Chapter 19:
The walk out of the stadium was silent. No one stopped Connor or as much looked his way. He had never felt so lonely around so many people. As he exited the gate of the stadium one of the security guards heard something on his radio. He hollered at Connor to stop. Connor could hear sirens approaching quickly and he wasn’t sure what to do. His conscience told him to stop and deal with the problem, but the agonizing look on his Mom’s face retuned and goaded Connor to leave.
Within a few seconds of the guard demanding Connor to stop, a car screeched to a halt in front of him. The door opened and an old Japanese man stoically motioned for Connor to get in. Connor hesitated as his conversation with Shuji flooded back into his memory. He looked at the old man with white hair and a long grey beard.
“Are you Nobuharu?” Connor quickly asked.
The man nodded. Connor jumped into the car as the security guard behind him ran and yelled for him to stop.
The car raced away from the stadium, but the sirens did not stop their determined wail. Connor knew time was critical and he had placed all his trust in a man he had only briefly heard of.
“Who sent you?” Connor asked apologetically.
The man turned to look at him, but did not respond. He reached inside the silk robe he was wearing and handed Connor a letter. Connor opened it cautiously even though his senses told him that he could trust the man next to him.
Connor,
I am sorry I not one to save you from Billy. You must go with uncle Nobuharu. He get you out of Kyiv and to Japan. We will meet in Zamami. Is small village I tell you about. Trust Nobuharu, he is most honorable man.
Shuji….
His pact with Shuji was now forcing a precedence to not care for his friends and family. Connor pounded his good fist against the dashboard of the car. There was no way for him to check on Andre, Maria, or find out more about his mom if he kept going with Nobuharu, but he legitimately had no other choice. He had killed Billy in front of thousands of people and he would not be able to easily escape the country if he stuck around. Connor was ambiguous about what to do.
The car continued to wind out of Kyiv and found its way onto a straight strip of highway. Connor recalled coming down this same highway in Billy’s car on his way back from Kyiv. Connor asked Nobuharu to stop at Babushka’s village, but the old man did not respond to anything Connor asked. The act of fleeing started to fill Connor with feelings of cowardice. He thought about just opening the car door and jumping out, but every time the thoughts crept toward the front of his brain he thought of his mom and how she would most likely go back to Japan since Billy was dead. The hope of finding her again kept him at bay.
After a half an hour of driving the car zoomed past the airport and made its way to a private air field. A small jet anticipated the cars arrival. Connor clutched his staff and exited the vehicle as it stopped. Two Japanese men wearing black suits motioned for Connor to board the plane. Nobuharu was quickly in tow behind Connor. He nudged Connor toward the plane. This would be the end of Andre’s homeland if he stepped aboard the plane and he realized if he continued up the steps he may never see his friend again. Connor took a deep breathe, exhaled and walked onto the jet.
The passenger cabin was very chic and modern with metallic paint and sharp lined captain’s chair. Connor sat down in one of them and began to sulk as he heard the door close and the engines rev. Slouching down he looked at the floor until a pair of high heels stopped in front of him. Connor looked up and saw the same face that had invaded his thoughts since he killed Billy. His mother was in tears as mascara slowly dripped down her cheeks. He stood up and embraced her. Sobs released from her tidy appearance until her knees went weak. Connor held her up and then gently sat her in the chair opposite from where he had been sitting. He sat next to her and comforted her by holding her close and letting her release all of the pain and heartache she had held for so long.
The jet screamed down the runway as the sobs and tears transformed into weeps and gasps. Connor watched as his mother’s eyes closed and her body melted into his shoulder. She slowly drifted into a restful sleep. Connor stroked her hair and kissed her head. He had his mother back and even though nothing logically made sense and his choices over the last hour felt impulsive, rash, and selfish; Connor felt the dignity of the bear well up inside him. He made good on his promise to Shuji, found his mother, and was now on his way to bring down the largest corrupt organization in the world. He relaxed his posture, allowed himself to feel the pain in his hand and eyes once again and rested from a tragic chapter in his life.
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