CHAPTER 2: Milner family
Will is sitting in the school ground, he looks really tensed. He was trying to talk to his mother earlier but was't able to do that.He is just sitting on the stairs and looking at the watch as if he is just waiting for school yo be over. That is when he receives a message on his phone. He takes out his phone and checks the message: "Are you still planning to buy it?" Will does not reply to the message. Suddenly, two teenage boys approach from behind, they are his seniors. Will gets kind of tensed as soon as he looks at them.
"I was looking for you... you didn't come to us today...", says one of those boys.
"I... i was..."
"How many times do i have to you to come on time!", says another boy warning him.
"I'm s...sorry.", will is trembling in fear.
"Your sorry cant make things right."
Two boys sit beside Will. One of them pulls out a cigarette and lights it with a lighter. He smokes the cigarette and exhales the smoke on Will's face. He then takes mud from the ground in his hands and mixes the ashes of the cigarette with it. He brings it close to Will's mouth and says, "Eat it.."
"What?"
"EAT IT U ASSHOLE!!!"
"No... please."
"You don't follow the rules and you'll be punished."
One of the bully forcefully opens Will's mouth while another one makes him eat mud. Will struggles to resist but is ultimately helpless in the face of their aggression. Eventually, he manages to push away one of them and attempts to flee, only to be grabbed by another boy and thrown to the ground.
As Will lies on the ground, they both viciously beat him, delivering a barrage of kicks and punches that leave him battered and bruised. His clothes are ruined in the process. The assault only ends once they both have unleashed all their pent-up frustration on Will.
"Wont be late next time."
They both then leave him there, lying on the ground. Will attempts to stand, but his entire body is wracked with pain. Frustrated, he takes out his phone and responds to the message: "Yes, I will buy it."
An address is sent in response: "parkinson lodge, 46th street, robert farm. Come around midnight, and don't be late."
________________________________________
Sarah Roberts, a woman in her early twenties, is standing on the service side of the counter,in a cafe engrossed in her mobile phone. She is doing her summer part time job in this cafe. Arthur enters the cafe with his bag in hand, he approaches the counter to place an order. Sarah looks up from her phone, sets it down, and greets Arthur with a warm smile.
"Hello Sarah..."
"Hello Mr. Milner.... How are you? You'll have your regular cappuccino?"
"Yes."
She goes to the coffee machine and prepares his cappuccino.
"How's your mother?"
"Ohh mom!! I don't know 'bout my mom but 'the detective karla' is doing great. Nowadays, she don't even have time to talk to me and it is not good to neglect your family for job."
Sarah serves him his coffee.
"She is a very good person. People do get busy sometimes. It doesn't mean they don't care."
"I knew you would support her."
"Ofcourse, I will support her. She is my good friend."
"Well, then i think i am complaining at the wrong counter."
"You can say that!"
"So, you going for a show round."
"No, I am coming back after meeting with my client."
"This early?"
"Yup!"
"So, how was it?"
"I think he'll buy it."
"Good for him."
"How's your job here is going?"
"It's good. I didn't even want to do it but again, my mom wanted me to work here this summer."
"You don't like working here?"
"Yea. But i have no choice? If i want money, i'll have to work."
"Welcome to adulthood."
"Its not funny."
"You can work for me. I am looking for a secretary."
"I dont know?"
"Why? This will be great. You dont want to work with me!"
"No. It's not like that. It's just...mom would never agree to this."
"You dont worry about that. I'll talk to her."
"That's great!! Thank you."
"You'll make a great secretary."
Sarah smiles. They both exchange looks.
"This cappuccino's good."
They both laughs.
________________________________________
Natasha is behind the wheel of her car, overwhelmed by excruciating pain that brings tears streaming down her face. Despite her efforts to wipe them away, the tears continue to flow freely as she sobs uncontrollably. Seeking solace, she pulls into the parking lot of a gas station. Her heart is getting heavy, she just don't know what to do but this pain is getting really out of her control, it is making her insane. She is breathing heavily, trying to stop crying but she not able to. She gets out of the car and enters a convenience store. She selects a pack of cigarettes and two bottles of whiskey.
Natasha exits the convenience store and makes her way to her car, sinking into the driver's seat. She places her purchases on the passenger side, her eyes still glistening with tears. Her gaze lingers on the pack of cigarettes, contemplating whether to indulge. After a moment of hesitation, she reaches for the pack, opens it with determination, and lights a cigarette.
As she inhales deeply, the smoke fills her lungs, bringing a sense of familiarity after 22 years. Natasha leans back, savoring the moment with her eyes closed. She exhales slowly, feeling a rush of emotions.
