THE EXETA

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Simon sat quietly as he watched Marlon eat her lunch. After many attempts from Marlon to coax Simon to eat he had remained adamant and unnerving. He only sat watching Marlon eat. He had his personal resolve of not eating outside his home, excerpt at school. Something his mom had always been meticulous of them about. Even Cassie had tried to talk him to eat something after all he was not a stranger any longer. But still Simon and refused. Marlon enjoyed her Jollof rice with joy and relish. Simon watched on from the other end of the dining table as Marlon eat and replied messages on her iPhone. Simon was not really used to that kind of life. He did not really own a phone and his life have been books. He liked it that way. As he sat a thought occurred to him and smiled. His mind went back to the last statement Marlon made.  Marlon quickly caught him smile and looked up. Simon feigned solemnness but Marlon had seen him smile earlier.

            “What…! What made you smile?” Marlon inquired. Simon was surprised she had noticed it.

            “Oh!... nothing, I was just thinking. Maybe you can start by telling the meaning of that you said in that language” Simon replied. Marlon got it.

            “Funny, that language was Zulu the most spoken native south Africa language, which meant “That is how visited are treated in my home”

            “I see, that was not bad.” Simon replied.

            “So can you now tell me what had you smile?” Marlon persisted

            “As I said, I was just thinking.” Simon replied.

            “Thinking…thinking about what?” Marlon inquired.

            “How school in in South Africa is like. You have never told me anything about your school.”

            Marlon knew he was right. He needed to know. “I am currently in grade eleven. When school resume I move on to grade twelve. Our education system is similar to the American system, so we have grade instead of forms. And unlike you here, you can choose to study any course at all provided you love it and it does not conflict your personal time table.” Marlon explained.

            “I see, so you live in the capital city, Johannesburg, right?” Simo inquired.

            “Yes, I live with my auntie and her son, in Johannesburg the capital of South Africa. Like you have Accra for Ghana.” Marlon reapplied.

            “Oh, so you know stuffs about Ghana.”

            “Yes, I do, this is my second time of coming here. I came here the first time when I was eleven.”

            “Really!...I never know about that.”

            “Yes…because am not sure by the time your Dad did know my dad”

            “I do not know about that. I guess I have to ask him later.” Simon added. “I see you have a cell phone, you browse the internet a lot.”

            “Yes, the internet is s lot fun, but also get boring sometimes. What about you do you have a phone? Marlon asked

            “Yes…no but I can get one if I want to. Cell phone are not really my thing.” Simon said.

            “Oh oh…so you do not have a f*******: account.”

            “What no I tried creating one but stopped.” Simon replied.

            “What about twitter, i********:, snapchat, Imo, Jodel.” Marlon was astounded.

            “No…no …no I am not on any. How do you know so much? As I said social media is not really my thing. But I can try this w******p thing.” Simon added.

            “Wow! that is weird Simon, so all you do is in books and that’s all…”

            “No that is an under simplification, I play video game sometimes.”

            “I thought so. Nerd herds like you always love video games.” Marlon added.

            “It’s not that, I also enjoy that…” Simon said. Marlon looked so surprised with what she had gotten to know about Simon.

            “So I guess you want to follow after your father’s footsteps?” Marlon asked.

            “Okay...that is something I am also not certain about. My dad is a physicist and my mom a medical Doctor so I am still trying to learn to choose what I wanna become.”

            “Wow…you mom is a doctor. That is really cool Simon.” Marlon said

            “Yes…but it feels rather normal. It’s nothing really special. And what about you, I have always seen you dad, what about you mom?” Simon shot back.

            Marlon was already ready to override that, “My dad is s Chemical Engineer and my mom…I have no mother…she died early. That is what I know.” Marlon replied sentimentally.

            Simon was tongue-tied ephemerally, “Oh I never knew…I guess it must have been hard then growing up?”

            “No…though sometimes it feels so, I have a lovely and supporting auntie, so it all normal when you talk about normal in the normal sense.”

