I took up Charmaine’s diary and tried to read but I just could not concentrate on the contents. This was the last of the diaries and I really wanted to know the rest of the story but my mind kept going back to what had happened to Cassie and her children. My eyes filled with tears once again. I put down the diary and went to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. Hoping to soothe my frayed nerves I decided to make some chamomile tea. After drinking the tea I went back to my room. I got into bed and took up my Bible and opened it. It so happened that it opened
at the twentieth chapter of Acts and when I saw the verse that I had highlighted some time ago the tears flowed once again. I had highlighted verse thirty-five which reads, “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I cried myself to sleep, waking up just before my alarm went off. I got ready for work and Ricky came to pick me up. He noted my swollen eyes and asked me if I was okay. I filled him in on all that had transpired the day before. Like Maud, he said I was not to feel too bad about what had happened to Cassie, as there's no guarantee that she would have been any safer at the house. Ricky was very concerned that I could be the next target of the TreTre Gang and wanted to know if there was somewhere that I could go and stay. I told him that I was not afraid and I was not leaving my home to go anywhere! When we got near to the hospital I could see the charred remains of the cars and refrigerators that had been used to block the roads. Roads that had just been ‘barber-greened’ were now destroyed due to the tires that were set alight on them. It was going to cost the Government millions of dollars to repave them with asphalt! The soldiers were out and about and every pedestrian and all motorists were stopped and questioned. They stopped us at the Hospital Gate but when they saw me in my uniform they waved us through. Ricky dropped me off at the entrance to the Maternity Ward and said he would come back for me at the usual time. I went inside the Maternity Ward and was shocked by what I saw. Beds were overturned as if they had been used as shields and there was broken glass, from one of the windows, on the floor! Matron came out of her office, which was situated at the back of the Ward, looking flustered. She was happy to see me though. “Thank God you are okay! I need to talk to you!” she said as she turned to go back into her office. I followed her and sat down. I asked her about the condition of the Ward. Matron said that the demonstrators were responsible for the broken window. A Molotov cocktail was tossed through the window but they managed to extinguish it before it caused a fire. Luckily they had vacated the Ward and relocated the remaining mothers and their babies to the second floor. Expectant mothers were also directed to go to other hospitals so that repairs and cleanup could take place. I told her what had happened to Cassie and the children and she was just as shocked as I was. She asked me if I wanted to go home but I told her no, I would stay and assist with the cleanup of the Ward. Ricky came to take me home and for once he did not have to wait for me to finish up with a patient. When we turned unto my street I saw Reverend Julian’s Range Rover parked at my gate. Ricky looked at me and laughed. He said, “I bet you he’s sitting in your favorite chair!” I laughed and said, “You win!” Ricky dropped me off, waited until I went through the gate and sped away still grinning. When I stepped unto the verandah Reverend Julian was indeed sitting in my favorite chair. He got to his feet and greeted me with a hug. He seemed extra frail today, as if he was barely holding himself together. I told him to come inside the house and have a seat in the living room. I wondered where Maud was as I went to put down my bag in my bedroom. When I came back to the living room the Reverend had his head in his hands. I sighed. The death of Cassie and the children had really taken a toll on him. We talked about it for a while. Reverend Julian said if he had known that she had the intention to do what she did he would never have allowed her to leave that day. He said that he stopped at the Police Station before he came to see me. They, the Police, had found Cassie’s cell phone, which she had left on the pier and they showed him the text messages that she had been receiving from the TreTre Gang members. The Police had since released their names as persons of interest and asked that they report to the Police Station without delay. He said he had also stopped by where he knew the gang members hang out to see if he could get any more information. Reverend Julian said he was very concerned for me and was wondering if they would try to harm me. He said based on what he heard, however, the new leader of the gang had given orders that I was to be left alone because I was a good person and my father and grandmother were good to his parents and grandparents. It was said that everyone was afraid of the new leader so they would not dare to cross him by disobeying his orders. “Wow! Good to know that I will be left alone!” I said as I breathed a sigh of relief.
I remembered that when the Reverend and I were talking the day before he said he had a surprise for me so I asked him about it. “Oh yes, I almost forgot about the surprise!” he said. He got up and went outside for a box that he had left on the verandah. “Guess what I found!” he said, “More of your grandmother’s diaries! I found them when I was cleaning out my filing cabinet.” I squealed with delight! I could not believe it! If truth be told I was holding off from reading the last chapter of the diary I had because I didn’t want the story to end. I took the box from Reverend Julian and inspected the diaries. There were twelve diaries in all, they were smaller than the ledgers and were in much better condition, and each of them was tied with a red ribbon. I could not wait to finish the diary in my room so that I could start these! I hugged the Reverend and told him thanks. I heard footsteps outside on the verandah. It was Maud. When she came into the living room I noticed she had a little boy in her arms. It was Conroy! When he saw me he came down out of her arms and ran to me and hugged me tightly. He began to cry. He said through his tears, “Miss Cee Cee, mi madda drown! Mi sista and mi bredda dem drown! Who is going to look after mi now!” I looked at the Reverend and he cleared his throat and said. “Ahem, Miss Cecelia, there is something else I have to tell you.”
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