Ravensklip Later That Same Day

Chapter 6
He arrived at the school just as the twins came out of the school gates; they clambered excitedly into the back of his car, both babbled at the same time. “youwill neverguess whatstrange things are goingonin Ravensklip”, was the garbled effect that Thomas heard.
“One at a time and slowly, please I cannot hear and or understand you both of you at the same time”, interrupted Thomas.
Katie, the older of the twins, by four minutes, with exaggerated slowness, reiterated “you will never guess what strange things are going on in Ravensklip,” She giggled cheekily.
“No need to speak so slowly, I can hear you clearly, when I am not getting it in delayed stereo”, laughed Thomas.
“Last night Brett and Adrian had come over for a braai with us, as our folks had gone out on some business function, we were in the back yard listening to some music and just chilling, while the fire burned down to nice hot embers so that we could start cook. Clifton came down the road, with his engine screaming and he was only doing about 20 odd Kilometers and hour, he was still correcting himself from the bend in the road, over corrected and tried it again, wobbling and weaving all over the road while all the way he was throttling in his bike in low gear he was really hammering that motor bike of his, over-revving it even more than his usual cocky manner..
He swung into the driveway, and then completely lost it, came short bike to one side of the driveway him to the other, well Brett and Adrian, hopped the wall and ran over to help that stupid git get himself and his bike up. He walked over to his bike, snatched the crash helmet off his head and threw it at the bike very nearly hitting Adrian. He sort of staggered over to the gate, and after two attempts managed to release the latch and swung it open. All the while he shouted and cursed both Brett and that motherfucking bike, opened the gate, jerked the bike out of A's, grip, who was still holding it upright after picking it up off the ground, and started pushing the bike up the driveway to the garage, he just left the gate standing wide open and then went into thee house, slammed the door.
Brett and Adrian climbed back over wall and we were confused by his mood and wer talking about it. You know, how unusual it his behavior, as he was he was not drunk, but he must have been taking something to make him that weird. As we all know him from School and although he is a bit of a git and thinks he is Gods gift to us girls, we know he is inclined to party hearty, but that is beer and thats when he thinks he is Casanova, just like all those kids doing their Technical Matric.”
“That’s not all”, added Maude, not wanting to be left out of the saga, “about an hour later, we had just finished braaing the meat, the fire had burnt to really low glowing embers, we had just dished up the salads and stuff when all the lights, over at the O'Hara's started to come on and go off, lots of load shouting and screaming, sounded like all sorts of things being chucked around, this went on for went on for about twenty or so minutes and we were at the point of dialing the police, when an unmarked police car pulled up and swung up into the driveway, Mr O'Hara opened up the front door, the cop got of the car and was escorted into the house, the front door was then closed. “
“After about ten minutes, the shouting stopped and the front door opened, the cop came out pushing Clifton, who had his hands, handcuffed together behind his back, the cop opened the back door and shoved him, unceremoniously onto the backseat of the car, slammed the door and returned to the house, leaving the front door wide open, Somebody turned on the outside lights.”
“A fifteen minutes later, along came a marked police vehicle and behind it a police van, with a dog in it. The trooped up past Clifton in the car, and proceeded into the house, dog and all!”
Katie picked up the telling of the incident, Thomas was now absolutely sure that the entire school had heard the saga, and whatever misfortune had befallen Clifton and his family. “They were in the house for nearly an hour, they then brought the dog out and walked him around the front garden and they opened the garage and walked him through there. They then put the dog back into the van and went inside.”
“Twenty minutes or so later, the entire squad left the house, followed by Mr and Mrs O'Hara. The police took off in their cars, and the O'Hara's followed that stream of vehicles behind the last police car, with Clifton sitting head hung low in the back seat.”

”About an hour later the guys had gone home, a car pulled up into the O'Hara's driveway, stopped just inside passed the open gates, Mr O'Hara, closed the gates, climbed back into the car and they came home and locked the garage , Clifton was not with them! The lights of the house went off slowly one by one.”
“Well we are dying to know what happened!”
They had just reached Ravensklip when a bakkie, fully loaded, passed them coming up the other way. Mrs. O’Hara drove away with a fair amount of furniture, as well as sundry boxes of all shapes piled up high, the tyres of the bakkie looked nearly flat.
“I wonder if she left him with the kitchen sink”, Maude snickered, “she even used the hose-pipe to tie down the load”. They all had a bit of a mile about it, as it did seem as if she had practically cleared out the entire movable contents of her house.
