The Walking Dead Africa

Chapter One: Taking Care of Business

"A man's actions are more important than his ancestry." - Kenyan Proverb

It was a hot summer day in the rural western Kenya village of Misikhu as Tyrone Kony, an African-American man in his mid forties, strolled down a dirt path past a number of young men toting AK47's in military outfits and bandanas covering part of their faces. Some of the teens and pre-teens looked like they had not eaten in days with their clothes practically falling off of them. Of course these kids weren't military. They were unwillingly a part of the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group headed by Tyrone's cousin and warlord Joseph. Although a fraction of his former self and might, he still is dangerous. Dangerous enough to extort Tyrone, CEO of one of the largest companies in Africa, Kenyatta Industries, to offer him money in exchange for "Protection" and so that him and his family are not violently murdered and his home village of Misikhu not burned to the ground. See, Tyrone does not have much of a choice because when you operate out of the rural regions of Kenya, anything goes. Tyrone does not sympathize with the monster that is his cousin, nor has he ever admitted to anyone that they are related. Partly because no one had ever inquired and partly because he had no clue himself until a decade ago when Joseph came to the front desk of his two-story office building in Misikhu (The only two-story building in town) and demanded to see him. One can probably infer the conversation that unfolded when they met (There was no "How wonderful to meet you cousin Joe!" involved). Long story short, Joseph left with a large chunk of money and a promise to be paid a lump sum every six months, and Tyrone was left with a feeling of befuddlement, that could be summed up briefly in five words:



"What the fuck just happened?"



"How could I be related to an African warlord and not know it?"



"Does anyone else know?"



Turns out no one else knew, although a few people were suspicious after they saw a man who looked oddly like Joseph Kony enter Tyrone's office building. This meeting taught Tyrone a couple of things though too. The first of which is to never, ever go to your office in the rural untamed region of Kenya unless it is absolutely necessary, and when you have to hire as much security as possible, and secondly to do more extensive research into your family tree. So every six months Tyrone has to make the trek to Misikhu from Nairobi (The capital city of Kenya, where Kenyatta's new, less dangerous headquarters is located) in dirty clothes, a hat, and sunglasses with a briefcase full of money and deliver it to the LRA's outpost just outside of the village.



As Tyrone continued down the path onto the main road where his black sedan sits, he hears the thunder of a loud truck with a bed full of more gun wielding bandana wearing young men, and as it roars by he hears the shatter of glass.



"What the?" he says to himself as he runs up to his car and sees the rear windshield almost completely shattered with a lone large rock sitting on top of the back seats almost mocking him, with glass shards all around it.



"Those Fuckers!" he yells sharply, visibly very angry. He picks up the rock and chucks it as hard as he can into a nearby tree.



THUD!.



"Ah, shit my back!" he yelped in agony as he slumped over the back of his car in pain.



"I should give those assholes a piece of my mind." he says referring to the child soldiers and adult soldiers in the outpost.



"Just calm it Tyrone." he whispers to himself.



"There's no need to get into a fight with a bunch of armed lunatics over something that can be easily fixed." he says, making a wise decision.



"Besides, I have a flight to catch." he recalls.



"Mister, are you okay?" says a real little village boy confused why he's talking to himself.



"Uh, yeah, yeah I'm fine kiddo." and with that he gets in his car and begins the long drive back to Nairobi.



When he gets to Nairobi after the five and a half hour drive he has enough time to stop by his house in the suburbs to change his clothes. He puts on his favorite grey suit and tie and heads to Kenyatta Tower. Once he gets there he parks his car in the back parking lot and is greeted by his chauffeur Jomo.



"Ty, what happened to your car?"



"Oh you know, just some assholes thought it'd be funny to throw a rock through my back windshield." He replies in a sarcastic tone.



"That is too bad. But you know what they always say, a donkey always says thank you with a kick." Jomo says, reciting a famous proverb in a thick Kenyan accent.



"Yeah, a kick through my damn windshield." said Tyrone.



"Well are you ready to go to the airport?" Jomo asked.



