Home » The Archives » Chapter 7 » Trouble Under the Hood
| Re: Trouble Under the Hood [message #1818 is a reply to message #1817] |
Sat, 28 July 2012 14:27   |
Lillehafrue
Messages: 478
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northeastern USA
Karma:
|
TB Pilot
Evil Genius |
|
|
From: Hobbeth Sent: 1/12/2006 2:56 PM
(the reminiscences continue)
When Luke had arrived, she'd greeted him warmly then took him to the guest room to unpack and refresh himself. Shortly afterward they'd had lunch and gotten caught up with each other's lives. Then when it was over and the dishes were washed, they'd gone into the living room.
They'd sat side by side on the sofa and he'd turned to her. "Okay, Lena. Did you call me to talk about what happened to you a few weeks ago?"
"You are right as always, kaka. I need to talk to someone who can understand. I did talk to Dr. Tracy, Mr. Tracy's wife, but she couldn't understand certain tings. You can."
A concerned look had appeared on his face as she spoke. He'd taken her hands in his and said, "When you call me 'elder brotter', I know it is serious. Tell me everyting. I am listening."
She'd begun haltingly at first, but became better able to talk about it, feeling his sympathy and support through his hold on her. She'd been careful to leave out all possible references to International Rescue, just telling him that she had been able to get word out about her kidnapping, and someone had informed Jeff. He hadn't questioned her, just let her tell her story.
When she'd finished, he'd drawn her into his arms and held her closely for a long time. Afterward, he'd kept one arm around her. He'd said, "What is bottering you de most about what happened? You are a strong woman and have been trough a lot in your life. You aren't afraid dat he really would have killed you, are you?"
"N-no, not really. But I tink I was more afraid dat he wouldn't kill me, but instead would go after a member of de family to try to force me to do what he wanted. But even more dan dat, it was dat I was afraid. I am Masai, as you are. I shouldn't have been afraid."
He'd looked at her in confusion. "Where did you get dat idea?"
"From Baba."
"He told you dat? When?"
"When we were coming to America. I was frightened when he told us we were coming here, and he said dat we were Masai and shouldn't be afraid of anyting. We should tink of it as an exciting adventure."
Luke had sat back a bit, thinking about what she had just said. "Are you sure dat's what he said? You were very young when it happened, only ten, and it was a long time ago."
"Dat's what I remember."
"Tink back. What were his exact words?"
Lena had frowned, concentrating. "He said, 'Shani, we are Masai, and Masai never sh-'. . " She stopped suddenly and sat up straight. "He said dat Masai never show fear! Not dat dey were never afraid. Why did I remember it wrong?"
"You were very little. You could not have understood what he was saying. You took it to mean dat you shouldn't be afraid. Masai pride demselves on never showing fear, and as a result, often find demselves not fearing tings dat otters do. You confused one wit de otter, understandably."
"Oh my. I was feeling ashamed of myself and tinking dat Baba and Mama would be ashamed of me, too."
"No, Ndugu. Dey would be proud of you, if dey knew. But we won't tell dem because it would upset dem very much." He'd pulled her to him and kissed her on the temple. Then he'd said, "But dere is something else. You fear reprisal from dese Hightowers? Or do you tink dey would try something else?"
"Yes, especially de something else. If dey try to kidnap or harm anyone in my family, I don't know what I would do."
"Maybe not now, but I tink you would come up wit some ideas. I know you, Lena. You're a fighter. You wouldn't be planning on quitting your job. So you'll find anotter way."
"I have to. I love my job and don't want to leave. In fact, de Hightowers would probably prefer it if I did leave Tracy Industries; it would be easier for dem to try to persuade me to work for dem, as far as dey are concerned."
"Maybe we can all put our heads together at Mark's anniversary celebration in two weeks."
"Dat's a good idea. But I'll want to come up wit a way to keep anyone from being kidnapped as well as a way to know and act if de first ting fails and someone is taken."
"But not right now. I don't know about you, but I'm tired and need to rest for a while."
"Of course; I'm so sorry. I'm tired, too. Why don't we bote rest and go out for dinner tonight? Dere'll be no more talk about dis until tomorrow. But you've helped me so much. Tank you."
"You are more dan welcome, Ndugu. Family members always help each otter, remember?"
She'd smiled as they headed down the hall. "I remember. Now get some rest and I'll see you later." She'd kissed him and given him an affectionate push toward his room. He'd grinned at her and entered, closing the door behind him.
(End of reminiscences)
Thinking back to that weekend, Lena knew that her conversations with Luke had brought her much closer to her old self, and she smiled. A few ideas had been percolating in her brain, and she slowly began to form a plan to protect herself and her family. Then she reached for her phone and called Matthew, telling him that they needed to have a "family meeting" at the party on Saturday.
Finally, she got up and went into her office. Instead of turning on her computer, she pulled out a box of notepaper and a pen. She took a sheet from the box and began to write.
"Dear Dianne,". . . .
98% pure evil...and loving every minute of it.
 
|
|
|
|
Current Time: Fri May 17 01:41:18 EDT 2024
Total time taken to generate the page: 0.01204 seconds
|
International Rescue: The Next Phase
Search
Help
Members
Login
Home
