Chapter Twenty-Six

There was a day off for everyone working at Welling Fam Heights, since the previous day had been a day of celebration which had lasted up to evening, and had seen the staff working really hard to make the anniversary a glorious one. The company's management thought it would be unfair to let the staff come to work after such a hectic preparation for the anniversary, and the anniversary being a stressful event itself. It was a Thursday, and Bukunmi just went through the documents she had photocopied the day before, wearing no expression on her face, and digesting what she was reading silently, not knowing what to think exactly. Apparently, from what she had seen so far, there was this loan company, which was popular as she had heard the name severally. It was called A-Money, with its slogan being: don't stress, just borrow. It had an application, where people could apply for loans, and had no company whatsoever. They were, however, really popular and had been known for several years, even when she was just a little kid, as a sure and reliable loan platform, which had gotten so many thumbs-up and millions of excellent reviews. However, no one could have guessed that the person behind this loan application was Chief Alade Wellington, the same founder of Welling Fam Heights. From what she could see, the application allowed people to borrow and repay with ease, and when they became frequent customers and ended up applying for a larger loan, they were asked to come in person to what was written down as the hideout, with the excuse that they needed to see the person who was applying, for security and safety reasons, since it was a large amount of money that they requested for. After they showed up, they were asked to present all their personal information, and that of their family members. They were then lured and compelled into signing an obnoxious contract, which provided that if they failed to return the money they borrowed within a stipulated period of time, along with its interests, they would have to give up one of their kidneys. Bukunmi sighed and shook her head confusedly. Only desperation could make someone sign such a contract, and maybe trust, since in the past, he already borrowed money from A-Money, and they had been nice and were a household name; or, perhaps, they thought it was just a mere threat to persuade them into paying up what they had borrowed immediately. That wasn't the case though. A-Money always made sure they got back their money either in cash, or in kidney, if that made sense. Even though one of the documents stated that they educated the debtors on the fact that they could live perfectly fine with just one kidney, and that they should consider themselves as donators, many people refused to give up their kidneys and always tried to run away. There were several reports, which she was glad that she had photocopied, which contained information on people who had owed A-Money, and had taken to their heels and tried to escape, in order to prevent giving away one of their kidneys. However, they were always caught, drugged, and forced to an unmentioned location, where the surgeries took place. In the process, some of them died from complications or an unhealthy immune system, or because they had only one kidney in the first place. There was however, no case whereby any debtor who tried to escape, wasn't caught. This was because it was mandatory on the employees to always find those who ran off by any means possible, or they'd die in their place. Sometimes, the employees, after searching for a long time for someone, didn't even need to force the debtor into getting one of the kidneys anymore. They had the powers to just get rid of the person once and for all, as a punishment for wasting their time. The employees' agreement stated to this effect, that it was better to kill a runaway debtor, than to let him or her escape. Another thing Bukunmi found out from reading the documents was that in case they could not find the debtor who had ran away, one of his relatives would be the one to pay with his kidney if he failed to present the debtor to them. Bukunmi rubbed her aching forehead. What's the point of having a contract which was illegal? Was it out of fear that in case they were reported, they could say that the debtor had consented to it? Well, that was stupidity. Even if someone consented to such a contract, it didn't erase the fact that it was illegal and incompatible with the provisions of the constitution, and would be declared null and void to the extent of its inconsistency, if brought to any court, which had the jurisdiction to entertain such matters. If she had thought she was poor, maybe she had been wrong. Poverty was what could drive a sane person into signing a contract like the one in her hands, and she could never have done something like that. The victims weren't even forced into signing the documents. There were few reports, which showed that some people who opted out of signing such a ridiculous agreement, were allowed to go, but most people did, and it only showed that the poverty state in Nigeria was alarming. After digesting what she had read, she grabbed the document which contained the heading: LIST OF STAFF. The Chief Executive Officer was Chief Alade Wellington, and after him was the managing director, his son, Tade Wellington. Bukunmi's heart broke on seeing that Tade was truly involved in such an evil, illegal and despicable so-called company. Such a company was a nightmare, and she could only wonder why no one had said or done anything about it all this time. 'For crying out loud, this institution has been in existence for more than fifty years, and no one still knows that it's involved in unlawful practices? Pathetic!" She yelled out loud. Her mother, who had been passing by, opened her door, and stuck her head inside, wondering what Bukunmi was yelling about. 'Is everything okay?" She asked. 'Yeah. I'm just busy with office work," She lied. 