Chapter One
 
Santa was kept in a prison cell along with three inmates. The prison cell wasn’t a spacious one at all. Inmates, each having their small-sized beds, arranged in bunk forms, would tip-toe to get to what was necessary. Santa would have to tip-toe to get to the toilet, situated in the same room! Else, he would have to sleep on his bed all day! This was so because the room itself is so small that one taking a walking-step alone would inconvenience the other! The fan hung on the ceiling tells the story of an age-long ventilator whose service is next to nothing. Denied from viewing the world outside, all activities involving the inmates
- from eating that took place by them going to the kitchen to have the chefs serve their food to bathing, adjacent the room Santa was serving his term, everything Santa and his inmates did were all monitored until they returned to their abode - PR 116. There were two stand-by prison guards assigned to monitor the four-inmate PR116 cell that housed

Santa. This was his second year at the Santiago Maximum Prisons.

Santa lived a cat and dog lifestyle with his fellow inmates during his first year jail term. He had problems communicating with them because of his oozing ego. They would gang up against Santa in the early hours of the night to make his sleeping a living hell by either urinating on him or making unnecessary noise. They didn’t give a hoot if their noise-making would disturb the peace of other prisoners. Santa would be left with no choice than to wake up abruptly from his habitual deep sleeping to fight them. The Night Guards had to be on hand to halt the violence PR 116 was fond of causing during the deep night hours----times where all prisoners were sleeping.

Santa was left alone but was allowed the listening-ear opportunity to over-hear their discussions. Mario, Roberto and Vasquez hoped someday Santa would turn a new leaf---to be a part of them. Mario, tall and lanky, the oldest inmate, really did liked Santa the first time he sent his eyes on him, as later did the Short Robert and very-fat Vasquez. Most times, they showed remorse to their cold treatments to Santa all for him to ooze humility, since he was the youngest and brightest of them all.

Mario, having served four years out of his ten-year jail sentence, was sitting on the bare floor with Roberto and Vasquez, to his left and right, chose to seek Santa’s attention. Santa was on his bunk bed, upper to the bed Mario laid on. At first, he gave Mario’s attention a deaf ear but when he turned his face to look at Mario after his second call, he reluctantly came down and sat on the floor with them.

‘Hello Santa’ Mario greeted.

‘Hi’ Santa replied.

Mario saw Santa’s arrogance but wasn’t moved at all. Vasquez and Roberto looked on, shaking their heads.

Mario showed maturity as he chuckled. ‘Santa, we know it’s been difficult relating with you…It’s quite understandable, you know. I understand every man has his ego to protect, regardless of the circumstance he finds himself…Since, pride, at times, defines the strength of a man, he shouldn’t just fall for anything

he sees…He has to be very careful with the people he talks to, what he does and all other things attached. Santa, I understand. In fact, I now realise we— Vasquez, Roberto and I didn’t go about talking to you rightly. We did you wrong!’

At first, Santa’s sitting position had his face staring directly at the ceiling but when he had Mario’s last statement, his eyes starred at him. Vasquez and Roberto gazed sternly at him to know what he was about doing. Mario saw he has caught the attention of Santa. He waited for Santa’s reaction…

‘This is really funny, you know’ Santa laughed. His sadistic laughter made the duo of Vasquez and Roberto infuriated. But Mario was smiling. His laughter soon became what he meant as he continued: ‘I knew this all along that you have wanted me to join your silly gang! I’m here…PR116 to serve my jail sentence…Afterwards, I’ll be released and get the hell out of here. I got no business with you all!’

At this point, Vasquez was about taking laws into his hands by attempting to slap Santa but Mario gripped his right hand.

‘Santa, we need not to do this…Why fight when we need peace? Why do things separate when we need to co-operate? Why we worry about you when we need your presence? Santa, why?’

‘Vasquez, you had the guts to want to slap me…You really amazing…You need to check out my street credibility, my street ID…Only if you’ve known my adventures in Santiago, you wouldn’t have the nerve to attempt that terribly silly act!’

‘Mario, tell Santa to shut his mouth up, or I will do just that myself’ Vasquez responded, asking for a go-ahead from Mario. Roberto had to suppress his anger to avoid further problems.

‘Will you shut your mouth up, Vasquez!!!? ?’ Mario shouted in anger. ‘I want us to reconcile with Santa and here you are…wanting to retaliate. ‘

‘It’s for your good.’ Vasquez insinuated but was surprised at Mario’s action. ‘I want this thing to know you’re the boss!’

