Her Redemption

AFTER ending the call, Malakai lifted the duffel bag from the ground. She proceeds on walking to the place where she parked the truck last night. The lot is almost empty except for the single red Vios on the opposite side where hers was. She threw the duffel bag containing her dirty clothes at the backseat. She put the laptop bag in the passenger seat before going to the driver side.   She waved at the guard standing n front of the lodge before sliding herself inside the silver truck she owned. Yesterday was the conclusion of the three-day seminar she attended. She had a few drinks last night with new acquaintances she met at the same seminar. She had fun that she went back to the lodge a little tipsy. The said seminar was a crash course. She only registered for sole purpose of the shiny points it could add to her credentials. Malakai works as a history professor in a senior high school department of the sole secondary school in the small district nearby the town where she was born and raised. At twenty-five years old, she is already done her master’s degree. Both her parents were adamant that she finished her post graduate studies when she decided to become an educator. On the other hand, her only sibling, Sarah, who is older by three years works as an accountant, underwent the same treatment from their folks.  After college, Sarah has to enroll in a review center to prepare herself for the licensure exams. Nevertheless, they already experience the fruit of the hardship they went through. She and her sister have a stable job. Half-way to the long drive, Malakai slowed down. From afar, she noticed the bulk form on the side of the road. When she left the lodge a few hours ago, the sun was shining. However, the weather changed drastically. The previously clear skies changed into the darker shade of nimbus clouds.   The rain is pouring and by the state of the hovering dark gray clouds, it seems that the downpour will last the whole day. The weather made the surroundings darker. She stopped the truck on the side of the road. She waited for at least five minutes hoping that private cars would pass by. Malakai glanced at the form. Her brows puckered when she takes in the appearance of the form. It was a human. A woman, in fact! The woman was sprawled on the ground. Her body is covered in a black leather jacket. Her legs were enclosed in an equally dark jeans. The sneakers she had on her feet were plastered with mud. Her frown deepened when the water that surrounds the woman turned crimson. Caution thrown out the window, she open the door of the car in haste. She cross the road and approached the seemingly unconscious woman. Malakai shift the woman on her back. Her eyes noticed the laceration on her forehead right away. It goes from the right side of the woman’s forehead towards the lower temple. There were scratches in both side of her cheeks but they were shallow compared to the wound in the temple. Disregarding the warning voice in her head, she lifted the woman into her arms. This woman needs medical attention. Malakai would think of the consequences of her action later. Carefully, she transferred the still unconscious woman in the passenger seat after putting aside the laptop bag. She ran to the driver side. From the driver seat she reached for the towel and clean shirts from the duffel bag at the backseat. She wiped the rain water combined with sweat off her face before changing her drenched clothes. She turned to the woman beside her. Without preamble, she dabs the woman’s face. She carefully clean the smeared blood and mud from her face. She removed the woman’s jacket with care. She threw the wet garment at the back seat. Her eyes went wide when she saw the blood coating the light colored inner shirt of the still unconscious woman. She discarded the top and sent it to the other damp clothes in the back seat. The wound in her stomach is more fatal than the one she had on the forehead. Malakai scrambled to get the first aid kit she always have in the car. She got it from the floor of the back seat. She open the kit and get to work. She noticed the woman flinched when she swab the top of the laceration with cotton. “I’m sorry but I have to do this.” She said as she continue cleaning the abrasion. “I will bring you to the nearest hospital.” “P-please, n-no hosp-pital.” The woman muttered in a very low voice. “Who did this to you? We have to report this to the police.” “N-no. I-I’m f-fine.” “Your wounds need to be treated by a professional.” She uttered. She glanced at the woman after putting the bandage on top of the lesion. Malakai saw the woman’s lashes flutter but did not open her eyes. Her breathing is quite normal but her lips were still pale. “Do you have somewhere to go?” The woman shakes her head a little. “C-can you please give me a ride until the nearest down town?” “You know someone there?” She shake her head again. “I’ll be fine there.” Malakai sigh. She reach for the clean shirt she got from the bag. “I’m going to put a shirt on you.” She carefully insert the shirt over her head. Very cautious not to touch the injury she acquired. “Thank you.” “Malakai. My name is Malakai.” “Amari.” “You don’t look like with African roots.” She retorted while aligning herself properly in the driver’s seat. “My mother had fun of its Sanskrit definition.” Malakai detected longing in Amari’s voice when she mentioned her mother. She focus her eyes on the road before revving the engine. “Are your parents religious?” She chuckled. “More of a great citizen than religious. They believed in karma. They believed that if you do good deeds, they will come back in tenfold.” “What’s your siblings’ names?” “Just a sister. Sarah.” “And your father is Abraham?” She laugh out loud. “He wanted to be called Abe. My mom’s name is Aileen, by the way.” “The giver of life.” “Yes. She’s a Scot but she studied here through a scholarship program. She and my father met in the university.” Amari hummed in response. Malakai continue on driving as silence surround them. She take a glimpse on her passenger to see if Amari is still fine. Three hours later, Malakai enter the small district of Markstown where she lived for a couple years. Markstown High School has been her first teaching post. She applied for the job before she earned her post graduate studies. The first half of the semester, she stayed with her parents. It was convenient at first since she have her own car but when she realized that she was more tired whenever she get home, she decided to rent a place of her own. It was hard for both Abe and Aileen to let her go since she only been home for months. She and Sarah were away for college. They both stayed at the dorm when they were in college pursuing their undergraduate studies.   Malakai stopped in the spot where she usually park her truck. She stayed on her seat. She looked up. The rain turned to drizzle and the sky is still gray. The weather is still promising a gloomy day. A smile formed in her lips. Her passenger is still asleep. The color of her face returned to normal. Her lips were already in the shade of pink. The cold, exhaustion and pain must have wear her out. Laptop bag in her shoulder, she lifted the sleeping woman in her arms. She will return later to clean the car and for the duffel bag. The run and work out paid off at the current situation she is in. The male guard nod at her when she entered the apartment complex. “A new girl?” Tony asked with a grin. She just smile at him before walking towards her unit. She lived in a four-story apartment complex owned by a Filipino couple.  It has eight doors in every floors except for the ground floor since the owner reside there with their three kids . Two were currently enrolled in the school she teaches while the youngest was in the pre-school two blocks away from the apartment. She rented the second door on the left on the second level of the apartment building. Since the apartment complex only have four floors, the owner did not put an elevator. It works great on Malakai since it gives her extra stretch on her daily exercise. However, carrying a well-endowed woman while opening the door is quite hard even for a fit woman like her. She stood five feet ten inches and she has muscles in the right places. The woman on her arms is maybe four or five inches shorter but the muscle forms she saw in the arms and tone stomach showed that Amari has been busy, too. Malakai released a deep breath after she put Amari down in bed. She stretch both her hands out. Her arms went a little numb from the exertion. The unit she owned is a single–room apartment. It has small kitchen with an equally small living area. The island counter that separates the kitchen and living room also serves as dining table and sometimes, a work station. The small space works for Malakai since she lives alone. And the money she earned from her job is just enough to pay for the house and living expenses.   With the small money she save every pay day is enough for her to be satisfied living in a small district like Markstown.