A Bullet For God

by Eben Le Roux

  Chapter 23

  It was still early Monday morning, and Ross felt a little restless. Today, his life might just change for the better. Every task of this day was going to be a big step for his future. Already, he had deposited the cheque into his account, and with his crew been paid, he had the day for himself. High on his list of priorities was Gina and he was not going to lose her again. In addition, the Rolex was bothering him immensely, and so was the appointment with Pedro’s wife and son. He was hoping the meeting with them would work out as he planned, as eight months was too long for him to be without work. Knowing that he wanted Gina by his side forever, made him to think long and hard about what to do with the Rolex. Selling it for the money was not an option; it would only make him feel guilty for the rest of his life. This watch belonged to Pedro, and it should save what he had worked for all his life. First, he had to be at Enzo jewellery store to establish its true value. Enzo, being a big name in jewellery, only stocked items of the highest quality. Once inside, he headed straight for the watch section. A salesperson walked over to him to ask if he needed assistance. Ross, who kept himself as normal as possible, thought it wise not to get rid of him.

  ‘Yes, please . . .’ he said calmly with his hands in his pockets.

  ‘I am actually looking for a ring, but these watches, they got my attention. That one over there . . .’ Ross pointed at the watch inside a shatterproof glass cabinet. The man gave him one look as if trying to make sure he could afford it.

  ‘You know that is a Rolex, sir?’

  ‘I can see that. How much are they going for?’ Ross was not looking at him.

  ‘It’s a Rolex Oyster, sir, nine hundred and fifty thousand rand, sir.’

  ‘What? You get watches at that price?’

  ‘Well, eighteen carat white gold with a diamond-studded face . . . they do not come cheap, sir.’

  ‘You can say that again. You just scared me away from here. Show me your rings.’

  A smile had formed on Ross’s face. He knew he had hit the jackpot. The only concern was to convince Pedro’s family to invest it in Diamond Steel.

  ‘What type of rings are we talking about, sir?’ the man asked eagerly.

  ‘Think of an engagement ring for the most beautiful woman in the country.’ He was now in good spirits as the value of the watch had him very excited.

  ‘Ah . . . I see… this way sir.’ This time, the man was smiling. That look on a client’s face he knew very well: this was a serious buyer. Looking at the variety of rings, Ross knew it could take him long to make a decision. He was also hungry and needed something to eat. As they stood by the glass cabinet, he said; ‘Mister, there are too many rings here. I tell you what. Give me one of those catalogues, and I will have a look at it. Do not worry. I am not going away. I will have a look at it at that coffee shop across the road.’

  ‘Not a problem, sir, take your time. I will be here once you have made your choice.’

  Later, with some breakfast and tea in front of him, a smile formed on his face as he marked off two rings that he thought would do justice to a woman like Gina.

  ‘Daydreaming might be beautiful, but it made nobody rich.’ A voice came from above his head.

  With a jolt, Ross quickly closed the catalogue and slowly moved it to his jacket pocket.

  ‘Twist, what are you doing here?’ Ross did not know what else to say.

  ‘I should ask you that question, Ross. This is my favourite coffee shop. I always have my breakfast here whenever I am in town. Say . . . what’s with the ring?’

  ‘The what?’

  ‘Come on, Ross, is it for Gina? I see the two of you are together again.’

  ‘Look, Twist . . .’ Ross was blushing and trying to change the subject, but Twist was not letting go.

  ‘Ross, if it is for Gina, you’re doing the right thing. I can even say you have been stupid waiting so long. Every boy in school wanted that girl. Even I cannot look at that woman without wanting her. Her type does not come in dozens. Did you know that?’

  ‘Twist, are you lecturing me?’

  ‘No! I am just telling you what you should have done long ago.’

  ‘Yeah, but long ago, I could not have provided for this woman.’

  ‘Oh, come on, Ross, what did Mr Johnson tell us about commitment?’

  ‘What?’ Ross asked eagerly.

  ‘You forgot, Ross? Don’t tell me you can’t remember?’

  ‘Come on, Twist, just tell me.’

