Twenty-Eight

The Reverend Brand Bawa stands at the upstairs window of his house looking out across the beautiful green expanse of his backyard garden and recreational area. He can see Stan and his family near the man-made lake with Diana and her family.

He closes his eyes for a moment, forcibly trying to push the image of Chris' heinously mutilated back out of his mind, but the image persists, as it has ever since he set eyes on it. What brute and evil people could have done that to the boy?

True, the boy had incurred a lot of wrath from the good citizens of the country after his infamous trial, but to subject him to that kind of torture is absolutely unthinkable and unacceptable! That is why the boy has changed so much! His youthful exuberance and carefree abandon are gone, leaving just a bitter shell of a man with a searing sizzling hatred against those he perceived had abandoned him.

Yes, he and Chris have always been at each other's throats. Growing up, Chris was a pure-heart vagabond who refused any form of leash on his wild spirit, and this put him and his disciplinarian father sharply at opposite ends of the norm, leading to many volatile clashes. But Chris is still a Bawa, Brand's son, and the obvious horror the boy went through in prison troubles Brand very much.

The bathroom door opens suddenly and Lois comes in, pulling the sash of her morning gown tighter around her.

He turns. Their eyes meet.

He can see the torture in the depths of her eyes too. The horror is still there, and from the day she saw the savage story on Chris' back, she has not been the same woman. She walks heavily to his side, and she also stares out of the window at her children and her grand-children.

"They hurt him very terribly, Brand," she says in a quavering voice.

"Yes, they did, dear."

She begins to tremble, and he reaches out in a rare show of affection and puts his arm around her shoulders.

"Did you hear what he said?" she asks tearfully. "That we cut him off when Roland died?"

He stiffens a bit. The name of Roland always does that to him. Roland, wonderful Roland, who had been and always will be his favorite son.

"Yes, I did, dear. For him to say that, I think, is my biggest failure as a father."

She gives a sob and lays her head on his shoulder.

"It is true, you know. We all loved Roland, and I guess we were so hurt that we never forgave Chris, and we made him feel responsible for the death of his brother."

"Mm-hm," he murmurs.

She sniffs, and puts a hand to her mouth.

"Do you think that is what made him so... so ... so different? He felt guilty and abandoned?"

He gives a shuddering breath.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it played a huge role in his wild spirit, yes," he says in a voice that isn't quite steady. "But he settled down somewhat after marrying Effe."

There is silence for a while.

"He hates me, Brand, and it is killing me," she says as silent tears roll down her face. "Before he went to prison he always tried to impress us, to make us accept him. But, when I met him, I saw the hatred in his eyes."

"Not for you alone, my dear. Yes, I saw the hatred in his eyes, for us, for Diana, for Stan. He wants us to leave him alone."

"But we can't, Brand, we simply can't!" she cries helplessly. "I don't want him to hate me, Brand! Bring him back, please bring him back!"

He gives a shuddering breath, and his old face is filled with much pain.

"Battle is the Lord's, my dear. He can bring back our son. We can only pray, and hope, but ultimately, it rests on the Lord."

"He can't keep out of trouble, Brand. He lost the Company he started, and he has lost Effe. He has lost his house, his possessions, and we abandoned him!" she murmurs, her tears falling unchecked. "That boy is filled with so much anger, Brand. The chances of him going back to prison are very high, so please don't leave everything to the Lord like that! Let us reach out to him in any way we can!"

He nods, and draws her nearer, and when she begins to cry, he does not try to stop her.

***

Junior is having the time of his life.

He and his Daddy are making the beach theirs! They ride an inflatable raft and later on a jet bike. They drink iced coconut juice which Junior enjoys very much. Chris then buys a mini bucket of chicken with fries and Fanta, and they almost emptied the bucket of chicken.

Finally, they pick a place under the cool coconut trees, spread a comfortable blanket on the ground, and sit down to converse. Quite suddenly a group of people approach their position. Chris is laughing at something funny Junior has said when the group stop near them.

There are three ladies and three men. One of the men is very huge and wearing a singlet that shows off his great muscles. He comes near Chris with a very nasty expression on his face.

"I'll be damned! Hey guys, isn't this guy the Chris Bawa dude, the one called the Beast?" he growled whilst pointing at Chris.

His companions giggle uneasily, and one of the women grabs the man's arm.

"Come on, Kuntu. Let's go," she says, obviously uncomfortable.

The huge man shrugs off the woman's hand and glares down at Chris.

"I hear you knocked down that poor girl and she lost her leg. And you never said sorry, you piece of shit!"

Junior jumps to his feet and glares at the big man.

"Leave my Daddy alone!" he cries indignantly.

The giant glares at Junior and a nasty smile cross his face.

"Your daddy is an asshole, little boy. A fucking coward! Heard he beat up an old man and almost killed him. Hey, motherfucker, have you ever tried taking on someone your own size?"

His friends laugh now, and they look at Chris who is still sitting quietly, his back against a coconut tree. Junior, indignant, suddenly shoves the huge man's thigh angrily.

"I said leave my Daddy alone!"

Without warning the huge man shoves Junior, and the boy topples over, hitting his head against the coconut tree he is standing close to.

What happens next is a blur of movement!

The huge man barely notices Chris getting off the ground. He sees a blur, and he tries to step back, but Chris' hardened fist sinks into his stomach with such force that the huge man doubles over instantly with the acute pain. He totters backward, clutching his stomach, his eyes suddenly blinded with tears as the pain suffuses his whole body.

The people with him are suddenly shouting, looking at Chris with a mixture of fear and apprehension. The huge man called Kuntu suddenly roars and rushes at Chris, his great muscle-bound arms reaching out to grab and crush. Chris grabs one of his hands, spins and uses the man's rushing momentum to crash the man's head into the exact coconut tree Junior crashed into. The man screams with pain and flips back, crashing heavily on the grass, his forehead badly split and spurting blood. He stares up at the cruel face of Chris with sudden panic, and when Chris steps towards him, he raises his hands suddenly with terror.

"Please ...please! I'm sorry, please!" he whimpers.

Chris' face is unforgiving. The man's friends try to hold him back, but the look of absolute mayhem on Chris' face scares them, and none of them dares put a hand on him.

Other people are coming around now. Chris bends, grabs the man's singlet and raises him. He draws back his right fist, intending to crash it into the man's jaw, but Junior desperately holds his father's wrist.

"Daddy! Please stop, please!"

The huge man is almost crying helplessly now.

"Please, please, oh please! I'm sorry!"

Chris looks at his son, and suddenly the savage wrath leaves his face, and he lets the man go. The bully totters back with a moan. His friends hold him and lead him away still moaning as they press handkerchiefs to his bleeding forehead. Chris gathers his son into his arms and hugs him so tightly that the little boy giggles.

"Hey, Daddy!"

"Yes, Champ?"

"I can't breathe!"

Chris releases him immediately, and Junior looks at him with awe, his little eyes roaming his father's face with complete worship.

"Are you okay, Champ?"

Junior nods vigorously, and then smile wolfishly.

"You maimed that man gooooood! He was so chicken scared! Next time let him come and mess with my Daddy again!"

They both laugh, and then Junior falls on the blanket gripped with gales of laughter. He turns and climbs on top of his father, wrapping his little arms around him.