Chapter 22

Jeremy sat on his bed playing with his favorite toy— a spiderman rubber-made doll— his legs crossed. There was a stain of chocolate on his sky blue gown that he had on. 

He lifted his head slightly when the door opened, and immediately went back to what he was doing, playing with his toy, when Vivian entered the room smiling at him like she had been since she arrived at the house. Jeremy found it odd. Awkward. 

Not every smile comes with true, positive feelings. Remember even bad guys smile. 

"Jeremy," Vivian said calmly. She sat next to him on the bed. "I'm sorry that grandma and I had a fight. Grandma is sorry too. That's why she agreed to let you spend some time with me," Vivian informed him, grinning.

"Really?" Jeremy asked with amazement, grinning. "That is cool." He hugged her abruptly.  She almost fell off the bed. "So you two are good now?" He asked her, sitting on her lap, his hands wrapped around her neck.

"Yes," Vivian retorted, lifting him up. "Why don't we get going now? There is usually a huge traffic in the evening, and I want us to go shopping before going to my house." She carried him to his mini closet that was  beside his bed. Vivian put him down and began loading his small black bag with jeans, shorts, and shirts. 

Jeremy climbed back on the bed to watch Vivian pack his clothes. "Aren't we going to be praying at your house? Or go to a mosque while I'm with you?" Jeremy asked her, dangling his legs. 

Not sparing him a glance, Vivian said, "Of course we will. Why did you ask?" Now facing him, she asked. 

"My prayer gowns. You keep pushing them aside," he replied, pointing to the heap of gowns on the floor of the closet. "I heard you are a christian now. Why did you get converted?"

Vivian paused for a minute. She sighed heavily. "Being a Christian is actually good," she said to him, not knowing how to backup her statement for him to be convinced. "I'm not saying being a Muslim is bad," she amended when she saw a look which she couldn't describe on his face. 

"Why did you get converted, then?"

Vivian didn't have time to make him understand everything. She didn't even know how to make him understand. She went back to packing without saying a word to him.

Jeremy didn't bother asking another question. His aunt was in a hurry to get his things packed that she was, too, focused. He figured out that asking a lot of questions would ignore her, because she had a fight minutes ago with his grandma.

People are easily angered when they are being talked to after having a fight. The boiling anger makes them aggressive, hostile. 

In a minute, she was done packing all the things she thought were necessary. She changed his clothes. Vivian put the bag on her back then helped Jeremy to get off of the bed.

"Where is jida?" Jeremy asked Vivian when they reached the bottom of the staircase, gazing at the spot where Vivian and Fatima were sitting when he went upstairs. His gaze went up to Vivian. 

"I forgot completely." Vivian placed her palm on her forehead, displaying forgetfulness.  "She told me to tell you she was going to get groceries at the grocery," she said, staring down at him apologetically. 

There was a skeptical look on his face. "Jida and I went to get the groceries yesterday." His sentence conveyed a lot of messages. Jeremy was clearly telling her he didn't believe her. 

Vivian couldn't be agitated by a little boy who hadn't lived for a decade yet. "There were few things that she didn't get yesterday. Also, she said she was going to get pizza for your grandpa. He told her to because she called him before going out." Vivian smiled when she saw that he was convinced. 

Vivian hoisted the bag on her shoulder, she held Jeremy's hand with the other. As she was about to hold the doorknob, the sound of the door bell being rung startled her. She looked at the door, down at Jeremy whose expression was hard to read; back at the door. They stood still. Or she stood still while Jeremy waited for her, the eldest between them, to open the door. 

"When is your grandfather supposed to come home today?" Vivian asked him, almost in a whisper so that whosoever at the door couldn't hear what she was saying. 

"He didn't tell me." Vivian was glad that Jeremy mimicked her. "But I'm sure he told jida. Call her and ask." Jeremy hated to admit to himself that he was getting scared. His aunt was behaving strange. "Can I know why we are whispering?" Jeremy asked, whispering; his eyes were concentrated on the door. 

"Never mind," she said, caressing his face, acting normal again. "I will go get it." Vivian carried her hand hesitant towards the doorknob. She held the doorknob, glanced back at Jeremy, and back to the doorknob again. After a brief moment, she opened the door slowly as if a wild beast would have attacked from outside if she had opened it with a little more energy of what she had used. 

"Hi." Vivian was greeted by an average height, dark-skinned guy wearing a red baseball hat, and what seemed to be a uniform of a business entity. She looked at him from toe to head then smiled back at him, grateful. "Pizza deliver," he said.  "Here is your pizza that you ordered." He gave the pizza to her. 

Vivian was confused. She almost told him she didn't order pizza, but she remembered that she was in her parents' house and not her own. 

"How much?" Vivian said.

The guy looked flabbergasted. "Um...you already paid using your mobile account," he said in a tone of reminder. He checked his GPS again to make sure before walking back to his scooter that was the same color of his hat.  

Vivian waved goodbye. She carried the pizza and placed it on the sink in the kitchen. She noticed Jeremy was a bit off, and a whole lot quiet when she drove away in the rental car. However, she didn't bother to ask because she didn't want him throwing question that she wasn't ready to answer at her. 

Silence was better. At least for now. Or forever.

*****

The senator wasn't expecting James to call so late. It was almost six pm. That meant James had approximately eighteen hours left to tell Luther or lose his job forver. And that was definitely going to raise brows.  

Luther chuckled before answering, reclining in his home office chair. He decided to work home to keep a close eye on his wife that was becoming cunning, and to avoid the press. "I knew you would've called, James," Luther said, smiling. 

There was a brief silence on the line. 

"Guess I know what's best for me." 

"Really," Luther asked, smiling. "That's a good thing to hear from my secretary, isn't it?"

"I'm only doing this because respecting you is one of my duties; maintaining a good image for you in the eyes of the public is another. I'm going to tell you not because I'm afraid to lose my job. You know you will get on the hook too. I'll tell you because I don't want us parting on bad terms," James said. 

"Why don't you go straight to the point, James? That is my problem for the future. That is if you don't tell me."

"I'd rather tell you face-to-face than do it over the phone," James said, sighing with distress. 

"Why?"

"All I can say is that telling you over the phone is risky. They could be listening to this conversation, and can reach to any of us without dropping a sweat." James sounded damn serious.  

Now he was making Luther more curious, nervous. Who are the 'they' James is talking about, and what were the 'they' up to? Luther had so many questions going up and down in his head. 

"I can get the call encrypted," Luther said, sitting up straight.  

"Meet me at Boulevard Palace Hotel by one pm tomorrow," James told Luther. 

"You know that's far above the deadline, James. You better not be playing games with me," Luther warned him. 

"What's more important to you, senator: my dismissal? Or you finding out what your wife doesn't want you to know?

"OK. Boulevard Palace. One pm tomorrow. But do you think it will be wise for us to be seen in public?" Luther asked.

"I didn't say we are meeting inside the hotel. Just wait for me in the front room where you will see outside clearly. Follow me when you see me. Don't make it too obvious." James ended the call before Luther could speak.