*How do you like Ray as a character? We are going to see more of him in this chapter.*
*Amay's point of view*
Ray visited us again last week. When I denied his proposal to live in the mansion, he left muttering about stupid twinks.
I smiled. Some things just never change. Though Ray had changed a lot. The fact that he cared about us enough to check up on us, every week was proof enough.
I sighed. I couldn't let Arlo go back into that dangerous world again. I even offered Ray to leave it all and start living with us but he just glared at me and left.
I think it is his defence mechanism. When things get too much for him, he sneer and scowls.
Dad leaving us was a surprise. He had become very fond of Arlo but every once in a while, he would stare at me and burst out into apologises, begging me to forgive him.
Three months ago, Dad went to sleep one night and didn't wake up the next morning. I cried and begged dad to wake up but he didn't.
A crowd of people gathered for his funeral. After he was buried, Mrs. Clay told them that I was a sinner of the worst sort and that I didn't deserve to live in the hallowed ground.
They threw me out and locked the cottage before I could even protest.I wasn't even allowed to pack my stuff.
I wanted to take a last walk up the hills, see my dad's room once again, pick up my mother's picture but I just nodded and walked out amidst shoves towards the gate of the church.
Arlo was clutching my hand painfully tightly during the whole ordeal but nobody paid him any attention. I was too numb to even cry by that time.
Mr. Rutherford found us walking near the school and offered us to live with him but I didn't want to ostracise him in the village.
Eventually we decided that we could stay at the school. We started living at the outhouse in the school compound. It was filled with construction paraphernalia but it provided us with shelter.
Arlo went to school and I tried to make the place more liveable. Then, on Mr. Rutherford's insistence, I resumed the responsibilities of the school's chairman.
Karim had established a foundation which paid for the school's expenses and Mr. Rutherford had been getting investments from his friends and socially responsible firms.
A month passed. With my salary, I added some renovations in the outhouse too and added another ceiling fan, a set of curtains and some furniture.
We bought some seeds of wildflowers and planted them around the outhouse. Sometimes, the children from the school would help as well.
Bees, butterflies and a myriad of winged insects would hover around. It looked beautiful. Our own little heaven.
The rabbits would run all around the compound and sometimes the children would chase them.
On the occasions, I would be late in feeding the ducks, they would strut over to the house demanding noisily that I feed them.
On cool evenings. I would sit with the ducks and the rabbits at the steps to the house, stroking their feathers and furs, gazing at the stars.
Arlo had even taken to naming them. Red beak, snow white, browny, grey tail, brave knight, Courage, shy tom and clowny were his favourites.
Courage was a gutsy duck. It would chase Arlo away whenever he went to cuddle it and another one called brave knight would chase him demanding cuddles instead.
I worried about Arlo sometimes. He had seen so much in life that no child should ever see.
I wondered if I was giving him a secure enough childhood but when he would run towards me after the school, I felt it was all worth it.
The loneliness was there. The ducks, the rabbits and the plants could only do so much. I missed dad, I missed Karim, I missed Sam, helll I even missed Ray but mostly I missed myself.
I missed the me that could laugh without tearing up in sadness, I missed the me who felt safe and I missed the me who felt protected.
To get myself a semblance if normalcy, I tried to do stuff that I previously used to but they didn't feel that fulfilling anymore.
Some of the fruits in the backyard had started ripening. In the evenings after classes ended, I would take Arlo to the trees and we would pluck fruits.
Arlo was rolling down the small hillocks, giggling when Ray visited us. Arlo waved at him but Ray grimaced. I sighed. Ray was a bit of an idiot.
He said Arlo reminded him of Karim's downfall. He argued that if it wasn't for Arlo, his dad and Arlo's mom would be still alive, Karim won't have kidnapped me and I wouldn't have been in this mess.
I keep telling him that It wasn't Arlo's fault. He has started coming around but it will take time before his animosity to his nephew would disappear completely.
He greeted me with the usual 'hey, twinkie!'
He offered us to live with him again and even promised to be civil to Arlo but I turned him down again.
