To Leap From Heaven [A Romantic Thriller]

4.

In his first one hundred days in office, President Rossdale put together his cabinet as well as appointing Mayors in the provinces. It was a mammoth task, but he knew what he wanted, and the pressure was nothing to him. He remained calm under fire. It was announced that he would address the nation at the end of the one hundred days. The nation speculated about what he was going to say, and the changes he would bring about.

It was an exciting time, and he was going to address the country, and the rest of the world from the balcony of the iconic Town Hall which overlooked the Grand Parade where major events took place, and which had space for thousands. It was going to be a landmark event, and it was going to make him or break him. He was either going to solidify his position, or it was going to crumble underneath him. On the day of the event, the people flocked to the Grand Parade in droves to witness history being made. Those who could not make it, sat glued to their TV sets.

President Rossdale did not let the nation wait. He was born for this. This was his moment to shine. He was about to make history, and history waited for no man. He stepped up to the podium, and raised his hand in a friendly greeting. The crowd applauded loudly, and he allowed the adulation to wash over him. Finally the loudspeakers boomed his voice into the crowd, and the world.

"My family…my friends…my people."

The crowd fell silent, and waited with baited breath.

"You have trusted me with your votes. You have said yes to me, and yes to change. You have told me what you wanted, and I am here to deliver. You have given me a few mandates, and it will be as you have asked. The people have spoken, and here are the changes you are going to see in the near future. Some of them might take a while to implement, but others will take place with immediate effect."

He went through the short-term changes, and each one was greeted with loud cheers of approval. They realized that he was a man of his word, and had taken their suggestions seriously.

"And last, but not least, you have asked me to bring back the death sentence. So it shall be!"

With a raised fist President Rossdale punched the air as he made the announcement. The crowd went wild, and in a spirit of joy, they started to sing freedom songs while dancing in the streets. It took them a while to settle down, and listen to the rest of the speech.

"There is no place for murderers in our society. Should you take a life, yours shall be taken in return. We shall not house them in jails at the expense of honest hard-working taxpayers. We shall not feed them at the expense of the poor, the homeless and the hungry, who are in desperate need of housing, employment, and a good meal. And we shall not allow our women and children to be subjected to gender-based violence. The prisoners, who are not murderers, will be chained into gangs, and made to work out their sentences. There will be no idle criminals lounging in jail while the rest of the country is hard at work. There will be no more hiding behind thick walls. Going forward, this will be a jail-free country. The current jails will be converted into housing projects for the homeless."

It was what the country was waiting for, and Jim handed it to them on a silver platter. They lost the least bit of control they had hung onto, and in their ecstatic celebration which followed, he found it hard to get a word in edgeways.

This was the leader they had been waiting for, praying for, the man who would lead them through the desert waste to the Promised Land, and put milk and honey on their tables. He had the balls to kick dust into his opponents eyes, and defy the world. They expected great things from him, and this was only a taste of what was to come.

"And lastly my family…my friends.” President Rossdale's voice dropped to a whisper, and it was filled with genuine sadness.

"I have seen and heard the tears of our mothers on the gang-infested Cape Flats, and elsewhere in the country. The reason why we are taking life for life, is so that we, as a free nation, should be able to walk through our streets and feel safe during the day and at night. Those drug dealers are robbing our children of their lives, their future, and the freedom to choose a better life for themselves.