#if you spend enough time around kids who speak incoherently you begin to understand what they mean

[yandere-society]

The Ultimatum

Synopsis: Valentine’s Day has rolled around once again, and just like last year, you plan on spending it with none other than your emotional support dog. What you don’t know, however, is that you have an unexpected visitor awaiting for you at home.. and not only does he have a loaded gun on his hip, but he also has your beloved pet in his lap.

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Word Count: 6,000

Admin: @tatertotthethot​

Valentine’s Day Event Masterlist

Trigger warnings: yandere-themes, signs/mentioning of mental disorders such as: anxiety, depression, PTSD and dissociation; Mentions of gang violence; Depictions of gore; nonconsentual kissing (nothing sexual); no dogs were harmed in the making of this…

“Here you go, guys.” You said as you handed the couple across the counter their drinks. You returned their smiles and bid them a good day, but as soon as they turned away and linked their fingers together on the way out, your expression settled into one of disdain.

Baley, your manager, noticed it. But like always, she chose to ignore it. She’s very much use to your secretive, albeit bitter distaste towards romance. She’s been working along side you for two years now, and knows that you’re a big advocate for holiday decorations. You’ve decked the place out on Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas— even fucking Saint Patrick’s day. But for Valentine’s Day, all you did was slap some heart shaped stickers on the window and didn’t even look too happy to be doing that, either. But she’s never been one to push.

“Guess what I’m doing this evening,” She hinted, hanging the ‘closed’ sign on the door.

“Hm?” You asked, having zoned out while rinsing your shot glasses out.

“I’m gonna eat the rest of my edibles and read some alien erotica.”

Not expecting anything less from her, given her personality, you only choked out a laugh and shook your head. It’d be more amusing if you knew she wasn’t kidding. Baley has a weird obsession with aliens and you never took her serious about it until you bought her a tentacle dildo as a gag-gift on her birthday, and instead of laughing about it and going off into a banter like you were anticipating, she started screaming and jumping up and down like you just handed her the last Golden Ticket to the fucking chocolate factory.

“What about your boyfriend?” You asked, forcing yourself to engage in conversation to keep you from spiraling.

“He’s out of town. So I’ll be thinking of him as I read about the alien king abducting me and using my tenta-holes—“

“Never mind.” You cut her off, trying to let that lighten up the mood. You appreciated the effort, but it didn’t work. You just wanted today to be over.

It’d be a whole lot better if only you could tell her the truth and come clean about your past. But it’s not like she’d believe you, even if you had the guts. But in all honesty, her fantasy about alien abduction was more believable.

You’re a barista making $10 an hour, living paycheck to paycheck and inhabiting the house your grandmother left you in her will. You have no car, you rely on public transportation; all your clothes are from goodwill and when you’re not working at this shop, you spending your life in confinement of those walls with your dog, as a recluse.

If you even dared to tell Baley that, just three years ago, you were living in a million-dollar mansion in South Korea, and had a luxurious wardrobe from big-name designers and that you didn’t even own a pair of fucking socks that were under $100.. she’d look at you as if you were the alien. She wouldn’t entertain the bigger half of the story, about how you were engaged to a man who’s now serving a life sentence and could possibly be put on death row for committing a robbery that left one of the international banking systems short 23-million won— which would amount to be approximately 20 million dollars in America... you would’ve lost her at the word Fiancé.

It’d be easy to prove, though. Your associations to the crime may not show up in your background check, being as you’re back here in America and was never detained, and the news isn’t relevant enough to circulate here. However, a simple google search would reveal it all, even with pictures of you two in public.

But not even you wanted to look up his name to know what was going on with his case. You were still ambient to forget about him, in a way. You wanted to ignore his existence. You fucking loath that man.. you swear, you do.

