At The Auxiliary Armory PLCAfter Capt. Bruce and his colleagues laughed happily, they got into their cars and left but he stayed back to wait for the bus drivers to return and pick up the remaining staff members who were waiting in their offices. Presently, apart from Capt. Bruce and the security men, Laura was the only staff left on the premises and she was still throwing tantrums. They would not have wanted to send her away if she was not disturbing them but her cursing gave them an edge.“You can return to your office and wait like the others if you don't want to go home yet,” Cpl. Simpson informed her and the other security officers waited for her reaction. She looked at the unfriendly looking Corporal who would not have dared talk to her in the past and shifted away silently.Meanwhile, Capt. Bruce decided to remove the offending cars from the gate to the appropriate park and she was attracted by the sound. She walked up to him, and pleaded, “Capt. Bruce, kindly help me with th
Soon, Collins returned with the fulfilled boys.“We are back, Brother-in-law,” they informed him after they walked in happily. He turned off his device and got up at once. “That's good. Let's go to your room,” he said and led the way. They got upstairs, he took them to a big room and they were thrilled, “Wow! It is so big.”“This is your room. I hope you love it.”“Thank you, Brother-in-law. We love it.”“It is all right. Can I see what you got from the mall?” he requested and they showed him their scanty purchases which they did in consideration of his poverty. He smiled after inspecting them and asked, “Are you sure that this is all you need?”Gerald smiled softly and answered, “No, but we can do with them for now. Thank you for your kindness.”“Thank you, for this, Brother-in-law,” Samuel appreciated him too.“It is all right. Take your bath and change. Dinner will soon be ready.”“We got it,” they answered happily at the same time and Gerald walked into the bathroom while Ti
“The meal is fine,” Samuel answered and Tim asked again, “Will the authority permit you to return with your food?” “Not at all,” Gerald answered with emphasis.“It is against the rules. They will permit if someone like Big sister's boss talks to them on our behalf,” Samuel added.“It is all right. Eat your food,” he instructed and they continued. When they were satisfied, they stopped and expressed their delight, “Thank you, Brother-in-law, for the meal.”“You are welcome. Before you go to sleep, you will have some fruit. Did you get me?”“We got you, Brother-in-law,” they answered in unison, and Samuel gave him an askance look. Tim was aware that they had so much to ask him about their sister and he would not leave them guessing.“Why are you looking at me like that, Samuel?” he looked into his eyes and asked.Samuel was bashful because he was caught in the act. All the same, he asked, “Did you beat Big sister?”Tim was calm and his mind ran through the ugly incident of that day w
At Lt. Col. Smirnoff's ApartmentHe was thrilled with the post from the Second in Command and asked himself, “Oh, my God! How did he know that it was my handiwork?”He looked at the post again (Thank you for a good job) and was satisfied with himself.“Does that mean that he was not pleased with the Commandant either?” He thought.Then, his mind went to the cause of his bitterness against the Commandant, Lt. Col. Innocent Faber. He recalled vividly the day he informed him that the former one wished to resign due to health issues and the Head of State wished to replace him without delay.“Oh, my God! Has his health condition deteriorated to this point?” Innocent asked him with genuine concern for the welfare of the Commandant. “Yes. And I think the position is worth applying for."“Really?”“Yes. The position has plenty of benefits.”“Plenty of benefits? Is it better than our present positions?”“Of course. As the Commandant, you have the opportunity to prove yourself because you are
“What does he want me to do? Does he think it is easy to pass the military Aptitude Test? Can any of them have passed the test?” She grumbled and took a step. Suddenly, she saw Pa Suresh's wife and two children coming towards her. The younger child was a boy of nineteen years and Gerald's friend. She smiled happily at them when they got closer. Just like their father, they did not recognize her.“Good morning, Mrs. Suresh. Hi, Ann and Fabian,” she greeted them warmly. When she saw the perplexity on their faces, she asked, “Have you forgotten me? I'm Laura. Pa Dickson's daughter.”Indeed, she had changed from a village farmer to a city girl. Her tan complexion due to constant exposure to the sun, was shining. Her simple dress looked beautiful compared to what she used to put on.“Oh, Laura! How are you?” Mrs. Suresh asked. Before she could answer, Fabian asked her, “Good morning, Laura. How are Gerald and Samuel?”Instantly, the smile on her face vanished and she asked, “Are they not
They laughed softly and told him all that happened in the kitchen and he tapped their shoulders one after the other.“I'm proud of you,” he complimented them. They got to the dining table shortly and began to eat happily as though their family did not exist.At Laura's HouseThe sunglasses covered only her swollen eyes but not her dejected and weak body. After alighting from the taxi, she walked quickly into the house. She answered the guards' greetings perfunctorily with a nod and moved on.“What has been troubling our boss since yesterday?” A guard asked his colleague.“It baffles me too. She has grown lean. Maybe because of the miscarriage,” he remarked.“Or is she missing her late husband?”“I don't think so. It was obvious that she never loved him.”Nevertheless, instead of walking into her house, she walked to her parents' apartment and they were surprised to see her alone. “Where are they,” they asked in astonishment. She sank slowly into the couch and began to cry which baf
At Lt. Col. Smirnoff's ApartmentHe was in a quandary after the chat with the Deputy Head of State. He was sitting in the parlor when his wife, Ruth was discussing freely with him from the kitchen but he was not as responsive as she expected especially when she cracked some jokes. She walked up to him and asked, “What is troubling you, hubby?” At first, he ignored her but when she persisted, he cheered up and lied, “Forgive my absent-mindedness. I was thinking of the victory of Savannah over her enemies.”His wife picked interest in the war and asked, “What about the war?”“Imagine if an enemy attacked our country.”“Oh, my God. I pray it won't happen.”“I pray so, too.”Afterward, his wife returned to the kitchen while he continued watching his television. Then, his phone rang and he was attracted to it. He picked it up from the center table and was disoriented when he saw the caller. Many thoughts flickered through his mind while he only looked at it until it timed out.“He has d
“You will write a 'Thank You' note for him and I will deliver it to him on your behalf.”The idea seemed good and they promised to do that, “We got it, Brother-in-law.”Nevertheless, Samuel who was in the back seat was not satisfied with his proposal. He wondered how a nobody like Tim would see the Head of State and inquired, “Do you mean to deliver it by courier, Brother-in-law?” Tim laughed inwardly and simply replied, “Yes.”He looked at Gerald and asked, “What excuse will you give for returning to school late?”“We will say that we were sick.”“Better. Tell the Commandant that you were sick and the Head of State took you to the hospital and insisted that you must return with your food.”The arrangements were pleasant to them and they agreed. Soon, they were at the school gate. Incidentally, they were not the only ones resuming that morning but the only ones with a funny car. He got out of the car and took his rightful position as the driver to the children of a higher-up.“You c