Dysfunctional Behavior

Patience is a Virtue

Book 1

By J.M. Thompson

Published by smashwords

Copyright 2014 J.M. Thompson

By J.M. Thompson

Smashwords edition

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Chapter 1

The night was dark and there were hardly any stars visible in the sky. There was no moonlight to offer any light thereby confirming the darkness. As nature would have it. Nature will always have the final say until the end of time. The eyes can adjust to the darkness to enable limited vision. Only by instinct could one move around. The four comrades sat huddled in Sam’s hut. They were warmly dressed. The wind was hallowing like a hungry lone wolf. The trees seemed to be singing a sad song. They heard the cry of the wolf yet they were ready to face the darkness. There was too much at stake for them to think of abandoning their trip.

The nocturnal hunters were awake, and prowling, ready to pounce upon whatever was likely to be a meal. The clouds were releasing a steady continuous drizzle. It was a perfect night to execute sneaking away without leaving much of a trace. The drizzle would make it difficult to follow their tracks. The soil was hard enough to reject any footprint.

The four comrades were ready to leave their place of birth and embark upon a journey to the south. They knew that they could face a court martial if caught. They knew how ruthless their superiors could be.

Sam said ‘this is it boys, time has come for us to go. I hope that you all said your prayers’.

Tito said ‘I wish we were already on the other side’.

Was he impatient then?

‘You need to have patience and take one step at a time, and then we will all be safe’.

Tito was the only one who did not seem to be able to practice patience.

The other two chaps, Joseph and Stanley said nothing for they had their own concerns. Joseph was already missing his girlfriend that was his only weakness. He was the weak link in the chain and Sam was aware of the fact. Stanley was thinking of his mother. He was a steady fellow. He always kept his promises. He promised himself to come back one day. They all moved out of their hiding place and they headed for the forest. They ran as fast as they could towards the safety of the forest. They stopped just inside the forest for a while to ease their tension. They all inwardly said good-bye to their families and loved ones. From that point on, there would be no regrets. They had no idea of the true nature of their mission.

Sam said ‘are you all okay fellows’.

Tito said ‘yes we are fine, let us move on before someone wakes up’.

The insects around them were communicating in their own lingo. Everything else was asleep, lost in their privacy without a care, a peaceful, refreshing sleep. As it were, Sam and his three friends were on their way to South Africa in search of something more rewarding. They had been planning this for a long time whilst weighing the pros and cons. They had no funds at all, but as fate would have it, someone appeared and their task was henceforth easier. That someone had a purpose for them thus the sponsorship became available for them. Sam remembered the brief meeting he had with their sponsor.

‘Sam your country needs to send you away for political training. This journey will eventually take you to Asia. We have already made all the necessary arrangements for you. Take care that nothing goes wrong for all of you’.

The man did not tell him why he had to have political training. Why did he have to learn foreign politics?

‘Thank you for trusting and believing in me’.

‘Always remember that your country needs you’.

‘Yes sir I cannot forget that’.

‘Go well then, my son’.

Abusa regarded Sam as the son that he never had. He had taught Sam many political ideologies. It seemed leaving their place of birth was the only solution to their common problem. They carried no weapon and no provision, only Tito had his hunting knife with him. He was never without that knife; it had a history of its own with him.

Sam carried the heaviest burden of them all, yet he could not tell any of them. Stanley was responsible for Sam’s safety. Stanley had a faint idea regarding their mission. He suspected that Sam had connections in high places. He did not share his thoughts with his comrades. He realized that if he kept his head, he might reap useful fruits later. They were expecting to be on the other side of the border by sunrise.

Back home, everyone was asleep. None of the people was aware that their family members were en route to a distant place. The runaways were hoping to better their miserable lives and that of the nation when they returned to their motherland. They were to return being strong and purposeful, they would be in a position to rescue their fellow citizens from the dungeons of poverty. They were the only hope Abusa had of toppling the ageing dictator. They were the future of their country.

This was a post war era and there were many land mines randomly planted during the battle days. These mines already had maimed many people, some killed instantly and others died slowly. Sam and his friends knew this, they planted some of those mines but they had no clear recollection of where the deadly mines were. They would be lucky if their boots missed any of those mines. That could not keep them imprisoned in their homeland; the risk was probably worth taking and the future was beckoning.

