MBEYA, 2020
Christos couldn’t stand any longer. Zander aided him in sitting. The young men were covering the grave. Christos took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. He repeated that several times. They say deep breathing brings deep thinking and shallow breathing brings shallow thinking.
“If Rayhan is alive, Nailah can also be alive.” Zander said.
“I knew Nailah was cheating me with Rayhan.” Christos said. He took the handkerchief. The last time he cried was when he was 7. That’s the last he could remember.
Zander glanced over the sky.
“The blood sample I found on my window, it was Rayhan’s. I knew it and I did nothing. When Nailah said she was going to visit her parents, I knew she was never coming back. When I heard she got an accident, that her car exploded, I knew something was wide of the mark but I did nothing.” Christos sighed. “Love blinded me, Zander.”
Zander patted his shoulder.
“I loved her too much.” His palm pressed his chest. “But in this world, it is difficult to love someone who loves you, but easy to hate someone who loves you, and love someone who hates you.”
“You need to relax.” Zander said.
“Why did she hate me? I gave her everything.”
Zander sighed.
“Nailah knew many of my secrets.”
“We’ll find her. You really need to relax.”
“Not now, Zander.”
“It’s for your health.”
“Health without reputation is unhealthy.”
“You need to calm down. Go get some sleep.”
Christos stood. “Zander, assemble all the men we have in this country. We’re searching the whole country, leaving no stone unturned. Until I find Rayhan and Nailah, there is nothing known as sleeping.”
Christos knew he was in trouble. He used all of his resources, including the president of the country who was his puppet, to start a hunt against Rayhan and Nailah. His empire was about fall and he was willing to do anything to make sure it doesn’t. He hunted Rayhan and Nailah for 30 days.