Chapter Twenty-Five

After spending a fortnight in Joe's apartment. Mary and Bianca wanted to leave since the next day was Christmas and their father had already planned it as a day of enjoying the Christmas together with them. Bianca dropped only her kitchen wares in Joe's house and took the remaining items. Mary appreciated Joe sincerely for taking care of them very well. Indeed, Bianca and Mary were both glad to visit a beautiful home such as Joe's apartment. Philip was summoned to take Bianca and Mary to their destination since Joe had a busy schedule that he needed to accomplish within hours. Joe held Bianca's hand and escorted them to the garage, then he kissed Bianca on her forehead before allowing her to enter the car. Joe looked at her inside the car elegantly and waved a goodbye to the both of them and walked back to the house. The jeep wheeled down the steep and then moved gently to the gate.

Immediately a gate man opened the gate.

Bianca was getting bored on the road, despite the fact that everything was cheerful and bursting with Christmas trees beaming with different lights. She still wanted more fun, and nothing happening outside the car was so fascinating to her so she demanded music be played by Philip, who was speeding on the motorway. Her request was granted. Bianca twisted her upper half of her body to the rhythm of the song. She found the song amazing and interesting. Meanwhile, Mary kept on chewing gum and staring at her phone simultaneously. Perhaps she also felt bored and sleepy, but she never wanted to sleep. Fireworks were heard, popping in the air. People were queuing in droves in a densely populated Shoprite and Tantalizer. The banks located along the road were closed up, but the ATM machine got crowded with people who wanted to withdraw and spend for a one-day Christmas. Bianca's phone suddenly vibrated and beeped, distracting from her eagerness to demonstrate her dancing talent. She ignored it and continued dancing to the songs that came up one after the other. They were gradually getting to the house. The time was still ticking very fast, almost getting to midafternoon as gridlock took place. Mary took advantage of the gridlock to get some carrots and salad from marketers around the area.

Eventually, Philip arrived at Mary's apartment after two hours' driving with directions and guidelines. He drove inside the compound, stopped, and then yawned and stretched his body. Mary appreciated Philip, while Bianca followed suit. Mary felt nervous all of a sudden.

"Bianca, I am not myself," she said.

"What could be the cause of it?" Bianca said indifferently, opening the boot to take the items out of the car.

"Someone may be hiding inside the house," echoed Mary.

"Oh, but you told me I behave like a kid but you are also behaving like them," Bianca responded jovially, "why would you just cook up wild imagination and expect me to fall for it? It can't work."

"I'm not kidding, somebody might be right there, staring at us," Mary said with all seriousness.

Bianca dropped her items on the ground "If you say so, just wait here let me check."

She approached Philip and motioned for him to come inside with her. She pleaded with him and explained to him why she insisted on his following her, but Philip felt sluggish about it. Philip got to his feet and prepared for self-defence by keeping a pen knife in his pocket. Then he accompanied her inside the apartment. Without using a key, the door opened when he turned the knob and pushed it firmly. When Bianca observed a locked door being forced open, she panicked. She turned down entry into the home because she recalled what Mary had said. Philip went inside the house to search for any intruders, but nobody was there. He came outside and assured Bianca that no soul was dredging inside the house, but everywhere was tattered and rumpled. Her eyes became misty all of a sudden when she heard that the house was scattered. She quickly ran to Mary and told her concerning her fear that no one was there, but she refused to tell her the latter part of the story and beckoned on Mary to enter the house. Philip revved the car's engine as he drove out of the compound. Mary waved to him as he zoomed out of the compound.

Bianca picked up her belongings lying lifelessly on the ground and then signalled to Mary to follow her to the main building. When Mary arrived, she motioned for Bianca to open the door if she was certain no one was inside. Bianca hesitated a little, but later went ahead and opened the door, then beckoned on the pessimistic Mary to enter, which she nervously obeyed. They became awe-struck and their mouths were slightly ajar when they saw how tattered the sitting room was. They both stared at each other without responding, but the gaze sent a lot of questions to them.

"Did you leave the house as tattered as this?" Finally, Bianca inquired from Mary.

She didn't answer immediately, but answered after she walked one-step forward, "how do you expect me to leave the house as tattered as this?"

"Who has done this?" questioned Bianca, mystified. She walked nearer to the dining table and noticed that the vase was missing, "where did you keep the flower vase that was here?"

Mary became awestruck once more because she was unable to understand what was happening—it was a huge mystery that her brain was unable to solve. Her eyes started to tear up as she went over to the dining table and saw that the flower vase was actually missing. Bianca felt moved. She hurried into the room, and when she saw that the door had been pulled down, she screamed violently. Her eyes began shed tears. Mary ran over to her side to find out what had happened to cause that.

