Leila was right to give me that interrogation but I didn’t have words to answer all her questions satisfyingly. I was more of a doer at that time. Good enough I was able to use whatever word I had in my vocabulary bank to lure her into acceptance of my plans. She had to support me anyway. Immediately after a heavy breakfast she made for me, Leila got ready for the long jump.
“A number of prisoners escaped last night, and Sazzi Ronald was among them,” the grey-haired stern-faced senior officer re-announced the news that weakened my knees. The receptionist had already given us the news but we had decided to wait for a final word from any senior officer. It was then that I started believing that everything happens for a reason.—We were at the station that morning to find out that Ronnie had escaped, and that maybe I had to do something about it. “Who is he to you?” the officer asked.
“He’s a family member,” Leila replied immediately as I walked away as though I had not heard the question. To me, it seemed useless.
“You have to look out for yourselves, and please notify us when you have even a glimpse of him, or if you locate him by any means,” the officer continued, giving Leila a card that bore his personal number, at the same time staring at me, perhaps trying to figure out from where he had seen my face. “Such a prisoner is harmful to the society at large. This includes you, ma’am, and your loved ones.” Leila joined me and we both marched out of the station.
“At least you have tried,” Leila commented as we went down the stairs. I could see her—even without looking directly at her—steal glances at me. I know she had a lot of questions in her mind but didn’t allow herself throw another burden—of answering each—at me. As we walked the rest of our journey in silence, one part of me was scared that Ronnie had escaped, yet another was jubilating because I had finally got a chance to pass poetic justice upon my new archenemy.