A glimmer of hope
Appetite was lost immediately after what transpired in the dining room. Dad stood up first and walked towards his room, beckoning Mom and me to follow suit. We got to the room, Dad sat down with his head bent, and Mom was pacing around the room. "Oh God, please save my sister," he said, almost inaudibly. "She will be fine, darling," Mom said between sobs.
"Darling, we should just consider paying them; at least that's the only useful remedy now. The cops have enough cases working on right now," Dad said with a sad expression. "Hmmm," Mom sighed. "But we don't really have that much on us right now; you know it's the money we budgeted for."
"We can try to gather what we have and see if it's enough," Mom suggested, her voice laced with desperation. "Maybe we can borrow from relatives or neighbors?"
Dad rubbed his temples, his eyes welling up with tears. "I'll call Uncle John and Aunt Mary. Maybe they can help."
I stood there, feeling helpless, as my parents discussed their plan. My mind kept racing back to Aunty Bella's voice on the phone, pleading for mercy. I couldn't shake off the feeling that time was running out.
"Dad, what if...what if they hurt her?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
My parents exchanged a sorrowful glance. "We won't think about that, darling," Mom said, trying to reassure me. "We'll do everything to get her back safely."
"Okay, let's use your school fees for now," Dad said, his voice heavy with desperation. "We'll figure out the rest later." I felt a lump form in my throat as I thought about the implications. No school for the term? No seeing my friends? No extracurricular activities? It was a daunting prospect.
*********************************************
Mom nodded, already on the phone, arranging for the funds. I watched as she spoke to someone, her voice low and urgent. Dad paced back and forth, his eyes fixed on the cash laid out on the bed.
As we prepared to hand over the money to the kidnappers, the door burst open, and the police officers rushed in. "Wait, don't give them the money yet!" one of them exclaimed.
My heart skipped a beat as I turned to face the officers. "What is it?" Dad asked, his hands frozen with the cash.
The officer's expression was hopeful. "We've received intel that the kidnappers are not as organized as we thought," he said. "They're starting to make mistakes. We might be able to track them down sooner than we expected."
Dad's face lit up with hope. "Really? What kind of mistakes?"
The officer smiled. "They've been using a specific phone number to communicate with you. We've managed to pinpoint the location. We're moving in as we speak."
Mom's eyes welled up with tears. "Oh, thank God. Does this mean Aunty Bella will be coming home soon?"
The officer nodded. "We're optimistic. We'll do everything to bring her home safely."
I felt a surge of hope and relief. Maybe this ordeal would soon be over. Maybe Aunty Bella would be back with us, safe and sound.
As we waited for the officers to do their job, the atmosphere in the room shifted from desperation to anticipation. We were all thinking the same thing: soon, this would all be over, and our lives could return to normal.