THE MISSING LOVERS

Chapter Five

THE MISSING LOVERS

Jeff replied to Prof. Philip Miller's mail.

Your mail was received. We wish to have the details in the next twelve hours, as further delay means the school is contented.

Thank you.

Chairman,

Cherry Fields Oil and Gas Group.

Fridays were always activities day and compulsory for all the students to be in school as it formed part of their Continuous Assessment. These activities had made the school stand out among other schools. Jeff and Leon belonged to various activities groups like basketball, online games, and creativity groups. Last year, Jeff and Leon were among the students who represented the school in the Online Game Competition. They came top with two points, which they got when a player named Loving Daddy came to their rescue. They did not know who Loving Daddy was, but they had seen him one or two times. Furthermore, they accepted the help, so long as it brought two marks their way.

Today, they came to school to catch fun, not minding whose ox had been gored. They participated in the morning activities before visiting the Vice-Chancellor as a matter of promise.

When they got to the Vice Chancellor's office, they greeted the secretary and other staff and waited for his guests to leave. When it was their turn, the secretary ushered them in.

"You can go in, please."

"Thank you."

They said as they opened the door. When the VC looked up and saw them, he had butterflies in his belly instantly. They gave him his honor due to them.

"Good morning, Prof. Miller."

He gave them an incredulous glance and yelled.

"What are you doing in my office? Do you think you have the right to visit me at will?"

"Not so, Prof., we are only checking on you."

Leon informed him with an unperturbed tone. The pissed-off VC was speechless. To rub his nose in it, Jeff added.

"We are not just visiting you, we wish to remind you of the mandate to expel those miscreants."

"And if I don't?"

"You will be sacked along with them."

Leon reminded. The VC sipped his tea and burst into strident laughter. He put his teacup back into the saucer and boasted.

"Let me clarify it for you. I have the backings of the higher-ups. With The Cherry Fields Oil and Gas Group solidly behind me, there is nothing you apes can do."

The youngsters looked at each other and smirked before casting a supercilious glance at him and mocked.

"Congratulations. You have higher-ups, but please do what is necessary. Have a nice weekend."

They stomped out of his office as usual and shut the door. They appreciated the secretary.

"Thank you, secretary. Have a nice weekend."

"Same here."

'These are students from a disciplined home. Once you see them, you would know.'

The secretary thought as they walked out. Though the Vice-Chancellor was dense, he knew that his school was the school for the higher-ups in the society and that Jeff and Leon could belong to such a class. Otherwise, they would not have the effrontery to threaten him. He quickly remembered the twelve hours deadline given to him by the Cherry Fields Oil and Gas Group. He jolted and called on the security through the intercom.

"What about the students I asked you to fetch? It had been over one hour, I asked you to bring them."

"Yes, Prof., I have been searching around the school since then. I have been to most of the activity centers but could not find them."

The tea he just sipped turned bitter in his mouth. He was not aware of the fight and scandal yesterday; hence he could not attribute their absence to that. He gave Ben-G's Head of the department a call.

"Good day VC. How may I help you?"

"Can you ask one of your students, Bernard, to come and see me?"

"I don't think he came to school today. He did not come back to the department yesterday after he fought with Shirley."

"Fought?"

"Yes Prof., at your block. After they left your office."

"Prof. Prof."

The HOD called on him severally, when he got no response, he hung up. The VC was scared to hear that there was a fight in his block but more scared to know that it was not brought to his knowledge. He quickly checked the surveillance footage. He was shocked. Furthermore, he called on security to delete the video immediately.

"All right Prof."

After a few minutes, minutes, he checked, and they were gone.

"Good job security."

He was so naive to think that the footage that was recorded over twenty-four hours ago had not gone into the wrong hands. The truth was that many people had it, including Mr. Morris and his subordinate.

'What have I done to myself? How can I deign to sleep with a girl as young as my daughter?" How do I send my response to Cherry Fields?'

He looked at the time, it was 7 pm. All his staff had gone. He was lost in thought that he was not aware that he was alone in the office, and dragged himself home without sending the reply.

In an inn near the school.

Ben-G and his friends were among some hoodlums who were smoking. They looked too old for Ben-G's age, and they were discussing something inaudible holding a picture. Their corner at the inn was dark. Perhaps it was deliberately or poorly lit. The leader of the gang asked the most dreaded question.

"How much are you willing to offer?"

Ben-G rubbed his nose and pleaded.

"Just do it for me. I will pay with my services. I will bring more jobs."

The gang leader was discontented. He gave him a dismissive response while handing the photograph back to him.

"In that case, you have to wait until you bring more jobs and make enough money."

He stood up and walked to the other members of the gang, leaving Ben-G stupefied. He conscripted himself into the gang and kissed school goodbye.

At the Morris Ancestral Manor.

Jeff had sent a message to the Head of the Media Department of the Cherry Fields Oil and Gas Group to publish on all the media houses that the company had been pressing to support the School Endowment Fund but the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Philip Miller, had been a bottleneck.

"All right boss."

"I want to see it on all the media house as early as 7 am tomorrow."

"Consider it done, boss."

Cut.

Cut.

Jeff was very pleased with himself. When he told the Vice-Chancellor that he would be sacked along with the miscreants, he had his plans. He had sacked two managers and senior staff when he was eighteen years old. Dealing with Prof. Philip Miller now is a walk in the park.

Saturday Morning.

ALLOW THE EAGLE TO FLY, PROF. PHILIP MILLER.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, PROF. PHILIP MILLER.

THE EAGLETS NEED THE EAGLES WING TO SOAR.

PROF. PHILIP MILLER, THE BAD EGG IN THE EDUCATIONAL SECTOR

GIVE CHERRY FIELDS A CHANCE TO SUSTAIN THE FEATHERS OF THE EAGLE, PROF. MILLER

PROF. MILLER KILLED THE GLORY OF THE EAGLES CITY UNIVERSITY.

The nation woke up in the morning to a piece of upsetting news that the authorities considered sabotage, especially the educational sector. The Prime Minister and the Provincial Governments responsible for education condemned the act. The dailies were bearing different captions of the same story.

The radio and the television houses were not left out. Many Educational Analysts were analyzing the boosts that the Educational System would have achieved if the old fox, Prof. Philip Miller, had not been a hindrance. Jeff, Leon, and his grandfather were at the manor watching it and smiling because the share of the company had shot up drastically, while Prof. Philip Miller collapsed when he woke up to see the headlines.