The Power of A Woman: Nancy Makes Thomas Return Stolen Ring to Owner

03 Jul The Power of A Woman: Nancy Makes Thomas Return Stolen Ring to Owner

Thomas had never been one to spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about how he looked. He was fortunate to possess reasonably clear skin and a pair of unguarded eyes. His hair rarely required extensive effort to shape into an acceptable appearance. His tall, lean, and fairly muscular stature made him look good in almost any style of clothing, regardless of whether it was formal, casual, or downright ragged. Even clad in gardener’s gear that was often covered with sweat, mud, and grass stains at the Adekunle estate, Thomas still had the ability to appear classy and even a touch distinguished.

On this particular morning, the day after he met with Moji Adekunle, he did not exude the confidence in his appearance that he had exhibited in the past. He stood in the bathroom, staring into the mirror for nearly an hour, shaping and then reshaping his hair in every conceivable manner.

At one point, Nancy stood in the doorway and watched in amazement. “If you want,” she suggested, “I could just shave your head so you won’t have to worry about your hair anymore.”

Thomas grimaced. “Very funny,” he muttered.

Nancy giggled. “You know, there are quite a few women out there who think bald men are very sexy.”

For the first time since he’d entered the bathroom, Thomas turned away from his reflection. He looked at her quizzically. “Are you one of those women?” he wondered.

She flashed an amused smile. “I’m more interested in the man beneath the hair,” she replied. Thomas turned back to survey himself in the mirror once again. “I’m not looking to attract women today,” he said. “I’m looking to impress people who may want to do me a favour. The manager at the bottling company I met the other day at the local pub said he may introduce me to his managing director today.”

“That’s good news,” Nancy said and cracked, “Then you’d better keep the hair. It’s a well-known fact that even the most powerful men in the world would never attempt to kill a man with great hair.”

The remark made Thomas wince, but he could not help but laugh. “Excuse me while I brush my teeth,” he said.

“Again?” Nancy gasped. “How many times have you done that already?”

“Two. Now I’m going for three.”

“You’ll brush the poor things right out of your gums!”

“I’ve already had three cups of coffee this morning,” he told her. “I need to get the brown gunk off my teeth and the coffee smell out of my breath.”

Nancy let out a laugh. “I suppose I shouldn’t give you a hard time because you want to make a good impression,” she said. “No matter what happens, I have no doubt that you will be the most immaculately groomed person in the room. I laid your suit out on the bed for you. You’ll be happy to know that I pressed it — again! — and that I picked out a very nice tie that will make you appear both politically professional and fashionably stylish.”

Thomas rinsed the toothpaste out of his mouth. “Are you making fun of me?” he wanted to know.

Nancy sniggered. “Maybe just a little,” she admitted. “But seriously, Thomas, I am very proud of you. I’m sure everything will go well. I feel very confident that this day will change your life forever.”

She flashed a smile as she turned away and walked out into the kitchen.

Although not completely satisfied with his appearance, Thomas accepted the fact that he could not possibly make himself look any better. He towelled his face dry, checked his hair one last time, and wandered into the bedroom. There he found his suit carefully set on the bed for him, just as Nancy had described. He smiled at the sight of it. He was eternally grateful for her undying support. Knowing that she believed so strongly in him and his abilities made him feel invincible.

Thomas picked his favourite pink shirt up off the bed, handling it as delicately as possible so as not to infect it with even the tiniest of wrinkles. As he slid the shirt off the bed, he heard the clank and rattle of something hitting and then rolling across the hardwood floor. The sound startled him and he stepped back for a moment. Finally, he noticed something on the floor. He carefully spread the shirt out on the bed before leaning over to retrieve the object.

Nancy was pouring herself a cup of coffee when Thomas shuffled into the kitchen wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and a towel around his shoulders. His entrance startled her, and the expression on his face made it clear that he was no longer in a particularly euphoric mood.

“What’s wrong?” she asked cautiously.

Thomas raised his hand, holding the ring he had stolen during the robbery between his fingers. “Why did you put this on top of my shirt?” Although he kept his voice low, there was no mistaking the sense of fury in his tone.

