Ineffable Life (P. Mafia and Mr. Idol)

Part 13: Puzzle Pieces #1

Ana and Aunt Layla are sitting in a park. The park is quite crowded because it is currently a holiday. Ana who began to be uncomfortable with the crowd looked agitated.

"Wait a little while, yeah, she'll come." said Aunt Layla, who was aware of Ana's anxiety.

"Are aunts sure? I'm very uncomfortable. Or should we just move somewhere else?" pinta Ana frowned.

"Please wait another 5 minutes.If he doesn't come, let's go home soon.." persuaded Aunt Layla to hold Ana's hand warmly.

Ana just nodded in understanding.

Shortly afterwards Aunt Layla seemed to wave her hand at an old man. He seemed to be on the road approaching towards Ana and Aunt Layla. He was wearing a thick jacket and a black hat.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I can't stay here long. There'll be a lot of eyes looking at us.."

"Who's spying on us??" ana asked cut off the man's conversation.

"The lady is big.." he murmured softly as he continued to wander left right.

"Grandma Jane?" Guess Ana lirih.

"Hm.. Sir. Let's talk somewhere else if you don't feel safe here.." woo Aunt Layla tried to distract Ana from her thoughts about Grandma Jane.

"No. I'll be gone soon." the man's bell immediately refused.

"The boy was brought here by the Madam's men.. The big lady has an orphanage here.. He plans to hide the boy there and sell him to human trafficking soon.. I and the other servant were saved by Mr. Thommas and brought Mr. Thommas' men here because he was going to move here at that time for his new business to keep us safe with him.. If only his men had not come that night, we would have been dead." he explained half-whispering.

"What do you mean sir? I don't understand.."

"Grandma Jane has an orphanage here??" Ana grew increasingly curious about what the man was talking about. He tried to digest every word.

"Beware the big lady.The boy lives with a family in downtown D.. They have a motel and a nightclub called Blue Sky in the area" he added.

"That's the biggest prostitution area here." guess Ana remembered the name of the area. "What else do you know.tell me.." insisted Ana increasingly excited.

"That's all I know. I have to go.." the man was about to pass. But Ana intercepted him.

"What's the orphanage's name?" yelled Ana stopped the man's steps.

"The house is loving." replied the man half-whispering and soon passed leaving Ana and Aunt Layla still stunned by each other.

Ana was stunned trying to digest well all of the man's words. That name was the name of his orphanage in L country back then. And even a few weeks ago he also had time to see a white van with the same writing. He was chasing the van, but to no avail.

And another fact that Ana has been holding is that Ana's orphanage used to belong to Grandma Jane. He investigated the orphanage while going to L State yesterday. Ana continued to think hard what exactly happened, She looked at Aunt Layla who was just silent and unmoved.

***

That night Ana gulped down a wine in her study. Ana doesn't usually drink too much alcohol like that. Because usually he will fall unconscious or the worst ends up in the hospital like the incident when his parents died a few months ago. Ana stared at the family photo on her desk. He digested and recalled every single one of the man's words and Aunt Layla's explanation that afternoon. He was not surprised by the new facts he discovered.

The information was already quite clear to him because he knew who the real figure of Grandma Jane was. But he's still gathering a lot of other, more powerful evidence to destroy Grandma Jane, because he knows Grandma Jane isn't an easy opponent. He has a lot of support from people who are very influential in almost all parts of the country.

"Mrs Nayra and the big lady kicked me out and Lucas that night and it turns out they fired all the maids at the house who were at work at the time.. I'm sure you'll believe me..  Earlier Mr. Thommas listened to the big lady's plan to sell you and Lucas to the black market.. That's why he immediately decided to adopt you in order to protect you both..." Aunt Layla explains every detail.

"Thommas had a quarrel with Lady Nayra that night, because she was jealous of me.. Mr. Thommas used to look at me and give me gifts, but they were only gifts because he felt sorry to see my condition.. Before the incident that night, Mr. Thommas had heard his talk with the big lady that Mrs Nayra was planning to expel us all because she was unwilling to adopt you and Lucas.. Then Mr. Thommas came to see me that night to tell me his plan was to save us, so that I could immediately take you away to his other mansion.. Then the next day he could take us to another country, but the big lady actually caught us together that night.. and Mr. Thommas pretended to be drunk by saying the no-no wish for the great Madam to drive us all out. That way we could go to Mr. Thommas' mansion for no other reason..." aunt Layla's eyes glazed over the events of that night.

"But the plan fell apart when they kept you in custody as a threat to Thommas not to fight them anymore.. They threatened Mr. Thommas by saying he would hurt you if he did not comply with them.. That night the big lady told her men to take Lucas away while the other servants, she wanted to kill them all for not being able to work while watching me with Mr. Thommas.."

"Grandma's unlucky magic*n.." Ana murmured inwardly with burning emotions.

"The big madam's men took me in a different car to Lucas.. While on the road the car I was riding in had an accident then I was unconscious. upon waking up it turns out I was already in this country and there was also Mr. Thommas beside me.."

"Didn't Dad go on vacation with Mom?" tanya Ana recalls that at that time grandma jane said that her parents were going on vacation together.

"No. he left your mother on vacation. When your father was with me, the big lady called him and threatened to kill you if he did not catch up with Mrs Nayra immediately.. That's why he protected you so much Ana.. And that was the last time we met.. He sent me money to survive.. But not long after that the big madam's men found me.. I ran away without telling your father.. I immediately changed all my identity and closed all my bank accounts... Mr. Thommas thinks I'm dead.."

"Then what about Lucas?" ask Ana lirih.

"Mr Thommas kept looking for him.Initially he thought Lucas was in the same car as me, he kept looking for Lucas but to no avail.. The man was one of the maids that the big lady would finish off, and he also had a chance to hear the big lady talk in the afternoon before the night's incident.."

"So Grandma Jane did plan to get rid of us in the first place?" asked Ana again with a look full of anger.

"What you see about the big lady.it's just Ana's mask.we don't know what kind of person she is.." lamented Aunt Layla who had been crying ever since.

"I know who he is." Ana murmured inwardly. Ana was just stunned. Silence immediately enveloped them. Aunt Layla was overwhelmed in her immortality, and Ana with her cold thoughts.

Ana thinks Grandma Jane is angry with Aunt Layla because she already knows that Aunt Layla is the mastermind behind her orphanage. But Ana still has other thoughts and speculations about Grandma Jane.

 

***

Ana tries to contact her men, ordering them to investigate all the information she got from her father's former mansion servant earlier. He hopes this time he can find his brother Lucas.

After that he could think what steps he would take to avenge Grandma Jane.