You had fallen back into a brooding silence again without even meaning to, and although you were busily cleaning up off muscle memory, you were detached. He still has that effect on you. And truth be known, the first year you spent in lonesome isolation after leaving Korea was just a change of scenery but not very different from the lifestyle he had subjected you to. But even still, it was so much better than living with him at the estate. And now, with your dog Sweetpea there, you feel safe again. At least you were in the same place you grew up, and felt closer to your grandmother—

Fuck, you missed her so much. He wouldn’t even let you visit her in person before she past. The man owned his own private jet and it never had any maintenance problems until the one fucking night you needed to go back home. You only got to speak with her on the phone, and bawled your fucking eyes out and spewed out an incoherent apology just hours before her heart gave out. That’s when she told you that she left you the house, and how sorry she was for kicking you out of it because you didn’t pursue the career field she wanted you to go for.

If only they would’ve arrested Taehyung a month prior, you could’ve been there for her. You could’ve hugged her and the two of you could given each other the apology you both deserved.

“Hey..” Baley’s voice suddenly came to your left ear, the only one that you could actually hear out of. Your right one, despite being 80% deaf even with a functioning hear aid, was faintly ringing from the emotional tangent you had accidentally drifted into.

You looked over at her, and broke down. Although she could never fully understand, she still gave you an empathetic frown and was pulling you into a hug before you could sputter out an apology— not that there was any use for one.

You had secrets that still haunted you, and will always impair your daily life— much like your botched eardrum and this shitty device you spent way too much money on. That’s another thing you only had Kim Taehyung to thank for, along with your fucked up shoulder.

You had to carefully elevate your arms but eventually returned the hug and cried a little harder, not able to help it. Sweetpea was a great reciprocate for affection and did a swell job with distracting you, but as far as human comfort goes, you haven’t had so much as that in.. well, seven fucking years. Tae was always big on affection, and also comforted you when you needed it. But it was redundant and didn’t have a sincere effect, being as he was the very one that initially caused the hurt it derived from.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on with you, I never do... but I want you to know that I can see how strong you are. You’re doing a great job at making it through each day...” she muttered, rubbing your back as it shook with each silent sob. You felt bad when you heard her own voice beginning to thicken, but that was no surprise. She was a sympathizer and a little bit emo in general. Seeing others cry was enough to jerk a tear out of her, and you loved that about her. She’s a weirdo, but she’s pure, and she’s very good hearted. You could even say that you may have deeper feelings for her as well, and they may even be mutual, but you were no good for her. Hell, you were already putting her in enough danger just by being an employee at her shop. If you were to let your relationship stem past being friendly coworkers, or even hung out with her outside of work, that could pose an actual threat to her safety.

So, even though you wanted to lengthen the embrace, and longed to tighten your arms around her even more, you pulled back and wiped at your face, giving her a weak grin and a nod instead.

She squeezed your shoulders one last time before taking a step back, recollecting herself.

“You go home. I got everything else.”

You sheepishly nodded again, thanking her one last time before collecting your things and booking it out of there. Had you not felt so broken and defeated in that moment, you would’ve refused. But her show of affection triggered a deep, dire need to give and be given more comfort.

Fortunately for you, though, you had a special someone for that. Your dog is the only living creature on this planet that can be trusted with the revelations of your past. She’s the only reliance you have for receiving unconditional love and support without any judgment... probably because she doesn’t even understand what the fuck you’re saying half the time, nor can she repeat the shit you say, but as far as comfort goes, it’s always a guarantee.

— That’s just in her nature, like most pets. Pitbulls, however, are very sensitive and attentive to certain emotions— especially depression and anxiety. They’re just as good with protecting their owners, as well as they are with babysitting them. Everyone knows pitbulls have a notorious and misguided reputation for being aggressive. But little do most know, before dog fighting became a popular thing and defamed their personalities, pitbulls were primarily referred to as ‘Nanny dogs’. They’re great with babies in general, and very domestic and charismatic by nature. But despite being big, loveable goof balls themselves, they can literally sense stressful emotions and will know what type action to take in order to sedate them.

Sweetpea may not have professional training and certification but it is by her true nature and personality that you call her an Emotional Support Dog. When you’re having another one of your episodes— panic attacks, senseless paranoia, nightmares— she’s running to your aid and doing anything she can to distract and get you to play with her. When you’re depressed and spiraling into another breakdown, she licking at your face and sitting in your lap, not even seeing the problem with her being three times bigger than the average lap dog—

“Kneehemplamaforseeking?”

