Roney had just joined the university, but the more the days passed, the more questions multiplied in his head. He needed answers, and since his mother wasn't cooperating; he chose to find the answers by himself. Everywhere he went, he moved with the newspaper extract of the case. The fact that three men were at the bar fighting over her mother tasted nasty. Was his mother a slut? The last time a student insulted him of being a son of a slut in high school led to a fierce fight that roped in his friends. They savagely fought the boy, and that was how he, alongside his friends, got suspended for two weeks from school. For fear of his parents, he didn't go home but chose to stay at one of his friends' home. The home was a well-known shebeen in the village. And that is how he started taking alcohol and bhang. As the friend insisted, it would ease the too much thoughts in his head. So, was the insult the truth? Did the classmate knew of something he didn't? Roney recalled how painful the insult was, and he began developing some disdain for his own mother.
Roney's concentration at the university was at its lowest. The teachers tried getting him to speak up, but he insisted he was fine. Unanswered questions tormented him, leading him to seek answers from Wanjala in prison at Kamiti. Unfortunately, they had transferred Wanjala to Naivasha maximum prison. Naivasha wasn't far from Nairobi; so the following day, just after her mother dropped him at the university, he turned and went straight to the bus station. After hours of being tossed to and fro, he was allowed to have a tete-a-tete with Wanjala.
"How are you, Mr. Wanjala?"
"I am good, of course, apart from this slavery I am in. I guess I look horrible in this dull outfit."
"Okay, I know you are wondering who I am, right?''
"True." The young man seated before him talking reminded Wanjala of Mutiso. The boy was an exact photocopy of Mutiso. So he thought he was either Mutiso's younger brother or a lookalike.
"Good, my name is Roney, the first-born son to Njeri. I came here to see you. The moment I found out that you are my father, I resolved to come and see you. Despite the fact that you were involved in a nefarious murder, I saw it morally reprehensible to snub you. That doesn't change the fact that you are my father. Man is to error and we can't keep on crying over spilled milk. First, I apologize for not being able to visit you ever since. Although it wasn't entirely my fault, as my mother lied to me that my father died longtime ago. It's the gateman that told me otherwise. Hope you can recognize me?"
As Roney spoke, Wanjala just sat there listening and thinking. The boy had out-grown his age. It was just some few years back, and the child was tiny and wore a calm and innocent smile. "Yes, I can remember you."
"I just came to see you and at least talk to you."
"That's good of you. I am excited and proud of you."
"How is life here?"
"It's hell here, young man. Everything here is horrible. Never in your life ever find yourself here. Even if you are pushed by emotions, worlds trouble, greedy, libido or anything else, don't ever do something that will bring you here. Just be a good boy, even if it isn't woke or fashionable."
"I will try my best, I promise."
"How is everyone at home, your mother and siblings?"
"They are all doing fine. My siblings are all grown up and lively."
"Good. What's eating you up? You don't look yourself? What is it?"
"No, nothing much. Just a few things bothering me here."
"What's bothering you?"
"If I may ask you, but don't be offended, why did you murder the guy?"
"Which guy?"
Roney fished out of his pocket the newspaper extract and handed it over to Wanjala. "Mutiso. Don't hide it from me."
Wanjala eyes paced through the story, and his mind went back. He had read the story quite a number of times. Half of it contained the truth, while the other half consisted of well-crafted lies by John. He knew the truth, but no one cared about his account. "I didn't kill the guy."
"Don't worry. I am mature enough to understand. I won't judge. It won't change my opinion about you. Just tell me the truth, you are already serving your sentence."
"Are you ready for the truth?"
"Very ready. The truth will heal my broken soul."
"Okay."
Wanjala was literally reliving the days as he narrated. Pausing in between to wipe tears from his eyes. From how he met Njeri, to him proposing, to the argument at the bar, murder of Mutiso the so-called cousin up to his sentencing.
"So that's the plain truth. I have added nothing, and I have subtracted nothing."
Roney was confused. "So you are not my father?"
"No. You and your sister are Mutiso's children. The next two are my own. About the last-born, I don't know whether he is my own or Mutiso or someone else."
"Are you sure of what you are saying?"
"Ooh, I wish I had Mutiso's photo with me. You are an exact photocopy. If you want to know how Mutiso looked like, just go and stand in front of the mirror. That will be Mutiso you will be looking at."
