‘ Where would I be in the next few years? Probably with three kids, and who would be their father, I wonder. Where would I live? In a big mansion or a small beautiful cottage, and would it be by the riverbank or in a big city? I wonder if there would be a future between me and Jake. Well, as they say; what will be, will be. The future is not mine to see! ’
“Future…Oh my God! Mellissa and Laura will kill me!” said Candy Cuthway as the waves of reality nuked her off her stargaze.
She hurriedly put her diary in her bag, for this isn’t the first time its rich contents have been abruptly interrupted by a more pressing matter.
“Tessy! Wait for me!” she yelled at her colleague as she switched off the light on the table of her cubicle and ran out of what she regarded as a prison of an office, one of the modest spaces of RSL & Partners, a real estate firm within the busiest streets of Nottega, her dream town.
Candy and her passive colleague finally managed to rock their body to a pop song playing on the car stereo, as they drove through town in the red minivan.
“Now, jokes aside Candy,” Tessy said, “we’ve known each other for like two years, right? Don’t you think it’s time you’ve settled for marriage?”
“Tessy you got married at what? Thirty four, am I right? Come on, I still got time! Plus, it’s not that I’m desperate or anything! So, chill, okay!” said Candy as she stared at Tessy in disdain.
Candy, slightly distracted got to the point that she almost ran over a mourning crowd as they marched towards the town square holding candles in memory of the victims of the Undango massacre. A tragedy which gripped the perplexed people of this district in its fourth year anniversary.
“Yes you’re right, I may be forty one now but I sure don’t wish to die this soon, please drive with caution!” said Tessy.
“It scares me whenever I hear people say these words!” Candy responded.
“Yup, there!” pointed Tessy, “I’ll alight right there!”
“Alright, let me get a good spot,” said Candy as she parked, “is here okay?”
“Yes love, and thank you so much! See you tomorrow! Kiss! Kiss!” said Tessy who got out of the car, “give a thought to what I said okay?”
“Okay! Kiss! Kiss!” replied Candy turning up the volume of the car stereo as she masked to conceal the noise and zoomed off.
Candy sang along as she steered through the shortcuts to avoid traffic, it took her about half an hour to get to her destination. Her cell phone rang, she picked it via her Bluetooth headset, “Hello!”
“Hi, it’s Jim! Have you seen my messages?” asked the caller.
“Yes I did, Jimmy, but I’ve told you several times; I already got a man!” she said, staring through the rear view mirror as she reversed.
“Well, can I at least see you now just for a couple of minutes?”
asked Jimmy, “hello, are you there?”
“No, it won’t be possible for us to meet; besides, Mellissa is waiting for me at the cafe as we speak!” she smoothly pulled the handbrake as she parked.
“You didn’t…tell her, did you?” Jimmy asked anxiously.
“She doesn’t know anything, but if you keep calling me like this, Jimmy, I’ll have no choice but to tell her!” Candy said, “She’s a nice girl, and she loves you. But most importantly, she’s my friend, okay? Goodbye!”
“Aight! Bye Candy!” replied Jimmy in a weak but respectful tone.
Candy ended the call, removed the headset from her ear and put it in the glove compartment. She switched on the interior light and looked into the vanity mirror then licked her lips, “Hmm!” she sighed as she opened her purse, pulled out a red lipstick setting her eyes on the mirror again. Her phone rang as she applied the lipstick, she picked it, “What’s up girl? I’m right outside, be with you in a minute!” Candy hung up then applied some make-up and some perfume, she kissed the wind with a smile admiring her scrumptious look in the mirror.
Candy walked out of her red minivan, parked outside and not far from the cafe; the regular spot where she and her friends usually hung out, the very same place she met Jake, her boyfriend eight months earlier. She smiled and waved her hand in the air as she sighted her two girlfriends, Mellissa and Laura through the glass entrance.
“Hey gals!” said Candy as she shut the glass door behind her.
“You’re a late, CC!” said Mellissa, “Aren’t you tired of always footing the bills?” referring to their common ritual.
“My boss didn’t leave the office until 6:45 and it took me about thirty minutes to get here!” replied Candy, “Hey Laura, I like your hair!”
“Why thank you,” Laura replied, “but I thought you said your boss was out of town?”
