“No. I would not condone any excuses for him. He will be punished,” he said with finality, and began his teaching as though nothing happened. Meanwhile, he noticed an unusual calmness in the class. He was aware that Jeffrey had just a handful of friends. But that day, everyone seemed to be missing him. All the same, they had the morning lectures silently.
Nevertheless, it was the same mood with the other classes Mr. Green had lectures that day. By noon, he decided to get more newspapers for updates. He was shocked by the news headline of the afternoon papers.
(Mr. Edward Murray's car and all the occupants, including the driver and his daughter, were burnt to ashes.)
'My speculations were right then. The feud between Mr. George Morris and Edward Murray led to the attack on their children.'
He concluded nervously. Howbeit, when Mr. George Morris learned that his driver and all the occupants were burnt to ashes, he believed that his son was dead as well. Judging from the time and the scene of the incident, he had no doubt that his son was dead. He wept all through the night, and he was inconsolable. Likewise, he flipped his phone and kept on admiring his son’s pictures.
At a time, he decided to play pranks by dialing his number only to discover that it was switched off and that gave credence to his speculation. He had been a widower for many years and had refused to remarry. So, he had all his hope on Jeffrey as his companion and successor. He concluded that it was his business associate, Mr. Edward Murray, who was responsible for the attack and no other person. Then, he also sent his men to kill his daughter on her way to school. The next day, her car was also attacked and bombed to ashes.
Now, Mr. Green was more committed to saving Jeffrey. He would not allow him to go back to his father, at least for the moment. So, he took the initiative to get some clothes from a nearby shop with a facemask.
By the time he got to the clinic, Jeffrey was still sleeping peacefully, and he decided to move him away from the hospital at once.
'If others got to know that he was not in the bombed car, the news would spread and endanger him the more.' He concluded.
“Can I take him home?” He asked the doctor, who did not associate the news headlines with Jeffrey.
“Yes, you can. But he is still sleeping. How do you intend to take him home?”
“I can wake him up. We needed to be somewhere. As you can see, I brought his clothes.”
“It's all right. Come with me.”
The doctor walked him to his ward, and Jeffrey was sleeping all by himself. On getting to his bed, he sprinkled some water on his face a few times, and he opened his eyes. Meanwhile, the effect of the sedative was gradually withdrawing, and he looked weak and pale. Then, he smiled when he saw Mr. Green, and the doctor announced, “You're free to take him home. You can continue with the medications at home.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“You're welcome, Mr. Green,” the doctor acknowledged, and took his leave. Subsequently, Mr. Green looked at Jeffrey, who was lying on the bed, and smiled back at him before he sat beside him and asked, “How do you feel, Jeffrey?”
“I feel fine. Thank you, Mr. Green. Has my driver come for me, please?” He asked out of genuine concern.
“I wouldn't know since I'm not at home. We will find out when we get home.”
“It is all right,” Jeffrey said, and sat up on the bed.
“You have to change to this,” Mr. Green said, and showed him the new clothes that he bought. Although, Jeffrey loved the clothes, but he was confused, so he inquired, “Why should I change? Why can't I leave with my school uniforms?”
Now, Mr. Green giggled, and responded, "You have to change because the school is long over. I'm afraid that you may be the only one with a uniform, and you may look funny.”
“Oh! I'm not conversant with the time.”
“Yes. It's almost 5 PM.”
After Jeffrey Morris changed to his new mufti wears, they left the hospital. He wore a mask just like Mr. Green, who claimed it would reduce their dust intake due to the weather. Now, Mr. Green, would not be at ease unless he took him home, and disguised him as much as he could. From the look of things, he would transfer him to another school.
At Mr. George Green's Apartment.
Now, he had succeeded in smuggling Jeffrey to his apartment, and he made him to sit down on the couch in the parlor. Though, he was still drowsy and looked famished, but he wanted to avoid raising any alarm by asking him to change into his pajamas before he dozed off again. He allowed him to sit while he quickly served him some yogurt before preparing the heavy meal.
“You like banana yogurt, I guess?”
“Yes. Thank you for this, Mr. Green.”
“It's my pleasure.”
“How was school today?”
“School was fine. Your colleagues missed you.”
“Wow! Did they?”
“Yes. Drink your yogurt. It will help you.”
“It all right, Mr. Green.”
Now, he sipped an enormous amount of yogurt while Mr. Green engaged him in a discussion to take his mind off his driver and dad. Then Jeffrey inquired cheerfully, "Did you say that my colleagues missed me at school today?”
“Yes. Take more yogurt. You need it.”
“Okay,” he agreed and sipped more yogurt.
Nevertheless, his eyes were getting dim as he sipped the last drop of the yogurt and then dozed off. Likewise, Mr. Green took his uniform and the medications to the guest room. Meanwhile, he suspected that the allergic rhinitis was caused by the room that had been locked for a long time. So, he opened the windows for ventilation and changed the sheets and curtains. He mopped the floor to get rid of the accumulated dust. Then, he dusted the airborne dust that had stuck to the wall and furniture. When he was satisfied, he moved to the kitchen to prepare the dinner.
'It is true that the fatherly instinct is in every man. All we need is to harness it when the need arises,' he thought to himself, and smiled. Then, Jeffrey slept on the couch until 10 pm. Now, Mr. Green had supported his neck with pillows to avoid neck pain. He made him to lay properly as he took his two legs off the ground and placed them on the armrest of the couch to avoid cramps.
After he had his dinner, he settled down to mark his scripts. At this instance, Jeffrey woke up, and was starving due to the effect of the multivitamin he was given at the clinic.
“Can I have anything to eat, Mr. Green? I'm starving, please,” he pleaded.
Now, Mr. Green was elated because he was recovering fast. Then he inquired, "What would you like to eat?”
“Anything, will be all right for now.”
“It's okay. You can brush and come to the dining table.”
He dashed off to the guest room to brush, while Mr. Green walked to the kitchen. Before Jeffrey could join him at the dining table, the food was set. Likewise, he opened the dishes and screamed, "Wow! It looks delicious," he exclaimed. Then, he had his meal while Mr. Green returned to his study to continue with his work. In a short while he was through. He emptied his plates of potatoes served with chicken breast and vegetables. Thereafter, he cleared the table and washed the dishes before he joined Mr. Green in the study.