How did your first day at work go?", Kennedy asked immediately he entered the room.

"It is just National service", Henry answered in an indifferent tone. "I wonder why you all think it is such a big deal", Henry added. "It would not have been a big deal if you had been posted to any other place apart from Kaprisky Law firm", Edwin cut in. "Anyone of us would kill to walk the halls of Kaprisky so to us, it is a privilege to be associated with someone who has been there and seen it all", Edwin added.

"Very true!", Kennedy seconded Edwin's assertion.

"You should be excited about your prospects and stop being an ingrate and a pessimist like you always have been", Ken reprimanded. "Or is anything the matter?", Ken enquired.

"Everything is fine and just so you know, my day was fine too", Henry added.

"What is eating you?", Edwin asked, looking at Henry who was laying on his bed and going through his phone.

"Everything is fine", Henry answered, looked at Kennedy and Edwin simultaneously and went back to concentrating on what he was doing on his phone. "You can talk to us if you are having any challenge, you know we've been like brothers for over four years and we'd be willing to assist you in the best way we can", Edwin suggested. "I am serious about what I said; everything is fine, trust me", Henry said. In fact, since you guys are insisting, why don't we go out for some drinks?", Henry suggested. Kennedy and Edwin agreed and the three of them stepped out of the house. Before they drove out of Henry's house, he cautioned, "I hope you two have money on you because the bill will be on both of you". "Don't worry about that", Kennedy said and they left for the pub in Edwin's car.


After an hour and a half, Henry came back home to prepare for the next day. He ironed his clothes and polished his shoes. He then took his shower and went to bed. As he lay in his bed, he could not stop thinking about Sandra. There were flashbacks of the entire escapade involving Sandra. "Why am I even worrying my head over someone's daughter?", Henry soliloquized. "It is not as if what she chooses to do with her life is any of my business, after all, life is how you make it", Henry said. He only managed to sleep after minutes of torturous images of  Sandra and Ben making love to each other dangling in his thoughts.


The next morning, Henry hurriedly prepared for his training session at Kaprisky. He knew that if he spent too much time at home, he was going to get stuck in traffic so he left home very early. He was the third national service personnel to arrive the following morning. Soon, all the other service personnel started trooping into the conference room for the day's session except Sandra. They all sat in the same seats and positions they did the previous day. Even as at 9:39 AM, Sandra had not still showed up. At 10:27 AM, the doors to the conference room crept open and Sandra slipped in quietly and took her seat, close to Henry's.

"You are late", Henry whispered as he breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Sandra again. Immediately he said that, he kept a straight face. "Yeah I know", Sandra replied in an almost inaudible tone. "We had to do some stuff before coming", Sandra explained. "By 'we', do you mean yourself and Mr. Ben?", Henry enquired.

"What is that supposed to mean?", Sandra enquired.

Henry looked puzzled and was speechless. He made a face which sent negative signals to Sandra making her look very silly

"I don't know what you mean by the insinuations you are casting but yes, the 'we', refers to myself and Mr. Ben like you are saying who happens to be my father and also doubles as the owner of Kaprisky Law Firm", Sandra reiterated...

At lunch break, Henry and Sandra spent the entire period talking.

"Wow!", Henry exclaimed as Sandra narrated her life's story to him. "I have been in school all my life outside this country and I felt I had to come back home to assist my father in the best way I can", Sandra said. "I will go back to start and finish my law degree and then come back here to see how far I can go in the firm", Sandra added.

Sandra and Henry had known a great deal about each other by the time the day's session was coming to an end.

When they closed that day, Henry scolded Gideon on their way to the bus stop. "You don't need to judge people you know little about so quickly", Henry said with some authority. "I spoke to her and she is nowhere near the qualities you ascribed to her", Henry explained. "I cant believe you managed to talk me into believing all the crap you were spewing about Sandra", Henry teased.

"Okay", Gideon started. " "I concede defeat on this matter and I agree that I judged Sandra too quickly", Gideon said. "But come to think of it, you seem to be so interested in this matter...or are you in love already?", Gideon enquired. "If that is the case, you better wake up from that dream and face reality because Sandra would never fall for the likes of you and I", Gideon revealed as they walked to the bus stop. "It would be a classic case of barking up the wrong tree", Gideon added and boarded the bus heading in his destination.



After weeks of vigorous training, the national service personnel were to be assigned departments to work in after they had been made to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Henry was assigned to the finance department because of his skill set in business development. Sandra was assigned to the legal department to partake in court hearings and proceedings. Even though Sandra and Henry seldom saw each other at the firm afterwards, they kept constant contact and became very good friends.

Henry's immediate boss at the finance department, Julius, was a chartered accountant and was also a very shrewd businessman who kept raking in profit for the company. He was in his mid forties' and was unmarried. He took a special liking to Henry and wanted to nurture him in the best way he could so he could also rise in the world of business and law. He always sent Henry on errands and gave him lots of spare change no matter the amount. He did not also hesitate in teaching Henry many business principles when he had the time.

One day after work, as Henry walked out of the premises of Kaprisky, his boss, Julius offered him a ride to his house. Julius  dropped Henry off at home and gave him his phone number and asked him to call him if he needed any form of assistance.


Henry appreciated all that his new boss did for him and always talked to Sandra about him.

"Julius is one of my father's very long-time, trusted friends", Sandra revealed to Henry in one of their phone conversations. "He also invested heavily in terms of finances when my father was starting Kaprisky so he is more like a right-hand man to my father", Sandra added. "I see", Henry cut in. "No wonder he is so rich", Henry said.

There was an awkward moment of silence.
“Why are you so quiet?”, Henry enquired

"Can I trust you with a secret about my father and Kaprisky?", Sandra asked out of the blue.

Henry hesitated in his answer.

"Yes you can", Henry managed to let out.

"Are you sure I can trust you not to tell anyone?"

"Yes you can trust me", Henry reassured.

"Okay, Kaprisky didn't get to where it is just by hard work alone", Sandra started.

"What do you mean by that?", Henry asked, trying to seek for some clarification

"My father and Julius have done many illegal and scandalous deals to get them to where they are today", Sandra revealed. "These deals include bribing judges, bribing the jury, getting false testimonies, intimidating opposing lawyers and even bribing some of them to skew cases our way so we can win easily", Sandra said


Henry’s heart missed several beats. “Why is she telling me this?”, Henry thought to himself. Henry did not know what to say in response to Sandra's revelations. Worst of all, he did not know why Sandra was telling him all of these things

"Now that we have made a name for ourselves, we have cut back on the underhand dealings", Sandra added.

"But why are you telling me all of these things?", Henry mustered courage to ask.

"I am telling you all this because I trust you and I believe I have also won your trust in the few weeks that we have known each other", Sandra started. "My dad has always kept me away from  people in this country and as it stands now, you are the only close friend I have, so I think my secrets are safe with you, right?", Sandra enquired.

"Yes, your secrets are safe with me", Henry answered.

"Can we change the topic now?", Sandra asked.

They talked about other matters and bade each other goodnight after they had exhausted topics to discuss.

The next morning, Henry rushed to his assigned office. He had many doubts about the entire firm after what he had heard from Sandra. The respect he hitherto had for the firm had reduced drastically. He now had a biased perception about Kaprisky. The weeks that followed saw his output as a service personnel plummet.

