Law of Love

I skim through the files of the cadets as I look for any familiar faces. The last file catches my attention. Jemimah Nyirenda. Top of the class and has already been requested for by the Captain of the Special Investigations Unit, Lusaka Branch. Of course, he would ask for her, but I wonder if he knows about her family. A knock on the glass door distracts me from my work. “Come in.” The door opens and Kenny peers through the gap. “Chief,” he says. “It’s time.” The clock above the door frame shows that the time is eight-thirty. The graduation starts in one hour, but we need to be there earlier to ensure that the stadium is secure for the mayor, our esteemed guest of honour. I leap out of my chair and grab my formal jacket and cap from the coat rack. “Let’s use your car, Kenny.” “Wouldn’t yours be better?” “I prefer to be inconspicuous during such events.” I press a button that calls for the elevator. “The Chief Inspector of the Lusaka Police Department, in formal attire, is very easy to spot at the Cadet Graduation Ceremony,” says Kenny as the elevator doors open and we occupy it. I watch as the display shows our floor number, number seven, and counts down from there. “I mean after the ceremony. Most people don’t go looking for me once they notice my car isn’t in the parking lot.” “And who would be looking for you?” “Are you really asking me that, Kenny?” “You seem to have some people in mind. I was just wondering who would be so brave as to scare the Chief into hiding.” “Scared! I’m not scared.” “If it looks like fear and smells like fear, then it must be fear.” The elevator doors open once again, and we step out of it into the underground parking area. “Save your profiling for your cases.” “So, it IS fear!?” “Yes. The fear of dealing with unnecessary people.” I enter the Jeep from the side opposite the driver’s seat. “Since when do you not drive?” “I prefer to be chauffeured today,” I reply. “It feels good to be driven around from time to time.” My phone vibrates, to let me know that a text message has come through. I notice the text is from one of my men. The text reads; We are waiting for your authorization. I reply; 10mins out. Wait for me. Once we're out of the parking lot, Kenny turns to me and says, “By the way, Susan and Monica will be attending the graduation ceremony.” “Simon’s widow and little daughter! Why would they do that?” “I figured it would be nice to have them over, and besides, little Monica loves to see cadets in their uniform.” “Are you serious? Why bring them to an event that will stir up their past trauma, Kenny? You know how involved Simon was with the Cadets, especially at their graduation.” “Easy Chief, it wasn’t my idea. My sister said she wanted to come.” “Well, I guess that’s fine. She isn’t the one I’m worried about. How is Simon’s son doing? Uhm, what’s his name again?” “Paul. I’d say he is doing OK.” “Yeah right,” I retorted. “Every time I saw him, he had a new theory on how someone in the police department covered up their tracks after killing his dad.” “Oh, come on, Bill. The boy was hurting. He just needed to heal.” “There are many children who have lost their parents in the line of duty and Paul is the only one who couldn’t come to terms with it. I also blame you for encouraging him.” “I only encouraged my nephew to follow the evidence he had.” “Evidence? You are the Captain of the Special Investigations Unit and you call speculation and gut feelings as evidence?! You are clearly losing touch, Kenny. Perhaps your Vice Captain, Lucy, should be promoted sooner rather than later.” Kenny smiled and said, “You’re probably right. Perhaps I am getting old and soft. But the truth is, the information was inconsistent in some areas.” “It’s not the first time a report is inconsistent. Even some of your reports back in the day had holes enough for an elephant to go through.” Kenny laughs and says, “Now you’re just exaggerating my flawless ability to write a report.” “I don’t think so. You were under my jurisdiction before the SIU stole you from me. I lost a good officer that day but I was also grateful that I didn’t have to read your awful handwriting.” “My handwriting has nothing to do with a report’s consistency.” “Trust me, Kenny. A terrible handwriting has everything to do with a report’s consistency. Why are you bringing this up any….Wait! Let me guess. You want to reopen a closed case, am I right?” “Only when I have enough information, Chief.” I like Kenny, but his habit of playing hero is going to get him killed someday. I find it surprising how he is still alive. In this line of business, heroes have many enemies; dangerous enemies. “If you have a solid case, I’ll back you up.” “And what if it’s not?” “Then I won’t need to do anything apart from watching your career go down the drain.” “Thanks for the motivation, Bill.” “Anytime, young man, anytime. By the way, I saw your request to recruit the best cadet this year. Did you do a background check on her before you put in the request or was this one of those ambiguous requests like ‘Whoever is the best in the class is the one we will recruit’ kind of thing?” “I’ve been keeping an eye on her. It’s not every day that you get to see a rich person earning their strips.” “And how do you know that she earned them? She could have paid off every instructor and still have enough money to spare for a private jet.” “Yes, that is a possibility, but I know most of the instructors personally. They are passionate about their job.” “So what? I’ve met many