Chapter 3 Joseph Taken Away By The Police

• When I opened my eyes again, my house was filled with a group of strangers.
• My grandmother seemed to have aged significantly overnight. Her face was even marred by distinct bruises and injuries.
• “Grandma, what's wrong?” I leaped out of bed, my voice cracking.
• One of the strangers crouched down before me and asked kindly, “Little girl, did you happen to visit Mr. Joseph Yates' house yesterday?”
• I glanced at my grandmother in surprise.
• Could it be that last night wasn't a dream? Grandma has already learned about the incident and must have gone to seek Mr. Yates out, which explains why her face is littered with injuries!
• My face flushed beet red, and I berated myself for talking in my sleep, leading to my grandmother being injured.
• “Don't be scared, Tiff. These people are police officers. Just answer whatever questions they ask you.”
• My grandmother held me in her arms, her eyes red-rimmed.
• Bursting into tears, I repeated everything I remembered once again.
• The stranger's eyes brimmed with heartache. He gently patted my back and soothed me. “I'll arrest the bad man. There, there. Don't be afraid.”
• While they were talking, the village chief and Joseph's daughter suddenly barged in.
• As soon as Joseph's daughter—Rhonda Yates—stepped foot into the house, she put on the waterworks. “My father is an old man and might bear the shame, but I can't. Mdm. Edna Meyers, we are from the same village. Let's just settle this matter privately. Making it public wouldn't be good for Tiff's reputation either.”
• The village chief had his hands awkwardly raised. “She insisted on coming in. I couldn't stop her.”
• When my grandmother saw Rhonda, her face flushed bright red, and her lips quivered incessantly. It was clear as day that she was extremely angry.
• “Scram! Get out of here!”
• Rhonda kept crying out to her, promising to compensate us with a substantial amount of money and pleading with her to settle the matter privately.
• My grandmother remained silent throughout it all. I knew one remark made her waver—making it public would not be good for my reputation.
• She would never want others to gossip about me.
• Seeing that my grandmother had gone silent, Rhonda thought that she had changed her mind following the mention of compensation. Her tears immediately dried up, and she adopted a tone of disdain.
• “I'm willing to pay five hundred. This isn't a small sum for your family. Look at Tiff. She's all grown up now, but her dresses barely reach her knees. Kids grow up fast, so it's best to buy new clothes every year, lest others catch a glimpse of anything inappropriate.”
• In other words, my dress was too short, instigating her father to behave inappropriately.
• My grandmother could not hold herself back any longer. She snagged the sickle beside her and hurled it at Rhonda. “Get out! D*mn it, your entire family is rotten to the core!”
• Although the sickle did not hit Rhonda, she still suffered a fright. Yelling and screaming, she hid behind the police officer. “Help! Murder! This old hag is trying to kill me! Hurry up and arrest her!”
• The police officer who had been standing at the side and attempting to mediate things wore a long face. He grabbed Rhonda from the back and enunciated authoritatively, “Apologize properly to the little girl. If they don't want to settle this privately, we'll go by the book. Why are you throwing a fit and kicking up a fuss?”
• His words were firm and forceful, leaving Rhonda stunned, words eluding her for a long time.
• My grandmother was still searching for a weapon. She dug out an axe from the bottom of the chest and stood up menacingly. “There's no way I'll settle this matter privately. That shameless geezer won't learn his lesson until he has spent some time behind bars.”
• I quickly clutched at my grandmother. Meanwhile, the police officer snatched the axe from her and urged, “Take it easy. Talk things out properly, or you'll scare the child.”
• My grandmother glanced down to be greeted by the sight of my panic-stricken face and seemingly deflated instantly. She pulled me into her embrace, her hair which was a mix of black and white trembling slightly.
• The commotion was immense, with several police cars coming to the village and taking Joseph away.
• My grandmother did not want to make a big fuss about the incident. The Yates family was also too ashamed to explain to others why Joseph had been taken away.
• However, the village was small, so the arrival of a single police car would have been enough to cause a major stir. In just one day, the gossip had been distorted entirely.
• Some people overheard the row between Rhonda and my grandmother, thus speculating that my grandmother had attempted to seduce Joseph while she was working as a laborer because she had her sights set on the Yates family's wealth but shifted the blame when things went south, resulting in Joseph being taken away by the police.
• My grandmother did not refute the rumors out there.
• But after that day, she sent me to school every day personally and would always be there waiting for me at the school gates as soon as classes ended to take me home.
• That day, as we were walking past the entrance of the village after my grandmother had picked me up from school, a group of middle-aged women who were busily gossiping abruptly quietened. They cast disdainful and judgmental looks at my grandmother while whispering amongst themselves.
• My grandmother gave me a gentle nudge, her face gloomy as she said, “Quick, walk.”
• I knew that she did not want me to hear the crowd's unsavory words. But just at that moment, Linda spat hard on the ground, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “That shameless old hag has no shame at all. If it were me, I'd have taken my own life, too shameful to parade myself around like her.”
• They know nothing, but they have no qualms about making the most malicious assumptions about Grandma!
• My grandmother did not want me to be in the eye of the storm, so she chose to remain silent this time despite having always been intolerant of any aggravation.
• I stopped and declared loudly, “Mr. Yates was only taken away by the police because he reached under my dress.”
• My grandmother hurried over to clap a hand over my mouth, but I had already finished speaking.
• In that moment, the whispers abruptly ceased, the silence was so profound that one could distinctly hear a pin drop.
• Linda lowered her voice. “Who knows if it's true. We all know Joseph's character—”
• “I can attest that it's true. Would a child lie?” A resonant voice rang out. The village chief parked his bicycle by the road and shielded me behind him angrily. “You lot have nothing better to do than gather here and gossip all day. It's late now. Don't you need to go home to cook?”
• The group of middle-aged women were no longer as snobbish as they were, quickly dispersing with their heads hung low.