I wasn’t going to give up and I would never give up, probably until I got a job to pay up my family’s debt.
As for finding my true identity; that was a fate I couldn’t decide and may never be certain about. If I should get to know who my true family was, it might be a plus because my adopted father had rubbed it on my face so much that it was already becoming a night mare.
My true identity was as important as surviving.
Father had done me good by steering in me, the awareness that I wasn’t actually his blood child and that he had only fostered me to this age. Perhaps that was the beginning of my true identity.
Right now I knew who I was; an adopted child, a child found wandering on the streets of Rio Hondo and fostered by him, a no body a ragged, poverty-stricken unkempt, body odor boy who barely survived a fifteen years jail term over a fraud I didn’t commit.
I was just a common Brian Patrick; a disappointment and failure about to happen. For now and until I discovered my true identity I had to survive. I had to get a job to foot my immediate bills. I shouldn’t beg for two cents to shave. My sick mother at the hospital shouldn’t die of kidney disease just because of half a million dollars. We shouldn’t be thrown out to the street because of five hundred dollars house rent.
Life shouldn’t happen to us. We should happen to life.
While job-hunting I ran into an ongoing construction site. That was a towering skyscraper under construction from the image I saw on the board. And they were very much at the early stage of construction.
“A lot of made to be made by artisans that would be employed now,” I said in my head.
I could see young men, my age, in blue uniform with enthusiasm blazing in their eyes. I believed they were artisans. I was also an artisan. I could do a lot with dexterity. I must get a job at that site.
“Yes , if I could try, I could be employed,” I assured within myself as I caught sight of the site manager directing artisans on what to do.
And from the way artisan bowed and obeyed him instantly that tall white-beard, Japanese cutie was the site manager and the fellow in the position to employ me.
“Good morning, sir,” I greeted and would have to repeat myself because the person I just greeted was busy giving out directives to artisans and scolding a few erring artisans. “Sir!” I called more emphatically, “Good morning, sir.”
“Yes what can I do for you?” he asked yet his gaze was on the host of artisans whom he was warning sternly to deliver good job.
I went on to say a few words of introduction, “I am Brian Patrick. I …um I need a job at your site. I am a professional artisan.”
With that said the man cast a snappy gaze on me and was startled a little bit by my looks before focusing on an artisan who was calling on his attention.
Regardless, the site manger was generous enough to say to me, “Although you don’t look good, but you can go over to the company’s secretary over there.” He pointed to a young lady by the corner, “Give her your bio data and start the job.” He returned his gaze on me, be fast about it. We need more artisans.”
Although I swallowed hard at the mention of bio data, yet nothing stopped me from going to the young lady who was busy with a laptop on her thighs.
“Good morning. The site manager referred me to you. I am an artisan and needs a job here,” I said very sternly and at a breath.
At the time the young lady, with heavy make-over and thick red-glossed lips gave me the cold shoulders. She seemed not to have taken cognizance of me.
“Heh, good morning,” I gestured my hands at her and moved closer.
Once she smelled me, she pulled back slightly covered her nose and then gazed upon me with a stern look as her eyes dimmed irritatingly.
“You stink.” That was her first comment and then while I smelled my body to get a confirmation of this strange body odor for the second time, she added, “You? I know you.” She pointed firmly at me, “You are supposed to be in prison. I was at the court the day you were convicted of a fifteen billion dollars fraud…” the gloom on her face brood no falsity.
I lowered my gaze in shame, “Yes, I have served my jail term and I am free now,” I protested.
“I thought as much. Yes it is you,” she said and called on the attention of the site manager who quickly scuttled to our side, “Sir we can’t employ an ex convict. He has questionable character. He is an ex convict,” she sounded.
I dragged a furrowed brow and protested, “But sir, I am free now, besides I am not guilty of the alleged fraud. I…”
‘Excuse me young man,” the site manager’s Japanese accent sounded, “We can’t employ an ex convict…”
The young lady reminded him, “Sir he is a thief. He stole fifteen billion dollars from Community Central Bank in the name of his company. I am afraid we can’t work with him. it is risky and fiddling.”
