Chapter 6 Grace

On hearing Grace's intention to leave, Mr. Chukwudi became very sad, He wished the boy well and would definitely want him to further his education, but letting him go was like losing a part of hi treasure. Anyway, since it wouldn't be possible going to School from the village he let him go after blessing him.

Grace had only a month to start the building, get it to a particular level before entrusting someone to supervise and finish it even bin his absence. He met the needs of his siblings, bought some wrapper for his mother and other items for his family. He was blessed and prayed for by his whole family. Everyone was extremely happy for him. When it was time for him to leave he was properly sent forth at his place of work.

Grace, the big boy, as he was fondly called by his colleagues would be greatly missed. His father gave him some dried fish to give to aunty Patricia in the city he was seen off to the bus station by his siblings and father and bided him goodbye as the bus sped off.

On his way, as they were entering the city, driving across a bridge he sighted a tug boat that had been abandoned for some time. He had been taking this route but had never noticed the boat until this day when it caught his attention.

He promised himself he was going to come back for it. As he arrived home, the whole family were extremely excited to see him again. After he was settled and had distributed their gift to them, he spoke in confidence about his plans to start his own business here in the city. Aunty Patricia and her husband Mr. Jude didn't hide their immediate support for him. They were happy for him and encouraged him to seek proper counsel on how to go about it from his boss, and from other people in the same business.

While they were discussing, the two boys of the Jude family, who were very fond of him joined in the celebration of his success. All through his stay with MR. & MRS. JUDE, these boys were a good companion to Grace. They played and had fun together. It was as if they were related by blood.

After preparing adequately for it, Grace took the joint Admission and matriculation Board (JAMB) EXAMINATIONS the following month and passed with a high cut-off mark. For the period he was waiting to get into school, he registered the name of his company with corporate Affairs Commission. Since he was fondly called Grace at his former place of work he decided to use it as his company name. He named it " GRACE WELDING AND MARIE COMPANY LIMITED.

He rented a two bedroom flat near the port and bought some of the important welding equipment to start with. He employed a secretary to look after the office while he went around distributing his company profile to oil servicing and marine companies.

One fateful day as he was resting after going round different companies he suddenly remembered the tug boat he saw on his way to the city. He immediately stood up and went back to see if the boat was still there, and fortunately, the boat was just hanging there.

After much enquiry, he found out where the owner's office was and decided to see him the next day.

" Good day chief Edwin", Grace greeted the gentleman, who was comfortably seated on an executive swivel chair behind a wooden office table bearing files and so many documents.

Chief Edwin was in his late fifties; he looked cheerful even as he seemed very busy with a lot of work. He raised his head and peered into Grace's eyes demanding to know his mission. Grace quickly introduced himself after he eased himself into the visitor's chair facing Chief Edwin. After Grace told him why he came, Chief Edwin was overwhelmed but the smile on his face suddenly disappeared when he took a second look at Grace and doubted if he could afford it or just came around to waste his time.

The tug boat had small engine fault and had been abandoned there for over a year. No one had ever come for it, not even a call for negotiations even as Chief Edwin had put it for sale following the incessant harassment from the federal ministry of Environment and the National inland water agency (NIWA). These government agencies had written him to remove the boat because of the environmental hazard it posed and the obstruction to marine traffic in the area.

After receiving the letter, Chief Edwin slashed the selling price by half and still he couldn't get anyone to buy it. All along, topmost on his mind had been how to get this equipment out of the waterways by any means so as to get the government off his back. The deadline to remove the boat was just two days away if any offer was made, no matter the amount, he would deal.

Eager to be convinced, he looked straight into Grace's eyes and demanded to know who sent him surprised at this question, Grace answered, " Sir I was not sent by anyone; I came on my own."

The chief looked at him again and asked if he could pay 400,000 for it " This is a give away" Grace thought in his heart. A clean tug boat in that state would go for nothing less than 2 million naira.

