When in doubt, wait for the details

“ You wanna do something fun?”

He asked as he kept throwing pebbles at her window. She opened the window, and there they were, three of them smiling up at her.

“What’s the fun in this early disturbance?” Cherry asked.

“ Answer first before asking. Do you wanna do something fun?” Albert demanded again.

“ Your idea of fun, does it include anything illegal?”

“ I don’t engage in anything illegal. But why do you prefer to answer questions with question?”

“ There are even the type known as rhetorical that doesn’t demand answers. I like those types more”

“yeah, it is common among mad people in my village. They asked some that demands answers yet, no one is usually with them. So, I ask again, do you want to do something fun?”

“ That your fun, would it put gold in my pockets, if not, I am not interested”

“ Of course, it will put points and connection in your pocket for sure”

“points and connections, how?”

“You want or not?”

“ Tell me a little more where each would come from and why?”

“ One from a certain lecturer, the other, higher level one. You interested or not?”

“A minutes, I would join you”

Albert was earlier that day contacted by Mr. Amankwa. The lecturer in charge of business law. He was asked to go to his publishers and collect business law books he was told was ready for collection since two days ago.

He doesn’t even know when he entered the man good books for assignments like that. Maybe, the man believed he has a way with his course mates, he might have concluded he was the person to do his dirty works for him among the students. The man has questionable characters. “ why pick on me?” he demanded. 

Maybe, the books has defects like the comparative economics text he shamelessly asked the students to just forget about it after they have paid him without seeing any books. He came with emotional plea about agent this and that story. 

He like other lecturers were in the habit of collecting money for text books that is still with the publisher. At times, they would refused to pay the publisher agreed sun and publishers in turn has their way of getting even. They would print nonsense and hand over to them. The lecturer would refused to take the whole book and refused to balance students their money as students complains about the quality of the books.

With the support of some students like Albert, the shameless lecturers always plays on the emotions of the students. Most were skeptical about this man's way of life, now he has cornered Albert for the business law textbooks. 

He suspects two things. Either the man has issues with the publishers, or as usual the text is full of errors and he wants him to handle the departmental aspect for him.

Albert in turn was playing his own tricks by inviting some of the most outspoken students along to the publisher, he was banking on them asking the publisher questions they would direct at him if something is amiss from that end. Whatever problem from that end would be met first hand by them and from their questions, he would know how to handle others back in school. 

He had intentionally invited the three most outspoken students in the class; Cherry, Amanda and John along to the journey and the lecturer seems to know the way he operates and don’t bother to ask questions when he was told that those three would be joining him. 

    School authorities had last year came out with the deadline when the lecturers would stop selling books to the students after excessive complaints on the quality and prices of those text. Not only that the quality is poor, some copy another person’s work and made this bad work of copying too. Then, the publishers would continue the bad work and after all the bad has accumulated in one place call textbook, the lecturers would come with one exorbitant price and whoever refuses to buy the work would consider that course carried over. The points and marks were awarded through the list of those that purchased the textbooks not the students capabilities. 

So, to favour those their works were with the publishers already, the authorities had given two years to terminate the sell of textbooks. Let them use the period to recoup whatever it’s they have spent and after which the authorities would review the manuscripts of any lecturer that want to publish any text intended to be sold in the school. 

That announcement alone halved the number of lecturers forwarding request for money for yet to be completed manuscript. Yet, those like Mr. Amankwa always comes out with tales that favours them and not students.

On getting to the publishing firm, Albert and co was asked to wait for the marketing manager that he would soon come. Time was 9:45am and marketing man wasn’t yet in. Cherry was wondering what concerns the marketing manager with collecting the text. The lecturer had no intention of selling the work to the general public. No one would buy.

The work would not even compete with outdated texts from out countries. The work is usually too poor even for the students they were imposed upon let alone the public. She decided to know if the said marketing manager doubles as the general manager too. 

“Excuse me, is the lecturer still owning the firm?”

“ No, but the marketing manager left that order for the text. He wants to be around when the lecturer comes for the collection”

“ And this manager would still come this morning, right?”

“Of course”

“ It’s almost ten”

“ He comes from the capital, maybe traffic or something”

“ Cherry eyed her and wonders whether they train them to lie effortlessly. The capital is only 30 minutes away from there. Why say it as if you needed train to get there.”

“ What of the work, can we see one or two while waiting”

“ I don’t have access to any, when the manager comes.”

That denial sent signal to Cherry that all is not well with the text. He eyed others as she wonders where the connection Albert talks about would come from. About two hours later, as they sat there observing the going and coming of the workers, horn sounded outside. Two minutes later, a rat like a man entered carrying a brief case. He eyed them with a rat like smile as he entered an office opposite them. The same receptionist that had been talking to them announced the rat as the marketing manager. 

Cherry saw disconnection not connection. She personal never like rats for anything. But…