The jailer pranced to the side of Fanny Luis, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up. His time was up. He protested at the tops of his voice, “Melissa please don’t go away. Tarry a little while. This storm will be over!” his jaw ground and he struggled to pull away from the grip of the jailer.
Melissa, who had been cat-walking to the exit, passed and shot her dead looks at him. She tossed her head in pity and replied arrogantly, “You are full of ruin now father. I am worse than ruin. Lisa Bake is dead, we have lost everything. I can’t continue to stay in Rio Hondo . Mike Don is always rubbing it on my face and wouldn’t stop at making life miserable for me.”
Fanny couldn’t stop protesting and pleading with her to stay. The jailer struggled to drag him away as he wouldn’t heed to him just to make sure he spoke to his daughter.
“Good bye, father!” she bade through clenched teeth, spurned around and took the exit.
By the time she was outside, her eyes had welled up with tears. Heavy sobbing paraded her body and she sniffed on end. Even when she tucked away at a corner to weep to her satisfaction she just couldn’t stop wailing.
The taxi came in sight and she managed to trudge to it, heaved on the door and hopped in.
“Take me to the train station that is headed to New York,” her coarse voice came through before she subsided to calm sobbing as they drove on.
New York was going to be her frost and she hoped not to set eyes on me again. In New York she would have a humble beginning and continue to be out of eyes reach as far as I remained the world richest man.
***
On her way to the train station, they met a heavy traffic which gave Melissa much concern. Until she left Rio Hondo , she never would relax under her shattered soul.
In the heat of such a hectic traffic she protested, “Driver! What could be the cause of this traffic now? Her gaze fell upon her wrist watch, “I am already late for the train.” She swore under her breath and wouldn’t stop stretching her neck to peep beyond at the horizon.
Apologies, ma’am,” the driver’s deep voice sounded somewhere behind the steering, “You may have to exercise patience.” The driver was busy peeping through the window and confirming his facts, “Oh I see!” he sounded with a rare energy.
Melissa widened her gaze to get the gist.
“Ma’am, it is Clara Roham!” the driver sounded in a more emphatic tone that stole the noise around her for those names to sink into her mind.
“Clara Roham?” fear meant for a thousand souls gathered in her voice, and she would have lost interest to move a bit further, if she were walking. The name was the last thing she wanted to hear now and ever.
The driver gave a firm nod, “Yes ma’am Clara Roham,” he intoned yet again and enunciated further, “I don’t need to ask if you know Clara, wife to the world richest man.”
Melissa swallowed hard and fought with the guilt piling up in her thought. She fell back in the chair now; there was no need peeping any further.
Even when she didn’t ask for more explanation, the driver spoke exclusively, “Oh , it is a giveaway. Clara Roham is back to do what she is known for.” The driver stole a glance in the front mirror and saw no interest in those fallen, gloomy eyes of Melisa, “Ma’am did you witness her last week’s give away , huh?”
There was no reply and there would never be.
The ecstatic driver was forced to turn his gaze to Melissa.
“Ma’am is everything okay?” he queried and the battered face of Melissa cautioned him and he managed to say, “Clara Roham has been busy giving out cash to the masses of Rio Hondo, especially the women folk. Her Roham Foundation has been doing nicely recently.”
Melissa swore under her breath and imagined herself biting her beholder on the neck for making her veins pump in jealousy. She sniffed heavily and could barely swallow hard.
The traffic had intensified now and motorists protested with hooting of horn. Melissa sighed and finally murmured, “What the hell is happening?” she queried.
The taxi driver raised a furrowed brow after stroking his hair confusedly, “Didn’t you get all I have been saying all the while, huh?” he turned his gaze one more and caught the thunder in her face. “What is wrong with you? Are you okay? You seem not to know Clara Roham, wife to the world richest man.” He perceived poverty around her and he winked, “Why don’t you go and get some cash from Clara Roham. I think you need it…”
“Hey, are you silly?” she barked and sat up, “Do I look poor to you huh? Do you know who I am, huh?”
The driver chuckled and curved his lips in fury, “I don’t want to know who you are. The only woman I want to know is Clara Roham.” He turned his gaze through the window and saw a young woman smiling and dancing away with a wad of dollars, “Oh I can’t miss this. I got to get some cash from Mike Don’s wife.” He heaved on the door.
“Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing?” Melissa protested, “Take me away from here!”
It all fell on deaf ears. The driver was already advancing to the crowd , it was when Melissa peeped through the window that she saw my wife, Clara Roham flanked about by her security who fought toothlessly to control the crowd.
She couldn’t snap her eyes at Clara. She stared agape before warm tears trickled down her sick cheeks.
“That should have been me. I shouldn’t have divorced Mike Don. This is just going to be my everlasting regret. Oh how am I going to survive this fate?” she wailed and let her teary face fall into her sweating palms…