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17
17LATER THAT DAY
THE HOLY GRAIL MINISTRIES
Reitu dusts her blazer and puts it on, switches off the lights in the office and rushes off the church premises. She walks clutching her bag unconsciously through the echoing corridors of this church. There’s something eerie about them, there’s lights on but she still can’s shake off the uncomfortable feeling. The lights in the bishop’s office are still on meaning the man is still in. She stands still passing the office contemplating whether to knock or not. She stands for a few seconds but decides against it as she’s about to knock, someone creeps from her behind making hairs stand still from her nape. She looks back, it is the bishop.
Bishop: want to come in?
Reitu: no, just wanted to say my goodbye. I’m off.
Bishop: why so late?
Reitu: couldn’t put the papers down. I can’t believe I’m saying that.
Bishop: Ntando?
Reitu: long gone… he said he had plans, so I excused him.
Bishop: excused him… okay, well then. Go safe, see you tomorrow?
Reitu: will try. Have a great evening bishop.
She walks right off before the bishop says anything more. The bishop shakes his head and gets in his office. Reitu halts a taxi she sees in distance, she gets in, sits and gets deep in thought. She yells her stop as she sees the place in distance. She gets off and presses something on her phone before getting inside the premises looking to know exactly where she’s walking today.
THE POLICE STATION
Kwanele lifts his head at the knock on his office door. He instructs the person in- it’s Reitu. Gina looks at him as she packs her stuff. The lady gets in and greets before she sits down. Gina looks at them and excuses herself.
Gina: I’ll be off before I disturb anything. And you—please don’t cause any trouble. Lady friend---please don’t leave him here. He must go home today. Bye.
Gina leaves the office closing the door behind her. Reitu looks at Kwanele who’s suppressing a laugh. He chuckles instead. He sorta looks good today and when he smiles, and his desk is clean… not messy.
Kwanele: she’s crazy.
Reitu: so, you say.
Kwanele: yeah, so… about yesterday? Anything new?
Reitu: no, not really.
Kwanele: you can go first; I’ll say my piece after you.
Reitu: there’ something really weird going on in that place. I know we’ve been saying that forever but no—there’s this eerie energy about the place and some suspicious people. Today I found my assistant in a storage room in a very compromising situation with some girl I couldn’t even see the face of. She looked, still—very still for someone who was receiving such stimulation. At first, I thought she was just embarrassed, or my ears needed some cleaning but no—later on, the man, my assistant couldn’t move any inch without clutching onto her as if he was pulling her into a headlock. Her face was buried in his chest the whole time, she did not look like she was breathing too. She was carried throughout the whole debacle, and I left the room without seeing her face. Ntando even asked me not to tell anyone about what I saw. Like it was a big deal, he looked serious when he said it, very serious.
Kwanele: Ntando?
Reitu: oh—he’s … he was my sister’s assistant and now works as mine but also my superior. It’s weirs I know.
Kwanele: anything more?
Reitu: about yesterday, on my first day there I walked in the bishop’s office and found him heaving and breathing loudly with some little girl---a schoolgirl. They both looked flustered to see me, especially the little girl, she’s light skinned so I could she how flustered she was. Besides that—she had a hickey, a frickin’ fresh hickey on her neck. No doubt it was that man! That filthy old funky geezer hiding behind the name of the Lord!! He gave a little girl a hickey!!!
Kwanele: what?!
Reitu: yes!! Only if I had caught him in action. I can’t believe there’s so many people blind trusting that pig with their lives while he sleeps with children. He deserves death!
Kwanele: calm down…calm down. I get it, you’re angry, and so am I. I’m in shock! Hell looks like we have a huge storm going. We have to put out emotions aside in order to beat those people. We cannot be weak and moved by every single deed they do. We’ll probably see and experience way worse on the way. For now—let’s move on, we can’t arrest him anyway. We don’t have any evidence. Trying anything now would just put us at risk. Those people are dangerous, they’d kill us without batting an eye. Especially you, you work for them. So, please… let’s be calm and go through what we have rationally.
Reitu takes a few moments to herself trying to calm down. A tear escapes her eye, she wipes it immediately and sighs out loud. Even she did not recognize that’s how angry and hurt she is by the whole situation.
Kwanele: everything is going to be alright. It may not be now—but I promise you, we will be okay.
Reitu: I know.
Kwanele: should I take you home or you want to hear more about what I had prepared for today?
Reitu: take me home please…
Kwanele: okay, let’s go then.
He opens one of his drawers and takes out his car keys and some sweets. He hands them to Reitu and walks upfront.
Kwanele: you’re gonna need those. They always help me. Take one, you’ll feel better.
Reitu: okay, thank you.
She takes one, opens it and throws it in her mouth, its sweet and she does feel a little bit better. She follows behind the man trying to catch up. He has long strides; it is not until today that she noticed how tall he is. Kwanele opens the car door for her, and she gets in sitting on the passenger seat, feeling a little shy now.
Reitu: are you going to go back to the office?
Kwanele: yes…
Reitu: but your lady friend say you must go home! She said I must make sure you go home… how many nights have you been spending at the office?
He stops for a while and raises his fingers one by one as if he’s counting. He stops and look at her.
Kwanele: err… a few?
Reitu: see? You’re not even sure. She was right, you must spend tonight home.
Kwanele: but I have work to do… besides there’s facilities to my aid at the police station should I feel the need to rest.
Reitu: so, you’re relying on government issued poor labour rooms to get a decent sleep? Please… can’t you just accept defeat for once. You’re the one who said we need to be rational about this… sleep is important and is part of taking things rationally. You must go home and rest, in your own comfort, just for tonight.
Kwanele: I’m convinced, I will go home.
Reitu: thank you…
Kwanele: address?
He punches it in as she tells her, and he brings the engine to life. They set off, in the beautiful evening, with each in their thoughts.
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