The Snare

by David A Ogunde

  “That sounds like opening up a can of worms, and I think you know it. How would you feel if GED had the right to tell you how to spend your money? Speaking of which…” Cyndi pulled something from her desk drawer, then stood and smoothly walked to her distressed colleague. “This is for you. Your first bonus.”

  James took the check and looked at it briefly before his jaw dropped. He had never been handed this much money in his life.

  “Congratulations,” Cyndi took the liberty to say. “Keep up the good work and your next one could be more than twice that amount.” She walked a tight circle around him as he continued gaping at the £2 million check. “Now, about that loan,” she said with a sultry air, “just go ahead and accept their report. You can even take the bribe if you want and donate it to your favorite humanitarian organization if it makes you feel better. Get it approved and underway. And next time, remember not to let your emotions get in the way. What Maximos assigns he expects to be completed. Don’t come back here again without finishing what you were sent to do.” She lightly stroked the check with her long, red fingernail. “Agreed?”

  James looked up into her searching, hazel eyes, taking in the entire kaleidoscope of brown and green shades he found there. They spoke of assurance, trust, confidence, and, he was sure, admiration for himself.

  “James,” she said in a lower tone, moving closer into his personal space. “You are a good man; and you’re smart enough to know by now that the means…well, they don’t really matter. I wish the world was perfect, and that helping the people suffering in it would be simple and clean-cut. But it’s just not. In reality, there is no such thing as ‘black and white.’ There are only choices that either get you closer to your goal or take you farther from it.”

  Seeming to unconsciously press against him, Cyndi gently pulled the check from his hands and folded it twice before slipping it into the front pocket of his suit. “Just keep the goal in mind, and let the rest roll off.” One of her hands rose to his shoulder before she smoothly slid it down the length of his arm. “You can do that for me, can’t you?”

  James’s mind locked up—his thoughts colliding themselves into a stalemate. Part of him wanted to argue, to defend the clear lines between right and wrong; but it was quickly shut up by guilt. How could he dare to think he even had a right to advocate that when choices concerning Cyndi had clearly been all wrong? How dare he think he had a right to promote his conscience anymore? Obviously he had already thrown bits of his integrity out of the window, he might as well throw out the rest, the guilt insisted; he was already in too deeply to be able to get back out…

  “To the ends,” he agreed, patting his chest pocket, “by…by any means.”

  Cyndi’s eyes flashed warmly as she placed her hand over his for a brief second. “Glad to hear it,” she almost whispered. Then, she turned and walked out of the room without looking back.

  Chapter 61

  “So, how’s our Mr. Mode doing?” Maximos’ office walls were displaying a sunset cityscape, though it was still afternoon. He was reclining on a long, black sofa when he bade Cyndi enter. She perched herself on the edge of a chair across from him, her arms cradling her tablet.

  “Well,” Cyndi answered hesitantly, “we both knew that he had some semblance of a conscience.” Her voice was less sharp and firm as usual, bordering more on uncertain obsequiousness.

  “Yes.” Maximos picked at his nail as if her response bored him. “And it was your job to see it suppressed.” He glanced at her meaningfully. His slow, lagging words made Cyndi instinctively tense up like a swimmer spotting a shark fin rise from the waves as she anticipated a bite lurking just below his smooth demureness.

  She remained silent.

  “I don’t have to tell you that we can’t afford any more little hiccups,” Maximos continued. “We’re not here to play patty-cake with the leaders of the world. We’re steamrolling out a plan here; and we need all parts functioning perfectly. You’d better find another way to toughen him up, and fast, or things could prove very…disastrous for many concerned parties.” He eyed her maliciously.

  “I understand. It won’t happen again,” Cyndi agreed quickly. “Perhaps…perhaps we could send him home for a bit.” Maximos’ eyes flashed, but he said nothing as he waited for her to justify her reasoning. “Seeing his family and getting to spend some of his new fortune on them may help remind him of the benefits of doing his job correctly.”

