The Cries of the Butterfly - A LOVE STORY (56 page)

“Please do not lie to me, Mr. Rudy,” Wolf said coldly.

Rudy looked at Wolf, considered a fight, then gave up.

“You swear not to say anything to anyone?”

“I promise,” Wolf nodded.

A speculative look came to Rudy’s eyes. Then he relaxed.

“Okay, stay here.”

He went to the other side of the bed, to another cupboard—a small, steel one. Shielding the opening with his body, he pulled something out. When he turned around, he had a handkerchief in his hand. And in the handkerchief were pieces of jewelry.

There was a gold-plated necklace with a heart-shaped pendant, a diamond pendant on a platinum chain, a platinum bracelet, and a pair of gold earrings.

“Pure gold and platinum. And this diamond pendant is two karat, I swear on my dead mom. I had them evaluated,” Rudy said, almost in awe, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“How much?”

“What?”

“I want them—the jewelry, this box and the note. How much?”

Rudy was momentarily speechless.

“Do you want to sell them or no?” Wolf pressed, not giving him time to think.

Rudy’s eyes became animated. “I had them evaluated,” he repeated foolishly, his voice rising. “One hundred thousand bucks. You can have all. Even the other stuff.” He waved at the bed.

Greed,
Wolf thought.
Pure greed.
But then why blame him? He was just small fry. In reality, big-time-greed ruled the whole human world.

“I don’t want the other stuff. Just this. I’ll return tomorrow morning, pay you, and pick these up.” He didn’t bargain—money didn’t matter right now. Moreover,
why not let the poor guy hit a small lottery at least once in life, when the rich and the powerful were unabashedly looting everything they could lay their eyes on, and all very legally?

“Jisis Chris…I swear.” Rudy seemed overwhelmed. Then quickly recovering, he added, “Cash. Strictly cash. Currency.”

Wolf nodded. “I’m taking these with me now.” He pointed to the box and the note.

“Oh, no!”

Wolf dug into his wallet for the third time and pulled out ten hundreds.

“Advance. Without the jewelry, these have no meaning,” he said.

Rudy grabbed the money.

.

His mind was restless that night.

The note kept haunting Wolf. Every few minutes he would switch on the bed-lamp and look at the paper. And his heart would race. He was now convinced that the person who had abandoned Robin had done so in the cardboard box. He was also convinced that the abandoner was the mother—the feminine jewelry clinched it.

So why didn’t Ceecee Sandford, or now her son, sell the jewelry in the last eight years? Given their near-poverty state, they could’ve really used all that money,
Wolf thought.
Well, the only reason could’ve been fear of the police every time they felt tempted.
…
And the temptation must have been relentless and killing.

Wolf switched the bed-lamp on for the zillionth time that night and stared at the note. And his heart began to gallop yet again.

***

Savannah
was trembling as she rang Ian Cass’s doorbell this Monday morning of May 19th.

But she filled her chest with a large helping of oxygen, held it for about five seconds, then exhaled in a slow stream through her mouth. She turned her hands into tight fists, then slowly relaxed them, then took another extended breath.

The door was answered by a very large woman and Savannah was instantly intimidated.

“Judge Cass?” Savannah asked unsurely.

“He’s been waiting for you. You’re late,” the large woman complained.

“I’m sorry.” In truth, she was late by only five minutes—the time she had hesitated outside the judge’s door.

She was led to the living room and waved to a settee.

“He’ll be here soon,” the big woman said.

Savannah continued with her deep breaths. She felt like a doe in a lion’s den.

Five minutes passed. Coffee and biscuits were served, but she refused them.
Be strong,
she kept prodding herself.
So he is a powerful man, but he’s still only human.

She had been waiting seventeen minutes, when Ian Cass finally made an appearance.

“There you are,” he said in a bright tone, taking a seat before her. “So what was it you wanted to speak to me about? You said it was very urgent.”

Savannah swallowed.
Gosh, this is too fast!
She wasn’t sure she could pull it off.

“Ms. Burns?” grandfather nudged helpfully, leaning just a little forward.

“Sir, I wanted to talk about…about Wolf and me…and Robin,” she stuttered.

“Yes,” he said. “I guessed as much. What’s there to say?” Now a sadness came into his eyes.

“Sir, please give me a chance. I shall be the best mother to Robin there ever can be, I promise you. You monitor me personally…on a daily basis even.”

“Miss Burns, this ain’t a question of how good a mother you can or cannot be. It’s…”

“That was my past, sir. And it happened only briefly. That is not me now, sir. I’m a very different person from then…”

“I understand, Ms. Burns. But that ain’t the point. Whatever you may be now, it ain’t going to alter your history, will it? People will always say Robin’s mother was a…you know. After the disadvantaged life she’s had, she ain’t deserve this shame hanging over her for the rest of her life. Please try to understand us. Please try to understand it from the poor girl’s point of view. We owe her a clean start. She is our responsibility.”

“So you accomplish your responsibility by adopting her yourself?”

Cass was taken aback. “How do you know that?” he demanded.

“Haven’t you read today’s Tribune?”

“Not yet.” He shouted to the large woman for the newspaper. For the next five minutes, he remained immersed in it, his brow wrinkled. Finally, he put the paper down and looked up.

“Well, if you people already know that then let me tell you this: I’ll be submitting an application later this day. Also, as this would constitute a clear conflict of interest, I’ve resigned from the National Adoption Board. Some other people would now be making decisions on Robin’s future.”

“Please don’t do that, sir. It’ll break Wolf’s heart. He still hopes to adopt Robin,” Savannah pleaded.

Cass’s eyes narrowed. “Did he send you here to petition me?”