With out bargaining, Grace thanked the man, collected his account number and dashed straight to the bank, where he made vthe N400,000 transfer and return with the deposit slip for confirmation. On seeing it, chief Edwin was extremely happy not just for the payment but mostly for relief of the burden of removing the boat.

Before the end of that day, Chief Edwin released the original documents of the tug boat including a signed sales agreement indicating change of ownership. With these in his hands, Grace reasoned this was only possible by God's Favour and bolted out of that office like a cheetah.

The following day, which was just a day before the deadline given by the government to Chief Edwin, Grace brought a crew of some mariners who helped to take the boat to a dry dockyard east of that location. After diagnosis, he found out that the engine wasn't faulty after all; he only has to brace the crank shaft housing with a solid mettalic girdle so as to keep the distance between the propeller and the chassis whenever the engine was spurting. He also did some minor changes including the engine oil, filters and a few accessories. He also did a complete body work and sprayed it. In all, within two weeks, he spent about N400,000 and got a near-brand new tug boat ready for use.

Two months after, a staff of GB Exploration and production saw the boat where it was kept and came for it. Grace didn't know anything about hiring a boat. His intention was to work on it, sell it and make some profit out of it.

In his naivety, Grace asked the Man how much they usually paid to hire a tug boat. "Ten thousand naira per day." The gentleman responded. He couldn't believe what he heard; and in other to be very sure he heard the GB guy correctly he asked again and got the same answer.

Grace was overwhelmed thinking about the kind of money he would be making per day with out working for it. He gave all the glory to God. He accepted the man's term and immediately signed a contract paper for two years after the boat was taken for inspection.

As money started entering his account every month, his generosity towards his family, Aunty Patricia's family and Mr. Angelus increased tremendously. He gave to the church the less privileged and some relative. A month after he completed his registration at school to study marine Engineering. Later, after Grace has settled down in his new location he ran into an acquaintance who told told him he saw Pabo and found out that he was in his third year studying management. He kept this in heart believing their path would cross someday.

He went to school in the morning and immediately after lectures he resumed to the office. With all his profile he dropped at every offices opened new deal for him and soon he employed some more hands to help meet up with the deadline.

Just as he wished, Grace bumped into Pabo on campus one fateful Thursday afternoon on his way back from lectures. Pabo pleaded he went with him to his room in the hostel. He accepted and followed him. On their way, Grace noticed some boys older than him bowing to greet him. When Grace saw the fourth person bowing, he became curious and asked why they were greeting him with such great respect. He smiled, feeling proud of himself. Just follow me and I will tell you everything, he promised. As they entered the hostel the two boys who were walking closely behind them refused to enter the room but rather stood outside by the door as gaurds.

Grace could not understand any of this at all. He wondered how and when Pabo became this great. So many questions rang in his head, but he decided to keep his cool while waiting patiently to hear the full gist from Pabo himself.

His suspensions were confirmed when Pabo told him he's the capon of a very powerful group on campus and would want to introduce him to them this evening. Grace could not believe what he just heard. But then he remembered how dangerous they could be. He's been warned about them. It was believed their hearts got twisted as soon as they got involved.

Without sounding offensive, he politely declined pabo's offer, stressing it against his fate. As he said that, he stood up to leave at that instance. But before leaving he asked Pabo to think about God's love for his life and asked himself if his father would be proud of his lifestyle here in campus? As he was about to step out Pabo called him back? He pondered over what Grace just said. Does God truly love him? Was he really at the wrong place? But then, he remembered how his father had trampled on his ego. Just then he responded to Grace's statement by pouring out his heart against his father and blamed him for everything.

At this point he felt emotional but didn't show it. To suppress his emotion he smiled wryly and continued. My group should get all the credit for making me the man I am today. My father never cared for me or my siblings but the group did. If not for them my self confidence wouldn't have been restored, now I live like a king in and outside my domain. After pinning his ear on pabo's tantrums, he begged him not to make the mistake his father made. On hearing that, he felt insulted and walked him out of his room. Grace felt bad but left at once.