Finding Mayumi

Chapter 6

Third-person’s Point of View

After the judge called for a recess, he went straight to his office to leave his belongings before going out for lunch. He was thinking about whether to eat alone outside or go home to join his wife.

His precious and jolly wife who he adores so much. They’ve been married for forty-two years already and blessed with four kids, and now, they already have two lovely grandchildren.

He smiled with the thoughts of her. Her reaction every time he comes home from work even during lunch just to share one plate of a meal and times they just sat next to each other while watching movies with her favorite toasted bread with melted butter and sugar on the top.They are both old now and enjoying each precious time together, he’ll retire soon and planning to travel around the world with her and enjoy every single day of their remaining lives with their children and grandchildren.

He misses her suddenly. That was why he chose to go home.

He immediately placed the folders he was carrying on his desk and was about to grab his car keys when he suddenly felt a cold and hard object placed on the back of his head.

“Don’t move.” Someone whispered behind his ear that instantly gave shivers down his spines.

He didn’t move a single inch, but his heartbeat started raising. The man who told him not to move held him by his collar and pulled it for them to face each other.

He frowns at the sight of the man’s too-close face.

“W-who are you?” The judge asked while his eyes shift from the guy in front and the other one who was locking the door.

They didn’t answer, but his stare gave him chills all over his body.

He doesn’t know what to do; he knew that time there were police officers on duty that will run to help him once they heard him screaming for help but how can he do so if there’s a gun pointing at him and he couldn’t even sense fear and mercy through the eyes of both of them.

He knew what a criminal looks like; he had seen and encountered countless of them. These two seemed high too. Under influence of drugs base on how they behave and the redness of their eyes.

The man pulled his collar again and pushed after. He fell on a chair next to them and the same guy spoke.

“I have a message for you, old man.” With a scary grin on his face while still pointing the gun at the old man’s head. He pulled a folded paper out of his pocket and threw it on the desk.

“Pick!” He ordered, and the frightened old man doesn’t have a choice but to follow.

He picked and stared at him, waiting for another order.

“Read it, dumbass!” He yelled in his face.

He unfolded the paper with his shaking hands and saw a handwritten message addressed for him. He started reading it and felt more frightened as he finished.

“I- I cannot do this.” He fearfully uttered.

The guy in front of him hit him right on his mouth with the gun he was holding and pointed it back at him.

“Do you want to die!?” The guy in fury asked. The old man felt a twitching pain on his lower lip and blood started dripping out from the cut. He cried in pain and kneeled on the floor.

“No, don’t kill me!” He begged on his knees.

“Then do what is written there!” He replied impatiently.

“That’s too impossible. The decision is not only in my hands.” He cried, bowing his head for him to spare his life.

The man didn’t listen to that excuse; he pulled his hair and raised his head and he gave him a blow on one of his eyes. The old man felt his head spinning after that one punch, but the man didn’t have enough of him.

He held him again on his collar and made him stand, not to help him but to throw him on the desk. The flower vase his wife gave him fell on the floor along with him, broken pieces scattered everywhere near him.

The man saw the picture frame on the table and picked it up. It was the judge’s photo with his lovely wife on a vacation.

“Nice photo.” He sarcastically comments. “Do you know old man? We know where you live.” The guy uttered and threw the picture frame on the wall. The old man instantly panicked.

“No! Not my wife. Not her! Spare her!” The old man protested. He crawled and begged. He doesn’t want his wife to get hurt. His precious wife. “Please! No, not her!” He cried and repeated.

“Then do what is written there and we will spare your life and your old fat wife!” The man told him furiously and kicked him after.

These noises caught Peter’s attention. He alerted the police officer inside the room with him and two of his colleagues responded.

“Hey!” The other guy called his companion’s attention, but he didn’t hear him. His focus was on the old man and didn’t even bother to blink.

Two officers were knocking on the door, ordering them to open it from the inside. The guy behind the door immediately moved his feet to escape. He searched for an exit; he found a way out on the window.

The officers opened the door with force and found two men inside the judge’s office. One of them jumped out of the window already and got away, while the other one who held the judge’s collar was caught off guard.

They immediately arrested the guy and took him to prison. The judge told the police they don’t know who they were, and he doesn’t have a clue who sent them. They gave him first aid. They wanted to take him to the hospital, but he insisted on telling them he was fine.

He still has a trial to attend, and he’s already late. The letter was still stuck in his head, a message he couldn’t just ignore.

*****

Peter returned to the courtroom, still guarded but this time with additional two police officers walking close to him, side by side. Both his hands remained handcuffed.

He was seated on the same chair next to the lawyer Eddie provided for him. Everyone present on the trial early morning already came entering the courtroom, but the judge still wasn’t there.

The clock was ticking and everyone was clueless about what was happening.

Five minutes...

Ten...

Fifteen...

And finally, he came rushing.

Whispers started as he came entering the courtroom. Everyone seemed so surprised after seeing the dark circle around his left eye and the minor cut on his lower lip. The stain of blood on his clothes was visible, especially the one on his collar.

Spectators started creating their conclusions while the others inside tried asking each and everyone around, but no one could give them an answer.

Except for Peter, who was inside the room just next to the judge’s office and few police officers came rushing to the room to check what was happening awhile ago.

Even though the old man was still scared and shaking, he returned to the courtroom with his bruises and swelling lip.He reviewed all the papers they presented during the trial once again, the negative result of the drug tests, and those words that came from those people who know Peter throughout his journey as a painter.

Over ten people who he didn’t know the names came to support him and to give their statements, but even though there were so many who came to help, he felt his heartbreaking slowly during the trial for Mayumi.

So many what-ifs inside his head. What-ifs that could spare her life back then.

He was so impressed with what kind of living the late Peter had. He didn’t know he was a kind of friend and co-artist who will always give a hand when they are in need. Despite the fame, he was a one-call-away kind of friend who will travel no matter how far the distance just to help his friend and the people he considers as his family.

Every one of them who came to give statements proved those drugs weren’t his, and Eddie’s statements were valuable. He has a clue who owns those and left them inside his house.

It’s none other than Meridith, but the judge already decided.

He’s guilty of constructive possession of illegal drugs. Because they couldn’t name the owner and tell where she is, Peter was accused of it. Sentenced six years of imprisonment or bail with $500,000 bucks.

The judge left the courtroom after even they were still trying to ask for an explanation. Everyone knows how unfair that was, but the judge already said so.

The police officers took him. Everyone was so frustrated.

The judge came back to his office; he dialed the number written on the crumpled letter he hid inside his pocket just to tell that he did what they asked him to do.