The Governor’s man [Part 2]

As the sleep cleared from my eyes, it became clear that the sound was coming from the walls that fenced our town’s boundary. To be more specific, someone or some people were trying to breakdown the city gate.

Realizing that our house was about a kilometer away from the gate, I swiftly jumped out of bed and rushed out of the house. Nene had beat me to it, so had a few other neighbors and we all faced the direction from where the banging came from, it was clearly coming from the city gate.

The two guards who kept watch at the gate where already running towards us, saying that General Jab and his soldiers were the ones at the gate and they were fully resolved to breaking it down. We asked them what had warranted this action and they said considering the aggressiveness of the attack, they were not inclined to ask them for fear of being killed. Immediately a round of panicked questions and comments filled the air. People were suggesting all kinds of things. As the pandemonium increased, I suddenly remembered Nene…where could she be?

“I’m right here”, she replied, clearly aware that I was looking for her.

She was so quiet beside me that I didn’t even notice she was there and our difference in height probably didn’t help matters. ..Nene was at least one foot shorter than me. I took a second look at her and observed she was deep in thought as I wondered what she must be thinking, she cleared her throat, and declared in a firm voice,

“I will go ask them what they want.”

A few people around us heard her and one of them asked,

“Nene what did you say?”

The mention of her name brought a respectable silence from the crowd and one by one everyone turned towards her, some probably observing for the first time that she was in our midst. Now that she had everyone’s attention, she repeated her words again. A few people tried to protest against her going but with a few words she managed to get everyone to agree with her.

“Besides”, she explained, “I won’t be going alone’” she held my hand and said, “He’ll be coming with me.”

With these words she walked away from the crowd tugging me along. As we walked up the trail leading to the city gate, I asked her what she had in my mind. She replied,

“In due time my son, in due time.”

A few meters away from the gate Nene announced her presence, introducing herself in the honorary titled reserved only for distinguished elders of the state, and kept walking towards the gate. Upon hearing her voice the loud banging on the gate dropped to a hush and one of the soldiers (immediately recognizing Nene) asked her what she wanted. She responded by saying she wanted to have a word with Jab. Apparently Jab was close by and had also heard her introduction, he quickly approached Nene. Giving me a quick look over he greeted her briefly albeit respectfully.

“Are you Jab?” she asked.

He responded in the affirmative. She continued,

“Listen to what your servant has to say. From my childhood days, people used to come to this city seeking answers and they left satisfied, and it is so till this day. We are the most peaceful town in this entire state and very loyal to our governor. So tell me, why are you trying to destroy a town where the mother of the entire state resides?”

I could tell from Jab’s expression that he clearly understood the depth of Nene’s proverbial utterances.

“Far be it from me”, he replied, “I only seek the man called Sheva who has raised his hand against the governor. Hand over this one man and I will withdraw from your city.”

Nene’s next statement shocked me.

“His head will be thrown to you from the wall.”

Again I noticed Jab’s reaction and I could tell he was also shocked by Nene’s response, though he did a good job of masking it. He simply nodded his approval.

As we made our way back, I couldn’t help but ask Nene if she was serious about handing Sheva’s head. She replied by saying she would never have uttered such if she didn’t mean it and even went on to say that I would be very instrumental in handing over Sheva’s head to him. General Jab was in more ways than one the governor’s right hand man and it clearly paid us to be on his side.

She then proceeded to explain how we would manage the whole situation. My first task was to locate where Sheva was hiding, she advised that I went with David and Caleb. They were reliable and discreet. She sent me off to find them and gave instructions on how we were to find Sheva. Before she sent me off she explained what she would be doing while we were away searching.

Obviously my grandma had given this some serious thought. The plan was to allow us have a head start in our search while she took her time in getting back to everyone. She would then tell them that the governor’s man had said that our town had committed a grievous offence against the governor by collaborating with those who insisted that the governor was no longer fit for office, and he would not leave until they had killed all the traitors in our midst; that he had reluctantly agreed to give her some time to talk with the elders and counselors and was waiting for her feedback.

Her reason for relaying the message this way, was to manage the flow of information that would eventually get to Sheva; knowing that Sheva would surely have heard what was going on and some of his secret informants would also be lurking in the crowd, passing information to him. It was her hope that the misinformation would stop or at least delay his escape to the next town.

In the meantime she would request an audience with a few of the town’s counselors (a few, meaning those she considered wise and diligent men, who processed information quickly and thoroughly resulting in swift and effective actions) and explain the true situation to them; by which time David, Daniel and I would have found Sheva and upon further instruction, David and Daniel (who were experienced in the art of war and hunting) would cut off Sheva’s head and throw it over the wall to Jab and his men.

The plan was so genius I knew in my heart it would work, however Nene’s final admonition to me was to intercede continuously while we worked so that everything would go according to plan.

Thanks to the smallness of our town, we wasted no time in locating Sheva’s hiding place and by the time I passed on the information to Nene, the counselors had whole heartedly bought into her plan and gave the go ahead for Sheva’s execution. I relayed the message back to David and Daniel, who meticulously lured Sheva away from his host/hiding place, and wasted no time in cutting off his head and throwing it over the wall. As promised the troop pulled away from our town and peace was restored once again.

Somehow in my mind’s eye, I could see Jab shaking his head in disbelief, wondering how an old woman was able to come up with such a plan and execute it flawlessly, restoring peace to her town and the state at large. Truth is he’s not the only one…a month has gone by since Sheva’s death and I still wonder at Nene’s wisdom and courage.

P.S.

This story can be found in 2 Samuel 20.