TWO OPTIONS

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2:58 PM, RUTHERFORD'S RICE COMPANY

Vrooooom!

    The guard hears the sound of a bike. He walks in the direction of the gigantic black gate. As soon as he opens the gate, he sees a man with a helmet. “Who are you?” he said. 

“You again?” the guard said as soon as Silas’ opened his helmet.

“Just get out of the way and allow me to come in!” Silas screamed.

“Does this place look like your father’s company?” “Who got you a sports bike? This costs half a million dollars,” the guard added.

“How does it concern you? Get out of my way!” Silas screamed and drove the sports bike in, almost knocking the guard down.

“Bastard!” the guard screamed.

    Silas alights on a sports bike. He moves in the direction of the guard under the scorching sun. The guard is already fidgeting. Despite the fact that Silas is poor, he never misses his workouts. He has gotten 6 packs and muscular arms to complement his tallness. This makes him appear more handsome.

“Where is the CEO?” Silas screamed, holding the guard's neck. 

“Please, release me. I will tell you,” the guard said. His eyes are already red and he is breathing profusely.

    Silas has mercy on the guard. He releases him. The guard picks up a plank and hits Silas’ hand. Silas screams and holds his hand. He sees traces of blood.

“Son of a bitch!” the guard screamed and ran away.

    Silas removed his phone from his pocket. He is feeling pain, but he can’t leave for home just like that without achieving his goal. He dials Nolan’s phone number.

“Nolan, you don’t even recognize my phone number again,” Silas said.

“My phone memory was full, so I had to delete the number of irrelevant people.”

“I am irrelevant?”

“I never said that?” “What do you want?”

“My son is dying in the hospital. He fell down in school and he is badly injured…”

“And how does that concern me?”

“Nolan?” Silas screamed. He knows Nolan has turned his back against him, but he believes Nolan should be moved by his son’s condition. Silas had lent Nolan 10, 000 dollars some years ago. Nolan was able to build a rice company. He becomes a billionaire and he refuses to pay back the money he borrowed from Silas.

“What do you want, Mr. Man?”

“I need 500, 000 dollars to save my son. Can you help me with any amount?”

“No!” 

“But you can get some money from the company’s account. I will definitely pay you back.”

“We are already running in bankruptcy and we can’t allow you to add to our problem.”

“What do you mean, Nolan?” “I said I will pay you back. Just borrow me 100, 000 dollars. I will look for the remaining money elsewhere,” Silas said with tears.

“Young man, are you deaf?" I said the company lacks funds. Besides, this is a company and not a cooperative society.”

“What shall I do now?”

“You can go to a bank. They will definitely loan you some money.”

“I don’t want a money that will yield interest.”

“Then go and sleep. Your son's health will be restored!” Nolan screamed.

“Please, don't cut the call…” “How about the 10, 000 dollars you borrowed from me to run your company?”

“That?” “I am at a board meeting now." I will send it to you when we are done with the meeting.”

“You will?” Silas said with some rays of hope.

“Yeah.”

“I am in front of your company now. I will just wait for you so that you can give me the cash.”

“Then you will wait till eternity. Go home!”

“Hold on…, Nolan…, Nolan,” Silas said, but Nolan had already cut the call.

    Silas is waiting outside when three guards run in his direction. One of them is holding a sharp machete while the other two men are holding pistols. 

    Luckily, Silas sees them on time. He stands up and runs in the direction of the gate.

“Wait for us, bastard!” one of them screamed.

“You better come and carry your sports bike,” the shortest of the guards said, and they laughed.

    Silas runs into the sitting room of his apartment. The sitting room is not large enough. It has three couches, a brown center table, a quartz crystal wall clock, some flowers and a few electronics.

“Who is chasing you, Silas?” Rachel said as soon as she saw Silas. “You are even sweating,” Rachael added.

“Nolan,” Silas said, and sat down beside Rachael.

“Your friend?” Rachael said and saw blood on Silas’ hand. “You were wounded. OMG!”

“Nolan’s guard hit me with a plank.”

“I am sorry for that. I will just boil water for you, so that you can use hot water on it,” Rachael said and placed Silas’ hand on her laps.

“Thank you,” Silas said and managed to smile.

“Did Nolan borrow you any money?”

“No, he didn’t. I asked him to give me the 10, 000 dollars I lent him. He ordered his guards to kick me out.”

“That’s unfair. What shall we do now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you call your father and tell him about our plight?”

“Are you mad?” “I have told you several times to delete my father from your heart...” Silas is interrupted by his phone. He glances through his phone's screen. “It’s Mr. James on the line. What does he have to say?” he muttered.

    Silas picks up the call and says, “Good afternoon, sir.”

“Why did you leave work without permission?” James screamed.

“I can explain…” “Hold on.., sir,” Silas said, but James had already cut the call.

    Rachael sees tears on Silas’ face. She becomes compassionate. “You were fired?” Rachael said.

“Yeah. How will I get another job?”

“You will,” Rachael said optimistically.

    The next day, in the morning, Rachael ensures she does her domestic chores as a full-time housewife. She washes the dishes and cutlery, tidies the clutter and cooks.

“Darling, the food is ready,” Rachael said as she walked into the sitting room.

“I am not hungry.” 

“C’mon, Silas. You didn’t eat dinner yesterday.” “You need energy so that you can run around to save your son’s life.”

“I said I am not hungry. Are you deaf?”

“I know you are perturbed about your son’s health.” “I will go to my father's. I am sure he will give me some money.”

