Emotional Tingle episode 33
EMOTIONAL TINGLE
(The Mind Reader)
Episode 33
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Written by Author Nath
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Absence is a house so vast that in,side you will pass through its walls and hang pictures on the air. Mr. Nelson’s absence in the life of his family left the poor women, grieving in tears. There was a sacredness in the tears. They were not the mark of weakness, but of power. They spoke more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They were the messengers of overwhelming grief of deep contrition and of unspeakable love for their lost.
Nevertheless, the noise from the roof of the building by the rain dwindled as a result of reduction in downward pressure from the atmosphere. It was a vivid indication that the rain was about to stop. It also enhanced audibility in the mud house where Raina and her mother seated side by side on a local cushion in the living room. The poor girl rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, shedding tears. One could see their luggage beside the cushion which were as wet as the owners who grieved silently over the lost of Mr. Nelson that had subjected them to unspeakable dilemma.
Though, it wasn’t totally dark but the cloudy weather had Geb lit up two candles in the living room. The silence observed could have the sound of a fallen pin, jingling in their ears. The ray of the candle-light reflected from Geb’s face to the face of the two women. Geb turned and sat down opposite them on another cushion, staring at them quietly.
“From the look of things, things are not well with you both.” Geb broke the silence. “And from my observation, it’s a serious matter that none of you would want to talk about now. But you’re free to stay here as long as you want. You can use Crucifix’ room while he joins me in my room tonight and other night.”
Raina straightened up her head after sniffing in. “Papa, Crucifix isn’t coming back tonight.” she said.
The old man sat up. “Why? Has he gotten himself into trouble again?”
“Not really?” Mrs. Nelson interfered. “He was shot along side with my husband in a warehouse. But he’s been taken to the federal hospital. That’s the latest news on air now.” she explained.
“Shot with your husband in a warehouse?” Geb shook his head. “The story isn’t clear.”
Raina exhaled and told the story for a clearer understanding, ranging from the drug business to the reason why they were there with their luggage. The mother also told her own part of the story. How Crucifix got involved was something they couldn’t totally explain.
Geb exhaled in the silence and said “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. Accept my condolences. I can understand your grief. Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.”
Mrs. Nelson’s tears increased with a hand on her forehead, listening to the old man.
Geb continued. “If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to Heaven and bring your husband and father home again. But memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair. The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you’ll learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to be the same.” he stood up with his staff. “You both should make yourselves comfortable. I need to go see my grandson.”
“Thank you, sir.” Mrs. Nelson found her voice. “We shall pass the night here and leave to the village or a family friend’s house tomorrow.”
Hearing that, Raina looked at her mother for a reason best known to her…
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In a hotel room, one could hear the splashing of water from a bathroom and the volume of a television, broadcasting the latest news in town. Suddenly, the water stopped splashing and Hee walked out naked from the bathroom with a white towel in her hand. One could see bushy black hair lying above and beside her outer vulva which made the demarcation difficult to be seen. Her medium bre-st had the structure of an incomplete U-shape with the ni-ples quit prostrated. The name ‘Crucifix’ mentioned on the news as the only survival of the warehouse tragic death which she caused attracted her attention. She could remember Emmanuel, thinking about such name. Suddenly the ringing of her cell phone distracted her from the news. She grabbed the phone from the bed still stake naked.
“Hello, baby boo.” she said on the phone, smiling.
“Cynthia, when are you coming back?” a male voice asked after calling her real name.
“My work isn’t done here yet, Jerry.” she hung the towel on her shoulder. “I know you miss me.”
“I’m also scared, Cynthia.”
“I’ll be just fine.” She brought down the phone from her ear to see an incoming call from unknown number. “I’m gonna call you back, Jerry.” she picked the call.
“Hi, Hee, it’s Emmanuel from the Airport, you remember me?” A male voice came from the phone.
“Yeah, I can remember.” She turned to the television. “Your thought about the person named Crucifix was right. Who is he?” she asked again.
“He’s my friend.”
“What was he doing in the warehouse?”
“Can we discuss this over a bottle of liquor tomorrow.”
She smiled and sat down naked on the edge of the bed. “Are you asking me out for a date?”