Roney didn't really believe him. "And who is that John that Mutiso was fighting with at the club?"
"The one and only John, your mother's husband."
"And what about Innocent Mandela, the investigator? Where can I get him?"
"That is the same person, John. Don't joke with him. He is a very lethal licensed criminal. He got almost ten distinct faces and names with identification cards."
"I just need to verify the veracity of your narration. So who else can rubber-stamp it?"
"It's only I, Njeri and John who know the truth. So you better confirm with your mother."
"So it's true my mother is a prostitute?"
"I didn't say that. Nowadays people go heights to get money disregarding any morality. Mutiso just took advantage of her beauty and naivety to con loose men. I was also a victim, lust can lead you to wrong places sometimes."
"How can I explain it? Married and living with John, siring children with Mutiso and you. What is that? She is a slut and my father was a pimp, if by any case, your truth isn't adulterated."
"Remember, she is your mother."
Roney banged the table between them and shouted. "Being my mother doesn't change the truth."
"Young man, you promised to behave. If you cause any nuisance here, these prison warders will throw you in a cell and you wouldn't like it."
"Okay. My mother doesn't want to talk, so how can I get the truth from another person rather than you?"
"No one else."
"Why should I believe you?"
"I can help you. I will give you the phone number of the best hacker in the country. He will help you retrieve messages from both John and Innocent Mandela. Then you will realize something."
"And why didn't you use the hacker to win over your case?"
"The hacked materials were obtained illegally, and evidence obtained illegally is inadmissible in court due to laws protecting privacy and due process. The hacker is very expensive, so inside the loose tools store, under the third tile from the right side corner, there is 50, 000 dollars. Use the money, it's now yours."
Elated, Roney felt joy. Scarcity of money was the main bottleneck in his search for truth. Now it was sorted. "Thank you. You are a good man. If I find out the truth, I will make sure you are out prison. And I will make sure John pays dearly for this."
Wanjala chuckled. "Please, young man, leave John out of it. You can't win against him, even if you have a lorry full of evidence. That man is usually a stone's throw ahead of everyone. Let's just pray and hope karma will catch up with him sooner."
Roney smiled broadly. He didn't have to go the court way to deal with John, he had already bought strychnine poison just waiting for the chance to strike.
By the time Roney arrived home, it was ten minutes to midnight. He slammed the door closed, and his mother shouted angrily. "Roney, where are you from?"
Roney ignored her and turned to leave to his room.
Njeri shouted angrily, "Roney, I am talking to you? What time is it?"
Roney, without turning back to face her, replied "It's some minutes to midnight, any problem with that?"
"What the hell is wrong with you? So you think you are now a grown up man you can address me as your mate? I think it's high time, I am supposed to cut those horns. As long as you are still under my roof, you will abide by my rules and regulations. Or else."
Roney turned to face her. "Or else what?"
"Roney, how dare you talk to me like that?" shouted Njeri, throwing hard the glass of water she was holding at him.
Roney turned to leave, but John, who had remained quiet all along, held him back and said, "Listen Roney, this is your mother and you must respect and obey her, regardless. We were worried about you and that's why we aren't asleep by now. We thought maybe something bad had happened to you. Coming back home before sunset is good for your own safety."
"And who are you in the first place?" Roney said contemptuously.
"I am your father. What happened to your morals? Listen, don't emulate your evil comrades. Just be a good boy, it pays in the end."
Roney said disdainfully, "Look who is lecturing me on morals. Where do you get the audacity?"
"I didn't say I am perfect, but I have lived many years on this earth and I have suffered for things I could have avoided. So I don't want you to learn the hard way as some of us. Sometimes who knows, you wont be able to recover."
"Listen to me, you bloody bastard. I don't like you and I hate seeing you around. I loathe you with all my nerves., murderer."
"Roney!" Njeri exclaimed.
John began punching him viciously.
One thing Njeri and Roney never knew about John was that he never liked Roney. Not because of Roney insolence, but because he looked exactly like Mutiso. Every time he saw him, he remembered Mutiso and what he did to him. So every time Roney yelled at him, he could only hear Mutiso mocking him. Showing him the middle finger. Nothing drove him crazy than that. His anger always overpowered his continence.
Njeri ran and stood between them. "Are you out of your mind? Is he your agemate you are fighting like that? Don't you have brains?"
"This boy needs such like discipline. You are spoiling this juvenile delinquent by pampering him."
