Jury Page 8

  ***

  The alarm clock on Emily’s bedside table went off and she slowly opened her eyes. She turned over and stared at the ceiling, letting the alarm ring. She stole a quick glance at the clock and sighed. The time was 8:00 a.m. She had slept through one hour of her daily workouts and she would normally give herself an earful, but she did not seem to care much today. Her phone’s alarm was set to always ring at seven on Sundays so she could workout, but she had ignored it this morning.

  The sunlight coming through her window was almost blinding and would not allow her go back to bed, so she got up and headed downstairs to her kitchen. Her apartment was not as spacious as she would have liked, but it made do for what was important right now. Her garage was also good for a make-shift gym where she worked out every morning, so she was not complaining. She looked around for a while and sighed before grabbing an energy drink from the fridge and walking over to the gym through the entrance in the kitchen.

  Her Audi A3 was parked closer to the garage door to make room for the gym equipment. Emily walked over to it and stared at it in disgust. Her dad had gotten her the car with customized paint and she still could not understand how her mum had let him paint the car orange and blue. The fact that it was her favourite colour combo did not mean she wanted her car painted with them. Plus, her dad had thought she would not like a black car, which she did. She grunted and kicked the front tire. It was really annoying that she had to drive the car everywhere she went and Taylor always made sure to remind her of the fact that her car was ugly.

  She placed her head on the roof of the car and noticed a brown envelope right at the garage door. She could not remember having any brown envelopes with her, so it definitely did not drop from her things yesterday. It was the first time someone would sneak something through her doors and it was fascinating for her.

  She bent and picked it up. It was sealed and it just made her all the more curious. She turned it over and it had “CONFIDENTIAL” scrawled on it. She quickly ran back inside and went upstairs to her room. It was time to get busy. She just hoped whatever was in there would not put her in any trouble. We wouldn’t want that now, or would we? She mused.

  ***

  May loved Sundays because it meant no classes, she could wake up late-ish and it was the day for family time. She was a Christian girl, which most people found hard to believe, and her parents always made her go to church every Sunday. Her dad was more lenient on the matter of going to church or not going to church, but her mum was unwavering in her opinion that they all had to go for service on Sundays. May did not really care because there were times she enjoyed going for service, and she had lots of friends in church.

  May had woken up early today because it was her younger sister’s birthday and she wanted to be the first one to greet her. She was currently sat in her sister’s room and she had her present hidden behind her. She smiled when her sister opened her eyes and yawned.

  “Happy birthday Katie.” May said softly.

  Katie just stared at her.

  May frowned. “Why aren’t you jumping for joy? I’m the first one to wish you a happy birthday, right?”

  “Nope. You’re late, again.” Katie sat up. “Mum, dad and Kim were here already, but thanks anyway.”

  May was always the last person to greet the others on their birthdays and she hated it.

  “Well, did any of them give you presents?” May asked hopefully.

  Katie shrugged. “Dad and Mum gave me a joint present which was a stuffed bear and Kim told me we’d go shopping later in the evening.”

  “So the answer is no.” May smiled.

  “Practically.” Katie nodded.

  May brought out the wrapped gift she had and gave it to her sister before kissing her on the forehead.

  “Happy birthday once again. I love you.”

  “Thanks Maya. I love you too.”

  “Don’t call me that. It’s May.”

  “Alright Maya.”

  Katie started laughing and May smiled. She quickly walked out the room as Katie opened the gift.

  “One… Two… Three.” May counted and right on cue, Katie screamed.

  Everyone rushed out of their rooms and came to see what the commotion was all about.

  “What happened?” Kim, May’s elder sister, asked as they all gathered in front of Katie’s room door.

  “I got her the iPhone 7 is what happened.” May said and walked away, feeling herself.

  “Congratulations on winning this round, Maya.” May’s mum said. “Now go and get ready for church. We only have thirty minutes. You too, Katie.”

  “Ok mum.” Katie called from inside her room, the joy still evident in her voice.

  “We’re all going to the cinema after service and then lunch so take everything you’ll need.” May’s dad said and walked back to his room.

  May looked at Kim and winked. Kim had won the last “birthday gifts challenge” last month when she had bought their dad a Rolex and now, she had the title. She blew a kiss and Kim swiped it away, her face contorted in fake disgust.

  “I’ll get you on the next one.” Kim smiled and walked back to her room.

  May stood at the front of her room door and smiled. Today was going to be fun. She clapped her hands in excitement and walked into her room.

  ***

  “Get your ass up from bed now.”

  “Dad could you please not shout?” Mike said very sleepily.

  His family was different from that which his friends had. He did not have to go to church on Sundays because there was nobody to force him to. His dad was a police officer and he had morning patrols on Sundays. His mum on the other hand, well, she left them both when he was nine and never came back, but he tried not to dwell on that too much.

  His dad opened the door and walked in. Mike was still lying in bed, tucked cosily under the sheets.

  “We have to go jogging now, so get your lazy self out of bed before I drag you out.” Mike’s dad was a muscular man and he sometimes used that to bully Mike.

  “Five more minutes, please.”

