BACK IN TIME

Chapter 5 - I Am Not A Thief

The next morning, we woke up and Princewill asked me to give him the remaining money I was with so that we will buy little way and take our birth, at least wash our faces and hand brush our teeth.

I dipped my hand in my pocket and brought out the remaining little money with me and we and he took it and added it to the one that was with him and he rushed out to buy the water while I stayed back lying down.

I waited for some time before Princewill came back with sachets of water few loafs of bread for breakfast, after washing our faces, we ate the little loafs of bread and went out again to beg for money.

We went to the junction that we were the previous day but they were a lot of people there begging, so Princewill said if we stay there, we may not make anything for the day so he asked me to come that he knows somewhere else that we can go to without seeing much people begging like us.

We went to this other junction and thank God it was as he has predicted, there were just few beggars there and the people walking on that road were too generous, I think we should be coming to this place regularly Princewill.

Calm down, it is not always like this but just thank God for our daily bread of today, we sat down and people were dropping money on the plate we came with and before afternoon, we had a reasonable amount of money and Princewill went and bought something for us to eat as our afternoon food.

We ate it silently and continued begging for our dinner and money food.

This routine continued year after year until going back to my father’s house becomes a history and no longer a reality.

I forgot that I was once the heir of the wealthiest man in the world and part of the most powerful Mr. John’s family.

I can no longer carry that unrealistic identity around as if I was somebody while deep down I know I am a no body.

It was 7 years already and nothing was happening close to me getting back on my feet, without begging with Princewill, I will definitely not have anything to eat.

I do not even have any reasonable cloth to put on except for the ones we picked from the trash cans of people staying around.

We collect the material, sew them together until it forms a shirt or trouser or the day that God blesses us, we will find a nice torn shirt and amend it with needle and thread, at least we managed to purchase that one.

One day we sat down and started reasoning together.

Princewill told me that if we continue this begging like this, we will eventually die out of hunger as this begging is no longer able to fend for our lives as we are no longer children but adults that needs proper care and some major materials to keep in shape and stay alive.

What do you think we should do then?

I think we should start stealing, at least if we start stealing, we will be making a reasonable returns each day. If we can steal gold chains, wrist watches etc, we will be out of the street in few years.

No oo! I can’t do that Princewill, all my life I have not stolen anything from anyone before, how will I start to steal now, it is better I die than stealing from someone, sorry I cannot do that one with you.

You mean, you cannot steal with me but you will love to enjoy with? You think staying on the street is that simple? I still wonder how on earth you still maintained that kind of mentality even after this few years of hardship and sleeping on the street.

That means you have a stronger background that is keeping you from changing too fast but that is your secret which I won’t bother you to reveal but there is one thing you will do for me, and if you can’t do this one, that means what every that is binding us together will be over now.

What is it Princewill, your blood is too hot?

If I steal the gold, wrist watch or whatever I am able to bring back, you promise to be the one that will go to the market and sell it. Do you accept?

That is more risky now, I cannot do that one.

You mean, you cannot do that one because you think it is more risky, you have to choose one now or you if I leave here you won’t see me again, I just said let me inform you.

Ok, I will do it.

Which one again is ‘Ok, I will do it’? Which one are you doing, be specific, are you going to steal them or you will go to the market and sell them?

Princewill leave me alone, I will go and sell them because I cannot go out there and start stealing.

Better for you, in the street no one sits down and watch others make the money for them to eat, everyone will be into the game and do everything together.

Princewill asked me to stay back as he goes out to look for what to steal, he went out and came back 3 hours later and gave me three silver wrist watches and asked me to go and sell it, let us see how much that is.

I went to the market to sell it and I was asked series of questions like where did I get it which I told the person that it is none of his business and he bought them.

He was also from the ghetto, so he knows the game that everything brought to him to buy is all stolen and not purchased.

He gave me US $20 and I went back to our uncompleted building and gave the money to Princewill and Princewill started shouted.

You see what I am talking about, just in three hours we already have US $20, just imagine we do this for 9 hours each day which will amount to US $60 and multiply US $60 by 7days a week, 4 weeks a month and 12 months a year. How much do you think we would be counting here.

Princewill calm down, let me calculate what it will amount in a week before you start talking about a year.

Okay, in a week if we are able to make US $60 each day, we will have US $420 in a week, in a month we will be making US $1,680, and while in a year we will be making nothing less than US $20,160.

Wow! That is what I am talking about.

Do you see what I am talking about?

This is our year and this is how things are done here in the street.