He had fondled with the idea that parents teach their children fantasy, not because they were taking advantage of their innocence, but because they believed in not letting their children know the bitter truths of the world at such a tender age. As he shifted his attention from the stars to the parking lot, he found a boy waiting near a Popsicle stand outside the motel. The seller walked towards the stand and helped the kid satisfy his want. Daniel stood grinning at the boy’s joy, as the boy thanked the man.
A hand appeared on Daniel’s shoulder, and he heard Cynthia say, ‘What are you smiling at?’
‘Just wondering at how a Popsicle seller can satisfy that boy with a simple living, while people like Jeremy are running behind others seeking vengeance. I like that man,’ Daniel said, pointing at the seller.
‘For your kind information, I saw him smoke a cigarette just before he came to hand the Popsicle to that boy. So, what do you have to say about the man now?’
Daniel shrugged his shoulders. ‘Well, I like temporary people in my life. They create an impression and leave, unlike the permanent people who wear different masks to suit the situation.’
‘Hmm,’ Cynthia said, nodding her head approvingly. He doubted if she got the hidden context of his comment. ‘Was Margaret such a candidate?’
Daniel had a ready-made response. He did not intend to let her go with just a simple comment. ‘Margaret had been in my life for quite some time. Unlike her, I met Vanessa Romero, who took advantage of my disability and claimed herself Cynthia Roberts, despite having loved me in the past.’ He paused and scanned her face for any expression. She displayed a blank face, which he believed would not stay on for long before giving in to some overwhelming emotion. ‘You know what my first impression of her was? She seemed a sensible person and I pitied her story, when she said that her boyfriend had cheated her. But, when I learnt that I was that boyfriend, I was confused. I do not remember our past and our relationship. But am I so untrustworthy that you decided to lie to me? Were you afraid that I might come behind you?’
‘Daniel, you don’t understand the scenario.’
‘So, you think I am stupid?’ he asked.
‘Stop talking like a girl, Daniel,’ she yelled.
‘Then humor me,’ he said, crossing his arms across his chest.
No words escaped her mouth, as she stood in front of him with her head hung. Daniel grew impatient of the persisting silence.
‘Answer me, Vanessa!’ he yelled, shaking her violently.
His phone began ringing, which swayed his attention from Vanessa. It was an unnamed contact. He answered it.
‘Daniel, it’s me, Manyap.’
‘Yeah, have you dropped off Daniel at the Fremia Daily?’
‘Yeah, I dropped him there and I am at ESAF HQ. I want to notify you about something. The truck escorting Margaret and her accomplices is leaving to Jepson Port, from where it is going to load them on the ferry to Mercupo. They are going to stop at the restaurant beside Nelson’s Motel within the next ten minutes. It could be a chance for you if you intend to get her back so badly. But remember, I am pushing you into the sea with a tube around your waist. It is upto you to stay safe.’
‘Thanks for the info, buddy,’ Daniel said, already immersed in deriving a plan.
Daniel ended the call, grabbed the belongings bag off the floor and walked past Cynthia, who gazed at him blankly. ‘Daniel!’ she yelled behind him.
He turned around. ‘Vanessa, if you don’t need me, you can go to hell!’
He walked to the reception of the motel and waited for the manager. When he arrived, Daniel asked him where he could get rental cars nearby. The manager announced that he had two Chevrolets, which he rented on a daily basis. Daniel paid for one car and acquired the keys. He found the car in the parking lot and hopped in. He drove it to the opposite side of the road in front of the restaurant and waited. When he gazed at the digital clock in the car, it said nine o’ clock. He switched on the radio in the car and listened to it on low volume to calm his racing heart.
