Shadows in me.

CHAPTER 7.

Unarguably, Henry has been stressed. Thinking about how to deal with Malaki, staying with Tracy, keeping her calm, and all other things that was calling for his attention. It’s been a crazy time but then he was a crazy person as well and he enjoyed it.

.

Tracy had been depressed a lot and he didn’t like it, he couldn’t even withstand a fly perching on her skin so he had to look for a way to get the dweeb called Malaki out of the picture. 

The guy didn’t fit into the puzzle. How on earth could Tracy have agreed to settle down with him? What was so spectacular about him? Anyway, it was partially his fault. 

If he wasn’t imprisoned, this wouldn’t have happened but then he had to fend for himself and also raise some money for her. He had to hiss as this made him go back to his properly covered scab.

His parents were wealthy. His father was a chief in his hometown and his mother was the head of the market women and so they never lacked anything. His father had many friends and his mother had always complained about them. 

According to her, there was something evil about them. She couldn’t explain it but she knew it. His father never believed her, he called it women’s bickering. Time however was to prove her right.

His father had this special friend who was also a chief whom he had helped a couple of times with food, money and anything the Chief’s family needed. Henry remembered vividly when the Chief’s last wife was going to be delivered of her first child. 

She needed to have a caesarean section but the Chief didn’t have the money and his father had to borrow some money to pay for the surgery and also the child dedication. 

Some years later, the Chief needed to run a contract with the government. He involved Henry’s father and when it began yielding a little interest, they needed to get more money, Henry’s father decided to use his house and all his properties without his wife’s consent. 

Unknowingly, the Chief didn’t implement the contract and the mortgage firm came for his father’s house and property. when it was time for Henry's father to to do what the tradition required of elders and the end of the year when all the village members gathered for their yearly celebration, he couldn't supply the food. He was disgraced and sent out of the party.     

His mother had told his father to meet the Chief and fight for his right but his father said he didn’t believe in fighting as what the Chief had done would hunt him for life. His father was devastated when he found out the Chief had traveled out, He had a heart attack and became partially paralyzed. 

His mother had to sell almost everything including her clothes, bags and jewellery.

His father died within six months and his mother was shattered. She was almost losing her mind in the first month after his death and died in the second month. 

He had to build his life and gather the remaining pieces that was shattered all over the place. He learnt from her to never overlook any suspicions. He also learnt from his father not to totally trust people but most of all, he must have money. It was a security and guarantee. 

Henry decided that he would never be a weakling like his father. He decided that he was going to struggle, be a great man and get to the top even if it meant fighting for it. This was what made him to travel to Benin Republic. He just needed to make it. 

That was the backbone of every decision he made. Everyone usually made decisions from past experiences even though most people didn’t recognize it or were too weak to acknowledge it. Everyone had to search deep into the past to find the reason for their decisions as it was the crux.

He decided to take a bit of fresh air and took an evening jog. It was a couple of miles. As he got into the third street, the hair on his skin stood still and he had goose pimples. Someone was following him. He decided to take a short cut and then he heard a gunshot.

Someone shot him.

All went bleak, was he going to survive?