Chapter 16

Evolution – Chapter 16

Things laid still for a couple of months. As he stayed out late, sitting on a bench in the small garden behind the house, Angel was rethinking his last discussion with Gabe. He tried to convince her to abort the baby, but with no success. Part of him wanted that baby so much, but he did not feel that it could survive in this world, especially with the danger lurking around. Alex did not give up on him though, and everyone in his family was fine. It was a spotless sky, so he looked up at the stars and asked a question in the emptiness:

“What would you have done Marius?”

A small breeze cooled the sweat on his forehead. He almost felt that this was an answer from his big brother. Since Gabe gave him the news he was too busy between keeping the business going, convincing her that they are in too big a danger to have a baby and finding new ways to put his money at work for the people, so he did not have time to visit the graves. His mother visited them each day though. She was much better now, and could handle herself with small walks around the city. The graveyard was no far though, Angel wanted the mansion built here especially for that. He somehow knew he won’t be able to let go.

He looked down for a moment, only to see an old woman slowly making her way toward the entrance. Her movements were soundless, as if she was a ghost, but she slowly came to him and asked:

“May I sit down?”

Angel looked around at all the other empty benches and wondered why she would not sit on any other. Then it hit him, probably she did not want to sit anywhere alone and since his own loneliness was bearing down on him, he invited her to sit.

“I wanted to talk to you for a while now Mr. Garthren, but had no idea what to say really. There are a few things I would really like to get off my chest if you would listen…” – She said.

For a few years now, Angel was famous enough to be known almost everywhere on the country, so he did not get surprised that the lady knew his name. He only asked with fake curiosity:

“Tell me – what is it?”

“My son speaks of you all the time. He says that if it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have a job and his family would have starved. You saved all their lives, even though he was extremely unhappy when you bought the company he was working at. Experience has taught him that new leadership always meant firing people and he was sure he was going to be sent home. He has new colleagues now, and a bigger salary. I’ve never seen him so happy ever in his life. Many people feel the same way. I just wanted to let you know, when you are going for president, you’ll have my vote, and my gratitude!”

Angel smiled remembering the offer of the Party to support him in a political career. He looked at the old woman and did not notice a single shroud of doubt in her eyes. In her own way, she truly felt that her vote would have changed something when the time came. But the way she said it puzzled him.

“Who says I’m going for president?” – He asked her.

“Everyone! It’s been heard all over the neighborhood. And it would be a damn shame if you didn’t! You are the most loved son of this country and you should be in charge. Things would be so much better with you in charge!”

“Things would be the same or worse. I’m not meant to mingle in these things.”

“How can you say that?!” – She was obviously surprised and attacked by his remark. She must have truly believed the rumors that were going around.

“Look lady, I don’t know who you are and I don’t mean to be rude. I appreciate your gratitude and your support. I just have many things on my mind right now and I don’t want to think about anything else.”

She was about to get up and leave when she realized that he did not ask her to. Instead, she put her arm on his head and said slowly:

“You poor thing, there must be dozens of people coming to you and saying what I just said. I will die soon, so what happens to me matters less, but there must be young people who put their faith in you. Don’t let them down.”

And then she got up and left. Angel did not reply. She was right. Many people that felt touched by his endeavors, came up to him and thanked him. Some of them actually brought small gifts, many of a religious nature, complemented with praises to the Lord that he was blessed, stories about his name not being accidental and so on. It was hard for him not to think that all these things were immaterial. He did not ask or want anything from anybody, and certainly did not want to become the “loved son” of the country. His efforts dwelled only upon making the world a better place, although recent events made him wonder if his ideas of a “better world” were accurate or not. He began to think that his definition for “better” might not concur with everyone else’s and therefore it was actually “more to his liking” and not necessarily better. The wind got chillier and he got up trembling for a few short seconds, and went back inside.

In the kitchen, his mother and Gabrielle were indulging in a late cup of tea. As she saw his troubled face, Gabe almost gave up on her idea, but her mother in law gave her a smile and a small bump on the shoulder.

“We need to talk!” – She told Angel as his mother was leaving with the hot cup of tea between her fingers.

It’s been a couple of weeks since they did not have a nice conversation that did not end up in some kind of argument, so he was really not looking toward this. Eventually, things had to settle in some way, so he made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of tea. The he sat down next to Gabe and grabbed her hand.

“There are a couple of million things I would like to share. And this silence is killing me.” – He started. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Did you know that when your mother had your brother she almost had an abortion?”

The news struck Angel as a shock. He did not imagine that his mother’s memory has returned to such extent, and he also found it hard to believe that she warmed up to Gabe so quickly. But the joy of the fact overcame his shock pretty fast. He was also curious about his mother’s condition, but he kept it to himself and waited for his fiancée to finish her say.

“No I didn’t know.” – He replied quickly.

“Back in the day, the times weren’t so forgiving with your parents. It’s true that the system was more supportive of a family, but there were many things to consider before having a baby and the news came as both a shock and a problem to them. Your father was really worried that he might lose his edge at his job while being forced to be a dad. Having a baby meant he won’t risk only for himself now, but for another being as well, and a defenseless one nonetheless. They were both worried that the baby will bring them down as far as career goes.”

“But my dad’s career was quite a successful one for a very long time.”

“Yes it was. Turns out that having a child and pushed to think for more than his own skin gave him a strength and resourcefulness he had never had. His ambition became so much bigger in such a short time that obstacles once unbreakable came down as wall of tooth picks – That’s how your mother put it.”