Fortunately, his favorite song played on the radio. Ironically, the song reminded Daniel of Cynthia, which struck him strange. His mind diverted to venture how he had no memory of her, yet felt an air of familiarity around her. As he diverted back to the song, a convoy of a BMW and two military trucks stopped outside the motel. First, a man stepped out of the BMW, walked to the first truck and knocked on the wall of the truck. A man in military overalls stepped out of the passenger seat, followed by two others from the back of the truck. The same followed in the second truck. Keeping an eye on the procession, Daniel removed the gun from his trousers’ waistband and checked the cartridge. Finding nine shells in it, he removed the safety and loaded the gun. As he reached for the doorknob, a blue Chevy halted few yards away from the convoy and a series of gunshots rang out as both the groups exchanged fire within the next few seconds.
Oh My God!
THE MAN WHO LOST IT ALL
ON THE WAY TO SUMMERHOUSE
JEREMY HAD TOLERATED the tension in his bladder for more than an hour before he could bear it no more. He had feared that stopping the vehicle would attract unwanted attention. But his bladder was in no state to listen to him. He asked the driver to stop to a side on the rugged country road and ran into the bushes. He unzipped and sprayed the dried bushes. As he continued spraying, he gazed at his Rolex, which said 7.15. He had sensed his aggravated anxiety since hearing about his crimes on the radio and he wished to reach the destination before the military tracked his whereabouts. When he was done, he found the driver, whom Adam had brought that morning, smoking a cigarette and speaking on his phone, standing few feet away from the van.
Jeremy patted his pockets for his pack of cigarettes, but failed to find it. Unable to restrain himself, he walked towards the driver, wiping his hands on his trousers. As he neared him, he heard the words, ‘he’s here. He doesn’t suspect me,’
Jeremy pulled out his gun instinctively and shot him in the back of his head without a second doubt. The lifeless form slumped to the ground and Jeremy picked up the phone to end the call. Its fall had rendered it dead and he failed to get it back to life to find to whom he was leaking the info. Adam retreated to Jeremy from the van and stood examining the corpse.
‘What’s the matter, boss?’ he asked.
‘Where the fuck did you get him? He was leaking information to someone.’
‘Sir, Nathan sent him as an alternative,’ Adam answered.
Jeremy began cursing. ‘Give me your fucking phone.’
Adam obeyed the order silently. Jeremy switched it off and threw it into the bushes. ‘I will buy you a new one later. Let’s get the fuck out of here.’
HOLLAND’S SUMMERHOUSE
It was 8.30 when they reached the summerhouse. Adam insisted on staying in the car, while Jeremy walked to the door and knocked on it.
‘Coming!’ Mr. Holland announced.
Jeremy waited patiently as the old man fiddled with the locks for a couple of minutes before throwing the door open.
‘Hello Jeremy, sorry for the delay,’ Jacques said, moving aside to let him in. ‘It was just the rusted locks and all.’
Jeremy smiled at the old man’s remarks and walked in.
‘Make yourself at home, boy,’ the old man said cheerfully, gesturing towards the couch, while he settled in the rocking chair.
Jeremy walked towards the couch thinking of Jacques’s smiling face, which seemed to lift his spirits. However, it was not long before his lifted spirits dropped with the recollection of Ethan’s murder. Once Jeremy sat on the couch, Jacques said, ‘It’s so good to see you. So, what brings you so suddenly to this old-couple’s place?’
‘Nothing in specific, I just wanted some time away from the city,’ he said, shifting his attention to the television. ‘So, do you have a cable connection here?’
‘Yeah, it works,’ Jacques said, turning to the TV. ‘Do you want to watch something?’
‘No, Mr. Holl
and. I was just curious,’ he said, turning to his phone. He messaged Adam- THE HOUSE HAS A CABLE CONNECTION. CUT IT.
They sat in silence for a moment before Jeremy stretched his tired body.
‘Why don’t you go and rest for a while? I will send Durian to your room once the dinner is ready,’ Jacques said.
Jeremy nodded his head and walked towards the stairs, with Durian, a tall muscular lad, behind him. As he ascended the stairs, he saw an enlarged photo of twelve-year old Ethan and his mom by the stairs. The photo brought back the memories of his mother, whom he had lost when he was twelve.
