HUNDRED QUESTIONS
952 Words
Kayla.
A car approached us where we were standing, on the other side of the wall. Its headlights nearly blinding us all, the others held their hands over their faces, while I merely turned away from the weakening impact of the lights.
The car was pulled over and the driver rushed quickly out, running towards us.
“Joe?!” Mum screeched as dad wrapped his hands happily around her and kissed her. Dad loosened himself from mum and went to Zen, appreciation shone in his eyes. And I wondered how the two were connected, or how they even knew each other in the first place. For all I knew, Zen was one of the stalkers sent to tail our family, to tail dad. So how did he end up being the saviour?
“I'll never forget this, brother.”
Brother?
“Will someone tell me what is going on here?” Mum asked, feeling out of the whole reunion thing.
Zen smiled and handed Tom over to dad, who kissed his cheeks and stroked his hair continuously.
“Anything for you, brother,” Zen responded, tapping dad gently on the shoulder twice.
It all started making sense to me at that point, seeing the two men together. Although, I knew nothing about the back story the duo may be sharing, but it made sense now how dad had showed up at the police station to give a report even when that would have been the last thing the kidnapper wanted.
They had it all planned.
Dad had gone to report the k********g, having already planned an escape route with Zen in the other house. All they had to do was force Van to move them elsewhere to avoid the police. They had to make him move them to exactly where they wanted. I felt relieved that dad had planned something so brilliant and got them back. Of course, it wouldn't have also been possible without an insider, Zen.
Then it struck me, what if dad was also an insider?
No, no way.
It's possible, Kayla. What if dad worked with Van before things started going bad?
No—way.
“Excuse me, guys. What is going on here? Who is he, Joe?” Mum impatiently asked again.
“He's a good friend of mine, Sandie. A really good friend to me. I'm afraid there's no time for any thorough introductions right now. We need to get the hell out of here,” dad answered her, walking past her quickly to the car. He opened the back seat and laid Tom in, shutting the door. Mum opened the door to the passenger's seat, stepped in and shut the door too.
Zen approached dad's car with a brief clap.
“So this is where we part ways, Joe. I'll find my way back now,” Zen said, doing a quick salute to dad, who nodded, before Zen jogged away.
“Be careful!” Dad called to Zen as he trotted further away.
“Worry about yourself!” Zen called back and dad smiled, entering the car.
***
“So you're not going to say anything?” Mum broke the silence while she absentmindedly ran her fingers up and down the seatbelts strapped to her.
“I missed you.”
“You know that is not what I'm asking you.”
“It's been quite tough for us these past months, Sandie. You need to rest, and…”
”...and after all that's happened, you expect me to still keep quiet? You expect me to shut my mouth. Like 'Oh, hey! Me and my son got kidn*pped by some g**g lord. Though we nearly lost our lives, we got out safe and sound and are on our way home. It's totally fine now and nothing is messing with my head.’ Is that what you expect me to say?” Mum spat sarcastically, winding up the window.
“Sandie…”
“I do not want to hear it. If nothing coming from your mouth is at least an answer to one of my many questions, then I don't want to hear it.”
Dad sighed, his hands firm on the steering wheel.
“You're keeping quiet?”
“You just told me you don't want to hear it…”
“My gosh please, for God's sake stop playing around with me, Joe. When I said I don't want to hear it, I meant your flimsy excuses and diversions and you know that. So stop annoying the s**t out of me now and give me the damn answers. Tell me what's going on in your life that it gets to the point of us getting kidn*pped!”
“I'll explain everything when…”
“Now! Explain it now!”
I sat eagerly at the back sit with Tom, eager to hear dad explaining the whole thing, because even I didn't understand what was going on. What business dad had with Van. What dad did, for Van to kill me as a warning. What dad took from him that he's not giving back. Everything. I needed to know everything. Who the real bad guy was.
“Hmph. It's something to do with a chest of jewels.”
“Chest of jewels? Like those pirate things from stories?”
“Yes, Sandie. ‘Like those pirate things from stories’. Only that this one is not from the movies. It's real and if belongs to my great-grandfather's father and his friend, Rick's grandfather.”
“Wait wait….I have a lot of questions? How did you find out about the chest and whom it belongs to? And Rick? You mean your boss?”
“I said I'll explain everything.”
- Writer
