By: Arc
Level: 3
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Obinwanne Okeke is NOT a CRIMINAL, I say this not only because I believe it but because he told me so. I have known Obi for donkey years now and have shared over a crate of beers with him. Exactly 2 years ago, Obi walked into my lounge and after our usual high spirited hug and greetings exchange, he collapsed into silence. Minutes passed then I questioned him and he said:
“Brah, ALL IS VANITY! I have all that should make a man happy, money, cars, toys and girls. I have CEO attached to my name and my company is not some start up. I am FORBES list featured. The clubbing, TED talks, airplanes and trips, it all gets tiring. I am not happy. I crave FREEDOM, I crave peace.”
I couldn’t understand what he was saying, my friend had suddenly become Solomon, I fought hard in my head to make sense of what he was saying as I looked upon Morgan Freeman’s face and his blue uniform @ Shawshank Redemption showing on the television. After several minutes of silence, he hit my shoulders
“Kalu, where is the one place you have undiluted peace?” There was a certain fire in his eyes; I wasn’t ready for philosophical questions this fine morning. He asked the question again, this time nudging me towards the TV.
I comically shouted “Prison?” His eyes shone even brighter and he gave a firm nod
“Yes Prison! The one place I can have peace, no money, no cars, no girls, no fake pals, actually no pals at all. Beyond the reach of the over bearing family. A place where I am no longer INVICTUS OBI, just another man with a tag. Years unending of fully regimented life with zero pressure, zero expectations, the life for champions. I can finally put my head down and chase my life goal. Imagine all the pages I could write in that cell. The civilizations I could create out of my head. KALU, I NEED TO GO TO JAIL.” I laughed so hard at my childhood friend and he too joined in the hysterics. Obi had always wanted to become William Shakespeare, a lot of times he would share elaborate plots of his bestselling novels (still in his head) with me. Sadly, life hadn’t given him the chance to pen them down never mind publishing them. Writing was his obsession, I knew what it meant to him but I laughed that day at his insinuation of giving everything up for the love of writing.
A week later when he returned to tell me of his GOING TO JAIL plan and to ask for my help in executing it, I was convinced my friend had gone bonkers. Still I admired his courage to do whatever it took to find his peace, so I helped him. We came up with a plan to get the FBI’s attention, going to a Nigerian prison would be the death of my pal, no one there would give him a pen and a note pad not to mention there would be no light and he would have to sleep in his own filth. Also, even if my pal got caught in a blatant crime by our EFCC or Nigerian Police, he would be required to pay his way out and our aim would be defeated. We wanted a prison with light, a comfortable bed, outdoor activities for brainstorming and a good lavatory. We wanted a very long sentence too, so we proceeded to hatch the Unatrac Holding Limited scam. We went for the jugular, millions of dollars, enough to put my pal away for a long time (We agreed not to accept any deals, we would plead FULLY GUILTY to charges). We left bread crumbs for them to follow, email addresses, Microsoft accounts etc. and ensured he was in the US at the time the arrest was to be made.
Today, my dear friend is on the verge of making his dream come true. The life he had envisioned for himself.
- Wake up
- Brush your teeth
- Have breakfast
- Have a few squabbles with inmates (take mental notes to write about it later)
- Read a book/Write several chapters of a best seller/Update Jail journal)
- Nap
- Go outdoor for sports, join in or meditate
- Lights out
- Repeat
The bold man had done it. Now Obi is a FREE MAN. NEVER LOOK BACK IN PURSUING YOUR DREAMS. In the end he is INVICTUS, UNDEFEATED!
“You can never really tell just who’s the fraud
Truth might still be a lie like true and false” —Lupe Fiasco Form Follows Function
Disclaimer: This is a creative piece, showcasing how jail term might be attractive for a writer. I DO NOT know INVICTUS OBI and I would pretty much love to stay away from the FBI’s radar as I reminisce on a CERTAIN PROPHETIC BOMB article.
Crazy inventive guy. You got your clicks