Julius called him to his office and wanted to enquire why his productivity and posture had changed negatively. He managed to convince Julius that he was having some issues at home and that he was going to change for the better. Julius insisted on having a one on one session with him over the weekend so they could talk about his problems. Henry reluctantly agreed even though he knew he had no issues at home whatsoever.

On the agreed date, Henry met Julius in his house.

Julius's house was a joy to behold. It had many things that any young man could dream about. Henry sat at a mini bar and waited for Julius. Julius arrived and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Sir, this is a nice house", Henry said. "Yeah I know", Julius responded. "Now talk to me, Henry", Julius started. "What is wrong with you?", he asked. "Sir please I am fine", Henry answered.

Julius shifted his seat closer to Henry's.

"Henry, you are like a son to me and ever since I saw you, I saw a reflection of myself in you and I believe you are destined for greatness and I know you are going to achieve all of this right here and even more if you put your mind to it", Julius said as he pointed to certain portions of the house. "Take a walk with me", Julius ordered and took Henry's hand into his as he showed him round the house.

When they got to a secluded portion of the house, Julius stopped.

"Like I said Henry, you are like a son to me and I would help you to become just like me if you are willing to learn", Julius said

"I am willing to learn, sir", Henry said with a determined look on his face

"I would teach you all you need to know but before that, I would want you to sleep with me", Julius said

“I beg your pardon?”…

IF YOU THINK THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF HENRY'S DILEMMA,  YOU BETTER RECONSIDER THAT THOUGHT BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT SEEN NOTHING YET! STAY TUNED FOR MORE INTRIGUE AS HENRY FACES THE HARSH REALITIES OF LIVING AS AN AMBITIOUS YOUNG MAN. MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND THIS IS ANOTHER MASTERPICE FROM RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHTS! YOU GET THE DRIFT?


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THE SCENT OF YOUR HEART...EPISODE ONE (1).

SURPRISE! SURPRISE!! SURPRISE!!!


NEW SERIES! NEW SERIES!! NEW SERIES!!!



THE SCENT OF YOUR HEART...EPISODE ONE (1).

Henry woke up with a smile on his face. He looked around him and realized he was in a once familiar space.


"Oh thank goodness!", Henry exclaimed when he realized he was laying on the bed in a room.


"I am glad that we were able to get back here in one piece even though I can't seem to recall how", Henry soliloquized . He looked around and saw two figures coiled in the bed next to his.


His other two former roommates, Edwin and Kennedy were sharing one bed even though there were bedding arrangements for three. Henry laughed when he saw the posture in which his former roommates and two close friends lay in the bed; cuddling like husband and wife The night before, they had had one too many drinks by accident. Henry prided himself as one who could never get drank so the previous night, he, together with his roommates and a host of other friends went out clubbing and unfortunately, it turned out to be a drinking contest to find out if Henry could truly withstand a few shots of alcohol. Henry accepted the challenge after his two close friends called his bluff. The last thing Henry could clearly remember was the twelfth glass of six shots of whiskey he had to drink. The events that followed gave him a sharp headache as he tried to recall even though fragments of the happenings on the night came to mind.


"I have never done anything this crazy my whole life", Henry said to himself. "I cannot believe that I let these people talk me into doing all of this", Henry said as he looked up and saw the ceiling fan turning slowly over his head. His phone's battery had run down and it was flat out. He ransacked his bag in search of his charger. He simultaneously drew the attention of his roommates and close friends whilst he was at it.


"Edwin, Kennedy, wake up!", Henry shouted a number of times as if he was dreaming. Henry was having a katzenjammer and he knew full well that his former roommates were going to suffer the same fate when they woke up.



There was a knock on the door.



"Come in", Henry called out as he plugged his charger to power up his cell phone.



A young man walked in. Henry turned to look at who had entered. The young man was dressed in a suit


It was the guy from the next room.


"Are you guys not getting ready?", the young man quizzed. "The graduation ceremony will start in a few hours", the young man added...



Henry and his friends had come back to their university to officially crown their four-year university tenure. They were so gay that they decided to go out and have fun the night before the graduation ceremony. Henry rushed to the bed in which his roommates lay and vigorously shook the bed.


"Idiots, wake up, wake up!" "We are going to be late for the graduation!", Henry added. Henry managed to wake them up as they all prepared hurriedly for their big day.


Henry and his roommates arrived late at the venue. Henry was supposed to be seated in the front row because he was going to be called upon to receive the award for the best student in his department. The hall in which the ceremony was being held was fully packed with graduates, family members and well-wishers. Henry could possibly not see himself walking up to find his seat in the front row because he knew all eyes were going to be on him.


"This is all your fault!", Henry exclaimed as he turned to face his roommates who were standing right behind him.


"We didn't ask you to accept the challenge to drink so much", Ken responded. "After all, we are also graduating too", Ken added. Henry stood outside and listened carefully as the Dean of Students in his university gave his speech. It was time for the special awards and Henry knew that he had no option than to walk all the way to the stage to receive his award when his name was mentioned. During the rehearsal for the graduation the previous day, he counted the awardees and knew he was the sixth person in line. So when the fifth awardee's name was mentioned, Henry asked Edwin to help him adjust his gown.


"You've made us proud son", Edwin said jokingly as the three of them quickly posed for a selfie before Henry's name was mentioned by the Master of Ceremonies. Henry heard his name loudly through the surround sound system and started to make his way up the long aisle leading to the podium.


He staggered uncomfortably as he walked. He could only hear whispers from many people as they searched around the hall to see where the awardee was coming from. This made Henry more tense. As he walked up, looking straight on, a hand touched his gown. Henry turned and saw his mother almost tearing up. At the sight of his mother, Henry gained some more confidence as he walked up majestically to the front row amidst cheers from the graduating students who knew him and applause from those who did not. Henry received his prize and on his way back, he stopped and gave his mother a passionate hug before going on to join his friends outside.


Soon, it had become official. Henry and his roommates were now 'certified' graduates. It was now time to make merry. There was a lot to eat and to drink. The graduates randomly selected tables of their mates to introduce themselves to their visitors, share memorable moments, partake in the consumption of the variety of sumptuous dishes and take lots and lots of pictures. Edwin was in a dilemma as to which of his ex-girlfriends' tables he could show up at without being embarrassed.



Edwin changed his girlfriend every semester when he was in school. Sometimes Henry and Ken even had to take note of the names of Edwin's countless girlfriends so as not to mistakenly call out the wrong name when they came visiting. As luck and friendship would have it, Edwin managed to get Ken and Henry to follow him and the three of them expertly made stops at the tables of all seven ex-girlfriends. Seven because Edwin decided to stay single during his last semester in school. The whole place was a chaotic beauty. There were people dressed in different cultural attires. The suits stood out as most of the guys who were graduating were clad in them.


After the merrymaking, Henry and his friends saw their parents, family members and well-wishers off and returned to the hostel for a final night of fun before departing the following day.


The graduation board had planned a night of fun and music for the graduates so they were all expected to meet up at an agreed venue to party all night long with some invited artistes.



The graduates had already been assigned National Service postings; a one year service that is rendered by every graduate after successful completion of the years of study in the university. Henry and his friends had also been posted. Ken had graduated with a Second Class Lower in Metals and Metal Fabrication. Ken was posted to a prestigious private bank and he was overly excited about his chances of being retained after he had completed his service diligently. He had already hinted that his chances were brighter than the sun. Edwin had graduated with a Second Class Upper in Physical Education. Edwin had been posted to one of the country's leading telecommunications company. He had already been assigned a car. Henry had also graduated with a First Class in Business Administration and Development. Henry had been posted to teach in a primary school in a remote part of the country.



