On Friday I meet with Naomi after school, and on Saturday we finish the quadratic equation. On Sunday, I go to church like every other Sunday, but I actually pay attention this time. The pastor preaches about faith and how important it is to have faith in God. I decide to do so from that moment on.
My father asks to take me to school again on Monday. And again I refuse. Mom regards me suspiciously. She probably thinks I’m hiding something. Which I am, but it’s just not anything she thinks.
I am able to pay attention in school. No loss of concentration and no lack of understanding. I don’t understand everything, though, but I understand most of it. And that makes me happy.
“That’s the first step,” Naomi says when I tell her about it. “The next step is not forgetting what you’ve learnt. Think you can do that?” I nod.
That evening, mom makes sure we eat together as a family. She asks how my day went. I want to tell her everything about my day. She’s not asked me about it genuinely for a long time. I want to tell her that I might be getting better with my studies. But my father’s there, so I tell her it was fine, keeping the details to myself.
That night I begin to revise what Naomi taught me that evening; Cells. Over an hour later, my phone rings.
I check it and see that it’s an unknown number. I take a deep breath before answering.
“Hello?”
“Hey Danny, it’s me. Rich.”
“Rich!” I say, almost screaming. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Come downstairs and I’ll tell you.”
“You’re in my house at this time of the night?”
“Not inside. I’m outside, but within the gate. Come quick.”
He ends the call before I can ask how he got inside the compound without anyone hearing the gate open.
I open my room door carefully, and I do the same for the two other doors I open before finally coming out.
I don’t see anyone.
“Pssst,” I hear a whisper in the darkness beside me. “Over here.”
I walk towards the sound, squinting to see the silhouette calling me. I put on my phone torchlight and see Rich.
I’m taken aback. He looks horrible. He’s even skinnier than before and somehow that makes him taller. He has barely healed bruises on his cheek and neck and probably other places. His eyes have a dark outline that means lack of sleep or extreme stress.
“Put it off. Someone could see.”
I comply. “Where have you been?”
“That’s nice to see you?”
“Screw ‘nice to see you’. I’ve been worried sick about you. Your line hasn’t been going through. Your parents haven’t heard shit about where you could be. What the hell came over you?”
“I’m sorry I had you worried. I’ve been busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Getting my brother bailed.”
“What?”
“My brother’s in jail,” he says, thinking I don’t already know that.
“I know that.”
“Then you know my parents are dicks.”
“You’re not supposed to talk about your parents like that.”
“Screw that. How else am I supposed to describe people who abandon their kid in a cell just because he isn’t behaving the way they want him to?”
“Rich, what have you been doing?”
“I just told you.”
“And I heard you. What have you been doing?”
“The bail’s 100k. No one will help, not even my uncles. So, I’ve been doing a lot of things. Don’t worry… they’re… okay things. Just a little sales business, you know commerce.”
“What have you been selling, Rich?”
“You don’t need to worry about that, okay Danny.”
“Why are you here?”
Rich sighs. I hold my breath. He needs something. I can feel it. I can also feel that it isn’t money, and it definitely isn’t something legal.
“I need a wingman.”
“What?”
“I’ll be making a transaction this Friday, and I need a wingman, someone to make me look strong. Like a partner.”
“You mean a bouncer.”
“No, it’s not like that. I just need you to be beside me, make me look strong. You don’t have to do anything. And I assure you, it’s totally safe. It’s just this last deal I have to do, really. And I don’t want them taking advantage of my coming alone. Please, just this one time and I’m done.”
I know that even if he means that now, it won’t end up that way. “Go back home, Rich. Your parents are worried sick. Stop hurting them. They’ve had enough.”
“You’re not hearing me. I’m not doing this to hurt my parents. I’m doing it to get my brother out of jail. I can’t just let him rot there. My parents can, I can’t. He’s my brother. He’d do the same for me. I can’t let him stay there. You’re an only child, you won’t understand.”
“You’re ruining your life, Rich. You can still come back to school. You have your whole future ahead of you. Don’t ruin it with drugs for nothing.”
“For nothing?” Rich is pissed.
“Your brother made his choice. Don’t follow in his footsteps, please.”
Rich starts to back away. “You know what, this was a mistake. I thought you were my friend. I actually thought you cared about me.”
“Rich, I do care…”
“If you change your mind about helping me, call that number. And if you care, you won’t tell my parents. If you tell them, I’ll know. If you call the number, say ‘Simon Peter”, then I’ll text you everything you need.”
With that, Rich leaves the same way he entered; by jumping the fence. It is so easy for him, like he’s done it a lot.
My father really needs to install those electric wires soon.
After a few moments, I go back inside. Just when I’m reaching the door, I hear the gate open. I turn around instantly, my heart beating violently. The gate is being opened from outside.