            “I see. For the record I must say you have done well.” Simon added.

            “Really! for what.?”

            “For being strong all these years knowing you had no mother.”

            “Simon it’s okay with this mother thing, can we talk about something like the you school which school you attend and what is your school system like?”

            “I am in high school like you and I be moving to the final year when school reopens. And my school is all boys school kind of. There are no girls there.” Simon felt weird saying that.

            “I see it no different from our mixed school Simon. It all about your focus and your vison in life. You just have to be focused.” Marlon said.

            “Yea…it is…so you have a lot of friends back home.”

            “Yes, and we do communicate via w******p a lot, we kind of miss each other.” Marlon added.

            “So you have girl -- female friends and like boy male friends back home?”

            “Yes I do Simon. I am not really the easy-going type so I try to maintain the friends I have. I most of the time, I want to be alone.”

            “I see, its good though, at least we have something in common, we both are introverts.”

            “Simon!, you do not even have any social media account. I think, am better than you.” Marlon shot back laughing.

            “I think this social media thing is really making feel less of a human. Everybody talks about tit everywhere I go.” Simon added.

            “Simon, we just following the trend and try to blend in with that status quo. Social media is the new normal and you must blend in.

            “I see…” Simon replied still not moved.

            “I see, and that is?” Marlon asked. Simon looks on surprised by the answer she was expecting from him.

            “I cannot promise anything Marlon, my books are okay for me…” Simon replied and looked at her watch.

            “I see, you have to be on your way I guess.”

            “Yes, I have, so maybe next time when I came around or you should try and visit my family one day. I have a little sister Lily, she will really love to have you around.” Simon said.

            “That is very thoughtful of you Simon, I will see if I can talk to my Dad. I don’t get to go out easily.”

            “I know understand how boring it gets for you.”

            “Yes, it gets really boring. So next time we do something different. Like watch a movies or play a game. We are on vacation and the learning can wait.” Marlon said.

            “…But I thought you had to work on your school project experiment for next academic year?’ Simon asked.

            “Yes I am building new idea in my head. I turned out that the one I was about to record…”

“ the one I kind of destroyed.” Simon interjected. Marlon shrugged, “Oh don’t blame yourself for that, that had been submitted by a friend already, so I have to build something new.” Marlon replied.

            “ I see, I will love to help when you start work on that.” Simon replied.

            “I will be glad to have a young physicist on board my project.”

            “for you information, am not a physicist yet am still discovery my elf.”

            “I know. You know something thing, I like you to try something new. Wait for me I will be back.” Marlon said and moved to her room. Simon was still sitting sat the dining table ignoramus of what Marlon was up to. After some few minutes she returned.

            “So this is my Ghanaian contact, we can talk more on phone or on w******p. I am waiting to save your contact once you call or send me a message.”

            Simon looked on for a while and took the contact of Marlon. He then pocketed it.

            “I will try, when I mean try not as in will not at all,”

            “I will be waiting. I will be counting on that.  I think we are do here. Thanks, so Simon, I really appreciate this.” Marlon complemented.

            “Sure anytime Marlon. I guess we are now officially friends now…”

            “Yes Simon…. you over qualify to be my friend….” Marlon added as both smiled at each other.

-------

Margaret moved circumspectly, into the study of Clarence Frimpong Manso. She was still on her anonymous quest to find the Exeta that Anoi had told her about. She had managed to search every look and cranny of the Frimpong Manso mansion. The Master bedroom, the living room, the kitchen, the inventory room or items cotex, Simon’s and Lily’s rooms. And now the only place that was left for her to search was the study room or library of Clarence. The study room was a very delicate room that Clarence never joked with. It was more like his secret room. His magic room. His mystery room. Clarence utilized the place any time he wanted to study. Most of the time the place was used for his personal studies as a particle physicist he still needed to learn. And the study was the perfect place to accomplish that feat.