You sucked in a breath and blinked over at the PetsMart employee, smiling a few away from you. You probably looked lost, and in a way you quite literally were. You hardly remember walking in the direction of this store, let alone entering it. But this a common thing for you, so you easily just went on about your way despite the sudden worry of missing your bus... again.

“I’m sorry, what’d you say?” You had asked, turning your good ear towards her and watching her lips move.

“Do you need help looking for something?” She repeated, carefully annunciating her words this time, now that she could see the device in your ear. In today’s age, most people mistake it as a bluetooth— which has unknowingly saved you from accidentally talking to yourself in public, more than you would know.

You shook your head in response to the lady, and checked the time on your phone. You had 30 minutes left, thank God.

“No thanks. I’m just here to get some treats and waste some time before my bus comes. It’s windy as hell outside.”

“Ah, it certainly is,” she agreed, making her way to the next aisle. “Be safe out there!”

“I’ll try.” You muttered to yourself, grabbing a bag of bacon strips off the shelf— the very thing you had ultimately came for. It should’ve taken you no more than 5 minutes to grab and go. But it wasn’t uncommon for you to take much longer and aimlessly wonder down multiple aisles only to get one or two things from the same aisle, though. You do it at every store you go to, if you can stand to be outside of your home or away from work.

After checking out, you made it a mission to stay present until your bus came. By the time you got home, you were more stable.. up until the bus driver— a sweet elderly man who’s been transporting you on this route for last couple of years, handed you a rose on your way down the stairs.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, young lady.”

You had the strength to give him a genuine smile, but as soon as you stepped off and the doors closed, and the bus engine picked back up and left you with a gust of wind, you broke again.

Taehyung always gave you a bouquet of blood red roses for Valentine’s Day. He knew you were a sucker for them. And you still are, but sentiment wasn’t the only emotion to come now. They brought on an ache. A pain. A worry. A twinge of longing, but a fuckton of resentment.

You wanted to throw it on the ground and stomp at it.. better yet, you wanted to set it on fire and watch it burn while smoking a much needed cigarette. But first, you need to see your dog. You know she’s just as anxious to see you.

You trudged up to your door and was quick to unlock it... but frowned when you didn’t see her on the other side. Maybe it was because your ears were ringing again from how worked up you’d just gotten. But usually, the mere sound of your key twisting at the lock would have her running to the and practically beating it down, and you’d opened to see her gleefully wining out and wagging her tail.

But she wasn’t there.

“Sweetpea?” You called out, making it a point to swing the door shut behind you. Still, nothing—

Whimpering. You heard her whimpering and your head snapped over to the hallway. Your heart began to race. Your bed door was open, as always, and you could hear her in there but she wasn’t coming out. Only whimpering for you to come to her.

Fearing the worst, thinking perhaps she’d hurt herself to the extent that she couldn’t move, you barged down the hallway and listened with a sickening sense of uneasiness as her whimpering turned to muffled howls.

“Sweetpea, wha—“

You screamed. Sheer horror and white-hot adrenaline erupted through your veins and scorched your nerve endings, leaving you numb in the limb to the impact of the floor beneath your kneecaps. All you could feel was the volcanic eruption of despair in your chest and the strain in your diaphragm.

Sweetpea was okay, but very much in danger. She had a muzzle on, and her big, canopy-like ears were peeled back and her big, doughy eyes were wildly beading dead at you as she struggled and pawed at the carpet, watching you fall to you fall out. She was so worried to get to you but she couldn’t, do to the death grip of the man who was holding her by a leash. She couldn’t even interpret the lethality of the weapon that was also aimed at the back of her head— a glock you specially recall being the weapon of choice when Taehyung pistol whipped a man’s head open before emptying all twelve rounds in his magazine into his face.

Now, all you could envision was the same being done to that sweet face and big, bulbous head.

