Pay Back
The same unblinking eyes bore into his very soul once he turned to look behind him.
Jerry felt the burden of guilt weighing down on him even more than before. Yet, he resolutely pushed it away and rushed headlong into the crowd.
The little girl was a bedraggled sight in the midst of the well-heeled shoppers. Her stringy hair hung limply down her back, which was barely covered by the rags she wore. Yet what stared insolently from the pallor of her face was a pair of intense eyes framed by dark circles of fatigue. Where her entire being looked lifeless and worn, her eyes remained focussed and alert, undaunted by the ranks of strangers closing in on his retreating figure.
Jerry rushed into his apartment, hoping against hope that the little girl had already left.
Slowly, he stole a glance through the peephole in the door and then sank down on the floor. She was there, standing against the wall of the corridor, as she had been every time he was within the walls of his home. The irony of it was that she was not watching out for him but rather, watching him. Finally, the anxiety of the past six weeks crept up and overpowered him. His already weakened fortitude finally crumbled as he buried his face in his hands and cried.
It had all started six weeks ago when he was driving down the wide boulevard of
Ganges Street. It was a serene night, with the balmy breezes fanning the swaying rhythm of the trees. Jerry had just closed a multi-million dollar deal with an international corporation and was in particularly buoyant spirits. The happiness and excitement that he felt was sharpened by the sense of power as he mastered the powerful sportscar he was driving. In a moment of folly, he stepped hard on the accelerator to test his own driving prowess.
That was the exact moment that the gaunt and elderly gentleman had stepped off the pavement mere metres ahead of him. The little girl by his side was, fortunately for her, a little slower and thus saved from
Jerry felt the burden of guilt weighing down on him even more than before. Yet, he resolutely pushed it away and rushed headlong into the crowd.
The little girl was a bedraggled sight in the midst of the well-heeled shoppers. Her stringy hair hung limply down her back, which was barely covered by the rags she wore. Yet what stared insolently from the pallor of her face was a pair of intense eyes framed by dark circles of fatigue. Where her entire being looked lifeless and worn, her eyes remained focussed and alert, undaunted by the ranks of strangers closing in on his retreating figure.
Jerry rushed into his apartment, hoping against hope that the little girl had already left.
Slowly, he stole a glance through the peephole in the door and then sank down on the floor. She was there, standing against the wall of the corridor, as she had been every time he was within the walls of his home. The irony of it was that she was not watching out for him but rather, watching him. Finally, the anxiety of the past six weeks crept up and overpowered him. His already weakened fortitude finally crumbled as he buried his face in his hands and cried.
It had all started six weeks ago when he was driving down the wide boulevard of
Ganges Street. It was a serene night, with the balmy breezes fanning the swaying rhythm of the trees. Jerry had just closed a multi-million dollar deal with an international corporation and was in particularly buoyant spirits. The happiness and excitement that he felt was sharpened by the sense of power as he mastered the powerful sportscar he was driving. In a moment of folly, he stepped hard on the accelerator to test his own driving prowess.
That was the exact moment that the gaunt and elderly gentleman had stepped off the pavement mere metres ahead of him. The little girl by his side was, fortunately for her, a little slower and thus saved from