Chapter 32

Four years later, Jacob was still living at Kabwegyre's residence. He was now a tall and averagely built young man standing at six feet.

To the Kabwegyres, he appeared quite a well-behaved young man. They were happy to have him with them. They noted how hardworking he was.

Indeed, Jacob always woke up early early in the morning and did the household chores quite promptly and perfectly. The Kabwegyres had felt proud of him and never hesitated to give him a twenty-five per cent pay rise to motivate him to continue working hard.

As a businessman who believed in hard work and rewards, Kabwegyre started wishing he had a son like Jacob. His own son, Mujaju, never took life seriously.

Apart from his affair with Lisa, Jacob was always very realistic in the things he did. Ever since a friend of the Kabwegyres had almost found them on that first day they made love when he unexpectedly drove into the compound, Jacob had warned Lisa that they had to go about their love affair rather discreetly.

He liked and appreciated her intelligence, but he knew they had to be extremely careful. Lisa had also completed her secondary education and joined a private commercial college to train as a social worker.

She usually left the house very early in the morning and came back in the evenings. But during the weekends, she would ask Jacob to take her to town for shopping, which she, like most women, loved doing.

Jacob had come to realise that Lisa loved money and fashionable clothes. Whatever money her parents gave her was spent buying new clothes.

She also liked gifts and flowers and had asked Jacob to buy her a necklace similar to his when he refused to let her have the gold chain. Jacob promised to buy her but realised it would cost him a lot of money and only asked her to be patient.

As his mind recalled the day they made love the first time, he had told her, "My love, we must be very careful from now on. You saw how we were once almost found."

"Don't worry, Jacob. My dad is a very good man. He is a Makerere University trained graduate of commerce who has realised his goals in life as a businessman and is a well travelled man."

"Sure, he is good, sympathetic, and a kind man. But I can not risk annoying him. No one likes or wants a servant who is messing with his daughter."

"He can't do anything to you. In his days as a young man, he must have had girlfriends before he met and married my mother," Lisa told him as she tried to justify their affair.

Jacob only listened as she went on, "So he understands the feelings of young people. My mum is yet another one who is very understanding and quite calm. She wouldn't do anything to hurt us, hurt me. Accountants are generally prudent people, and she is a Certified Public Accountant who always helps to look at the books of accounts of my dad's businesses. So, there's nothing to worry about."

"Don't say that, please! They are so kind to me and treat me like their own son. They are very honest people. It would be very bad if they found out because of the trust they have in me," he had cautioned her.

"I know my love, but don't worry about it so much. I love you so much, and that's only what matters most."

"Well, if you love me as you keep on saying why not assist me with your class notes and text books so that I can also study for the school certificate examinations?" He had challenged her.

"I will, my love. I will always make sure I bring you all the notes and relevant materials and textbooks."

"That's nice. But there is something else and..."

"What is it?"

"There's a friend of mine who gave me something to deliver to his mother while I was still living in Kampala. He wanted it delivered to her near the stadium, but I don't know its whereabouts."

"I'll take you there, my love. Don't worry about it," she had assured him.

True to her word, she had taken him to Mbale stadium, where they easily traced Sonny's mother. And so it was that he delivered the jewel box as his final act of tribute to his jailed friend.

Jacob had also noted that Lisa was kind and helpful to him wherever he required help. What is more, she had kept her promise and brought him the respective textbooks as well as class notes he needed for his studies as he prepared seriously for the school certificate examinations.

But he had also taken a liking to reading story books during the weekends when he never did serious reading. And so while he worked during the day inside and outside the house on the compound, he was also busy seriously studying for the examinations.

He had sat for the examinations with a lot of confidence and was sure he would do well.

It was while he was doing his exams at a centre for the private candidates that the National Resistance Army came to power in Uganda in what appeared to be victory over the regime of Tito Okello.

The NRA victory brought changes in social life as a dusk to dawn curfew was temporarily imposed on the civilian population.

To ensure sitting for his examinations, Jacob had also written to Bukirwa informing him he lived in Mbale. His request to Bukirwa was that his primary school examinations certificate be sent to him.

And like the good brother and friend he was, Bukirwa had posted the document to him through Kabwegyre's address. Jacob was indeed grateful that his stay at the Kabwegyres had paid dividends.

He was now a fine young man who had been socialised in a bourgeois home and family and knew their behaviour and traits. While at the Kabwegyres, Jacob remained true to his nature; hard working and respectful to his masters save for his affair with their daughter, Lisa.