"Yeah but where's Smalls? I told him to be here." Tyrone said



"Oh he's in back." said Jomo, chuckling. Tyrone peered into the back seat window of the cab and sees the monster of a man that is his bodyguard Smalls taking up the entire back row of seats and out cold like a hibernating bear. Smalls, (Whose real name is Anthony Lewis, but no one calls him that) was an offensive lineman at the same college Tyrone went to in Florida. There they became close buddies and after a failed pro-football career, Tyrone called him up and brought him to Nairobi where he would become his full-time bodyguard, and part-time leftover food eater.



"Well, better not wake the little guy yet." Tyrone said, and they headed to Nairobi International Airport.



It was around 7:30 p.m. when the trio arrived at the airport, with the flight scheduled to take off at 8:15. Nairobi International Airport, or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as it's properly called (Like Tyrone's company Kenyatta Industries, the airport is named after Kenya's first president) is a large multi story complex in a circular shape, with two main roads leading to and from the airport off of the highway. Opened in 1958, it has a lavish interior with multiple restaurants, shops, and offices. It is also one of the most frequented airports in East Africa and it offers direct flights to the USA.



"Smalls are you awake yet?" Tyrone said as they pulled up in front of the building.



"Yeah man but this brotha' ain't got much sleep last night dawg." Smalls said awakening from his nap.



"You can sleep on the plane so get your ass out of the car." Tyrone said in a sharp voice.



"I don't pay you to sleep."



"Alright, alright my brotha' I'm gettin out." Smalls said as he crawled out of the cab.



"Youse gots to chill sometimes man. Go with the flow." He said while making a wave motion with his arm.



"Haha!, I'm just messin with ya Ty, let's board this mothafucka." He said somewhat enthused.



"Yeah yeah. Jo, thanks man." Tyrone said as he handed Jomo a wad of cash through the window.



"No problem my man." Jomo said with his trademark grin.



"I'll be calling you when I'm back in town. I don't know how I'm gonna keep myself sane with this man. In the meantime, get yourself something nice to eat." Tyrone said as he gave him another 100 shillings (Kenyan currency).



"You got it mister Kony." Jomo said rolling up the window.



"Don't call me that." Tyrone said. Jomo laughed and drove away in his yellow cab. Tyrone and Smalls then proceeded through the interior of the airport, past all the shops, restaurants, and snack-bars.



"Wait." Tyrone said.



"I want to get a bottle of water. I'm sure we'll be waiting awhile before we board." He continued.



"Well, I guess I'll get myself some snacks too. I'm bout' to starve." said Smalls.



"You're paying for your crap." Tyrone said to Smalls.



"Say what? You make how many stacks a year? And you're tellin' me to pay for my food? Brotha' you is gotten cheap!." Smalls said angrily.



"I just make enough to pay the bills." Tyrone said with a smirk.



"PAY THE BILLS!? Okay Mr. Bigshot CEO, I could pay all my bills for life with one year of yo salary. Fo life!" yelled Smalls. After this Tyrone immediately broke out laughing.



"Hehe, I'm just kiddin around you know that." Tyrone said.



"I don't know shit!" Smalls said, still kind of annoyed.



"Okay, when was the last time I didn't pay for your food?" Tyrone asked.



"Uh... last week, at the ice cream parlor!" Smalls claimed.



"Smalls you already had six scoops before that." Tyrone pointed out.



"So?" Smalls replied.



"I don't want you to have a heart-attack while you're chasing someone down. Jesus , man aren't you big enough already?" Tyrone said. All 390 pounds of Smalls turned toward him and said



"NO!"



As Tyrone and Smalls were about to leave the snack-bar with snacks in hand, Tyrone noticed something on the TV. It was a news bulletin. He stopped to read it: "Mysterious disease spotted in East Africa." it read.



"Tyrone you tryin' to miss to miss this flight or what?" Smalls said, already walking toward the escalator to the security checks.



"I'm coming." Tyrone said softly as he moved toward the escalator.