Njeri yelled back, "Don't ever call my son a juvenile delinquent. If you can't cope with us, the door is unlocked; you can leave.
John glared at him, and he left without uttering another word.
Roney hardly slept. He thought about many things, including the poison. Had he overreacted? Had he betrayed himself by driving John away? He had promised himself to play cool until he accomplished his desire. What if John would never show up again? For what use will be the poison?
When Roney woke up, he went straight to her mother. "Mother, I am very sorry for what I did yesterday."
"Roney, do you use drugs nowadays?"
"No. I think it's just anger issues."
"Roney, my son, you are lying. Look at your reddened eyes and your current behavior."
"Mother, I don't do drugs. My eyes are red because I didn't sleep the whole night because of what transpired."
"It's written all over the wall, stop denying. Listen, my son, I have suffered enough here on earth. i also took my own life. What gave me hope was you. The moment I saw your brilliant performance in school, I gave you everything you ever asked for. I knew you won't end up like me living with tears and regrets. But look now what you have become. You are causing me more trouble than I have ever been through. My heart is aching and my pillow is soaked in tears because of you. What do you lack that is driving you to the wrong course?"
"I will change mum. In fact, tell John to come over, I want to apologize to him too. I need to respect him, too. i am sorry."
Roney didn't like the fact that he was the cause of her mother tears. As his mother wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke, Roney pitied her. He promised to change, and that was why he was in a hurry to revenge his father's death. After finishing with John, he would then change for the better.
It took Njeri an entire week of driving daily to John's office to apologize. John had accepted the apology but was adamant about going back to her home, but after getting irritated by the incessant pleas he gave in. That day, Roney apologized profusely and even volunteered to cook supper for the day. Njeri was extremely joyous that day. This was the man he wanted Roney to grow into, responsible and meticulous in his work. She could sneak into the kitchen occasionally to check on his progress. The radiant face of her son made her forget all her sorrows in life. Again, she had a reason to enjoy life.
After drowning his glass of water, John said, "Roney, I didn't know you are such a fantastic chef. I don't remember the last time I took such a sumptuous meal."
Roney grinned broadly. "Thank you so much. I feel flattered."
Njeri chipped in, "I thought I was the only one who noticed it. The meal was just on point."
"Thank you, mum.'
John added, "I think I can connect you to the head chef of Junny box. You will truly be an asset to the hotel."
Roney watched John intently, searching for a sign. He silently cheered at every swallow John made. Finally he had tamed the wild buffalo.
"Let me go to bed," John said as he stood up. "I am feeling some kind of discomfort in my bell. I think I over ate."
"Good night," an elated Roney shouted.
Roney thought himself a superman for succeeding where others had failed. He couldn't sleep. Every time waking up to listen, was there any scream emanating from the master bedroom. Three times he had tiptoed to the master bedroom to be sure that nothing was evading his ears.
The next day, John woke Roney up, shocking him. "Roney, breakfast is ready."
Roney rubbed his eyes severally just to be sure. "Good morning. You mean you are not...…."
"Not what?"
"Not going to work."
John giggled, expressing, "Obviously, you are shocked. Shocked I am alive."
"No. just wondering what happened with the stomach discomfort you talked about. Are you sure you are okay?"
"That was just a decoy. You see, some of us can step on scorpions and nothing will happen."
"Tell me how you escaped that?"
John relived it in his mind, but didn't talk.
"Soldier, I need you to run a small errand for me''
"Where to my boss?" the gateman responded.
"Roney will take his bath at noon today, as he didn't go to school. So I have a simple task for you."
"What's the task?''
"I want you to do this. The moment he gets to the bathroom, dash into his room and inside his black rugged jeans right-side pocket, there is something wrapped in a black polythene bag. Take it and bring it to me. Take this black polythene bag and put it into the same pocket. I will make sure we are busy with Njeri on the veranda to distract her as you use the back door. Your pay is here."
"Boss, thank you, count it done."
John replaced the strychnine with salt and Roney didn't even notice it.
Roney wondered. Was the poison expired? Or had John puked all of it when he left for bed earlier? And why was John sounding like he was aware of the plan? Did someone leak his plan? No one knew of the plan. John had outsmarted him, but he promised to pin him down. These questions troubled him as he went to meet the hacker. He wasn't sure about the authoritative narration of Wanjala but his instincts were with him. The messages the hacker showed him were of no greater help, but he had finally proved beyond reasonable doubt that Innocent Mandela was John, and vice versa. So Wanjala was correct; John had framed him.
