Chapter 7 ABSENT SHADOW

The sky littered with droplets of rain as lightening danced back and forth across the face of the sky as the heavy downpour of rain fell with no signs of stopping. The rain fell with strokes that hit like a bullet, Sam couldn't help but notice the place reeked of urine and stench of shit. He had always thought Laos was a dirty city but the Southside is a whole new revelation. As they tried their best to weave through the rain till they found shelter just minutes away from Mr. Reddington's house.

Southside of Laos is one of the most dangerous places in the whole of the country so the question on Sam's mind is why Mr. Reddington would call for a meeting in a place such as this. As the rain continue to pour back and forth to the direction of the wind suddenly after a while the rain finally subsided and the group continued their journey to the mansion of Mr. Reddington.

A white mansion so beautiful and magnificent like a palace, Sam was stunned to see such a building in this ghetto of an area, he surmised Mr. Reddington must be quite influential and powerful to build a house of this magnitude in this ghetto. What further piqued Sam's interest was the attention to details of the house, every bit of thing in the house was coated with the color white and made the room give off an heavenly vibe as clean as pristine as possible that Sam was in visible awe of the architecture as well as the planning of the house which was a direct contrast of the location it was situated. They all sat down at the living room on the white couch as they await Mr. Reddington arrival.

Shortly after, a very tall figure appeared in the frame, hefty with a pot belly and a fine white suit which complimented the aesthetics of the house, the figure clearly in his late fifties with a wicked wry smile and a bald hair and grey beard. As he took a long stare at the boys then Troy voiced out saying Mr. Reddington!!! Then the boys all stood up to greet him. He then proceeded to light up his cigar, one thing Sam was impressed about him was the way he walked so confidently and the swagger with which he held the cigar and how much he commanded respect just from his aura, he quickly remembered his father because he had similar cadence and aura to him, is this what it means to be a fully-fledged man, he wondered for a while till he was met with a firm handshake from Mr. Reddington and an unusually long pause of stare from Mr. Reddington. Then, he broke the silence saying, how old are you, Kid? Sam replied I'm 16 sir turning 17 in a month sir. Then Mr. Reddington let out a smile again with his teeth as pure as a snow quite an impressive thing for a man his age, he really stuck with the white profile down to his personal being, Sam concluded. Kid, I know you are nervous its fine really, then he proceeded to pour vodka in a glass cup then asked again, what is your name Kid while passing the glass cup to him, Sam replied hesitantly Sam! Unsure of what to make of the cup that is being handed over to him as he took it reluctantly. Mr. Reddington told Sam to drink up, Sam refused saying he can't drink alcohol yet as he is not 18 yet. To Sam's surprise Troy had already lit up a cigarette and was on the third glass of the vodka, he then told Sam to loosen up a bit, you are too uptight relax. Sam was now becoming visibly uncomfortable then Mr. Reddington took him by the hand and took him for a walk till they approach the balcony of the mansion as the rain as fully settled and the sky back to it default . Look kid, I had my first alcohol when I was 12, nothing to be scared of, alcohol fuels a man kid, It sets to bond men together Sam.

Troy told me all about you kid. You have had it rough I get it but let me tell you kid. From the moment I entered the room and I saw you I was reminded of myself when I was your age; scrawny, scared and unsure of what to do to better my situation. Everything changed the day I decided to take risk to fuel my goal in life. You see Life is an unending cycle of pain blah blah blah, nobody cares Sam, that is just the truth, you have gotta fight for your dreams even if you have to go unconventional for it. My dream as far as I can remember it is to be rich as fuck, it took being a risk taker, taking life in like a man. Your pain, your battles no one cares about it man, what are going to do about it cos trust me people live in worse pain than you are so, no sob story here Sam, I'm looking for boys ready to remedy their situation no matter what so when I offer you a drink, know fully well I offer you freedom out of the cage of pity for yourself then Sam reluctantly took a sip from the glass cup. Then a wicked feedback of the aftermath of the taste was written all over Sam's face as the group busted out in laughter. Then, Mr. Reddington said now you are a man now Sam.

Sam also busted into laughter with the group then Mr. Reddington briefed the group as to how the operation for the day was going to go. He had given each of them a bicycle for the operation to ease their movement as well as prompt timing of delivery of the packages. He divided them into two groups as Sam paired with Troy and the other two kids paired with each other then he ended the speech by saying without any further ado let's make money boys. Then, Sam all of a sudden asked Mr. Reddington what was in the package as the whole place fell into a deep silence. Then , Mr. Reddington smiled again then replied you are a smart kid Sam, it is only natural you ask but as for my business policy you are not to open the package nor ask about anything regarding what the package is all about, you need to be very clear on that you hear me!! As he read their faces to see to it that is instructions are well understood then they all replied yes sir!