You screamed out and wailed even louder, not even looking at the intruder or registering who it was. Because you already fucking knew and in your mind it was too late.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” He roared, making you and Sweetpea flinch. You stopped screaming but your breath was ragged beyond your control. Your vision was bouncing between his fierce scowl and Sweetpea’s fearsome one. You dove forward, intending to crawl and beg but two pairs of shoes stepped out from where they’d been standing behind the door, and their hands gripped you by the biceps before hauling you up to your feet. You didn’t even try to resist them. You knew better than that. But fear still had you discombobulated and speaking out to yourself, feeling incredibly dizzy and disarrayed.

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”

“You’re not dreaming.” Taehyung snarled, palm itching to slap some sense into you. But even within the three years he’s spent in bitterness, it didn’t change the morality he did have in relations to you. He’d never hit you out of anger.

But then he realized the real reason why you were saying that, when your knees suddenly gave out and the hold his men had on you became the only thing keeping you up right as you fainted out. He didn’t realize you still had that problem, and it hurt him to see that now.

Back when he had you in his possession, you had accidentally witnessed an execution down in the basement of his mansion. It was the first time you fainted, a d your body came toppling down a good ten-or-so steps, which were made of cement, and you were lucky to have only broken your nose and dislocated your shoulder.

Guilt crashed over him, suddenly. He meant to terrorize you in a way that wasted little time to gain submission, but he didn’t mean to trigger your PTSD— although he knew it was likely. Given the resolve, he put the gun back in its holster and stood up, beckoning for Yoongi to take the leash. Jungkook easily held you up by the waste and waited to pass you off to your fiancé before bringing your wrists behind your back. You slowly came to as he did so, and your head lolled back up only for your entire body to snap back into attention all at once, now that you were face to face with the Devil himself.

“Come on, you fucking idiot!”

Your head snapped over and you began to panic again as Yoongi fought with your, trying to drag her over to her cage by the leash. She was putting up one hell of a fight and audibly wheezing from the choke, her eyes now bulging as she looked at you.

You bucked against the both of them, your maternal instincts causing you to go feral as you saw red.

“QUIT! YOU’RE FUCKING CHOKING HER, YOU FUCKING PRICK! PICK HER UP!”

“She’s too squirmy!” He shouted back, the shock of your outburst causing him to lose tension and Sweetpea lunged the both of them forward. Tae was shouting at Jungkook to hurry with the restraints and squeezing you tighter, but you were kicking and flailing like a fish out of water now.

“MAKE HIM STOP!” You cried out, but was forcefully silenced by the gigantic hand that grabbled around the entire bottom half of your face— including your nose. Having been in this situation before, knowing his antics, you knew he wasn’t going to let you breathe again until you did as told. So you were forced to settle down but was still desperately pleading with your eyes, crying as your dog continued to heave against the menstruations.

“Yoongi, for fuck sake, the dog is 50 pounds. Just pick her up and put your in the kennel.” Tae stressed, eyes still locked with yours.

With a grunt, Yoongi tackled your dog and trapped her in a bear hug, snatching her up off the ground. You wanted to scream at him again but you were actually starting to struggle for oxygen, chest jolting with an involuntary attempts to inhale.

“Alright, they’re on. I just gotta link them.”

Tae’s hand finally dropped and you hacked out, swallowing as much air as you could. Now that Sweetpea was safely in her cage, you had time to worry about your own safety, but the look on his face wasn’t giving off such a merciful vibe.

“You do whatever you want to me. I don’t care. I won’t fight back... but if you hurt my dog—“

“If I hurt your fucking dog, it’ll just be tough shit for you. I’ll still do whatever the hell I want and unless you need me to prove that, I suggest you stop with ultimatums..” he chuckled, but it sounded so cold and twisted. He was on the verge of snapping, and was fighting to keep as much composure as he could right now, for your sake.

But he was on a heist right now, you readied yourself for the unknown when he punctuated his sentence by grappling your throat with the same, vandalized and accessorized hand he just smothered you with— fingers digging in at the sides. Your breathing was once again constricted and your eyes reddened in strain, your voice dying out.

Tae may not beat you, but he knows your worse fear is dying by suffocation. Hence, why he’s so big in breath play.

“Can you?” He reiterated, snarling his teeth at you and revealing the top and bottom pair of golden, fang-shaped plates framing his pearly white canine teeth. Back in the day, you found them so extravagant and tasteful, but now you found them all the more threatening.