Nancy drew in a deep breath and shuffled her feet as if she were preparing to forcefully stand her ground. She knew that Thomas would be contentious on this subject, but the way she saw it, this was an issue that had to be acknowledged, addressed, and resolved before they would ever be able to move forward and bury their past indiscretions forever.

“Thomas, I know you don’t want to discuss this,” she said sternly, “but we can’t just ignore it and pretend that it doesn’t matter.”

Thomas started to object, but Nancy cut him off.

“I did it as well,” she announced. “I rid my life of something that I had acquired through the wrong means. I had a stash of money hidden away, all of which I had earned by walking the streets. There was quite a bit of it too, enough for us to live on for several months. I could have used it to benefit our life together, but I didn’t want either of us to rely on such means ever again. I went downtown and donated the money to a charity that benefits homeless children.”

Thomas’s eyes popped open. “Do you want me to donate the ring to charity?” he exclaimed. “I can do that! I’d be more than happy to do that!”

Nancy looked back at him blankly.

“I’m serious, Nancy!” he maintained. “This ring is probably worth a fortune, and I’m telling you the truth when I say that the original owner had plenty of money to spare. Do you know how many hungry people could be fed with the money that could be made from this ring? I’m sure several families could live off it for a long time.”

Nancy shook her head. “Thomas, I realise that you’re scared, but you need to return that ring to its rightful owner,” she insisted, “not just for his sake, but to cleanse your own soul.”

Thomas grunted. “I would love to cleanse my soul, Nancy,” he countered, “but there must be a safer way for me to do it. If I encounter this man and present him with the ring that I ripped off his finger at gunpoint, he will most likely have me arrested. If that happens, I will probably spend the rest of my life in prison.” Just for good measure, he added, “And that means that you will never see me again.”

“You don’t know that, Thomas,” Nancy countered.

“I don’t?” he asked with an ironic laugh. “I sure as hell know what I would do if a person had robbed you and me at gunpoint then strolled back up to me, handed me my own property, and said, ‘Sorry about that, Oga.’”

“Is that right?” Nancy questioned. “Go ahead, Thomas. Tell me. What exactly would you do?”

Thomas threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “I’d start by calling the police and having the thug arrested, and then I’d have this criminal prosecuted as far as the law would allow. That would be assuming that I didn’t have a gun in my possession when the jerk approached me. If I did, I would probably empty my clip directly into the bastard’s face and watch him die right in front of me. After that, I assure you that even the world’s greatest forensics expert would never come up with enough clues to ever locate the body.”

Nancy carefully studied Thomas’s face. “Is that really the kind of man you are?” she wondered.

Thomas leaned against the counter, finding himself awkwardly challenged by the question. “Nancy,” he said quietly, “there are certain truths in this world.”

“I absolutely agree with you on that,” she quickly responded.

“Please hear me out,” he pleaded. “I sincerely appreciate your faith. I see all the wonderful things it has done for you.”

“It has the potential to do wonderful things for you as well,” she told him. “You just need to give it a chance, and by that I don’t mean just going to church on Sunday. I mean embracing the lessons and then applying them to your life.”

Thomas’s shoulders sagged in frustration. “I know what you mean, Nancy,” he maintained, “and it has changed my life for the better. It has convinced me to stop justifying my criminal behaviour and to pursue a moral vocation.”

Nancy smiled with a great sense of contentment and pride.

“Unfortunately,” Thomas pressed onward, “not everyone in the world shares your faith, and thus they are not nearly as forgiving as you are. They are very angry, and in most cases in this city, they have a right to be. I must admit that the man from whom I stole this ring has a tremendous right to be furious. He also has the right to seek justice.”

“Justice or vengeance?” Nancy asked.

“Call it what you will,” Thomas continued, “but he’s entitled to his fury and he is entitled to see the man who perpetrated such a wicked crime against him and his wife be punished.”

Nancy gently placed her hands on Thomas’s bare shoulders. “I understand what you’re saying,” she said softly, “but I sincerely believe that you need to move beyond your fear, embrace your faith in God, and do the right thing.”

