The Migrated Hope

Chapter 3

Mr. Sanderson

As I dropped April near her house, I moved a few blocks ahead and stopped there, by the little palm tree. All the way till her house, April hadn't spoken a word. Utter silence had ruled the car. I couldn't help but think about what had happened a few years ago. 

It was a normal day, like any other day. It had been a few months since I was hired in as the school bus driver.  After the school had gotten over for the day, everybody came in running and boarded the bus. April came in at last, walking. She hugged me with a faint smile before boarding the bus and taking her seat. After dropping off Poppy, John and Stuart, I started to feel that something was happening. Usually, April's laughs and her soft voice would fill the bus, but not that day. As I stopped for Stacie, I looked at the rear view mirror just to check if everything was alright. But little did I know that the next few minutes could make me regret something for the rest of my life. In the mirror, I could see Josh, Bill, William and Christian standing near the last two seats. April, who usually sits in the third seat, was not seen. I started the panic. I turned back and tried looking around for her, but she wasn't seen anywhere. Honks had started to alarm me to move ahead, and just when I was about to turn forward, I could see April's legs sticking out of the last seat. My heart started to beat faster so much so that I thought I would die right away. But I didn't want to. I wanted to get out of my seat, go straight to the boys, slap each and every one of the them and get April out of there. It was then that I had realised, the boys surrounding her were kids of the rich chairmen of the school. Doing anything against them, would simply mean me getting kicked out from the job which I had managed to get after many years. I couldn't bare the thought of losing my seven year old boy who was suffering from brain tumor. I couldn't imagine the sad face my wife would have, after having seen her smile with difficulty every single day. Going against them would also mean losing my job as a chauffeur for Mr. Scott, which would send me back into being a volunteer for political campaigns, and that would make me like stagnant water, desperate to join the ocean, but helpless.
All these thoughts passed in my mind and I couldn't help but continue driving.

Cries from the back got intense.
"Wait till you get a little old, you'll make a hot girl"
"I can't wait to hangout with you, damn"

I started honking the horn continuously to stop myself from hearing any more words. But only when you really don't want to hear something is when you actually do, I heard two more words. It was not from the boys, but from April.

"Please. Stop."
I had started to sob by then.

When power rules
Stretched hands to help retreat
When hands seek help
Tears desparately flow
When help fails to reach
Guilt strikes your heart

The memories made me come back to reality. Feeling guilty about what happened years ago is not gonna help. Making the present worth cherishing is where the challenge lies. I have done some mistakes in the past, God has given me another chance to correct those. God has sent April to me, to radiate hope. The stars have been smiling at me, the moon wishes to enter April. The arrival of night invites the moon as the guest for decorating the sky, until his brother resumes in the morning. April is the night,  confidence is her moon which wouldn't be evident, yet present in the morning. Her courage is the sun- invisible at night, but fueling the moon always.

Fear is something which left me in the form of tears that came out that day in the school bus. Threats to April shall start fearing now. It should... It will.
It was getting late. I had to leave. Before leaving, I checked my mobile phone. There were ten missed calls. It was from Mr. Scott.