Chapter 10

The next day, I woke up with a fever, so I couldn't go to school. The police came and questioned me, and I told them everything I could say, without letting out the cat out of the bag. But at a point, It seemed to me that one of them, Jim already knew that I was the one who stabbed the culprit because he kept asking the question, "Who handled this knife on that night?" He brought out the little sharp knife out of a bag, with his gloves on his hands and asked me to take a close look at it

"Who owns this knife? Does it look like your mother's?" He asked

"I don't know. We have so many knives, so I don't know if this is hers" I lied. Of course, I avoided his stare which bore into my soul.

"Take another close look at it. See, it is very sharp and has a smooth body. Look, it is very small too. It's a kitchen knife" he said pointing to the knife

"I can see it, Mr Jim. I don't know who has the knife. Probably the assassin's knife"

"No. This is his" he said and brought out another knife. "The fingerprints on this particular knife is a child's. This other one which obviously belongs to the criminal has an adult man's prints"

He said, "and the knives are different in size and sharpness"

"Well, he might have brought two knives"

"Huh. Were you cutting a fruit or any food on the night that this incident happened?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr Jim" I said and he stood up and beckoned to the other two police to leave me alone. Then, they left. I was so relieved after they left. Nora was sitting beside me throughout the interrogation which lasted only six minutes.

"We are sorry for taking your time. Nora, please take good care of her" they said before leaving.

"You didn't tell them what you told me" Nora said after they had left.

"They didn't ask" i said. "Can you tell me a little more about this Cameron? Seems you do not like him?" She asked, and after I had made her promise not to tell anyone, or call back the police, I told her everything. How he beat my mom everyday with sharp and heavy objects. How he was violent with her, in every way, how he always raped her, and how he has refused to buy her a car.

Nora actually cried as she listened to my stories.

"I saw a scar on her neck when I was attending to her, she told me it was a burn from the cooker"

"No. All her scars are from the beatings. They haven't healed completely. She applies treatment on them every evening" I said.

"Oh my!" She said and hugged me so tightly.

The next day, mom was going to be discharged. Nora drove us to the hospital after the police had left and she had given me some medicine. Mom was awake when we got there, and looking so much better. The plaster was no longer on her right eye, and she was no longer wearing the hospital gown that looked like death. She looked like she had washed herself, some minutes ago.

"Mom!" I ran into her arms. I was so happy to see her alive and well. Her right eye was red and sore, but she could see with it. The doctor said the redness was going to take two to three days before clearing, and it'd go faster if she kept using her drugs.

"My daughter, how are you today?"

"We are going home tomorrow" I said, with so much unhappiness.

"It's ok darling" she answered, rocking me on her knees.

Suddenly, while we were yet discussing and sharing affection, her phone rang. Mom's phone. It would have been a normal thing because many well-wishers including people from her fashion design store had not only been visiting but also calling, but it was Cameron calling.

My eyes grew large. What was he calling her for? Did he reappear in the house after disappearing that night? Was he calling to threaten her again? Was he turning himself in? I wondered. Nora and mom were wondering too, because we all had that surprised look on our faces, and we had all seen the name 'Cameron' pop on her screen.

"Take it, ma'am. Hear him out" Nora pleaded with her eyes.

So, mom took the call. It was placed on loud speaker so we could hear him.

"What took you so long to pick up?" He barked. "Anyway, I'll be home tonight. I travelled on a business mission that night I left home. I should have told you but you were in a emotional state"

Mom listened, we all listened to his unbelievable and insensitive nonsense but none of us gave him a response. I squeezed my hands with fury. I felt like punching him over the phone that minute. I didn't know whether it was because he was lying. Or because he was sounding okay when his wife was in pain.

It was Cameron. Who else could it have been? It was his body. It was his height I saw. He's the only other person who has the keys to our house. I heard his car drive into the parking lot that night, it was him. It was definitely him. So why was he lying about traveling on a business mission? I thought. But, the Blue Wolf sign? Cameron didn't have it or did he?

And even so,

How could a man leave his family and travel for a whole month without calling them and without anyone knowing his whereabouts and he calling on the twenty eighth day to ask for...

"I'm so tired and hungry. I need you to prepare my favorite meal because I'll be home before 7pm"

"Are you even listening to me?!" He yelled into the phone. His voice sounded horrible in my eardrums. I had reached the peak of my tolerance with him.

"Cameron, your wife is in the hospital. How did you not know that?" I said into the phone. Mom stared at me in disbelief and hurriedly reached for the phone and hung up.

Nora sighed and shook her head. Cameron was calling back the next minute

"Don't take it" Nora urged firmly. "Let the phone be" she had a scowl on her face as she faced mom

"Mom, we can't go home tonight" I said. "He'll be home. You heard him say that. It's a trick, he's been home all this while! He just wants to pull you back into his den!" I yelled.

"It's okay, Aria" Nora said, trying to pacify me.

"No it's not okay, Nora!" I shouted her down, and she backed away with shock written all over her face. She was probably surprised to see me react so loudly, because to her, I have always been a calm, gentle and cute girl.

Mom started to cry. So Nora was caught in between pacifying a angry young child and pacifying a grown woman at the same time.

Soon, Mom stopped crying. "Let's go, Ariana" she said and helped herself up

"I am not going with you" I said

"Will you be okay? You could both pass the night at my place you know?" Nora pleaded sincerely but mom insisted that we would be fine.

"I'll make tea and toast bread. He'd understand that I have been sick and don't have much strength for cooking" she said and tried to pull me.

"No I'm not going with you"

"I promise you, darling, I'll be fine. I'll not argue with him..that's what he always want. If I keep quiet, he won't do anything to me" she said. She knew him so well.

"Will you be able to keep quiet?" Nora asked. "Please ma'am, have a rethink"

"I am very tired, I have no strength left to hurl curses at anyone tonight. Tomorrow I might, but not tonight" she said. "Let's go, Ariana" she said, walking out of the ward.

"Sir Colin is here to pick me up" It was 3:30 pm.

"No I'm going to stay with Nora" i said putting my hands behind me. Mom was indeed a dummy. I resisted the temptation to call her that.

Sir Colin was outside really. He carefully helped mom into the car and beckoned to me to enter too but I hesitated.

"She's coming with me" Nora said with a small voice. She looked like a wounded child. There was little she could do to save the situation.

Sir Colin shook his head and hesitated for a while before walking to the driver's seat. Nora peered into the seat where mom was, and said "Please call 911 if anything happens. Or call me first. I'll drive down there with some officers, okay?" I saw a tear fall from her face.

"All right, I'll send you the address, but I'm sure everything will be okay" Mom said smiling. I wondered why she was acting so stupid. In my head, I wanted to scream to her face to run away, run far away and not look back. I didn't know what hooked her to that marriage then, but I think I know now.

That afternoon, I did something I'd never dream of doing. I called Mom a dummy. Not in my head this time but to her face.

"Mom, you're a dummy!" I screamed in her face as Sir Colin started the car. I was completely having a meltdown. She stared at me with a face full of terror, pain and disbelief. I could see that face through the glass, the face with one bad eye. Now she was going back there to destroy her other eye.

Nora covered my mouth, carried me on her chest and cried as she ran all the way down to the garage where her own car was parked.

She put me in the passenger seat and started the car without saying a word. But I could see tears falling from her face. I felt bad. As soon as those words flew out of my mouth, I felt bad. I was sorry for calling her a dummy, but I really wanted her to realize it.