people who are passionate but would still look the other way for the right price.” “Not everyone would,” Kenny said sternly. “We have a few good eggs left, and I believe they can make a difference.” “Alright. So, what else do you have to go on apart from passionate instructors?” “Her parents. Namely, her grandfather and her mother. They hated the idea of her becoming a Police Officer, but she went against it and now here we are. There is no way they wouldn’t be proud.” “Yeah, knowing those two, they will make the poor girl a public spectacle. Another gold medal added to their family history.” “You know her parents?” Kenny asks as he brings the car to a halt at a red traffic light. “Of course, I do. The old man is a tactful business person, and he has trained his daughter, Rita, to be more than what he is. Though I wonder how things will work out with Jemimah.” “What do you mean by that?” he asks as the traffic light turns green and we get moving again. “Rita, her mother, is a renowned pharmacist and an heir to the pharmaceutical empire that she has helped her father to build. Jemimah, on the other hand, is an officer. How on earth is a cop going to run a d**g company?” “She could hire someone to run it.” “And that’s how the family will go from riches to rags. I’m telling you, Kenny, kids these days don’t have an eye for the big picture.” “And what would you have her do, oh wise one?” I give a bleak laugh at his humorous tone and say, “She can learn how to run the business and continue the family legacy.” “Or she can see where her skill set can be used best in the company.” “Sometimes I forget how young you are.” Once we arrive at the stadium, Kenny opts to park his car in the parking lot outside. It's less secure, but the young man is entitled to do what he wants with his car and so I keep quiet. As we approach the nearest entrance, we meet Paul. It's strange to see the young man without a camera crew following him. I guess even reporters have need of a break every now and then. “Good morning, Paul,” I say as we get closer to him. Unlike his father, the kid has a natural talent for getting under my skin every time we meet. He looks at me and gives a slight nod before responding with a greeting. His eyes and voice remind me so much of Simon. “Any new theories today?” He gives a weak smile as he responds. “Not today, Chief Inspector.” “I take it that you are giving up and finally accepting things as they are?” “Today, I’m simply enjoying the graduation ceremony with my family. Sort of like paying a tribute to my dad. He always found time to attend them and give a few words of guidance and encouragement to the graduates after the ceremony.” Ah yes. He was called the counselor at some point in his career. He got the nickname after the psychiatrist noticed that most of the officers would say, “That’s the same thing that Simon told me”, or “I talked to Simon and he had a different view” or even “I didn’t come yesterday because I talked to Simon and I liked his advice.” I had to talk to Simon, told him to be more of a cop than a counselor, but by then the damage had already been done. The nickname stuck, and his customers kept coming. I decided to keep him busy in order to force the other officers to meet up with the psychiatrist. “Hope you enjoy your day, Chief Inspector.” “You too, son, you too.” Interesting. He isn’t annoying me today. Perhaps he is starting to heal. I leave Paul and Kenny by the entrance to catch up on whatever it is that they talk about. I only hope that the conversation won’t include a closed case. Reopening that case would do more damage than good. ********** I look on as Bill, the Chief Inspector of the Lusaka Police Department, walks into the stadium. “Why are you acting weird?” Kenny asks. “I’m not acting weird, Uncle Kenny. I’m simply being nice to the Chief.” “Since when are you ever this nice to the Chief?” “I’ve always been this nice.” My uncle lifts one eyebrow and gives me a questioning look. “Fine! I’m just making sure we stay on his good side. I know that he hates me and doesn’t like hearing what I have to say about my dad’s case. I also know that I will need his help in the future when I find some concrete evidence.” “He doesn’t hate you, Paul. He’s just tired of you bringing up the death of his former partner. Don’t forget that he did try to keep the case open for as long as possible.” “I remember.” But I don’t think he did enough, uncle. He may have kept the case open to win my family’s favour. “Do you also remember us telling you that if your father’s case were to be reopened, the government would stop paying out his benefits to your family until the case is closed?” “Yes, I remember, and I’ve already considered that. I can help mom with her finances. She isn’t entirely dependent on those benefits.” A small, dark green car rolls into the parking lot and as it passes by, the back window facing us slides down and a cute little girl with dark brown skin and hair tied in buns by the side of her head, waves frantically at us. As though that wasn’t enough to attract our attention, she shouts, “Hi Uncle Kenny! Hi Paul.” Caught up in the moment, I wave both my hands over my head and shout back at my sister, “Hi Monica!” “You two are too cute for words,” my uncle says between breaks of laughter. The car stops in an empty slot next to my uncle’s car. Monica is the first one out of the car and she runs towards us ignoring my mother’s warnings. Calm down mom, its not like there are other cars around. I scan the