When the postings were announced, both Ken and Edwin had the laugh of their lives when they sighted Henry's place of posting.


"Teacher Henry, teacher Henry, someone has broken my pencil", Edwin would mimic a little child sarcastically just to mock Henry. Ken on the other hand sought to encourage Henry slyly by saying, "Don't worry, it is only for a year afterwards I would employ you in my bank because by then, I would have been made a branch manager in one of the bank's branches. "Edwin would also provide you with free airtime and free internet access", Ken would often add.



Henry hated himself and the entire posting system for treating him so unfairly as compared to his qualification as against that of his roommates. He often complained bitterly, "I would not teach in any primary school after all the hard work I put in school", Henry complained. "I would rather be remembered as the only person who did not go through the National Service program than one who went to teach in a godforsaken no man's land", Henry lamented. Henry's father was a business man and he assured Henry that he was going to try his best to have the postings changed for Henry even though he knew the repercussions were going to be grave if his son was to be caught. "I am speaking to some friends of mine and they are asking me to be patient, because there are a lot of higher ups who are also not satisfied with the postings of their children", Henry's father assured Henry one evening. "As soon as they are sorted out, you would also be sorted out", Henry's father added.



One whole month had gone by and still, both Henry and his father had heard no word from the people who had promised to help them.



A second month had gone by.

During the wait, Henry had already given up and had resolved to reapply for the National Service program the following year. He therefore put together his CV and started looking for a job even though he had not even started  nor even completed the mandatory National Service.


Many companies wanted to employ him due to his amazing CV and dazzling analytical and problem-solving mentality but there was a hurdle. As a matter of law, many of the companies that wanted to employ Henry were required to only take on staff who had completed their National Service and had a certificate to prove it. Henry came back home dejected after every interview. After one of such returns, he came home to meet his father seated in their hall. "Good afternoon", Henry greeted and dropped himself like a log on the couch out of exhaustion.


"I have good news", Henry's father started.


"What is it?", Henry responded with an indifferent tone.


"Sit up right because you would want to hear this news", Henry's father said.



Henry reluctantly sat up right in the chair.


"The people finally came through and gave me a call just after you left for your interview", Henry's father started.


"Which people called you?", Henry asked not looking too amused by the delay tactics his father was using. "Tell me already", Henry insisted


"Okay, okay", Henry's father gestured with his hand when he noticed his antics were getting his son infuriated.


"Your National Service posting has been changed!", Henry's father announced.


"What!", Henry exclaimed as he adjusted himself properly in his seat with his face now broadly lit with escaping beams of smiles from his cheeks.


"Hold it, hold it", Henry's father said. "Now, you have been posted in the heart of the City", Henry's father continued.


"Are you kidding me?", Henry asked looking very excited and was starting to get hyper.


"Relax, relax, relax!", Henry's father reiterated. "Now get ready for the best part", Henry's father said. The whole room was suddenly plunged into slow-motion state as Henry anticipated the next words that were going to come out of his father's mouth. Henry fixed a zoomed-in gaze on his father's lips. "You were posted to Kaprisky Law Firm", Henry's father finally revealed.


"I don't believe it!", Henry said out of ecstasy.


"You had better believe it because this is proof of the posting", Henry's father said as he passed on a letter in his hand to Henry. Henry greedily grabbed the letter and read out loud its content. As he read, he could hardly stand still as he kept fidgeting.


"I can't believe this; I just can't believe this", Henry kept saying. When Henry had finally settled down after the hangover excitement frenzy,  he asked. "You must have paid so much for the change to be effected on this", Henry told his father. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you this, but the truth is that, I paid nothing", Henry's father said.



"But how?" Henry asked. "You and I know that Kaprisky Law Firm is the best private law firm in this country and it takes only the best of the best law school graduates to walk the halls of Kaprisky" Henry retorted. "You and I also know that even though I have ambitions of becoming a lawyer, I am nowhere near that feat", Henry said. "You must have surely paid some sort of bribe, just tell me how much you paid", Henry said excitedly as he went through the letter again.


"It is good to have friends but it is important to keep old friends", Henry's father started. "Last week I made a personal effort to follow up on the posting issue". "On reaching there, I saw a familiar face so I talked to him and lo and behold, he was my mate in school and as a matter of coincidence, he is the head of IT at the secretariat so he asked me to give him your name and assured me that he would do everything in his capacity to help me", Henry's father continued. "What you have there in your hand is the assistance he gave to me", Henry's father revealed pointing to the letter in Henry's hand. "However, you would have to go back to town and to the offices of Kaprisky to present your particulars because the deadline for submission is tomorrow", Henry's father said. "They are about to start training the second batch of their National Service Personnel", Henry's father added.


"How do you know so much?", Henry asked looking on as he marveled at his father's wealth of information on the subject. "We live in a world where people know people and people use their privileges to carry out favors for one another", Henry's father said. "You better get going now before they close!", Henry's father ordered.


"Yes sir!", Henry responded.


Henry rushed into his room, quickly put on a new shirt, grabbed the bag that contained all his official documents and dashed out of the house after taking some money from his father. He successfully went through the registration process at Kaprisky. He was told to report after three days to start the training program. When all protocol had been duly observed and the due diligence had been carried out,  Henry headed back home. He took a detour on his way back and asked his two friends, Ken and Edwin to meet up with him because he had something to tell them.


After work, the three young men gathered in front of a popular eatery. Edwin ordered for food and drinks for all of them. "Teacher Henry, what made you decide to call this meeting?", Ken asked sarcastically. "Things are pretty much going to change around here", Henry said. "And what is that supposed to mean?", Edwin asked.


"You see the way many people have been taking the banks and telecommunication companies to court over matters of interest with you lot always losing out?", Henry started looking and pointing at both Edwin and Ken simultaneously. "All that is about to change now because I would start working at Kaprisky Law Firm soon and I would ensure that you win every little legal battle for half the price", Henry bragged. "It is a lie!", Edwin started out of disbelief. "Say no more", Henry said and dug his hand into his bag and handed Edwin the letter of appointment. As Ken and Edwin looked at the letter, Henry started enjoying his meal.


"You and your father are criminals!", Edwin exclaimed. "How did you manage to pull off this miracle?", Ken added his voice. Henry slouched in his seat and said, "This is as a result of having high and mighty friends in high places"


“I didn't even call your parents criminals after you guys secured what to me was the most shocking postings ever”, Henry said sarcastically. “Because both of you are total misfits at your places of posting”, Henry added and all of them burst out laughing.


"Your father definitely has mighty friends because everyone knows that Kaprisky Law Firm is..." "...the best private law firm in the country", they all sang in unison to conclude Ken's statement.
“Congratulations, Henry!”, both Ken and Edwin opined.

They all enjoyed their meal and chatted for a while before they parted ways.



After the third day, Henry put on his best official clothes and left the house very early in the morning for his place of posting, Kaprisky Law Firm. The new service personnel that had been scheduled for the training were eleven in number. The ladies were six and the required number of guys made up the difference. In the middle of the training, the doors leading into the conference room where the training was being held flung open and at the entrance stood a pot-bellied elderly man. All eyes turned to look at him as the new personnel had no idea whom the man was. The man signaled to the trainer to carry on with the session. The personnel that were being trained turned their attention back to the trainer. As the trainer, a junior associate at Kaprisky Law Firm took the new personnel through the company's history,  the pot-bellied man walked up to the front and introduced himself, “My name is Ben”. He requested that all the eleven personnel mention their names and the university they graduated from. After that was done, he told them that he would have someone join them in the course of the day before wishing them well and politely asking to take his leave.