A week later, Roney made sure everything was watertight. He examined everything, including the expiry date, ability to be diluted and researching extensively about its effectiveness. Occasionally, he shrugged off sparks of guiltiness in his mind. His conscience wasn't clear, but he had resolved to do his best. Justice for Mutiso and Wanjala. This time around, he made sure everything was laced with poison. As he prayed before taking supper, John's phone rang and he went outside to receive it, never to return.
John knew that Roney was trying to poison him after visiting Wanjala in prison. He was aware of everything they even discussed, and he allowed it. John just understood the young man was bitter, so he had no intention of harming the young man. John had a plan. He was well aware that his presence irked Roney too much and was working towards divorcing Njeri. He no longer had any feelings for her. The love that used to engulf him had disappeared. He was literally struggling to love her back. Whenever he wanted to broach the subject, a guilty feeling would just overwhelm him, and eventually dropped it. The only option he was left with was to get Wanjala out of jail.
At the prison, John had a room prepared for him. He really wanted to force through his plan. The door for the room flung open and the officer on duty pushed Wanjala into the room, and closed the door from the outside. Wanjala plunged headlong into the abyss of severe irritation and annoyance the moment his eyes landed on John. "It's you again, my enemy? What exactly do you want from me? I have left everything for you and yet you aren't satisfied."
"Listen, Mr. Wanjala," John said in a strangely conciliatory tone. "I am here to help you."
Wanjala frowned, refusing to take the seat John offered and instead walked towards the door. "The only help you can give to me is to keep away from me. I don't want to hear from you, see you and hearken to your voice. That is the only help I need from you."
"The door is locked from the outside, so no way out. We have to talk like men now. I am not here to hurt you in any way. How is life here?"
"I am enjoying it. It's better I be here than outside there with dogs like you."
"I can better my life; you badly need to be out of here."
"Whoever lied to you."
"If you are really enjoying, why have you attempted suicide three times in a record two weeks?"
Wanjala realizing the door was locked from outside, just sat down on the floor in desperation. He just loathed talking to John. He lowered his head, covering his face with his two palms, and remained dumb.
"I know you don't want to talk, but I will do the talking. I want you to put yourself in my shoe. I met Njeri in the university through Mutiso. I suffered so much because I used all my Helb and pocket money to give her the expensive life she longed for. I deferred my studies because I had used the entire year school fees to lavish her with goodies. I sent all of my fist salary to her. I was literally providing for her and her entire extended family. I paid school fees for her siblings, built her parents a decent house even before I did anything for my parents. I did all this because I loved her and never wanted to see her sad, even for a single second. I did everything for Njeri. I used to take loans from Mutiso, my friend, at an acute interest, sometimes repaying double, just to meet her unending demands. Only for I to realize later that it was my very own money Mutiso was lending to me back after taking it from Njeri. As if swindling me cash wasn't enough, they swindled me children for 20 years, bro."
For the first time, Wanjala lifted up his head to look at him. Tears were freely flowing from his eyes as he spoke. For the first time, he saw a weak John. He felt his pain. He never imagined it was that deep.
"Wanjala, you are a man like me. What would you have done in such a situation?"
"I never looked at it from that angle.''
"These are just a few of the things I can enumerate now, the list is countless. I even donated my kidney for free to her father when no one was willing to."
The situation shocked Wanjala. What love was it? Was it love or bewitchment? "Now, why did you fix me on your issues?"
"I warned you severely, but you never listened. I called, texted and even ghosted you, but did you do? You kept on threatening and insulting me? I was burning, and you were busy fanning the fire. I never wanted it to get this far, but you pushed me to the wall."
"But it wasn't my fault. I just in love with a woman. If she had repudiated my advances, I wouldn't have forced her."
"I now regret everything, including gunning down Mutiso. I should have taken it up like a man and moved on. I have never known peace ever since that time and seldom sleep. That's why I am here to apologize and get you out of here."
"This place is hell for me. But where will I go from here? My reputation is severely damaged."
"Don't worry about that. I will handle it. The case will be reopened and you will be exonerated in the presence of all media, your innocence will be paraded everywhere. The plan is already underway."
"I will give anything to get out of here."
