‘I don’t, Aunt Janice. Believe me, if I did I would tell you.’
‘Maybe you’re thinking that you can keep her safe but she’s in danger, Sin. She could hurt someone, or herself.’
‘When I last saw her she looked pretty fine to me,’ he mumbled angrily.
‘And when was that?’ She asked now eyeing him closely.
‘I saw her not too long ago...’ he noticed her look getting more and more suspicious, ‘…before she escaped,’ he concluded.
‘Sineas, I thought we talked about this. You do not see your mother without me.’
‘I’m sorry, Aunt Janice but this is my mother. I have every right…’
Smack!
She had slapped him clean across the face with her left, just below his right eye. His face burned with pain. He had felt the flesh on his right cheek shift to the left from the force.
She shot up onto her feet. She was fuming, her fists clenched shut. She looked in the opposite direction, her right hand pointing towards the stairs. ‘I
The sudden attack had surprised him. But he didn’t mind. ‘Why?’ he played along.‘Because it’s a beautiful day, Sin. The sun is smiling down on us. The birds are singing for us and the air is just…’ she took one long and sharp breath with her mouth, ‘…marvellous!’‘You sound like a holiday infomercial.’She laughed exuberantly and playfully nudged his shoulder.They finally walked past the couple. Sineas had decided to make way for them on the narrow path. He tried to tug on Clarissa’s hand but she pulled back. She didn’t look like she wanted to budge. Luckily, they avoided an awkward collision. The older couple made room for them and Sineas and Clarissa continued on. She was wearing an exultant look on her face. Sineas looked over his shoulder. The man looked like he understood.‘So, how did it go at the station?’ Sineas asked her.Her face immediately bec
‘You can tell me, Claire. Did that psychopath hurt you?’She answered amidst uncontrolled sobs, ‘I think he threatened me…I honestly don’t remember. I think he said something about the night being full of woes or something.’ She began crying a little louder. Luckily the bench sleeper was still knocked out and the left bench was yet to be occupied. Sineas’ heart melted in anguish. Her cries were cries of one in pain, yes, but there was something about the way she cried. It was so low and innocent. It was like watching a harmless kitten drown and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Powerless and shaken by the deep, cold waters that threatened to swallow you both if you dared to jump in. All you could do was stand and watch, waiting for the next person to step in and do something. Sineas decided that he was going to be that person. He was not going to allow her to sit there and wallow in her pain while he idly watched. She ha
‘And?’‘ “Marriage. Doesn’t think he’s catering for his wife’s needs sexually. Symptoms: searches the internet for help tips and drugs to assist him”. Doctor Jacob diagnosed it as low self-esteem and social anxiety. I guess he was yet to decide the cure.’Inspector Charles said, ‘Why do most of the doctor’s patients only have marriage problems? You’d actually think that for a guy who tries to fix marriages, he’d keep his intact.’ The inspector laid his forehead on the desk. He was now facing the floor. ‘This can’t be the end, James.’James replied, ‘I’m sorry, sir but Jevez is the last file.’ He snapped it shut and laid it on top of the three-foot stack.‘Then what will we do, James? Where do we go from here? This snake has us in a whirlwind with our tails tucked between our legs.’ He began to bang his forehead slowly against the edg
His eyes opened wide. He kicked the covers from his body and sprinted to the door. He peeked outside for about five seconds then closed the door, very silently. ‘Mother; where are you?’ he spoke into the phone as he scurried back towards the bed. His voice was hushed. ‘Everyone is looking for you. And by everyone I mean the police.’‘How have you been, son?’ she asked him. She sounded like she was in high spirits.He could feel her smile. Its warmth was radiating through the phone. He smiled too. ‘I’m fine, mother. Everything is fine this side but you…where are you? Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.’‘Do not worry about me, my boy. I’m fine, I’m seriously fine,’ she laughed as if in emphasis to her claim.‘Maybe now but definitely not for long,’ said Sineas. ‘The police are looking for you. You were on the news…’‘The new
They finally disengaged.‘Now that you are out, what’s the next step?’ he asked her enthusiastically.She looked ominously ahead of her. Her cap was pulled down way too deep on her head almost covering her eyes. She answered, ‘I'm not sure yet. Maybe somewhere quiet like Madagascar…or Australia. Somewhere far from all this lunacy. Anywhere but here.’‘That’s a good idea,’ he said. ‘If the police ever get a scent of where you are then it’s over. They’ve already looked for you in Aunt Janice’s house.’She shook her head. ‘These boys must be serious. The jackasses want to lock me up in that hole for another eleven years even after I convinced the doctor that I’ve recovered. It’s still not enough for them. They just still want to keep me holed up in there, pumping drugs down my throat four times a day, everyday. Eighteen pills a day! And after my escape, they might
The indoor basketball court or gym room was now packed. After two hours of students and teachers filing in, people finally got settled in the stands. The stands were occupied by the students and just beside them, chairs had been placed for the teachers. In the middle of the court was the podium and five metres to its right sat the victims’ families. The chairs were arranged in pairs and in the lead were Justin Foyer’s younger sister and mother and behind them were Justin’s other relatives and Miss Bale’s relatives as well. They had not been formally introduced. All of them summed up were at least twelve. Sineas and Clarissa were in the top stands, sitting patiently like the rest of the students, waiting for the service to get underway. A few teachers had attempted to quieten the students’ conversations down but were barely successful. They decided to give up. Even the hard-shelled Mr. Regwizini had tried his military no-nonsense tactics but had fa
He continued, ‘I loved Miss Bale too. She was a good teacher with so many years ahead of her. May the heavens keep her safe.’ He waved conclusively towards the stands, then the families and headed back to his seat amidst heavy applause.‘This has been one hell of a memorial,’ Clarissa said to Sineas as they sat in the stands waiting for the principal to announce the next speaker. Everyone had delved into hushed conversation whilst the principal scoped a piece of paper in front of him.‘What do you mean?’ Sineas asked her.‘No one seemed to know a lot about Miss Bale. It’s making this event look a little one-sided.’‘Are you saying that no one knows anything about Miss Bale? The whore that slept all the way to her job? Miss Bale, who dresses worse than a ghetto hooker? Miss Bale, who…’‘Okay, okay, I get it, Sin,’ she said stopping him with a hand. She looked remorseful. &lsq
‘I, uh…I never knew Justin. All I’ve ever heard about him is that he was a man of honour and promise and a man with a very bright future. And all I can say to that is…’ he looked up into the stands.Clarissa was still wearing that smile. She gave him another thumbs up.He turned back to the other eyes. The hundreds of executioners’ eyes. ‘…Yes…Yes he was,’ he continued. ‘Justin was a true sportsman. He was multitalented and was, in my opinion, the best student role model this school will ever know. He had plenty of scholarships in his pocket, awards in his closet, more than enough open doors but unfortunately, a sick and twisted person…or people, for their own unknown reasons, decided to cut Justin’s destiny short. I never knew Miss Bale that well either. But for the short time I was in her presence, she was able to bless me with her well advanced intellect and deep wisdom. I felt a sense of