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CHAPTER SIXTY
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2021-09-30 19:54:15It had taken a few hours for things to settle down. By the time the two police men arrived, the whole community was up. Word had spread like wildfire, bringing men, women, and even children, out of bed. Dawn was slowly breaking. The orange hue of the sun slowly crept into the early morning gloom. Most of them wanted to see with their own eyes the culprits, and follow firsthand the story of the crime committed. Sean glanced at the crowd. A few of the women were in their nightgowns and head ties assembled in small groups whispering.
The men were pushing their way through the temporary barricad
Look out for Part 2, Abigale's story... SECRETS WITHIN THE MISTS Find out how Sean's lies and secrets catch up with him. Will he lose Abigale, or will they find a way to rise up from the mists enveloping their lives?
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Larouse, Choiseul, September 1961 The lone young woman limped through the thick, green underbrush as fast as her weak legs could carry her. Barefoot and bruised she trembled as she stumbled yet again, this time on a coconut branch lying in her path. She hardly noticed the debris in her way or the burning sensation under her feet. With every step, she could feel her toes sinking deeper into the rough dry gravel. Wincing, she bit her lower lip against the pain and protectively clutched the small bundle in her arms to her breasts. She was drenched, soaked to the bone from sweat and dirty water that had splashed across her body from stepping into many potholes. She could smell herself; the remnants of rotten fruit and chicken droppings still clung to her, but she could not worry about that now. Her dress was almost in tatters and she shivered against the chilly wind. Dusk had just set in, bringing with it a gray, overcast sky. Somewhere, an owl screeched eerily;
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12 years later Sean Montgomery was in deep shit. Slumped dejectedly on a three-legged stool in the only rum shop in the small neighborhood nursing his fourth shot of whiskey, he gazed unseeingly at the light brown liquid; pondering his dilemma. He shifted his tall build, trying to get a comfortable position; but the stool creaked in protest. Someone had done a poor job of adding a fourth piece of wood for stability, but it would not hold for long. Sooner rather than later, it would crash under its occupant. He hoped it did not happen tonight. A burst of hearty laughter erupted across the room behind him. The place was crowded tonight. He wondered how much money would roll in. Not much, he thought, these bastards usually order everything on credit. His gaze roamed across the room. The shop had a warm glow from the kerosene lamps spread evenly at the four corners. With a few tables and benches scattered carelessly across the area, there was no structure or for
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Passing his fingers lazily on the rim of the small glass Sean, understood why Fautina sometimes acted this way. Take him for instance, most of these people saw him as a proud, tough man, bordering on mean, but he did not give a damn. Being soft had never gotten him anywhere. Look at what happened to his little brother. Sometimes a man just had to be man regardless of the repercussions. This meant taking the bull by the horns. Sean tensed as he felt a presence behind him. He wriggled his nose against the strong whiff of bay rum which accosted him. This particular odor he knew, as well as its owner. He did not bother facing him but kept his head down and waited. ‘You are wasting my time,’ his companion snarled. ‘You have one more month to deliver. That’s it. Do we understand each other?’ Sean slowly raised his head and looked up at the rugged, hard contour of the lined face. Small beady, chilly, brown eyes collided with his. Inwa
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Sean's head was pounding and the pain was slowly becoming intolerable, but he mentally pushed it away like so many other things in his life. Drinking too much liquor on an almost empty stomach came with its consequences, and to top it off Abigale was mad as a hornet at him. He knew she was hurt, but what else could he do? He wished at times that he had never taken on the family mantle. Being the eldest child had its disadvantages. If he was honest, he did not really have a choice. Some people might disagree with him and say otherwise, but apart from him, who else would have been able to take the lead? It was handed to him. He did not have a say in the matter at the time. After his Pop died, he was next in line. After disposing of the insect, Sean trudged to the sink which he had built with his own hands. The pipe was made with some old copper, bamboo, plastic, and wires. After opening it, he had to wait for a few seconds for the pipe head to sputter. T
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Abigale waited at least ten minutes after she heard the front door close. Rising, she placed her right hand under the bed and pulled out the white porcelain pail that was used for night soil during the night for her small family. Wriggling her nose at the stench of stale urine, she quickly proceeded to the outhouse and disposed of it. She always made it her duty to take care of this part, no matter how unpleasant the task. She knew that Sean would not mind doing it if he had to, but she saw this as part of a woman’s duties. After dumping the waste, she walked to the closest drum, behind the house, poured some water and soap in the pail, and left it to soak. She tarried outside, lifting her face towards the clear blue sky, and took a deep breath of the clean, fresh, country air. Splashing some cold water on her face, she lifted some to her mouth and gargled. After spitting out the water, she went back to the drum to get some fresh water to prepare break
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Their home was small but comfortable because of the many homey touches her Ma had added here and there. She had even started placing flowers in two old vases and centered a piece in the living room and one by the kitchen sink. Ensuring that there was no excess water on the floor and on the table top, Suzie went in search of a palanma broom. There were two; the one used for the yard outside was a bit worn out, and the newer one was used for the inside of the house. Quickly locating the one she needed, she started the chore. The yard was damp this morning. It looked like dew or maybe they had gotten some light rain during the night. This meant that it would take her double the time to sweep the yard because the dirt was not loose. Using an old nylon bag over her hands, she started picking bits of wood left lying around the place from yesterday, along with some dry brown leaves scattered from the nearby trees. Stacking them in a corner, she resumed her sweeping.
