From that moment on, the days that followed were misery days for Bob Lee's mother.
Lonely nights on the balcony, sipping on a glass of whisky in hand, she stood and gazed miles away. Occupied with infinite thoughts, hopes to get her grandchild shrunk as days went by.
Although Bob Lee had employed as many maids as possible to watch over her and treat her like a queen she deserved, sunny days were so sad and boring like the moon in dark clouds with no stars around.
There reached a time when Bob Lee wasn't paying visits anymore and total loneliness became the order of the day for his mother.
Sometimes she tried to reach out to him on phone but he couldn't pick, which kept her wondering why.
"It can't be my son ignoring my calls!" She was so sad after trying to call his number more than once, "he'd never spend a week without checking on me either."
As for Nadia, a lady he loved unwaveringly, drove Bob Lee to buy new house where both of them were staying as husband and wife, thus leaving the presence of his mother, fully for the first time.
"Nadia Browne!" mother growled angrily, filled with hatred for her new daughter-in-law, blaming her to be the cause of abandonment and dismantling of once a united happy family.
....
Ishtar had already settled in with a new family which was so loving and caring. Pixie could often times assist her with taking care of the baby, comfortably dedicated like it was her own.
However, most of the times Pixie could stare at Ishtar with adoring eyes like she's fond of her. Pixie's endless earnest gaze always kept Ishtar questioning her mind.
"Why does she suddenly face away shyly every time I catch her staring at me?!"
One night, after Pixie had laid Ishtar's baby in bed to sleep, she turned and looked at Ishtar with fondness. Ishtar was busy in the mirrior making up her face, preparing for bed since it was bed time. When Ishtar stood up from the mirror, her eyes caught up with Pixie's eyes, and this time round Pixie did not shy her face away like she had always done.
Needing to know why the fixed stare, Ishtar wonders with a question mark face.
"Is everything alright?"
However, Pixie never said a word, only for her to continue staring at her as she slowly took steps foward, closer to her. At zero distance, after she had closed the gap fully, Ishtar gets stuck. Her heart begins to race nervously, not aware of Pixie's intention.
They were both female friends.
She tries to take a step backwards to space herself but Pixie gently grabs her by the hands not to. The situation gets so tense and confusing in the quiet guest room.
Ishtar chooses to surrender to whatever that is coming up next. In her silence and tension;
"Bang!"
From nowhere, something hits Ishtar on the head so hard and her eyes slowly black out. She slumps to the floor. It all happens when Pixie's present, her eyes clear observing, seeming increasingly unbothered. After a little while, in a dim windowless room in the basement of the house, here happened to take place a conversation between three different voices, two females' and one male's.
Holding a metallic rode, a weapon which had just been used to execute the job, Pixie complains, speaking against the means her parents had used to subject Ishtar's life to an end.
"But, using this wasn't what we agreed on!"
As both parents toil hand in hand, carrying, moving with Ishtar's body, Pixie's dad argues, toiling while lifting Ishtar's body by the legs.
"Don't be foolish _ you think we were going to go with your cowardly idea? Forget it!"
Pixie argues as she takes small steps coming after them.
"We had agreed to treat her with chloroform to death, not subjecting her to such a painful death!"
Pixie's mother, also toiling, lifting Ishtar's body by the hands, intervenes to add on her husband's voice.
"Stop talking as if me and your father are heartless! Using a metal rode on her head was the best option we came up with in your absentia, just to make sure she faces an instant death, no mistakes."
But still, Pixie seemed not so pleased.
"You told me to make sure I distracted her with my acting skills. Then as soon as she is absent minded, you sneak in with chloroform. Had I known your plans were to break her skull, I would have yelled at both of you!"
****
During a meeting between the three family members which took place in Pixie's parents' bedroom, they discussed on how best Ishtar's life can be ended. Their intention all along was to steal Ishtar's baby. For the two months of accommodating her, were to allow the baby suck her mother's breasts for a little time upto when they can easily introduce the baby to diary milk.
At first, the plan was to take Ishtar with her new born to the public park, then as the baby is laid asleep in a pram, Pixie distracts Ishtar and the baby is stolen by who would seem to be a stranger. But then, this plan felt off beat and suspicious. So, Pixie thought otherwise: a plan that seemed safe and easy to execute.
Pixie's, her mother together with her father, all agreed that it was easier to keep the baby when the mother is dead, and it was going to work better when it's done inside their home without any outside eyes.
However, in the midst of fronting how the plot will be, Pixie wanted Ishtar to have a painless death. That's why she suggested chloroform first.
*****
Pixie expressed some remorse concerning Ishtar's death though. But then, her father saw a need to bring her back in line, to look at the matter in a way that was to benefit them as a family.
With a happily smiling shining on both parents' faces, father informed his daughter:
"Nomatter how we've done it, what matters most right now is the fact that you have won a cute baby for yourself _ you're a mother now and we as your parents are going to be proud grandparents,"
Pixie smiled back at her parents including her mother who had accompanied the husband in a blissful smile. Pixie felt touched by the heart-warming words from her dad. She felt sweet, gesturing an expression of joy which was coming from the deepest part inside her soul.
In the midst of placing Ishtar's body on top of the table, Pixie's mother stated with a lot of determination:
"Unless you want enemies to keep mocking our family depending on the satulating rumor, don't forget that it was your reckless decision to get an abortion which ended up messing your womb!"
Her mother's statement provoked both tears and an indifferent laughter.
Pixie, besides her mother's statement, she continued with the conversation.
"It is said that when you kill a person in cold blood, the ghost doesn't rest _ it revenges, haunting whoever was involved to make them loose their peace and others unlived."
After finalising with place Ishtar's body down on the wide table, Pixie's father took a long relaxing breath and said to her:
"I think you watch lots of horror movies darling _ there's no such a thing like someone dies _ turns a ghost in the world, bla bla... not at all. They are dead period."
Pixies twisted her face, giving a thought to her father's reply, which only stayed on her mind.
"Is this why my parents have no problem with taking lives?"
As she still had her face frowned in thoughts, her father too more steps closer toward her:
"Like we agreed, you'll have to keep away from all of your friends for a full year. You gonna have to stay indoors for this time _ no more going out for shopping in the malls. Your only friend will be your mobile phone, okay?"
Blissfully Pixie responded:
"I'm going to be wearing fake tummies for nine months, and every after three months I will take pictures of the pregnancy and post them on my socials. Now everyone will know that am expecting."
"That's our brilliant daughter," said her father, "come here _ give me that hug!"
With no hesitation, immediately Pixie jumped into her dad's chest to warm up. Mom on the side, happily watched the two rejoicing for the win.
The wife inquired from the husband:
"What are we going to do with the body now? It shouldn't stay in here for long."
He answered, "at midnight, both me and you are going to drive with the corpse in the car to the river side where we shall be disposing it in the heavy running waters of the river so that it is washed too far away."
In a strong voice and a good feeling, Pixie's states:
"Just like our family motto says..."
And the rest of the voices from her husband and daughter Pixie accompanied:
"One for all, all for one!"
In combined happy voices all three recited their motto as a united family.