Thomas felt some unexpected tears well up in his eyes. “I do want to do the right thing,” he insisted, “and it’s not my faith in God that’s lacking. It’s my faith in humanity.”

Nancy’s mouth softened into an encouraging smile. “Get dressed,” she quietly urged. “I’ll go with you.”

 

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Ralph Mordy was  an imposing figure. Tall, lean, and bald, it only took three paces of his long legs to cross his spacious office, four if he shuffled. He scratched his chin, absorbed in deep thought with each step. Thomas sat in the leather chair opposite Mordy’s polished wooden desk, desperately trying to keep from shaking. He could swear he felt his vital organs bouncing around inside his body. He had the sensation that at any second, one of them might completely explode, causing him to die right there on what appeared to be a brand-new designer carpet.

As he sat and watched Ralph Mordy, the esteemed and powerful Finance Director of the enormously successful Harrison Construction Company, contemplate the situation, Thomas once again wondered how he had let Nancy talk him into doing this. He had remembered seeing Mordy’s business identification card the night of the robbery. He recalled the name ‘Ralph’, but he could not be sure if that was a first name or a surname. There was no forgetting the Harrison Construction logo on the ID card.

Harrison was one of the most notable companies in the city of Lagos, perhaps in the country of Nigeria. It was widely recognised as the most favoured construction corporation of the federal and state governments, and its logo was prominently displayed at most construction sites around the country. The company logo was even plastered across the front of all the construction workers’ hard hats. Thomas wished that the man he had robbed was someone who had worked for a company that was not so well-known. That way, he would not have recognised the logo and he would have had a legitimate excuse for not returning the ring.

As she had promised, Nancy accompanied him to the Harrison corporate office building, which was an impressive high-rise structure. Its glass exterior reflected the sun so sharply that the building appeared to be shrouded in a special shaft of light. In his freshly pressed business suit, Thomas did not look out of place as he entered the building’s lobby, but he felt as if the entire world was staring at him as he approached the reception desk. Even with Nancy at his side, he felt fragile and vulnerable. Deep down, he just wanted to charge out through the revolving door and disappear into the crowds on the street. His footsteps echoed on the shiny marble floor as he walked, and the reception desk looked as if it were several miles away.

When he finally reached the desk, Nancy took a step backward. Thomas looked back at her nervously, but she urged him forward with an encouraging nod. He briefly closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and turned to the receptionist.

“My name is Thomas Katta and I’m here to see Mr. Ralph,” he stated, trying to quell the trembling in his voice.

The woman appeared confused. “I’m afraid there is no Mr. Ralph,” she responded.

For a moment, Thomas felt a sense of glee. He’s not here! He doesn’t exist! I don’t have to do this! He was just about to tell the receptionist that he must have been mistaken and that she should “Have a nice day,” when she squashed his euphoria.

“Perhaps you mean Mr. Mordy,” she suggested, “Mr. Ralph Mordy?”

All the air was instantly sucked from Thomas’s lungs. “Yes,” he just about managed to concur.

A sliver of hope then bubbled within Thomas’s soul. It was possible that Ralph Mordy was not the man who had been in the car the night of the robbery and that the ring did not belong to him. If that were the case, perhaps he could appease Nancy by donating the ring to a worthy charity, which might allow him to purge that entire horrific event from his soul.

The receptionist punched a few buttons on her intercom system and spoke into the receiver. She then looked up at Thomas and said, “Mr. Mordy is not familiar with you, Mr. Katta.”

Nancy took a step forward. “Please tell Mr. Mordy that this is in regard to his missing ring,” she said.

The receptionist appeared confused, but she relayed the message. A moment later, she hung up the phone and pointed down the corridor. “You can take the elevator up to the twelfth floor,” she instructed.

Thomas looked nervously at Nancy, who smiled and nodded. He then drew in a deep breath and tried to keep his knees from wobbling as he walked toward the elevator bank. It was as if he were walking through a swamp of molasses, but finally he reached the elevator, turned around briefly to catch Nancy’s encouraging nod of the head, and stepped through the doors.