With practiced ease, Natasha puffs on the cigarette, then reaches for a bottle of whiskey, taking a long swig. She finishes her first cigarette, tossing it out the window before lighting another. The act of smoking and drinking seems to offer her a sense of solace, a temporary escape from whatever troubles weigh on her mind.
After a while, there are approximately 20 to 30 partially burned cigarettes scattered below the car window. Another cigarette lies nearby, only partially consumed.
Natasha has been parked here for hours, she fell asleep with the whiskey bottle in her hand, her slumber interrupted by the blaring horn of a passing truck. Glancing at the clock, she sees that it is now around 5 pm.
With a sudden burst of energy, Natasha exits the car and swiftly tidies up the interior. She disposes of a bottle of whiskey in the nearby garbage bin before hurrying off to the convenience store.
Natasha runs into convenience store washroom, meticulously washes her face and carefully combs her hair. She indulges in mouth fresheners and liberally sprays body spray to eliminate the lingering scent of cigarettes. As she gazes at her reflection in the mirror, a wave of guilt washes over her for her actions. A single tear escapes her eye, but she quickly wipes it away and takes a deep breath. It is time to go back to
Natasha parks her car in the driveway and stepped out. As she made her way towards the house, a faint noise caught her attention. Curious, she paused to listen more closely.
"Rose!!", shouts Al from back.
Al calls out to her from behind.
Natasha turns around, shocked to see Al standing in front of her house.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"I am sorry rose. I shouldn't have done that."
"I am not rose Al. My name is Natasha now. You cant call me that."
"Okay, i wont tell you that. I wont come back but please tell me where is my daughter. I just want to know who she is. Please."
"I am sorry Al. I just cant... i just cant do that. Please go AL, if someone sees you..."
"Natasha!!"
Natasha hears Arthur's voice. She turns around. Its Arthur.
"Arthur?", says Natasha alarming Al.
Arthur glanced at Al and immediately recognized him. With a friendly smile, Arthur extended his hand to shake hands with Al.
"Mr. Carson! Nice to meet you again. What are you doing here?", says Arthur. He knows Al! Al pretended to be a client in the morning to meet Arthur.
"You know him?", asks Natasha.
"Yes, i showed him the house in the morning. But how do you know him."
"Umm... well! He is my old friend from college, from Canada."
"Really?"
"Yes... he is not here for long. He is just going."
"Umm... yea, i should be going now.", says Al interrupting.
"No, you should have dinner with us. I never met any of her friends. I'd love hear her college stories.", says Al.
"Oh.. no, i think he is busy.", says Natasha, emphasizing on Al to leave.
"Oh come on, i insist. Please stay for dinner."
"Umm.. i guess. Okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I am seeing you after 22 years."
"Great... so come on lets go inside."
They all go inside the house
________________________________________
Agent Karla, a detective, sitting in her cabin, poring over some old files. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. She looks up to see Stuart, her partner, standing there.
"Yes Stuart!"
"You are still here!"
"Yes, i am just trying to figure out why is he is here? Its like something big is going on and i am still not able to see it. their entire cartel is in hocus. Its like they all are looking for something."
"What if they are looking for Rose."
"No. That's not it. There must be something else that we are not able to see."
"Well! I was here to tell you something interesting."
"What is it?"
"You know Creek?"
"Yes, Partner of Al."
"I have information that he is selling weapons on the streets."
"What?!"
"We secured three weapons till now from small thieves."
"Why are they selling their weapons at the ground level?"
"Only explanation to this can be is that they are going through the huge losses that is why they are opening their drugs and weapons for ground level thieves and dealers. Well!! That's sad."
"No, that's not it. The entire cartel is on fire. There must be something else. We'll have to look into it coz that's doesn't seems good."
________________________________________
Alex is sitting on the bed in his room, engrossed in his work. Suddenly, Will enters the room carrying a bag. As he walks past Alex, his bag gets tangled with a chair and falls to the ground. A bundle of cash spills out of the bag, catching Alex's attention. Will quickly gathers the money and puts it back in the bag, but not before Alex catches a glimpse of it.
"What's that?", asks Alex.
"What?"
Will secures the bag and closes the zip.
Alex notices bruises on his face.
"What happened to your face."
"I fell."
"How?"
I fell on the street on my way home.
"Are you sure? I mean it doesn't look like you fell? Did someone beat you."
"I AM TELLING YOU, I FELL. WHY ARE YOU NOT BELIEVING ME?"
"Okay...okay... i believe you."
Will's phone starts to ring. He takes out his phone and cuts it.
"Well! What was that in your bag. It looked like money."
"No it's not money. Its...."
"Fake money?"
"Yea its fake."
"Why would you buy something like that."
His phone rings once more, prompting him to reach for it. However, as he pulls out his phone, his Ear pods become entangled and slip out, falling to the floor and sliding under the bed. Frustrated, he decides to end the call.