Now, this is no ordinary business trip. Tyrone is to meet with the CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in North America, MedEx, about Kenyatta Industries expanding its influence deeper into the United States. His wife, Allison, also flew into Florida the night before and is staying with her family in Miami (Where MedEx's headquarters is located).



After Tyrone and Smalls passed through the security checks unscathed, they did not have to wait very long until the plane started boarding.



"Flight 767 to Miami International is now boarding all first class passengers." a female voice over the intercom said.



"Let's roll." said Tyrone, and they boarded the plane.



About a half-hour into the flight, Smalls was already fast asleep.



"Can I get you anything sir?" said a female flight attendant pushing a cart full of drinks and snacks.



"I'll have a glass of Chardonnay please." Tyrone said. She whipped out a wine glass, cracked open the bottle, and poured the expensive wine into the glass.



"Ooh" she said as she spilled a couple of drops.



"Turbulence already?" She asked rhetorically. "This is gonna be a long flight."



"This is your captain speaking." The pilot said over the intercom.



"We're entering a pocket of turbulence. Please fasten your seat-belts. Thank you."



Tyrone took a quick gulp of the wine and made sure his seat-belt was on tight. The plane started shaking a bit, then it became more violent. For a few seconds, Tyrone had to hold the wine so it did not spill. For a moment, Tyrone caught himself staring at the wine in the glass as it swished back and forth. He snapped out of it, and after about two minutes the turbulence dissipated.



Afterward, Tyrone pulled out his tablet. He brought up the ScoreCenter Icon and went to MLB scores. He scrolled down the screen until he reached the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves game. The final score was 8-5 Phillies.



"Dammit, the Braves lost." He said disappointed. Although Tyrone spent most of his time in America in Miami, when Tyrone went to college at FIU there was no baseball team in Florida. The closest team was the Atlanta Braves in Georgia. One of Tyrone's closest friends at FIU was a man named Sean Walsh. He introduced Tyrone to the sport of Baseball and got him to really like it. Sean was from the Atlanta area and his cousin, Shane, had season tickets. The three of them would often go and see games together. Tyrone then put his tablet away and drifted off to sleep.



A few hours later they arrived in Miami. It was night-time as Tyrone and Smalls took a shuttle bus to their hotel where Tyrone's wife is staying.



"Thank you." Tyrone said to the bus driver as he stuck a fistful of dollars into his tip jar.



"Oh, you're so kind." Smalls said sarcastically as they entered the hotel.



"Oh and you're such an asshole." Tyrone snapped back.



"You know ya love me." Smalls said with a grin.



"I'm glad I got us separate rooms." said Tyrone as they walked up to the front desk.



"Hi, how are you?" asked the female front desk clerk.



"Could be worse I suppose." Tyrone replied



"I'm beat." Smalls added.



"301 and 302 please, under Tyrone Kony." Tyrone said to he clerk. The clerk asked for I.D. and then handed over the keys. They went up to the third floor of and went in their adjacent rooms. When Tyrone walked in he saw his wife reading a magazine on a comfy looking orange recliner. His wife was of average height, with a milk chocolate skin tone, brown eyes, and medium length flowing brown hair. She still is very pretty, and is a couple of years younger than Tyrone.

"Oh, Ty. I've been waiting for you." said Allison.



"I've missed you." she said sincerely.



"I missed you too. It's so great to be with you again, I get so bored without you." said Tyrone.



"So how's your family doing?"



"They're doing alright." she replied.



"Terry got a job as a construction worker and Dwayne is getting married this fall. My mom and dad love their new home. Jackie's having another baby, they think it's a girl. I also told them how you're expanding into Florida. They all said they can't wait to see the place."



"What about Ken, Marlene, and their son? Uh... Jason or whatever." Tyrone asked.



"Jamal." Ally reminded.



"Ken and Marlene are doing fine like always. But, they're having some trouble with Jamal." she continued.



"What kind of trouble?" he asked curiously, squinting his eyes.



"Well they weren't exactly clear but they said he was hanging around some bad kids and doing some bad things." she replied.



"They don't exactly live in the best area either. She wants him out of the house."



"What? They can't kick him out of the house he's only 14!" he exclaimed.