Vasquez couldn’t place a finger on how and when his cheeks were attacked by Mario’s repeated slaps. Roberto tried saving Vasquez from Mario’s slaps- turn-blows attacks but had some of the doses taken by his face. He was left with no choice than to return to his bunk, the lower bed to Vasquez, to endure the swollen eyes and cheeks. Santa couldn’t help but laugh out loud to the point the prison warder had to come take a look at what was happening.

‘Get out of my sight’, Mario commanded. ‘Else, the Great Beyond will be than happy to welcome you as a permanent citizen’.

Vasquez teleported to his bed in excruciating pains. That didn’t bother Mario but gave Santa the reason to laugh more soon after the warder had left. Mario permitted Santa to exhaust his laughing strength until he couldn’t laugh anymore.

‘Are you done, Santa?’ Mario asked. He wanted to confirm if at all Santa would still laugh again, having tears flowing from his eyes. Mario saw this was the best time to bring his point to bare as he

saw Santa wiping his tears. ‘I was discussing on the very need to get along before the interruption took place. Pardon me for my unruly behaviour...’

‘Apologies accepted’ Santa assured. It was obvious he wanted to listen seriously to what Mario had to say. ‘In fact, you need not to apologise…you know what, you’ve just gave me the reason for the first time in over a year in this prison cell to lend you my ear. You deserve a big thumbs up!’

‘Really? Never knew my action meant this magnitude to you… I’m humbled! Can I now continue?’

‘Of course. I’m all ears.’

Mario was more than glad to interact for the first time with Santa. Despite being in pains, Both Vasquez and Roberto paid attention to what was about to take place…the interaction between Mario and Santa, still sited on the bare floor.

‘Like I earlier said, all we wanted, forget what had just happened, was to get you along. You see, Santa, from the first day I set my eyes on you, I saw someone whose aura was quite different. I’m over thirty-two years of age and being the oldest inmate here and coupled with the life I’ve lived in the past, I can tell you’ve always wanted a crime-free life but for some circumstances… I know this is no business of mine…But I feel by letting the cat out of the bag, your secret way to a crime-free life would begin.’

That caught Santa’s attention. Shocked to the marrow, Mario’s face stared at his heart. Santa knew he has caught the Bull’s Eye. His statements has given him what he had always desired. Vasquez and Roberto were on their beds itching to hear what they’ve been craving for…

For the next three minutes, Santa kept mute…looking up, down, side-ways and at himself and shaking his head. Santa knew it was time to unearth his can of worms, having eavesdropped the conversations among them. He looked directly at Mario’s eyes in remorse, reminiscing all that happened - the story of how he became a prisoner.

‘Hmmm…Really don’t know where to begin…

I was born under the watchful eyes of a humble background. I grew up watching my mother prostitute herself - giving away her body to any man who has the bucks and what we called the ‘crack’ to give her. My father…really don’t know who he is. But my mom told me he’s dead. She said my dad died in a gun shoot-out with the police shortly before I was born. I never since then asked her who he was.

At age five, I’d started taking part in drugs. The late drug gang leader, Pablo, was the very person who introduced me to the underground business of drug peddling at the age of five. He was a known figure in Santiago. He also had some sexual relations with my mother, who was not only a drug addict, chain smoker but a junkie. Through him, I met other ‘big boys’ running the Santiago’s drug chain. At seven, I was the leader of the Young Gang Drug cult.This was an arm of Pablo’s set-up Drug Band. The kids, between the ages of five to ten, were being used to carry drugs in their bags as a cover to school. Then, when school closes, they would come go to their clients disguising as guardians…The business would be completed. After that, they would report to me

how it all went and I, being the leader, would inform Pablo. ‘Things’, in my words, ‘were going down fine’ until the long arm of the law caught up with Pablo and the Santiago big boys. Who gave the Men of Peace, the Santigoan police, about our secret operations remains unknown…

My mom sought for a place to take refuge. So, she went with me to squat with her friend, her partner in crime…always fond of hand-picking and excessive abuse of Heroin. For the next two years I stayed with Antonia, my life assumed another page of criminality stealing. While my mum would ‘hustle’ for me at the very-famous Santiago Strip club, Antonia would take me around and teach me how to stylishly cart away with people’s things----on the road, at the mall…anywhere else. At times, especially when she pretends to get a particular jewelery at a mall, she’d use me as her subordinate. Antonia had this way of hypnotising who she wanted to steal from. In the process, she gives me a ‘come along and go- ahead’ sign by playing with her fingers deceiving the jewelery owner with the rings she was having, only to buy the cheapest of the available jewelries. Like she taught me, I’d cart away gold, silver and diamond- coated jewelries without the owner taking notice. Thanks to Antonia’s hypnotic influence! How she got away with her sticky fingers of stealing still baffles

me. She would ‘compensate’ me with some fractions of what I stole - a small gold-plated chain and silver- ware wrist watch, just right for a boy of my age.