“Absolutely not, sir! He doesn’t even know I’m here,” she said hastily. “Please do not snatch Robin from her father. It would be very cruel and immoral. I beg you, sir.”

“Very well then, I ain’t do it,” he said. “If you move out of his life permanently. There ain’t any point beseeching me, Ms. Burns. It’s all in
your
hands. If you profess to care for Wolf and the little girl so much—and I have no doubts your sentiments are honest—then please do what you know you must. Do the right thing, Ms. Burns, make this little sacrifice, and you’ll be helping not just Wolf and Robin, but his entire family. Are you even aware how deeply grieved the family is? My dearest friend, Grant, is a wreck. Do you know, Ms. Burns, that when Wolf lost his parents and brother, it was Grant who took him under his wings and saved his life? He ain’t simply his uncle, he is his father, in truth. Because of y…this tragic situation, the family has been ripped apart. So
I
plead with
you
, please do not be the cause of further agony. Let go, Ms. Burns, prove to me that you are indeed a changed woman; that we were all very wrong about you. Shame us, Ms. Burns. Do the right thing and save many, many noble lives. It ain’t too late even now.” He was leaning forward earnestly, his eyes swimming.

Savannah regarded him. Then she closed her eyes for a second and took one final deep breath.

“Have you ever done a wrong thing in your life, Mr. Cass?”

He raised his eyebrows and for a moment regarded her, as if thinking,
now where does this come from?
But then he smiled, kindly. “Ain’t we all done something? … Yes, I’m as much a sinner as the next person.”

“I mean a thing that is considered
really
bad in your world?”

“I’m sorry, I ain’t get your point.”

“Don’t you recognize me, Mr. Cass?”

He laughed. “Am I then talking to someone else besides Ms. Savannah Burns?”

“Look at me very closely, sir. Do you not recognize me from the past?” She looked steadily into Cass’s eyes.

The smile slipped just a little from his face.

“I’m afraid, Ms. Burns, I ain’t get your point. From the past? Meaning?”

“From some five years ago, Mr. Cass. Did you not call me on the telephone? Then we met and you took me to a hotel. We spent the night together.”

The smile slipped completely now.

“What utter rubbish this! I ain’t having such evil aspersions cast on me! You see? All this talk about being a changed woman is nothing but talk. You’re still what your type will always be—filthy-minded and depraved. You people ain’t have any shame, do you?” He got to his feet. “Now if you’ll kindly leave! I’ve given you enough time.”

“I’m not fooling, Mr. Cass. I’m very serious. If this thing becomes public knowledge, you can guess how fatally damaging it could be for you.”

“I said I ain’t going to tolerate such slander! Please leave, Ms. Burns! At once!”

“Let me prove it to you then,” Savannah said. Suddenly her voice was strong and sure. “If you’d go inspect your penis, you would find you have a black elongated birthmark on the top part of it. It is two inches long and starts from the base, right from where your pubic hair ends. You would also see a similar birthmark on your right testicle, only it’s circular.”

For an instant, he stared at her stupidly, as if dazzled in the glare of a searchlight. Then his face broke. The flush that came to it was so furious, for a moment Savannah thought his mug would explode. Judge Cass became the color of ripe beet and the veins on his neck stood out in fuming welts. His big eyes bulged wildly, like hot marbles.

Savannah rose to her feet.

“Think about it, Mr. Cass. This little matter could become public knowledge in no time,” she said, a triumphant glow in her eyes. “It’s entirely up to you now, sir.” Then she turned around and left.

As she descended the elevator, she felt a shiver of thrill go through her, a thrill that was both exhilarating and intoxicating.
Wolf, I didn’t fail you, my love.

WOLF’S
heart had stopped.

He stared at the inscription on the platinum bracelet for the hundredth time.

To Ann…from your best friend Mary

Savannah had always been loath to talk much about her past and Wolf had understood. It brought back untold hurt and pain, so he had never pressed. But he knew she was then called Ann and that she had a best friend named Mary.

Wolf puffed out furiously through his mouth.
Oh, come on now! You are letting your mind go berserk!
After all, there would be a million Anns and Marys, and perhaps hundreds of Anns and Marys who were friends, possibly even best friends. But,
man, you are so desperate you will clutch at pink air.

And yet, the thought just wouldn’t go away. It seemed latched onto his brain like a leech.

He fought within himself, but it was hopeless.

Finally, he decided,
just get it done and over with
. Just so he could get some peace again. After all, suspicion begins at home, he told himself. And that’s okay once in a while as long as you get it cleared, as inconspicuously as possible, and quickly move on.

.

H
e was waiting for her when she arrived five minutes past ten am.

Relax, brother, don’t show your anxiety. Go about it as discreetly as possible and then you can forget all about it and life goes on as before.

So, he took her in his arms and they remained in a close embrace.

Wolf thought she was unusually radiant today. There was a spark to her that he hadn’t seen in a long time.

When they parted, Wolf took a deep breath and went to the bed. He picked up a book, a novel called ‘Piknik.’ He flipped the pages, stopped randomly at page 156. He handed Savannah a red-ink ball pen and paper. He pointed to a paragraph at the bottom of the page.

“Copy this down, please,” he said. “I’m learning something called graphology and I want to analyze your handwriting.”

“Since when did you start…whatever it is called?”

“What do you think I’ve been doing with my nights?”

“I don’t want my handwriting analyzed. I’m scared what you’ll find.”

“I’ll keep it to myself.”

“That’s what I’m scared of.”

But he was tenacious like a spider and finally she submitted with a shrug.

Wolf went into the washroom, purportedly for a leak, and quietly fished out the note-from-the-cardboard-box from his pocket. He studied the two samples closely.