The Dukes (Chapter Five)

 Chapter Five                                                            

 

Edited By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu 

Two months later, Desmond defiled his people’s tradition and married with diamond. His wife’s accessories were all made of diamonds, which made her to glow like the sun. Many people came to the wedding. It was a grand wedding as everyone looked beautiful in their attire. But then, the people of Obowo never stopped talking about the diamond that was used for the grand wedding. It was obvious that they are waiting to hear bad news from Prince Desmond.                                          

Desmond knew their thoughts but never bothered with it. In fact, he wasn’t troubled with the consequences. He was certain that nothing would happen to him and his wife.                                                                          

‘You’re the most beautiful woman on earth,’ Desmond said with a lovely smile one week after their wedding. ‘I am the happiest man on earth.’                                                                                                                    

Queeneth rolled her eyes and smiled as she poured herself a glass of warm milk. She was grateful to GOD to be married to Desmond, and she was also grateful, for she was already pregnant and would be a mother.                                                                                                                        

‘We’ll raise our children just like your parents raised you,’ Queeneth said. 

‘Honestly, you’re the best husband. I would say that your parents training in your life contributed to it.’                                              

Desmond nodded. ‘Yes, you’re right. My father taught my siblings and I that we could survive even without him. Anyone can make it, Queeneth. We only need to work hard.’ He paused, and said after a while. ‘My father fired Kevin from being the director of our company. Kevin started from scratch, and today he has become the director of his own big company. Precious, my sister is today our flower girl. She studied horticulture and is successful. Sophia is doing well in the entertainment industry. She is now a popular Nollywood actress. Look at me,’ Desmond smiled, looking up at his wife. ‘I am successful too. Yes, I was born with silver spoon, but that didn’t make father pamper me like most rich parents do. I am grateful and happy to GOD for everything.’ With his arms around Queeneth, he thanked GOD for giving him so much.                                                                                                        

Queeneth smilingly took a sip of her milk.                                                                                                                                                                                

  Time passed quickly, and soon the day for Queeneth’s delivery approached. She gave birth to cute and adorable twins; a boy and a girl.               

Desmond didn’t know how to express his thankfulness for all that had happened in his life. The joy he felt was indescribable, as he felt sweetness all over him.                                                                                            

‘Desmond Tutu,’ Kevin jokingly called Desmond when he visited Desmond and his wife at the hospital.                                                                      

  ‘You can call me Bishop Desmond Tutu, if you want,’ Desmond laughed. ‘I didn’t say I am a bishop…you know, I love JESUS but I drink a little,’ he laughed again.                                                                                          

Kevin laughed. ‘You aren’t a bishop but you are a man of greatness. Very soon, you’ll become the king of Obowo.’                                     

‘Oh, I really wish for dad to live longer so that he could continue with the ruling. I am okay with just being the Crown Prince,’ Desmond said.                                                                                                                            

‘I am so proud of you two,’ Obinna said happily to his two sons. He had come to the hospital to visit his grandchildren.                                          

Treasure was full of smile. She didn’t know how to express it in words, so she had to give Kevin and Desmond a big hug instead.                     

Sophia and Precious were around too. Everyone was happy to see the new born twins.                                                                                                  

   ‘It seems the diamond story was a myth after all,’ Sophia said with a laugh.                                                                                                                           

‘Father might hear you,’ Precious whispered to Sophia.                                

‘I already heard her,’ Obinna said, and everyone laughed. Then, he looked up at Desmond. ‘Desmond, when you become the king, the diamond story should be the first thing you erase from the kingdom’s constitution. I never believed in the bad luck attached with marrying with diamond. But I had to still pass on the story to you because my father passed it on to me. I’m certain that everyone was expecting for something bad to happen to you and Queeneth. But no, you two were  lavished with abundance of blessings. You proved everyone wrong.’             

‘But that doesn’t mean we should erase all our traditions,’ Treasure objected.                                                                                                    

‘Mum, no one is erasing anything,’ Desmond calmly turned to his mother and explained. ‘But then, the problem with the world is that we are most times enslaved because of stories that we never knew about the origins. We have to throw away most of the myths that held us bound or rather captive. Such captivity is worse than human slavery. Most people you see today might have the freedom to move about, breathe fresh air but, they are slaves of old traditional myths. They don’t do this or that because of stories told to them and the consequences attached to those stories if you break any of it.’ He paused, and continued after a while, ‘Yes, I was confused when I wanted to Marry Queeneth, but in the end I decided to follow my heart. I am glad I did. ’                                                                             

‘I understand, son,’ Treasure smiled at his son, and Desmond smiled back. 

‘Both your grandpa and grandma would have been proud of your achievements if they were still alive.’                                                        

Desmond nodded with a smile.                                                                        

It was all a joyful moment for the Duke family when the twins were brought home. Everyone came to celebrate. Of course, they brought gifts for the twins. Obinna was the happiest, and he felt grateful to have his four children succeed without depending on him.                