There came a time when my mother and Antonia couldn’t stomach each other’s excesses. On one occasion, my mother brought in a male client when she had just arrived from ‘steal-jewelries-from-the- mall’ activity, closing the whole place, not even minding the client in the house! But it was then discovered that some jewelries were missing. Antonia suspected my mother. But my mother insisted she wasn’t the one, perhaps her male client. If he was the one, she promised Antonia not only to ‘treat his mess-up’ but return what he’d stolen. Antonia took my mom’s assurance with deaf eyes and poured out all manner of derogatory words at her. As if that wasn’t enough, the insult to injury was at its height when she took laws in her hands by slapping her very-good friend! Then ten years old, I used the horse whip to beat the black and blue out of her. Three weeks later, she told us my mom and I must leave her place. But she gave us a month to do that. Throughout that period, my mother, still habituating in chain smoking, heavy drinking, drug-addiction, incessant prostituting and heavy partying, never attempted to whisper a word to her friend-turn- sworn-enemy, Antonia. Though it was herculean to

find an accommodation in Santiago because of high cost, my mother finally got a place, thanks to the help of one of her past male lovers, whom she told her story. The two-bedroom apartment my mother got was situated at the outskirts of Santiago. She bought fans, rugs, fans, cooking utensils and other home-use materials, furnish the place and brought all my personal effects-clothes, shoes and bags to the new place. My mother left Antonia’s two-bedroom apartment to her own three days before the deadline. That marked the end of our relationship. I never set my eyes on Antonia again.

I spent all of my teen years living in a community where the people were very moralistic, dissociated from those who were not living by the standard and by their evaluation, had the tendency of being criminals. I wasn’t an exception, as was my mother. We were always received by cold welcome. People hardly talked to us. But that didn’t bother us. All we knew was hustling in the city and when dawn was past gone, we come back home to lay our heads. Thirteen at the time, I’d leave the house with her to the city. She’d be at the strip club while I’d be around with those who I led when I was a kid - The young Drug Gang Cult - to work out some leads— how to survive on the street.I needed to fend for ‘me’ and she needed to get the money to pay back the guy

that got her the apartment. I still, till this day, DON’T KNOW HIS NAME!

The information, or what we fondly called leads, about people with the big bucks made us form the gang ‘The Undisputed’. For the next eight years, we painted the Santiago town red with our exploits - stealing, raping girls and drug peddling on a smaller scale. I had enough money to take care of myself and my mother, who was down with cancer and spending time at the Santiago Maternity Home. We came out unstained in all of our robbery operations, took away with huge sums of money by breaking into banks, raiding homes and bringing down to ruins shopping malls and destroying large super markets with our ammunition, one of us, now late, got for us all to use. Again, I had no idea where the hell he got them from-

--They were very sophisticated. We were involved in multiple operations that went uninterrupted…But seven major operations got us breakthroughs, money- wise. The news of my criminal activities had gotten to the people that lived in my locality. I had no idea of what the consequence would be. We were about sealing the eighth robbery operation in the Santiago’s Shopping Mall, the newest and richest shopping mall in the city, according to the lead we got. Unknown to us, one person, I suspect he’d be someone living in my area, under the

condition of anonymity told the Santiago Police Force my residence. They have been trailing me for long but they don’t get to touch my area because it has, from inception, being known for good moral standards. I, being the leader of the gang, having taken part in all of the operations, decided to take a nap at my place but gave the rest of the team a ‘go-ahead’, was under siege when I heard the sirens of police vehicles and sounds of guns saying: ‘Put your hands on your head and get out of the house in peace. Your period of terror is over’. To avoid further complication, I gave in, knowing well I have met my Waterloo. It was on arrest that I knew all of my gang members were killed as they tried escaping the police.

All through the years, I have also wanted to be me---without blemish and someone who’d always be loved by all and sundry. I always wanted to live a crime-free life. But, like what’s written in my DNA, I live the life inside-out.