"Why are you not taking that call?"
"Its just some insurance company..."
"Oh!!"
Will places his phone on the table next to Alex and leans down to retrieve his Ear Pods. He searches under the bed, moving his hand back and forth in search of the missing earphones.
"But why do you need that much of a fake money?"
Will finds his Ear Pods. He pulls them out and keep it back in his pocket.
"Umm..."
And that is when Natasha calls them downstairs for dinner.
"BOYS COME DOWN!! DINNER'S READY."
Mom's calling. We should go down.
Will quickly leaves the room, forgetting to take his mobile phone with him.
Alex notices the phone on the table and sees that it is ringing once again.
Alex answers the call.
"Where were you? I have been trying to reach you? Are you coming or not? And i want full amount in cash.... hello...hello... say something.", says the man on the other side.
Call cuts.
Alex is currently feeling confused. He receives a message and opens it, which reads: "Don't be late. Be there on time." As he reads the other messages, Alex becomes increasingly tense and concerned.
And this when Natasha calls him downstairs.
Alex keeps will's phone back on the side table and leaves the room.
Upon entering the dining room, Alex is quick to spot a new face among the familiar ones. Arthur and Henry are diligently setting the plates, while Natasha is gracefully arranging the food on the dinner table.
"He is my eldest son Alex.", Arthur introduces him to Al.
"Hello!", greets Alex.
"Nice to meet you young man."
Alex smiles.
Natasha interrupts, "Alex! Bring that extra chair from the hall."
Alex shifts a chair from hall to dining table.
"Who are you?", asks henry to Al with intrigue.
Al is going to say something but Natasha interrupts him and says, "Well honey!! He is my old friend from canada. Now come, sit here."
Natasha notices Will is still not here. She calls out for Will, "Where's will? WILL!!!"
Will enters in the dining room. Everyone notices the bruises on his face.
Natasha gets concerned and walks to him, "What happened to your face?"
"Did you got into fight will?", interrupts Arthur.
"Umm... no. I fell.", replies Will hesitantly.
"But how?"
"Ummm... i fell from the bicycle.", replies Will.
"Bicycle! You told me you fell on your way home.", interrupts Alex.
"Umm.. yes. I fell on my way home from bicycle?"
"But you dont have bicycle?", asks Henry
"It was my friend's."
"Okay boys. Enough. We'll talk about this later. Now come sit.", interrupts Natasha.
Alex is staring at Will with suspicion. Will meets Alex's gaze briefly before looking away, clearly uncomfortable under Alex's scrutiny.
"Mr. Carson! So tell me, how was she, when she was in college?", asks Arthur engaging the conversation.
They all sit around the table, with Natasha serving food to Henry while the rest help themselves.
"Umm... well! She was definitely not like this when she was young. She was something else. I mean this is not the Ro...natasha i knew."
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"Nobody wants to know how i was?", says Natasha.
"Why do you think you know what others want?"
"When did i say that?"
"Well!! You were like that only."
"She is still like that.", interrupts Arthur.
"Where did you guys studied again?", asks Alex.
"University of Ottawa", says Natasha.
"University of yale", says Al.
They both answers at the same time but their answers are different.
Natasha and Al shares a tensed look.
"yale? that's not even in canada.", says Alex
"I did my bachelor from Ottawa and masters from yale.", replies Al hesitantly.
"Wow! You really are talented.", says Arthur, impressed by his studies and then turns to Natasha, "honey! Why didn't you never opted for further studies."
"Well! I never felt a need to study forward."
Arthur remembers something and changes the topic turning to Al, "Well! What 'bout that lady you were talking about. Did she say yes?"
"What lady?", interrupts Natasha.
"Ohh! He didn't tell you? Mr. Carson was going to propose his girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?", Natasha is bit surprised to see all this.
"Umm... well! She said no."
"Ohh! I am so sorry. Why would someone say no to you. She will regret for this. I am so sorry. I really thought..."
"Oh! No that's okay. Sometimes people become selfish.", replies Al.
"What if that's not selfishness?", replies Natasha, she knows he is talking about her only.
"What else do you think it is?"
"There might be some reason behind it, that you are not trying to understand."
"Whatever reason there was. She could have told me instead of abandoning me."
"Maybe she thought you would never understand her."
"She could have tried once. I mean, What possibly could be the reason behind leaving the person you love, unless it was all a lie."
"It wasn't a lie...."
Everyone looks at natasha confusingly.
Natasha realizes she going too far, she should step back, ".....For her. I think we should not blame someone without knowing the whole story. There must be some reason."
Everyone is a bit silent after this. We could say that they are feeling quite awkward.
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