  “Absolutely not. Get up.”

  Mike murmured and took the covers off. His dad patted him on the back and they both went downstairs to warm up. It was their “time to bond” as his father always put it because he was not always around.

  Once they finished warming up, Mike got an energy drink from the fridge and tossed one to his dad.

  “What time does your patrol end today dad?”

  “I should be home by 5:00 p.m.” His dad swigged down the drink. “Now come on, we have fifteen minutes of jogging, so it is better we start now. We’ll talk on the way.”

  Mike drank his own bottle and tossed it in the bin. His dad was already on the move, so he jogged faster to catch up to him.

  “So, how’s school going?”

  “Same old. Still have a lot of assignments and tests.”

  “What about May?”

  “She’s cool.”

  “And Chloe?”

  “We’re currently on a break.” Mike lied.

  “I never understood the whole “take a break” idea you teenagers have.” Mike’s dad laughed. “How’s Taylor doing by the way? You two still fighting?”

  “Nothing recent.” Mike lied again.

  “Alright.”

  They jugged the rest of the way and back home in complete silence. Mike silently thanked God that his dad knew how to take a hint. Right now, he just wanted to get back in bed and sleep half of the day away. They got home and sat on the front porch to catch their breaths.

  “Do you have any plans for today?”

  “No dad. I’m home all day.”

  “Alright.”

  Mike looked at his dad and sighed. “What is it dad? You’ve been acting odd the whole day.”

  His dad smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have been looking for a way to approach the topic but I guess I don’t have to be weird about it.”

  “Just spit it out da
d.”

  “Ok son.” His dad sighed. “Your mum came to see me yesterday and wants to talk to the both of us.”

  “Not interested.”

  “Mike.”

  “No dad. We aren’t discussing this. She’s ten years too late for us to talk.” Mike said and stormed into the house leaving his dad alone on the front porch. He walked up into his room and locked the door. He had hoped for years when he was still younger for his mum to come back, but now, he despised every thought of her and for the first time in years, he wept. He crawled into bed and cried himself back to sleep.

  TEN

  Taylor was sat at the back of the church, trying really hard to focus on the sermon, but his mind kept drifting. He could not stop thinking of his parents and it made his stomach knot. The last time he had set foot in church was the day his parents were buried. Aunt Stacy had taken himself and Malia in right after the tragedy and planned the whole burial. He felt like he was forever indebted to her, but not in the negative way.

  Truth was, Taylor still believed in God regardless of the fact that his parents had been taken from him in an accident that just miraculously did not claim his life and left he and his sister without their loving parents in this cruel world. We are not going down that lane today, He chuckled and reeled his thoughts back in. He just had not gone to church solely because he was lazy and lacked the motivation, not because he had given up on his faith. Today was different however because he was going to see his parents’ graves and he wanted to be able to say he had gone to church and actually mean it.

  The preacher was currently speaking on the topic of forgiveness and Taylor was thinking of the irony of the whole situation. He was in a fight with Mike because he did not forgive him. He also knew he had some fault in this because he could have forgiven Mike for the first suit instead of suing him as payback.

  May and her family walked into the church a little late for the service and Taylor waved at them as they went to take their seats. May excused herself and joined Taylor where he sat.

  “You look handsome in that tuxedo.” May whispered.

  “Thank you. You are also looking gorgeous in that…” Taylor paused and turned to face May. “What should I call it?”

  “A dress is fine.”

  “Well, you look good in that “a dress is fine” then.” Taylor chuckled.

  Emily shook her head and smiled. “This is my first time seeing you in church. What’s the occasion?”

  “I did not realize there had to be an occasion for me to find my way to God.”

  “Don’t be silly.” May giggled. “You know what I mean.”

  “Well, I just felt that it was time for me to get back to church is all.”

  May nodded and Taylor knew she had caught the lie. She surprisingly knew him well enough and he was happy because it confirmed that he was not the only one who had invested in their relationship.

  “When you get back to your seat, tell Katie I said happy birthday and that I will give her the gift I got for her after the service.”

  “Hope it isn’t the iPhone 7 because I already got her that.”

  “Well, it is not Maya. You can rest easy because I am not trying to outshine you this year.”

  They both laughed and May was extra happy because Taylor had remembered about the “birthday gifts challenge” she had mentioned in passing.

  “Why not join us later after service? We’ll be going to the cinema and then we’d head out for lunch.”

  “Sounds like fun, but I have things to do later today.”

  “That’s alright.” May held his hand and squeezed tight. “I have to head back to my folks.”

  “Sure thing.”

  May kissed his cheeks and walked back to her spot. Taylor did not like lying, but right now, only Bob and Emily knew what happened to his parents and he would like that circle to remain as small as possible.

  Taylor managed to get through the rest of the sermon without his mind drifting and he was happy for that because the sermon was enlightening and it made his day feel a lot less dreadful. The rest of the service went by fast. The congregation shared the grace and walked out into the garden. Taylor felt a little overwhelmed by the sea of people gathered outside and he feared that some of them would walk up to him and offer their condolences, so he quickly searched for where the Davies family was and walked up to them.

