Chapter 33

I looked at the letter and the letter looked at me. I became suddenly angered by this farce of a corporation called Punjab Corporation with its farcical officials.

I shot out of the office in mad rage and made my way to the officer's office.

He was there. Throwing the letter at his face

I asked What rubbish is this?" The officer told me with a clear tone of irony that the rubbish was a letter of termination.

"You are a mad joker!' 1 screamed at him He did not say anything.

"Your corporation is a farce!' I yelled. He looked at me and said,

'If you continue to insult me, I may have to report you to the proprietor of this Corporation. Imam Mohammed Ali does not tolerate job-seekers who harass his employees.' I cringed in fear.

So Mohammed Ali owned Punjab Corporation! And I had come to the officer with the intention of beating him up.

I suddenly changed my angry posture. Well' I said 'since you have terminated me I leave you in peace and take it in good faith.' The officer told me it was the best thing for me to do if I wanted to avoid a conflict with Imam Mohammed Ali..

I left his office without achieving my aim, which was to tell him to his face that he was a clown, and if possible beat him up.

Not knowing again where to go I decided to take a taxi to the Institutes Director to request him to put some pressure on Mohammed Ali to give me the appointment in his office as quickly as possible.

The Director was in his office, smoking a cigarette. The odour was bad. Cigarette odour had become so bad to me since I stopped smoking in order to secure employment in Ali's Group of Companies. 'I understand you have stopped smoking? the Director said. I was surprised because I had never told him this.

Who told you? was it Mmembe?' I asked Who is Mmembe?' he asked. I asked him how he came to know that I had stopped smoking. 'Mohammed Ali told me'. This gave me a greater surprise.

How did Mohammed Ali come to know? This could only mean that his agents were really keeping watch on me. Who told 'Mohammed Ali that I had stopped smoking' I asked. The Director told me that Mohammed Ali was a hydra-headed man who knew everything about someone on whom he kept watch.

'I would like you to pressurize him to give me the job quickly' I said. The Director told me that I had made a wrong choice of words, because Mohammed Ali could never be pressurized by

anybody. Pressurize isn't an appropriate word' I heard. What do you do to make him give me the job early?" I asked. I heard that nothing could be done by any mortal man to make him give me

the job. He will give you the job in accordance with his whims and caprices'.

We changed the topic and started to discuss about the town in general. Then the Director changed again to his family matters, the brilliance of his children in school and the jealou- sy of his wife. It is difficult for me' he said 'to move around with any girl because my wife is very alert.' I burst out laughing. 'Don't you love your wife.?" I asked. He told me that he loved his wife very much. 'In that case' I said 'I do not see any reason why you should need a girlfriend.' The Director became disappointed at what seemed to him to be my naivity.

'Getting a girlfriend does not mean you do not love your wife' he said. 'In fact any session with a girlfriend reminds one that he has a wife.' I told him that I felt that one who loves his wife does not need any session with another woman.' The Director gave me a lecture. You talk like this because you ar not married' he said 'Any married man finds out that at a certain point in his marital experience he needs a girl.

This has nothing to do with his love for his wife. The two are different things. It has to do with a fundamental human desire for change. . . and I believe what I am saying!' I let the matter lie there and took excuse from him.

I stopped over on my way in Christian Bookshop to buy a novel. After I had bought the novel it occurred to me that I could go to Raphael Ekanem and prove him a liar by asking him if the man from Lagos who took the position that was meant to be mine had arrived. Although I knew that there wasn't anyone from Lagos, I wanted to see Raphael Ekanem in à confusion by bringing this matter up again. I met a new face at the counter

when I was paying for the novel. After paying I asked this apparently new employee whether Raphael Ekanem was present in his office. He is there' he said 'A very good man that.' I ignored his praises and went straight to Raphael Ekanem's office.

Do you remember me?" I asked. Raphael Ekanem told me he didn't rentember me. I knew this was a lie, but I introduced myself and told him that he had. promised me a job and did not keep to it because he said a man from Lagos had taken the job he had wanted me to take. 'I don't remember any incident like that' I heard. Vowing in my mind that I was going to ensure that I embarassed him, I told him that I had infact given him a bribe of

thirty naira for the job, and that he indeed gave me the job but for the Lagos man whose coming spoilt everything.

Where is your appointment letter if I gave you a job?" he asked. I reminded him that it was the day he said I should come for the appointment letter that he also told me about this Lagos man. 'You are speaking about a different person and not me' he said there is no incident like that.' 'Are you not Raphael Ekanem?" I asked. I am perfectly Raphael Ekanem,' he said But you are speaking about an incidence that does not exist.' I told him the incident existed and that he knew it.

Raphael Ekanem shook his head and said 'I

believe you are under a certain hallucination. You must be a victim of certain personality disorder. I have never seen you since I was born.' This aroused my contempt for him. 'If I had brought

the police at the time I gave you the money,' I said 'You would have known that you had ever seen me.' Raphael Ekanem picked his biro and started to scribble something on some paper.

When he finished scribbling he looked up and said The policemen know me. They will not believe your lies against me.'

He had spoken the truth, the police would not believe me. It would have been a waste of time if I had gone to the police at that time because everybody in this town believed that Raphael

Ekanem was an angel. He was generally respected by the people.