AFTER THE ENGAGEMENT

Sixteen

"Are you fucking shitting with me right now?"
Candace exclaimed, earning stares from nearby customers who then shook they heads, passed curious glances and went back to what they were doing.

Janelle shrugged and stirred her drink, looking rather bored with the drink and equally disgusted by it.

Candace reached out to hold her hands. "Oh my God. Who would do something like that? Does he have any enemies?"

Janelle sighed. "I don't know, Candy. I don't think he does. He was a very wonderful man. And maybe he has competitors. You know how these business world is, Shey?"

"Sure. Ahn, eyah. Babe, I'm sorry. I'll do anything to help. What about the picture? Have you taken them to the police?"

Janelle nodded. "Yes, I have. I. . ."
Her cellphone rang and she looked down at it with surprise written on her face. "Hello, James."

"How are you?"

"James, I'm. . . I don't know, James."
She suddenly broke down. She heard him sigh from the other line.

"What's going on over there? How's your mum holding up?"

"She's fine. I received a threat few days ago, James. A big threat." She went on to disclose the whole surprising gift from her stalker or her father's murderer, whomever it was, to James.
The young man was as shocked- or even more shocked- than she was.

"What? Who would do that?"

"Hmm. If you ask me, who I go ask?"

He sighed and cursed beneath his breath. "I spoke with Denzel. He said that my father contacted some people?"

"Yes, he did. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for your parents. They've been of great help since the whole thing happened."

"Yeah, sure. I'll. . .uh, call you later, alright?"

"Okay."
She hung up, dropped her phone carelessly in her bag and sighed, resting her aching head in her palms. "This is a whole new process for me. I can't take all these." She sniffed.

Candace reached out to hold her hands. "It's okay. If you need any help, you know we're right here, right? Tara and I?"

Janelle nodded. "Thank you for spending time with me today, Candy."

"Anytime, love."

"I have to get going. My mum is alone in the house and Nana went to the market, I don't know if she's back yet, but mum won't want to talk with anyone but me. And you know how traumatized she is right now. Don't want her to do anything stupid."

"Okay. I understand. I may stop by on my way back from work."

°°°

The pages were blank. They have been blank since she picked up her pencil and they were still blank fifteen to theory minutes later.  The pages weren't the only blank thing right now. Her head was blank. Her mind was running all over the place and her heart was beating.

The thought of someone walking freely on the face of the earth, scheming plans to probably end her entire family, was giving her strange chills. That person could be anywhere.

He had killed her father and wants to end her life for a reason, she doesn't know about.

Why would someone want to kill her? Why would anyone take her father's life? Who did she offend?

After the engagement. A voice said in her head. Everything started happening after the engagement.
Janelle tried to put the puzzles together, but the more she tried, it felt like she was rather trying to figure out who created God.