The Grasshopper

Chapter 28

“Where is Pascal?” the agitated staff shouted.

“Calm down! Quiet! I’ll explain everything to you,” Raul tried to outshout them.

“Quiet!” Margot shouted. “Let’s hear Raul!”

When the voices finally subsided, Raul said:

“Pascal is in a secure place and he is safe.”

“How is he safe?!” the head of security shouted. “How do you know that he is safe? How can he be safe if we are not by his side?! Who is protecting him now, anyway?! What do you think, Raul? Who are you to assess the level of his security? Not only you, how can Pascal know whether he is safe? What do the two of you know about that? You’ve been under my protection for years, shielded by my guys and you think that it is a given. I demand that you immediately take us to Pascal! Turn this plane around!” Liam started towards the pilots’ cabin.

Margot got in front of him. “Back off, Liam! Back off!”

“What’s with you Margot? So you’ve known the entire time! You lied to us too! How could you?! How can you leave Pascal to someone else?!”

“I didn’t know, Liam, I didn’t. I too am hearing all this for the first time. We’re all very upset. And scared. We all love Pascal. We all equally care about him. But we’re not the only ones. Millions of people love him. That man means a lot to millions. And neither we here, in this campaign, in his team, nor all those people would know about him had it not been for Raul. Raul motivated him to start the struggle for freedom for all people, to become our leader, to become the meaning, the hope. No one in this world knows Pascal like Raul does. No one respects and loves Pascal like Raul does. None of us understand what Pascal actually represents, and what is the scope of this… like Raul does. That is why I’m ordering you… yes, you heard well, I’m ordering you to sit down and to listen quietly to what Raul has to tell us.”

“What is he eating now? Who’s cooking for him?” wept Citra, Raul’s distant cousin and Pascal’s personal cook. “He’s picky… he can’t eat just anything…”

“Citra, calm down, Citra… Don’t overreact,” said Raul. “Pascal isn’t a child. He’ll eat something. You cook for him… I mean, of course you cook the best and he likes it best when you prepare something for him. But… that’s primarily for security. So that we’re sure that no one has gone near his food… that no one’s touched it, you understand?”

“There!” Liam exploded again. “And now, Raul, how can you know now who all is near his food? How?!”

“People, people… friends… Do you think it’s easy for me? But that is only until the elections, and after…”

“Why until the elections?” Margot was surprised. “Isn’t the most important thing that we are together and that we make appearances, that we are present publicly every moment until the elections?”

“Margot, allow me… I’m trying to say what happened… Why we made this decision.”

“OK, OK… I apologize, Raul.”

Everyone was quiet. Only Citra was still sniffling.