"15." Ally replied. "And the plan isn't to kick him out on the street."



"Then what is it?" Tyrone questioned.



"Well... they want him to live with you." she said frankly.



"With me?" he asked, flabbergasted.



"Yes." she replied



"In Kenya?" he asked.



"Yes." she again responded.



"Oh okay. We can't parent our own child so let's send him away to live with his uncle in Africa. If I wanted a goddamn kid I would have one!" he said.



"Well, it'd only be for a month. Think Ty, you can be a positive influence on his life. They said the only things he's ever been interested in besides basketball is money and business." Ally said.



"I barely know the kid. Besides, I'm too busy to be able to keep track of a teenage scum." he said.



"Ty! Don't talk about him that way! He's not a bad kid, really he isn't. I talked to him for a while. she said.



"You don't have to keep track of him all the time, he's independent and I'll be there too."



"Ughhh..." Tyrone groaned.



"No ones making you do this hon." Ally reassured.



"It just wouldn't kill you to do something nice once in a while." she added.



"Listen baby, I do nice things all the time. I donate to charities, build houses, give back to the community. But this, this is different. This is putting me in a position where I'm responsible for a kid's life. I really don't need the added pressure." he said.



"Ty, didn't you used to tell me the stories about your father and about how both of his parents died at an early age, and he was left to take care of his seven younger siblings? Surely you could handle one fifteen year old." she told him.



"It's not the same. I ca-" Tyrone started.



"It is the same. You need to start believing in yourself. What would your father say about this?" She said, cutting him off angrily.



"I don't know." he said, shaking his head.



"Bullshit!" she yelled.



"Your father would have told you to help this boy and show him what hard work and dedication get you."



"Tyrone it would mean so much to all of us if you did this."



"I've been telling my family how great of a person you are, always putting others ahead of yourself. Please, don't let me down." she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.



Tyrone looked around the room, then right into his wife's eyes.



"Fine. I'll think about it." he let up.



"I'll sleep on it, and decide after my meeting." he decided. The two of them watched some TV together, and then went to sleep.



BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm clock rang.



"Ugh." It was 8:00 am, two hours before his meeting. Tyrone struggled out of bed, and tripped over his suitcase and slammed right into the wall.



"You seem awake." Ally remarked.



"Jet lag." Tyrone muttered, rubbing his face.



"Uh-huh. I made you a PBJ sandwich and there's milk in the little fridge over there." she said, pointing to the fridge. Tyrone went over and poured himself a glass of milk. He then sat down at the table and ate his sandwich. He proceeded to put on his grey suit jacket and tie and was ready to head out.



"I'll see you later. I love you." Tyrone said affectionately to his wife.



"Yeah. Love you too." Ally said as they kissed. Tyrone then walked out the door and headed out of the hotel. As he walked out of the lobby, Smalls was outside waiting in a black rental car. Tyrone climbed in the passenger seat.



"So, who we seein' boss?" Smalls asked.



"A very powerful CEO named Jim Ryan. He's a real big, intimidating guy. He runs MedEx, the biggest pharmaceutical corporation in North America. He's worth billions." Tyrone informed, as they drove off.



"And what exactly are you trying to accomplish?" Smalls asked.



"Well we're trying to gain a foothold in North America, and if I can set up direct trade with MedEx that would really help." explained Tyrone.



"So your companies are gonna merge?" Smalls questioned, keeping his eyes on the road.



"No we're going to give them medical equipment to sell, and we'll get recognition and a percent of the profit when they sell it, and in return we'll sell their pharmaceuticals and do the same."



"When we open up in America, if we have MedEx products we're more likely to sell things. It's an agreement that benefits everyone." said Tyrone.



"Did they already agree to this?" Smalls again asked.



"No. That's why I'm here. Ryan said he was interested and told me to meet him in person." Tyrone replied.



"Okay where's this place at?" Smalls asked.



"It's downtown, on the corner of 5th and Brickell. It's one of the tallest buildings in the city." Tyrone answered



"Alright, let's hit up this joint." Smalls said.



