On his part, Anaele decided to stop robbing and worked  hard to return to school. What transpired between him and Mr. Okoko had really touched him. "If I had killed that man, I know my mother wouldn't have forgiven me in the land of the dead," he thought.

Oshimiri, unaware of Okoko's return to Amala, often thought of his old friend, not knowing how close they now were or the profound impact Okoko's kindness had just had on his own son's life.

Days later, Anaele narrated the incident to his father and pleaded with him for forgiveness for the stress he had caused him and his friend. He announced to his father that he was ready to go back to school. Mr. Oshimiri listened with his mouth wide open, realizing that his friend was in town.

He hurried to Okoko's house and pleaded on behalf of his son, but Okoko told him that it was not his son's fault, but that of his boy Ikenna, whom he had already dismissed after the incident. That was when Okoko finally understood why the thief had mentioned Oshimiri, and the mystery that had been troubling him was solved.

Mr. Oshimiri was overjoyed and said, "Your kindness truly has saved my son's life. Who knows where he might have gone to rob and be killed?" He knelt down, prayed for his friend, and said, “Please, my friend Okoko, continue being kind.”

The End. 

Note: All names and places in this story are fictional. The writer is not depicting real individuals.