nearly empty parking lot to make sure Monica is safe from any moving cars. I notice my uncle doing the same thing before he bends down to scoop his niece into is arms and raise her above his head. She laughs as she soars through the air and when she is set on his hip, she wraps her arms around his neck and gives him a big kiss on the cheek. She never saw her father, but at least she will know the love of one. Uncle Kenny is the closest thing to a father she will ever have. ********** “Mom, come on! We’re gonna be late.” I shout from the bottom of the stairs. I should have shaken her until her head popped off. Even before I left the nest, she was always the last one out of the house. “I’m coming, give me a minute,” she replied. “I don’t think the Graduation Ceremony will held up just because of us,” I tell her as I head back to the dining table. I begin packing her breakfast; smearing butter onto one slice of bread and placing a few circular slices of tomatoes, a fried egg and some lettuce on top of it before adding another plane slice. As I start to make the coffee in one of her favourite flasks, I hear a bedroom door open and close upstairs. I look up to the ceiling and follow the quick footsteps as they lead to the stairs. The black heels give her enough height for her long dark velvet dress to swing around her feet without her tripping over it. The small black bag hanging from her shoulder is a nice touch and so are the short circular caped sleeves of the dress. “Ouch!” Hot water spills onto my hand, snapping my attention back to my current duty. “What happened?” Mom asks as she ends her descent. “Don’t worry about it, let’s go,” I say as I brush past her and head to the kitchen on the other side of the house. I turn on the tap and let the cool water wash over my aching hand. Turning back, I say, “I’ve made your sandwich. Only the coffee is left.” “I fail to see how the top student of the academy can be so clumsy.” “I wouldn't have hurt myself if someone had woken up when I told them to do so, fifty minutes ago.” The pain in my hand weakens and I grab a tablecloth and dash back to the dining table. I quickly clean up the mess I made and head for the exit. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Mom asks. I turn around and notice a pair of keys dangling from her index finger. I give an exasperated sigh as I walk towards her. When I try to take the car keys, she pulls them away from my reach. “I think its best that I drive. You seem…” “Irritated? Yes. Yes, I am.” “Relax honey. It’s your graduation, not your funeral.” At this point I kinda wish it was my funeral. I say to myself. “Fine, Mom. You drive.” She walks past me and heads to the garage. I quickly go through the house making sure I haven’t left anything unattended, before I lock the door as I head out. Once we are in the car, mom pulls out of the garage and heads to the main gate. My grey coloured hunchback vehicle was a life lesson, the time I got it. “Always get an asset first before buying a liability,” my grandpa had said. “If it takes money from you, then it most definitely, unequivocally, is a liability. There’s no two ways about it.” He had told me this many times before, but at that moment I really wanted to have a car. Especially if it came from my own savings and hard work. The car proved to be a thorn in my side for quite a long time until I got my finances in order by asking for help from my dear, loving Grandpa. I despise using my family name to gain favours, mainly because it makes people look down on me. Like my efforts and hardships are something to be spat on rather than to be admired and recognized. Many times I wish people would see me for who I am and not the name that I carry. My house is the 20th in a row of houses within the complex and is in line with the main gate, making it easy for a quick entrance or exit depending on what I’m in the mood for. The first time I found the house, mom wasn’t particularly impressed with my choice. “My daughter can’t be living in a compound,” she had said. “It’s not a compound, it’s a complex, and it's cheap and secure.” “Jemimah, there is no need for you to pay rent to anybody. Just stay here with me. This mansion is big enough for us and your future family, if you wish to have one.” The only time she would say my name like that was when she was unhappy or upset. She usually calls me Jemi. “I know that. But I really need my own space and it would really make me happy if I didn’t have my mother looking over my shoulder or calling me every time I didn’t come home early.” “Why do you need to be outside late at night?” “Coming home at twenty hours isn’t late, mom.” It had taken a lot of “talks”, as she calls them, before she relented, but even then, she would frequently call. When I started ignoring those calls, she became a frequent visitor. I had to set some boundaries again, which led to more talks, but eventually she came to realise that, though I am her only child, I am not a child that needs to have a babysitter. “Relax, Jemi. I doubt the academy will start their graduation without their star cadet,” mom says as she makes a left turn outside the gate, to join the main road. “I’ll be relaxed when we get to the stadium.” “We will, honey. I doubt there will be traffic.” It was almost as if God was mocking me because moments later, we found ourselves in a traffic jam. Mom looked at me and said, “Sorry, honey.” I gave an exasperated sigh as I momentarily covered my face and slouched in the chair. Great! Fantastic!