“You will?”

“Yes, I will,” Rachael said with a smile.

“Thank you very much,” Silas said and hugged Rachael.

“We need to go and eat now, so that we can go together.”

“I can’t follow you. Your family will have me thrown out of the house again.”

“They won’t. I have you covered.” “C’mon, darling. I made your favorite,” Rachael said and stood up from the couch.

    After breakfast, Silas rushes into his room. He changes his clothes and rushes out to meet Rachael. Rachael is sitting on a couch. She is dressed in an oiled-stained gown. A white belt travels round her waist and her feet are covered with a pair of brown sandals.

     Silas raises Rachael from the couch. The couple walk in the direction of the door.

    They take a bus that takes people to their places of work. All through the journey, they never uttered a word. Silas pays the yellow-capped driver and they alight from the vehicle.

     When Rachael gets into the sitting room, she sees her father, mother and siblings.

“Good morning, everyone!” Rachael said and tried to sit down.

“That couch is too exotic for a poor man’s wife!” Margaret screamed. Margaret was Rachael’s immediate elder sister.

“We would definitely throw that couch away when she leaves. I’m sure she is here to beg again,” Amir said and Margaret laughed. Amir is the first child and the only son of the family.

   Meanwhile, Mrs. Cora is sitting beside her husband on another couch. She was looking at Rachael with disdain and disgust. “I think I asked you not to come to this house again?” Mrs. Cora screamed.

“I am here for something important. Once I have achieved it, I won’t come to your house again.”

“As you can see, we were having a family discussion before you walked in like a devil’s sent,” Margaret said.

“She is still our daughter. Let’s hear her out,” Malam Yusuf said.

“Thank you, daddy,” Rachael said and glared at Margaret. “I need five hundred thousand dollars, dad.”

“Five hundred thousand dollars?” Amir screamed.

“That’s half a million. What do you need it for?”

“Dad, Emmett is in a critical state in the hospital. We need the money to save his life.”

“That’s a lie…” Margaret said and the door went open.

    Margaret and Amir hissed as soon as they saw Silas. 

“What do you want, pauper?” Mrs. Cora said with disgust.

“I won’t see you call my husband a pauper!” Rachael screamed.

“You call this walking ghost a husband?” Margaret said and Amir laughed. “A phantom, that’s who he is!” Amir added and spat on the floor.

“Gold digger, you want to dig from my husband's wealth again?” Mrs. Cora said. Rachael had tried to steal some money from her father two months ago. That was after Silas told her that he damaged equipment in his place of work. When Rachael heard that her husband would be taken to the police station because of that offence, she told her father on the phone. When her father wouldn’t listen to her, she promised to get money from her father by all means so that she could save her husband. It was Margaret who caught her sneaking into their father’s room. Margaret allowed her to carry out her plan before she exposed her.

“Mummy, why would you say that?” Rachael frowned.

“Young man, what do you want?”

“But I have told you, dad?” Rachael said.

“I want to hear from his mouth,” Malam Yusuf said, gazing at Silas’ face.

    Silas wants to talk, but he begins to stammer. He doesn’t know where to start from.

“I feel like killing this bastard!” Amir said. He stands up and jumps on Silas. He begins to blow Silas on the stomach. On a normal day, Silas would have beaten Amir black and blue, but he was weak because of the shame he had received from his in-laws.

“Don’t kill my husband,” Rachael said. She runs in the direction of Amir and pulls him, in an attempt to save her husband. Amir hits Rachael in the face and Rachael faints. Margaret quickly ran into the kitchen. She comes back to the sitting room, holding a mug. She pours a mugful of cold water on Rachael. Rachael coughs and jerks back to life.

“You almost killed your younger sister,” Mrs. Cora said.

“This bastard pestered me!” Amir said and sat down beside Margaret.

“I will sue you for domestic violence,” Rachael said after she had recovered.

“Your husband can’t afford such money,” Amir said and Margaret laughed.

    Silas’ phone rings. He swipes the phone's screen. “Good morning, doctor Ryan.”

“Do you have the money now?”

“No, doctor!” 

“What sort of a father are you?” “Do you love your son at all?”

“Hello…,” “Doctor Ryan…” Silas said, but the doctor had already cut the call.

“What did doctor Ryan say?”

“Our son's life is at stake,” Silas said with a quavering voice.

    Rachael stands up from the couch. She moves closer to Malam Yusuf and kneels down. “Dad, if this is the only thing you will do for us, please, do it. You shouldn’t allow your grandson to die because of my mistake.”

“Your mistake? Wow, I love that.” “Everyone knows that I am a billionaire. I can’t allow my grandson to die because of nothing. Your husband is the only hindrance here.”

“My husband?” Rachael said, surprised.

“I will give you two options. You know I am a good-hearted cleric,” Malam Yusuf said, gazing at Mrs. Cora's face. On the other hand, Margaret and Amir are eager to know the turn out of things.

“What are the options, dad?” “Tell me and I will choose one.”

“Alright, darling.” Malam Yusuf smiled. “Promise us that you will divorce Silas if I support my grandson’s health with one million naira or abide with him and I will withdraw my support.”

“To hell with you and your options, dad!” Rachael screamed. She holds Silas' hand and they walk out of the sitting room. Everyone laughs as soon as the couple leave the sitting room.

“That was a good option, dad. It’s brutal at the same time,” Margaret said.

“Just leave her alone. She wouldn’t want to lose her only son,” Malam Yusuf said.