1 Chapter One

The road was completely gridlocked. All the cars went to sleep. The drivers got frustrated. Some of the drivers placed their heads on the steering wheel and dozed off. Songs emanated from cars stuck in the traffic, and Joe's car wasn't an exception. In fact, the music coming from his car could be heard five miles away. Joe was a lover of music; his source of inspiration, hope, courage, and strength lied in music.

Joe, who was in his early twenties, precisely 24 years old, graduated from Mark University as a civil lawyer.

Back then, on campus, they revered him as the most enterprising and entertaining guy in school. Little wonder he was nicknamed "the comedian." His mode of dress emerged as being out of this world. His IQ was top-notch. He was so handsome and cute, to the extent he drew girls closer to him like flies, pursuing him wherever he went. He was simple and approachable, and some stark kindness was a trait attributed to him, but whenever he got angry, nothing on earth could stop him from destroying precious items.

The gridlock gradually eased off. Yet his Range Rover SUV model 2020 couldn't move a bit. Just then he saw a fair girl, tall in stature, with dimples on her cheeks on a tattered clothes, actually collecting money from the car behind him. He pondered within himself if this girl was actually begging or collecting money for a purchased item she was selling. Despite not hawking a single good.

"Wow! What a beautiful girl," he muttered to himself.

He kept on staring at the girl through the wing mirror to the extent that he didn't realize when she approached his car.

"Good evening, sir," she said, bowing her head almost immediately.

"Yes!" He was quite shocked by her presence. "Oh, I didn't know when you came. What do you need?"

"Thank you, sir," she smiled. "Sir, please let me get some cash from you that I can use for lunch today."

"Oh, okay, then, are you up to 18 years old?"

"Early twenties, sir."

"Wow, lovely. Please come in."

"Sir?" she asked in an enigmatic manner.

"Come in," he said, gently flashing an innocent smile. "Or do I look like a terrorist?"

"No, sir," she replied.

"Then, come in."

She stared at him intently, trying to catch every nuance of expression on his face. She battled within herself over whether she should obey or not. At least if I die, nobody will miss me, so why bother? She pondered within herself.

She opened the back door of the car, about to enter, but closed it and walked towards the opposite end and sat beside Joe.

"Were you scared?" Joe asked, reducing the volume of the music.

"Actually... yes... no... somehow," she muttered.

"Do you think I have a bad agenda for you?" Joe asked in an enigmatic way, making it difficult to tell if he was getting angry. He paused a little and continued his speech. "Anyway, what's your name?"

"I'm sorry for my nasty behaviour if it seems to have offended you," she apologized, "My name is Bianca."

"Bianca?" He nodded and smiled, "You are really a nice girl, just humble and inch-perfect."

"I appreciate it, sir," she said, blushing.

"My name is Joe, nice to meet you," he responded, putting his face downward, stretching his hand toward the glove box, and bringing out an envelope. "This is for you."

"Sir?" stunned at the immediate surprise but collected it in a fidgeting manner. However, Joe didn't observe that in time.

"Welcome, dear," he answered, bringing out his water bottle and sipping a little. "I was on my way to Macy's Shoprite to have some fun. But this 'go-slow' seemed to have disrupted it, probably a blessing in disguise. If not, I wouldn't have seen a pretty creature like you."

Decorum dwelled between the both of them immediately after Joe stopped talking. Bianca, all of a sudden, became at ease from all the trepidation that had overwhelmed her some minutes ago. She had once prayed to God that a divine helper would locate her after all the calamitous incidents that revolved around her life like a shadow.

Bianca likened herself to Hannah who desperately prayed for a child, yet it seemed, God wasn't answering her prayer, despite the mockery she faced from the second wife. Did it take time? Yes, probably a year or two or even five years, but God later answered her, and now it seemed her prayer had gotten to the ears of God, and he sent Joe to be that divine helper.

"Dear, which album would you love to listen to?" inquired Joe, jolting her out of some fantasy realm she was probably into.

"I'm alright with anyone," she answered.

"My dear, you can't sit on the fence. Just saying," he chortled, playing his fingers on the mp3. "Em mm, I think Drake songs are better... No, Justin Bieber is lovely. Just enjoy yourself and feel free."

He returned the volume to what it was before. The road was getting free once again, this time more than the previous time, when the car moved one or two steps and stopped. Within twenty minutes. Joe got to the intersection, where there was a roundabout.

"Oh, my God!" Bianca exclaimed, almost screaming out her lungs, before she became conscious of herself.

"You almost turned me deaf," inquired Joe.

"Look," she pointed to a man that was covered with bandages on his head. Joe followed the direction of her hands, became almost irritated with the horrible sight, and turned his head back to the road. After he drove past the roundabout, he headed straight to Macy's Shoprite.