A love like yours

Many ways to skin a cat

Rey

I haven't been able to stomach anything ever since I learned that the mother of my child is nowhere to be found. I despise her mother, but despise myself more for letting of her. She was my other half, a person I'd have done anything and everything for but I let something so small and stupid drive a big enough wedge between us that I've now lost her forever. I wonder if my child is safe wherever she is. I should've at least insisted that she come with me, used the same force that Amber used but now I've lost them both. I don't have any energy. not even to bath or even comb my hair as every hour of my day is now used to try and find any leads. Every one j get keeps leafing to a dead end but I can't throw in the towel. For my own mental health... It's keeping me sane right now to hang to the little bit of hope I have, that I might find them alive, and when I do, I'll make it up then, show them how sorry I am for messing up this badly. I should've known better than this.

Maybe I'm the only one who still has hoe of finding them alive, judging by Amber's dad's display of ... I don't know if I should call it calmness or defeat... It doesn't look like he really cares. Who knows? Maybe he orchestrated their a*******n. I don't buy his little story about how him and Maggie went to the shoos only to find them missing. He knows something.. Who puffs a cigarette in the middle of a crisis like this one? How do you feel the need to be calm when things already looking this bad, faced with a possibility of meeting your one and only daughter again in coffin? Who does that? Only a guilty person.

I arrive at Dimitri's house right on time to stop him from leaving before I get the answers I'm looking for.

"I now you spun me a little tale, but I'm no child.

Be honest Baba, do you know anything about Amber’s whereabouts? I know I’m the last person that should be asking this because of the way I left but please give me a chance to at least try and make things right. I can hardly sleep at night because of how much this is affecting me. I sound like a lovesick puppy right now but as long as it’ll get me what I want, I don’t mind.

So you want my daughter back because you want to ease your own conscience. And you’re not afraid to admit it? Reece answers. Didn’t anyone ever tell you how precious a girl child is to her father? You didn’t honestly think that I’d be willing to tell you after what you just said, did you? I came prepared for that question or should I say questions? And simply answered, “But honestly speaking Baba, no one can be held accountable for anything here as; one- we both did her wrong and two- it’s just not going to help anyone right now. We need to find solutions. What my mother did tell me is that a man dusts himself off and tries again. He wipes some beads of sweat off his bald head; A sign of trouble. I lean in and listen attentively to what he has to say, feeling a bit nervous because if this grown man in front me looks so shaken, whatever he’s about to me is heavy. I brace myself. This is going to be nasty.

“Her mom sold her off.” He begins. “To Smiso.” He continues after a fairly long pause. I start pacing around the living room area as my heart hammers hard against my chest and I find myself taking short unsteady breaths. I take one full one in and release. This means one thing and one thing only, we’ll never find them. That man is as slick as a snake. And with all the money he has, it won’t be difficult for him to make sure that he’s untraceable. I decide to let go of my pride and try to Trevor again with a different approach. I tend to forget that he’s a wealthy man now and dangling money in front of him won’t make him come running. It rings once and he answers, breathing heavy and I hear slapping sounds. Eew. Hey man, I’m desperate and in urgent need of your help. Please, I’m down on bended knee. It takes a while and a few more slaps for him to get back to me. “Okay I know I’m desperate need of your help but that’s extremely rude.” What do you want? He asks, completely dismissing what I just said to him. Okay, I’ll take it. I’m in no position to be making demands. I need to find Amber and my kid because without them, I’m not coping at all. Don’t kick a man while he’s down dawg. Please. Okay, stop whining, he says to me. I was wrong for for betraying you. You and I come a long way back. “Dawg.”He says then laughs like a teenager who’s just discovered adolescence. I’m happy he said that, we do come along way and it’s satisfying to see that a brother knows where his loyalties lie. It feels good to build such solid, genuine connections with people, not because you know they always have your back, but because one develops a family outside of the one of a person has. I appreciate this guy more than he’ll ever know. “Do you still have the box I told to you to keep?” Yes, I answer this genius named Trevor. We’ll start with that, we should be able to get a lead. I’m already on my way to the door as I keep nodding, forgetting that he can’t see me. I’ll explain things properly to Amber’s dad when I come back home with the two things that make my world go round. I realise that my speed is too high when I almost collide with another car and take it down a notch. I don’t want my child to grow up fatherless. I think about all the things I’m going to do when for her when I see her, the excitement on face when she sees me. I love the relationship she and I have. She’s quite the character that one. When I get home, I rush to my bedroom to find the box and send the phone’s IMEI number to Trevor wishing that he’ll be able to find my girls. It’s disappointing to think about how much we take things for granted while we still have them. How we think the least of things because they’re still right here, in front of our eyes. Amber once dedicated Alicia keys’ like you’ll never see me again to me. The instruction as clear as daylight to show her affection like every time I do it, it would be for the last time. I laughed at her, called her dramatic but I’m optimistic now that all that will be corrected. It might take some time but it is said that good things take time.

Trevor calls in a few minutes saying he’s found a location. My heart races just as my thoughts do as I take my car keys, wait for the location pin and once my phone is connected to the car’s Bluetooth, I drive to where that sexy sounding lady from my GPS says. I can’t help, however but to notice the incredibly large pieces of open veldts surrounding me as I drive further and further. I hope Trevor has some answers for me because, honestly, what is the meaning this? What is this fool playing at? The drive is long, but worth it. I have enough petrol in my car to do the necessary; it’s the patience that I’m running out of. “Hey brother from another mother!” Trevor smiles and comes in for a hug but I step back but. I’m not your girlfriend man, I say to him jokingly and he goes in for it anyway. Yep, that’s Trevor for you, when he’s not being all serious, he’s a chilled guy who just loves goofing around. “Where are my girls?” I ask. Not far from here actually, if you cast your eye right over there... Trevor says to me. I CAN and WILL NOT believe this! What more can happen?