Four years later, Obinna died a peaceful death.  What more could he have wished for? Kevin was married to a beautiful, young medical doctor working at Federal Medical Centre and he had his business thriving day by day. Sophia followed her American-based business husband to New York, and there she joined Hollywood.  Precious, who was the baby of the house, married her lover who happens to be the CEO of one of the top leading companies in Nigeria and they both travelled to India for their honeymoon. Desmond was later crowned the king of Obowo, and just like his father, he ruled his people well.                                                          

The Dukes (Chapter Four)

 

                            Chapter Four

 

Edited by Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu 

The next month, Kevin put up his paintings for exhibition. He was surprised that all his pictures sold out at a very high price.                                

Obinna was very proud of his son, especially when Kevin told him that he was planning on buying a bigger land to start up his own big company.                                                                                             

That same month, Kevin started work on the foundation for the new company. Kevin had hired professionals to make sure that everything was done perfectly.                                                                                

‘You’ll become the richest man soon,’ Precious said proudly to Kevin, ‘just like Bill Gates.’                                                                                              

Kevin smiled at his little sister, but never said a word. He knew that he was going to be very successful in life, and silently he blessed his father for firing him. If Obinna hadn’t fired him, he wouldn’t have known that he could survive on his own. Yes, he was from a rich family but that doesn’t mean that he should be spoilt to the point that he becomes too lazy to realise that he could do something for himself.                                                                                                                

Just before the month of December ended, Desmond set out to Lagos State. He only had his bag and a few cash with him. The money wasn’t enough to start up a business, so he rang Kevin two days later to help him with some money.                                                                             

‘Kevin,’ Desmond said on the phone as he walked on the streets of Lagos State, looking around for a perfect shop to rent for his small Spare Parts Business. ‘Can you lend me some money? Maybe like a hundred thousand naira or more?’                                                                    

  ‘Where exactly in Lagos State are you?’ Kevin asked from the other side of the phone.                                                                                    

‘I’m in Ikeja right now, but,’ Desmond said, ‘I was thinking of Ikeja or maybe I could go to Ajegunle to start a small car spare parts business… What do you think?’                                                               

  ‘Ajegunle is a poor area,’ Kevin said. ‘I’d prefer you stay in Ikeja, the capital of Lagos. Your business will grow more there than in Ajegunle. But you can still succeed anywhere you go, whether in the capital or in the slums. Just follow your heart.’                                                       

Desmond nodded. ‘I know, but it’s the capital to start the business. Father withdrew all the money in my account. He left me with only twenty thousand naira.’                                                                              

   Kevin laughed. ‘Father means well.’                                                          

‘I know.’ Desmond wasn’t annoyed with what his father did, for he knew that just like Kevin he would be successful too. ‘It seems I might find my partner here,’ he said jokingly.                                                   

‘The city of Lagos is big enough to bring your future wife to you.’               

Desmond laughed and hung up.                                                                       

Before evening, Desmond received alert of two hundred thousand naira in his phone. He thanked Kevin for his generosity, then the following day, he rushed to an ATM spot and withdrew hundred thousand naira, leaving the other hundred thousand naira in his account.                                                                             

With the money he withdrew, Desmond boarded a vehicle to Ajegunle. He wanted to start from the slums of Lagos and not in the capital city. Desmond believed that since Kevin succeeded in a little town where no one knew him, he was also hopeful to succeed.                       

When Desmond succeeded in renting a small shop for a very cheap price, he travelled to the market to buy spare parts to fill up his shop. Since everything was costly, he bought most of them on credit, with the hope to pay for the car spare parts later.                                                       

Despite the business competition in the state, Desmond felt that he would surely succeed. As he never told anyone about his background, no one knew that he came from a rich background let alone being a prince.               

However, one morning as he finished attending to a customer and was counting the money paid to him, a lady walked inside the shop dressed in a beautiful yellow dress.                                                        

‘Desmond!’ Desmond Duke?’ the woman cheerfully called Desmond.                                                                                                  

Desmond looked up from the money he was counting. ‘Have we met before?’ He raised an eyebrow.                                                                        

‘Aren’t you from Obowo?’ the woman happily asked. ‘I have been seeing you around lately. You looked familiar. I think you are someone that I know but if you are not, then I should leave.’ She turned to leave.           

‘If my name is Desmond Duke, who are you?’ Desmond felt interested to know more.                                                                                               

‘I am Queeneth. I live around here…though I come from Mbaitoli in Imo State,’ Queeneth said with a sweet smile as she turned back to Desmond. ‘I have been to Obowo so many times. My aunt lives there.’              