“Well, so we thought,” answered Candy, grabbing a stool, “for that’s all we staff had hoped for, apparently he forgot tomorrow is his kid’s graduation bla-bla-bla!”
“Oh, Jimmy called about an hour ago,” said Mellissa, “he asked after you!”
“Oh, really?” Candy said, “How is he doing?”
“He’s okay, it’s just that he’s been busy lately, you know!” Mellissa relayed.
“I don’t think I can marry anybody working for the Feds!” said Laura.
“Shut it girlfriend,” Candy interjected, “yours is even worse!
Who dates reporters these days, when we live in troubled times?”
“Oh, shut up! No way, I’m cool with Shoham’s choice of job!” Laura said in defence.
“Yeah right, aren’t we all?” Candy implied.
As the ladies continued on, in defence of their partner’s occupations, a fine young man of average build walked towards them.
“Hello! I was wondering if you ladies could join me and my two cool friends over there,” he said.
“Well, hello! Oh, um…We um…we would love to, but we actually have like a small meeting, you know, girls stuff!” a nervous Laura responded, as she couldn’t take her eyes off the enchanted fellow.
“Oh, I see. Well, maybe when you’re done, you can join us, what do you say?” asked the young man.
“Sure,” said Mellissa, “be with you in a jiffy!”
“Yeah, once we’re done analysing your butt and physique!” said Laura, “I mean, analysing the uh, both our physics…assignment! We just gained admission into the University.”
“Okay then!” he responded as he walked back smiling on his way to his buddies.
“Laura?” Mellissa whispered.
“Hmm, cute guy,” Candy said, “but he ain’t my type!”
“Liar! You didn’t notice the clean cut hunk by the counter, did you?” Mellissa asked.
Candy turned then grinned, “Oh my God,” she said, “and he didn’t tell me he was going to be here!” referring to the handsome man by the wine counter, “Give me a minute gals! Be right back!”
“Go get him tigress!” a mocking Mellissa said as they all laughed.
“Grrrr!” exclaimed Candy playfully, she left her items with the ladies as she approached the stud looking male.
“Hey handsome, mind buying a lady a drink?”
“You sexy lil’thang,” said the young man as he turned, “Come over here!” wrapping his arm around her waist with a sterning grip as he plunged her succulent lips over his, “how’s my ace doing this evening?”
“Mmm…she’s fine! Now you’ve got red lipstick all over!” she smiled, as she wiped his lips with her thumb and kissed him again, “marking my territory!”
“She doesn’t need to mark any territory that she owns! Jake belongs to her. I’ve missed you so much,” he said gazing into her eyes.
“Missed you too, baby! So, what’s my Jake doing here? He never told his Queen he was going to be here this evening!” Candy emphasised as she poked his chest.
“I’m on a mission tonight!” Jake responded.
“A mission, huh?” Candy asked.
“Where’s your phone?” Jake asked.
“On the table, right over there!” she said, “What, you wanna make a call?”
“Nope!” he said, “Got this new app you would love!”
“Should I get it now?” she asked.
Jake smiled, “Yeah!?” he raised his eyebrows for a split second then dropped them back.
“Baby, what are you up to?” Candy pouted, “Okay, I’ll be right back!” she kissed him as she left to get the phone.
Candy unzipped her purse and pulled out her cell phone, as she was about to go back, Mellissa held her hand, “Candy, you know why we are all here, right?” said Mellissa, “You better tell Romeo to give you 30minutes, you two have all the time in the world to go kill all the whales in the South China sea, once we are done!”
“Mellissa?” said Laura, “Don’t be a pain in the butt!”
“I am so sorry,” Candy replied as she looked at Laura, “give me a minute gals, please?”
Laura nodded as a signalled expression.
“Thank you! Love you all,” Candy smiled.
“Spoiler alert!” Laura pitched as she held the hands of her curious friend, “We’re going to witness it, CC!”
“Witness what?” asked Candy.
“Laura, seriously?” yelled Mellissa, “Come on!”
“What are you talking about?” Candy asked.
“Go finish with Romeo, I’ll tell you when you get back!”
answered Mellissa, she turned and stared at Laura.
Candy shook her head and as she turned to go, she was stunned to see Jake on his knees right behind her, holding a priceless ring, and looking a bit nervous!
