C8 Straight forward

"Hello," Dr. Richard responded. "ls that Francis on the line?"

"Yes, you have to leave where you are now and

drive down to Mobil Filling Station at JFK junction. You know the Filling Station that I'm taking about?"

"Yes, I know the place."

"Then go there and wait for my assistant. l have described you for him. Are you with your car?"

"Yes."

"What make and colour is that of your car?"

"Ford focus 2015 model in sliver colour."

"Right, I will let my assistant know and describe your car for him as well but go there; he will surely meet you."

"Thanks. I'm on my way already."

"All right, just meet him."

Dr. Richard left Dice junction for the Mobile Filling Station at JFK junction to meet Francis's assistant.

The distance from Dice junction to Mobil Filling Station with your foot down hard on the wheels was about less down five minutes drive.

By 1.30pm Dr. Richard was at Filling Station and looking around trying to spot Francis's assistant, thought he never knew him.

Dr. Richard was talking a shot in the dark to begin to imagine the assistant when he was yet to meet him for the first time.

He was also checking the time anxiously as he knew it had far exceeded the time that Engineer Kennedy was being expected at the Baltimore airport. The time had come to 1.42pm. He had been waiting for the boy at the filling station for twelve minutes and was getting Impatient.

He thought maybe he could call Francis and find out what was delaying his assistant.

Francis answered Dr. Richard's call.

"I haven't seen your assistance. I'm afraid he might be missing his way if I may say."

"Hahaha... Relax Doc, he is not. He's coming and I guess he must be on his way."

"Please could you call him again and ask him to hurry. Time is not in my favour,"

"Exercise a little more patience. l assure you he's coming to meet you."

"Dr. Richard decided to take Francis at his words and remained waiting. He waited for another five minutes and began to get Impatient again. Then a call came to him and it was Francis once more.

"Hello, Doc, are you still at the filling station?"

"Yes, I'm."

"Okay, like I told you, my assistant is on his way on foot and walking towards the filling station from our office. According to him he has passed Down town Fly-over. Could you please leave the filling station and go down to meet him? l have described you and your car for him."

"How will l know the person is your assistance?"

"He is tall and fair in complexion. He carries the packet of A-10 Oil Pipeline Pit on a black polythene bag. You will definitely meet him walking towards the filling station if you go now. He is about a pole away from the filling station. Understand sir?"

"Yes, I do. I'm on my way."

Dr. Richard pulled away from the filling station immediately and drove slowly towards the Down town Flyover, carefully observing both sides of the road for a person that fitted Francis's description of his assistant.

Finally, he met the assistant after driving for about a pole from the filling station and stopped his car for him.

The assistant approached Dr. Richard and introduced himself as the person sent by Francis.

"Hop in the car."

After when the instruction was taken and action performed, they drove for about another pole's distance and stopped to make the deal.

The assistant opened the black polythene bag showed Dr. Richard the green packet of something printed 10-A on it, Dr. Richard didn't know whether that was the packet of A-10 Oil Pipeline Pit or not.

He was ignorant of the product and have never seen one before. He took it with the polythene bag and brought out the one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars wrapped in an envelope and handed it over to the assistant.

"I hope the money is complete sir," the assistant asked as him was not making any effort to count it.

"Yes,"

"This is one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars?" the assistant asked Dr. Richard again while taking a good look at the envelope.

"Yes, it is.

"Okay, sir, I'll be on my way."

"Okay, I'll give you a ride back to your office, if you don't mind. Am going to the airport."

"No thanks. l don't think is necessary sir,

"Why, any problem?"

"No really sir, I don't want some of our staff to start seeing us together. Didn't Francis tell you how we managed to bring the product out?"

"He did."

"I'll take my leave then," the assistant said as he gets down from Dr. Richard's car. "Do have a nice day sir."

The time was about 1:55pm, as Dr. Richard drove down the airport.

He wondered why Engineer Kennedy had not called. Could it be that his flight had arrived at Baltimore airport and he didn't see a ghost of himor that there cancellation of his flight taken off from New York? ln either case Engineer Kennedy with his level of knowledge should know the importance of keeping in close touch with commitment.

Is 12:00pm dot, Dr. Richard was arriving at the airport and drove straight down to the garage.

After packing is car, he headed fast to the arrival

hall, on getting there he quickly asked one of the airport staff if there is any plane that just arrived from New York within the past one hour.

The staff replied him with an emphatic no and added that the only flights that arrived the airport within the last hour are from Boston, Chicago and Kentucky. But a New York flight is expected around 2:30.

This information gathered from the airport staff put a board smile on Dr. Richard face.

He was on time at the airport after all the panic and Engineer Kennedy is yet to arrive.

As soon as he was told that the flight from New York will arrive at 2:30, he sought for one of the reception centers of the airport to cool his heels.

Soon the 2:30 will reach and all about his being tied down to waiting would come to pass.

There was some shops selling snacks and he could see one of them facing him and the attraction made his mouth water for some of the items on display.

The feeling reminded him that he had not tasted anything since morning expect his breakfast of tea and slice bread with some few cookies, which for sure, had undergone combustion to leave his stomach empty with the need for replenishment.

He saw a female attendant come out from the shop and beckoned at her. She was tall sexy looking chick, with bold eyes and blonde hair, putting on a well shaped Spare shop T-shirt and a black pants, nice fit as a runway model.

