His mistaken Identity

Chapter 8

Rain meant different things to different people. A blessing or a curse, it all depended on the circumstances. For the kids, it was a time to get wet and play in the mud puddles without a care in the world. But for the woman walking with a broken heart, it was a chance to break down and cry before she could take the next step. For the young man desperate to take a piss, well, it was an excellent cover. And for Jane, it was the perfect excuse. She mused over this as she watched the fat raindrops fall from the gray sky above.

Her son was wrapped and held tightly against her chest. Jane was thankful for the small protruding rooftop on the side of the building that kept them dry and away from the downpour. To anyone watching, she would have looked like just any caring mother sheltering her child from the chilly rain. Nothing sinister or suspicious about it.

Minutes ticked by and Jane kept her eyes on the building across the road. As hard as the rain poured and obscured her view, she still watched intently. It was the only reason she was there in the first place.

With a name, it hadn’t taken long to find out where Enock was hiding and pretending to be an honest businessman. Jane had to blink a few times and clear her throat. She determinedly stared at the building, fighting not to show emotion on her face that would draw attention to herself. She could imagine a deep scowl with murderous hate flashing in her eyes would quickly get her noticed and possibly have the police called. Then she wouldn’t confront Enock. And she needed to confront him.

She stood there nearly an hour before she finally saw him walk out of the building. The rain had toned down to a light drizzle, and the air was so cold it made her cheeks numb. Tony was becoming irritated and wiggled against her chest insistently. Despite his agitated movements, he hadn’t yet started crying. A small blessing she knew wouldn’t last for long. Jane rocked her son gently, almost distractedly, her eyes wide and watching in disbelief. Enock was really alive.

He was alive, and he had abandoned her, pregnant with their son. And to make matters worse, he had stolen money and ditched her like a used rag. Putting her life and the life of their son in danger. Somewhere in her heart, she had still been hoping there was a mistake and it wouldn’t be him, but there was no denying the man that stood across the road with a phone pressed to his ear, laughing, was not the man she had fallen in love with. Her first love. The man that had impregnated her and promised to take care of her and her child.

Sudden rage boiled in her veins like a fever. Blood rushed through her ears, blocking out the noise of the rain and all that was around her, and sucking her into an abyss of white noise. Was she such a fool that she had fallen for such an ass? For a split second, Jane thought she would double over from the pain that hit her square in the chest, making it hard to draw a full breath.

Across the road, unaware of all the turmoil Jane was going through, Enock laughed once more before he put his phone back in his pocket and started walking towards the car park.

She had found out his financial business had offices away from the central business district of the city in Rhodes Park. The place had two other businesses that rented offices there. People walked in and out easily, so she had not stood out over an hour ago when she walked in.

But now it was time to make her presence known. Jane pushed away from the wall and walked towards the car park where Enock was headed. Her heart was beating so hard, for a moment, it was all she could hear again. That wasn’t good.

Christopher reached his car with a smile still playing on his lips. It was the end of the day and he was looking forward to a cold beer and maybe a movie while he indulged in some nuts or grapes. He had just turned down an invitation from Thomas to hang out. Christopher definitely didn’t want or wish for another hangover tomorrow morning, and drinking with Thomas usually meant hangovers from hell with the devil personally tap-dancing on his temples. He chuckled to himself when he thought of Thomas calling him a weak soldier. Honestly, the reference didn’t faze him in the least. He would rather be a weak soldier than a dead one.

One cold beer wouldn’t kill him, though. His liver could handle it, especially if he ate something to help it down. He grimaced when he remembered there was no one home to cook for him and he would have to do his own meal. Not his favorite activity. A very tempting idea to grab some fast food on his way home crossed his mind and held it.

He was contemplating what he was in the mood for when he thought he heard footsteps behind him. After what had happened with the mysterious letters, no one would have blamed him for being paranoid and a touch too careful with his life. Christopher immediately turned to face whoever was following him. And to his shock, found a strange young woman staring at him.

Although she didn’t look like a physical threat, the glare in her eyes gave him pause. He slowly ran his eyes over her. She was young; he doubted the woman could have been more than twenty-five, but she looked like life had given her a few hard slaps. Maybe a few kicks as well.

Her t-shirt was threadbare and wet from the light drizzle still pouring from the dark sky above. The pair of jeans she had on was no better than the t-shirt. They looked like they could tear with one simple grip and jerk. She held a bundle of sorts to her chest, but he couldn’t make out what it was. He couldn’t see her hair, either, because she had on a wrapper wrapped around her head like an old lady. Apart from her shabby clothes, the woman looked tired, thin, and furious. Her bronze skin almost looked pale and sickly. Christopher frowned. He was sure she would actually be a very pretty girl under different circumstances. But right then, she looked terrible, and it made him uneasy.

Her face told him something, but he couldn’t place it. Like a distant memory just out of reach. It was almost frustrating. For a moment, the icy glare in her eyes changed to hurt. He saw what could only be tears collect in her eyes, but they didn’t fall and the next minute she blinked and they were gone and the glare was back.

Christopher gave the surrounding a quick glance. He hoped she wasn’t some crazy woman about to ruin his day. He’d had a good day and wanted to end it well, not dealing with a crazy woman with issues he did not know about.

For just a short moment, he wondered if she was one of those women who went around asking for money for food. Homeless people. It wasn’t an impossibility; she did look rather terrible. It wasn’t hard to imagine her homeless, even though he suddenly felt very sad that she would be in such a situation.

Finally, Christopher shook his head and cleared his throat. “Can I help you?” he asked, already mentally going through his wallet counting how much he had that he could give her.

His words seemed to upset her more. She looked at him as though he had just insulted her. What was her problem?

Just then, in the uncomfortable silence only disrupted by distant traffic and the rain, there was suddenly another sound cutting through the chilly air surrounding them. If Christopher wasn’t mistaken, it sounded like a baby whining. He immediately looked around, wondering where it came from. Apart from the two of them, there was no one else in the car park. Still, he looked at the other cars still parked in the car park, but they didn’t appear to have any occupants.

The sound came again, and he jerked his head back to the woman. Then he realized that the sound came from her. Christopher frowned until he saw movement in the bundle she was holding to her chest. A baby? She was holding a baby in her arms.

The first thought on his mind was the light drizzle of rain still coming down. She needed to get the baby in a warm, dry place. He looked up at her and opened his mouth, ready to tell her so then paused when something else crossed his mind.

The woman and her baby were in the picture he had received a month ago. He could almost hear the click in his own brain when he put it together. It couldn’t be, he thought. But when he opened his mouth, what came out was the complete opposite.

“You… you are the woman in the picture.” Christopher felt a deep wave of relief to know she was still alive. He had been worried about their safety for weeks.

“Cut the bullshit, Enock!”

Christopher blinked. Her tone was not only harsh, but she also sounded hurt. He saw a tear roll down her cheek and mix in with the drops of rain. The baby in her arms whined more, but the woman looked unable to do anything. She just stared at him.

“How could you?” she asked in the same tone. “How could you abandon me and your son?” Her voice shook and choked.

“What?”