2. The Frame Up 1

The Broadcast — At The House

After the security team and Laura left for the hospital, Tim dabbed his swollen eyes, shrugged his shoulders, and began to eat. He was about to leave the dining table when he saw the news on the television: 

(Laura Dickson-Williams was beaten up by her lazy husband, Tim Williams, for getting a job for him and she suffered a miscarriage.)

“Oh! When did I beat her?” He exclaimed and ran his hand through his head which was spinning already. Likewise, he stared vacantly in amazement.   

Now, he reminisced about his past. Since he escaped from his jealous superior, Gen. Sydney McDonald who wanted to kill him because he defeated their enemies during the last war, he had been hiding.  His higher-ups thought that he was dead and promoted his jealous superior to the rank of a General. In addition to that, he became the Chairman of the Auxiliary Armory PLC and Laura's boss. Now, the publicity had aroused their curiosity.

“Does she hate me this much? Has she forgotten how I saved her and her family during the war?” He asked himself bitterly when he got his wits back.  

To buttress the broadcast, the pictures of his handprints on her wrists were magnified and displayed over and over again. However, he pouted and looked at his bag again.

Now, Laura had succeeded in convincing her parents that it was a miscarriage and not an abortion. She walked into the parlor with a team of Human Rights Activists and her parents.

“Wife beater, sign this at once. We can't condone this,” Laura's lawyer ordered him. 

He was startled when he heard the order. He looked up and saw Laura and her parents looking at him hatefully. Howbeit, he was conversant with their hatred for him and felt like killing them.

“Pretender. We knew you had an ulterior motive, her mother yelled.”

“Tim, you are a snake in the grass. Who would believe that you can hurt a fly? So you have been hitting her despite her condition?” Her father added and ignored his swollen eyes. 

“Sign. Or you will rot in jail,” the leader of the Agency roared and Tim was in a dilemma. 

If he refused to sign, they would assume that he was guilty and wished to continue to beat her.

“Apologize to her first,” his father-in-law slapped his face and shouted.  

He got up angrily and advanced to hit him back but he staggered backward out of fear and fell on the ground. Instantly, Madeline rushed to help him.

“Have you seen what you have caused, Tim?” His mother-in-law who was seeing him angry for the first time, asked him.

Tim looked into Laura's eyes, and roared, “Did you plan this, Laura? After the maltreatment from you and your parents?”

Now, she was conscience-stricken and vacillated, but everyone thought that she was too weak to think for herself.  

Her father who had found his bearings, shouted at Tim, “What do you think? Sign the papers and leave at once. Idiot.” 

Nevertheless, Tim was furious. He looked at her with his bloodshot eyes, and roared again, “Did you plan this just because you want to throw me out, Laura? Answer me?”

“Yes. I can't live with a dark-hearted man like you,” she answered with faked boldness.

“You have heard it. Sign and leave for good,” her mother declared. 

Tim breathed heavily and collected the copies of the A4 papers from the lawyer and signed where necessary. 

“Where is my copy of the petition?” Tim requested audaciously.

“Take,” the lawyer requested and handed his copies to him.

He collected them, he gave her a final look and took a step.

“Come back for your alimony,” the lawyer called him back but he ignored him and moved on.

He pulled down his cross-body bag from the curtain rail and walked out angrily. 

“Where are you going? Come back and pick all your things. You are not coming back to this house,” Madeline indicated.

“Does he have anything in this house apart from that bag?” Her father asked his wife.

“You are right, father. He has nothing in the house,” Laura confirmed.

Tim was not surprised to see that the courtyard was filled with security men who would beat him up if he refused to sign the divorce papers. 

'This murderer will kill me,' the head of security murmured and hid himself while the rest fidgeted when they saw his angry face. Silently, he walked past them and got to the gate. He was shocked to see a sea of pressmen and paparazzi.

“My God!” He exclaimed and wondered how he would pass without killing anyone.

At The Military Headquarters

“How can a man beat up his pregnant wife? It is a heinous act. The perpetrator must be brought to justice,” the Head of State, Gen. Felix Richmond, barked.

“Hold on, Your Excellency. The name sounds familiar. I pray that he is our missing member,” the Second in Command entreated him.

“Our missing member?” The Head of State asked with great expectations.

Afterward, they held an emergency meeting and resolved to contact him. 

At The Gate

However, no one knew him as Laura's husband because of his unimpressive look. The pressmen only guessed when they saw a man walking out of the compound. Nevertheless, Tim was trying to force his way through the crowd when the pressmen began to bombard him with questions:

“Excuse me. Are you Mr. Williams?”

“Why did you beat your wife, Mr. Williams?”

“Did she offend you?”

“How often do you beat her?”

“How can you beat a pregnant woman?”

He ignored them and said, “Excuse me,” he requested angrily and moved on. 

Before they could ask another question, his phone rang and he was angry with the distraction. Howbeit, he brought out his phone from his bag and looked at the caller.

“Oh!” He exclaimed and concealed his astonishment.

Likewise, he answered, “Hello,” and waited while the pressmen waited too.  

“Where are you, Tim?” The Head of State inquired with a commanding tone. 

“I'm at the Auxiliary Armory Estate,” he answered him.

“If you love this country, Tim, kindly wait for me or you will be convicted of treason.”

“I got it,” he answered and the call ended.

Now, he faced the crowd and wondered how he would meet him when he arrived. Nevertheless, the pressmen continued with their interview:

“Did you truly kick her stomach?”

“Are you a wife-beater?”

“Tell us that it is not true.”

“Have you signed the divorce paper”

“How do you feel beating a pregnant woman?”

He smiled bitterly and answered, “I'm innocent.”

Unexpectedly, they heard the thick noise of a military helicopter and everyone looked up at once. They scattered and made way for it to land. The moment it landed, two military men with an unfriendly look from the Presidency, got out quickly and went for Tim. Unfortunately, one of them was the jealous superior.

“Oh, no! They have come to take him away,” a reporter said to his colleagues.

“This is serious. They may kill him by hanging.”

“Or by firing squad.”

“Why would he beat up his powerful wife and expect to go unpunished?”

Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!  

“Oh, no. They have killed him,” the crowd shouted in unison and ducked down when they heard gunshots. 

Ironically, the jealous General gave Tim a military salute, “Good morning, General Tim Williams. The Head of State and the Supreme Military Council wished to reinstate you to your rightful position. Permit me to take you along.”

Tim smiled softly and returned the salute, “Permission granted," he said and willingly walked away with them.