The attention give to him by the attendant was instantaneous. "Hello dear, can you please get me a slice bagger with Coca cola soft drink."

"Okay, sir, am on it." The attendant replied.

Then two people, a man and woman came and joined him on the table. The both of them were harping on the delay arrival of the flight expected from New York.

The lady was huge and dandy leaving the top of her chest exposed to create unccessary attraction from the opposite sex, while the male looked like the drive of the woman's husband but young in his prime that can seduce the woman to flirt.

They both placed order for a certain service with the attendant that served Dr. Richard.

lt didn't take long after were served before they started discussing when the flight woy arrive.

"We should have gone to the other place if we had known the flight would be delayed." The woman said to the young man.

"Yeah... Damn right. That would have been a good idea but we can't go until we finish from here." he replied.

"Who knows when the flight would arrive?" The woman said.

"lt will soon arrive. I have asked and was told the arrival time of the flight from New York is 2:30," Dr. Richard chipped in, appearing like a Mr. Do-gooder to them.

Neither of them replied Dr. Richard from the information that he revealed to them at no cost and it was too clear from their reactions that they heard Dr. Richard but took the benefit of the information ungratefully.

They just glanced that their wristwatchs and must have found out that the time of the moment was 2:15, means they have only a short while to wait again.

For the actions of this two odd people to him, Dr Richard felt shame smear his face for intruding into their business. He'd thought they would be a good company to share views together.

However the opposite was the case and he thought to seal his mouth and keep it shut as long as he countined to remain at the airport.

The two people opened their conversation again without concealing it from Dr. Richard. They did it in such a way as if tempting him to make a contribution.

Dr. Richard was aware that they had that in their minds but they he had made up his own mind not to break the vow of keeping to himself, to all that concerns the two people.

"l wonder what is delaying the flight. Our dad called as early as noon to say their flight was taking off by 1:00, the flight ought to have arrived by now." The woman said.

"Maybe their was cancellation of flight schedule by 1:00." replied the man.

Dr. Richard said nothing to the comments about the late arrival of the flight from New York. In fact, he feigned hard of hearing to their comments.

"But he could have called to tell us of the changes in flight schedule if that was the case. And who knows whether the airport authorities have made any announcements to that effect." The woman said after a pause.

"Oh... Yeah. Maybe or maybe not." Said the man.

"Will you get to find out." She asked.

"Let's stop bothering ourselves on that for now. The 2:30 landing time is almost at hand. lf we wait still then and no flight is in sight then we can go and find out the reason."

While the two people were conversing, Dr. Richard's phone started ringing. He looked at the screen of the phone, and saw that is was Engineer Kennedy's number that appeared.

"Here he is," Dr. Richard said as if talking to himself but it was an impulse from him, simply from involuntary action.

"Is that Dr. Richard on the line?"

"Yes, I am."

"Are you still at the airport?"

"Yes, I am, Are you not coming again?"

"Why, of course am coming. Our flight is delaying to take off from New York because of the bad weather."

"Oh, sorry," Dr. Richard said as he glanced through the airport window just behind were he was sitting, and saw that the weather was Clement, not suggesting any thing of the like that Engineer Kennedy was saying.

However he was not in New York to be certain that all was well with weather in New York. Perhaps the situation could be different there.

"l suggest that you go home and wait for my call when we are ready to leave New York. Engineer Kennedy said.

"You mean, I should go home?"

"Yeah.. Just go home and relax. I'll call to tell you when to come back and pick me. Am sorry for the inconveniences."

"For what it whots."

"Good. Hope your with my sample."

"Yes, I do."

"How many do you have."

"l have a packet."

"A packet is not enough Dr. Richard, You've to come at least with six packet to enable me compare them. I'm afraid of begin suppiled a sub- standard product and my company will not forgive me for my mistake."

"Don't worry, I'll try to make it up to that number before you come."

"Please do. lt's because you sound gentleman likely that am giving you concession and cancelled my planned trip to Providence."

"Just trust me. l promise you as many packets as you would like to have as comparison."

"Good, that's exactly what I want. l have to call you as l said."

"Alright, please do."

"Got to run along."

Dr Richard switched off is phone and got up to leave. He did utter a word to the two people but merely signalled them valedictory wave of hand.

They didn't respond to his wave of hand in any manner and Dr. Richard did not expect to receive a favourable response from them either. They had earlier proved to him that they were the unfriendly sort of people anyone could meet.

Dr. Richard did not finally leave the airport until the time was 2:45. He did note, however, the fact that even as at the time no flight had arrived from anywhere, let alone New York.

They he remembered once again Engineer Kennedy's advice to go home and rest. He would have been at home since he received the advice from Engineer Kennedy but a friend of his, who was an old school mate meet him while he was trying to walk across the departure hall of the airport, and the both of them stopped for a while to refresh their minds and catch up on old times.

The departure hall was overwhelmed with travelers waiting, hopping to catch up on their various flight.

They didn't seem to be looking too happy as could be seen from their faces variegated with streaks of discomfort. The reason for that was absent of plane to travel with and their travel schedule about to face virtual cancellation. Nobody among them appeared to be too happy about the situation.

This just seems to prove to Dr. Richard that Engineer Kennedy might be considered right about his revelation to him that he weather in New York was not favourable for flight take off.

"Damn, l dislikes disappointing news such as this."

Dr. Richard fussed.