Windy Valley Secondary

by Shane Connell 21.NOV.08

Previously: Ras tried to warn Miriam that despite her boyish disguise, someone would recognise her. Miriam refused to heed to Ras’ warning and went to see Susan in hospital.{{more}}

Ras ran. He ran all the way to the hospital, but he neither saw nor passed Miriam on the way. He decided to take the optimistic approach, and only hoped that Miriam had succeeded in getting to the hospital without being recognised.

As he walked through the corridor, he couldn’t help but reflect on how selfish Miriam had been. All his family, including his reluctant brother Sel, had agreed to help Miriam by secretly hiding her at the family home. For her to be recognized now, in public, would mean the break up of the family, and a jail sentence for him, shattering both his dreams of holding the family together and becoming a doctor.

Ras reached Susan’s room. No one had bothered to stop him to enquire who he was or who he was going to see. Maybe Miriam had met with the same luck. He gently tapped on the door, and a faint voice told him to come in.

He entered hoping to find Miriam, but she wasn’t there. It was just Susan lying in bed. She had lost a lot of weight, and there were deep dark shadows under her eyes. Her voice was faint, and every so often she would wince in pain. Ras was pleased to see Susan conscious again, but this was soon replaced by concern. Judging by the way she looked, it would appear that Susan would be in hospital for some time.

Ras tried to not make too much noise, and sat in the chair beside her bed. The question is: Where is Miriam? Had she already been to see Susan and left? Maybe she had been caught and the police were at his home arresting every member of his family? Too many questions were flying around in his head. He needed to put his mind at ease. He needed to know if Miriam had been to see Susan.

So he started the conversation “Has Miriam left already?”

Susan lifted her head to make eye contact with Ras. “Miriam? No I haven’t seen her. “

Ras knew he had to tread carefully, he had to make sure not to incriminate himself or his family. “Miriam’s been in touch, she said she would come and visit you today”.

Miriam, Susan thought, visit her? Then she pictured all the trouble that Miriam had caused just by taking her boyfriend, Sharpie, away from her. If Sharpie hadn’t dumped her, then they’d be married, instead she got a good kicking from her mother which landed her in hospital. In a bitter voice she said, “That bitch better keep away from me”.

This is not what Ras wanted to hear. Assuming that Miriam hadn’t been caught, she could walk through that door and Susan would surely cause a commotion. He got up from his chair. He needed to go and look for Miriam to warn her not to turn up.

“You’re going to tell her not to come,” said Susan.

Ras couldn’t lie to his friend. “Yes, you don’t want her here”.

“Yes, you’re right. I want that bitch to die. I want her to feel pain, like the pain I’m feeling now.”

“But if you allow her to explain to you why…” defended Ras.

“What is there to explain? She ruined my life.”

Ras couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I admit it was wrong what she did, but this is Sharpie we’re talking about. He was never going to marry you”.

Susan knew that Ras was telling the truth. Sharpie was just interested in the sex, and her mother was just interested in getting as much money as possible from Sharpie. She felt that she had been used by the two people she cared most about in the whole world. Susan needed to take her pain out on someone and she decided that someone was Miriam.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

Ras pleaded, “Please, Susan, just listen to what Miriam has to say…”

The Windy Valley Secondary series is fictional. Any resemblance to real events, places or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.