“But no. no,” I protested harder behind the site manager who was already walking away.
Without any intention to repeat himself, the site manager turned around and grinned at me.
“Mr. Man, Rocks Construction Company has built and leveraged on integrity over the years. It will be appalling to work with an ex convict. I can’t defer you. I am sorry. Good bye!”
“But… but, I am for real. I am honest. I am not who…” frustration sucked away my voice just then.
The site manager walked away into the building and I paused, breathed hard, wiped the tears that trickled down my lips and had my hands on my head…
“You are a castaway. Find your true identity. I rejected you a long time. Ago and I believed the society did same…” what father had told me kept repeating in my head.
“No!” I wailed at the tops of my voice with my gaze in the sky as I noticed all eyes on me…
“Happy birthday Sarah Canon!” “Oh it is your day Sarah! We can’t wait to cut the cake and give you our expensive gifts!” A female voice sounded from a Masarati, once the car halted by the side of Sarah Sarah blushed, had her soft, well-toned, hands on her mouth in awe. I perched behind a tree, staring at Sarah Canon hoping my help was going to come from her, as she was the last resort that struck in my head. Sarah Canon was the only child and daughter of the oil magnate Canon Johnson. No doubt she was the daughter of a billionaire whose outrageous arrogant character I got to know when she visited the Morgan Group to clench an oil distribution contract with Morgan Harris. At the time she had concluded her conference meeting with Morgan and his stake holders and didn’t know how Lala, a mastiff and our security dog got released on her. She was helpless; all she did was scream at the tops of her voice. I was at the account department at the time, collecting documents which I would de
For over two minutes, Melissa Fanny, stood gaping and staring irritatingly at me. I abandoned myself to shame and uncertainty as I smacked my lips tightly and pressed my hands in front.“Brian Patrick?”She called’ her voice was still and quarrelsome to an extent. All the while we stood staring at each other in shock, her father, Fanny Luis, a middle aged billionaire and the richest oil and gas tycoon in Rio Hondo rolled his eyes at me and kept gulping and pouring his wine impatiently. His jaw set.Her grandmother Lisa Bake through her conical goggles couldn’t stop peering at me from her sitting position. She blinked anxiously as her nose wrinkled.“Is this not your husband? Is this not the same Brian Patrick that siphoned fifteen billion dollars from Community Central Bank?” Lisa Bake, her grandmother queried.“You are right, granny.” Fanny replied and afterwards mumbled, “The criminal son-in-law is out of jail.”I stole a glance at him, lowered my gaze in hurt and swallowed hard, ju
Melissa sniffed. I believed she was fighting back her tears just as I did. Her gaze came upon her diamond engagement ring before she flashed her fingers at me.“A better ring has replaced yours, Brian Patrick. On the night you were convicted of the said crime, I flushed your cheap wedding ring down the toilet. You don’t deserve this heart, Brian Patrick. You have no place on this finger!” she yelled at me so loudly that I noticed Lisa Bake, her granny trudge to the window to stare at us.I scowled my face. I could feel the pounding of my heart against my fragile chest as I argued if she was bluffing or not.“What do you mean, Melissa? I married you before going to jail. We were happy and fated to be together forever until…” my voice broke out and snapped.She interrupted me radically and rolled her eyes, “Go ahead and complete your statement. Until what … until you went to jail, right? You don’t deserve me Brian Patrick. In two weeks, I will be legally married to Zion Don, son to the
“Did you see the divorce I sent to your email?” Melissa Fanny had a fierce expression on her face when she asked me that question.But my expression was more fierce than hers that it could boil an egg. What was she talking about? Divorce? I said within me.“What divorce are you talking about, Melissa?” I queried and my jaw set abruptly.“She rolled her eyes at me and her eyes gleamed as she said, “My family has gotten petition for dissolution of our marriage.” She shook her head in disappointment and her eyes dimmed as though she was going to break down in tears. “Let’s divorce. Listen up Brian Patrick, I don’t want us to over flog this issue, if you watch closely you would see my father and granny staring at us through the window. My father has warned me not to have anything to do with you anymore and he is beginning to feel irritated seeing you frequent his villa. So once you get the email, please sign the divorce and that puts an end to us.” Her voice was still and offensive as her