  “Taylor!!!” Katie ran to hug him.

  They had been close at the time he and Maya were dating and they still texted once in a while.

  “Hola Princesa Katie.” Taylor smiled. “¿Cómo estás?”

  “Estoy bien.” Katie replied sheepishly.

  Katie loved Spanish and as much as possible, Taylor would speak to her in Spanish just to make her happy.

  “Feliz cumpleaños.” Taylor handed her the gift he had got her. “No lo abras hasta que llegues a casa, ¿de acuerdo?”

  Katie nodded and they both walked back to where the others were seated.

  “Good afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Davies.”

  “How are you Taylor?” Mrs. Davies asked.

  “I am fine thank you. Hi Kim.” Taylor waved at Kim and she smiled at him.

  “You should join us to celebrate Katie’s 12th birthday later.”

  “I would love to, but I have an appointment somewhere else and I have to be on my way now.”

  “That’s alright. Maybe sometime in the future you’d be able to join us for an outing.” Mrs Davies said with a smile.

  “I look forward to that day. Thank you.” Taylor kissed Katie on the forehead. “Adiós Princesa Katie.”

  “Adiós Taylor.”

  Taylor smiled and hurriedly walked off to the parking lot where his uber was waiting for him. He had to get ahead of traffic if he wanted to get to the cemetery early.

  May looked at Taylor as he walked off and wondered where he was going. She was concerned for him, but she told herself not to worry. He’ll be fine, she thought to herself. She caught a glimpse of the gift Taylor had given Katie.

  “Is that the gift?”

  “Yes Maya.”

  “What’s in it?”

  Katie shrugged. “I have no idea. Taylor said not to open it till we got home.”

  Classic Taylor with the suspense. May smiled and went back to using her phone.

  ***

  Bob was at the restaurant and he was way past annoyed. The meeting had been set for 12:00 p.m. and the person he was waiting for was nowhere to be seen. Late coming was one of his many pet peeves and he was going to make sure the guy heard it when he arrived.

  He had ordered a Slurpee and some pancakes that he was now angrily eating when his phone rang. He looked at the number and answered it immediately.

  “Good afternoon, sir.” He said and took a sip of his drink with the straw.

  “Afternoon. Any news?” The voice at the other end inquired.

  “I can’t talk right now, but when I can, I’ll fill you in on the progress report.”

  “Has the meeting started?”

  “No sir. The fool isn’t here yet.”

  “Alright. Call me when you are ready.” The voice said and then the call ended.

  Bob quickly set his phone down on the table as the other guy arrived.

  “You’re late. Again.”

  “Are you surprised?”

  “No Alex, I’m not. I’m just really annoyed at your lack of discipline. You really should grow the fuck up.” Bob chided. “Where have you been?”

  “I was stuck in traffic.” Alex shrugged and ate a slice out of Bob’s pancake. “That’s delicious.”

  “Just get the whole thing.” Bob pushed the plate to Alex. “Now, there is traffic every day. Even if your car was the only one on the road, it is still traffic, so don’t give me that shoddy excuse.”

  Alex used his fingers to wipe the syrup off the plate, licked it and then smacked his lips. “You’re too stuck up.”

  “Wow.” Bob sighed.

  “Who was that on the phone?
” Alex pointed at the phone on the table.

  “None of your business.”

  “Was it him?” Alex smiled.

  “I said it’s none of your business.”

  “Ok.” Alex raised his hands in mock surrender. “Can we start the meeting now?”

  “Gladly.” Bob got out his jotter. “How’s your assignment going?”

  “Well, to be honest, it’s really hard to understand and I haven’t gotten anywhere, but I will be fine.”

  “Need any help?”

  “Nope. Like I said, I’ll be fine.”

  “Alright.” Bob scoffed. “Your funeral.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. “How’s your assignment?”

  “Going smoothly. I’m almost done actually. It was given to me with all the materials I’d need, so I have no issues.”

  “Lucky you.” Alex stood. “Do we have to meet again next week?”

  “Nah. We can skip, that but just let me know if you need anything.”

  “Whatever.” Alex took Bob’s Slurpee and left with it.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Bob shook his head and picked his phone. It was time to make that call.

  ***

  The cemetery was a large place and it had many rows of tombstones lining the grounds. It was one of the famous cemeteries in the city and only those who were rich could afford to have their loved ones buried in there.

  Taylor had to take a three hour drive to get to the cemetery and he still wondered why Aunt Stacy had chosen this particular one. The distance was also one of the reasons why he did not visit his parents. He sighed and started walking up the rows of tombstones, a bottle of sparkling grape wine and three cups in his hands. He had seen Harvey Specter do the same thing in an episode of Suits when he went to visit his dad’s grave. Harvey had done it with a bottle of Macallan 18, but he went with something non-alcoholic because he detested the thought of taking alcohol.

  He finally got to his parents’ graves at the far end of the cemetery and smiled when he saw a bouquet of flowers on them. He sat down in the middle of both graves, set down a cup on his mum’s grave and another on his dad’s and then filled all three cups with wine.