For Your Eyes Only

Chapter 25: Search and Redeem

"W-What do you mean missing?! What happened?!" Denzel asks over the phone. Rob tells him the morning after the ambush, Kenya spoke to her parents and they referred to him as a criminal before having a falling out. Afterwards, they had an argument over how this could have been handled better and that was the last he saw her. The next night was spend with him looking for Kenya with no luck.

"I tried every place we've been together, but she was not there and I told Dr. Harper about her being gone". "Whoa, slow down Rob. Was Kenya hurt or sick when she left?". "No". "Then who's Dr. Harper?". Rob realized that Kenya never told her family about attending group therapy. That explains her telling them how they first met at the release party.  Rob proceeds to tell Denzel about the therapy sessions for depression and anxiety and he too being a member. Kenya was attending for a year when he first met her and the two didn't really like each other, but slowly started to admire one another as friends before finally becoming a couple.  

Rob brings up the promise Kenya agreed to keep for him to make his identity and whereabouts a secret, so he can regroup and start over on the right path. Someone figured him out and told the reporters, causing them to surround their apartments and ended up on the news. Denzel listens and tells him he'll do everything he can to help find Kenya when he gets there, so the two can file a missing persons report. "The only condition I have before coming over is that I tell my family about Kenya being missing, they do have the right to know" he says. They agree to meet each other and hang up with Denzel returning to his family.

"I don't understand what's gotten into Kenya. It's not like her to behave this way" Abdou states. "That man has gotten into her! He probably told her to hang up on us" Aminata says. "I don't know, he didn't seem like someone that would do that, Mom, but I tried calling Kenya all week and she hasn't picked up" Kendra wonders. They see Denzel return to them. "Denzel, is everything OK? Who was on the phone?". "That was Rob". His family sighs. "Oh, Lord, what did he want?". "I think everybody should sit down". "Denzel, we are sitting down. What's wrong?" Kendra asks.

Denzel sighs. "Rob called to say that Kenya's missing and no one knows where she's gone". They gasp. "Oh my God!". "How long has she been gone?" Abdou asks his son. "He says she's been gone for about couple of days now. The last time Rob saw her was after Kenya finished talking to you guys and they got into an argument and he walked out. When he wanted to talk to her the next day, she had already left". "Are the police going to find her?" Kendra asks. "I hope so". He tells them Rob is going to file a missing persons report. 

"There's something else he told me" Denzel brings up. "What's that?". "Kenya...has been a part of a group therapy session".  "She's a volunteer?". "No, Dad. Kenya's a patient, she's been one for about a year now". "This is our first time hearing about this. Why didn't she come and talk to us about what was going on?". "She did that already, Mom. That was when she came home after she and Andre broke up. We were suppose to be her support system, but we didn't give that to her". Denzel concludes. "I couldn't even be there for her, because of the custody hearings I had to go to for Malcolm and I could have done more". "Denzel, it's not your fault you couldn't help Kenya at the time" Aminata says. "It wasn't Kenya's fault Andre cheated on her, either, but all of you treated her as if she made him do it! Now you're trying to run Rob off by calling him a criminal and convincing her to break up with him. What happens if the next guy Kenya introduces leaves too? She might leave with him and we won't see her again until her child graduates college, is that what we want?". No one answers Denzel and continues listening.

"There are new students that come on campus every year and many of them go to talk to a counselor because they can't talk to their parents about what's happening with them and many of them are like Kenya. They are the ones who would stay out trouble and do things that would make any other parent proud. For some, no matter how well-adjusted they appear to be, it's not enough for their families, so they may start acting out". "Denzel, Kenya doesn't even date much anyway, so how do we know the guy was not some loser from off the street?" Kendra replies. "Because you would know that Kenya wouldn't bring anyone around us if she thought they were up to no good! If she did that, you wouldn't be allowed to have a boyfriend today!" Denzel replies back.