THE MEMOiR
The stairs of his house were the best part of his house he liked. He spent his free-time running up and down the stairs. Losing his mother to those stairs was kind-of ironic for little Jeremy. He had watched from the head of the stairs as his mother, Carolyn, fell face-first for the first three steps before banging her head on the fourth stair, and then slid downward face-down for the rest of the stairs. She had ended up at the foot of the stairs with her face mutilated and blood washing the floor below her head.
Jeremy had not dared descend the stairs for his mom’s rescue as the maid rushed to the spot within seconds and lifted Carolyn off the floor. Jeremy gazed at the blood on the floor and shifted his attention to the maid, who struggled with an unconscious Carolyn in her lap. Jeremy maintained a blank face all throughout the events. When the maid glanced at Jeremy with his blank face, where she must have imagined fear, she gestured to the chauffeur in his direction, who came storming up the stairs and pulled Jeremy away from the sight. Once he lost sight of the proceedings below, Jeremy’s hammering heart slackened.
The chauffeur left Jeremy in his room, told him not to come down any time soon and left. The chauffeur’s absence made Jeremy conscious of his loneliness, which he had desired for a long time. His blank face slowly turned into a wide grin and happy-tears escaped his eyes. He had hated his mother since he was four and had never changed his impression of her despite her affection towards him. Her sudden departure was not going to affect his life in anyway.
He was never afraid of the dark or loneliness. What he despised the most was uninvited intervention into his loneliness, which he had crowded with the figments of his imagination. As he wiped off the tears, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He jumped off the bed and walked towards it. He caressed his reflection in the mirror with his tender fingers and widened his grin, exposing his irregular teeth.
‘I pushed her down the stairs, dad. You will be very happy to know it. She is going to die. I am just being a good boy, dad,’ he said to himself, observing his reflection in the mirror.
As he heard footsteps in the hallway outside his room, he put his index finger to his lips and walked back to the bed. Just as he settled on the edge of the bed, the chauffeur walked into the room and embraced little Jeremy.
‘Master Jeremy, I am sorry. Your mother is no more,’ he said.
Jeremy tightened his grip around the chauffeur’s waist and dug his smiling face into the man’s robes.
I have done it, dad. You’ll be satisfied with me.
BACK FROM THE PAST
Jeremy ascended the stairs, appreciating himself for his earlier achievements. When he reached the first room at the head of the stairs, Durian opened the door and led him in.
‘Sir, do you have any luggage that I need to bring in?’ he asked.
Jeremy shook his head and said, ‘Do you mind if I wear Ethan’s?’
Durian shook his head and left the room. With Durian out of the room, Jeremy closed the door and gave his undivided attention to the room. It had once belonged to Ethan, and Jeremy used to share the room with him whenever he visited the house for summer. The room looked tidy and the shelves were stacked with Ethan’s clothes, despite him not visiting his parents. Jacques Holland and his wife, Melissa, had been staying in the summerhouse since the last two years, after Ethan had evicted them out of their own house. Yet, the room’s tidiness made him question their feelings towards him.
Seated on the edge of the bed, Jeremy realized the irony in sitting on the bed of that very person, whom he had murdered less than twenty-four hours ago. He wondered about the discovery of Ethan’s corpse. But he knew that the old-couple were not so heartless that they could abandon the corpse of their only son, despite his flaws. The idea of Ethan’s undiscovered body worried Jeremy as he realized that some of his deeds had already created troubles for him, and he could not afford to create space for few more.
Jeremy smelled himself and realized that he deserved a decent hot bath. He undressed and walked into the bathroom. He plugged the bathtub’s drain and turned on the hot water tap. As the tub filled with water, he tapped his left shoulder impatiently, whose pain had mitigated gradually over the days. He tried to relax his left shoulder and the pain returned. The thought of allegations against him returned to him, and he thought about the murders of the Head and Senior-Field Agents, which he had not committed, yet found place in his account.