Jake smiled looking up into her heavenly eyes, “Candy Cuthway, my ace…I know I’m not the wealthiest man in the world, nor am I the strongest, the flyest nor the toughest…but I do know one thing; I cannot live without you and I find myself falling in love with you every day that passes by and...I just want you to know that I would love to spend the rest of my life with you. Candy Cuthway, will you marry me?”
The silence of the room was deafening.
“Jake,” said Candy as she looked around and saw all eyes on them in the cafe, with all the people smiling and staring, including her prideful friends, “Yes! Yes! I will marry you!”
“Oh my God!” said Jake.
“Get up!” she commanded with a blissful smile.
Mellissa and Laura’s actions were worthy of paparazzi as they took series of shots of their excited friend with their phones.
“Girls?!” yelled an embarrassed Candy.
“I was there!” said Laura, tongue in cheek.
“Me too!” said Mellissa.
“Me three!” said someone in the cafe as Jake, Mellissa and Laura laughed.
Jake stood to his feet and once again kissed Candy, his most possessed prize and as everyone applauded and whistled, Jake put the ring on her finger.
“Wrong finger baby!” whispered Candy.
“Oh, sorry!” he responded as he put the ring on her itchy finger, where she pointed.
Candy hugged and kissed him then turned and flashed the ring at her friends, and the people in the cafe excitedly. “Ladies and gentlemen, I got him!” she said as they all happily laughed along with her.
Candy turned to Jake, “So this was your plan all along?”
“They offered to help!” he said as he bit his lower lip.
“You set me up! You’re gonna have to buy me a drink!” she teased.
“Anything for you baby, anything,” he held her hand and led her back to the counter as some of the customers congratulated them.
Jake sat on the stool by the wine counter as Candy wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m kind of nervous!” she whispered to his ears, “baby I am not dreaming, am I?”
“We’re going to be fine, baby!” he assured her. He placed their order, then turned to her, “I just couldn’t wait to come back, love!”
“Aww! Well, I’m here baby, what now?” teased Candy, “wait, I know! Selfie!” she buried herself into his arms, raised her phone with her right hand. She took two Selfie shots at the same time flashing her sparkling ring at the camera, “Now let’s see…” she scrolled through her phone gallery, “Urgh!” she snorted, “How about a smile for a change baby, why the long face?” Candy emphasised, turning and facing the entrance to the cafe, she raised the phone again, this time at a ninety degrees angle, “Okay baby, smile!”
“Your friends are looking at us, you know!” he whispered as he gently placed his head on her right shoulder.
“Say cheese!” said Candy. They posed, as she placed her red lips on his cheek and was about to take a snapshot when suddenly a stray bullet shattered her phone and pieced through Jake’s skull; his head hitting the counter as his lifeless body fell to the floor, Candy quickly ducked and fell along as bullets shattered the counter.
“Oh my God!” screamed her friends across from under the table as the hail of bullets continued to fly.
Candy turned in shocking dismay to realize the motionless corpse of her precious Jake; the bullet had gone through the socket of his right eye.
Jake was dead.
“Baby? Noooo!” She screamed endlessly as the bullets kept pouring in. She had no choice but to quickly crawl her way to a safer position and hid under a perforated table, Candy watched as three threatening men in dark trench coats crouched in shooting back at some cars outside the cafe. Horrible was this Drive-by-Shooting as something out of a thriller. The chubby of the trigger happy men hid behind an asbestos pillar as the other two laid flat behind a table.
“Where’s Pago!?” shouted the chubby one, “Pago!”
“I think he got hit, boss!” responded one of the men.
More shots were fired from outside as the petrified customers continued to scream. The three men fired back with every chance they got, bullets ricocheted from within and outside the cafe, hitting bystanders as well as waiters and waitresses in the cafe, turning it into a dead pool. As the shooting continued, the sound of sirens were heard approaching. The shooters from outside then zoomed off immediately. The three men noticing the stern possibility of being outgunned ran out firing shots at possible pursuers only to be ambushed by the police resulting to a retreat back into the cafe.
“What now, boss?” asked one of the men.
“Grab that one, the brunet in red,” ordered the chubby gangster, “she’s our ticket out of here and for God’s sake shoot the damn lights!”