Around midday, after the personnel had been treated to a world-class lunch, the doors to the conference room flung open again and this time, a gorgeous young, light-skinned, exquisitely  dressed, curvaceous and possibly well-cultured young lady started her way up the aisle to the front.


“Hello everyone”, the young lady greeted. “My name is Sandra and I am to join you in this training”, the young lady said confidently. She looked through the room to find a seat which had not been taken. She looked through the room and spotted the empty seat; it was right next to Henry…




THIS IS A BRAND NEW ONE!!!THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!!! I WILL TRY TO DO SOMETHING NEW THIS TIME. BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS BECAUSE THIS SUSPENSE AND ACTION-FILLED THRILLER HAS GOT NO BREAKS ON. MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN,  THIS IS JUST A RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHT! SPREAD THE WORD!!!



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EVEN IF I DON'T. FIND PEACE...EPISODE TWENTY-5 (25).

...“Maxwell, Maxwell, Maxwell!”, Alberta called out as she shook the motionless body of Maxwell that had fallen to the floor. Alberta quickly run to answer the door. Immediately she flung the door open, she screamed, “Please help me!”, “I think I have killed Maxwell!”, Alberta's words echoed in the ears of the young man who was standing behind the door. 

"What are you talking about?", the surprised young man asked. 

"My son's father is lying down motionless in my room and I can't confirm whether he is dead or alive", Alberta said frantically as she tried hard to catch her breath.

"What happened?", the young man asked.

 "He came in here and started a form of confrontation with me about an issue so when you knocked at the door, we engaged in a scramble and he accidentally slipped and fell, hitting his head against the sofa", a confused Alberta explained. 

"Please come in and help me!", Alberta pleaded.

Alberta dragged the young man by the arm and led him into the hall where Maxwell lay, motionless. The young man was getting uncomfortable and in that moment, the least thing he expected to witness was any form of altercation or trouble.

 “I don’t think I should be here now”, the now timid young man said as he tried to retreat. Before he could think of stepping outside, Alberta grabbed him by his collar and pulled him towards her. “This is not a joke”, Alberta said with intent in her now red eyes. She held the young man so firmly that he began to choke. “What is wrong with you?”, the young man said as he fought off her clutch. “I just told you that Maxwell is lying motionless in my room and I need your help”, Alberta reiterated. 

“The thing is, I don’t want to be a part of all of the mess that you have gotten yourself in right now”, the young man said.

Alberta pulled the young man well into the room and shut the door. “As it stands now, we are in this together and to make matters worse, I am carrying your child”, Alberta said. “Do you know how that would play out in all of this?”, Alberta asked as she pointed in the direction of her room. 

“What are you talking about?”, the young man asked.

Alberta kept quiet for a while and stared at the young man.

“What are you insinuating, Alberta?”, the young man asked.

“Now, in the worst case scenario, it would be a situation where I am carrying your child, you came to see me with my first child’s father and out of jealousy, you decided to attack him and in your rage, you killed him”, Alberta revealed.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”, the young doctor asked.

“Now, you are free to leave”, Alberta started. “Or you can go inside with me and help me out, the choice is yours”, Alberta added. “But bear in mind that if you decide to leave, I would not hold you back, I have many alibis to back the point that you were here because I believe many people saw you coming in here”, Alberta suggested. 

“So you see, the odds are in my favour as it stands”, Alberta said.

“I can’t believe this”, the young man said.

“But you know I would do no such thing if you decide to help me”, Alberta said as she warmed her way up the young man who had grown increasingly disturbed. “You know why?”, Alberta asked. Without pausing to get a response, Alberta answered her own question. “It is because I love you so much and I am carrying your child, our child”, Alberta explained.

With this, the young man, like an innocent sheep being led to the slaughter house, followed Alberta into her room albeit out of his will.

"What have you done, Alberta?", the young man exclaimed as he saw Maxwell's body on the floor immediately he entered the living room. "Please help me out!", Alberta begged as sweat and tears married each other on her face. 

The young man carefully approached Maxwell's motionless body which was lying face down, and tried to aggressively turn him over to his side with his foot. 

"What are you doing?", a now surprised Alberta asked.

"What does it look like I am doing?", the young man asked sarcastically. "I am trying to ascertain whether he is dead or alive before I do any other thing", the young man added.

When Maxwell was finally laying face up after being shoved over by the young man, the young man pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and used it as a makeshift glove over his hand to be able to check to feel if Maxwell still had a pulse. As he stretched forth his hand, he shook and trembled. Alberta stood over him trying to wipe away the tears and sweat from her face with her palm.

"I can't feel anything", the young man exclaimed as he pressed his hand firmly against Maxwell's neck and simultaneously turned and looked into Alberta's face.

The young man took out his phone, unlocked it and placed it on the floor next to him.

"What does that mean?", Alberta asked as she backed away slowly, cupping her mouth with her left hand after her statement.

"I don't know yet and I don't want to speculate", the young man answered. "What did you say happened again?", the young man interrogated Alberta. 

"He slipped and fell", Alberta answered meekly. 

"Just that?", the young man threw the statement back at Alberta almost immediately. “Did you push him really hard?”, the young man asked. 

“No!”, Alberta said.

“So the two of you were struggling with each other and he slipped and fell?”, the young man asked.

"Yes", Alberta replied.

"Why are you asking me all these questions instead of helping me?", Alberta asked angrily. 

"You would have to answer these same questions when the worst happens and in the instance where we have to call in the police", the young man replied.

"The police, why?" "Is he dead?", Alberta asked all at once as she backed away further and pinned herself to the wall as she run her fingers through her golden brown hair in aggressive back and forth movements.

"I am yet to confirm that", the young man said. 

His statement sent shivers down Alberta's spine.

"He cannot just die like that, can he?", a confused Alberta enquired. 

"It would depend on the impact of the fall and which part of his body suffered the damage", the young man replied. "As it stands now, if it were a minor fall, he should have gained consciousness by now since I have been here for almost fifteen minutes already", the young man explained pointing in Maxwell's direction and looking at his Rolex watch.

"What do we do now?", Alberta asked. 

"We?", the young man asked. "There is no 'we', here", the young man started, pointing to himself and then pointing to Alberta. "I am not an accomplice in this", the young and now frightened man said. "Right now, I am going to try my best possible to ascertain whether this guy can live", he said. "As for you, just stay put and pray to your God asking him to revive this man here because if it turns out that he cannot live, you would have a whole lot of questions to answer", the young man added.

 Immediately he made his point clear, he started to work on Maxwell in a desperate attempt to revive him but was very careful not to leave any fingerprints on him which would implicate him as an accomplice.

As he reached to stretch out Maxwell's arm, Maxwell's phone rang. The young man, startled, reached for the phone from Maxwell's pocket and handed it over to Alberta, "Take care of this", he said as Alberta tried to find out who the caller was.

"It is Raphael, one of his friends", Alberta told the young man as she saw Raphael's name displayed on the phone's screen.

"Does anyone know he was coming over here to see you?", the young man asked.

"How am I supposed to know that?", Alberta asked rhetorically. 

Maxwell's phone rang again. It was Raphael again.

