PART ONE!
"Until the crack of the morning!"
1.The night of rest
"Boity! Do you see how clear the whistle-stop is tonight, how can we overcome the night?" Lehakoe questioned in diversion. "With the vibe of cause… it will be more fun if we launch our concert tonight." I replied humorously and as expected, she spontaneously replied on a feeble laughter, "Not you with the vibe again, do you remember the kind of trouble you got us into the other night?" thus she disagreed.
"Although we are or might be the street citizens, we are those with the treasures, and cannot live and celebrate our feasts recklessly, it always has to be in that calm and God involving way, otherwise we are dead." She added. "Yah! Right, how can I forget that? So I guess it's the night of prayer and worship then," I said ruefully, and unexpectedly, Captain gave it a like as he appeared from the dim side close-shave to where I and Lehakoe were stationed for a mission that night. "You said it right, so go and gather the crew together since today, isn't the night of fights." Thus he issued a command on a pensive but a usual tone.
Yet still, Lehakoe mastered courage to ask, "Captain! Isn't it too early to command us out of the mission?" but Captain replied again on a pensive tone. "Is it too hard to do as the commander says tonight? Go and get the rest of the crew to the meeting spot please." Thus he implored, and within a blink of an eye we were out of his sight to attend to his request.
Although we did this grudgingly, from all the spots; we gathered all the assigned urban souls' agents for rest, or rather say for a celebration . And within no time, everyone was there at the meeting point, ready to start the celebration. However, at the flying start of the celebration, Captain honestly owed to all of us a clear explanation to all that, and thankfully he paid to our expectations his debt, through a flaky speech.
"This is the very first Friday in our history, to be without any invasion." Captain exclaimed. "How about if we celebrate, and pray at least that it may last longer. Boitseko! Do you mind hitting us with a hymn?" he added. "Not at all Captain," I replied hastily but questionably. So right away, I fired the song out from a very soft voice, and instantly everyone came backing it up on their moderate pitches, and within no time the whole street was flooded with the rock and roll sounds from our sweet melodies. The song went on thus:
The street citizens: _song
Holy, Your holy city is here in our midst, set clean and clear it is marked by that endless breeze, harmony and the undying compassion we have for one another.
Day and night, our lips never cease giving praise to the only true FATHER who has given birth to us the "The descendant of Lazaro." We are, we are, we are indeed:
The street citizens, and this is a mark we are ready to carry along with us to the grave, for as long as what we treasure most is duly secured and safe.
We were once regarded fools for loosing and eventually spotted eating from the trash bins. Stinky and dirty, yet harmony and love we have never lost.
We were ready to even reach the blood line, which was the point of our own death. It was just not possible for us to give up, especially now. We are, we are, we are indeed:
The street citizens, this is the mark we are ready to carry along with us to the grave, for as long as what we treasure most is duly secured and safe … … … …
This song we sang while sharing a loaf of bread from Shoprite that was well kneaded with the raisins. The yellow bread was accompanied by the cold drinks, and from there on we went for some snacks.
"What now, have we reached heaven already?" I questioned in wander. "why this now? Shouldn't occasions like this be reserved for our last moments on earth, and our first in heaven?" I continued asking from within, and at the same time I continued humming the song. Although moments like this did call for a celebration; those were awkward to me, so my conscience could never be at rest. It was just not possible for us to go on a night without any seizure.
Ever since my arriving in the streets, we had never went on a night with rest. Noonday in everyday life, we had to rest for two hours, train for seven hours, and between 18:00pm and 19:00pm, we had to go and get the food from the help centers, or the expired ones behind the markets. Yet the night's routines never changed. Every night had always been the night in the war. The war in which we were always defeated and badly injured, we had never tasted victory or any food. We would always be there every night putting our lives on line to protect what we had within. And a little or less of what we were, or had physically.
So like Lehakoe asked in the first place, I started to deeply question why Captain had to make us soon retreat from the mission. Therefore, persuaded by an inmost concern; I gutsily whispered, "Captain, are you aware that it is just a few minutes after 21:00pm? The enemies might still be on their way. It is really too soon to celebrate." But Captain ignored me as though I had said nothing.
Although, he mastered best the audacity to ignore me and all my questions. I would sense that there was that tense and awkward thing with him, for he had went out from us often, until the point where I took courage and followed him out, to ask what the problem was. But when I did, he did not open up but chose to courageously glare and smile at me.
This was his attitude after all, a simple man of a contrite spirit. Who from the depth of his spirit, one would sense a genuine type of humility, although he tried so hard to cover up this good will, he could not hide it from me. And because I understood fully the core of his character , it was just not possible for me to go blind on this one, there was something very shady with Captain, for this reason I had to weightily reply:
"Not now Captain, I am not buying this one. If you are not going to open up to me, I am going to tell everyone, that you are up to something vile, and soon the whole team will be set to its spots, do you get me?" I threatened him thus but he replied softly, "It is too late already, the enemies have arrived, do you have any hole to hide in?" He said this while I spotted the flickering
Lights of the raiders from afar. So I questioned him furiously, "Wait a minute, did you set this up?" And he replied, "This is really not the time for such questions. Just do as I say, tell the whole team to go and hide while I stay out here to surrender… … …"