  ‘Say, please!’

  ‘Damn you, Twist . . . please!’

  “Words from Mister Johnson and I quote; ‘To be committed, you first have to take on the challenge, for there could never be a commitment without a challenge.’

  Ross’s eyes widened as he suddenly got up from his chair. He dropped money on the table while softly saying to Twist, ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Hey, wait. Where are you going?’ Twist shouted after him.

  ‘To take up my challenge . . . I should have thought of it five years ago!’

  Twist could only smile as he watched him walk away. As he sat in his chair calling a waiter, the smile widened when he saw Ross entering Enzo jewellery store. Through the smile, Twist whispered, ‘It’s my pleasure to help you Ross. It’s my pleasure.’

  Much later, with the ring in his pocket and a body loaded with anxiety, Ross stopped at the address given to him by Pedro’s wife. He knocked on the door and waited. He was just about to knock again when it was opened.

  ‘Hi, I’m looking for Mrs Catherina Carello,’ Ross greeted the woman very gently.

  ‘Are you Ross?’ she asked politely.

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  ‘She is in the back building. You can go around. She is expecting you.’

  ‘Thank you, ma’am.’ Ross could not help feeling pity for his former boss’s wife as he scrutinizes the place. Pedro would have never let her live in conditions like this. The place was a mess with the vegetation on the property unkempt. He turned the corner of the main house and was even more disappointed. The back building was standing amidst a lot of rubbish. Two half-stripped cars blocked half the view from the inside of the windows. Fallen tree branches made it nearly impossible to walk around the house. This time, he did not have to knock. The door opened just as he got up the steps leading to it.

  ‘Ross, my son, how are you?’

  He knew she meant what she was asking. He also knew she was trying hard to sound happy as the woman in front of him was far from the person he used to know. It was hard to know that this was once his boss’s wife. That well-kept hair of hers was now only catered to by a couple of strokes of a brush. The eyes could not hide what was inside her – sorrow, pain, and humiliation.

  ‘Mrs Carello . . . I . . . I am so sorry to . . .’

  She knew it must be embarrassing for him to see her like that.

  ‘I know, my son. I know how you must feel. Come inside, I’ll tell you everything.’

  ‘Tony . . . is he here?’ Ross asked her as they walked inside the small but very neat two-roomed building.

  ‘He will be here in ten minutes. He just phoned before you came . . . sit, son, sit.’

  ‘Mrs Carello, is it really this bad? I mean . . .’

  ‘Ross, I’m trying to adjust. It is very hard, but I have to.’ She became wordless for a moment as if trying to get the courage to speak.

  Ross hoped that her current position would make it easier for her to accept his proposal, and he felt guilty for his thoughts. One thing he was sure of was that he had made the right decision in bringing the watch to them. Deep inside, he was worried that they might not use it for the reason he had in mind. He knew he had to be careful in addressing the issue. This family needed money, and they might just be desperate; desperate for other reasons that might make him regret this decision. Catherina took a seat opposite him, and he could see the suffering in her eyes.

  ‘It is not his fault, Ross. Really, it is not. He expanded the business and our house. Y
ou know about that. He used his life policies against those loans. For that last three months, he was talking about increasing the policies to cover his debts. He never did. Honestly, he never had a chance, or maybe he just forgot.’

  ‘Mrs Carello, I have no words for you today, but I hope I’m learning a lesson from this,’ Ross said sadly.

  ‘I hope you do, son, and I know you will . . . Wait, here is Tony coming now. The two of us cannot wait to hear what is so urgent that you want to discuss with us.’

  She stood up to meet Tony at the door. Tony took a glimpse at him and nodded before he wrapped his arms around his mother.

  ‘Hi, Mom, you still okay . . . ? You should do something about your hair.’

  She ignored his remark, trying to laugh it away. Ross rose from his chair as Tony came towards him.

  ‘Ross, it is good to see you, man. You’re still looking as good as ever.’

  ‘Good to see you too, Tony. I am delighted to see you still care that much for your mother.’

  The look on Tony’s face changed with the words from Ross.