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She stopped for a while and looked at her surroundings. There were several fruit trees; coconuts, mangoes, guava all just within reach, swaying lazily in the cool breeze. The trees offered shade and a cool place to run around in the green meadow beneath. There were flowers of different colours. Suzie did not know the names of the flowers, but she loved the sweet scent emanating from the petals as she smelled a few. What she really marveled at were the butterflies; they were everywhere. The flapping of their multi-colored wings were drowned- out by the chirping of the nearby birds as they moved from flower to bush, blending with the foliage.Suzie loved the outdoors. Ma always told her that she took more of her father. She could not decide if this was a good thing. Everyone knew one another in Larouse. There were hardly any secrets, and the residents looked out for one another. Suzie saw it as a big family, but she saw that most people had no ambition. They did the same
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‘You are growing up into a beautiful young lady,’ he said, leering at her. Suzie cringed and glared at him. She hated coming to the shop and having the old man serve her. She preferred the lady. Ms. Lydia was her name. She was a nice, friendly lady, always smiling whenever she came by, asking questions about school and how Pa and Ma were faring. She was scarcely at the shop on mornings. If she recalled correctly, the few times that Ms. Lydia had served her at the shop were in the afternoons after school. It looked like Mr. Bringo handled the morning shifts.Suzie continued her perusal of Bringo. Pa mentioned that he was a retired school teacher. He used to teach a few years back in the village and was quite good at it. Suzie did not know why the people of the community called him old man because he was not really old. He had a full head of grey hair, but from what Pa said he was only a few years older than him. People said he inherited it from his father. Suzie th
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SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER SIXTY
It had taken a few hours for things to settle down. By the time the two police men arrived, the whole community was up. Word had spread like wildfire, bringing men, women, and even children, out of bed. Dawn was slowly breaking. The orange hue of the sun slowly crept into the early morning gloom. Most of them wanted to see with their own eyes the culprits, and follow firsthand the story of the crime committed. Sean glanced at the crowd. A few of the women were in their nightgowns and head ties assembled in small groups whispering. The men were pushing their way through the temporary barricad
SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Where was Richard, surely ten minutes had passed? ‘Now, now Peter. There is no need for that. Why don’t you and Fautina tell me what you want? We can reach a compromise; no-one has to be hurt.’Chuckling, Fautina went across to the far corner of the room where Lydia kept the wine, and poured generously into a wineglass.‘Hmm, sister, this is really good wine. Father must have spent a fortune on it.’
SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Patting his pants pocket, Sean felt around for a small pen light. At the end of the instrument was a tiny knife. Both men had to bend low to avoid the trees which were overhanging at the entrance. Sean waited until they both were inside the trapdoor, then put on the flashlight on dim. They found themselves in a dusty, smelly room. Something scurried across their path, making Richard utter an expletive.‘Be quiet. We don’t want to alert them.’‘I am trying my best. What is this roo
SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
He ran all the way. There was no one out this early morning. It was around two or three o’clock if his judgment was correct. He did not pause to check on his surroundings. The earlier he got to Richard’s, the better. He hoped that the boy was alright. How did this slip him? He should have known. Reaching Richard’s doorstep, he pounded loudly on the front door. He waited. When he did not get a response, he went to one of the windows, trying to pry it open and shouted, ‘Richard, Jerald! Can you hear me?’Suddenly the door opened with Richard standing in his pajamas. &lsqu
SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
When she did not respond he turned to face her.‘I will be going alone, Sean.’ ‘What? I am not allowing you to go out to God-knows-where, searching all alone. I will accompany you, and that is final.’‘No it is not. The children need a parent and both of us cannot leave, not this time.’ Sean to
SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
‘Well it seems to me that you really did not have a choice. If you had stayed back your life might have been at stake and you would not have seen either of your babies. Who knows what this Pablo character is capable of, huh?’ Sean declared.‘Yes, I agree, but it broke my heart to leave my aunt and in particular under such circumstances. What would happen now to her the boys? Would they be safe? So many questions flooded into my mind at once. I felt overwhelmed and thought about staying, but then I remembered the baby by my side and that hardened my resolve. ‘
SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Taking a restorative breath she continued. ‘I tried anyways. I opened my mouth and screamed, but my scream was cut off when he backhanded me across the mouth. We struggled for a while. I kicked and pushed, but he was too strong for me. Ignoring my cries, he forced himself upon me.’ Abigale choked on the last sentence.‘What a bastard!’ Sean exclaimed angrily. ‘I am sorry, so very sorry to hear this Abby. You mean to tell me neither your aunt nor the boys heard your cries. None came to your aid?’
SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Abigale watched him crawl into bed and closed her eyes. She was so tired, tired of the guilt and the pain. She also knew that she was being unfair to Sean, but she did not want to continue to burden him with her past. Nothing bad happen to people based on a few nightmares. But she knew she was kidding herself, because for the two months her nightmares were more frequent and more alive. Maybe it was a sign that she needed to unburden herself. Making up her mind, she changed her clothes, sat down beside Sean, and shook him. Instantly he opened his eyes. ‘I think it is time that you know my full
SECRET WOUNDS BOOK 1 CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Sean lazily watched the two ladies work and marvelled at how tall Suzie had grown over the past year. She was almost the same height and size as her mother. She was a looker, and in a few years, he would be beating the young men away from his door. He was proud to be her father; she was a quiet but strong-willed child. She had a good brain on her head. He was always happy to see her engrossed in her books. He knew Abby was proud of that also, although she might not show it openly. Recalling the conversation he had had earlier on with Jerald, he knew he had to confront Richard. He would lead him to the second person that Suzie must have s
