HOUSEMATES

27: crossed out

"Gosh, I can't believe your existence. When did my friend became a morning person on Saturday!" Rose exclaimed after answering a knock on her door.

Betty ignored the drama. Mostly because she had no energy to fake her bubbly side. Encounter with Nathan pushed her so hard, that her eyes were already reddened from prior crying. Being the kind that seldom make friends, confide herself in friends, Rose was the last option that knew a slight percentage about her past. Rose was that friend, Betty felt secure enough to show her deeper dark secrets.

2005 Daycare arson history was surging and the fact that it was Nathan that brought up the haunting imagery terrified her even more. It had been already 3 years, but Betty hadn't figured out opportunity to reveal to Nathan who she really is and how further their lives are entangled. Pop-up questioning from Nathan was totally off-creed and Betty, hopeless she got into the situation, didn't know what to do in the moment except fleeting.

"you had been crying Betty. Tell me, is it Nathan?" Rose figured out something was wrong with Betty. Well, it was predictable to her something like this would happen once 2005 Daycare arson investigation plan B become leashed.

"I am doomed, Rose. He now knows I faked my identity" Betty sobbed turning to the water dispenser for water.

"wait! How did he know about that" Rose feigned indifference. She knew about the whole plan and the hurt it would bring by involving the duo into investigation.

It was just the beginning.

" I don't know.  Maybe the other investigator spilled everything" Betty scrambled her hair.

"What does he know exactly?" Rose asked.

" I am related to daycare arson. I wanted to be the one telling him all the truth about what happened 14 years ago. It's okay living strangers, I don't want history to detoriate our lives. He is living just fine so am I," Betty spoke her heart out.

Rose patted Betty's shoulder gently as the former sobbed unceasingly.

" Hiya!! I got an idea.  Why don't we hangout now you are down?" Rose screamed as she jumped into the eureka hole.

"Not again" Betty complained when she remember the last party scene, crazy Rose brought her in.  Except that the post-party alcohol scandal sent her on no-more-parties vow, the fun involved with was off edge.

"There is this bar I know downtown and ofcourse it's my treat. So, get your butt off couch we are going shopping some nice things for the night," Rose pulled Betty who was still numb from prior sobbing.

"But"

" No buts. Maybe you can find a guy way better Nathan."

" Rose!"

" I was joking okay" Rose smirked at how in instant, Betty acted like a teenager.

....................................................

Since Betty left in the morning, Nathan couldn't help but got concerned. Specifically, regretful. It wasn't right to jump to harder questions to a person you want to mend rift in between.

Yes, he had many questions which only Betty could answer, but that was not important to him that making sure that the girl was ok.

Nathan's inner self wanted ask " how are you" concerned over, without rationality, whether Betty was sleeping well, eating well, resting enough after losing her child to miscarriage. The truth is, miscarriage was a feasible excuse for his caring. Latent feelings wasn't saving his soul.

His questioning, felt out of place; he realized the inconsistency after tongue-slip.

He had no classes or pending work at office. Nevertheless, he went at the office. Maybe working would be an effective distraction from the whole mess.

Skimming through files, the intense focus on the clientelle details was playing well at the game, but considering that he was dealing with work meant for weeks ahead, most details unpatched, it wasn't productive enough.

A number of workers passing by his office were confused by his existence since everyone knew Nathan isn't kind to have overdue deals cramped up to weekends.

After 6 hours of work, he realized that he had skipped lunch. 16:00, his digital watch flashed when he checked. Perhaps he could have taken hints on daytime apparent movement of sun. That is when the stomach express its demands. It growled.

Returning at home would bring involving incidents he was trying to avoid so he decided to order at a restaurant. Luckily, after only 15 minutes, the delivery personnel arrived.
"Thank you" Nathan thanked the delivery boy.

It was a quest of his credit card that introduced him to the files he had tried to avoid. Clipped files Rose gave to him last night.

Carefully he started to alternate mouthfuls and reading the papers. Curiosity was strong enough to stop skimming through papers.

The first pages included list of victims of the 2005 daycare arson. Bleached out with torn edges. All Nathan knew was that there were 127 people residing there at the time basing on information he got from Onion cartel.

He skimmed through the super list hoping that names would give him helpful hints beyond remembering how nice the community welcomed him when he arrived there
He stopped skimming the sheets when he spotted a name, Leah Bwiza, crossed.

Of all the names, she was the one he wanted to know more about. She was the last person, he saw who was supposedly killed in the 2005 Daycare arson.

Why was her name crossed out?

14 years had been torture to Nathan, blaming himself for Leah's death.

"Maybe, I could have hugged her tighter" Nathan always blamed himself for letting the girl go.

Nathan didn't blame himself for only Leah's death. 126 others'. He was the one who gave information to authorities which ended up the massive homicide. He knew in and outs of Onion cartel, especially since he was the lavished son of the leader, so he could have warned authorities potential killings. At age of 16, he let his love for family sacrifice tens of lives.

On Leah's case, the horror hit him pretty hard. He let the girl's crazy stunts, smile, and innocent enlighten his dull, detoriated life, only to realize that they had no future ahead of their plutonic fling.

Day by day, he still remembered Leah's big eyes being filled with tears when he confessed his keen association with onion Cartel.

When Leah left for burning Daycare center, Nathan realized that not only his love for the girl not enough to keep her close, his existence on Earth will always torment him.

Again, why was the name crossed out?