It was nearing two whole days before Sharon ate or drank anything. Nesisa and Jacob were with her, having taken some time off work. Sharon's face was swollen from the crying, and her eyes were red. She was still in denial. The police were constantly updating them, and the news remained negative.
Sharon was feeling dizzy, and she closed her eyes. In her imagination she saw Jeremy. He was smiling, laughing and telling some jokes. She saw him helping her in the kitchen, and then she saw images of him taking care of Kiara. Sharon did not like that image. She hated it; to say the least. She despised anything to do with Kiara. Even mentioning that name was not OK with Sharon.
She sat up and pulled out the suicide note; the one which Jeremy had written to his family. That note, the family had not shown to anyone. As far as everyone else knew, there was only one note; and it was the one addressed to Kiara.
She re-read the note: 'My presence will ruin everything for the entire family'….and she shook her head.
"How can you think in such a way, my son?" Sharon cried. She looked at the letter again and read the part which said, 'Celebrate life, my dear family'…and she cried even more.
"Jeremy my son; you choose to die, and at the same time you tell us to celebrate life? How do I celebrate? What do I celebrate? You were my life. You were the reason why I lived; you and your brother. And now you chose to die."
Hearing her mother in law talking to herself, Nesisa came in and she did her best to comfort her. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Nesisa went to check. To her shock; it was Travis and Aletha.
"Do you think it's wise for you to come here?" Nesisa whispered.
"Please don't be like that. We need to see Sharon and comfort her during this difficult moment." Aletha responded.
"OK, come in." Nesisa stepped out of the way, and the couple entered.
Sharon still had her eyes fixed on the suicide letter, and when she heard footsteps, she did not bother to check who it was. She continued to read the letter.
"Sharon," Aletha spoke, resulting in Sharon finally lifting up her head.
She stared at the two for a long time, then she laughed. Confused, Travis and Aletha looked at each other and the woman said,
"We…we're here to talk to you, following the death of…"
"The death, you say? Did you see his dead body? Or are you the one who murdered him? Get out of my house! Just a few months ago, did not you pack all your belongings and left without a goodbye; for you felt I was not good enough? Now all of a sudden, you create time to come and see me, because my poor son is dead?" Sharon failed to control herself and she began to cry very bitterly.
"Mamma, mamma please calm down." Nesisa held her.
Jacob, who was in the other room making calls to the police, came in and also held his mother.
"Tell them to get out! My son died because of your daughter!" Her tears fell as if they were coming from a tap, wetting the whole front part of her blouse.
"Mr and Mrs Noels, you might need to leave," Jacob told them.
"We're sorry we didn't mean to…"Aletha was about to speak when Sharon cut her short.
"What are you sorry for, Aletha? After staying together as neighbours for twenty-three years; one day you thought I was insignificant. Twenty-three years, Aletha. You and I used to talk about anything and everything, and when you felt that my son was not good enough for your daughter, you disappeared. Was it not decent to just say your goodbyes? I woke up one day to new neighbours; and you left without a note. After your child broke my son, you found it fit to just walk out. What happened to humanity, Aletha? What happened to the spirit of feeling for each other…what happened to motherhood? Are you not a mother just like me? Is it ok with you; is it decent…when your child hurts my child that much, and you have not even a single word to say to me?"
"Sharon, I am sorry I…"
"Shhh! Save it, Aletha. I have no grudge against you, go and live your life. But for you to walk in here, and pretend like you want to come and pay your respects…what respects? I am his mother, Aletha. I carried Jeremy, and you saw the difficulties I went through while I carried him. I loved him with my everything, but you; you, Aletha, and the Pinkertons, found it fit to take him away from me."
Upon hearing that, Aletha gasped and her mouth was wide open in shock.
"What! Sharon Rain! How can you accuse me of taking your son away from you? I…"
"Oh did you not? Where is my son now? Why did the Pinkertons have to drive him to choosing death? Is it not because of your child? You have your child now, and your grandson, but where is my son? I have nothing, Aletha. I have nothing. Please leave. Please just leave." Sharon closed her eyes and refused to look at Travis and Aletha.
"I think you have to leave now, please." Jacob pointed at the door.
