DONT TRUST ANYONE

They finally disengaged.

'Now that you are out, what's the next step?' he asked her enthusiastically.

She looked ominously ahead of her. Her cap was pulled down way too deep on her head almost covering her eyes. She answered, 'I'm not sure yet. Maybe somewhere quiet like Madagascar…or Australia. Somewhere far from all this lunacy. Anywhere but here.'

'That's a good idea,' he said. 'If the police ever get a scent of where you are then it's over. They've already looked for you in Aunt Janice's house.'

She shook her head. 'These boys must be serious. The jackasses want to lock me up in that hole for another eleven years even after I convinced the doctor that I've recovered. It's still not enough for them. They just still want to keep me holed up in there, pumping drugs down my throat four times a day, everyday. Eighteen pills a day! And after my escape, they might just double it. I swear, son; they gave me different pills for every day of the week like I'm the source of every disease in the world. That stupid Doctor Jacob!' she cursed. 'If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have wasted all those years in that place. It's because of him that we spent so many years apart.'

'Have you heard from him lately? Doctor Jacob I mean,' he asked her.

She shook her head. 'I've got nothing else to do with that toad.'

'I heard of a psychiatrist that recently went missing,' said Sineas.

His mother looked curiously at him. 'You think it was him?'

'I don't know. But I called Doctor Jacob's office yesterday and there was no answer.'

'So you gave him your number?'

'Of course not, mama. I wouldn't trust that quack with anything. Besides, it's his policy not to keep his patients' phone numbers. He prefers to be called…not to call. And I only call his office telephone.'

Priscilla snarled, 'Doctor Jacob is a typical toad. But on to more strict matters, my boy; I didn't just call you here to have a quick chat with you. I wanted to warn you against the people you surround yourself with.'

'What do you mean? What are you talking about, mama?'

She looked over her shoulder. Six seconds elapsed then she brought her nervous eyes back to him. She said, 'Do not, and hear me well when I say this, do not trust anyone, do you hear me?'

Sineas mimicked the ritual. He looked over his shoulder twice, then, 'Mama…what…what..?'

'Sin; as of now, everyone is your enemy. Charles could be using someone close to you to know about my location. Please, my son, do not trust anyone.'

'What about Aunt Janice?'

'Especially her, Sin. That woman is pure evil!'

'But why? Why do you hate her so much?'

'I don't hate my sister, Sin. I loathe her. I despise her. She makes me sick! Have you ever wondered why your aunt doesn't have kids or isn't married? That's because she's barren, son. The bitch can't have puppies, that's why she was always jealous of me. She got married once to this lowlife called Ishmael and he left her when he found out she can't have children. That's why she had me put away. Because she wanted what she could never have; a family!'

Sineas' mind was crumbling from the pressure his mother's words possessed. It was too much information to process. A mind as fresh and young as his was never meant to take so much in. Right? His eyes were focused on his mother. They watched her lips dance out more shocking revelations. All they could do was watch in panic and fear. He wanted to tell her to stop. To tell her that he had heard enough but strangely, a part of him wanted her to reveal it all. 'But…but, mama…why then did you approve that she could take care of me? That day they were taking you into the asylum, I vividly remember you telling me that it was okay. You told me that she would take good care…'

'Because, Sineas, I knew she could never harm what she always wanted. A child! You! if I were a millionaire, I would bet all of it on the premise that she was working with Doctor Jacob to keep me in that place.'

'But what would it benefit Doctor Jacob?'

'That's the part I still haven't figured out. Eleven years in a crazy barn gives you ample time to think. You begin to piece the broken pieces of the puzzle together. You begin to see a crystal-clear picture. The reason for your current predicament and the persons behind it. What I'm sure of, my boy, is that your aunt can-not be trusted.' She looked over her shoulder again. She thought she had heard something.

Meanwhile, Sineas seemed to be pondering hard over something. Elbows on his knees and thumbs under his chin, he decided to focus his eyes in front, away from his mother's blood-red and unforgiving eyes. His eyes twitched for a fraction of a second. 'What about…Clarissa?'

His mother sighed deeply. She withdrew her answer for a full minute. It was as if it was out of respect. Finally, she answered, 'Not even her, son. Trust me on this. One word…just a slip of the tongue and the police will do everything in their power to make you squeal.' She moved closer to him along the bench. She draped his shoulders with her left arm. 'Promise me, son. Please, promise me.'

'I promise, mama.'