  “It seems to be a rather weak manipulation to me…” Maximos stated as he stared up at the ceiling, “especially compared to what you’ve been offering him. Well, go ahead and try it. But send him out with a couple of more loan offers first. Let him prove he’s learned his lesson. Then, you can pile him up with some remote work and send him home for a week or so.

  “But Ms. Pale…Just know if you should fail again—if James fails again—I shall have to start taking matters into my own hands.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  After dissecting her answer with shrewd eyes that looked yellow in the false light, Maximos dismissed her with a silent wave. Cyndi rose with poise and glided from the room, the muffled thumps of her heels keeping in time with a steady, inaudible rhythm. When she got to the elevator, she peeked at her reflection in the glass. Nothing was amiss; she looked calm and controlled.

  When she got to her floor, she headed to her office in her usual efficient gait, keeping her tablet wrapped in her arms and locked to her chest—where no one would be able to see the now damaged screen, cracked by the intense pressure of her frightened, nervous hold.

  Chapter 62

  “Dad’s home! Dad’s home!” Tolu’s voice suddenly rang throughout the large house as a fancy, black car pull into the driveway. She raced from the sitting room where she’d been keeping watch into the foyer, almost slipping on a corner of the Persian rug that decorated the polished wood floor.

  “Tolu, no running in here,” chided Sarah as she rushed to the door herself and threw it open. Tolu flew out of the doorway like a shot and jumped right into James’ arms, the force pushing him back against the end of the car.

  “Oh! I missed you!” James clung to his daughter and kissed her face once before setting her down. “Let me see you! I can’t believe it—see how much you’ve grown!”

  “She seems to grow a little more every day,” Sarah commented as she reached the party.

  She reached out for an embrace and James took her in his arms. Her warmth and softness felt foreign to him, but he held on a moment longer before easing out with a smile. He had promised to make the most of this time at home and to spoil his family with all the good things they deserved; the only problem was that, at the moment, James wasn’t feeling sure about whether or not he deserved them. He pushed the thought aside to deal with later. At any rate, he wouldn’t let it spoil his homecoming.

  “Sarah.” He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long. I know it hasn’t been fair.”

  “Shhh. Let’s not start with that. You’re back now.” She reached up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “And that’s all that matters.” She smiled and looked deep into his eyes. He kissed her forehead in return.

  “Do you guys have to do that now?” Tolu suddenly whined. “I want another hug!”

  “Oh, hush,” Sarah said in a light tone as she backed up to give the girl room to reach her daddy. James picked her up again and squeezed her tight.

  “Alright. Come on inside, now. Out of this cold.” Sarah wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist and led them up the steps and into the warm house.

  “Will there be anything else for you today, Mr. Mode?” called a voice behind them.

  James half-turned to answer the driver. “No. Thank you. Have a nice evening.”

  “Same to you, sir.” The driver tipped his hat and returned to the vehicle, as Sarah shut the door against both the weather and the last several weeks of her heartache and loneliness.

  Chapter 63

  They
were a family again; and Sarah couldn’t imagine how she had gotten through the days of her husband’s absence. It was almost as if the past was a fading dream which held no relevance to the reality and happiness of the present. There was a warmth, strength, and security surrounding the household which manifested an immediate effect and resulted in Sarah excelling in her work at the museum and Tolu bringing home the first A+ in English that she’d had in a while for a short essay themed “Why my Dad is the Greatest.”

  James had read the theme with a tremendous smile on his face and complimented Tolu to no end until Sarah bade her go up and do her homework. Tolu’s face fell slightly as she obeyed, and in her heart Sarah empathized. She wanted Tolu to have as much time with her dad as possible; but she also wanted to be careful about overwhelming James. It wasn’t a question of his love or desire to enjoy his family; but after his homecoming, Sarah had noticed a bit of a difference about him. He looked worn out, overtired, and thin. And his sitting in a room with them didn’t always mean he was there. Oftentimes, a far-off look would plague his eyes when she or Tolu was talking—his attention pulled away by an invisible force he couldn’t resist.

