Stranger in his Homeland

Chapter Thirty-Six

277 Chapter Thirty-Six Antony went to his brother Njikem’s office. There he explained his problem. Njikem had several connections, but none with the Ministry of Education. Besides he had not been impressed by the fact that Antony found nobody of value amongst the very beautiful Biongong girls he had introduced to him when he just came. He did not like the fact that Antony would not accept any person’s ideas on anything. Antony ended up going there alone. He was new to the environment, but the Minister was sufficiently informed on the problems involving him in the college, as presented by Zaché and the Prefet. His private secretary was from Zaché’s tribe. He was also a former pupil of his, a relationship which Zaché exploited to his fullest advantage. The Minister was always an extremely busy man. It was therefore his private secretary who opened all his official letters and arranged the order in which they were to be read and signed. It was he who determined the Minister’s attitude towards decisions to be taken in certain troublesome cases. Zaché had written a personal letter to him as soon as he sensed that Anthony was trying to unseat him. The man had promised to do his best to ensure that Zaché retained his job and that his enemies were dealt with accordingly. This was the man that Antony had to speak to first, if he needed to see the Minister of Education. When Antony came the man gave him time to explain the reasons for wanting to see the Minister. This was mere formality for it was part of his plan with Zaché, if not the whole plan, that Antony must never be allowed access to the Minister. After Antony had spoken, he told him that such a complaint would be better written down. Antony told him he had already done so. In fact he had spent the whole that week drafting the form the complaint would take, and had come out with a tenpage petition which he immediately handed over to the man. 278 Linus T. Asong The man took the document, carelessly glanced through the first five pages and then told Antony that the Minister was too occupied at that moment to see him, and that he would be busy for the next month. He told Antony that, besides, the Minister did not usually discuss such matters with the individuals concerned directly. He told Antony to go away, that he would take up the matter with him and then inform Anthony on the decision taken “as soon as practicable”, in writing. Antony was insistent, but the man would not permit him. In the end he lost his temper and spoke to the man rudely before going away. He was hardly ten yards from the office when the man in a fit of anger tore the petition into bits and threw it into the waste paper basket. As could have been expected, Antony’s depression deepened more and more. To come to Tetseale and return to Sigili-Mundu without seeing the Minister meant that he was condemned to work with Zaché and his murderous clique forever. He had always loved duty, not because of any particular rewards that it gave him, but merely because he felt very happy each time he did something well. Now he was being forced to think of the reward of his duty in Sigili-Mundu with great irritation. He had not put in all efforts in his job to court favours from people. But, and this was crucial to his whole future existence, he had not done so to be cursed, shamed and discredited. He appraised the rules, the principles in which he had always clad his actions, those rules which placed conscience and moral sense above everything that man did on this planet. For the first time he doubted them. He thought of God and his protective guiding influence, which he knew should be man’s consolation through all tribulations. This too he doubted. He doubted whether it was really God’s will that he should suffer to that extent. And that trip which was supposed to help restore him to his once buoyant spirits had only added to his anger and frustration! *** That night, he decided to drink himself drunk and forget the weariness and the fret of the world. At about 9 p.m. Ephraim led him to EXPERIMENTAL BAR, one of the most exciting spots...