58. Infamous Act 10
Tim turned on his car engine and teased, "I hope you're well and don't need to see the doctor?"
Gerald laughed shyly and explained, "We were missing you and ..."
"And you had to cook up stories to get sympathy," George finished for him and they all laughed.
Now, Tim had pulled out of the gate and onto the main road. He glanced at George and said, "Watch out for your drivers."
“I got it, Boss,” he answered and got his phone ready for any photographs.
They saw some of their buses, but no driver was found wanting. Meanwhile, Tim had surprises for the boys.
The Auxiliary Armory PLC
Before 4 PM, Laura was starving and had cried uncontrollably. Her tears weren’t from the imprisonment itself but from the injustice of being the only one punished. When the warden grew tired of her sobbing, she plugged in her earpiece to block out the noise.
"You can leave if you behave. We don’t pray to have staff like you here," she said before unlocking the door.
Laura stormed out without a word of thanks. The warden shot her a hateful glare, hissed under her breath, and returned to her seat.
Unmindful of the whispers around her, Laura adjusted her nose mask and strode toward the car park. A silent prayer escaped her lips - if she could just catch her bus, she wouldn’t have to endure the hassle of finding a cab. Luck was on her side, the bus pulled in just as she arrived. She stepped inside, her movements sharp and deliberate as she took her seat. Behind the mask, her face was unreadable, but the tension in her shoulders and the tight grip on her bag spoke volumes. Her gaze darted around, searching for the right target - someone who would bear the brunt of her simmering anger.
On the Road
“Fasten your seatbelts,” the driver announced and they obeyed. Afterward, he drove off.
“Adjust. You are blocking me,” a staff member, Mr. Ted Hendricks, told his colleague, who was sitting next to him, and she was surprised.
“How am I blocking you, Mr. Hendricks?”
“You are blocking me by leaning on the window.”
“Ha!” The lady exclaimed and the other colleagues were attracted.
“If you don't adjust, I will beat you up and only you will be sent to the guardroom,” the man stated with a silly grin.
Now, the surprised staff members caught the joke and laughed loudly. They looked at Laura for her reactions but she was absent-minded and did not even hear them.
“You must be joking, Hendricks,” his colleagues declared.
“You think so? Try to block my view again. And you will sleep where you don't expect,” the staff said and grinned in pleasure at his trouble-making skills.
Soon, they were at the estate gate and the driver stopped. Since she was by the door, she got out as soon as the door opened. The other staff members who lived there alighted too.
“I don't get the logic behind sending only her to the guardroom, Mr. Hendricks,” a colleague asked freely.
“The management knows why they did that,” he answered.
“Probably because she is a junior staff member.”
“Or a junior to Stephanie in age.”
“Or she was at fault.”
“Whatever it is, it serves her right,” Mr. Hendricks concluded.
At A Mall
Meanwhile, Tim had surprises for the boys. He drove in and the boys never read any meaning to it. Being with him was enough for them. They waited for him to park and hoped that he would only get out and go shopping.
“Everyone, get out,” he announced when he parked.
“Don't brush any car with your scrap,” the dutiful security guard warned.
They ignored him and got out of the car since he only said the obvious. Likewise, Tim led them to the phone section of the store and announced, “Your phones are due to change. Make your choices.”
Gerald and Samuel exchanged looks and he moved closer to Tim and whispered, “How do you intend to pay for the phones?”
“Just pick the phone you like,” he ordered.
Gerald had to apply the military rules of obeying before complaining and began to look at the phones.
Meanwhile, George, who knew Tim's worth, had selected what he wanted happily.
“This one is good, Gerald,” George said and directed them to pick up his type of phone and they obeyed. To the two boys' amazement, Tim paid with ease.
“Thank you, Boss.”
“Thank you, Brother-in-law,” they appreciated him.
“It is all right. You need a new SIM Card too,” he pointed out and they moved to the SIM card Registration Area
Not long after, they were through and left the mall for the car park.
Although the security officer was not there when he paid for the phones, he was familiar with their worth. Tim smiled inwardly at his astonished face and got into the car.
The Headquarters Gate
“You promised to apologize to the men at the gate when we visit again. Would you like to do that now?” Tim asked the boys as he approached the gate and they were undecided.
To help them make up their minds, advised them, “Tell them you are going to the clinic for a check-up and have stopped by to say hello."
At that point, he parked. His idea seemed good to them and they complied.
“Remember to apologize for giving them stress for three days and two nights,” he reminded them before they got out of the car.
“We got it,” they responded and laughed happily
They got to the gate and were lucky to meet the two Corporals. Cpl. Murphy had closed for the day and was handing over to Cpl. Carter and his team.
“Good evening, Corporals,” Gerald greeted them and Samuel studied their countenances.
They were startled to hear the voice that they would not forget easily and looked up.
“What?” Cpl. Carter screamed.
“What brings you again?” The frightened Cpl. Murphy inquired.
Now, Samuel was at ease and greeted them, “Good evening, Corporals.”
“Good evening. What brings you?” Cpl. Carter asked again to ensure that they came in peace because he could not go through the trauma once more.
“We are heading to the clinic for a check-up and stopped by to say 'hello',” Gerald explained with a suppressed smile.
The two Corporals and the other team members breathed freely.
“Oh, my God! That is thoughtful of you. How are you doing?” Cpl. Carter inquired.
“We are doing well, Corporal.”
“That is good to hear. Did you see your dead relative?” Cpl. Murphy asked and everyone waited for their answers.
Gerald was uneasy and looked at Samuel who had the same feeling as him.
Nevertheless, he answered them, “Yes we saw him …”
Cpl. Carter interrupted him and asked, “So it's true. Who killed him?”
“He was not killed.”
“We were misled by a social media post,” Samuel added.
“Have you seen what I mean? Don't take the social media stories seriously.”
“You are right. We apologize for the stress we caused you, Corporals,” Gerald stated shyly.
The Corporals shook their heads pitifully and one of them responded, “That is thoughtful of you.”
“Thank you for coming to show us yourselves.”
“Okay. We will run along,” Gerald said and Samuel moved.
“It's all right. Take care of yourselves.”
“We will,” Samuel said and they left.
However, the Corporals and the rest were out to see their father but were disappointed to see their clunker.
“How did it go?” Tim asked them anxiously when they got into the car.
“It went well. They were happy to see us,” they answered him simultaneously.
“That is good, to hear,” he said and turned on his ignition.
He drove away and headed towards the clinic and George called his attention.