He thought back to how he had come up with the plan to murder the people from SAF. One day in August, the news about the consecutive deaths of three military servicemen, whom he recognized as the Head and Senior-Field Agents, sparked an idea about murdering the rest of the team for vengeance. His idle mind had been longing for something to do for quite a few days and the new idea struck him as an opportunity to provide a purpose to his aimless life. He decided to continue what began as a coincidence and wanted to dedicate it as a retribution for the deaths in his family. Just like that, he began his hunt for the rest of the team, with Tim assisting him. After all, it was just his sport.
Dropping his thoughts of murder, he stepped into the bathtub. He rested his back and felt the pleasure as the hot water comforted his tired body.
The smell of the steak had not reached him much earlier than Durian, who appeared at his door to announce that dinner was ready. Jeremy descended the stairs with a fresh appetite, wondering when he had last felt so badly to have something to eat. When he reached the foot of the stairs, he saw Jacques seated in one of the chairs.
‘Jeremy, you look handsome in Ethan’s clothes. Take a seat,’ he said cheerfully.
Jeremy occupied the chair beside him and waited. ‘Isn’t Mrs. Holland going to join us?’
The old man shook his head and said, ‘Nowadays, she doesn’t get off the bed a lot. She eats on her bed. The doctors said that I shouldn’t expect her to live more than a few months.’
Jeremy had expected her to join them, which he used as an excuse for not meeting her earlier. Thinking of speaking to her after dinner, Jeremy placed a soothing hand on Mr. Jacques’s shoulder, which the old man patted with a shaking hand. ‘You see,’ he said. ‘I have grown habituated to losing loved-ones. First, an elder son to a bike accident, second, my grip to tremors,’ he said, gazing at his shaking hands. ‘Then, a grown son to another accident and, someday soon, my wife to cancer.’
Jeremy had heard the story of Ethan’s elder brother, who had died in a bike accident at the age of eighteen. But he had not heard of another sibling who perished to accident.
‘Another accident?’ he asked, moving aside to let Durian serve the steak.
The old man wiped tears off his eyes and managed a meek smile. ‘Well, Ethan survived the fall from the cliff. But, the resulting quadriplegia caused the respiratory failure, which ultimately took his life.’
Jeremy sensed the turmoil, which began spreading to every nook and corner of his mind like a poisonous gas, and he experienced a paralyzing effect for a few moments before regaining control. He quickly cut a chunk of the steak and forced it into his mouth to buy some time to think. He had pushed Ethan off the cliff less than twenty-four hours ago. The story about quadriplegia and respiratory failure struck him strange. He wondered if the old man had lost his mind.
‘You must have observed his room,’ Jacques continued, not noticing Jeremy’s apparent anxiety. ‘I ask Durian to maintain it in perfect con
dition. Whenever I feel lonely, I spend time in that room just to recollect Ethan’s last days in that room. I have never hated him, despite his behavior towards us. Serving him in his last days is the only thing that still keeps me happy. In my opinion, it is the parents’ weakness that they shower their children with eternal love irrespective of their children’s nature.’
Jeremy nodded, trying to look normal, despite the anxiety clouding his senses. In his anxious state, the steak seemed difficult to swallow and he was terrified that he would choke on the steak. He reached out for the water jug and poured himself a glass. Lifting the glass to his mouth, Jeremy’s eyes met with the portrait of Ethan, standing on a table to the right of the dining table, in front of which stood a lighted candle. Jeremy did not care to drink the water and observed the base of the photo. At the foot of the photo, it said-
ETHAN PTI HOLLAND
NOVEMBER 30, 1979 - FEBRUARY 29, 2016
Jeremy counted the days on his fingers. According to the photo, it was more than six months since Ethan’s death. However, according to his memory, he had been dead for less than twenty-four hours. Either Jacques was true or he was stubborn and mad enough to erect a candle in front of his alive son’s photo. Jeremy sensed his raised vitals and dried mouth. He drowned the glass of water and feasted on the steak hurriedly, despite a lost-appetite.
Once he shoved the steak and the wine into his stomach, Jeremy ascended the stairs to his room, not caring to visit Melissa, and shut the door behind him, fearing that he might snap any coming minute. As he bolted the door, he heard a voice behind him.
The Memoir Page 17