Money, Fame and Love

Sue Afutu · April 29, 2020

Money, Fame and Love

By Sue Afutu Creative Corner 15 Comments

Chapter 1.

The television flicked on and a woman came onto the screen reporting news for the BBC. Mr. Yaw Mensah only glanced at the screen and then fixed his gaze on the envelopes, which had been left on the coffee table nearby. He picked up one, tore it open and read the letter inside. It had no address or salutation. The words had been cut out of a newspaper and stuck onto the paper. It read;

The evil that men do lives after them.

The good is often interred with their bones.

Yaw turned over the letter but nothing had been written behind it. For a moment he was lost in his thoughts wondering who the writer of the letter was. It could be any one of his enemies. Everyone had enemies; he was only unfortunate to have some who were bold enough to write disturbing letters to him. He folded the letter and put it away in the pocket of his shirt. He would attend to it later – perhaps not that day but surely sometime in the future.

There was a knock on the door. Yaw grunted and the door opened. Miss Brew his secretary walked in, her stiletto heels reverberating in the silence of the office. Yaw looked up from the document he was working on and his eyes drank in the portrait of feminine beauty that stared back at him.

`Mr. Chris Parker is here’ she said in her usual singsong voice. `Let him in’ Yaw replied.

Pretty soon a dwarfish man walked into the room as fast as his bandy legs would allow.

‘I’m glad you could make it‘ Yaw said stretching out his palm to him. The other man took it and they shook hands firmly.

‘Shall we move to the inner room?‘ he asked, already leading the way to the place.

Once inside he shut the sound proof door and the two sunk into the overstuffed armchair.

‘I can see your business is booming‘ Chris said clasping and unclasping his fingers.

‘You’re right‘ Yaw replied.

He was the proud owner of the Yaw Mensah chain of companies which comprised hotels; constructing firms, beach resorts and supermarkets.

Undoubtedly the chief reason why his business thrived was because of his heavy affiliation with the government. He in turn supported the party and they leaned heavily on his arm.

`The last allocation you gave us was really helpful‘ Chris continued. ‘It arrived at a time when the World Bank’s allocation to the various political parties had been frozen due to some wrangling in parliament.‘

He got up from the couch, walked over to the far side of the room and leaned against the wall. `We must find a way of silencing permanently some of the big mouths in opposition‘, Chris said. Yaw nodded his agreement.

Yaw walked to the refrigerator he kept at one corner of the room and pulled out a double scotch; filled two wine glasses and handed one over to Chris.

‘Long live the People’s Democratic Alliance‘ Chris replied as they clicked their glasses together.

‘I’d be sending another sum of money into the treasury of the party. I hope it would help in making the campaign a success‘ Yaw said.

Chris smacked his lips and rubbed his palms together gleefully. `The government contracts would keep coming to your construction firm‘ Chris promised. Yaw smiled. It was all he could do to keep from doubling over in laughter. The fools, he thought to himself. He made more money from government contracts and subsequent ones that those ones generated, than he pumped into the party.

With their conferencing over, they stood up and exited the room.

Money, Fame and Love