CHAPTER ONE

The Chief Executive Officer studied the Curriculum Vitae for the umpteenth time, the twentieth time to be precise, and as his conscience had told him the first time he had been introduced to its bearer, the young man was hiding some cheekiness behind his handsome façade something that he wished he could place a reason on. He found no outright reason for disliking the young man but he disliked him all the same. “What is it that is making me loathe you young man?” He asked silently as the innocent job seeker faced the interviewing panel “So,” the C.E.O broke the silence, “tell us anything you think we should know about you that is not reflected in the resume but which you think can place you in a better place to clinch this job.” The in-betweens did not escape the interviewees’ attention as he tried to digest the full meaning of the question and not the implicit one. “ I know what you did last summer,” he told the C.E.O silently as their eyes inter locked but was quick enough to shift from that line of thought as his chief objective at the moment was to at least get salesman’s job for he badly needed something to hang onto as he sought for greener pastures later. “Well, I did not indicate in the C.V that my philosophy of life is ‘to work, work and work again.” ‘As you have seen from my records I was educated through bursaries from form one to form four simply because my father passed away before I was even born.” ‘And I know who killed him,’ he wanted to add. “So in my entire life, I have always strived to do my best so as help my jobless mother and siblings.” He concluded matter-of-factly. He avoided the C.E.O’s eyes lest his anger should betray him. What he did not tell them however was the fact that he also needed that job very much so as to win back the confidence of his unwedded wife who had deserted him due to bankruptcy. Theirs’ had been one set of bliss followed by another set of blast in a relationship that traced back to their days in Maseno university a time when he could swear he saw the sun rise set in her eyes. “My knees actually wobbled when I first laid my eyes on you.” He had once flattered her when she had wanted him to prove that his love was genuine. He was daydreaming of such lovely times when a question from one of the panelists jolted him to reality. “We are so sorry that we reminded you of such a painful event in your life,” the panelist had offered but Dan had not heard that part. “So, what can you achieve for the firm that will make you different from the other applicants who are also aiming for the same job as you?” “First of all, I have always believed that stooping is the prerequisite for conquering and that is why I just want to begin my career out in the field as a salesman.” They were keenly looking at him now. “If given this job, I will make it my duty to set higher sales unit goals each and every time I break my preceding sales pitch record. Besides, I will utilize the skills I have gained from other places not only to push the scales higher but also to develop a conducive environment for me to learn as much as I can from your excellent and experienced staff.” The interview had gone on for some few more minutes before they released him with a promise to get in touch with him as soon as they arrived at a decision. Meawhile, he expelled himself to his bed-sitter in Kayole where he went to indulge in some little dreaming and fantasizing of the sweet sweet memories of their happier college days. Back in those days, none of them could ever dream of ever breaking up. Theirs was a relationship headed for the clouds or the skies beyond