  There was also the matter of his work. Seeming to keep holed-up in his office all day until Sarah or Tolu came to find him, he always emerged with a rushed smile and just a half of the attention span for which he was noted. It was almost as if he was at one end of an invisible rope that was constantly tugging him back to his office. It had only taken Sarah a few days to realize that even though her husband had come home, he wasn’t fully home at the emotional and spiritual level.

  Though Sarah was disappointed, she found she was more upset about it for Tolu’s sake. For Tolu’s entire life, James had been her hero and playmate. And it was crushing to watch Tolu get pushed aside for the sake of the “important work” he always had to go back to. But she did her best to keep a smile on her face and reassure Tolu that James’ work was important and they should just be glad he’s home with them and seeing him every day—even if only for a short time.

  One evening, after James had missed supper again, Sarah suggested Tolu set up a board game for the two of them to play together while she took a plate of food into the working man. Holding a plate of glazed salmon, wild rice and steamed vegetables made by their excellent new cook, Sarah was just about to knock on the slightly-open office door when she heard some voices. Standing still for a moment, she ascertained that James was on a video call and would not appreciate her interrupting. 99% of herself was engaged to turn around and take the plate back to the kitchen. But one stubborn percent locked itself onto the crack in the door and demanded to know what exactly was so important that kept him in there…and so far away from his family.

  She leaned in closer and listened.

  Some paper was being rustled, like pages being turned before James spoke in a strong and over-confident voice. “So, this is the quarterly report you wish to submit, Minister?”

  “It is the only quarterly report I have, Mr. Mode,” came a stern voice from the computer speakers.

  “These figures look very impressive. You’d be doing an incredible job…if only they were true.”

  “How dare you! Those are official ministry statistics!”

  “Sure, compiled by the same ministry that buys coal at $50 per short ton and distributes it at $250. You guys don’t fool me.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Mode. But if you don’t—”

  “Boy, Minister,” James said with amusement in his voice, “I really love talking to you via video. You should see your face right now. Now look, you know me. I’m not trying to rock any boats here. If this is the ‘official report’ you want to submit, fine. I’ll file it as such. But in order to do my job I need some real figures to work with, fair enough?”

  “Alright,” the minister gave in. “I’ll have an alternate document faxed to you within the hour.”

  “That’s more like it. Always a pleasure, Min—”

  “Another thing, Mr. Mode. I want to discuss some of the new stipulations regarding GED’s appropriation of our healthcare program.”

  “They are pretty clear, Minister. You’re the one who wanted to hand us those reins, remember? Apparently, you felt at the time that your ministry had too many other things to focus its attention on, besides the revolutionizing of your country’s entire healthcare system.”

  “Yes, but the contract I originally agreed to didn’t have these …. these atrocious caveats. I mean you’re basically demanding control over our health policy—over our people—in ways we simply can't go along with. You have to understand that.”

  “Not me, Minister, GED. And we’ve been here before. It all comes down to this: You really don’t have a choice. You wanted us to help your country, to ensure for it a future of prosperity and wellness for all citizens. And now that we are stepping in to do just that, you have this illusion that you have a choice, that you can just back out. Well, you can’t—we already own everything. Welcome to the world of capitalism.”

  “What if I simply don’t sign?” quipped the minister on screen. “What if I don’t accept the new stipulations?”

  “Then,” James smoothed on without missing beat, “I won’t be able to guarantee the confidentiality of your new net personal worth which has increased significantly in a manner which your constituents may find somewhat…devious.”

  “Damn you, James. This is not about me! With this new contract, you’re talking about controlling our population numbers! Who knows how many constituents I would even have left after you sweep through here. What are you going to use, bug spray?”