Because of what was reflecting in me, I know, those I lived with ostracised us - my mother and me. But because of my ego, I hid this imbalance and continued what seemed to be my trait.

Anyway, I was bagged a five-year jail term for robbery, rape and drug peddling and this is my second year in prison. I hope my mother will get well soon…’

Santa ended the story feeling sober. Mario looked at him in pity as Vasquez and Roberto felt the same.

‘Come closer to me’ Mario urged. ‘I know this has been easy for you to stomach. But all will be fine. As you know, we’ve been here two years before you came in---

Vasquez is serving is seven years, out of which, he has just served his third. His crime was - robbery. Roberto, take a good look at him…He has served three years out of a nine-year jail term for being a murder accomplice and arsonist. Yet, we’ve chosen to put our differences aside and live together as one family. We believe by spending quality time together, time will fly faster to the point your jail term will be over! Surprised? Take this as an instance: when I was twenty, I fell in love with this girl. Though I ended up

not going out with her, I spent two great hours just talking alone with the girl without me consciously knowing! This was two years before I was convicted for fraud, robbery, arson and rape. You see, Santa, we need to make life worth living in….It would be pointless segregating yourself, for whatsoever reason, from people who are attempting to make something out of what seems hopeless for the time being.With you in our midst, we will learn better and greatly benefit from each other, talent-wise. What do you think?’

Santa was speechless. It appeared his body had rightly responded to the Drug of Relief. Roberto and Vasquez nodded in agreement as they listened to the conversation. Apparently, the pains they were reacting were found the exit.

‘Yes…’ Santa agreed. At first, he had no words to express how impressed he was at Mario counsel. But he had to say something. ‘This is the first time in my whole life I’ve heard such soul-lifting words. I have never been told anything of this sort since my coming to Mother Earth! My mother has never told me this fore! I think I have to join the moving train…’

‘You’re welcome, my brother’.

Mario extended his right hand to handshake Santa. Vasquez and Roberto got up from their beds to part softly their shoulders. This time, all were standing, after sitting on the bare floor and lying on the bed for over thirty minutes.

‘Guys, I guess this calls for a party. Right?’ Roberto said.

‘Hmmm…’ Vasquez reacted, ‘I think so. Mario and Santa are now one, as we’ve been. So, let’s make welcome our LOST BUT FOUND SHEEP, Santa. Hope you won’t feel pissed…’

Mario and Roberto had smiles all over their faces as they looked at Santa. Santa chuckled and stretched his right finger in happiness at Vasquez

‘You’re such a character, Vasquez. I think what Roberto said is right…This calls for a party! And like you said, Vasquez, I am honored to be welcomed as the LOST BUT FOUND SHEEP! It’s my pleasure.'

‘Let’s play Chess, guys’ Vasquez suggested. He brought out the chess board and all that came with it. Mario, Roberto and Santa all joined to play the game. That day would mark the beginning of a new dawn in the life of Santa. The new dawn would begin with the finding of the why behind what he really didn’t like---- crime

Their togetherness afterwards stunned the warders and night guards. Especially for Santa, his good behavior shortened his jail sentence to just six months. And before eyes could bleak, his release was effected.

Santa left PR116 to bid Vasquez, Roberto and Mario ‘goodbye’. ‘Be good’ were the words that came from Mario’s mouth as Vasquez and Roberto looked in tears-

---seeing Santa leave their sight. Santa was given his clothes and other belongings, earlier striped off him, before being imprisoned.

He met a surprise guest as he was accompanied out of the prison premises by two Day Guards…His mother.

‘Wow’ He exclaimed, charging towards his mother. She left the taxi she leaned against and ran towards him as well. Maria hugged her only son passionately.

‘How are you?’ Maria asked, touching his head, shoulder, back and stomach to ensure he wasn’t hurt.

‘I’m fine. What’s going on? How did this happen? Back to your feet again… Can believe this…’

Maria smiled. ‘It’s a long story, my son. When we get home, we’ll discuss this at length and more…about your ordeal in prison. I’m really happy you’ve finally been released from prison.’

‘The prison world is where you know the worth of your freedom and learn a great deal of lessons, if you chose to. Happy to be free, once again!’

Maria signaled the taxi driver, a few distance away, to wait a little while. Her right arm was wrapped around his shoulder. ‘Let’s join the taxi. He’s been waiting for over twenty minutes. I boarded him from home to take us back home’

‘Okay’

They both headed towards the taxi and humped in. As soon as they were all seated, the taxi drove off

 Santa’s quest would mount wings to fly.