CHAPTER NINE

**

Emeka stands facing the window, watching the cars move below,watching the traffic light turn from yellow..green to red.

There was a knock on the door, he didn’t turn

“Sir, your 11 o'clock is here“

‘‘thank you Patricia “ he says over his shoulders ”usher in please”

He heard the door close, then someone knocks and walks in..

“Good morning Mr Uchendu, Mr name is Mr Ambross Chikurdi, my company had contacted you for some partnership and financial assistance, thank you for seeing me”

Emeka turns to look at him after hearing this name.

Indeed, if he never believed before, he did now. ''God works in mysterious ways '' he muses

“what can I do for you Mr Ambross Chikurdi” he says taking a seat and crossing his legs

This man standing infront of him, he had hated for years..and after ten years he didn’t know that his son was the one he called sir nor had the biggest company in the country,with four other branches scattered within the country and out. And his company was taking other small company out of business.

Yes. God works in mysterious ways.

Now he would begin what he had prayed for years.. Revenge they say, was best served cold, and karma was a bitch.

He smiles.

*

*

Emeka is staring at the man,the man he used to call father as he was talking,and all the while his mind was thinking..

About how he and his mother survived. They slept under the bridge for most nights,some days they slept in an old abandoned car when some people had tried to rape his mother,almost succeeded in one. He had broken the guy’s leg and took his mother and ran.

They begged for food on the streets,he never returned to school,never got his degree.The money he made from his car,was stolen the first night on the streets. Their cloths was stolen the first night they slept under the bridge.

His Mother cried almost everyday,but there was nothing they could do other than keep surviving.

After a month on the streets, she made friends with a woman who sold food ..who allowed his mother work for her by selling food to people on the road.

Emeka hawked water, biscuit and bread, his commission was a mere thousand naira. But he was grateful.

One of those days he saw Diana,she was passing with her friends. And they had wanted to buy water,he didn’t know they were the ones in the car when they screamed “Water! Water!!”. he had ran after the car and asked them

“How many,how much own you want?” he asked

“Jesus Emeka!!! “ it was Diana’s best friend who shrieked looking at him ‘Jesus!!’’

Emeka had turned,including Diana and the person driving,…

“Diana, “ he had choked

“What happened to you Emeka, why are you here..how?’’ her friend had asked, worried, “Diana, you told us that he relocated to the states but…Jesus Emeka” her friend says disbelieving

“Diana” he was looking at her, shame washed over her , then embarrassment, a little bit of pity, then in a flash, it was gone.

“Do you know him baby?” the man driving the car asks Diana as he looks Emeka up and down

“Yes, he used to be her boy-“’

“No baby i don’t “ she says turning away cutting of her friend.

“Diana” Emeka chokes again, this time the pain to his chest made him suddenly weak, he staggers

“Careful’’ her friend says, turning away she digs her hand into her bag, bringing out a thousand naira note

“Look I don’t know what happened to you but I pray to God it works out for you…my God! here take this, let me just take a bottle of water, Emeka, please take care of yourself. Diana, wont you say anything, you both used to dat–“’

“Boo drive please, we can’t have stray people hanging by the window, Grace take your water and lets go. Baby drive na” she turns away placing her hand on the man’s thighs, he turns one final time looking at Emeka , then at Grace and then at Diana.

“Okay”

Grace grabs the bottle and then throws in an extra two thousand naira into his basket..”Stay well Emeka, “ she says as the car pulls away

Emeka stares after the car, unable to move or breath, he slowly sinks to the ground, he didn’t know how long he stayed there, until he felt a hand on his shoulder,

“Come my son, come” Mercy says pulling him away

Yes, they had suffered..for two years they lived on the streets.. ate from the little they had and survived for another day.

On their third year, he had helped someone fix up the issues in his car that the mechanic didn’t know what to do, he liked cars,it always fascinated him.

Before long everyone brought their cars to him, everyone and within two years he had two garages he frequented that they always called him, it wasn’t much but he had so many cars he needed to fix that he his name became known.

By the third year, he bought one of the garages, people came to him to train them, soon, the money started coming in.

From one he had five garages.. and within five years..he was a brand. He didn’t stop there, he began to deal with other car dealers, he fixes their car and then uses his money to put into the importing business.

And within ten years, not only was he number one in the country for anything cars, importation, he had found an oil block, drilled it..and that was where the big bucks came in, companies wanted to partner with him, especially does who wanted to go under, some he bought off their hands, owning them totally, and others he invested, owning shares. He was the Go To Guy when things got bad..and he did it well.

He changed his name from Emeka Odinaka Chikurdi to Uchendu , Odinaka Uchendu, taking his mother’s maiden name, kicking out his father’s.

The people who knew him and called him Emeka was his mother, and the few people he hustled the streets with, a few became his bodies and some he helped along the way, gave them something to do. One was his closest friend, Tayo.. since they met that night.