"Remember Smalls, this is business. No fooling around." Tyrone said sternly, pointing at Smalls.



"Aight Boss, I got chu'." assured Smalls. A few minutes later they pulled up to the MedEx building. The building was an imposing site. It was around 80 stories high and made of stainless steel and glass. There was a beautiful gushing fountain standing outside. A stone sign read: "MedEx: Medicine for the future."



"I hate pharmaceutical companies." Tyrone remarked, as they got out of the car.



"They're the reason diseases like cancer haven't been cured yet. So they can make more and more money."



"Then why are you doin' business with em'?" Smalls asked.



"If I did business solely off of my personal beliefs, I'd be a very poor man." Tyrone explained. They then headed inside the building.

Tyrone greeted the front desk clerk, and she told them the boss was waiting and to head up to the top floor. The duo then headed upstairs in the elevator to the 81st floor. The elevator door slid open and exposed the grey hallway with a black granite floor that led to the CEO's office. They walked down to the door. It read: "J. Ryan CEO". Tyrone knocked on the door.



Knock Knock



A moment later the door swung open.



"Ah, Mr. Kony. I've been expecting you." The tall, burly white man with slicked back brown hair in a slate suit said.



"Please, come in. Oh who's your friend here?" Ryan asked with a smile.



"Oh him, that's my uh... assistant Smalls." Tyrone replied.



"Oh he's definitely anything but Small. Hehe." Ryan joked.



"Sir would you mind if I asked your friend to stand outside?"



"No problem, right Smalls?" Tyrone looked at him.



"Whatever you say dawg." Smalls replied.



"Alrighty then. Come Tyrone, have a seat." said Ryan as Tyrone walked in and Ryan closed the door behind him. They both sat down at Ryan's desk across from each other.



"So, Tyrone Kony himself. It's an honor to finally meet the most powerful businessman in Kenya face-to-face." said Ryan.



Tyrone, kind of flattered by the gesture said "The same could be said about you Mr. Ryan."



"Yes indeed. Now let's end the flattery and get down to business shall we?"



"Sure." Tyrone replied.



"Great. So let's discuss this offer you talked about. You want to sort of partner up and sell each others products since you're moving into my territory correct?" Ryan asked with a serious expression.



"That's the gist of it." replied Tyrone.



"And you're planning on building your North American headquarters right here in Miami right?"



"That's the plan." said Tyrone.



"And what makes you think I'd want to help you out?" Ryan asked.



"Well this would be mutually beneficial for the both of us." Tyrone replied.



"But, I don't need any help. I'm already in control of this market. If I'm helping you at all, that's taking away from my market share."



"I don't think that's true." Tyrone said with a confused look.



"Of course it's true!" Ryan yelled, slamming his fist down on the table.



"Jesus, man chill. What'd you have in mind?" Tyrone asked warily, sitting back in his chair.



"What I had in mind, man, was that you're going to build that nice building we talked about and I'll get 60 percent of the profit and you'll get 40. Sound good?" Ryan asked with an intense glare.



"Are you serious right now? Mr. Ryan, all due respect but if you're not going to negotiate I have better things to do." Tyrone said as he started to get out of his chair.



"Oh no you don't. Sit." Ryan said angrily, standing up and motioning for Tyrone to sit back down. Tyrone slowly sat back down, keeping his eyes on Ryan.



"Mr. Kony, let me show you something. It might, open up your eyes a bit more to this situation." He continued as he pressed a button underneath his desk. When he pressed the button, a screen lowered out of the ceiling.



"Now, how do I put this..." Ryan said as the screen turned on.



"I have been uh... keeping tabs on you ever since our first phone call however many months ago." said Ryan.



"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tyrone asked furiously.



"Mr. Kony, when you're a huge multi-national corporation like MedEx, you have people all over the world. I just assigned a couple of them to follow you around."



"What the fuck! You've been stalking me?" Tyrone said outraged.



"If you want to look at it that way, yes. See I wasn't expecting to find out much, and I was willing to accept your offer. Don't think you're special either, I do this to everyone I make a business deal with. It's just... not everyone I deal with is buddy-buddy with an african warlord." Ryan said.



