All Chapters of Those Who Left Me For Dead : Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
38 chapters
A promise is a promise
There were no soothing words of comfort when the priest returned. Abuela Doria seemed to be occupied with other issues"he came back again," she lamented "What could he possibly want this time?" the priest asked with disdain. Just then, the priest's wife appeared, and the two conspirators changed the topic and spoke about the weather.The priest spoke about a recent visit he had had of a barren woman who had come to him to seek council. The grown-ups chatted merrily about the woman's fertility struggle. Ass aCatholic, I knew what the priest was doing was wrong. It was against our faith to share or discuss people's testimonies. Andrea and I were made to have dinner at the corner table. I had spent the remainder of my day hoping that since I had called my abuela she would take the very next taxi and come and fetch us but the hours went by without abuela "she is still coming" I convinced myself. She would know there had been a problem and she would come. When the day became darker,
A birthday that felt like a funeral
Shouting followed by a low muttered discussion is what woke me from my deep end..."That man will be here anytime now, " I heard abuela Doria whisper"Then you will have to buy time and tell to wait a little bit longer," the priest said "We don't have custody yet, but in a few days or even in a few hours, we will," the priest replied"Father Luis, if we delay the funds any longer, the man will become impatient." The old woman persisted, her voice breaking"Who will be impatient?" Andrea asked, but her inquiry was ignored "Take care of the kids for the time being, be kind to Matteo, don't make him feel left out," the priest told herShortly, I heard the engine of his car start before the car drove off.Andrea kept pestering the old woman with questions. "You said we should tell each other everything," she insisted, but the old woman left her questions unanswered still.I woke up with one intent in mind. I was going to run away. If my abuela was not coming back for me, I was going to
Abuela to the rescue
"You can’t take the children," Maria Porte, the priest’s wife, declared, her voice trembling with a mix of authority and fear. "You don’t have custody of them, especially with everything happening in your life right now." She emphasized every word as if trying to anchor them in the air, but my abuela had already finished packing our belongings with sharp, decisive movements."And what exactly is stopping me?" my abuela asked, tightening my jacket with calm determination."Well… the law," Maria replied, her confidence cracking. "Please, Abuela Teresa, let the children stay with us just a little longer just a few more days while you sort out your legal and personal issues." Her tone softened into pleading desperation.I felt my stomach twist.The thought of spending even one more dreadful day in the priest’s house made my chest tighten. A few more days felt unbearable. My grandmother must have noticed the panic flicker across my face."Maria, I’m grateful—truly—that you took my gran
Nothing will ever be good enough
We sat on the only remaining table, a small table that was usually placed at the kitchen corner "I'll buy all of the furniture again. It will look just like it did before," my abuela promised.Her face formed an unsure smile, the birthday cake was a simple blue cake with one lone candle in the middle, Andrea carried it to the center of the table "Blow it, Matteo, and make a wish," Andrea urged me. I was nine, parentless, living with my abuela and naive little sister in a home that had been ransacked and broken into. What was I hoping for?.I thought deep and hard this didn't make sense, but against my greatest reservations, I made a wish, a tear fell down my eye. I blew the lone candle as it went off all my hopes of the wish, becoming realized disappeared"Matteo, what did you wish for?" I had fathom the ludacrisy of my wish "Andrea you can not ask anyone about their birthday wish dear" my abuela scolded her "but abuela I was just curious" she replied "well dear if Matteo were to
Blood on my doorstep
I slept on the spare mattress on the floor of my abuela's room, Andrea slept on our abuela's bed. I had arrived late that evening, numbed and dizzy from crying myself to a stoep, when I returned home the front door was unlocked, my abuela was sitting on the corner of her bed waiting for me to return, she offered me supper and prepared my place to sleep on the mattress "Andrea's will be sleeping in my bed for the time being" she told me.I crushed on the mattress buried myself into the soft cushy blanket, It rained shortly after, the sounds of the raindrops hitting rooftop lured me into a drowsy state in the far of distance I heard three loud bangs ring off in sequence, i felt like a dream but I knew the gunshots were real, suddenly I fell into a deep paralysis state unable to move and then suddenly it was all dark I fell into a deep comatose sleep. The morning that followed was chilly my abuela and Andrea were still sleeping, I felt guilty about my behavior the previous day though I