“You can’t be my delivery boy looking all unkempt, scraggly and barefooted. Here you are,” he picked up a pair of new slippers and tossed at me, “This is for you, Brian Patrick.”He was Hoffers Greenfield CEO of Hoffers Intercontinental Foods. He was in his early thirties, burly bald-head, charismatic and a mogul of chains of food industries. He was going to be the only CEO that accepted to employ me based on my experience as a delivery boy at Morgan Group.“Thank you, boss! Thank you boss,” I appreciated repeatedly and swam out of my gloom as I was ready to have a fresh start, I bowed my head gratefully as I couldn’t stop glaring at this blue slippers which I never thought of buying after I lost my previous one.He took out a pair of white overall which had, HOFFERS FOOD DELIVERY inscribed at the back, and tossed at it at me. “Hence forth that will be your uniform,” he said yet further, “You see, Brian Patrick, I don’t usually employ ex convict. We have our policies. I don’t usually
If someone had told me that a time would come in my miserable life when I would be serving as a delivery boy at the wedding ceremony of my wife, I wouldn’t have believed it.Ever since my boss, Hoffers told me about the services of Hoffers Food being hired by Zion Don and Melissa for their wedding I started regretting getting a job at Hoffers. I couldn’t stop brooding over the shame, pain, and disappointment that would cloud my face on the day I would watch with my two eyes as Melissa Fanny would be taken as wife.My wife?Was this fated to be or was it coincidence? How possible was that? Being a gust was even out of it let alone being a delivery boy on duty on that day. It would definitely be the most horrible moment of my life .I had been all tears sober and moody since the news wet my ears.The Fannys rejected me because I was poor. Before I married Melissa, it had been my dream to be called their son-in-law and when I first met Melissa, I never knew she was a descendent of the Fa
Usually Hoffers Greenfield was the last soul to leave the restaurant; most times he would be the first to leave after he must have balanced the financial records with the account department.Gratefully, I brazed myself for running down to the restaurant fast enough. And once I saw his black Rolls Royce still elegantly parked at the garage I gave an appreciative nod confirming his presence; the run was worth.I was in his office now, squatting, gasping and catching my breath after running more than two hundred meters.“What is it, Brian Patrick? What are you still doing here? I thought you have left for home? What happened?” he hounded me with tons of questions as I shut my eyes still catching my breath.“Boss…Boss…” my voice broke out and then I sucked back my breath to speak yet further, “Boss my family is in deep mess,” I intoned finally and wiped mu sweating face, “I just returned now to see my father and our property outside and the house locked by our landlord.”Hoffers raised a
When I paced down to father, I met him snoring and lying carelessly on the cold ground with a sizeable bag serving as pillow. Through the flash of lightning I could see his teary face and I could tell the baldy had dried up his tears gland with weeping and gnashing of teeth.I controlled my wailing as I wept under my breath, daring not to arouse his sorrowful countenance again. Spring wasn’t friendly. The cold misty wind often blew at us with the shivering effect really scary. I gazed upon father and our property and wondered how much of such ruins would befall us.I thought I wasn’t going to stay up all night but as soon as my eyes became heavy, a striking, clapping sound of thundering broke out and without gross hesitation a heavy down pour ensued. I flinched and father did same but with at a quicker pace.“It is raining!” I murmured and lost in my gloom; whether to tend to my father or our property. I glanced around and there was no shelter at eyeshot. We were stranded in the dark