‘That’s good to see someone that knows me even though I tried my best to hide my identity,’ Desmond said.                                                                   

Queeneth laughed. ‘The world is too small, you know.’                                     

Desmond nodded. ‘Are you living with your husband?’ Desmond asked after a while.                                                                                                       

‘I am still single and searching,’ Queeneth said jokingly and Desmond laughed. ‘I live with my aunt…somewhere not far away.’                             

Just like that, Desmond and Queeneth became friends. After a few months, there friendship became so close that Desmond told himself that Queeneth was the woman he was going to marry.                       

When Desmond was certain that Queeneth was the woman for  him, he decided to ring his father to tell him about the news. But first, he would have to propose to Queeneth before ringing his father.  He wanted to make sure Queeneth felt the same way for him.                             

As Desmond had expected, Queeneth happily accepted to marry him. That same day, Desmond rang his father.                                                    

‘Is she wife material?’ Obinna asked curiously.                                               

‘Certainly, yes,’ replied Desmond.                                                         

‘If she is as good as your mother, then I don’t think you should keep her waiting. With your business yielding profits day by day, I’m sure you’ll be able to take good care of her and your children. Bring her home already.’                                                                                                           

‘Yes, father.’                                                                                                        

‘But, remember that we do not accept diamond for our wedding…’                     

‘What if her family accepts diamond?’                                                           

‘Then, you know what to do, right?’                                                                

‘Father, I love Queeneth so much.’                                                                  

‘Oh, her name is even Queeneth. That means she’s qualified to be the next queen, am I right? Anyway, you’re a man. You know what’s best for you. You are old enough to make your own decisions.’ With that, Obinna hung up the phone.                                                                                    

That same night, Desmond walked back and forth in his living room, thinking of what to do. He was in dilemma! What was he going to do right now? He loves Queeneth so much, and didn’t want to lose her because her people married with diamond. What was he going to do now? Was he going to end his relationship with Queeneth just because of an old tradition? Desmond was indeed confused. He wanted someone to help him with the right answer. He simply wanted to do the right thing. Queeneth was his life. She was the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He couldn’t live or rather do without her.                                                                                                                       

At this moment, he remembered Kevin. His brother Kevin was full of wisdom. At this thought, he reached for his phone and dialled Kevin’s number.                                                      

 ‘Hello?’ Desmond said when the call went through.                                 

‘Yes, Desmond. You sound stressed out. Is everything all right?’ Kevin asked, pouring himself a cup of orange juice. He was eating dinner in his dining.                                                                                                        

‘Everything isn’t all right. I told you about meeting the woman I love, right?’                                                                                                                

‘Yes, you did. Did she abandon you for another man?’                                     

‘Queeneth will never do that. She loves me so much.’                                  

‘Then what’s the problem?’ Kevin lifted his glass of juice to his mouth and took a giant sip.                                                                                          

‘You know about how our kingdom forbids people from marrying with diamond…?’                                                                                                 

‘I know about how marrying with diamond supposedly brings nothing but bad luck. But then, I think that might just be a made-up-story to stop people from owning diamonds.’                                        

‘Oh, come on, Kevin. I am confused right now. Queeneth’s people accepts diamond but our people hates diamond. What do I do?’                   

  ‘As kids, we read so many stories about tortoise, right?’                   

‘What’s your point?’                                                                                          

‘Calm down, Desmond. Look, it’s obvious that those stories were just people’s imagination. They are never real. They were stories told to please us. I think the same is with our diamond story. Anyway, we don’t even know why diamond became a taboo. I asked father about it, he told me that his father, our grandfather told him that he heard the story from his father…Our people kept on passing the story from generation to generation without even knowing how it all came about. I will leave you with this piece of advice. If you truly love Queeneth, then go ahead and marry her. There is no harm in trying. Look at you now. Father left you with only twenty thousand naira. I gave you only two hundred thousand for your business. You bought most of your spare parts on credits. But today, you managed to pay all that you owe, and you have even bought a land in Ikeja, the capital of Lagos. So you see, you’re a man destined for greatness. I’m sure that you’ll get through this. So, I think that at this moment you and you alone should make the decision of your life. Follow your heart.’                                                                   

‘Thanks, Kevin.’                                                                                              

‘You’re welcome.’ With that Kevin hung up the phone.                                 

Desmond smiled, feeling relieved. He seemed to know what to do now that he had spoken with his younger brother, Kevin.

