CAGED ✔

《 Chapter 19 》

I disentangled our fingers instantly as I stared at the floor. I didn't have the guts to look at grandma.  Peter also looked aghast as he shifted his weight uncomfortably to the next.

Grandma approached us slowly, with the crowd at her back tagging along.  I wondered who they were and why they were following her.
"Beatrice!" She called out. "Where have you been? Who is this boy you're with?" Her voice was cracking.
"That's my son." The tall huge man standing beside grandma called out and I shivered.
"Peter! Where have you been? I've been looking for you?" The tall huge man asked Peter and Peter shivered.
"Peter?" Grandma gasped.
"I. . .I was at the guests' house with my friend, Beatrice." Peter lied in an attempt to cover-up.
"Really?  But your mother told me she saw you carrying a tray of food to your room." Peter's father countered and I gasped. 

Peter tried to speak but couldn't. 
"Hei!" Grandma gave a high pitched, ear-deafening shriek.  She placed both of her hands on her head as she began to shake violently.
"Beatrice!  You were in a boy's room? For over four hours? What were you doing there?"
"It's not like that grandma.  We were only talking in the room.  Peter was keeping me company. " I really couldn't tell her that I was watching a movie with him. That would make matters worst.
"Keeping you company? Is this not the same Peter that you said was only a classmate? The Peter you claimed not to know?  I knew it! I knew that an ordinary classmate cannot come to visit you.  I knew there was something fishy.  So you have learnt how to lie, right? Beatrice, you have learnt how to lie. Tell me, what were you two doing inside that room?" Grandma's eyes were very red. It looked like she was going to cry. I had never heard her voice break that much before. It was breaking badly.

"Salome, calm down. We can settle this  properly." A woman who stood next to Peter's father pronounced.  She looked exactly like Peter and I deemed she was his mother.

Peter was silent. I wished he would say something.
"Calm what? You're  asking me to calm down in this situation?"
"Let's settle this amicably." Peter's mother insisted.
"Amicably?  No problem! We'd know if this is an issue to be settled amicably or not after a month. Just get ready to get your son married if anything happens." Grandma spat and like a flash of light, She was pulling me out of the house. I tried to release myself from grandma's painful grip but I couldn't.

That was when I heard it: loud and clear;  like a clashing cymbal. It echoed in my ear as I turned back to look.  Peter had been slapped!

Peter didn't touch his cheek where he had been slapped. Instead, he stood akimbo staring at the floor. His father was saying something to him. I couldn't hear what he was saying but I knew he was scolding Peter. My heart broke; I had put Peter in a mess.  I kept looking back, hoping Peter would look at me; I wanted to see his face. But Peter didn't look at me. Peter didn't look at me at all.

Tears clouded my eyes as grandma dragged me outside the building. Ahmed, Grandma's personal driver was waiting by the door.  Many people had already gone and the garden was scanty. There were litters of can drinks and bottles all over the grass. Chairs were scattered and some were lying on the grass.

"Take her home!" Grandma ordered with the same shaky voice.

I tried to protest but to no avail. Ahmed was stronger than me. He tried to walk me to the car but when I refused to comply,  he threw me on his shoulder and carried me out. He didn't stop despite the punches I threw at his back. He kept me in the car and drove out. I turned to take a last glance at Peter's gigantic gate wishing Peter had looked at me. I wanted him to see how sorry I was for putting him into such a dire situation. I wanted him to see emotions which couldn't be expressed in words.