'Okay then. Just try to be quieter," Her mother said, then closed the door and left, without further ado. Bukunmi heaved an exasperated sigh, then channelled her thoughts into what connection her dad possibly had with this institution, that had led to them taking his life. Again, she wondered if he had owed them and had failed to pay on time. She shook her head vigorously, brushing off that thought. It wasn't possible. Eleven years ago, Drago had made it seem like he was a co-worker, and from her father's last words to her, it couldn't have been that he owed money. He had seemed sorry, and very much disappointed in Tade. What had been the reason behind what had happened eleven years ago? What was truly going on? 'Flash drive," Her subconscious mind reminded her. 'Fuck! True! How could I have forgotten?" She asked herself. 'Cause you're a dummy," The voice chirped. 'You're crazy, and that's why no one can see you," She retorted. 'Look at you speaking to an invisible entity. If someone catches you, who'd they think is crazy?" Bukunmi raised her hands in surrender. 'Point taken. You win!" She yelled again, then shot her glance towards the door. Thankfully, her mother wasn't within hearing limits, hence; they'd think she was slowly going nuts. Scrambling out of bed, knocking some papers down in the process, Bukunmi went to get the flash drive from her purse, which was lying on the top of her bookshelf. Yesterday, she had gone home so tired, and thankful that no one was around to bother her with annoying questions, had gone to her bedroom, left the purse on the bookshelf, the pizza box on the table, locked her door and had fallen asleep on the bed, without bothering to remove her dress and have a shower. She smiled, remembering the fright her grandmother had had, when she had come out of her bedroom later that night, wanting to have dinner as she had woken up with a very serious hunger. They had no idea that she had been around, and had been expecting her, thinking the celebration had ended late and that she was stuck in a traffic. Bukunmi opened the purse and took out the flash drive, which she really prayed contained some information on her father and the incident that had happened on the 16th of July, 2010, the day he had died, while she was with Tade, crying her eyes out, in a street close by. 'Please, God, let T.J.K actually be the initials for my father's name, and not an acronym for something else," She muttered, grabbing her laptop which was charging close to her table. She then sat on the bed, affixed the flash drive to the laptop, and rubbed her palms against each other repeatedly, trying to quell her nervousness, hoping that what she saw was related to her father's death, and if it was, something she could handle, and not something bigger than her mental capacity. Clearing her throat, she watched as the laptop loaded. It was an old model, and it took years to load and bring out all her applications, and as time passed, so did the tension increase more and more, not minding that she was trying relaxation methods like rubbing her palms against each other, and breathing in and out. After what seemed like ages had passed, the loading was done with, and she discovered that the flash drive contained a video clip. 'Good. It is better to watch it, I have done enough reading for the day," She said to herself. She clicked on the video clip, and after experiencing some difficulties in playing, it finally worked. It began with the words: 'Thomas Jibawo Ketu", which meant that it was about Bukunmi's deceased father. 'Jackpot!" Bukunmi exclaimed, wearing a smile on her face. The video was in black and white, but she could still tell who was who from it. The first event it contained, showed her father, a tall lanky man at the time, walk into a big apartment, which seemed to belong to Tade's father, evident from the robust man's appearance in what appeared to be his living room. 'Good afternoon, sir," Her father had said, prostrating hard on the floor. 'Stand up. This is my son. His name is Tade, he's the only child I have, and the only person I care about in this world. After his mother passed away five years ago, he has changed from being a happy and playful child to being a sulky and moody child. He's performing awfully in school, and I have changed several lesson teachers. I hope you last longer," Chief Alade Wellington had said. She saw her father smile. 'I hope I last longer as well," He said. 'Do you have any children?" Tade, a small boy of ten asked, crossing his legs, and folding his arms. 'Tade!" His father yelled. 'It's fine, sir. Yes, Tade, I have a daughter. Her name is Bukunmi, you're five years older than she is," Her father had responded. 'Okay then," Tade responded. The next thing she saw was a grown-up Tade, sitting on a chair, tears dropping from his eyes. He said the following words: 'When my mum died, I changed towards everyone, and hated the world, but for some reason, I liked Mr Thomas Jibawo Ketu. He was a good man, and somehow, he understood me perfectly. I failed him despite everything he did for me, and I decided to make this video clip, in case I someday become the courageous person he wanted me to be, and be brave enough to turn myself and my dad in to the police. 'Thomas Jibawo Ketu had been my lesson teacher, and my grades had improved because of him. My father was very impressed and kept on increasing his salary, and things were going on smoothly between us, until he saw what he wasn't supposed to see one day." At this point, there had been a build of suspense, and Bukunmi's ears itched to know what her father had seen. The next scene to come up on the flash drive showed her father overhear a conversation between Tade's father and Drago. Tade's father was asking Drago to hunt down a man and kill him, and he gave Drago a gun, saying that it was newly bought, and that was what the perpetrator deserved. In a bid to turn around lest his presence was detected, Bukunmi's father had stumbled upon a glass cup that had been left lying around, and Drago pointed the gun he had just been given at him, not even hesitating for a second. The poor man fell to his knees, with his hands put up in a surrender, begging for his life. