The EXIT Interview

"The Sun Takes Three Steps Back Everyday"

His eyes blinked a couple of times before Mr. Zero finally managed to keep them open. He laid on a small old matt in a small grass thatched hut. He had no clue where he was.

While he assessed the wellness of his body amid groans of pain and exhaustion, an old man wearing dirty clothes walked in with a small steaming bowl.

"Soup?" The old man extended the bowl to Mr. Zero who struggled to sit.

Receiving the soup, he wondered, "Where am I? Who are you?!"

He sniffed the soup and cast his searching gaze at the old man. The old stranger smiled and sat besides him.

"You're the guy the Police are looking for. Your face is all over the TV and newspapers." The old man broke the expected news. "Drink the soup, you need all the strength you can get."

Mr. Zero's face waxed cold with fear. He mumbled for answers and certainty, "You... you called the Police?"

The man shook his head and insisted, "Please, drink up."

Mr. Zero nodded his head and drunk the warm soup, all at once. He was famished.

"Phone," Mr. Zero demanded immediately after putting the bowl down, "I need a phone."

The old man calmly fetched an old Motorola DynaTac 8000x phone hanging around his neck and gave it to him.

His face flashed with amusement the moment he glanced at the huge handset. He looked at the old fella, wondering if it worked.

"It works," the man smiled after making an utterance.

Mr. Zero's finger danced on the keypad and placed the phone to his ear. The phone rang on the other side.

"Hello," Martina answered through the speaker.

Mr. Zero took in a deep breath and spoke with an emotional tonned voice, "Hey babe. It's me."

"Your face is everywhere on the TV and papers," Martina wondered. "Did you do it?"

A moment of silence ensued. At the tail of it was a deep breath from Mr. Zero.

"Did you do it?" Martina demanded.

Shaking his head, Mr. Zero replied, "No, I didn't kill the man. I... I checked out of the Program after the President was assassinated. It was standard protocol. I don't know why they are framing me."

"Where are you?" Martina inquired softly.

A moment of silence swung by before he hesistantly responded, "I don't know really. But am OK. I... I'm somewhere safe."

"Babe..." Martina's voice mellowed through phone speaker.

Mr. Zero took his turn and inquired, "did anyone come looking for me?"

"No," She made instant reply.

"Have you noticed anything unusual around the house, neighbourhood?"

"No babe. No."

"Alright," Mr. Zero was satisfied. "Meet me tomorrow at the spot I first met you. I will reserve the same table we used the first time."

"But..." Martina wondered. "Are you going to be okay? The Police are looking for you?"

Mr. Zero exhaled heavily. And, after a twinkle, he spoke, "I will be okay. I just want to see you."

"What time?" Martina inquired.

Mr. Zero forced a smile and made reply, "The sun takes three steps back everyday to make sure the sad faces light up with smiles."

Martina chuckled with glee from the other end. But before she could respond, the line terminated. Talk time had depleted.

While Mr. and Mrs. Zero spoke, Alexis sat by the table with the latter. She listened to everything.

A few ICT specialists laboured to pin- point where Mr. Zero was calling from.

"Do we have him?" Alexis requested.

One of the young men who was tracking the call replied, "No ma' am. The nearest telephone transmitter is somewhere around the south end bridge."

"He's nearby. He'll come to us," Alexis reverted before turning to Martina. "I trust we have no problems with the meeting place."

Martina bobbed her head in agreement.

"But how do we know when he will be there?" Alexis wondered.

"He gave us the time," Martina answered. "The sun takes three steps back everyday to make sure the sad faces light up with smiles."

Alexis was curious, "Alright. In English."

"The sun, during day time. Precisely, afternoon. The hour, 3pm hence the 'three steps' part," Martina explained.

Alexis nodded. "He's smart. I bet he knows someone is listening in."

"So, what's the plan?" Martina inquired.

Alexis, however, took a cigarette, light it up and indulged in its smoke. She said nothing.

Back at the little hut by the river, Mr. Zero stood up and walked to the boat where the old stranger was washing his net.

"There you are," the old man spoke aloud.

Mr. Zero limped into the boat and sat opposite the old stranger. "Why did you help me?"

The old continued with his net- washing ritual as he made reply, "That's a hard question to answer. But if you must know, I don't know why I did it."

Mr. Zero smiled and gave in to a gentle nod.

"I came to check on my nets. I barely caught a fish. Then I bumped into you. At first, I thought you were dead. You still had pulse. After cleaning you up, I realised you were the man making headlines. I struggled within me to call the police. I felt duty bound. But I failed to."

Mr. Zero kept quiet. He cast his eyes on the raging river. A tear escaped his eye.

"We are all fugitives of something. You're running from the state or whoever is after you. Some of us are running from our own shadows and past. And no matter how much I try, I can't outrun them." The old man spoke out.

Mr. Zero looked at the old fella and weighed, "Are you okay?"

The old man forced a big smile. But it was for a moment. Soon, his countenance fell and he seemed lost in a maze of sadness.

"One day, I went home from my fishing spree. Only to find my wife in the act with another man on my matrimonial bed. Doubts crept in about our son, we did a DNA test and what I feared most came to life. He was not my son after all. Since then, I've just been a shell of my old self," the old man teared up as he spoke.

Mr. Zero wagged his head. "That is sad. I'm really sorry to hear that," he remarked.

The old man composed himself and looked at Mr. Zero intimately. "You've known my story," he said. "What's yours? Did you kill our President?"

Mr. Zero was dumbfounded. He was speechless.