CHAPTER 5
Lo and behold, there was no sign of life in that place.
I stood at that gate for what felt like an eternity, holding the cold metal, staring inside. The office where that middle-aged woman had smiled at me, where I had paid money, where I had handed over my nine-month-old niece, it was locked. The light was off. The little blue building that had looked like a school just an hour ago now looked abandoned, like no one had been there for months. The children's drawings on the wall now looked like a cruel joke.
I rattled the gate. I called out, "Hodi! Hodi! Anyone there?" My voice was loud in the quiet shopping centre. A few people passing looked at me strangely. No one answered. Only my echo came back.
The office was locked and I knew that was the end of me. My knees felt weak. How? How could I be so stupid? How careless was I to even trust just anyone with my niece when her mom was already fighting for her life in hospital? Penny trusted me. She said, "Protect her with all you have." And I had taken her daughter and handed her to a stranger because of a hand-painted sign that said "Affordable Price." What kind of aunt am I? What kind of person does that?
I walked out furiously not knowing whether to scream or not. I wanted to scream so loud that the whole of Syokimau would hear me. I wanted to cry, to fall on the ground and roll. But I couldn't. I was frozen between disbelief and terror. I pinched myself countless times to confirm I wasn't dreaming. I pinched my arm, my cheek, hard, until it hurt. This was not a dream. This was real. Melissa was gone.
I walked past a young woman outside the gate. She was selling roasted maize, sitting on a small stool, watching me with curious eyes. I quickly turned back to her, desperation making me grab her arm slightly.
"What time do they close?" I asked, pointing towards the day care's gate, trying to keep my voice steady though it was shaking badly. "That day care, what time do they close?"
She looked at me. First with confusion, then with realization, then with pity. And that look, that pitiful look,made...