He waited until your eyes began fluttered back before letting go again, and Jungkook’s body was the only thing that saved you from falling back. You never understood why, but for some reason, Jungkook was the only person Tae allowed to be in closer range of you, even when it wasn’t necessary. He even reminded you of that when Yoongi had stepped a little too close and Taehyung shot a glare over to him that had him taking a couple steps back. But Jungkook was apparently free to stand there, holding you up even as you regained your footing. You feared that one day it will all make sense, but for now, you were thankful that he was there to at least to save you from collapsing.

It’d be great if they weren’t even fucking here, at all.

“Go put the kennel in the car— not on the seats, though. Hobi will kill me if I fuck up the interior.”

“Please let me rehouse her.” You begged, cringing as his eyes returned to you. They looked even more colorless than before. “I’ll come with you, but I don’t want her there with us.”

“She’s fine. As long as she doesn’t shit and piss everywhere and doesn’t chew any of my shit, or try to attack me, I’ll let you keep her.”

“You were just holding a fucking gun to her head, Taehyung. Please let me rehouse her. My friend Baley will take her. All I gotta do is leave her in the cafe with a note— I have the keys. I’ll even let you write the fucking note yourself and we can go...” It was significantly getting harder to speak, now that your airways were irritated and your unsteady emotions were only making it worse.

You had already accepted your fate, but had a twinge of hope left that he’d at least hear you out on that request. His features had softened into a crestfallen display of guilt, and remorse. But your faith in him shattered all over again when he stubbornly shook his head and reached for the gun again. You were just about to throw another fit until he pulled the magazine out and showed it to you.

It was empty, until he pocketed it and pulled out a fully-loaded one and clipped it into place, before putting it back in the holster.

He tricked you, and although it was still pretty fucking evil, you were relieved. He never intended to shoot her and wouldn’t have been able to, even if his finger applied enough pressure on the trigger. But you were still very much in the midst of an abduction, and you still hated this man for what he was doing to you now.

“Why are here?” You croaked.

“To come get you and our new pet,” he announced, faking the enthusiasm before reinforcing his glare. “I’m... incredibly pissed about the fact that abandoned me.. but even more so offended by the negligence to stay updated.”

His eyes then caught the flash of a blue light at your ear. Your hearing aid was dying and faintly peeping in your ear. The remembrance had his entire demeanor shift to a sullen one, like a switch.

“But at the same time—“ his voice had fallen into a lower pitch, almost to the point of being a whisper as he stepped closer and easily molded his hands around your face. You suddenly felt fragile, but not in a way that made you giddy, like it use to. Now, you had to swallow down the bile in your throat and fight against the nausea as his suddenly lips came near.

“—It’s really hard take that out on you, when I can’t even blame you for it. But It’s been three fucking years, honey. Three. How could you not even have enough concern for my well being, to not even send a fucking post card? Did you really think you‘d never see me again, and that you had snuck away from me? I knew what you were doing, and where you were going before you even boarded your fucking flight.”

“You’re suppose to be in jail. I thought you were letting me go.”

“First of all, you didn’t even know the original plan to think that it had failed. All my charges have been dropped and the suspicion of my involvement dismissed. Namjoon has been found guilty and is now serving that sentence, like I had initially plotted from the beginning. You never knew shit to fucking assume anything!”

You glared at him despite the jolt that came with his drastic notch in volume, and not your tongue as he went on.

“But I did allow you to leave the country, but only to give you space and to let you touch base with... whatever the fuck it is that you still find valuable here. I didn’t think I’d have to clarify the circumstances of your stay, but for you to not even reach out.. and the fact you got some shitty, minimum wage job on top of it all, when you still have access to the saving account I’ve put in your name.. You really thought we were over? You haven’t even checked the news articles to see any updates on the case. I’ve been out for a week!”

He was still holding your face but his hands were shaking and the pressure was increasing again. He always pulls back and regains control over his temper before inflicting harm, but it’d be foolish to not expect him to one day lose that control. He’s hurt you on ‘accident’ before. He’s slaughtered many people, more than you’ll ever know to keep count. Nothing is sacred.