"I just wanted to teach you a lesson. I knew I would get you free after sometime."
The sight of John and Wanjala talking and laughing appalled the officer in charge. He was a very worried man when he locked the door from outside. The hate that existed between them made him think John would end up killing him and leaving him with the case to handle. He sighed deeply when he opened the door.
From there, John drove straight to the club where Roney was drinking. He had to do it fast before he could get drunk to have a conversation. He arrived on time at the club and went straight to the reserved private room. By the time he got there, Roney was wondering who exactly wanted to meet him. How influential was the person? What information he had with him? The room was for the VVIP as he knew. Access was denied to young people like him, so they only knew stories about them. Roney was really enjoying the magnificence and exclusivity of the place until John walked in, and his spirit plummeted.
Roney didn't hide his irritation. "What's wrong with you?"
John sat down calmly and said, "I need to talk to you."
"Please, I am not in the mood to talk to you," Roney said angrily as he stood to leave.
"Roney, you have been moving from here and there looking for the truth and yet you claim not to be in the mood. I am the only one who has a comprehensive report that you are looking for. I won't force it on you, if you don't want, you can leave."
Roney could step out of the room when an urge to listen to John won over him. It was good to hear John's side of story and juxtapose it with what he had gleaned before. "Okay. Keep talking."
John took a sip of his bottled water and set off, "I met your mother through Mutiso. She was a beauty to behold. In my life, I had never seen such a beautiful girl like her. When I first saw her, I knew my destiny was tied to her. The first time she spurned my advances, but the day I saw Mutiso with her, I knew the chasing was over. And for sure, Mutiso managed to convince her on my behalf. I never cheated ever since. I had absolutely no reason to. We loved each other so much, so I thought. Only to realize later she was Mutiso wife."
Roney sat there listening with undivided attention as John delved into the nitty gritty of his past. It's an intriguing journey. John was such a fantastic narrator, and he enjoyed it. John captured all the missing links in Wanjala side of the story. He handled all his dilemmas. Without interruption, he listened as John explained everything that happened until the judgment of the case.
At the end, Roney remained unconvinced. "But why did you murder him? Was there no other option?"
"Let me ask you a question. It's your 2nd year at the university and I know you have started dating. How would you feel if you found out your best friend had taken your girlfriend from you?
Roney immediately recollected something. It had just happened to him. A week before, he had found out that his girlfriend of 3 months was having an affair with his best friend. It was hard to swallow. For a week, he didn't sleep. Throughout he was devising evil schemes against his friend, but later on decided to let it slide. But it was really painfully. And yet he had sacrificed nothing for her. At the point, Roney was feeling John's pain.
"I understand, but you know what they say, time heals all hurts.'
"it was too much for me. But right now I regret, I should have suppressed my anger. However, painfully, I shouldn't have killed them. I have never known peace since then." Said remorsefully as he took out his pistol and put it on the table. "I know you have been trying to poison me a number of days, now you know the truth I am the one who killed your father, not Wanjala, take the pistol and shoot me. I give you permission. I am tired of this life."
John sighed deeply. "I can't. All I needed to know is the truth about my real father and you have fulfilled it. My heart is now relieved. In my opinion my mother and Mutiso are to be blamed. It was such a harrowing experience. Even if it was me, I would have done the same. I am sorry on their behalf."
"Never ever do what I did if you encounter such. The world has a way it retaliates. God can help you overcome. In my practice I have dealt with worse cases, but people usually get over it. Now I leave."
"Me too am leaving. I don't think booze is important to me anymore."
John had only one mission unaccomplished. To tell Njeri it was officially over, then walk out as she rants. So he drove home. He only had two minutes at the place.
The moment he stepped into the living room, Njeri jumped out of the sofa with pure excitement. She jumped at him and said, "Guess what?"
Shock overcame John. "What is it?"
"I have news for you."
"Me too I have some news."
"okay. Who will go first, me or you?"
"Let me go first."
"Okay…...but wait, is your news good or bad?"
"Good and bad."
"The bad news can wait first; this is a day of good news. I will go first."
John wasn't interested in any news. He had only one thing to accomplish, to call it quits. "Okay, go on."
An elated Njeri shouted, "My dear, guess what?"
"Just go straight to the point, I am not good at guessing."
"I am Five months pregnant. I am heavy with a baby boy."
John forced a big smile, mission aborted.