ℂ𝕃𝕆𝕊𝔼ℝ 𝕋ℍ𝔸ℕ 𝕐𝕆𝕌 𝕋ℍ𝕀ℕ𝕂

║TWENTY～FIVE║

  THE PROLONGED SILENCE between Nicole and Gary was awkward especially as they sat across each other in the visitors room of London prison, starring at each other with tears–filled eyes.
“So,” Nicole said, breaking the silence. “You are Gary Baxter, the mystery man?” she sighed, chewing on the side of her lower lip.
“Yes” Gary admitted. He felt bad, revealing his bad secret to her.
“You are the smart killer who killed the McBride's with no traces?”
“Yes” he wiped the tears that had rolled down his cheeks with his palm.
“Why Alfre…Gary? Why did you do it, tell me?” she said through trembling lips as she sobbed.
“…I was jealous, I had low self esteem, I was tired of being castigated, I was tired of being a coward, I was tired of…and anger played a fast one on me…” his remaining words were swallowed in sobs.
“What really conspired? How did it all happen?” Nicole leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table before them.
Gary cleared his throat, “Sally Roosevelt was my patron, she used to come over to my workshop here in London to get her car fixed, if it had fault and her electrical appliances  because, I learnt how to fix electrical appliances too. From there, we became best of friends. Subsequently, we started developing feelings for each other…” Gary paused and smiled sadly and then proceeded.

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Flashback

“I thought my car's air conditioner could never be repaired.” Sally said as she got out of her car, after testing the air conditioner of her black sedan.
“It just needed gas, that's all.” Gary said, smiling.
Do you know how many times have tried to repair it? All mechanics have met told me it's condemned,” Sally exhaled, flicking a strand of her blonde hair that fell on her face. “but, you fixed it for me, you are a whiz kid. Thank you.” she stepped closer to him and hugged him.
“You’re welcome.” he blushed.
“So, how much will I pay you for your work?” she said after they parted.
“Nothing, you don't need to. What I did was nothing, technical.” he told her truthfully.
“Nah, you can't tell me that. I'm going to pay you and that's that!” she narrowed her eyes at him and clucked her tongue at him. She walked back to her car and drove off.
“As you wish.” Gary bent the corner of his mouth, raising his hand up in surrender. He knew Sally always does whatever she says, she was headstrong. That same day, his account was credited with a huge amount of money and he knew it was her doing.
A week later, she asked him to have lunch with her at an expensive restaurant and that's where she confessed her feelings for him.
“Aren't you going to say anything?” Sally asked him as she fidgeted, running her hand through her hair intermittently.
“I… I don't know what to say, I really like you for being simple and being able to say what you have in mind. I have always wanted to tell you what you just told me but, I was afraid I will loose you forever, just as I lost my mum,” he said at the verge of tears. “I thought you will despise me, I…” Gary stopped talking as Sally surprisingly leaned forward and kissed him.
“I love you” he said in short of breathe.
“I love you too.” Sally smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.
    And that was how their love story started. He dated her for four years and promised to marry her when he has the money to pay her bride price. He worked harder than before, he increased his working hours from thirteen to twenty. However, the unbelievable happened. It was a rainy day, Sally ran into his workshop drenched with rain, panting.
“Sally!” Gary ran to hug her but she flinched from his touch and he was embarrassed.
“Sally, is everything okay?” he asked, worried.
“Gary, I'm so sorry, I don't know any other way to tell you this but, I just have to tell you the way it is. I am breaking up with you.” she said, quivering with tears in her eyes.
Gary snorted, “This must be some sort of a joke, right?”
“It is not a joke, Gary. I am serious.” she sobbed.
“Why are you just telling me this?” tears blurred his vision as he tried to look into her blue eyes that now seem darker to him. She wasn't looking at him eyeball to eyeball unlike before. Was she really serious about this? He didn't know but, with her attitude, he knew this was for real.
“I…everything happened so quick, the engagement and everything.” she blubbered.
“So, you are already engaged?” his eyes widened in shock.
“Yes.” she cried harder.
“To who?!” he flared up, clenching his fist.
“James…James McBride.”
“Who is he?!” he said through clenched teeth. His eyes were red with anger and tears.
“He was an editor in a publishing company in New York city, before moving down here to start a book publishing company.”
“He most be rich.” Jealousy started surfacing in Gary's heart.
“Yes” Sally smiled slightly. “It isn't my wish to marry him. It's my parent's  and I have to obey them so as to keep the high status of  my family.”
“I thought you were always headstrong, sunflower?” Gary lowered his voice, starring at the beautiful petite blonde he had always trusted and now, betraying him.
“I am but, when it comes to parent, I do what they want.”
She looked up at him and darted her gaze to the  wall behind him.
“What if you don't?”
“I will go to hell, it's my duty as a daughter to obey my parent according to my religion.”
“Damn your religion! Your parent advice you to do wrong and you're telling me, it's your religion?! Don't tell me that shit!” he paced around, infuriated.
“Don't say that! You're damning God!” she yelled at him, crying.
“God?!” he spat. “It has happened, goodluck.” he said, admitting the fact he had lost her forever.
“What has happened?”
“I have lost you too.”
“Why are you talking this way, Gary?”
“You are getting married!” he hollered, hot tears spilling down his cheeks. Sally cringed from his sudden outburst.
“We can still be friends?” Sally tried to touch his arm but he pushed her hand away.
Gary turned his back on her, weeping uncontrollably as he covered his face with his palm. There was a brief silence. Sally stepped closer to him, pecking him on his cheek.
“I have to go now, my parent will be worried about me. Goodbye.”  Sally said and left.  He heard her drive off and immediately the reality of what had just happened hit him in full force, he began throwing tantrums, he threw all the mechanical tools on his worktop he was using to work on a bicycle in his workshop, on the ground and kicked the table away.