  ‘I wish it could be better. I don’t know, Ross . . . I don’t know. With the salary I’m earning, I don’t think I will be able . . .’

  ‘Tony, just sit. Do not break yourself, man. Maybe there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.’

  Tony’s eyes widened. Those words sounded like good news. Maybe he knew something about his father that they did not know, but he knew it could not be. His father never kept secrets from the family.

  ‘Okay, Ross, what is it you have for us – good news or bad news?’ Tony and his mother were sitting next to each other on the opposite side of him. They looked as if they wanted to stare some answers out of him.

  ‘Both.’ It was a forthright answer from Ross.

  ‘Then let us know . . . you can start anywhere,’ Tony said calmly as if he was not expecting much.

  ‘Okay, Tony, how much do you know about your father’s business?’

  This question hit Tony like a four-pound hammer.

  ‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Ross could sense a bit of hope in Tony’s voice and realised he had to be very careful not to take that hope too high.

  ‘I mean, if there would be some way to stop the auction and if we could get the money, would you be capable of managing Diamond Steel?’

  This time, Tony only laughed away the disappointment. ‘Ross, unless you are going to tell me you have a lot of money somewhere, I am not wasting my time on this subject. So . . . can you come up with the money or not?’

  ‘No, I don’t have the money, Tony . . .’

  ‘Then what the hell . . . ?’ Tony stood up from his couch. ‘Why are we still discussing it?’

  ‘Hey, I’m not here to upset you guys. I . . .’

  ‘Then please just talk some sense so that we can understand what you really came here for. You sounded so convincing on the phone just . . . just to waste our time. Do you know what this can do to my mother by giving her false hope? We have suffered enough, man. Let us come to terms with our situation and accept . . .’

  ‘Tony, sit!’ His mother pulled him by the arm.

  ‘Now listen to me, Ross,’ she stated calmly. ‘Everything and I mean everything, that Pedro Carello and I owned was seized by the bank. You cannot have the one by not paying for the other, the cars, the house, the business, and everything. We were only allowed to leave with our clothes and some personal items. If the sale of the house is not going to be enough to settle the outstanding amount, they will also auction off everything inside it. It is all going to be sold, and we might not even get a single cent. His life insurance was not enough to cover everything. I am sorry, but we cannot help you.’

  ‘Tony and Mrs Carello, with respect, I found it hard that you should lose his life insurance, and on top of it everything he had worked so hard for that is . . .’

  Tony had enough of the topic and was getting annoyed with Ross. ‘Ross, don’t put salt in our wounds. You heard what my mother said. There is absolutely nothing left for us to do. For six months, she fought against the auction until her lawyers gave up. We lost everything, end of story.’

  Tony was back in a standing position, and Ross could see he wanted him to leave. He also knew that he had to make some sense before he got angry and threw him out. Still, he did not know if it was safe to mention the watch.

  ‘Tony, if I tell you that there is a chance that we can save Diamond Steel, would you listen to me?’

  ‘Damn it, Ross, how many times must I tell you that we do not have the money . . .’

  ‘Tony, I said, would you listen to me?’ Ross waited until Tony was seated again, and then turned his attention to his mother.

  ‘Mrs Carello, after the bank paid the debts from your husband’s policies, how much do you still owe them . . . would you know?’

  Tony seemed as if he wanted to attack Ross for not letting go, but his mother stopped him very quickly.

  ‘Well, yes, I have all the correspondence from the bank in my room. Should I go fetch it?’

  ‘Yes, please, Mrs Carello.’

  She lifted herself from her seat, looking very annoyed at her son.

  Tony waited until his mother went through the bedroom door and whispered to Ross, ‘I don’t know what you have in mind, but it better work, otherwise you stop right now.’

  ‘It can work, Tony, trust me, but there will be a small obstacle to overcome.’

  ‘What do you mean, it can work? Is this some illegal stuff you are dragging us into . . . ? I don’t . . .’

  ‘Ssh. She’s coming.’

  Catherina was holding sheets of paper in her one hand while, with the other, she was busy putting on her glasses. Once seated, she paged through them until she got to the one she was looking for.