Bianca pointed to the door. Mary saw it and nodded pathetically, with what motive, and who would have done this? She felt a sharp pain striking her heart that she held her mouth tightly and then recovered from it. Tears trickled down from Mary's eyes. She cleaned it very quickly and rubbed her eyes with her hands. Bianca ran back to the sitting room panicking, scouting for where she kept her handbag. She saw it on the sofa and then ran nearer to it to pick up her phone. She dialled Joe number instantly. It rang for a second before Joe answered it.

"Hello JK, the house has been raided by unknown people."

"What!" he exclaimed, "Who could have done that?"

"I don't know, really," she said panicking, "we noticed it from the door being unlocked and then in the sitting room where the dining table was placed. The flower vase located at one leg of the table had gone missing, in fact, our room door was pulled down." Tears rushed down from her eyes. She hung the call up and wept uncontrollably. She couldn't imagine what she was experiencing now. Mary came over to her with a sheet of paper folded and roughened.

"Just take a look at this note." Mary stretched the paper near to her face.

Bianca stopped crying and looked at the paper Mary presented near to her eyes. Bianca read:

"This is to show that you can't go unscathed with whatever you and your stupid followers do. This is just the beginning; expect worse than this in the coming weeks. I purposely left some key things because of the love I have for you, but if you consider me a worthless person, then you will pay dearly for it.

Expect more in the coming weeks!"

She read everything and saw a signature on it. Bianca read it again and repeated the line that read: "I purposely left some key things because of the love I have for you."

"What is this place referring to?" Bianca inquired, looking straight at Mary's face.

"I don't know." Mary answered.

Bianca stood up again from the chair picking up her phone again and dialled Joe number again.

"JK, there is a note left here with a signature on it," Bianca said.

"Alright, very good. Keep it very well. It will act as evidence in court." He said over the line, "Send a picture to me."

"I will do that now," she said as she hung up the call short. She quickly punched the camera app on her phone and snapped the paper, sending it to Joe through social media.

"What did he tell you?" Mary inquired.

"He said I should keep the paper very well and send a photo of it," Bianca responded.

"Okay,"

When Bianca entered the kitchen, she discovered the cooking gas was missing. The kitchen was a complete mess. Glass dinnerware was shattered on the ground. Thrown to the ground were the pots. On the ground, water was poured. She gave a head nod, then more tears started to fall. She made every effort to contain the tears from falling, but she was helpless as she sobbed once more. She ventured outside to look for her car. It wasn't damaged; it still had a fantastic appearance. She was now aware of the letter's author. She felt guilty for having James over to this residence. This was the suffering to which she would subject Mary and her father. She sobbed more as she wondered why her life had been predestined to be this way. Why would she be making those who chose to save her life suffer? Joe lost a legal battle after she entered his life; now Mary has shown up, and everything is happening as it should. She entered the house while sobbing bitterly. Mary approached her with bitter anguish.

"Stop crying, dear," Mary consoled her, "it was better all these things happened, what if we were in the house when they broke in and took our lives. Who would remember that they took some earthly items? In fact, nobody would look at the broken door, the shattered glass and the havoc they wreaked while looting."

Bianca cleaned her tears and spoke out, "I understand Mary, but why did they not damage my car and take it instead of them destroying all your items that were gotten with hard work."

Mary pursed her lips while trying to stop sobbing; she had tears streaming down her face. "It won't have been better either way," she said, tightening her face in a grim expression.

"Mary, please forgive me. It was my fault." she pleaded silently, sadly.

"How is it your fault?" Mary said, scheming her words together.

"It was my fault." She said with a husky tone, "if I had known I wouldn't have invited James to this place. He has become a terror to us."

"How do you know he was involved in this looting?" Mary asked.

"The piece of writing shows he was the one that conducted it with his gangs."

"This isn't his handwriting. I know his handwriting very well," She responded.

"Well, then he was smart enough to give it to someone else to assist him to write it," Bianca wailed again.

"But how sure are you?"

"I am sure of what I am saying," she echoed out.

"Don't rely on assumptions. What if he wasn't the one? How would you feel castigating an innocent soul when you discover he wasn't the one?"

Just then Bianca's phone beeped and vibrated. She picked the call. "Hello, Joe."

"The handwriting on the paper seems like Esther's handwriting, there is no difference between this one and her handwriting on this book that I am looking at right now."

The voice of Mary came back again, clear and sound as Joe spoke through the phone.

"How did she get information on where I am residing?" she asked Joe over the line.

"That is what I am confused about," he spoke on the line, "don't worry. I will have to put in a guard to protect the surroundings."

"That would be a good idea," she echoed out.

"Bye for now."