"Turn that phone off or something; it is distracting me and please turn on the fan, it is getting hot in here", the young man said.

There was yet another call after some minutes and this time, it was from Maxwell's mother.

Alberta's heart missed a beat.

She knew it was probable that Raphael had called Maxwell's mother to find out if Maxwell was at home since he was not answering his phone.

Alberta immediately changed the phone's profile to 'silent' because she knew Maxwell's phone was not going to stop ringing because of the calls that were going to follow in regards to Maxwell's refusal to answer the phone especially when his mother was the one calling.

There were seven missed calls on Maxwell's phone in five minutes; most of the calls came from his mother.

"There is something I need to tell you", Alberta said out of the confusion which took the young man by surprise.

"What is it?", the alarmed young man asked as he quickly backed away from Maxwell's motionless body. 

"Has it got anything to do with Maxwell's current state?", the young man asked.

"In some way, yes", Alberta answered.

"What?", the young man exclaimed. "Did you try to murder Maxwell?", the young man asked.

"No way!", Alberta exclaimed in her defence.

"Actually...part of the reason he is here is that, he found out something", Alberta started.

"What did he find out?", the young man asked, leading Alberta on.

"I actually told him that the baby I am carrying; your baby is his", Alberta started.

"You did what?", the young man asked almost fuming and walked up to Alberta. 

"I am sorry", Alberta begged as she backed up.

"Sorry you say?". "What were you thinking?". "Did I tell you I was incapable of taking care of you or the baby?". "Why would you give one man's responsibility to another man; an innocent man for that matter?", the young man enquired.

"I was afraid", Alberta started.

"I was afraid you were going to leave me since you started avoiding me when you told me your ex-girlfriend wanted a comeback", Alberta started. "You refused to pick my calls, you refused to return my calls and what is worse, I was not allowed to see you at your work place", Alberta revealed. "What did you expect me to do"?, Alberta asked. "I was desperate and I needed to find a solution to this problem", Alberta added.

"I didn't expect you to read meaning into my actions", the young man started. "I was actually doing all of it for a reason and I expected you to stay put and not worry your head over any of the issues I was involved in", the young man said in his defence.

 "How was I supposed to know that you had everything all planned?, Alberta started.

"I needed an alternative and since I didn't intend terminating this pregnancy, I knew the best way to cover this whole thing up was to pin it on Maxwell because we have a child together and having a second one with him was not going to raise any suspicions", Alberta confessed. 

"Wow!", the young man exclaimed. "I can't even bring myself to terms to fathom the extent to which you can go", the young man started as he began to pace up and down the living room. 

"Get me a pillow", the young man ordered. 

"What are you going to do with that?", an alarmed Alberta enquired.

"Jesus Christ!", the young man exclaimed. "I am not that kind of doctor so if you want us to save this man's life, you better do as I say", the young doctor said. "Now, go and get me the pillow!", the doctor ordered.

Alberta went into the inner room to find her son still soundly asleep and picked one pillow from the bed before tiptoeing out of the room and closing the door gently behind her. The young doctor took the pillow from Alberta and carefully adjusted Maxwell's head on top of it to give his neck some support.

“The pillow would give his head some support”, the young doctor said.

"What next?", Alberta asked.

The doctor bent over Maxwell and before long, Maxwell started to come around.

"Who are you?", Maxwell let out when he finally opened his eyes. "My name is Abraham and I am a doctor", the young man revealed his identity. He then gave Maxwell a hand to be able to get up unto his feet. “I came in to see you lying here unconscious after you had slipped and fallen and I helped to revive you”, Abraham said.

"One more thing, just so we are clear, I am responsible for the baby Alberta is carrying", the young doctor revealed. Maxwell touched his thighs in an effort to check if his phone or other personal effects had been taken from his possession.

"Where is my cell phone?", Maxwell asked. Alberta handed the cell phone to Abraham who in turn handed it over to Maxwell. As Maxwell took the phone, he looked at the number of missed calls on it and called his mother first.

He informed her that he was sorry his action scared her but he was going to explain everything to her once he got home.

Alberta stood there with tears running down her cheeks as Abraham helped Maxwell to get back unto his feet. "I am so sorry, Maxwell", Abraham started.

 "I didn't mean for all of this to happen, I swear", Alberta said, trying to keep her distance from Maxwell for fear of being attacked. 

"I lost Nancy because of you”, Maxwell started

“I have lost Linda because of you", Maxwell added.

 "I have lost a better part of my life all in an effort to love you but look at how you pay me back", Maxwell lamented. "This is the last time I am ever going to give you or anyone else the chance to treat me in a way I don't deserve", Maxwell said. 

"I just cannot believe that you would be so heartless to think of such a thing", Maxwell said. "If it hadn't been for the intervention of many good Samaritans, I would either have been living a lie by believing I was the father of I child I had actually not fathered or worse, I would have been dead by now because of you", Maxwell said pointing to Alberta with scorn in his voice.

"What ever did I do to you to deserve this treatment?", Maxwell asked.

"I couldn't stand the thought of losing any of you", Alberta started, referring to Maxwell and Abraham. "At least I also deserve some form of happiness", Alberta explained.

"At the expense of another man's bondage?", Abraham asked.

"Now listen to me very carefully Alberta, this is the last time I am going to talk about our relationship", Maxwell started. "We are never ever going to come back together so the earlier you get that into your head, the better for all of us”, Maxwell explained. 

"Secondly, I am going to take you on regarding this matter and I would go wherever you want us to go for the custody of our son because you are the worst kind of parent and  role model for him", Maxwell revealed.

"You are not going to have my son!", Alberta exclaimed.

“Oh, with this murderous intention of yours?”, Maxwell asked sarcastically. “Any judge would throw this case out the minute I bring what just happened here to light”, Maxwell added. “You are also indecisive and irresponsible”, Maxwell said.

“I take exception to that!”, the doctor interrupted trying to save Alberta some dignity. 

“You would not want to see the other side of me because if you think Alberta is crazy, wait till you see what I can also do”, Maxwell shot back at the doctor and silenced him.

“I think I have to take my leave now”, the doctor said.

“You would do no such thing!”, both Maxwell and Alberta yelled in unison. With that, the young doctor timidly looked for a spot, picked his cell phone from the ground and sat down as Maxwell and Alberta faced off.

“Like I was saying, I would do everything in power to get my son out of your life and the day that event materializes, which it would, that would be the last time you would ever get to be close to him or see him because I would never want him to pick up any of your traits”, Maxwell said.

“No sensible judge would grant you that request!”, Alberta exclaimed.

"My dear, why don't we leave that for a competent court and judge to decide that?", Maxwell said.

"I don't think this is a battle you'd want both of us engaged in", Alberta said as she started to get back some of her confidence.

"Oh really?", Maxwell asked sarcastically and let out a laugh. "After all that has happened here today, this case would be like a walk in the park for my lawyers", Maxwell assured. 

"Now, you!", Maxwell said as he turned to face Abraham who had been quiet all the while and sitting down quietly.

"Maxwell stretched out his hand to extend a handshake to Abraham. "Thank you for arriving here and for saving my life and thank you for clearing my name in this whole frenzy by owning up and accepting responsibility for your actions", Maxwell added. “I don’t envy you at all”, Maxwell said sarcastically. “I wish you luck with Alberta and goodbye”, Maxwell added and pointed to Alberta with his left hand as he approached the door.

"I am going to take my leave now but trust me, you would soon hear from my lawyers", Maxwell threatened and exited Alberta's room and headed homewards.