Instantly one of the men fired shots at the chandelier, the cafe’s major source of illumination, giving the other the chance to grab hold of Candy.
“No! Please don’t!” Candy cried out in plea.
“Get up you broad! Play it nice and simple, and you could get out of this alive!” said the henchman as he grabbed her by her hair. Candy had to hold it together, for she knew she represented the strong of the bunch.
The henchman handed her to the chubby gangster who without hesitation placed a gun behind her head, the hot tip of the pistol pressing against her delicate skull as they walked out of the cafe.
Mellissa and Laura could not help but watch in horror as Candy was being used as a hostage likened to a human shield. Candy looked around and saw that Jake was not the only victim, for many of the customers were slaughtered in the crossfire.
“Freeze!” said one of the policemen.
“We don’t want any trouble officers!” yelled the chubby gang leader, “We just want to get home to our families, just like you, and I believe so does this young woman, do you disagree, Red?” as he pulled Candy’s hair harder. She lost a couple of strands.
“Drop your weapon!” said the police again.
“Officers, come on, haven’t any of you heard of a Mexican standoff?” mocked the joking gang leader. “Red, I asked you a question;” as he licked her face with his slimy tongue, “do you disagree?”
“No!” Candy said crying, “Please don’t hurt me!”
“We won’t hurt you sweetheart,” replied one of the henchmen, “if anything happens to you, blame it on these pigs, not us!”
“Check if he’s okay!” the gang leader said pointing to the body of one of his comrades lying on the floor.
“He’s dead, boss!” confirmed one of his surviving henchmen.
“Let’s go!” the gang boss said, placing the cold steal of his pistol on her throat, “Do you have car? Where’s your car?” he shouted at the petrified Candy as the approaching police officers held firmly their weapons as they waited the slightest provocation.
“Ov…over there!” she cried in stammer, “the red minivan!”
“Where are the keys?” he asked with insistence.
“In my purse, back in the cafe!” she answered.
“I presumed that would be the red purse lying on the floor?” he said.
Candy nodded.
“Get to it, Chuno!” ordering the second henchman as he turned to the police, “Officers! Like I said, we just wanna get home to our fams…”
The streets were filled with the bedazzlement of onlookers as a red coloured Razor-X90 minivan zoomed and scratched through the streets in a hail of gun fires and a bound prayerful Candy in the back seat.
"Get us off their sight, Chuno!" the raging gang leader ordered.
The driver hitting the gas pedal and zooming from the authorities, manoeuvred his way through the narrow streets as the neighbourhood police kept pursued.
The sneer and stench of corroded tires filled the entire streets, leaving nothing but black smoke and tire marks.
The chubby gangster looked back as the pursuing police were closing in on their trail, “They’re coming, don’t let’m catch us!”
Noticing they were safe beyond the reach of the authorities, the gang leader strapped himself as he relieved Candy of her perilous situation, “Wear your seatbelts, Red!” Tucking his, as they awaited losing the fast trailing authorities. However, their manoeuvre invited many other police vehicles who joined the chase. It didn’t take long for the gangsters to lose the police.
After a few minutes into the bushes, the chubby gangster asked Chuno to stop, he then turned to Candy, “I’ve gotta go home with one of you, Red; is it going to be you or the car? What’s it gonna be, Red?”
The two gangsters laughed.
“Please don’t kill me,” She answered crying with a trembling voice.
“Oh, you so much remind me of my sister, I ain’t gonna kill you, Red,” he said mimicking her voice, laughing, he leaned towards her.
She screamed and started to beg him thinking he wanted to harm her but instead, he opened the door on her side, then used his leg and pushed her out cruelly. As soon as Candy landed on the ground, the men took off.
“Say me hi to granny okay, Red? Tell her the big wolf says he’s coming for dinner!” the chubby gang leader echoed.
Candy stood up with tears in her eyes, she watched as Chuno threw her CDs out of the window. She ignored them and looked around to see if she knew where she was, and before she could do anything she saw the reverse light of her car came on from a distance; the gangsters were coming back to her, she then began to run into the bushes but the men got to her before she could get anywhere. Candy fell as she struggled to run with her broken high hills, screaming for help.