Now sitting in Ralph Mordy’s twelfth-floor office, his insides shaking and his palms sweating, all hope of mistaken identity had completely evaporated. The man pacing about the office was definitely the same man who had been driving the car the night Thomas and Fanni had committed the robbery. Thomas would never forget Ralph Mordy’s face.

Mordy stopped pacing for a moment and studied the ring in his hand. “My wife has been severely traumatised since the night of the robbery,” he said quietly. “Her blood pressure has erratically shot up and down. She has been hospitalised a few times to ensure that she wouldn’t have a stroke. She hasn’t been sleeping well either. She has nightmares and panic attacks. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. That is not to say that I’ve handled it so bravely. The last time I got mugged was when I was at university. I had stayed out very late, which was not a very smart thing to do. I got jumped on my way back to the campus. I didn’t have anything of value for the thugs to steal. They took the cheap watch I was wearing and a few coins from my pocket. Then to make the effort seem like it was worth their energy, they beat me up. It’s amazing what some punks need to do to feel like men.”

Thomas pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed the sweat off his brow. Mordy walked up to him and held the ring in front of his eyes.

“Do you see those letters?” he asked quietly. “Those are my wife’s initials. She had the ring engraved before our wedding. She wanted it to symbolise how we would be together forever.”

The tall man turned his head and sniffed as if he did not want Thomas to see him becoming emotional. Thomas, however, made no efforts to hide his despair. Tears welled up his eyes and he sobbed.

“I hope you can forgive me, Mr. Mordy,” he cried. “I came to Lagos with the intention of living a noble life. I studied sociology at the university and had started teaching, but as you may know, it is not a financially rewarding career in this country. I could barely take care of my parents and siblings who depended on me. There were no better employment opportunities in my Ife, so I came to Lagos, hoping to establish a new life. Unfortunately fate, or should I say Lagos, conspired against me. Every effort I made didn’t seem to matter, and after job-hunting for months I became frustrated, and as fate had planned it, I ended up in a hole.”

Mordy listened intently and even nodded a few times. “The city can do that to people,” he agreed. “If you don’t get a break at just the right time, you can fall into a very deep hole. Once you do that, it is very difficult to get out.”

Thomas was surprised by Mordy’s response. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, so he just kept talking. “I did fall into a deep hole sir,” he said, “a very deep hole. When I think of it now, I can’t believe some of the things I did and the way I was able to somehow justify them in my mind.”

Mordy resumed his pacing as Thomas recounted such things as his night in the jail cell, Mani’s murder, and some of the things he had done when he worked for Kenny.

“But I swear to you, Mr. Mordy, that I am not a lost cause,” he quickly added. “I have discovered that I am a very good writer. I am scheduled to meet with some people at Governor Taylor’s office next month to discuss my future working for the Governor as a speech writer.”

Mordy smirked. “Governor Taylor could certainly use a new speech writer,” he remarked. “He hasn’t delivered a decent oration since the New Lagos Manifesto.”

Thomas was tempted to jump up and take credit for what had become a legendary piece of writing, but he held himself back. Thus far, Mordy was being reasonably civil toward him. This was not the right time to say something that might make him sound like a liar.

“My girlfriend has also had a difficult time making ends meet,” Thomas went on. “She was a promising student, but she had to drop out to support her younger brothers. Like so many others, she was forced to do things that would be described as immoral just to ensure that she had a roof over her head and food to eat. She has since pulled herself out of that life through her faith and she has helped me to do so as well. She encouraged me to return the ring as a means of cleansing my soul and renouncing my past life. I was so afraid to come here today, Mr. Mordy. I knew I couldn’t keep the ring for my own profit, but I didn’t want to seek you out for fear you would have me arrested. All I can do now is beg for your forgiveness and hope you will find it in your heart to give me a chance to lead a just life.”

By the time he reached the end of his sentence, Thomas was crying full force. Mordy actually had to listen closely because Thomas’s words were so garbled with sobs that it was not always easy to understand what he was saying. He watched Thomas’s face carefully, taking in every gesture, expression, and inflection.

Thomas finally looked up at Mordy to gauge his reaction. Mordy, however, did not provide him with any tangible clues as to what he was thinking. Although he had shown some signs of being sympathetic, at least to a certain degree, his face had suddenly become stoic.

