''Until when '' set me free.

 ‘’Dad I think I now have something that I want to concentrate on, you know since my childhood, I have always wanted to become a librarian and this hacking business is not my passion. Allow me for once to choose what I want in my life. I just want a decent job although it will not generate much as compared to what I was getting when I am in your business.’’

Dad ‘’ hey let me remind you if you have forgotten, you are my only son, the only heir to my business so if you think I am going to release you like that stop dreaming Mila. Where do you think I will get someone who has computer hacking skills like you do? Now get up and go back to work and also I do not want to hear about that librarianship thing. Why do you want to humiliate me like that? Get out!!!’’

Yeah that’s me Mila Sharks, the only son of Shepherd Sharks who is the most dangerous drug dealer in the Eastern parts of Africa. My father had been in this drug trafficking for so long now, and even the Police had failed to track his deals. Me on the other side I had absolutely extra skills when it comes to hacking any system. It started when I was 12 and I loved to spend most of my time on the computer since we were not allowed to socialize with the outside world. All the friends I had, we met online and that was that. One day I decided to learn programming so I downloaded some tutorials and my parents later on find a tutor who would come home to teach me. Since my father fear for our lives from his enemies, we were not supposed to be known for safety reasons.

At the age of 14 I hacked the most famous bank in our country and that is when I was introduced to my father’s drug trafficking business. I was being mentored by Fixah who was in charge of the Information technology side. We worked together for more than 5 years and I can say he was the most amazing man I had ever met, or maybe it was because it was my first time to have full interaction with anyone who is not from my family. When you are in the drug business it is very crucial to be always ahead of technology so that it becomes easy to smuggle goods into the country without being tracked down. I was responsible for all the safety of both the workers and the goods, making sure that we know the security system of every boarder and making sure that no trace is found which may lead to our arrest.

Just because I was still young, I find it very interesting and all I needed was the credit that I can do it than others. It was not a career that I had chosen to be mine forever. It was not easy to live in fear every time not knowing what will happen tomorrow. Sometimes there will be shoot outs and the more we excelled in the drug business, the more we accumulated enemies. I remember on day, when Diamond on of the front men had sold out information to The Foxes and we were trapped when we were making deliveries and the incident resulted in the death of 5 men of our group including Fixah. So it was very hard to act smart and never trust anyone. The issue of trust was one of the reasons why my father was happy to make me the heir to his throne, he knew very well that I would protect him as well as the business very well.

Gunshots, running, speeding cars was the order of most of our days. Deep down I knew that this was not the life I wanted to have, but I didn’t have the courage to confront that powerful men called Mr Sharks who is my father. He was a man who did not want to repeat twice what he would have told you. I didn’t want to have a family that is free, a family whereby you cannot take your wife to a picnic or shopping even your kids can not play in the streets like what we experienced. I decided that on my 20^th birthday, when he asks me of what I wanted that is when I am going to tell him about my passion and ask him to set me free. The whole year I had been a good child doing everything I can to make sure that I did not make any mistake so as to convince him to allow me to leave the business.

With my expertise in information technology, I knew that if I join the librarianship profession, my thirsty of making information accessible to most people easily will be quenched. Promoting literacy in my community was the best achievement that I wanted to achieve in my life. Information is the only weapon that can be used to fight corruption, poverty, diseases among others in the community not like what I was using mine to kill people with the drugs that we were supplying which ended up killing many whilst we are only concerned with accumulating wealth for ourselves. We had everything that we needed in life except happiness and freedom, so I always asked myself ‘’until when’’ will I remain being a jumpy jumpy jittery without a certain base. I have now realized that money is nothing when you are unhappy.

I have already laid my plan on how I was going to fulfil my dreams, the only obstacle was my father obviously I needed his permission if I wanted everything to be well with me. 16^th of October was my birthday, and as always a party was held for the only internal workers we worked with since I had no outside friend, I was forced to get along with those I work with only. When I was given time to make a wish, I went straight to the point and an overwhelming response I got surprised me. My father got furious and I was almost shot on my left leg, even Mist the one who had replaced Fixah was suspected to be the one who was behind my motive. The birthday party turned out to be a war and I knew that the road was not going to be easy but I was going to keep on fighting.