“Before you leave, I also have something to say”, the young doctor said. “I also have for myself, some form of insurance policy”, the young doctor started. “I voice recorded a better part of all that ensued here and as I sat down, I also got video evidence of the two of you”, the doctor revealed. “If any of you think you can sell me out, you better reconsider it because I have it here in voice and film”, the doctor said as he played back a snippet of the video he had just recorded. “And yes, I have sent copies of it to a trusted friend in case this thing goes further than expected”, Abraham revealed.

“Bravo!”, Maxwell said. “I have no intentions of selling you out because I have my own strong points to use in court”, Maxwell said. “The person you should be worried about is the young lady standing over there”, Maxwell said, pointing to Alberta.

“Why are you pointing at me?”, Alberta asked

“Because we know what you are capable of”, Maxwell replied. “I am out”, Maxwell said and exited the room.

On his way home, Maxwell called Raphael and told him about all that had ensued. 

Maxwell did this to also get his own alibi should matters get out of hand.  

Raphael suggested reporting the issue to the police but Maxwell turned down the suggestion and opted to take other legal means of getting full custody of his son.

"At least I am happy that for once, you have cleared your name and taken a bold decision to confront Alberta once and for all", Raphael said. "I also hope that the actions you intend to take in the coming days would yield favourable results", Raphael added.

"I am feeling very weak and I don't think I can make it to the office tomorrow", Maxwell said. “Can you hold the fort for me in my absence?”, Maxwell asked.

“That is the least I can do for you, brother”, Raphael said. “I know you are going to be a great single dad should the legal action go in your favour”, Raphael added and both of them laughed.

“I wish you luck”, Raphael added.

“Luck is for losers”, Maxwell responded and hang up the phone.

When Maxwell got home, both of his parents were eagerly waiting for him in the hall. He explained to them all that had ever happened between himself and Alberta up until the incident that had ensued, this time, he left no information out.

In the days that followed, many actions were taken. First of all, Maxwell’s father suggested a for a DNA test to be carried out to ascertain the true father of Alberta’s first child considering the situation she almost put Maxwell through. “The paternity of the boy would determine whether we can take legal action or not, that is in the case where it turns out that you are the true father of that child, if not, there would be no need taking legal action for the custody of another man’s son”, Maxwell’s lawyer said in one of their counselling sessions. A court order was secured in that regard and Alberta had no choice but to succumb to the law

The test was results were to be given in a week.

To the disappointment of many, including Maxwell’s mother and sister and to the joy of Maxwell, his father and their lawyers, the DNA test returned positive, making Maxwell the biological father of Alberta’s first son.

A legal battle for the custody of the little boy then began.

The legal battle went on for months. It was a ferocious tussle. In the end, Maxwell won full possession of his son but there were some clauses in the court’s ruling that allowed Alberta some rights too.

Linda attended most of the court hearings and assured Maxwell of her solidarity.

When the case was finally over, Linda wished Maxwell all the best and made her point of moving on with her life without Maxwell clear to him. Linda eventually moved out of the neighbourhood after securing a new job on the other side of town. She always kept contact with Maxwell and made him aware that she was never going to love any other man the same way she loved him.

Nancy tried the best she could to be good to Maxwell’s son by visiting them and showering him with gifts all in an effort to warm her way up his father’s heart but Maxwell remained indifferent. Nancy eventually gave up when she realized her plans were not yielding any results. The last Maxwell heard from her was when she sent him an invitation to her graduation from the university as a mature student but Maxwell could not honour the invitation.

Maxwell and his friends worked tirelessly and soon, they were on the floor reserved for the very best of Pardieson Global staff.

Maxwell and his friends did the best they could to support other members of the community to reach higher heights.

Maxwell tried the best he could to be a good father to his son and allowed him to occasionally talk to Alberta over the phone.

Alberta gave birth to a lovely little boy and Maxwell and his son attended the outdooring ceremony of Maxwell’s son’s step brother. Alberta got married to Abraham after many months of a stand-off between the families of Abraham and Alberta.

Both Maxwell and his son loved pizza so they always went out mostly on Saturdays when Maxwell was off from work and his son was off from school. On one of such outings, Maxwell and his son had to share a table with a young lady because the restaurant was almost filled to capacity. 

“Is that your nephew?”, the young lady asked.

“No, that’s my son”, Maxwell answered.

“I am a single dad”, Maxwell added.

“Wow, that must be hard work”, the young lady said.

“I am getting the hang of it”, Maxwell replied.

Maxwell’s son pushed his chair and sat right next to the young lady.

“So does he get to see his mother?”, not really but they get to speak on phone more often than not”, Maxwell answered. “Orders from the court”, Maxwell added.

“Oh, I see”, the young lady said.

“I think your son looks very much like you”, the young lady said. “Oh sorry, my name is Gertrude but you can call me Getty”, the young lady said. “I was just called to the bar as a lawyer”

“Getty, I think my son is going to love you”, Maxwell said and the two of them laughed…

THE END.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GOING ON THIS ROLLER COASTER RIDE WITH ME. THE SUSPENSE WAS INTENSE EVEN FOR ME. I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE MILLIONS OF FEEDBACK I RECEIVED CONCERNING THIS STORY. THERE ARE MANY LESSONS WE CAN PICK OUT IN EVERY EPISODE. THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE STORY WAS BASED ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, NEIGHBOURS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, DATING. THE MAJOR LESSONS I RECEIVED HAD TO DUE WITH THE IMPORTANCE OF ABSTINENCE AND WHAT IS MORE, THE VALUE OF BEING FAITHFUL TO ONE PARTNER IF ABSTINENCE FAILED. MAXWELL FAILED WOEFULLY ON THESE VALUES AND TRUTH BE TOLD, HE RECEIVED A LOT OF BASHING AND INSULTS FROM MANY READERS. I GENERALLY LOOK AT IT IN THE CASE THAT, ANYONE CAN GET CAUGHT UP IN HIS SITUATION AND IT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISING TO FIND OUT THAT SOMEONE IS ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING. LADIES, PLEASE FPRGIVE MAXWELL. MAXWELL PICKED UP MANY NICKNAMES THROUGHTOUT THE STORY AND I COULD NOT HELP BUT REMEMBER A FEW LIKE “The Idiot”, “Fool”, “Sex Freak”, “Fornicator”, “Anamuu buulu” (Ga language translated to mean “Stupid Fool”). IN MY REFLECTIONS, I ATTRIBUTED MAXWELL’S BEHAVIOUR TO THAT OF OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES WHEN WE SINNED. I AM PRETTY SURE THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN WOULD CHASTIZE GOD FOR LOVING US UNCONDITIONALLY EVEN THOUGH WE HURT HIM ALMOST ALL THE TIME. THAT IS WHAT I CALL, “The Maxwell-Alberta” kind of love; UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. THAT IS THE KIND OF LOVE GOD HAS FOR ALL OF US REGARDLESS OF OUR MESS. SO LADIES, NOW, CUT MAXWELL SOME SLACK…LOL. PERFECTION IS SOMETHING WE ARE ALL STRIVING AT. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR BEING THE MOST AMAZING AND PATIENT READERS EVER!!! MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND THIS OF COURSE, IS ANOTHER MASTERPIECE FROM RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHTS®.

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EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE...EPISODE TWENTY-4 (24).

"I beg your pardon but can you repeat what you just said?", Maxwell pleaded.