The study was rectangular, with spiral interior designs. All round was stocked with books of different subjects written on outer shelve. Some of the subject where, Optics, Electromagnetism, Calculus, Algebra, Atomic Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Trigonometry, Cosmology, Astronomy, statistics and others. Most of the books were ancient and some contemporary. On the other side of the shelve were book on anatomy, physiology, embryology, pathology, pharmacology, surgery, biochemistry and others. Definitely, those where the book of Theresa. A square table sat in the center of the room, with four table straddled on the sides. At the windows were curtains with nice covering that moved in a coordinated fashion when the fan at the posterior exuded it cool air. One fascinating thing about the study was the Traditional Adinkra symbols that covers the top roof.

The Adinkra symbols were as small, symbolic pictures or and traditional symbols used to decorate colourful patterned cloth by fashion designers in Ghana. Designers in modern times used Adinkra symbols in creating and decorating other accessories cloths and other accessories. Artisans and crafts men such as sculptors, carpenters, and architects also used the symbols to design their products. Some corporate institutions in Ghana now use the Adinkra symbols as their institutional Symbol or Logo. On the left corner of the study was a portrait of a nicely designed adinkra symbols their literal name and locale names. Some of the portrait are depicted below as:

 ---------Margaret was in the study and now stood there naïve not knowing whish part to look first. The place felt mysterious for her with all the symbols.  All that she had come to do was to find a boxed shaped lantern that housed an emerald relic – The Exeta. Margaret moved on flipping through the books on the side of the interior of the study. She moved on but did not find anything that showed that, and ancient African relic could me hidden there. She then moved to the top sides of the room that had a pair of cupboard. Margaret tried opening the cupboard, but they were locked.  She then moved to the main square table at the center looked below it and pulled a wooden cover below and that it was four pairs of keys. She quickly took the keys and moved to the cupboard hoping to unlock them. She unlocked the cupboard but there were all full of files. She moved the file away and more files followed. She then placed the file back and locked the cupboard. She then moved around the study and searched every enclosure. Tired and exhausted, she moved away without any trace of presence of an ancient relic.

Margaret moved into her room and placed call to Anoi. It had been a long time they had spoken, and she was hoping to let her know what she had found out so far. May be their theory of the Frimpong Manso were all wrong. She had not found any ancient African relic and that was enough proof that Anoi had not been fair with her all this while. She needed more than answers. She needed to know what was going to happened now. And the only way to find that was to give Anoi a call. The call went through at it rang twice. Anoi picked up.

            “Hi Naki…what a surprise.” Arnold said.

            “Anoi…I did not find whatever you said I should find. Whatever thing you wanted, it is not in the house where I am currently.” Margaret said anxious.

            “What…how is that possible…did you search well?” Arnold shot back.

            “Yes I did Anoi, there is not place in this house I do not know. It’s not here Anoi.” Margaret added.  Anoi was silent for some time.

            “So what is going to happen now? What are you going to do about this?” Margaret asked.

            “I do not know, I guess I have to tell THE FACTOR the same thing. He will be very disappointed in me that I was not able to find the relic for him.” Anoi replied sentimentally.

            Margaret was also plunge into teetered emotions on hearing that, she hoped things will get better.

            “The last time we met you said finding this relic was the only way you can be free from this you Factor or boss. I want us to meet and think about how you can free yourselves Anoi. Can we meet? I have missed you a lot.” Margaret added.

            “I do not know about that Naki…I also miss you a lot. I hope we could meet sooner but…”

            “Then why can’t we, do not care about me any longer. Or all you were interested was to use me to get the relic for you after you get rid of me. Is it my fault when I say you do not love me anymore…” Margaret shot back.

            “Naki…things are complicated. All I want you to know that I will never forget you. You mean a lot to me and you will always do…” Arnold tried to cajole her.

            “I doubt that, the only way you can disprove my doubt of your love is for us to meet. I am not talking again. I hope the next time we talk it will not be through a cell phone, but rather you facing me in flesh.” Margaret said and ended the call abruptly.