“You can say that again.” Emmanuel replied while the girl kept smiling sheepishly.
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The federal hospital seemed deserted. It was a large environment with high buildings. One could hear and see birds, flying from tree to tree. in,side Crucifix ward was a monitor, beeping occasionally. The boy laid face up with a bandage around his abdomen. Beside the sick-bed was Margret seated on a chair with her hand on Crucifix’, twisting them gently. Tears never ceased to come from her eyes.
She wore a short jean skirt over a jean jacket, covering a white inner top that was the same colour with her sneakers. She allowed her hair flop down on her shoulder but never let anyone soaked in her tears. Therefore, she occasionally slid them aside. Suddenly, Geb arrived with Raina. She looked up at them, yet never said anything. Geb placed a hand on her shoulder.
“He shall be okay, lad.” he said softly.
Margret nodded, stood up and began to dry her tears. She approached Raina who stood a bit far from the bed. Both faced each other but couldn’t say a word for several seconds. Margret swallowed hærd. “Hi, Raina. I saw the news. I’m sorry for your lost.” she said.
“Thank you.” Raina replied, still staring into her eyes.
“You know what’s going on, right?” Margret asked as an afterthought. “The fact that Crucifix was in the warehouse with your father, and your father was a business partner to my father, does it mean that Crucifix knew about…” she looked around and lowered her voice. “…about their drug business?”
“Their?” Raina repeated. “So your father is also into it?”
“Don’t do that, Raina.” Margret pointed a finger at her. “You know Crucifix more than I do, I guess. You must have known some people wanted him dead and the death of Lucy. Just tell me what you know. I’m going crazy here, please.” she pleaded enthusiastically.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Raina replied.
Both remained quiet, staring at each other. It pained Margret because she could feel that Raina was lying to her. Nevertheless, she sniffed in tears, slid her hair from the face to the cheek. She ignored Raina and walked out of the ward.
Margret rushed home to see her father gone. Only her mother and nanny seated in the living room. She matched a break after sighting them but continued hurrying towards her room without saying a word to them.
“Come back here, Margret!” The mother called her back, so she turned. “You need to disassociate yourself from that boy.”
“Really?” She took a few steps towards her mother. “So that I won’t know more things about your husband, right?”
“That boy has been a problem in this family. The police will be all over him if he gets well and he might start parading his mouth on what he knows about your father.”
“Oh, so what are you suggesting? Kill him the way my so called father probably wanted to kill him? I must get to the root of this, mother.” she turned, surging towards her room again.
“Margret, your father and I are disappointed in you.”
She turned for the second time, pointing her finger at the door, “He is not my father” she directed the finger back to her mother. “Neither are you my mother.” she concluded.
Mrs. Adams wanted to go slap her, but Eda held her back. “Please, let her be.” the old woman whispered.
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After a week, Crucifix returned home with a bandage around his stomach. He was made to seat on one of the local cushions in their house while Margret, Raina, Geb and Mrs. Nelson stared at him, standing up.
“Welcome home, son.” Geb broke the silence.
“Thank you, papa.” he replied, looking at them all.
Already, Margret couldn’t hold herself so she said, “Crucifix, we thank God you’re alive. I want you to be sincere to me, please. Were you working with my father and that of Raina’s?”
Raina exhaled. “Margret, he just came back from the hospi…”
“Just shut the hell up, Raina!!” she interrupted her harshly, pointing an aggressive finger at her that got the girl startled. She turned back to Crucifix. “Was it our fathers that wanted you dead, Crucifix? Come on, you ate and dined with us. Why were you covering for them? Who killed Lucy? Was it my dad or Raina’s? Was it you?”
Already, all the questions had triggered Crucifix’ tears gland. Raina couldn’t behold it as the two adults in the house watched them from a corner.
“Answer me, Crucifix?!” Margret persisted.
“You need to let him be, Margret” Raina interfered again.
“I said shut your mouth!!” Margret fired her for the second time .
“Don’t you ever shut me up again!!” Raina retaliated angrily too as both closely glared like two fowls about to initiate a fight. Geb shook his head sadly for what a man sees sitting down, a child cannot see it standing on top of a tree….
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TO BE CONTINUED.