Silhouette

XXVI

At 2.30 p.m., Detective Rose picks up her son, Samuel, from school.

Samuel is probably the only happy thing left from her marriage with Dan. They had grown apart after fourteen years of marriage.

Dan had always blamed every little thing on the perennial absence from home that her job required and Rose simply could not put up with him, especially when she found out about his extra-marital affairs.

Samuel could have easily ridden the school bus home but Rose insists on dropping him off and picking him up. She tells herself it’s safer than a chartered bus or tricycle. She refers to the increasing statistics of kidnappings and road rage. But deep in her gut she knows it is because she does not want to be left in the dust if the divorce with Dan goes on to a custody battle.

The thought of losing Samuel scares her more than anything ever has. She has to take a minute to steady her trembling hands whenever she thinks about it.

She waves and gives him a smile as she watches him emerge from the gate. The school is almost empty, classes had ended an hour ago.

“Sorry,” she says as she reaches over to pop the passenger door. Samuel slides in. Sits with his school bag on his lap. She sees the look on his face, today was surely not a good day.

Samuel is a carbon copy of his father, down to the fuzzy eyebrows and the tilt of his lips when things don’t go his way.

Samuel wants to be an astronaut. Last week he wanted to be a sailor. Rose thinks he changes his mind with the next movie he watches.

Rose pulls out of the school compound and onto the busy road with lines of traffic which seems to go nowhere. “Don’t ask me,” she says. “I had a very good day.”

Samuel doesn’t reply, he only hugs his bag to his chest and looks the other way.

Rose sighs. “Alright, out with it.”

Samuel slowly turns to her. He is scowling. “Aunty Esther eized my issue of Arkham City.”

“Another of your comic books?”

“The one Dad gave me for my birthday.”

“Oh.” Rose stops at a T-junction. A policeman is directing traffic. The traffic lights are out of order. “Why did you have it out during class?”

“I thought it was in my bag but I found it under the books on my table after break.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have a talk with your teacher tomorrow.”

“No!” Samuel puts a hand on her shoulder. “All the other boys will call me a cry baby.”

“Alright, I’ll get you a new one.”

“You don’t know where the comic book store is. Only Dad does. He knows where they sell the latest ones.”

Rose winces. She takes her phone on the dashboard and clicks the Google tab. “Have you heard?” she says after a quick scroll. “The latest Batman issue is out.”

“Really? Last Knight On Earth?”

“Yeah. I have a friend who reads a lot of these books. I’ll ask him to get you one.”

“Thanks mum.” He beams at her. He looks beautiful and brimming with innocence, somewhere in those delicate plains between child and adult.

Rose wants to reach out and brush his head. But she knows it will embarrass him.

The officer waves their lane on and the traffic eases. Rose yawns. She’s so tired, she wants to crawl into bed and wake up hours later. But she can’t. She’s got work to do.