Thomas quickly dropped off the twins and drove to his house, to look in on Barbara, as well as to check up if their was any mail, or if any messages had come through. Barbara was waiting at the gate, her eyes gleamed, and that strange smile of hers indicated to Thomas that she had a lot of “gossip” to impart.
“Leonard came home early today. At first thought that he was either very drunk, the way he drove up here all erratically, you know, first to one side then to the other and his head was looking all around as he slowly negotiated the bends, and I was battling to make any sense of what he was saying, he has had a stroke or a heart attack! He came here to remind you to come over tomorrow and fix up those things and other repairs or something. I could hardly understand him, the way he stammered and swallowed his words, really I had to get him to repeat himself several times before I could get the message right. They way he stood here, his hands trembling and slurred speech, I told him he should go and see a doctor! How is Lilly supposed to cope with both him and Beatrice?”
“Ricard asked me to tell you to come over and see him anytime after four this afternoon, that is if you had not seen him already. It is not about that order for meat, so do not get all worked up. In addition, Bernard has arrived back home I saw him pull in at about ten this morning. ”. She managed to get this all out before Thomas had even got of the car. Her eyes still sparkled and the smile had not gone away.
Thomas gave her a gentle pat on her shoulder as she was not the hugging sort of person, as a greeting, “so, tell me what else has happened around here?” he queried.
She bubbled with absolute excitement, then gleefully said “Fiona has packed up and left Seamus for good, this time! It had came to a head last night, they were alone and had had an early supper, watching TV in their bedroom, when the next minute, it sounded as if the entire “Desert Tribe”, the local motorcycle club had just pulled up into the neighbourhood, As the noise from the bike echoed around inside, then there was a crash. She told Seamus to go and see what had happened.
Just then Fiona, pulled into the drive and parked in behind Thomas's car, I am glad you are here Thomas, as I do not know what I am doing, or going to do?
Thomas led her and Barbara into the lounge and got them settled while he quickly made some tea, and asked Fiona to tell her what had happened, told her to start from where Seamus had went down the passage to investigate what was amiss.
Fiona sipped some hot sweet tea, smiled faintly with her lips but her eyes were extremely sad ” Well Saemus went down the long passage from our bedroom Clifton had staggered and swayed up from the living room area, they then met at the “L” formed by the two passages, Clifton roughly pushed passed Seamus, so the he could get into his room, Seamus pulled him back and wanted to know what his problem was, Clifton suddenly took a wild swing at him and shouted 'You! This fucking house! The fucking crap called a bike that never fucking works, the crap I have to put up with drunks at the fucking pub, for a shitty grand a week, plus tips, so don't give me crap.' Taking another swing, which went wild, over balanced and fell on the passage floor. Seamus picked him up by the scruff of his bikers jacket and half dragged half guided him to his bed and deposited him without ceremony on to his bed.
'He is stoned out of his bloody skull' said Seamus to her, 'Leave talking to him till the morning as you will not get any sense out of him in this state!' Seamus stood up and was just about to leave the room when Clifton grabbed the old box guitar from his bedside and swung it against his head, the two of them tussled and grappled around on the bed, Seamus managed to pin Clifton down for a few minutes and was the thrown of onto the floor, Clifton aimed a kick to the side of Seamus's which struck him a glancing blow to the cheek.
Clifton then went through to the passage and kicked at or threw anything that was in his path, he tore down an antique bracket that hung in the passage broke it and threw the one section in my face and stomped on the other, he was really out of control! Seamus was still groggy from the kick and the guitar blow, so I yelled at him to phone the police as his rantings were getting worse.
Well Seamus finally phoned the police, after me telling to several times, and came to help me try and pacify Clifton who had by then gone through to the kitchen and screaming that he was now going to kill us all, he grabbed at the knife block and half of them fell to the floor, and brandished it at us, with a wild look in his eyes. I tried to take the knife away and he slashed at me, nearly slashed my arm open. Then there is Seamus telling us, I ask you, telling me, who is trying to control myself while some sort of demented I do not know what with a dangerous knife in his hands to calm down and stop the crap. It was just as well that the police arrived when he did. He ordered us out of the kitchen and started to talk to Clifton., then the bloody kid started to tell the cop were he must aim for if he wants to kill him, the cop had a gun focused on him and there he is being a bloody snotty and giving a lecture on where to shoot him for a clean kill, I ask you.” Tears rolled out the corners of her eyes and she blew her nose.