The other gangster got out of the car, and chased her, Candy got rid of her shoes and continued to run through the bushes. She missed her step and landed on the ground. Candy’s entire face sunk into a dung, she got to her feet and tried to run but rolled down hill hitting a tree, by the time she got up the gangster had reached her, he hit her on the head and she fainted.
The gangster lifted Candy on his shoulders, walked up back to the car then squeezed her into the trunk of her own car, he then shut it.
She gained consciousness and was terrified when she realized she was in the trunk of her own minivan, she began to scream crying for help, it didn’t take too long to figure out she was wasting her time so she kept quiet and sobbed as the car galloped to an unknown destination. The car got to a smoother road, and she was able to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“I’m going to get Tailor for this, I ain’t letting this one slide!” said the gang leader, “If he thinks he’s got ambition, so do I!”
“I’ll call my brother Foreno to storm in tomorrow,” said Chuno, “we shouldn’t let it cool, boss. We must strike as soon as possible.”
“Tailor’s trying to nail me on the wall,” raged the chubby gangster, “in my own damn town? Well, I’ll storm his city like a voracious storm!”
“Boss, what are we going to do with, Red?” asked Chuno.
“Like I said boys, I’m going to need something to steam off!” responded the gang leader, “T.B just tongue-kissed a viper!”
The car kept moving as the gangsters continued to talk, Candy had no idea what or who Tailor was, but she understood that it was probably the name of the person who ordered the hit on the gangsters and they seemed pissed about it. After a long ride, the car went to a halt; she heard the sound of gates being opened then the car moved in and went to a halt again. Candy heard footsteps as the men mumbled, she luckily got her hand on a big spanner and managed to hold it tight waiting for the first person that would open the trunk. As soon as the trunk came open, Candy quickly pushed herself out like a little beast to attack her kidnappers but was welcomed by six wild police dogs barking at her, the dogs surrounded her angrily barking, growling and drooling as they sighted her, Candy threw the spanner away and ran back into the trunk as fast as she could and was about closing it on herself when the chubby gangster whistled the dogs; they all went calm and silent. He whistled again and they walked back and away from the car. She saw two huge guards at the entrance gate who looked rather unfriendly, the dogs ran to the other side of the building and that was when she sighted the big white house.
The chubby gangster walked into the big white house. The other two walked to Candy, grabbed her and forced her into the house. It was a beautiful place, but not the kind of place a woman in her state should be treated in such a way on a first visit. She had no idea what they were planning to do to her.
Such great display of wealth, as she was being forced through the big house, Candy was trying to see if she recognised any of the three men but she really could not put things together, she also observed that the two gangsters had a pistol each on the waist. Candy got dragged helplessly through the stairs. As they moved her up she noticed some ladies who seemed too drunk; the ladies were all in a room filled with smoke, and most of them too high to even know what was going on, junkies to the core. Some of the drunk ladies rushed to welcome the chubby gangster and began to kiss and touch him but he pushed them away and made his way into the master’s bedroom.
“Lay her over there.” he said, pointing his finger at the sculptured king sized bed in the middle of the room.
Both henchmen dragged Candy to the bed as the chubby gangster undressed himself; he unbuckled his shoes and threw them flying into the room like a kid who just got back from school.
“They say when Tailor’s fangs go deep in your flesh, there’s no antidote! Well, I’ll give him a taste of his own medicine, believe that.” said the chubby gang leader, “Have her ready boys!” as he pulled his holster and gently lay it next to his trousers on the floor, then rushed into the bathroom doing the moon walk in a ridiculous way.
The two men forced Candy on the big bed, they took turns in hitting her, as she tried to resist. She was terrified as they touched her in all the wrong places as they continually made jest of their ‘prize.’
“Get the rope,” said Chuno as the other henchman left, “I told you if you play nice and simple, you’d get out of this alive. I’m dropping off your corpse down the river once he’s done with you…”
he whispered, “after all, you wouldn’t want to return damaged goods!”
Candy cried and begged for her life, but she knew two renowned facts; no one needed to tell her that her tears would not pay the way out of her ordeal, and she knew that to escape her ordeal she must cross the line that the men would not be willing to.