Sharon still not looking at the two, spoke: "No let them stand there and listen to what I am saying! My son is dead because of you two, and your daughter! Kiara was Jeremy's life; he loved her with his entire being. We all loved her! Why didn't she come out clean and tell my son that she had found a richer man? Why did she have to…"
"Sharon please," Aletha began to speak.
"Don't 'Sharon please' me! I'm saying the truth!" Sharon screamed at the top of her lungs.
Jacob had never seen his mother that angry. Or was it anger? Emotional? Hurt? Sharon was always very soft and nice to everyone, yet on that day she unleashed the other side of her, which scared all the people who were there. Nesisa too, unable to believe that her mother in law was capable of shouting, failed to control herself and she ran towards the Noels with:
"I have never seen my mother in law shouting, and I have known her for almost a decade now! You made her this angry; you hurt her! Please leave now! Leave!" Mixed emotions ran through Nesisa as she opened the door wide and angrily pointed outside.
"Never come back here!" she shouted, and upon hearing that, Aletha could not help but shed some tears.
She looked at the house next door; the home where they used to stay in. Memories flooded her mind. The times when the two of them would give each other recipes; when they called each other to come over and pick some fruits from the other's garden. She saw in her memory the days when Sharon would come over to her home just to dip her feet in the pool; for it was too hot. And they would chat and laugh.
"We used to be friends," she turned to look at Nesisa. "Please let me talk to her. I know how she feels, I am a mother too. We used to be best friends."
Nesisa did not know what to say or do. She looked at Sharon, who was still crying, and that broke her heart. Thus she chose to close the door.
Aletha would have knocked at it until someone opened it, was it not for Travis who told her that it was time to leave. Travis did not care much about all the crying, for he told himself that his family had nothing to do with Jeremy's death. The couple recoiled; left the house and drove back to their own home.
Inside the house, Sharon picked the letter again and began to read it. It was almost after an hour when she spoke;
"Nesisa, in this letter, Jeremy talks about a diary. Where is it? Have you two gone through it? It might have some important information."
"We did not see it, mum." Nesisa said.
"I wasn't even aware that my brother was keeping a diary," said Jacob.
"Well, let us find it. Do you think it's here or at your house?" Sharon inquired.
"Let's check both homes," Nesisa stood up immediately, heading to the room which Jeremy used.
The three of them searched every corner. All drawers were opened; mattresses were flipped and furniture moved; but no diary was found. The lounge, the kitchen and even the bathrooms were checked. After being satisfied that the diary was not there, they proceeded to check for it at Jacob and Nesisa's home. The attic was the first place they checked, and it was not there.
"Why would you check in the attic" Sharon was puzzled; for up to that point, she had not known that Jeremy was hiding at his brother's house.
"We're just making sure, mum." Came the response.
They went on to check all the rooms. There were not many books at Nesisa's home, compared to Sharon's house. There was no sign of a diary anywhere.
"Where is the diary?" Sharon's voice was shaky. She was about to burst into tears.
"I wonder where it went." Nesisa was deep in thought.
"If he left with the intention of drowning himself in the City River, would he have gone with the diary? My son; why did you have to do this to us?"
There was silence. Sharon heaved a heavy sigh and sat on a chair.
"Where was he staying before he decided to leave the suicide note at your door?" Sharon spoke to no one in particular.
Jacob and Nesisa exchanged glances, but they had earlier on agreed that it was not the right time to tell their mother about them hiding Jeremy in the attic and all the drama associated with it.
"I think the diary is there; wherever it is that he was staying," Sharon responded to her own question.
Jacob and Nesisa still did not say a word. Nesisa took her mother in law's hand in hers, and she squeezed it.
"Maybe we should tell the police about the missing diary," Sharon suggested. "Maybe we should show them the suicide letter which he wrote to us, and we should be very open with the police. It will help them with the search. If they find the missing diary; the case might get easier."
"The greatest fear I have is, what if Gareth gets hold of the diary before the police? Once the police know, Gareth will somehow know too." Jacob tried to reason with his mother.
"Then shall the diary just disappear like that? Its contents shall go to waste? Why did Jeremy even mention it in his letter? He wanted us to find it. We will have to inform the police about it, my son."