The Suicide Helpline | ✔ #Wattys2018

49

X A N D R A

"I cannot tell you the full details, but I'm going to tell you the rough story.", dad starts and mom nods at me.

"I am Xavier Bolt, you know that. Once known as the most wanted gangster of the U.S. Love, pity these words never existed in my dictionary. Obviously, their meanings never mattered."

"Knowingly or unknowingly, I have done things which I should not have done. Sins. Killing people. I was known as the machine who can crack any code and steal money, smuggle illegal stuff."

"It was never my choice. I swear. Situations made me do stuff I never wanted to."

"And then, one day, I saw your mom, Natalie.", he smiles weakly at mom as she gives him a peck on his forehead to boost his confidence.

"I was always called the moon. Because, in this dark underworld with stars, I was the greatest and most idolized gangster. In this dark sky, full of small stars, I was the moon. But, when Natalie came in my life, that was the day I realized, this moon needed it's light. Needed a sun. And that Sun was and is Natalie."

"Somewhere inside me, I wanted Natalie to be mine, but I also knew this that she would never accept me on knowing my identity. But I had hope inside me."

"Even though you don't want to admit, you know you never give up on hoping. And that was what made me give up all the illegal things I did."

"But things did not end here, when I gave up on my gang, my enemies overtook us and got hold of all my information. They wanted revenge. And what better revenge than kidnapping my daughter. My six month old baby."

"I tried, princess. I really tried to find you. But, all I got in return was threats and more threats. Your mom, she lost all her shine. She became a selective mute, only speaking when she was triggered. And I, I had no one to be with. No one who would support me. Adam was there with me at that time. Adam had always been with me."

"Three years later, we shifted in this city. Natalie couldn't take being in a place where only your memories resided."

"And one day, when I had gone to the doctor to talk about Natalie's further treatment, he asked me to speak with her normally and give her favourite food to her. That was the reason I went to the cafe that day, and bought her favourite chocolate muffins for her and dashed into you on the way out."

"My eyes wouldn't believe it. I thought I was seeing things. So, I asked Adam to check out your background and bring you here. But, you ran away with Shawn.", he shook his head.

"We tracked Shawn and brought him here-"

"Err. Kidnapped is the right word.", Shawn spoke in between.

"Yeah, yeah. And all this. Our enemy was none other than Natalie's elder brother, Valerian and an old rival of mine, Brandon. The rest you know.", he ended as I looked at him blankly.

I was the daughter of a gangster. A most wanted gangster.

******