‘We must be careful around this area, there could be mines planted here’.

Joseph said ‘that is very unlikely; most of the mines are in the open roads and around villages’.

Stanley spoke for the first time ‘We still have to be careful around here’.

He was thinking of Sam’s safety as that was his responsibility.

They were trained freedom fighters and realized that they would have to return to that monotonous life that they so detested if they abandoned their quest for a better future. Sam could not abandon the trip there was more at stake than their personal gains. To him it was a sacrifice for his country, yet the sacrifice would be in vain if he died then. He had a specific mission to accomplish. The others knew little about that mission. They would know when the time was right. Joseph would be the last person to know about their mission.

There was no place for them in the hierarchy at that time. People like them were simply there to provide a service when needed and they were sick of that. They were part of the secret force. They were responsible for certain atrocities, which were committed during the so-called struggle for freedom. The attained so-called freedom was only for a few people, the rest of the population had no access to that freedom. That freedom remained elusive for many.

The government was abusing its power thereby denying ordinary people their basic rights. There was virtually no opposition strong enough to oppose the government in real terms. The government did not allow any opposition to flourish. The government used whatever method available to crush any budding opposition.

Sam and his friends could face a court martial if someone blew the whistle on them, and the penalty was a firing squad for treason and deserting. The government would have no mercy on Sam; he knew too many things about certain people in power. He also knew that the government did not plan to usher in a democratic form of government. The President himself planned to remain in that position until his dieing moment. He was ruling the country as if it was his kingdom. He thought of himself as a king. He overlooked the fact that he had no royal blood flowing in his veins. He was simply power hungry and that made him a ruthless and a diabolic person. He lived in fear of loosing his grip on the naive masses.

Something huge crossed the path they were walking on and everyone froze. They could even smell the foul smell as the thing trudged on. The thing moved on, crushing tree branches and foliage under its solid heavy weight. It seemed to be familiar with the terrain. On scrutiny, it appeared to be of a human shape. They had never seen such a huge person before, a giant of a man. He was muttering something, his voice was gruffly and threatening. The giant moved on, Sam and his friends were virtually dead with fright, such as they have never experienced before.

They were part of a group of soldiers who had to kill their own people based on suspicion that they were collaborating with the previous white government in one form or another other. Their actions were merciless, and they seemed to have lost their human compassion. Sam and his friends somehow managed to avoid being part of the killings. Sam discouraged them from killing their own people. They would interrogate the suspects but the other fellows carried out the punishment and none of them complained. Sam acted similar to Pontius Pilate when he saw no fault in Jesus Christ but he had to appease the Jews. The rest of the group did as they pleased without feeling any remorse.

When they came across government soldiers, Sam led the way he showed no mercy then. The memory of the massacre in his father’s kraal became intense then. There were no black soldiers in the government army. The white government did not trust any black person. It was a war between blacks and whites although there were few whites showing sympathy for blacks, they could not be part of the fighting force. They could only voice their concerns at the stubbornness of the government simply for peace sake.

The freedom fighters were always enjoying seeing fear in the eyes of their victims, hearing their victims beg for mercy and killing people was a duty as they were simply obeying orders. Raping women was a bonus and a way of panting out their anger at nature.

‘Come on now fellows it is time to move on, we cannot afford to waste time’.

They were now running, tripping, falling, crawling in an attempt to get away from the giant, and they covered a lot of ground. The rain had somewhat abated which made it easier for them to navigate their course. They could keep in the general direction easier than before. It was no more about their dreams but simply staying alive which was what they have been doing all through their lives. Apparently, nothing really changes in life. Circumstances change continuously and our views change to match prevailing circumstances. This thing called fate plays a huge role in determining life’s pattern, and the strong willed seem to survive just as Sam and his friends did.

Suddenly it was raining again, this time not drizzling but pouring. They stumbled upon what appeared to be a cave. They ventured into the cave but not deep inside the opening. There was a strong nauseating stench in there. Whatever that was, it was repulsive. Then in their confusion, they heard the now familiar gruffly voice