Candy reached for her ribbon, a gift from her mother from years back, it was a beautiful ceramic red six-inched sharp and pointy ribbon made in china which she wore that day, and without any hesitation she kicked one of the men and buried half of the ribbon into Chuno’s throat, as he grabbed his neck bleeding to death, she reached for his pistol, cocked it and fired a shot at the other henchman and missed. Candy fired a second shot but the gun jammed, she then flung the pistol at him and tried to run out of the bedroom, the gangster used his leg to block her; she stumbled and fell on the floor, the man walked to her and slapped her, he kicked her again and pushed her off as he went looking for his own pistol. Candy sighted the chubby gang leader’s gun on the floor next to his trousers, she quickly stretched for it, cocked it and by the time the henchman turned to face her, he got kissed by a hot smooth bullet through the eyes.
Candy knew the chubby gang leader would come out any time soon, she remained in her position on the floor, turned the gun and aimed at the bathroom door patiently with shaky hands waiting for him as she panted.
The fresh cut wound on the side of her right eye began to bleed, the blood ran into her eyes but she did not blink as she panted heavily, the chubby gang leader came running with his pot belly, “Chuno what the hell, man?” he said as a bullet cut the artery on the left side of his neck, Candy aimed for his throat but she missed it. She fired again as he fell on his back on the bathroom floor, and managed to crouch back into the bathroom moaning while cursing and calling her names.
The main door to the bedroom came crashing, the two huge guards came in but they too got a taste of her wrath; a clean headshot sent their lifeless bodies down the floor.
The chubby gang leader got to the toilet seat, looked at the blood in his hand, then quickly placed his hand back to cover his neck; applying pressure to stop the excessive bleeding, he was losing his vision but he sighted the nuzzle of his pistol, “That-belongs-to-me, you whore!” he said as he shut and opened his eyes like a drunk fool.
“Who’s the Tailor?” asked Candy.
“Tailor?” said the chubby gang leader as he gasped for air, “who the hell is Tailor? You’re screwed, I’ve got CCTV cams all round, you’re done with, slut!” he added as he spat out blood, “I’m going to get you, and everybody you’ve ever loved. My men will get you!” he took his hand off his neck and took a good look at it again, placed it back as he coughed out blood.
Candy walked closed to him as she lowered the gun.
The chubby gang leader cunningly laid his right hand on the floor and began to gently move it under the toilet seat while throwing curses at Candy, she watched him carefully when all of a sudden; she fired a shot to his chest.
Candy went back into the bedroom and checked the first gangster she attacked to make sure he was dead. As soon as she confirmed they were all dead, she ran downstairs. Still, none of the ladies she saw even minded or cared, neither did they even sense something was going on in the big house. They were just moving around the house like zombies with funny hairdo, all drugged up and some of them high like chameleons on steroids. Candy carefully searched and luckily located a big garage; many exotic classic cars and some Japanese Power Bike-Motorcycles were parked. She sighted a white SUV with the key still in the ignition, Candy entered the vehicle and as she was about zooming off, she saw something that looked like an RT-W 242 B fuel dispenser, Candy stopped and checked to be sure her eyes weren’t lying, she got out of the vehicle and rushed to the dispenser; she pulled the pump handle, then unleashed the fuel as she pulled the lever. Candy threw the pump on the ground as fuel gushed through the nozzle. She ran back into the house, located the zombie-looking ladies’ lair and picked a lighter next to an ashtray, the ashtray laid like a ship on top of white powder on a table, she coughed as she fired some shots in the air telling them the police have surrounded the house, and without further ado, the ladies all started running out of the house screaming, not over the sound of the gun but for the simple fact that Candy mentioned the word ‘police’.
Candy got into the SUV, lit the lighter and flung it through the car window, before it landed on the floor of the garage, she had crashed through the garage doors. The dogs gave way as she smashed the gates, both the dogs and the zombie-looking ladies ran out of the compound as the big white house exploded. Candy watched it from the rear view mirror as the house burst into flames, the road led downhill, and she could see the town lights as she rolled down. The sight gave her a relief as she hit the gas pedal strapping the seatbelt on.
The SUV was found burnt few miles away from the town the next morning, and the gangster’s den all burnt to ashes. The press took its bite and reported it as gang related. The authorities did not care to give it much attention, because someone helped made their job easier by taking the gangsters out. However, they had to pull up some stunts and act as though they would run a thorough investigation on what went down at the gangster’s den.
Candy had reported hersel