Graffiti on the wall
The hosepipe scattered and splashed cold water all over the stairs, pathway, and lastly, the bloodied gate"Don't worry, Mrs Cardaso." The neat pint sized finely perfumed officer said "We took samples. In a day or two, we will find out who or what the blood belongs to."The officer promised "In often times it could've been the blood of an injured cat or dog, or just somebody who may have accidentally cut themselves and passed by your house for help, probably nothing to worry yourselves with just keep an watchful eye just incase"The officer sighed warily. He waved my abuela goodbye before driving off in a police car with the samples in hand. I watched relieved as the car drove off, I felt some anxiety around police ever since my abuela's arrest "Take Your sister and get inside the house," my abuela told me. Andrea had been outside playing with her dolls the entire time, I called her out and led her back inside, I noticed from the corner of my eye my abuela looking around the nei
Murder, she wrote
"Teresa Cardaso, do you have anything to do with the murders of Luis Porte and his wife Linda Porte and his helper Doria Salgado?"The young female officer asked finally. My abuela froze, and after a moment, she said in what may have sounded more like a stage whisper than a proper translucent sound. "I have information that may help in regards to their deaths." The tall trees stretched endlessly in the golden mist of the moonlight, the trees had a somber but dreamy sight against the backdrop of the dark purple sky with its millions of shinny stars, laying on the backseat of the police car the trees signaled distance. I was miles and miles away from home. I had an epiphany of what life would be like without my abuela, and the picture was bleak. I knew what life without my parents had been like for the past few months. The beautiful beach, the modest house I called my home, the school rush, arepas and many hugs and kisses and the recent drama( more specifically my odd behavior and
A dream denied...
Her lower lip quivered, she attempted speaking, yet no words came out of her open mouth....I noticed the aged teeth clash involuntarily as if holding back whatever she had been intending to say, she moved agitated in her seat and adjusted her clothing though it needed no such action, she straightened up as if she had finally conjured up a defense to the allegations but still she held back at the very last minute..."Do you have anything to add to that?"The officer asked in a tone more desperate than my abuela's dilemma. My abuela remained resolute.."No," was her response. At that point if I wasn't at the station I would have lashed out at her, she always had a perchance for saving people's arses over her own, the priest had betrayed us, he had called the police on her and gotten her arrested, it had been a wonder that he had managed to come so soon after my abuela had been taken into custody, it had been him. The whole arrest and custody battle was suspicious. Why would the pries
Law and order
The ambulance rushed my abuela to the hospital whilst Andrea and I stayed behind at the police station.At the station the police supervisor had descended upon the remaining officers asking them in hushed tones about what had occurred, the middle aged supervisor dressed in a navy police suit with multiple badges fired question upon question to his subjects."Explain what happened here, now," he shouted The officers struggled to give conclusive answers as the guilty officer had left with my abuela in the ambulance, like a criminal escaping a crime scene."She tried to flee from the arresting officer, sir," thy other officer lied, unconvincing. The absurdity and the nerve to lie blew my fury her direction."She's lying. She was not under arrest she tried to leave, and she made her fall," i cried."She did it on purpose," I concluded.The supervisor didn't even look in my direction."What are the kids doing here?" He askedNobody responded. The officers pursed their lips as if they wer
Law and order
The ambulance rushed my abuela to the hospital whilst Andrea and I stayed behind at the police station.At the station the police supervisor had descended upon the remaining officers asking them in hushed tones about what had occurred, the middle aged supervisor dressed in a navy police suit with multiple badges fired question upon question to his subjects."Explain what happened here, now," he shouted The officers struggled to give conclusive answers as the guilty officer had left with my abuela in the ambulance, like a criminal escaping a crime scene."She tried to flee from the arresting officer, sir," thy other officer lied, unconvincing. The absurdity and the nerve to lie blew my fury her direction."She's lying. She was not under arrest she tried to leave, and she made her fall," i cried."She did it on purpose," I concluded.The supervisor didn't even look in my direction."What are the kids doing here?" He askedNobody responded. The officers pursed their lips as if they wer