 

The Dukes (Chapter Three)

 

                                  Chapter Three                                                               

 

 Edited by Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

By the end of September, Kevin was able to secure a land where he built a small shop for his painting work.                                                            

When October came, the shop was already opened for customers and filled with beautiful paintings Kevin had made.                                              

  Kevin sat in his shop selling his paintings to his customers. Just then, Precious his sister walked into the shop. She was a tall, fair young lady with beautiful dark eyes. She looked happy.                                                

Precious was carrying a basket of flowers she had plucked from her botanic garden.                                                                                                      

‘Brother,’ she said as she walked over to Kevin, ‘It’s almost noon. I think it’s time for lunch.’                                                                                      

‘How can I go for lunch while I have customers lined up to buy my paintings?’ Kevin looked up at her and said. ‘You can go back home.’                

‘No. I should help you instead.’ Placing the basket on a table, Precious smiled at Kevin and asked, ‘What can I do to help?’                                  

‘You should help me with the selling of my paintings,’ Kevin suggested. He was holding a painting of wild roses which had a girl in white dress looking far away at the chirping birds. That girl was probably Precious.                                                                                                  

  ‘It feels really cool being in that painting,’ Precious laughed, admiring that painting. ‘I think I would have to keep that painting for myself,’ she said, turning her head to Sophia and Desmond who had just arrived. 

‘I think you should keep it,’ Sophia laughed. She was looking gorgeous in her green dress.                                                                            

Kevin stood up and smiled. ‘I wonder what it could be like to go back and live in the palace,’ Kevin said thoughtfully when there were no customers in the shop except for his siblings. He glanced round at his siblings, who were admiring the paintings at the wall. ‘I never thought I would make it without depending on father, but after living alone and being able to achieve this little on my own, I want to thank father for firing me.’                                                                                                              

‘I suppose you would do that after you expand your business,’ Desmond suggested. ‘Your pictures look great. Father would be really proud of you.’ 

‘Look at this painting. I will like to keep it,’ Sophia said, pointing at a painting which had a small building with washing hung on the clothe line. 

‘Seeing people love your paintings, I would say that I am very proud of you, Kevin.’                                                                                                       

‘Fix a day for your picture exhibition. I’m sure you’ll sell all your paintings,’ Precious suggested.                                                                                  

‘You’re amazing for saying that, aren’t you?’ Kevin’s eyes were full of smiles. ‘I will go with your suggestion. Thanks, Precious.’                                    

‘Painting was your hobby but now it’s your job,’ Precious said with a smile.                                                                                                              

‘What’s for lunch?’ Sophia suddenly asked.                                                    

‘Do we go out and grab a bite?’ Desmond suggested.                                   

‘No. I brought lunch. Since I am saving for my expansion, I decided not to spend money on restaurants. Instead I cook my own food.’                          

‘Prince Kevin, how do you manage to survive?’ Desmond turned to Kevin and asked.                                                                                                        

‘Well, I guess I should have to do anything to save enough money. Since I no longer depend on dad…’                                                                             

‘Speaking of dad….he wants Desmond to find himself a wife as soon as possible,’ Sophia said.                                                                              

Kevin looked at Desmond. ‘Don’t you have anyone yet?’                            

Desmond shook his head. ‘Not yet.’                                                            

‘You’ll surely find the right woman for you,’ Kevin sounded hopeful. ‘Let’s eat.’                                                                                                       

  With that, Kevin opened his plastic bag and produced some meat pies he had baked at home in his small oven. He handed them one each and kept one for himself. He withdrew a water bottle as well, saying that he preferred to bring water from home instead of buying from street hawkers.                                                                                       

‘Hope you’re not being stingy on yourself?’ Precious looked at Kevin worriedly.                                                                                                            

Kevin shook his head. ‘No. I think that I have learnt a lot from all these…Yes, I am a prince but then, I should learn to survive on my own. I am really glad to have our father. He has taught me a lot.’                               

‘Why should we suffer when we have all the wealth in the world?’ Sophia said. ‘I mean, we’re rich but father treats us like children from average family. He wants us to depend on ourselves not on the family. To him, we’re broke and he is the only rich person in our family. He and mum…’                                                   

‘Desmond is leaving Obowo,’ Precious interrupted.                                     

‘But why?’ Kevin asked.                                                                                    

‘Father told him to resign from his workplace and move to another place. Father literally wants Desmond to start afresh. He wants to see if Desmond could survive without any help from him,’ replied Precious.                          

 ‘Desmond is here,’ Desmond said, his expression unreadable.             

Kevin looked at Desmond, his mouth full of meat pie. ‘I am sure that Desmond will make it.’                                                              

‘What if I don’t make it on my own? What if find a woman whose people accept to be married with diamond?’ Desmond said more to himself. ‘Maybe father will reject her.’                                                           

‘When the time comes, you’ll surely know what to do,’ Kevin gently said.                                                                                                             

Desmond nodded, trying his best to smile.                                            

Soon the small meal was finished and flushed down with water. Then, Precious rolled up her sleeves and put those flowers she had brought inside flower vase, and placed them by the window.                            

After a little chat, Kevin bade his siblings’ goodbye, then continued with his work.