"Wha-" Tyrone was cut off by the video. The video showed Tyrone driving down the roads of Misikhu and then parking his car at the side of the road. He gets out of the car with dark sunglasses and an Atlanta Braves baseball cap on while wearing a green button down shirt, jeans, and a pair of sneakers.



"Nice disguise by the way." Ryan added.



Tyrone walked about a half mile down the path, with lush trees and bushes all around him, until he reached a guarded fence surrounding a medium-sized wooden hut. He was carrying a briefcase and showed it to the two armed guards at the gate. They opened it and gave a nod of approval, then proceeded to open the gate for Tyrone. He walked up to the door of the hut, which had all of its windows boarded up, and knocked. A few seconds later, the man himself, Joseph Kony opened the door and greeted him. The camera zooms in and you can tell without a doubt it's him. The screen then goes to black.



"Are you still going to try to deny it now?" Ryan asked smugly.



"This... This is insanity! This is blackmail! " Tyrone said shocked.



"You've got it all wrong my friend, I just need to know who I'm really dealing with here. Now, I've heard rumors about you being related to this man, that you vehemently denied, but this? I never would have thought he's your business partner." said Ryan.



"This is a very interesting story isn't it? Powerful Kenyan CEO best friends with a fugitive warlord? That would be headline news across the globe. So what does your buddy Joseph Kony help you with huh? Protection? Does he murder your rivals? Sell you child slaves?" Ryan pressed on.



"Best friends? Did your stalker henchmen miss the part where his men threw a rock through my windshield? He blackmailed me. Kinda like you're doing now. You want to know the truth? Joseph Kony said that if I don't pay him a certain amount of money every few months, he will have both me and my family killed. He knows where I live, where I do business, where I like to eat. And he certainly has the means to kill me and my wife. He told me, and I'll never forget this, that if I stopped paying or tried to rat him out, that I wouldn't know when or where, I could be walking in a park, or sleeping in my house, a day after, a month after, a year after, but that his men would lodge bullets through both of my eyes, and hack my face apart until it was unrecognizable, then he would kidnap my wife and have each of his men take turns having their way with her, and when they were done, he'd chop off her head and put it on a spike." said Tyrone, who was cracking up, a tear rolling down his face. Him and Ryan exchanged stares.



"So you're going to try to get out of this by saying you're the victim? Please, try explaining that to the media." said Ryan, showing no sympathy.



"I had no choice." Tyrone said firmly.



"And the fact you've lied about your relation to him?" questioned Ryan.



"I didn't know." Tyrone said between his teeth.



"Well when you found out, why didn't you go to the police or the government?"



"The police? There is no police force in Misikhu, just a small militia armed with pistols and machetes. And if I ratted him to the government, I'd be dead before they even got to Misikhu. The word would get around quick. By the time government forces reached Misikhu the place would be burnt to the ground. Joseph doesn't care, he'd kill every last man and women there and enslave the children. Then before you know it, he'd retreat back into the Ugandan jungles."



"There was no right choice for me. I chose this because it'd keep me and my wife the safest. As long as I pay him, we're safe." said Tyrone.



"Mr. Kony I applaud your willingness to protect your family. But this is a business. If you don't agree to our little deal, I will give this tape to the Miami Herald." Ryan said casually.



Tyrone paused to think for a few seconds. He stared right into the cold, unforgiving, brown eyes of Jim Ryan. After a tense few second stare-down, Tyrone flinched.



"Can I at least have some time to think about this?" A defeated Tyrone asked.



"What is there to think about?" Ryan questioned.



""There's only two options, you accept this deal and move on with your life, or your life gets turned upside down." Ryan said candidly.



"There's a lot of angles to consider here, Jim." Tyrone pressed. Ryan thought for a couple of seconds.



"I'll tell you what, do you know what day it is?" Ryan asked.



"Tuesday." replied Tyrone unenthusiastically.



"Alright, Since I'm such a nice person, and I know you'll warm up to this idea over time, I'll give you until Saturday at midnight. Kenyan time that is. When that clock strikes uh..." Ryan scratched his head, not knowing what time that is in Miami.