"Hold it, you two. Denzel, that does not explain why Kenya didn't tell us about Rob's troubles before". "Mom, even if Kenya said anything, you and Dad still would have made her feel like she could not be trusted to find a man on her own. We don't even know Rob's side of the story and you've already decided he's no good and will take Kenya down with him. The news could have left out some things, like someone telling them to show up at their places or one of the reporters trying to get into Kenya's place before Rob stopped him". His parents think about this statement as a possibility of what really happened.

 "Mom, Dad, you both taught us to look at a person's character and their willingness to be a better person and I think we should start doing that ourselves. Right now, Rob is the only person who is actively looking for Kenya...but not for long". Denzel grabs a bag from his closet. "Denzel, where are you going?" his father asks. "I'm going to Minneapolis to help Rob find Kenya. He thinks she's still in the state and if we find her, I hope she can forgive us one day and know she is a part of a loving family. I'll call all of you after I get there. Kendra, make sure Mom and Dad are OK until I get back. Bye, everyone". Denzel walks out the door into his car and heads to the airport, leaving his family to think about what all he said.

Meanwhile, it has been half an hour since Rob finished talking to Denzel on the phone and he is about to go the police station, when he hears a knock on the door. He opens it and sees Andre of all people. "You've got to be kidding me. What are you doing here?" Rob asks. "What's going on between you and Jordana?". "Me and Jordana?". "I saw you too hugging each other at the hospital". "What were you spying on us, for?" Rob asks, becoming annoyed. "I wasn't, I was just leaving when I saw you two. Come on, even I wouldn't think of doing that, let alone think of you pulling such a stunt! How could you do this to Kenya?". 

Rob finally gets fed up with Andre's nonsense. "Whatever you though you saw, you got wrong, OK? Besides, you are the last person to talk about anyone having an affair! You lied and cheated on Kenya and would take any opportunity to humiliate her and now that she's gone missing, you suddenly care about what's happened to her?! Get the hell out of here before one of us get sent back to the hospital!" Rob goes to slam the door in Andre's face, when Andre stops him. "Wait...Kenya's missing?" he asks in concern.

"Yes, she's been gone for 2 days...". Andre gets a look of fright in his eyes. "Oh no!...What have I done? I didn't mean for this to happen...". "What-? Did you call those reporters to come here?!" Rob asks. "No! I don't have anything to do with that". "Then why are you here?! Why all of a sudden Kenya is so important to you?!". "I-I didn't realize how much I put on her, how much all of this was put on her. I wouldn't want anything terrible to happen to Kenya". "Does Justine know you're here?". "No...and she doesn't know about me meeting her...when me and Kenya were still dating".  "I can't listen to anymore of this" Rob says stepping out of his apartment. "Rob, please. I want to help find Kenya, make sure she's OK. Please?". Rob sighs and pauses. "I may regret this...you can help". "Oh, thank you..." Andre says graciously. "But, there are 2 things you have to do. First, you have to apologize to Kenya, if we find her and second, you will tell your wife everything about how you two met or I will" Rob concludes. Andre agrees and they go to the police station.

At the airport, Denzel leaves the baggage claim and is waiting for Rob to pick him up. After a while, he sees Rob and goes to him. "Denzel, you made it". "Yeah, I just landed about 20 minutes ago. Any luck?". "No, but I just left the police station and put in the report. The police already started looking". "Oh good, I hope we find her". "How's everyone else holding up?". "They're back home and I just called to tell them I landed. They're very worried and they found out what really happened and feel awful about how they treated you, more so with Kenya. Please don't be too upset with them, they only heard one side of what happened and they're want you guys to be safe" Denzel tells him.

 Rob says he understands and Andre shows up to tell them they have to leave before they get towed. "Oh, hell no! What's he doing here?!" Denzel asks about Andre. "What did you do to my sister, man?!". "Denzel, it's not what you think! I didn't cause this!" Andre answers. "I've been waiting to give you something you deserve for a long time!" Denzel attempts to rush and strike Andre, but Rob stops him. "Wait, we're not going to find Kenya fighting each other! Denzel, I said he can help us, but not to get beaten up". Andre sighs in relief. "Andre, you had it coming, though. We got to hurry and find her, it's getting colder out here". They agree and go start looking for Kenya after leaving the airport.