Courage flew over to us and pecked at Ray's feet. Ray squawked and jumped. I chuckled and stopped abruptly.
"Ruddy bird!" Ray swore.
I bent down to pick Courage up. It settled in my arms and stared at Ray.
"Why do you do that?" He asked.
"Do what?" I frowned.
"You smile as if it pains you to do so. You deserve to be happy as much as any other mad tosser."
I had learned to ignore his jibes by now but I was shocked that Ray could be this observant. Before I could reply, Arlo came trotting towards us and Ray quickly bid me goodbye.
Arlo was also used to his uncle's antics. He asked me to hand over Courage to him and opened his arms for it but Courage decided that Arlo's head would make for a much better perch and with a ruffle of feathers, landed there.
Arlo looked so offended that I had trouble holding back my laughter. I tried smiling but I think it came out more as a grimace.
He shook courage off his head who flew to my shoulder with a protesting quack. Arlo flicked his tongue at him and ran towards the gate.
I decided to walk towards the pond to feed the birds.
Arlo would avoid meeting Ray directly but make it a point to wave him off always.
When I was returning after feeding them, I saw Arlo talking to Samar near the gates. I quickly hid myself from their view.
He had gained a bit of weight and looked a bit sad. He talked to Arlo a bit and then kissed his forehead.
His eyes longingly sweeped the whole compound once. They passed the tree I was hiding behind before he turned back and drove away.
What was that about? Did he come to meet Arlo? Why didn't he talk to me?
When I was certain that he had left, I went towards the gate near Arlo.
He told me that 'my officer friend' had visited. I nodded and we started walking towards the house.
The sound of footsteps behind us stopped me, I turned and saw a young woman in formal attire walking towards us.
She had brown hair and she walked with a confident and determined gait.
"Hey, that's the pretty lady from the church!" Arlo exclaimed.
Huh? Who? Did Arlo know her?
I frowned.
"I am Sally. Sally Argent Clay." She introduced and smiled at Arlo.
She was Samar's wife! What was she doing here?
"Hi. I..I am---"
"I know who you are! I know what you are trying to do." She cut me off.
"Samar told me that he was visiting mom today. I wanted to surprise him by being there before him but when he didn't reach there I started getting worried," She huffed.
"Tell me Amay, why did he come here to see you even when he promised that he wouldn't see you again."
Samar promised her to not see me again?
"I don't know. He didn't ---we didn't --" I tried to explain.
"Don't lie to me. I saw him inside with you guys." She pointed towards Arlo. Arlo winced.
"I grew up in an orphanage and I have worked very hard to reach here. All I ever wanted was a loving family," she sniffed,
" and I can't even have children. Samar and mom are all I have and all I will ever have. I can't allow you ruining it."She stared fiercely at me.
I could see that it took a lot from her to appear this vulnerable. She was someone who didn't want others to see the chinks in her armour.
"I understand Sally. Trust me, he didn't break your promise. He didn't see me and I have no intention of stealing your husband and family. I have my own.
I put my hand on Arlo's shoulders.
"I have lost family too, Sally and if it weren't for Arlo here, I would have given up long ago. He is pretty much the only thing that kept me alive. Have faith."
She nodded stiffly, wiped her eyes and walked back towards the gates.
So that's why Sam didn't come to see me! Because he promised her.
"Da?" Arlo asked uncertainly when I kept staring off in the direction she went.
"How about we head out to the market and buy a cake for your birthday?" I proposed, to take his mind off everything.
Courage strutted towards us and then flew over towards Arlo's head. Arlo jumped aside before it could sit so, it turned mid air to land on my shoulder instead
I nuzzled him with my head and he quacked in response.
"I guess three is better than two."
I said and Arlo agreed enthusiastically. Our little party headed out towards the bus stop.
Little did we know about the dangers that lay ahead, waiting for us.
*Sally finally met Amay. Does it answer some of your questions from previous chapter about Sally's actions? Did you guys like the meeting? Can you sense that things are converging to an end?*