 Immediately Maxwell said that, all the guys in the office turned to look in his direction fearing that something terrible had happened. 

When Maxwell realized that he had become the object of attention in the office, he shook his head in a motion to indicate that it was nothing serious.

"I said it is highly plausible that Alberta's baby is not yours", Bernice reiterated.

"Please hold on", Maxwell said politely and stepped out of the office after he had asked to be excused. He rushed to the washroom on the next floor and resumed the call. "What did you say your name was again?", Maxwell asked. "My name is Bernice a friend of Alberta's", Bernice answered.

"Are you sure of what you are saying?", Maxwell asked.

"I am very sure", Bernice stated.

"Okay", Maxwell started. "You have my attention". "Please tell me more". I am interested", Maxwell pleaded and said all at once.

"Okay, I wasn't supposed to be poking my nose into others affairs so I don't expect you to judge me on this", Bernice said to make things clear.

"Point well noted", Maxwell said just to get Bernice to talk.

"I got a hold of Alberta's cell phone sometime back and as fate would have it, my curiosity got the better part of me and I decided to go through her messages just to pass the time", Bernice revealed. "I happened to read the messages that both of you sent back and forth and then I got the impression that you were the father of her child even though she had confided in me on the matter", Bernice said. "Then again, I saw another chat from one guy, it seemed suspicious to me knowing full well that you were  the father of her son", Bernice continued.

"What was their chat about?", Maxwell asked.

"It seemed to me that the two of them had been involved sexually and they were recounting their escapades which were in erotic detail", Bernice said.

Maxwell started to feel jealous.

"Okay, go on", Maxwell said after he had managed to block his brain from viewing the mental picture it had created of Alberta in the arms of another man knowing full well how Alberta made him feel when they made love.

"So, going down the chat, Alberta sent the guy a message asking him to confirm to her if he remembered the last time both of them made love but the guy could not remember", Bernice said. "Later that day, I take it that Alberta run a pregnancy test and found out that she was pregnant and confronted the guy with the matter", Bernice continued. "When Alberta revealed her current state to the guy, he asked her to terminate the pregnancy because he was not ready to become a father and that his ex-girlfriend had started giving him the impression that she wanted them to come back together", Bernice explained. "Alberta went back and forth with the guy telling him how she loved him and was scared to lose him to the other woman and also made clear her fears of having an abortion", Bernice summarized. "It was then that Alberta made a joke about framing it to look like you were the one who got her pregnant so that she could dump her children on you and do everything in her power to be with this other guy", Bernice said.

"When did all of this happen?", Maxwell cut in.

"I think some months back", Bernice answered.

"This whole thing makes a lot of sense to me now", Maxwell said. "I cannot say that I do not believe that Alberta is capable of such schemes but what is her motive this time?", Maxwell questioned Bernice.

"I wonder what she thinks of you", Bernice replied. "Later on in the chat, she told the guy that she has managed to coerce you to talk to your parents and knowing how naive you were, she knew you would fall for it", Bernice added.

"I cannot believe that I have been so stupid all this while", Maxwell lamented.

"I am even beginning to doubt the paternity of the son she claims to be mine", Maxwell continued.

"I don't think that topic should be up for discussion because in all honesty, I think that kid really looks like you", Bernice said.

"Resembling someone is beside the point!", an enraged Maxwell fired out.

"I just thought I'd do you some good by telling you this so that you can do your own investigation and find out the truth for yourself", Bernice said. "Thank you so much for this vital piece of information but can I ask you for a favour?", Maxwell started.

"What is it?", Bernice asked.

"I'd like it if you gave me the number of the guy so I could confront him personally", Maxwell said.

"I don't think that is so much of a good idea", Bernice shot back. "All I can tell you and all that I gathered from their chat is that he is a young doctor who works in a private hospital in town", Bernice revealed. "In case you need any more clarification, you can call me on this number", Bernice said and bade Maxwell farewell.

Immediately Maxwell ended the call, he rushed back to his office and called Raphael out.

"There has been a new development", Maxwell said excitedly as he stood with Raphael in their exquisite hallway.

"What is it?", Raphael asked wanting to know what the new development was all about.

"I think Alberta was framing me with her pregnancy", Maxwell started.

"Who does that?", Raphael asked.

"You heard me talk over the phone a while back in there", Maxwell started as he pointed to the direction of their office.

"Yeah I did", Raphael answered. "What has that phone call got to do with Alberta's pregnancy?", Raphael asked.

"Apparently, I was having a conversation with one of Alberta's friends and she was telling me about how Alberta was having an affair with a certain young doctor who got her pregnant and as we speak, the doctor is shying away from taking up responsibility for the said child so Alberta decided to pin it on me to make it appear as if I was the one who got her pregnant so that she can dump her kids on me and run off with her doctor lover", Maxwell explained.

"And you believed this story?", Raphael asked looking somewhat surprised.

"Yes I do!", Maxwell responded.

 "Why is that?", Raphael asked.

"First of all, Bernice sounded very convincing and I don't think I have to doubt her", Maxwell started. "Again she knew that Alberta had threatened to tell my parents about her pregnancy if I failed to do so", Maxwell told Raphael. "Now tell me, how did she know that?", Maxwell asked Raphael looking at him for an answer.

"I think thus is beginning to make some sense", Raphael chipped in. "I remember Alberta threatened to tell your parents a day after she had asked you to do same right?", Raphael enquired.

"Exactly!", Maxwell responded.

"And apparently, she failed to turn up because she knew you would believe her threats and it forced you to tell your parents that you were responsible for another man's pregnancy and as it stands now, it would be out of this world for you to go back and tell your parents that the same pregnancy you accepted responsibility for was actually another man's responsibility", Raphael explained. "This is messed up!", Raphael blurted out. 

"This Alberta is one very good schemer", Raphael said. "So what do you intend doing about it?", Raphael asked.

"I am going to do exactly what you are thinking", Maxwell started. "First of all, I am going to confront Alberta and if possible, force the truth out of her", Maxwell started. "Then I would inform my parents about the turn of events then if possible, I would try my best possible to win back Linda's love", Maxwell said. "Isn't that a bit too late?", Raphael asked. "Stop being a pessimist and be positive just for once", Maxwell fired back. "I am really excited about this news and I believe it has come in as a huge relief for me and I know it is a sign of good things to come", Maxwell said. "I cannot say I am not happy about this news but I still find it hard to believe", Raphael said. ""I just want you to be very careful and treat this news very carefully", Raphael reiterated. "You should be happy for me that I am finally going to break free from the clutches of Alberta for good", Maxwell said.

"So what will happen to your son if you eventually discover the fact that Alberta's current pregnancy is not yours?", Raphael. "That is a very good question but I have not given it so much thought", Maxwell started. "Isn't it obvious that I would have to take him away from her?", Maxwell asked. "I don't think she would hand him over to you without putting up a fight", Raphael suggested. "I know that, but as it stands now, if all of this drama happens to be true, she would have little choice than to hand him over to me and I would make sure that I get full custody", Maxwell explained.

"Like I always say, you have our full support and we wish you all the best in your quest to unravel this mystery", Raphael said. "Now, let's get back to work before we lose our jobs", Raphael added and both of them hurriedly walked back into their office to continue with the day's activities.