“So you’re saying, in spite of the danger that I may have brought upon us, this is a chance for us to become stronger together?”

“I’m saying that the innocent child that I carry will become a new reason for you to try even harder. I’m saying that we should have this child for both our sake. I’m saying that there is no choice here, no matter how you look at it.”

Angel dropped to his knees and kissed Gabe’s belly. Then he hugged her like never before and simply stayed like that for a while, listening to her breathing and her heart beat. Then he looked up at her and smiled.

“I think you may be right. What better reason to make the world a better place if not the fact that our own child will grow to see it? And when I’m saying «better» I mean…”

He did not have a chance to finish his sentence. Masked policemen broke down the door of the mansion and entered the kitchen fully armed, when a voice shouted from behind them:

“Seize him!”

Two giant fellows jumped in and grabbed Angel’s arms, while Gabe was looking petrified at the whole scene. A short sound of breaking glass came from the opposite corner of the hallway, where Angel’s mother had dropped her cup on the floor. Looking into his mother’s eyes, Angel found the power to overcome his own fright and asked with all the calm he could muster:

“What am I charged of?”

One of the masked policemen came next to him and looked him straight in the eye. It was impossible to see his face, but Angel could feel the smile beneath it.

“You’ll see soon enough!” – The man said, and then punched him in the jaw so hard that he lost consciousness.

“Yo! Wake up dude!” – The voice woke him up in a smelly room. His vision was clouded and his jaw hurt like hell, but at least he felt that he could move, so he got up slowly, while holding his head with his arms as if it was suppose to break.

“Where am I?” – He asked in the void, not knowing where the voice came from.

“Well… you’re on the floor. It’s a bad place to be in a situation like this. Hi hi hi!” – His sharp laughter scratched Angel’s brain, but the high pitch woke him up completely. He looked around for a moment, only to find himself in a jail cell, with two beds. In the top bunk, a tiny man was laughing at him, pointing toward the place where he got up from. It was wet and smelly, with small threads of read liquid pouring through, which suggested blood. He touched his face with his left arm since his hand was exceptionally dirty, and got a few drops of blood on his coat.

“So that’s how it is.” – He said.

“I’ve heard the guys outside talking you know.” – The tiny man said while playing with a goldish watch. “You must have been some big shot to have one of these. Too bad it won’t serve you now.”

Angel took a moment to realize that his watch was taken from his arm, but considered it was no need to pick up another fight. His jaw was still bearing the remains of the last attempt at hostile communication.

“What do you mean in won’t serve me now?”

“Well… They’ve said they’re gonna come take you to trial. After that, it’s either freedom or transfer. You won’t stay here enough to need it. And we probably won’t meet again either. Hi hi hi!”

Even to his clouded judgment the logic made little sense. It was a dreadful thing anyway and the new owner might have some better use for it. He did not feel like taking it back at all.

“You can have it. Hopefully it will bring you more luck than it did me.” – Angel said slowly and with different tonality. His head was still floating around from some banging that must have taken place, so he found it difficult to keep a thought still in it or even talk properly.

The splashing sound made by the watch hitting the wet floor woke him up a bit. As he was facing away from the door, he could only see the terrified face of the tiny man and the now broken watch, so he turned around to see what’s happening.

“Prisoner Garthen, come with me!” – said a man dressed in a white police uniform that just opened the door.

Angel obeyed mechanically since there was little he could do in his condition. They walked around hallways that made him even more dizzy, until eventually they ended up in a court room. The humming from the people present was loud to say the least, at it hit him like a brick. The policeman had to drag him out the door and set them in the accused stand. Everyone there seemed to know him, again, no surprise in his mind.

The judge started reading from his papers various testimonials and evidence, but between the hum and his banged up head, Angel only got bits and pieces, words like “treason”, “conspiracy”, “government” and “national threat” hit his ears, until the policeman forced him up while the judge asked:

“Does the accused have anything to say for himself?”

Angel was starting to sober up, but no logical thread of thoughts came to his mind, so he remained quiet. He was only thinking how unfair everything is, how this trial is judged with him in such a condition, and what was he going to do about it, once his head cleared. His line of thought was interrupted by the judge’s verdict that he could not grasp, even though he was focused enough to hear every word:

“For these crimes, I condemn the defendant to death by execution, which will take place today, at the military base downtown.”

There hasn’t been an execution in the country for over twenty years and this verdict was prohibited from ever being pronounced. Angel’s only explanation was that the evidence against him must have revealed something so horrible that the prohibition was lifted. Clearly being a popular figure, such a verdict would not last long so it had to be put into practice right away, so that the people are not given a chance to react.

The masked policemen returned to grab him and dragged him through the hallways, half-conscious, until they stuck him in a van. The trip was bumpy and did not give him a chance to calm down and get well, or at least well enough to speak clearly. His lips were not locked though, and he could hear himself begging “No… you can’t do this… this is a mistake… please…” while rivers of tears were pouring down his cheeks. He could not believe that he was saying these things, but the words simply left his mouth without any form of grasp of control. They were in vain though, as they soon reached their destination and dragged him out of the car only to stripe him to a pole.

Staying still for the first time and feeling the wind on his face gave him a chance to regain some of his senses. His mouth stopped begging on its own and he looked around to see what is happening. He saw the mob of curious people pressed against the wire fence, yelling things he could not understand and then he saw right in his face the execution platoon. Four soldiers with military garment and rifles pointed at him were staying there as rock statues and a fifth one next to them that was looking Angel straight in the eye.

There was no shout, no exclamation, just a simple and steady voice:

“Fire!”