Dad I am back from school," little Emmanuel entered the house.
Chala came back to reality and he was shedding a tear without even noticing.
"What is wrong dad, are you okay," he said hugging his father.
"Daddy is okay my boy," he said quickly wiping his tears, "why have you come from school so early?"
"The teacher sent me to come back home and bring tuition fees," little Emmanuel replied.
Chala gave him some tea before calling Tintu. He had not received his payment from last time operation.
"Hello."
"Yes Chala, what is the problem."
"I never received my payment from last time's operation Tintu."
"You should talk directly to the boss, wait for the meeting this evening then you can ask him."
Tintu ended the call. Chala felt uneasy. His brother's words disturbed him the whole evening. He could not help but have a bad feeling about everything that was happening. He gave himself some hope. He really wanted to give his children a good life. He had to do all that it takes to ensure they lived comfortably. They give him the new strength he needed to continue with his new way of earning a livelihood.
At exactly ten in the night. Chala is back at Victory building. He waits for a few minutes before three people enter the room. One of them explained the next mission. After a short discussion everyone left the premise. Chala was confused. The meeting was short and he did not understand why neither Tintu nor the boss showed up for the meeting.
He arrived at home earlier than the last meeting but he could not sleep. Something was amiss. His mind was in a myriad of thoughts. He decided to try and catch some sleep but it was a long night. Early the next morning, he took his children to school. He did not have the appetite to take breakfast. He knew very well Emmanuel will be sent back home again .He then opened his laptop, the only possession that he had from work. He checked the new document that was sent to him through his email. The document had the next location for his next mission.
He took his phone and dialed Tintu's phone number. Tintu did not respond. Chala then left and went to visit his only friend Niru.
"Good morning Niru."
"Good morning my friend," Niru replied.
"I want to ask for a small favor, could you please assist with me some little money then I will refund you tomorrow.'
"Of course I will help you my friend. You assisted me when my wife was sick. The little money you gave me really helped. We were also able to get some assistance from a distant friend who gave me the money as a loan."
"Thank you my brother," Chala said as Niru handed him some cash.
Chala hurriedly went to Emmanuel's school and gave the teacher the little he had been assisted with. The teacher told him he will only give him one week to bring the whole money. He then left and decided to wait for that mission. He decided to confront Tintu after that night.
The group of three had agreed to meet at a certain bank. Chala was to be on the lookout then inform the rest once an old man leaves the bank. He hid behind a car at the parking lot and waited. He could not help but wonder what the man was doing that late in the bank. The bank usually closes by five in the evening. It was half past ten in the night, after a few minutes he saw him leave the building. The man was talking to someone before waving then heading to the parking lot.
Chala signaled his accomplice who was supposed to approach the old man near the parking lot. He came quickly and hit the old man's head then dragged him near a certain black saloon car. Chala helped him put the man inside and they left very fast as the third man drove.
They arrived at a certain abandoned building and shot the man on the leg. The boss instructed them to warn the man and not to kill him. They were only supposed to instill fear in him and leave him unconscious.
The next morning Chala woke up and heard in the news that a politician's personal assistant was shot in the leg but he was still alive. He was receiving treatment in the hospital. This was just a few days after a candidate was murdered in cold blood. Chala was still feeling disturbed by all these events. He knew that with time, he would develop a cold heart and overcome all these feelings. This is the real world, he thought. The world his brother Tintu and his boss lived and owned.
He took his children to school as usual and went to Tintu's house to look for him. Chala was ushered in by the security guard and waited for his brother for what seemed like eternity. Tintu came into the living room with a wide smile. Chala knew the smile was not genuine. He was hiding a lot behind that fake smile.
Tintu offered him some tea but he declined. The only reason he came was to collect his money and leave. He was also mad at his brother since he did not answer any of his calls. He then told Tintu that his children were about to come back home due to lack of tuition fees. Tintu did not utter a word. He knew his words will come as a shock to his dear little brother who had no experience of this new dark underworld.
Silence reigned for a long while. Tintu was deep in thoughts. Chala on the other side could not hold it anymore. He could not decipher what was on his brother's mind.
"Is there something you…"
"You have to do one more thing Chala, money does not come that easy."
"What is that big thing that you cannot tell me about?"
"I know you have hated this all your life but as they say, humans are they are own enemies"
"Yes I am all ears"
"There is a contract you have to sign first. This contract entails two major jobs that you have to do. Your first job is to join a certain group. You have already witnessed everything we do in this job. The boss wants to be sure about your loyalty before you can become one of us and swim in riches."
"That's so easy Tintu ,what is the second thing?"
"You will be told about the assignment once you join the brotherhood."
"I will do as you say but before all that I need some money to pay for my children's school fee before they are sent home."
"I will give you some money before you leave. We have a meeting today, specifically for the brotherhood. You will come to my house at exactly quarter past eleven in the night."
"Okay my brother ,I will do as you say."
Chala left feeling some relief. This was his time to shine. He will join the group as his brother instructed then get all the money has ever dreamed of.
He went to Emmanuel's school and cleared his school fee. The day seemed to drag by as he waited to join Tintu at eleven. Mary came home in the evening and prepared white rice with tea. Everyone had gone to sleep by nine. Chala pretended to be deep asleep. He did not want his children to ever find out what he was up to.
At exactly eleven, he slowly got up and put on his jacket and boots. He opened the door carefully and walked out. He walked down the road until he reached Tintu's place. He arrived at exactly quarter past eleven. He had some chanting. The house was a bit cold than usual. He noticed the air conditioner was on and also the fans.
Tintu ushered him in the dimly lit room. The room was quiet and his eyes could only see shadows of a few other people in the room. They all chanted "Welcome to the brotherhood". Chala was already shaking as he felt a sharp piercing pain on his left hand. He groaned loudly as they all began chanting the same words again. He started feeling dizzy and almost passed out. Tintu held him and before he could come back to his senses everyone had left.
"What happened yesterday Tintu? What kind of brotherhood was that?" Chala asked feeling confused about the recent events.
"Congratulations you have officially joined the brotherhood," Tintu was smiling broadly.
Chala could not decipher anything. His brother never explained any of this when he asked him to join. He still had a lot of questions but kept quiet as all he needed right now was money. Tintu gave him bundles of cash and he left without a word.
The next morning Chala cleared his debts and all his children school fees. He even looked for another house which was next to town. This way he could he would find it easier to carry out his operations. His hard work had started paying off, he thought. For the first time in years he felt happy. He waited for his three childern to come back home from school. That evening, they all went to their new house feeling so happy. He took them to a cloth and shoe store and bought everything they needed. They ate dinner at a restaurant that evening and went back home.
Chala felt good that night. He knew this was the kind of life he had always wanted to offer his children. He had promised himself this a long time ago. He finally fulfilled his promises. This was just the beginning of a life long success.
The country's economy was rising by the day. He felt happy he could now afford to live a comfortable life. He watched news daily as families in drought stricken areas died daily. The relief food was not even enough any more. Chala felt pity but sadly that is what climate change had brought.