and the fear was obviously as a result of what had just occurred, but none of these things could account for the hollowness and emptiness Adela saw there. They were haunted eyes. Too old eyes for one so young.
Adela felt every protective instinct in her react to those eyes. A mother’s protectiveness for her child, a big brother’s for his little sister’s. Maybe it was intrinsic in Adela having looked after and protected her mother all those years, but whatever it was Adela could not ignore it. The girl looked oddly at her and Adela realised that she had only just registered her accent. She said, ‘come on, we have to get out of here in case,’ she was about to say in case those men come back but didn’t want to frighten the girl any more than she already was so finished, ‘anyone comes by.’ She helped the girl to her feet, they began to walk down the alleyway but the girl pulled her up sharply whispering, ‘what about the other person, where are they?’ Adela frowned not understanding, ‘I thought I heard you call to someone for help.’
‘Oh that, there was no one there, I just pretended there was.’ She smiled shakily, ‘I must have been pretty convincing though because it worked didn’t it. I even fooled you and you were only half conscious’
The girl looked at her with a mixture of amazement and admiration.
Adela’s smile vanished as they continued to walk down the alley holding their breath until they reached the brightness of the street.
She said, ‘we can’t stand out here on the street, I’ll call for a taxi. We can wait in a shop doorway out of sight.’ They crossed the road, Adela dialling as they went. She thanked God then that she had programmed those taxi firms into her mobile phone just in case, and this was definitely a “just in case” scenario. She was about to press the relevant number when suddenly they heard a car in the distance, it turned the corner and was coming towards them. Adela began pulling the girl towards a shop doorway but then saw the bright red sign on top of the car that said “in service.” A taxi.
They let out a collective sigh of relief and Adela whispered ‘oh thank God,’ under her breath. She put out her hand and flagged the taxi down. He stopped and Adela opened the back door, put the girl inside then got in beside her asking the driver to take them to Alban.
As soon as she’d done this she began to have doubts. What if this was a trick of some kind? What if they had planned this? What if the two men and the girl were part of a crime ring waiting to snare an unsuspecting innocent abroad…like her? What if the taxi driver was in on it too? What if as soon as they were in her house the girl called the two men and they came and…oh God, what an idiot she was, a foolish, gullible idiot.
She calmed herself, no, the girl was distressed and terrified, she couldn’t possibly fake that, and she had been hurt. Adela had seen the man hit her; she had a thick lip and a huge bruise on her chin to show for it. And anyway how would they know she was even there, how would they know she would look down the alleyway and see them? No, she was being silly, this was no ruse, what she’d seen had been real. But right at that moment she wasn’t sure which scenario frightened her the most.
The girl kept her face averted from the driver and they drove in silence for a while until the driver asked, ‘is the young lady all right?’
Adela felt the girl tense as though she was about to open the car door and jump out. Adela tightened her hold just in case and answered the taxi driver, ‘she fell in the street, I’m taking her home.’
The driver nodded, ‘oh, too bad. Are y’all sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital?’
Adela looked at the girl and saw the pleading in her eyes. She answered the driver, ‘oh no. It’s just a small cut, she’ll be fine once she’s home, but thank you anyway.’
The driver nodded again but Adela could see he was
Adela felt every protective instinct in her react to those eyes. A mother’s protectiveness for her child, a big brother’s for his little sister’s. Maybe it was intrinsic in Adela having looked after and protected her mother all those years, but whatever it was Adela could not ignore it. The girl looked oddly at her and Adela realised that she had only just registered her accent. She said, ‘come on, we have to get out of here in case,’ she was about to say in case those men come back but didn’t want to frighten the girl any more than she already was so finished, ‘anyone comes by.’ She helped the girl to her feet, they began to walk down the alleyway but the girl pulled her up sharply whispering, ‘what about the other person, where are they?’ Adela frowned not understanding, ‘I thought I heard you call to someone for help.’
‘Oh that, there was no one there, I just pretended there was.’ She smiled shakily, ‘I must have been pretty convincing though because it worked didn’t it. I even fooled you and you were only half conscious’
The girl looked at her with a mixture of amazement and admiration.
Adela’s smile vanished as they continued to walk down the alley holding their breath until they reached the brightness of the street.
She said, ‘we can’t stand out here on the street, I’ll call for a taxi. We can wait in a shop doorway out of sight.’ They crossed the road, Adela dialling as they went. She thanked God then that she had programmed those taxi firms into her mobile phone just in case, and this was definitely a “just in case” scenario. She was about to press the relevant number when suddenly they heard a car in the distance, it turned the corner and was coming towards them. Adela began pulling the girl towards a shop doorway but then saw the bright red sign on top of the car that said “in service.” A taxi.
They let out a collective sigh of relief and Adela whispered ‘oh thank God,’ under her breath. She put out her hand and flagged the taxi down. He stopped and Adela opened the back door, put the girl inside then got in beside her asking the driver to take them to Alban.
As soon as she’d done this she began to have doubts. What if this was a trick of some kind? What if they had planned this? What if the two men and the girl were part of a crime ring waiting to snare an unsuspecting innocent abroad…like her? What if the taxi driver was in on it too? What if as soon as they were in her house the girl called the two men and they came and…oh God, what an idiot she was, a foolish, gullible idiot.
She calmed herself, no, the girl was distressed and terrified, she couldn’t possibly fake that, and she had been hurt. Adela had seen the man hit her; she had a thick lip and a huge bruise on her chin to show for it. And anyway how would they know she was even there, how would they know she would look down the alleyway and see them? No, she was being silly, this was no ruse, what she’d seen had been real. But right at that moment she wasn’t sure which scenario frightened her the most.
The girl kept her face averted from the driver and they drove in silence for a while until the driver asked, ‘is the young lady all right?’
Adela felt the girl tense as though she was about to open the car door and jump out. Adela tightened her hold just in case and answered the taxi driver, ‘she fell in the street, I’m taking her home.’
The driver nodded, ‘oh, too bad. Are y’all sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital?’
Adela looked at the girl and saw the pleading in her eyes. She answered the driver, ‘oh no. It’s just a small cut, she’ll be fine once she’s home, but thank you anyway.’
The driver nodded again but Adela could see he was
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