~ LEO ~
…. Thirty minutes later…
"Mum, we are going out."
I said it in the sitting room to make sure she did not hear it. Then I returned to Elish who was already outside the front door. I made him where dark shades and a hoody. Baggy jeans too. So no one will see his looks and those odd ball eyes.
We went passed the gate which I locked with the code and we start down the road. Elish walking beside me. For someone who had not gone out for three whole weeks, he was quite unenthusiastic about his surroundings. Well, my luck. We went straight, no turns until we were nearing a construction site.
In this part of the world, some one buys a land and builds houses in it then people pay for the land and the house as tenants, for five years before it the can now apply to make it their own for life. The man who bought our estate was still building more House. Which means, construction workers were needed.
When we got to the site, I asked Elish to wait for me. I hurried off to meet the contactor . We had become friends after I had leased Demerti out to him, for too many occasions, as a cheap laborer. The man I was looking for I found in the spot he always was assigning work to new laborers.
Immediately he saw me, he beamed. "My boy, come here. Oh, it had been a while. How is that brother of yours." I ran to him.
"We are all good."
"Beautiful, did you bring him along today?" I forced a smile.
"No, I brought some one else." I pointed at Elish.
"He is very strong," I said.
"I bet he is," the contractor replied me. I waved at Elish to come over. He did.
"Elish show him," I spoke like a gangster selling guns.
"Show him what?" I turned sharply at him and gave him the stink eye. He huffed. He had remembered what we had rehearsed. Elish unzipped the hoody and took it off. I made him where a leotard turtleneck top to cover his scars.
"Wooooooooow," the contract was cooing at him already.
"I will only take a hundred dollars per hour." I said, laying out my bargain in whispers.
"Deal." We beamed together. The contactor gave Elish the work of carrying blocks to the laborers on all floors. While he worked, I sat with the fat man under the shade sipping every kind of beverage.
Job closes by nine in the evening, everyday but dad comes home by seven. So I was collecting a payment of Two thousand dollars.
Yeah the money quadrupled because Elish did the work of four people and he could not deny me that payment. Not when he needed to be on my good terms if he wanted to see Elish again.
He stopped by a super market and bought the three ice cream and were now coming home.
Elish had not said anything to me since we left the house and I was too busy thinking about what to do with my one thousand and two hundred dollars to notice. When we were nearing the house, he talked.
"Are you happy?" he said Calmly.
"What?" I was smiling although I was confused.
"I know what you did. I know I was used. But you always give me a bad look when you see me. But today, you were not. So I did all that work to get you to have a better Tempo when you are around me. I just want to know if it worked." I suddenly grew dumb.
He knew what I was doing to him but he still worked his ass off to please me. I felt like a really bad guy now
'Wait, what if he said that to make me feel bad and voluntarily split the money. That was some thing I would do but Still'
Ah, I snapped at myself. If that was his plan, well, he should know this… it worked.
"Thanks, man. I will be good to you… I mean… it's not that I haven't been good to you before it's that I… em… will not let my jealousy make me less good to you from now on."
We were at the house gate now. He smiled at me. All my prejudice was gone now so the smile felt really cool to see. I returned the gesture before I went to the gate to punch the code. But when I was at the last digit, the gate opened.
I was surprised. My eyes flashed to the open entrance immediately. Dad stepped out. I stupefied.
Dad was seated, mum right next to him. Elish was standing beside my sweating self who was on his knees. Dad did not have a cane as usual which petrified me all the more.
"So after I warned countless of times that no one leaves the house especially Elish. You still went out; and with Elish of all people."
"I was the one who suggested it," Elish said.
My eyes fell on him. I wanted to stare holes into him. Dad would never buy that and defending me would only make matters worse.
"Look, Elish is even trying to take the fall for you. Someone you do not treat with regard at all."
'See; I said it'
"Dad I just wanted to go outside. It has been a while and ..."
"And so it is okay to sneak out. Not telling your mum about it. What if something happen?"
'With Elish, I doubt. Well, I knew explanations was not going to work so I had to use my trump card early'
"I was losing it, okey. Being around every thing that he touched. Seeing his face in the mirror. Walking past the door of his room every morning. I really needed some fresh air and I walked. Elish said he would come along. I could not stop him."
'Yeah, since Elish wants to take some blame then I will gladly share'
Dad heaved which means it worked.
"Elish?" dad called out to see if he would affirm it.
"That Is what happened," Elish agreed with me.
"Honey, see. I told you. You have nothing to worry about." Mum said what I thought I understood. Dad looked at me.
"Am glad you and Elish are getting along." Dad started.
'Wait, what is going on here?'
It was obvious now that dad interpreted the lie wrongly.
"You are going to be brothers soon."
'What!'
My eyes widened. Dad ignored them. "We are adopting Elish."
'Somebody shoot me'