“Please excuse me for a moment,” Mordy said as he pulled his mobile phone out of the small leather pouch that was clipped to his belt. He punched a couple of keys on the device and held it to his ear. “Hi honey,” he spoke into the phone. “I have some very interesting news for you. You won’t believe who is sitting in my office right at this moment.”

He then turned around and paced to the other side of the room. Thomas could no longer hear what he was saying, but he winced at the idea that Mordy was speaking to his wife. This woman, after all, had been severely traumatised by Thomas’s actions, and even if Mr. Mordy was willing to forgive him, it was highly unlikely that his wife would feel the same way. Suddenly Thomas found himself sweating through his dress shirt. His hands were shaking so badly that he had to sit on them to keep his arms from flailing and looking like a maniac.

It was clear that Ralph Mordy was deeply devoted to his wife, just as an ideal husband should be. He would do whatever it took to release her of her trauma, fear, and anxiety. If that meant ensuring that Thomas was locked up and could no longer harm her or anyone else, Mordy was probably willing to press charges to the utmost extent of the law.

Thomas could hear Mordy speaking at length under his breath, but he could not make out what he was saying, not that it mattered. At that point, he was sure that nothing would be able to save him from facing the consequences of his participation in the robbery. Mordy seemed to be spending an extremely long time on the phone. Sometimes he would talk at length and other times he would just hold the mobile up to his ear and listen for what seemed to Thomas to be an eternity. The longer Mordy remained on the phone, the more Thomas was tempted to jump out of his chair, bolt out the door, speed his way down twelve flights of stairs, and charge out into the streets in the slim hope of becoming lost among the rest of the Lagosians roaming through the streets of Victoria Island. Before his willpower expired and he made a crazed attempt to escape, Mordy flipped his phone shut and slipped it back into its belt pouch.

“My wife works in the high-rise down the street,” he told Thomas. “She wants to come over and see you. I told her that wasn’t necessary, but she was very insistent.”

Thomas felt his stomach flip over as if he were riding a roller-coaster. It had been bad enough having to look into the eyes of one of the people he had victimised. He could not bear the thought of doing it again.

“Please wait, Mr. Katta,” Mordy said softly. “We will carry on when she arrives.”

With that, Mordy took a seat behind his desk and began tapping keys on his computer. Thomas sat back and tried to calm his nerves. He kept telling himself that whatever was about to happen was way beyond his control and that he would simply have to accept the outcome.

For several minutes, the only sound in the room was the clicking of Mordy’s computer keys. Every once in a while, he would stop typing, sit back in his tall leather chair, and study the image on his monitor. From his seat on the other side of the desk, Thomas could not see what Mordy was working on, but by this stage, he did not really care.

Thomas had no idea how long he had been sitting across from Mordy in the quiet office. To him, it could have been hours, perhaps days, but it was most likely in the realm of ten minutes. He was startled out of a trance when the office door slowly opened.

Mordy jumped up from behind his desk and ran over to the door. He greeted his wife with a sweet kiss on the cheek. Thomas’s throat tightened. He remembered the woman well, although the last time he had seen her, tears were streaming from her eyes and Fanni was slapping her in the face. Now wearing a tailored business suit with her hair beautifully styled, she looked both striking and professional.

“Mr. Katta,” Mordy introduced, “this is my wife, Halle.”

Thomas jumped up to his feet out of respect, but he almost fell to the floor when his unsteady knees wobbled. “I am… I… should have… I mean…,” he stammered.

She stood back and waited for him to collect his thoughts.

“I cannot begin to express how sorry I am for my actions,” Thomas blurted. “There is no excuse. I sincerely apologise for the trauma I have caused you and I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Halle nodded, glanced at her husband, and then turned back toward Thomas. “I had to see you,” she said seriously. “I had to look into your eyes and hear your voice. I would not have been able to rest until I did.”

Halle Mordy’s gaze travelled all over Thomas’s body, from the top of his head all the way down to his shoes. She took a tense moment to study his face, staring deeply into his eyes. Thomas felt so uncomfortable that his first impulse was to look away, but for some reason, he did not. He looked back into Halle’s eyes and tried to see into her soul. He had never felt so vulnerable in all his life.