“Next thing I knew the policeman had stepped in and smacked the hand with the knife in it down, spun him around and pushed him face first up against the eye level oven, pinned his hands behind his back and was frog marching him out of the kitchen and next thing he was sitting in the locked police car, it was that quick”
“He made a couple of calls on his radio and the next thing we were invaded by several police officers, and asked questions about his friends, behavior patterns, could we search, could they use sniffer dogs, were we injured and had this type of aggression normal, where we scared for our safety when he was around, on and on. I was embarrassed my home had been violated by the child I had born, my house was being searched for drugs, evidence of occult, pornography everything and everything including communism and I do not even know what.
They eventually had finished prying sampling and taking notes down the dog was not even mildly interested in anything either.
They told us to follow them down to the police station and charge him with domestic violence, which suite me down to the ground. Seamus was in two minds but we went in any case, swore out the complaint, went to the district surgeon who examined him and filled in the official body damage report.
He was locked up and would be transferred to the cells at the Magistrates Court where he would be charged, within 48 hours.
Wee left the station and we arrived home, I tried to fix up some of the things that had been broken, but ended up throwing them in a trash can. I was empty, my own child turned on me, my own husband injured and dazed to the extent that he could not protect me from those wild slashes of his attack. All the time telling me to back off and calm down, not to shout, do not grab at him.
So this morning I packed up everything and left, now I realize I have no place to go no home and no real life any more. The interrogation from the police, was as if they had blamed me for everything, that I did not realize he was a Satanist and was practicing all sorts of rituals in in our very home, bunkum absolute bunkum, they are sprouting crap and making me out to be be some sort of cretin or something.
Tell Seamus I am OK and will be at my sisters until I have had a chance to work things through.
What had brought on this weird behavior is that he was sold some bad E and had a very weird trip, very nearly overdosed on it as well, I phoned the public prosecutor this morning and she had confirmed it, as he refuses to divulge who supplied him they will still charge him with domestic violence. Seamus is there at the courts trying to get him released and into a rehab as a condition, with the proviso of any anti social behavior would result in a very stiff jail term.
I can not be here when they return as I do not think I could face Clifton just yet, let alone trust him under my roof while I am asleep.”
With tears in her eyes she took her leave and climbed back into her car and drove off, out of Ravensklip for the last time.
Thomas turned to Barbara and shaking his head said “Well I am absolutely stunned, who would have thought that things like this could happen over here, poor Seamus, to have all that to go through and then have his wife up and leave like that!”, said Thomas.
Thomas and Barbara were now standing next to his station wagon, when Lenny, the Real Estate agent pulled up and parked behind him. Thomas glanced at his watch, “greetings, you are quite early Lenny,” stated Thomas.
“Good afternoon Barbara. Thomas am I pleased to have caught you so early, as I have to be over at the other end of town within the next twenty minutes. Listen chum, here is the settlement for the job that you have done across the road. Could you be a sport? By doing me a great favour?” asked Lenny.
“Before I say yes, what is it that you need done,” queried Thomas?
“Well would you hang onto those keys for across the road, as Mbongweni, will come over on Saturday morning and collect them from you. I would have him pick them up from me, but I will be out of town from Thursday. Would you please do it for me?” he explained.
“That would depend on what time they are going to arrive, as I am taking Ann and Barbara for brunch this Saturday”, explained Thomas.
“He said that the movers had promised him they would be loaded by eight thirty, so he will be in here by about nine, nine thirty”.
“Well I hope so.” Thomas said, thinking to himself that Lenny should have been a used car salesman as he always made promises and left it up to someone else to handle.
“Besides Mbongweni might have another job for you to do at the house, something about a valuable set of stained glass windows that needs to be installed, they might just the job your way. I told them about you when the asked if I knew of any who could do it locally.”
“Well give me Mbongweni’s cell number and I will confirm the arrangements with regarding Saturday.”
“Ok, will do so, I need to get mobile and shift across the traffic pretty smartly. Thanks for doing that for me I owe you one. I am off need to get moving if I do not want to be late for my date. Cheerio for now.” Said Lenny and departed rapidly.
“You are to soft, Thomas, you let people talk you into doing their work for them. You should have been more firm with him! Have you recovered your cost in time and material on that job across the road?” asked Barbara sternly.
“I indeed have, and added an extra fifteen percent for petrol. No I am not soft always, Lenny has given me quite a bit of work to date, and sometimes it pays to help someone out, if it does not mean going out of the way,” replied Thomas.
“Well I may as well go of to go and see Ricard to find out what he needs. Maybe it is something I can do. The last time he wanted me to sort out his fridges, which I know absolutely nothing about. See you later, and take care of yourself.”
Thomas left Ravensklip and headed out to Ricard’s butchery.