REMOULDED

The search

Outside,it was unusually dark for an evening and even a star had prematurely appeared on the gloomy spread of the sky. The air was damp and the compound was silent like to mourn as well with the latest tragedy taking place in the house.

Susane discovered herself stuck in the engulfing darkness. It was not yet time for the lights to go on and the only visible things outside the gate were a blue jeep parked in front of a kiosk and a man on a cycle,chilling with a cigarette. Apart from that,it was nothing.

Her madam's husband had got his house where it best suited his former lifestyle. Dr Gideon Williams was a perfect gentleman in the old days and had once said his choice for the house was mainly because of the tranquility its environment offers. And it helped him avoid many of his old,bad friends for a while before he was back in their midst again,faraway from home and family.

And even presently,his old taste was causing much trouble for Susane as she stood in the silent empty street looking for wherever to start the search from.

The repercussions always fall on her. Anytime a moment like this visits the house, Kemi's rage would surely know no bounds and her Mercy was her eternal supporter. They both knew she liked Earnest and ever since Dr Gideon's disappearance, she had been the closest to him and he liked her back to.

Earnest always call her 'his' Susane and that was exactly what she was in the house. She was rather an Earnest's maid than the house maid. Earnest was her simple boss and she loved the type of boss he was,it was all surprising that he showed his tender side more to her than to his sister and even mother.

He was a boss like friend,he rarely comes home without getting something for his maid from school and he was still a boss that make you feel like a real maid. He hardly do anything by himself. Cleaning of his room,tidying of his bed,washing of his wears. Nothing.

But in all of that,he gave you the sense that he trusted you,he was not a Mercy and Kemi that scarcely leave anything for her to do alone except to search for an Earnest whenever he was late from school or had run out of the house like now.

She was still in the midst of making a decision of where to start the task when the lights suddenly went on and everything came into visibility except for her caller.

"Susane" An husky voice called from her back.

"Earn--" She could not say his name. He was sitting beside a street pole,obviously drunk.

"Don't look for me" He belched from afar,still lucky to retain the sense that she was on the look out for him. She was always the culprit whenever he pulled off his strange acts,the usual shepherd to look for the lost sheep.

Susane did not say a word immediately. She just drew nearer and the words only came when she had laid a palm on one of his shoulders

"I'm not the one looking for you,Mum is worried at home"

"I can't see her again" Earnest quickly coughed out,his mouth stinking of strong alcohol. He must have been to a bar close by and got himself drunk in excuse to forget his doom.

"But she wants to see you"

"But I don't want to see her too" His voice was raised to a scream which definitely caught the attention of a passer-by who stopped for brief seconds to check what was happening before falling back into steps. He must have thought it was a scene of a woman trying to get her mentally ill son back into the house.

"What of me. I also want to see you" Susane said,neutralizing his cold scream with her gentle,persuasive voice.

"You're seeing me now,'my' Susane" Earnest replied with a grin and anyone passing at the moment would have assumed it was truly an insane boy but a fresh case as he still had a reasonable shirt on,which had been made wet with vomits and some trousers but no shoes.

Only heavens knows where he had left the shoes. Maybe in the bar he went to, maybe somewhere near the pole but those were not Susane's main worries presently. The night was running ever darker and she had to find a way to take him home quick before she loses her job.

"I want to see you at home,Earn. Let's go home" She persuaded again,making an attempt to pull his hand but it was too stiff.

"Mum was mad at it, wasn't she?" He meant about the letter but it took a minute before Susane for the message. And when she finally did, she was uncertain of an answer to give,nodding and shaking her head simultaneously.

"Not at all. She would love to see you back" She eventually got a sensible response.

"Not this night" Earnest grumbled.

At the moment, Kemi Williams would hate to see him,his sight would certainly repel her at this time. Maybe after a day or two,she could be over the shock and pain and then could resolve to have him back. The hatred would not last long,that was certain but it would still not end this night as well,that was another certainty.

"Alright. Not this night" Susane had to agree,"You'll stay in my room and she would love to see you tomorrow"

Susane trusted her room was the perfect hide out for him at the moment. Mercy rarely visits her room while the Kemi that does would definitely have herself locked up in her room,sobbing till she surrenders to the battle of sleep.

"You think I'll be safe there" Earnest was rather thinking of sleeping in one of the empty shops or passing his night in Mohammed's cubicle.

"You will. A promise" Susane assured.

"My Susane" Earnest grinned back like a typical insane man before lifting a hand for him to be carried.

Contrary to Susane's thought, he was as light as wool,the alcohol had rather taken away his weight than his worries.

She pulled him up at once and wrapped his left hand on her back and they staggered home.

An adjacent corner from the street they were and then staggering down an array of light poles,what Susane noticed was that she was not as far from home as she had imagined.