Halle took a step backward and walked over to her husband. She hooked her arm inside his and leaned up against his tall frame. He looked down at her and she nodded.

Ralph Mordy drew in a deep breath. “Mr. Katta, you are aware that my wife and I will never completely forget what happened that night in Ikeja.”

Thomas tried to stand up straight and appear as forthright as possible, preparing himself for the inevitable verbal blow that was going to come crashing through his ears.

“It took a great deal of courage for you to come here today,” Mordy went on. “I certainly must credit you with that. Still, this is not an incident about which we can merely shake hands and forget the whole thing.”

Thomas nodded cautiously. “I understand,” he said, stifling the fear that was building in his throat. “I am hoping you will give me a chance to do something valuable with my life.”

Halle smiled. “You must have been reading our minds,” she said with a laugh. “That is precisely what we want you to do.”

Thomas’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure he completely comprehended Halle’s message, but he suddenly felt rather more optimistic.

“My wife and I realise how difficult it is for young Nigerians to establish secure, long-term careers,” Mordy stated. “We were very fortunate. Once we graduated from the university, we were able to acquire internships with two prominent companies. We worked for a while for no salary. We were given dorm rooms and free meals in the corporate cafeteria, but otherwise we had to get by on our own. During that time, we made connections with executives and corporate officers, all of whom generously showed us the ropes until we were ready to take on important salaried positions. For a long time, we barely had any money, but we worked hard and eventually all that effort paid off.”

Thomas listened closely. While standing in the smart office that was assigned to Ralph Mordy, it was hard to picture him ever struggling to get by. Still, he did not doubt a word of their story.

“We know there are many people in Lagos who are willing to work just as hard as we do everyday,” Halle said, “but when they can’t find the opportunities to do so, they give up hope. We want you to have hope, Mr. Katta, and if you are willing to work hard, you will see that you can establish a nice life for yourself without resorting to illegal activity.”

Thomas nodded emphatically. “I am most certainly willing to work hard,” he assured them. “I will take any job I can get my hands on and I will put in the longest hours necessary to ensure that all my responsibilities are met.”

Mordy smiled. “That’s what we were hoping you’d say,” he replied. “Mr. Katta, my father is Nigerian and my mother is American. Halle was an American before I married her. We had all our education and training in the U.S. Soon after we returned home seven years ago, we set up a foundation that provides scholarships to Nigerian students. It allows them to study at some of the most esteemed universities around the world and make connections with prestigious corporate executives. When we award a scholarship, we expect the recipient to put in as much effort as humanly possible to get the most out of his or her education.” He paused for a moment and shot a serious expression in Thomas’s direction. “Mr. Katta, do you think you can do that?”

Thomas’s mouth dropped open. “Me?” he asked, astounded.

Halle nodded and smiled. “If you promise to make the most of this venture,” she said, “we would be happy to make you the recipient of this year’s scholarship. But if you wrote for the Governor and want to work with him again, I could put in a word for you. We’re old friends.”

Thomas was speechless. For a moment, he was not sure his ears were working properly. When the great news began to sink in, he could not mask his elation. “I can’t believe you would be so kind to do such a wonderful thing for me,” he finally gasped. “I promise you that you won’t regret it. Your generosity will come back to you ten-fold. Not only will I take full advantage of everything your scholarship has to offer, as soon as I can afford to do so, I will bestow a scholarship of my own upon a young Nigerian so he or she can have the same opportunity that you have granted me.”

Mr. and Mrs. Mordy smiled proudly.

“There is just one requirement,” Mordy said.

Thomas stopped and held his breath.

“You must be sure to extend your deepest gratitude toward your God-fearing girlfriend,” he stated. “I suspect if it weren’t for her, you probably would not have come here today.”

Thomas exhaled. “I must admit that this is true,” he confessed.

“You’ve got a good woman at your side, Mr. Katta,” Mordy told him. “Don’t let her get away. Marry her and treat her right.”

Thomas let out a laugh. “I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”