  ‘Here it is . . . This was the final report. They received the life insurance payout . . . and here . . . here it is – a balance of nine hundred and twelve thousand rand. It is a lot of money, Ross. Nobody is going to give so much money away, especially not to us.’

  Ross looked at the amount and wondered if the resale value of the watch could save them.

  ‘Mrs Carello, I have to speak to your son privately, if you don’t mind?’

  ‘Oh, you two want to be alone? I will be in my room. Call me when you done.’

  ‘No, ma’am, you stay right here. We will go outside.’

  She wanted to argue, but Ross already started walking towards the door, nodding for Tony to follow him.

  Once outside, he made sure the neighbours or persons inside the main house could not see them. He reached into his pocket and took out the Rolex. With one movement, he handed it over to Tony.

  ‘Here, take a look at this. Tell me what you think.’

  Tony was completely startled as he looked at the watch.

  ‘Son of a bitch… this is a Rolex. Damn Ross, where did you get this?’

  He was asking the question as if he was holding a million dollar cheque in his hands.

  ‘It’s your father’s.’

  ‘Bullshit, my father never had a Rolex.’

  ‘No, but he took ownership when he borrowed a hundred thousand to Edward. Now, after that tragedy, I think the watch is now yours.’

  ‘What . . . are you sure? We did not know about such an agreement. You know what this means, Ross . . . are you sure?’ Tony could not control his anxiety and was staring at Ross in disbelief. ‘This could be the end of our troubles but how, why... how did you get hold of this?’ he shouted as he looked at Ross with a very enquiring expression.

  ‘Promise me you would do the right thing if I told you?’

  ‘So what would the right thing be if I might ask?’

  ‘I want you to go after your father’s business . . . to open Diamond Steel again,’ Ross said firmly while looking him straight in the eye.

  ‘You are one hell of a man Ross, to have the guts to bring a watch to us that we did not even know exists. That says a lot about why my father
trusted you so much.’

  Ross gave him a hard and serious look. ‘This is where the shit could hit the fan, Tony . . .’ He studied his expression before he continued. ‘In that break-in on Friday night at the house, that man handed this watch to my brother before he died. I will give you all the details later. This is not something that I need to hide from your family.’ I am as much in a desperate position as you are after they had close the doors of the company.’

  Tony gave Ross a very worried look before he said; ‘Nobody else knows about the watch?’

  ‘Nobody else,’ Ross answered firmly.

  ‘Ross, you can bet your life that this watch is going to open Diamond Steel again.’

  ‘Tony, just hold on for a second. All Rolex watches are on a database, registered with their lawful owners. This watch still belongs to Edward.’

  ‘So how do we prove that he loaned Edward the money?’ Tony asked somewhat distraught.

  ‘I have an IOU, but it’s at home.’

  ‘Are you sure you still have it?’

  ‘I had it in my hands last night.’

  ‘Good. Then we will have to phone my father’s lawyers.’

  ‘Do we need to involve the lawyers in this?’ Ross did not sound too keen on agreeing with Tony.

  ‘We need them, Ross. What if Edward’s family wants to buy back the watch? We have to make them that offer first. Right now, we only need to settle the arrears with the bank . . . and this watch can do it.’

  ‘A person can do that?’ Ross brightened up after Tony’s statement.

  ‘Yes, Ross, you can.’

  ‘Then let’s do it.’

  The conversation was much more energised than when it started.

  ‘Hey, Tony, what are we going to tell your mother?’

  ‘Everything Ross, everything. In fact, I am going to let her handle the lawyers.’

  ‘What about me? What if everything goes well?’ Ross was careful not to sound greedy.

  ‘Ross, I will make you a stakeholder that is guaranteed. First let us go tell my mother the good news.’

  Tony was full of smiles as he hugged Ross and tapped him on the shoulder. Ross’s face brightened, for he knew he had done the right thing. One thought rushed through his mind as if somebody was whispering it in his ear, ‘Ross Carter, Peter Johnson once again came to your rescue.’