The wind that had raged for the better part of that day had finally died down, paving the way for a calm evening. The moonlight brightened the whole estate and seemingly giving it a bit of a life.

Peter was in his kitchen preparing his supper, from where he could hear people talking outside. It was unusual for people to be walking and chatting in the manner that they did on that evening. The residents of the Maendeleo Estate were known to retire early and hence most would be in bed by now.

Peter’s evening meal was ready and he moved to the living room. He sat on the couch directly opposite the television. He loved such evenings where he could watch movies all night long.

Although it was a Friday night, he did not have any plans. Peter never really made plans for the weekend. He was the reclusive type and spending evenings alone curled with a blanket and glued to the screen made him happy.

He was flipping through the television channels when “Maendeleo Estate” in bold flashed across the screen and grabbed his attention.

A voice narrated the story: “A middle-aged man believed to be from the city’s Maendeleo Estate has been shot by police officers. It is believed that he was the leader of a group notorious for drugging and stealing from the people in the city. We will give you more information as the story unfolds, so stay tuned.”

Peter reached for his phone. His best friend Karl had to know about the story. He felt somewhat frustrated as his call went unanswered. By the time Karl would be calling back, he would have heard the news already. He placed his phone close by in case Karl called.

Peter flipped the channels some more and then settled for a movie that was just starting.

He was totally immersed in the movie when he heard his phone ring. He reached for it without taking his eyes off the screen.

The caller had already hung up so he called back.

“Hi Peter. I have received the news. I know he was your friend. More like a brother, I guess.” The voice on the other end appeared a bit shaken.

Peter wondered why Becky was talking like that.

“What news Becky? Who are you talking about?”

Becky took a deep breath and let out a sigh before and said, “I am talking about Karl. He has just been shot. Not long ago, at a pub in town.”

Becky’s words felt hot and cold at the same time. Unreal and yet very real. Peter wanted to know more but he did not have the strength to ask. He sat back on the chair and held his chin in his palms. He stared at the floor trying to cry, but it was all in vain.

**************************

The month of January was always hot and this was no exception. Peter kept glancing at the boy who was seated next to him sweating profusely in the school assembly hall. It was a new environment for the 400 Form One students. They were being inducted into the school.

Several teachers gave encouraging speeches and assured them that they had made the best decision to join that school. During the orientation, the principal asked the students to get know each other.

“I am Peter.”

“Karl is my name,” said the boy who was seated next to him.

Thus their friendship was born. A friendship that would last for the four years of high school, and all the way to university.

After all those years together, they joked about how they’d be each other’s best man at their respective weddings.

After university, Peter got a job as a manager at a well-known bank in the city. Karl was never interested in being employed saying he wanted to set up his own business.

Karl opened a kiosk that later grew into a mini supermarket. They were both successful in their ventures and hung out on weekends. Karl was the outgoing type and always knew about the latest clubs and joints.

As they progressed in their careers, they met up less often. Karl was full of business ideas. One time it was to start a hardware shop, the next time he talked about opening a fast food restaurant.

On many evenings, Karl would not answer his phone when Peter tried to reach him for a catch-up drink. However, he would always leave a message whenever the phone went unanswered and Karl would call him the following day.

Peter had however noticed that his friend had started becoming distant. Sometimes, Karl would not return his calls.

Whenever Peter asked him about it, Karl would apologise and blame it on “a girl who just broke my heart”. Peter convinced himself that it was just a phase Karl was going through. He later told Peter that he was moving back to his parents’ home in the village to sort out “some issues”.

*************************

Peter could hardly contain his grief when he saw Karl’s lifeless body on the floor. The pub was full, with most people coming to see what had happened.

It had been two weeks since Karl had said he was moving back to his parents’ house, and they had not talked during that time. Peter did not understand why Karl had not informed him of his return to the city.

“I hear he was the leader of the gang that has been terrorising people in your estate since last year.” Becky whispered in Peter’s ear. Her words seemed to make things clear.

Since last year, Karl had become withdrawn and distant. Peter figured that his friend did not want him to know about his shady deals as he would try and talk him out of them. Peter felt both pain and anger in equal measure.

“He told me he was going to visit his parents.”

“Maybe he just wanted some time alone so as to execute his mission,” Becky said.

Her statement made sense. Karl had lied about visiting his folks. Peter looked at his friend’s body one last time and imagined the headlines in the newspapers the following day.

“Let him go,” Becky whispered as the police officers took the body to a hearse outside.

Soon it would be morning, and Peter was expected at work as usual.