  “Minister, please. You have confused our goal with the barbarism of mass murder—what we’re talking about is nothing of the kind. Now, look, if you don't sign that contract for this new healthcare overhaul, you're effectively signing the execution papers for millions of your citizens, anyway - from disease, neglect and poor sanitary conditions. Face it. Whether you like it or not, this is the future. And it’s been known since the eighteenth century, when Thomas Malthus said the only way to save the global human population is to limit it.”

  “Then, he was a devil!” roared the minister.

  “No, he was a clergyman. Sign the paper.”

  A sharp click abruptly ended the call. And Sarah silently backed away from the door with tears streaming down her face.

  Chapter 64

  “Is there any food left?”

  James’ voice startled Sarah, as it cut through the thick silence she had wrapped around herself. She looked up at him as he walked toward the sofa she had curled up on—her back resting against the plush tuxedo arm with her legs pulled up close to her chest—and, more than hoping that he would notice her blotchy eyes and try to soothe her, she was hoping that he wouldn’t. Keeping her eyes on the verses she had been reading in her favorite Bible nestled upon her legs, she waited to feel the end of the sofa depress as her husband sat down. Then, resolving not to let herself give away any indication of the feelings she was erupting with inside, she simply answered, “Fridge.”

  “Mm.” He acknowledged her answer, yet, made no move to act upon it. Sarah didn’t look up.

  “What did you have?”

  “Fish and rice.”

  “I hope it was delivered fresh from the market. From here on, it’s going to be nothing but the best for my girl.” He flashed her a proud grin.

  Sarah looked up. She had missed seeing his smile so much, and yet this one held none of the charm that it used to. She could tell that he wasn’t really smiling at her. He was smiling at himself.

  “And what about Tolu?” she asked calmly, meeting his eyes with concern.

  “What about her? She can have whatever she wants—clothes, toys, a pony—”

  “She wants you, James,” burst out Sarah. “It doesn’t matter what all you buy her. Nothing will fulfill her longing to spend time with you - with her daddy.”

  James sighed. He hadn’t come out to argu
e; he tried to smooth out the bumps. “I know. I’m really sorry. It’s just with this new promotion and all…Well, I’m still adjusting. Still figuring out my balance between work and play, you know? Tell you what; I’ll make it up to her tomorrow, to both of you. Why don’t we take the day and go to the zoo or shopping or something, hm? Just the three of us.”

  Sarah just nodded and returned her eyes to her Bible to escape the taunting thought which crept up: I don’t believe you.

  James could feel in the atmosphere that she wasn’t convinced and automatically reached his hand out toward her. But suddenly he stopped and pulled it back again. She was right, of course, not to trust him; and he knew it would take more than a reassuring pat to convince her otherwise. Feeling at a loss, he rose from the couch. “I’ll just go get my dinner now. Wouldn’t want it to go to waste…not when there are poor children starving in Africa.” He searched her face for a hint of a smile at their long-time inside joke, but was immediately taken aback by the stormy visage that met him instead.

  “And what do you care about poor starving children in Africa?” Sarah snapped all of a sudden. “I would’ve thought that would fit right in with GED’s new population control agenda!”

  James stared at her in horror as his mind worked to process the sudden influx of what was happening and why. Only one answer made sense…

  “You… you were listening to my phone call earlier? My private business call?” His words grew louder and harsher by the moment as the enormity of her betrayal whipped through him like a firestorm. “Is this the kind of person you’ve become while I’ve been away? Who else do you spy on, I wonder?”

  “How could you, James?” Sarah ignored his queries as the flood of her suppressed thoughts and emotions erupted from their deep well. “How could you blackmail a man like that? How could you force someone to accept such an immoral agenda? And how could you say you’re coming home to visit us but never come out of the office? How can you keep working for this company? Can’t you see what they’re doing to you? It’s like I don’t even know who you are anymore. Something is very wrong here—”