DO THUGS CRY?

CHAPTER 4: TUNNEL VISION

Walking in the tunnel is not always a walk of shame especially when you keep hoping for light at the end. You get to end up in the hall of fame and at that point, the darkness you've witnessed in the past becomes just a part of your story. The new story you get to tell is the light you've seen. Everybody celebrates the man of light but could that man be me?

"Good morning MJ, I'm late for work already, your breakfast is in the kitchen."
She said as she hurriedly gave me a kiss.

"Good morning, come back here. Let's just stay together on this bed forever, don't go"
I replied with yawns in my mouth.

"Not today MJ, but I love you. Bye"
She said as she hurries out of the room.

"Bye, I love you too. See you later this evening right?"
I asked as she disappeared into thin air already.

It's been two months since I and Kim have been friends, did I say friend? I mean lovers. We graduated from being friends to best friends and now lovers. It was one of the best feelings ever, I enjoy her company and she craves for mine but it's been hard keeping all those secrets from her. I've been doing a perfect job though.

I settle in my condo in Lag city and that's where I and Kim get to meet while all my Thug business is being run in Jones town by AJ. I get to go to Jones town for important business that require my presence. While in Lag city, I opened my eyes to new opportunities , I invested in real estate and some legit business. Since I met Kim, I've been thinking about a whole new future for myself with her. Kim is more than an option to me, she is looking more like a perfect escape plan into the world of the normal people? But can I really be normal? Do I deserve to be normal? How can I be normal? Will my new found obsession not make me weak eventually? These are the questions I keep asking myself and the answers keep coming bit by bit.

I can't run farther from Jones town again, AJ called soon enough about an issue that requires my attention. Your guess is right, it's another defaulter. I drove by myself this time to Jones town and here I am. It's Dahud, he took a loan of 20 thousand dollars and it's been past 6 months and he hasn't paid back. My patience is wearing thin already and that's not always good a good thing to see.

"Dahud, have I ever been cruel to you?"
I asked.

"No... no, Professor"
He responded with a shiver.
"So why are cruel to me? Why have you decided to ruin me? Do I really deserve this sort of treatment from you?"
I asked.

"No... no, Professor, it's not my fault,  my business has been crumbling lately and I've been trying to bring it back to life but it....."
He said before I cut in.
"Shut up, fool! You came for loan and not business advice, my job is to grant you the loan and yours is to pay back, I don't care how you pay it, you should pay back that's all man,  but you've decided to test my patience me again. I know you want to test me for real and I'm ready for you too. So how much do you have with you now to start with?"

"Just 5 thousand sir, but I promise to get the rest by the end of the week latest. Please have mercy on me Professor"
He pleaded.

"Is that your daughter I'm seeing there, how old is she?"
I asked
"She's just seven, Professor"
He replied.
"That's good, what's her name"
I asked.
"Melissa"
He replied.

I looked straight into Mellisa's eyes and I saw a perfect leverage for my money, with Melissa in my custody, I knew my money will be ready even before the end of the week.

"Come Melissa, let me introduce you to a new family"
I said.

"Professor please don't do this to me, that's my daughter, my only daughter, please don't do that"

He said and cried and wailed.

All these forms of crying and wailing is the reason I don't give loans to women except she has a male guarantor that can equally take the fall for her whenever she defaults. I took Melissa in my car and it wasn't really a struggle cause AJ and the boys were there to stop Dahud from coming close to me.

I drove straight to Lag city which probably ended up to be the next worst decision of my life since the beating that was rained on Kim's father.

Kim called to tell me she wouldn't be coming down to my place that night because she had a lot to do at work so it's was supposed to be I and Melissa all night. I went to the stores and bought everything Melissa needed from toys to foods and cookies and by the calm look on her face, she was more than happy to be with me eventhough I had to bear the occasion cries for her mum. She was perfect for a kidnap only that I wasn't kidnapping her, she's just a leverage here. Finally she slept.

It was 8am In the morning, I heard Melissa crying and asking for mummy as usual, I kept telling her to calm down while I rushed to prepare cereal for her but suddenly her voice fainted, it was like she saw her mummy finally. I came outside with her cereal.

"Hey Melissa, your cereal is ready"
I said while I was coming in without looking up to see who's there and behold it was a surprise. Kim was in already and she was carrying Melissa but she wasn't happy to see me.
"Are you Professor?"
She asked.
I was shocked to the spines for a moment and couldn't say anything that moment.