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation. Please, I have a daughter and a wife, and they can not survive without me. I promise not to reveal anything I heard today. In fact, I didn't hear anything," He said, all in one breath. Chief Alade Wellington shook his head. 'It's such a shame, I really liked you, but rules are rules, Mr Ketu. Anyone who hears anything related to the kind of work I do, no matter how little, has to die. People may promise to keep your little secrets, but that can only be certain if they are buried six feet under the ground." As Drago made to pull the trigger, Tade appeared from nowhere, and pleaded with his dad to spare her father's life. In his words, 'I was unhappy till I met him. I'd lose my joy again if I lose him too," He said. Then, grown-up Tade was back to the screen. 'With time, Mr Ketu learned about the loan business my father was into, and nothing was hidden from him again. My father trained me to fight and understand the way both A-Money and Welling Fam Heights operate, at a very young age. Mr Ketu was always with me when I received those trainings, and tried to calm me down. In private, he'd always tell me that I could be a better person than my father, and begged me not to change from having a good heart regardless of the training I was receiving, and he became more than a lesson teacher to me. He was a friend, an uncle, and an advisor. 'There was this day he had picked me up from school late in the evening, when he had come to teach me mathematics, and discovered that the nanny had forgotten to pick me up from school. On our way back, there was traffic, and we got to my street really late. There, we were ambushed, and in a bid to protect me from being kidnapped by my father's former employee who had been the brain behind the ambush, he had pulled a gun from his hands, and had shot him, causing him to die. 'After that incident, my father was grateful that he hadn't ended his life, and had convinced him into joining his corporation. At first, he had declined, but because of the money involved and also to look out for me, he agreed to join, and soon, became the leader of my father's thugs, and forgot even some of the morals he had taught me. One day, he had caught me sitting in the garden and shooting the birds for no reason, then I reminded him of who he was." The scene showed Tade who was fifteen at the time, aiming his gun at birds and killing them one by one. 'Having a bad day?" Mr Ketu asked, sitting on the bench beside him. 'No," He replied. 'Then, why are you killing all these birds for no reason?" 'Because I want to," He responded, indifferently. 'Why? That's not the Tade I know," Mr Ketu said. 'And you're not the Mr Ketu I know," Tade responded, stood up and walked away. Tade went back to narrating: 'I think it was after that conversation that Mr Ketu started doing some thinking, and a year later, he came to me, informing me of his decision to quit doing my father's bidding. I remember giving him a tight hug, and telling him that he was doing the right thing. However, my father refused to allow him to quit, and threatened to end his life if he ever left the institution. 'For two years, Mr Ketu grudgingly did what my father asked him to. He was trying to protect his wife and his kids, as well as his life. During those two years, I realised that the only family I had in the world was my father, and that the only way to make him proud was to do all he asked of me. However, Mr Ketu didn't know all that. He had thought that I still didn't like what my father did, and that my loyalty belonged with him. 'On the 16th of July, 2010, I got a text from him, stating that he was going to the police to turn himself in. He promised to not implicate me, but said that he was going to make sure my father and the rest of the gang were caught, and apprehended by the law. Immediately, I had gone to my father with the text, and till date, I wish I hadn't done that." The next scene brought tears to Bukunmi's eyes. It was the night in which her father had died. It felt like it was as though the incident had occurred that very day, as it felt so fresh in her memory. Tears slid down Bukunmi's face even though she had tried to be strong. Her heart was breaking, and as she watched her father grovel to his knees for mercy, but was shot at twice in the chest by Drago, an arrow of pain shot through her heart. She wasn't crying because her father had died the way he did. She was crying because he had been like Drago, he had killed other people, and was still going to have died anyway, for killing other people, except the court had been kind enough to give him a life imprisonment sentence. As if that wasn't enough, the man she had fallen in love with was also a criminal. Tade had been the informant, Drago had pulled the trigger, and Chief had given the order. In one way or another, those three people had been involved in the untimely death of her father. Of course, her father had deserved to die, but not in the manner in which he had died. Closing the laptop without wanting to see more that could break her heart further, she realised that her father had had unfinished business, and with the evidence she had, she decided to help him do what he had wanted to do before death had come knocking on his door. A call came in through her phone, and she saw that it was Tade who was calling her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel offended that he had called despite what she had just seen. Instead, her breaking heart had melted, as his call came through. She ought to be sad and angry at Tade, but she still felt the same way she did about him a few minutes ago, before she had discovered the truth. Could it be...had she fallen head over heels in love with him already? Her father may have not been a good man, but he was still her father, and she knew she had to get him justice and help him complete what he had longed to do, but could she really do what was right now that love stood in the way? With time, maybe, just maybe she'd be able to answer that question.