"Four." Tyrone interjected.



"Yeah. When that clock strikes four, and I haven't received a call from you, I'm handing this video over, anonymously, to the newspaper." said Ryan.



"Understand?"



"Yeah." Tyrone replied, with a look of anguish on his face.



"Alrighty then." Ryan said as they both stood up. Ryan outstretched his arm. Tyrone turned away.



"Shake. My. Hand." Ryan said softly. Tyrone stared at him for a moment, his eyes full of anger, and shook his hand.



"Great! Please Mr. Kony, let me show you to the door." said Ryan, getting back into character.



As Tyrone walked out of the office, he saw Smalls sitting down on the floor next to the door with his eyes closed.



"Wake up you big lazy fuck." Tyrone barked at Smalls.



"Ugh.. watch yo mouth bro. What's wrong with chu?" asked Smalls.



"Hah. Name it. My wife wants me to take in this kid I barely know, my bodyguard sleeps on the job, and..." Tyrone stopped.



"How'd yo little meeting go?" Smalls asked.



"Well..." Tyrone said reluctantly to say anything.



"We couldn't really hammer out a deal." Tyrone said, putting it mildly.



"So that's why you got yo' panties in a bun. Tell ya what, let's go get some grub and maybe that'll make you feel better." said Smalls.



"It'll make me feel better." he added.



"Is food all you ever think about?" Tyrone asked.



"Hey, I'm very concerned about your safety."



"Whatever, let's go. I'm hungry too." Tyrone admitted. With that, the duo drove to a café for lunch.



Later that night, Tyrone made his way to the hotel. He was greeted by his wife who was standing up, folding Tyrone's clothes into his suit case.



"How was your day, sweetie?" Ally said as Tyrone walked over and kissed her on the cheek.



"Alright." he replied gingerly.



"How'd your meeting go? Did you give him the old Kony hook?" she asked with a grin, closing his suitcase.



"Not quite."



"We, we weren't able to make a deal." said Tyrone, still disturbed by what had happened.



"Oh that stinks. Is that it then for the negotiations?" she asked.



"No, no. I'm uh, evaluating my options." said Tyrone.



"Well why didn't he accept your offer? That sounded pretty fair to me."



"Apparently he had other things in mind." he answered.



"Yeah. So... have you thought about that other offer yet?" questioned Ally.



"What?" Tyrone did not know what she was talking about.



"You know... Jamal, living with us for a little." she reminded him.



"Oh yeah." Tyrone was so fixated on his meeting with Ryan that he completely forgot about the other decision he had to make.



"Uh..." Tyrone stuttered while he thought about this choice.



"Come on Tyrone. Just give me an answer." Ally pleaded.



"You know what? Why not!" he exclaimed.



Ally, kind of surprised asked "So yes?"



"Yeah, but he better be at the airport by 8:45 on the dot tomorrow morning or I'm leaving, flights at nine." said Tyrone while nodding his head.



"Oh great! I'm sure Ken and Marlene will be very thankful. Who knows maybe you two will have some fun together." Ally said.



"Yeah." Tyrone said quietly as he laid down on the bed next to Ally and turned the light off.



Tyrone was woken up bright and early the next day by the sound of his alarm clock. It was 8 am, time for Tyrone to get dressed, grab a bite to eat, and head to the airport once again. Tyrone was all dressed up in his normal grey suit and tie while engulfing some toast with jelly and an O.J. Smalls walked in through the door.



"Yo boss, you ready yet?" he asked, wearing an all black suit while munching on a donut.



"Go wait in the shuttle, I'll be right out." Tyrone said as he turned toward his wife.



"Jamal is on his way to the airport. They said he was very reluctant to go." she said.



"So am I. I can't stand leaving you." Tyrone said sincerely.



"But you'll have a good time these next few days with your family." he added. Tyrone had to go back to Kenya because he had a few important meetings back at Kenyatta. Ally decided she wanted to stay in Miami a few more days and spend time with her family whom she rarely sees.