She dropped the phone gently on the sofa and pondered on the conversation she just had. How would it be Esther? Esther doesn't like me, she hates me with all her soul, but the writings are saying a whole different thing to what Joe said. Esther would destroy all my properties and not spare anything. Or did she think that she was destroying all the item belonging to me, unknowingly to her that it was Mary? Why did she not destroy the car, because she was fully aware of the gift, Joe gave to me She thought within herself.

Mary gazed at the overwhelmed Bianca, who was deeply lost in thoughts. "While you were talking, Dad said he would get here in thirty minutes from now."

"Oh, why? I don't want Dad to see these precarious events that have just happened to us."

Mary felt bitter.

"One thing he would be glad of, was that he would see us alive and not dead. At least that should give him hope."

Bianca was lost. Her body, soul, and spirit were no longer united. Mary, meanwhile, sat down on the chair and was lost in thought. She might have wondered a lot about who would have done this to her, who she had really hurt, and what wrong she could have done to someone to warrant this kind of vengeance.

A knock on the door could be heard over the trauma the two of them were experiencing. Both of them were able to get over their trauma states. While Mary hurriedly went to the bathroom to wash her face and tried to brighten up her facial expression to a happy one, Bianca immediately dried up her tears.

Bianca went into the bathroom after she left and washed her face to get rid of any dried tears that might have remained there. When Bianca went to open the door, her father, who had raised her as his daughter, was there. When she first saw him, she greeted him, and after responding, he followed her inside the house. He noticed the chaos in the house right away. His mood swings were as quick as light.

"Why is everywhere like this?" he asked, looking at the whole house in a confused manner.

"Dad, something strange happened today?"

"Oh, what happened?" he asked, narrowing his eyes and looking disgusted, "and where is Mary, your sister."

"She is inside," Bianca said, calling her immediately, "Mary, Mary" she called.

Mary came out with changed apparel, putting on a smiling face. Her father was less concerned about her physical appearance and stared at the whole surroundings. "Why is everywhere like this on Christmas Day?"

"Dad, the house was raided by hoodlums or thieves. When we were at a friend house. We just came back and discover all this." responded Mary.

"This is serious," he said, looking at the chair before he sat down, "have you asked the neighbours around you, maybe they might give you an inkling of what happened."

"No," answered Mary.

"Why?"

"The idea seems not to get to my head so quickly, I think that would be a good idea. Thank God I have an old wise man," Mary joked.

He wasn't pushed by the way she talked. He paid so much concentration on the tattered items spilling around, and probably thought of the best way of putting a stop to what had happened.

"Dad, let's go and inquire now," Bianca said.

"No, not now," he cautioned, "this is Christmas. They might not have time to answer you. Just wait till tomorrow. It seems you were both in bitter tears."

Bianca laughed while Mary smiled at his words.

"Yes, Dad," Bianca responded.

"I feel the pain too," he said. "The Christmas already got spoilt with this event. Don't worry; next Easter would be better than this nonsense."

"I pray so," Bianca piously said.

"My next priority would be fencing round the compound and placing bottles on the fence so it would give them a hard time before successfully climbing inside. I would also employ a trained guard to mount the gate to look at who is coming inside this place and what they do. I think that would be a very viable option to work with, right?"

"Yes Dad," Bianca said gladly but with a grim facial expression.

Mary didn't respond.

"You look so grim and frustrated, Mary," observed her father.

She nodded in affirmation.

"Don't worry, I will provide everything they looted, just calm your nerves" he said assuringly.

The broken door that was lying on the floor startled him as he got out of the chair and moved towards the kitchen walkway. Surprised, he inquired, "Was this also destroyed?" They both agreed upon the affirmation, and he took a breath. He was confused and focused on the place where he was standing. He sighed to simultaneously convey his sorrow, rage, and grief. Bianca felt down when she saw him at that time. Again, tears welled up in her eyes.

"A bad Christmas for all of us," Mary echoed depressingly, "Dad, I know how hurtful it is, but when there is life there is hope. Let's cheer up and be optimistic about the future."

"Did they tamper with any of your vital documents?" he inquired after recovering from the shock.

"I haven't checked but I don't think so" she responded, then faced Bianca, "Bianca, better things than this would happen. Look at these events and smile. Because before a good thing happens, a bad thing comes first. Let's be cheerful, Dad," she said, moving closer to her Dad and embracing warmly, "this is how I would embrace you after I would have graduated from the university. So, let's keep our hopes high and be optimistic." After her statement, her Dad brightened from his despondent look to a cheerful one. Bianca cleaned the tears from her eyes and then smiled. Mary just had a way of motivating an emotionally depressed person back to a cheerful mood with her captivating words.