“I'm very delighted, your Excellency,” he responded enthusiastically.
Then, the President continued, “It is a common practice that people work hard when they are nobodies, but become lazy and nonchalant when they are surrounded with fame.”
At the point, he paused and examined him diligently to read his facial expressions before he continued. “I want to believe that you're not going to be like that.”
“Your Excellency, I promised that I will not disappoint you. It was an assignment that I gave to myself. I was not forced to do it. I can only do better with your support.”
The President was pleased with his explanation, and he could not detect any guile from his little speech. He was made to take an oath of office, pledging his allegiance and commitment to his duties. After all the necessary formalities, he was taken to his official apartment and official car assigned to him before he left for the Cherry Fields Oil and Gas Group to see The General Manager and Jordan Kediri.
Thanks to Edwin, the three cars and the youngsters were checked out of the Grand Crest Luxury to the Special Adviser to the President on Street Children's resident. Victor would never have them return to that village and continue to live in hide-outs.
At the Public School
The Head Teacher was very pleased with Victor's accomplishments. It had not been easy working as a Parent Teachers Association (PTA) staff. Most young men would not do that. Victor was a true Nigerian Youth, always ready to make a meaningful impact.
“If playing the Table Tennis with Victor would change our lives for the better, we are ready.”
The Lay About, who fought Victor, said. They had gathered at the school field as early as 9 am to give him a warm welcome. Now, they were genuinely repentant, but it seemed that they had missed it completely because he was out of their league. He may never have time for them. They waited for hours, but to no avail. All the same, Victor’s enemies increased drastically. The Traditional Ruler of his local community and his council members were disgruntled.
“Why didn’t he inform the organizers about us?”
“He must be a greedy man, and wished to eat alone.”
“I saw many community heads and their council members, but Victor denied us the opportunity.”
“I was reliably informed that the president gave each of them a car.”
“He will come back to meet us,” the disgruntled traditional ruler and his council members lamented bitterly.
However, people think differently. The news of Jordan’s predicament met some people with mixed feelings. Some felt for him, while some were satisfied. They saw his ailment as the success of their plot.
Jordan was a product of teenage pregnancy. The mother was lured into an affair deceitfully by his father. Then, she worked at an eatery as a dishwasher after she dropped out of school. Then, Jordan's father was a job-seeker. He graduated from the Teachers College, and often ate at the restaurant and seldom paid. As his debt kept multiplying, the restaurant owner banned all her workers from serving him food without payment, and Kediri was stranded.
He saw Jordan's mother as the most vulnerable of all the workers whom he could take advantage of both physically and emotionally. Therefore, he decided to pitch his tent around her by currying favor from her. Likewise, she began to steal food from the restaurant to give to him. She would always hide the stolen food in her bucket of water, and would pretend that she was going to fetch water for washing the dishes. Thereafter, she would divert to Kediri's house, and deliver the food, and run off to fetch some water.
Their relationship progressed from getting free food from her to getting free sex. When she became pregnant, he denied ever having anything to do with her. She was naive, just like her mother, who was a poor widow. It was clear to everyone that Kediri was responsible for the pregnancy, but her mother could not fight for her.
Mr. Kediri later got a job at the local primary school and married a woman of his class. The woman had a son who was six years younger than Jordan, but she was not comfortable with Jordan’s existence. She was afraid that he would inherit her husband's property afterward, and she wanted him out of the way.
Now, Jordan's mother had married too, and hid Jordan's existence from her husband. Though he knew about him, but pretended not to, provided he did not cause any disturbance to his marriage, he was cool with the deceit. When Jordan slumped on the field, his stepmother attributed it to her spiritual attacks on him. She had been visiting spiritualists, sometimes necromancers, to cast a spell on Jordan so that he would die. Now, he had slumped, she was only waiting to hear the news of his death, then she would be fine.
At Hope Dana's house
As soon as they located the house, Ahmed, and his orderly inspected the environment. Many people were going up and down, especially the school children. The food sellers were selling their foods by the roadside, which reduced the main road for motorists. It was difficult for the driver to maneuver his way. At last, they located the house.
“Wait inside the car.”
“All right, Mr. Nura.”
The twins were not surprised to see her house. She was a down to earth person. They sometime helped her with their provision. From the way she sounded in her message, things must have fallen apart, and the center could not hold. Their appearance attracted many onlookers, who wondered what must have attracted them to such an environment. As they surveyed the environment, Ahmed noticed that the environment was inhabited by the poorest of the poor in the society. He could not trust the environment concerning airborne diseases because the environment was very unhygienic, as such, the twins could not come out of the vehicle.
“Dial her number, and let her know that you're in the front of her house,” Ahmed instructed.
Francisca was so happy for the privilege of visiting her friend, and would not want to offend him. She quickly dialed her number and soon, Hope appeared from the mud house, looking frail. She walked to the car and greeted the adults she assumed were the twins’ father and orderly.
“Good morning, Sirs.”
“Good morning, young girl. How are you?” Ahmed responded while studying her carefully.
“I'm fine,”
She responded, not knowing the next step to take. The twins too did not know whether they should come down from the vehicle or wind down the glass. Ahmed sensed what was happening and rescued them.
“They are in the car. Go and see them.”
Then, the driver wound down the glass from the central lock, and the twins spoke with her through the window.
“Hope, we were on our way to school when we got your message. So, we decided to check on you,” Francisca explained.
“Thank you so much,” Hope responded.
“Why can't you resume? You were not the one ill, but your dad.” Frank asked. Now, Hope was tearing up. It was difficult for her to explain, but she said the little she could and ran back to her house. “My school fees have not been paid. The school authority would not accept me because I have a backlog of debts. I must leave. Bye.”
Now, the twins had begun to tear up, too. Especially Francisca, who was in the same class with her. She became Frank's friend because she was his sister's friend.
Howbeit, despite Ahmed's military life, he hated seeing people suffering, especially those around him. Francisca's mood had disorganized him, and he had to intervene.
“Francisca,” he called out.
“Yes, Mr. Nura.”
“What can I do to help your friend?”
Francisca was not expecting the question. She looked at Frank for a clue, but he was expressionless. She was afraid that what she had in mind may not be accepted, but she had to give it a try.
“I will like us to take her along,” she stuttered.
“What about the school fees and the outstanding ones?”
Ahmed knew that their father could conveniently take up Hope's school fees and the outstanding. Besides, she was in her Senior Secondary School, and he would not watch the girl drop out of school. Nevertheless, he wanted the arrangements to come from his children, and he would take it up from there.
“I will plead with my dad…”
“Dad or mom?” Frank interrupted her, and reminded her that their mother was the spender.