"Oh, Ty. You're such a sweet man. You would make a great father." said Ally, bringing up a touchy subject with Tyrone.



"Is that what this is about?" Tyrone asked.



"No-no. I just..." said Ally trying to back out of it.



"We tried that. It didn't work out. Just let it go." Tyrone said, kind of saddened.



"Well, goodbye." Ally said as she gave him a big kiss on the lips.



"I love you."



"I love you too." Tyrone replied, before exiting.



"So what's the deal with this boy we gotta meet up with?" Smalls asked as they headed to the airport.



"He's my sister in-law's son. The boy is troubled so they want him to live with me for a month to straighten him out." Tyrone said, filling him in.



"Say what? And you gonna let him?" Smalls asked, as if he was crazy.



"Because my wife wanted me to." mumbled Tyrone.



"Ah, you pussy whipped ain't cha?" Smalls jibed.



"What? No..." Tyrone replied.



"Haha, you whipped." Smalls chuckled.



"No I'm not." Tyrone affirmed.



"Admit it Ty, you is a pussy bitch who lets his wife control everything."



"That's not true! I chose this, I could've said no, but I wanted to do this."



"Uh-huh. Let's see how much you're wanting this shit when you gotta take care of some crazy brat for a whole month." Smalls replied.



"You won't make it a damn week before you start bitchin' and moaning." Smalls assured.



"We'll see." Tyrone said as they arrived at the airport. As they pulled up, Ken, Marlene, and Jamal were there to greet Tyrone.



"Well hey Tyrone!" Marlene said. Marlene was a trim and fit black women with curly dark hair. Her skin was sort of a coffee-ish brown color.



"How are you doing? How have you been? It's been awhile." she said, hugging him.



"I'm great, and you?" asked Tyrone.



"Oh we're going through a bit of a tough time as a family, but with your help we'll make it through." she said optimistically.



"Yo Ty." her husband Ken said. Ken was a big, strong, and dark black man with a full beard and a bald head.



"Nice to see you Ken." Tyrone replied.



"Tyrone we're so grateful you're willing to do this for us, we truly are. If you need anything, money or advice, or have a question, let us know. Marlene said.



"Oh money is not an issue." Tyrone said. He then turned his attention toward Jamal. Jamal was 15 years old, his skin tone was about that of his mother's, and he had shaved dark hair that covered his round head. He was around average height for his age, 5 foot 9, maybe 5 foot 10. He was taller than his mother but still had a ways to go to be as tall as his enormous father. Over his skinny, but muscular frame he wore an off-red polo shirt with dark jeans and a belt that were sagging below his waist.



"Wow, you've really grown since the last time I saw you." Tyrone said to him. But Jamal was not really paying any attention to him as he had his headphones blaring.



"Get those headphones out boy!" Ken said as he ripped an ear bud out of Jamal's ear.



"Hey!" Jamal yelped.



"Show some damn respect son! Your uncles trying to talk to you. And for Christ's sakes boy pull your damn pants up, you look like a damn fool." His father yelled, who was clearly fed up with his son.



"Hello uncle." Jamal said softly to Tyrone with his head down.



"Look him in the eye boy." his father ordered. Jamal looked straight into Tyrone's eyes.



"Hey." Tyrone said as he patted him on the shoulder.



"We're gonna have a good time, and hopefully you'll learn a thing or two." said Tyrone smiling. Jamal nodded his head and looked around aimlessly.



"Well hopefully you can teach this boy some goddamn manners because apparently we failed at that." Ken said admittedly. They all stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.



"Boss it's almost nine." Smalls interjected.



"Okay. Well we gotta catch this flight so uh..." Tyrone told the group.



"Jamal, you sure you have everything baby?" Marlene asked.



"Yes mom" Jamal replied.



"Okay." his mother said with a tear in her eye.



"Just make sure he's safe." Marlene cried while she told Tyrone.



"I will do everything I can to make sure he stays safe." Tyrone assured. The group said their goodbyes and Tyrone, Smalls, and Jamal headed into the airport to get on the plane to Nairobi.