After work that same night, many ideas flooded Maxwell's mind. He wanted to be meticulous in his actions and wanted to get to the bottom of the matter so as to reach an amicable solution which would seek to favour all the parties involved in the matter. He tossed the matter over and over in his mind and applied different scenarios and approaches to it to see which one would best fit his dilemma. He felt as if his head was about to explode. That night, on his way home, he decided to go by Linda's house first to inform her about the latest news and use it at an opportunity to warm his way up her heart one more time. When he arrived in the alley leading to Linda's house, he received a call from his mother to come home quickly and assist her with an errand. Maxwell quickly boycotted his visit to Linda's place and rushed home to see to his mother's errand.

When Maxwell got home, his mother was waiting for him in the kitchen. "Good evening", Maxwell greeted as he chanced upon his mother.

"Good evening", Maxwell's mother responded as she turned to face Maxwell. "I want you to go to the pharmacy and get some drugs for your grandmother", Maxwell's mother said. "I'd be happy to do that", Maxwell responded in a gay manner. "You are sounding rather cheerful, is there any reason?", Maxwell's mother enquired. “I think I am onto something but I don’t want to jump ahead of myself for now till I get the full details of the matter”, Maxwell answered his mother. “Wow!”, Maxwell’s mother exclaimed. “I am anxious to hear this particular news”, Maxwell’s mother tried to coerce Maxwell to let her in on the matter that had gotten her son to be so giddy. “Has it got anything to do with work or the family”, an anxious Maxwell’s mother asked. “Mom, please I don’t want to jinx this but if you cared to know, it has got something to do with Alberta”, Maxwell revealed

“What about her?”, Maxwell’s mother enquired

“That is what we are all about to find out”, Maxwell answered.

“Okay if you say so”, Maxwell’s mother responded and doled out money from her purse to Maxwell to run the errand she had wanted him to run. Maxwell took the money, rushed to his room, changed his shirt and shot out of the house like a rocket to run his mother’s errand.

Before Maxwell could get to the pharmacy, he chanced upon Linda who was going in the opposite direction.

“Linda, Linda, Linda!”, Maxwell yelled. Linda turned and looked in the direction from which she heard her name being called. When she saw who the ‘caller’ was, she continued her journey, completely ignoring Maxwell’s calls. Maxwell doubled his steps, got close to Linda and stretched forth his hand in an attempt to hold her hand to get her to stop. “Are we enemies now?”, Maxwell enquired.

“We are not enemies but I don’t want us to have any attachment ever again so the best thing to do is to avoid you and fight the urge of missing you even though it gets unbearable at times”, Linda revealed.

“I have been trying to see you all this while but you ignore me whenever I visit and you have refused to answer my calls”, Maxwell complained. “Isn’t that the obvious thing to do?”, Linda asked. “Linda I love you so much and I would do anything to get you back into my life”, Maxwell pleaded. “Ha-ha”, Linda laughed. “Isn’t it a bit too late for all of this?”, Linda enquired. “It is never too late for us please, Linda”, Maxwell pleaded. “Just hear me out”, Maxwell started. “What is it again this time?”, Linda asked.

“The baby that Alberta is carrying is not mine!”, Maxwell announced looking into the eyes of Linda and expecting an excited reaction.

Linda, looking very indifferent at the new turn of events responded, “I am happy for you”.

“Is that all you are going to say?”, Maxwell queried.

“What else would you have me say?”, Linda asked back.

“I thought you were going to ask me to tell you how I found out”, Maxwell, who was looking very disappointed by Linda’s reaction asked. “You still don’t get it do you?”, Linda started. “What are you talking about?”, Maxwell asked. “I don’t and never have a problem if Alberta was carrying your fourth, fifth or even tenth child”, Linda started. “So what is your problem?”, a confused Maxwell asked. “My only problem is that you slept with Alberta while you still with me and what makes it worse is that you could not open up to me when I asked you about it”, Linda revealed. “You actually lied about it when I asked you”, Linda continued. “That lie has shattered into pieces any form of trust I had in you and in us”, Linda explained. “But Linda…”, Maxwell started.

“Maxwell please spare me all the misery”, Linda cut in. “I am happy for you that you are not responsible for Alberta’s pregnancy but honestly, I don’t see myself getting back with you”, Linda revealed. “I think you should fight your own battle”, Linda added. “Once again, I wish you luck in life and goodbye”, Linda said and turned to walk away. Maxwell could not believe what was happening. He stood there dumb-founded as he watched Linda walk away from him. Maxwell turned, disappointed and walked back into the pharmacy to purchase his grandmother’s drugs.

On his way back home, Maxwell pulled out his phone and called Alberta. “Where are you?”, Maxwell asked the second he saw that Alberta had answered the call. “I am at home”, Alberta answered. “Is anything the matter?”, Alberta asked. “You sound very much irritated”, Alberta said.

“We need to talk!”, Maxwell said in a commanding voice. “Stop shouting at me!”, Alberta barked back. 

“When do you want to see me?”, Alberta asked. “Tonight”, Maxwell replied. “Tonight would not be possible”, Alberta responded. “Maxwell doubled his steps, got home delivered the medicine and shot out of the house like a stray bullet ignoring the calls from his mother asking him to at least have his supper first.

Maxwell was on his way to Alberta’s house…

Maxwell was filled with rage and derision as he made his way past the house before Alberta’s house.

Maxwell knocked at the door and barged in to see Alberta half-naked lying in her couch.

“I thought I told you I cannot see you tonight”, Alberta said as she hurriedly grabbed her shirt from the floor to cover up her nakedness. Maxwell looked on; startled by Alberta’s behaviour. “Now that you are here, say whatever you need to say and you can be on your way”, Alberta ordered. “This is no laughing matter and I need you to give me the exact answers to the questions I am going to ask you”, Maxwell started. “Just ask whatever you want”, Alberta shot back.

“Who is the father of the child that you are carrying?”, Maxwell asked.

“I beg your pardon?”, Alberta shot back.

“Yes!”, “You heard me right”, Maxwell reiterated.

“I don’t think this topic should be up for discussion”, Alberta started. “Both of us know who the father of this baby is”, Alberta continued. “I have enough reason and evidence to doubt that I am the father of this child”, Maxwell said. “Maxwell, I don’t want to argue over this with you and I think it an insult for you to come over here and talk to me in this manner because both of us know full well that…”, there was a knock on the door and it disrupted Alberta’s speech.

“Are you expecting someone?”, Maxwell asked a startled Alberta.

Maxwell started to make his way to the door to see who was there. As he moved, Alberta moved in to prevent him from getting to the door.

There was a struggle.

Alberta managed to hold on tight to Maxwell’s shirt to prevent him from answering the door. “This is my house and I am the one to decide who answers the door”, Alberta said as she struggled to hold Maxwell back. In the midst of the struggle, Maxwell slipped on the woollen carpet which had been placed over the slippery ceramic-tiled floor in Alberta’s hall and hit his head on the edge of the couch in front of him and immediately passed out.

“Maxwell, Maxwell, Maxwell!”, Alberta called out as she shook the motionless body of Maxwell that had fallen to the floor. Alberta quickly run to answer the door. Immediately she flung the door open, she screamed, “Please help me!”, “I think I have killed Maxwell!”…

HAS MAXWELL FINALLY RECEIVED WHAT HE DESERVES? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT IS SO CHILLY THAT IT WOULD GIVE YOU GOOSE PIMPLES. MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND THIS IS ANOTHER EPISODE OF “EVEN IF I DON'T FIND PEACE” ® MORE AT randomafricanthoughts.blogspot.com.

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