But now, you are a lot more contempt and able to tolerate the fear of him hurting you on impulse, being as Sweetpea was out of harms way and no longer in the room. You were still shaking though and had closed your eyes, bracing for it. But the jerk of shock only came when his suddenly lips covered your’s, and Jungkook finally backed away.

The kiss only lasted about three solid seconds before he pulled back, and was heavily panting through his nose. You dared to look up and caught a glimpse of the physical pain marring his features. His eyes had gone watery and his jaw began ticking like a time bomb, nostrils flaring and chest rising. He pressed his forehead against your’s and snaked his fingers into the hair at the nape of your neck, trying to fight off his own sobs and choking on them more and more with each second.

“You hate me.. you haven’t even missed me.” His voice was so thickened by his emotions that it deepened the natural richness he already had, making it sound contorted and almost inhuman. A tear dropped down his nose bridge and hit your quivering lips, and for the life of you, you couldn’t fight back the heart wrenching burn it inflicted on you.

How could you still feel anything for this man? It can’t be. It just fucking can’t be..

But it was. You were so bewildered and petrified by the oncoming sympathy that it stunned you into a froze state of shock. He kissed you again, thinking it was a show of fear for own safety— and he was right to interpret the fear, but it was with different cause. He was steadily conjuring up feelings that you wished you could’ve watched burn, like you had intended to do with the rose your bus driver gave you. But here you were, heart bleeding for him.

You still didn’t reciprocate the kiss but it brought on more involuntary anguish.. you cried harder and so did he, and as he leaned your head back to kiss at your neck, you stared in perplexing awe at the gigantic bouquet of roses sitting on your nightstand.

“It’s okay. I‘ve missed you too fucking much to punish you now.” He calmed, and took a good 30 seconds to regain his composure. There was still a groggy undertone in his next words, but once again, he was back in his domineering mindset. “But I ain’t cutting you that much slack.”

You yelped when he suddenly shoved you back, straight into Jungkook for the nth time. He heatedly wiped at his eyes and stepped back, and it was the first time you took in how much more muscular and rigid he’d become over the years.

Before, he was a lot more slender and you’re certain that the very shirt he’s wearing now use to be at least 2 sizes too big on him before.. however, the black silk was skin-tight and clinging to the humps of his biceps, and straining around the buttons between his pectorals. His skin was more pale than ever before but now you could see a tattoo curving along his temple, arcing aside the edge of his pierced brow. The word that was written in elegant, cursive writing made your heart palpitate and your stomach twist even more.

Honey. That was your signature endearment. That was the name you’d given him in place of your real one the very night he met you, and asked for it.

This crazy motherfucker really is obsessed with you. How he can lie to you, deceive you, punish you and drive you fucking bonkers and stalk you down only in the act of what he calls love.. and for it to actually be a form of true—albeit dangerous love, was beyond you.

The scripture on his handsome, albeit matured face distracted you for a few seconds. You snapped out of it when Jungkook suddenly hauled you up by the midsection and slammed you down on the bed, pinning his hand down between your shoulder blades and rendering you defenseless.

“What are you doing? Taehyung! Please! Get him off of me!”

“If I could trust you to stay still, I would.” His voice was neutral again, despite a offhanded sniff. You struggled to look back, but it was no use as he was standing out of view.

“Stay still for what?”

“Do you still have your ring?” He asked instead, ignoring you.

“It’s in my nightstand drawer. Now tell me—“

“Told you she kept it,” Jungkook finally spoke— and just like it was back then, it was a very rare occurrence for when he did speak on your behalf. That’s another thing nobody else dared to do, unless asked. But knowing that he was the one stalking you for Taehyung made you all the more disturbed with him.

“Fucking creep. You’re hurting me!” you screamed at him, and he had the audacity to increase pressure. Tae said nothing, nor did he stop his friend from retaliating.

“I also know about your little affair with your coworker. Since when did you start swinging both ways?”

“What are you talking about?” You growled, and he only snorted in response.

“She knows you like her. She knows you stare at her ass every time she bends over and that you bend over on purpose to make her look at yours. She knows you like it when she slaps it.”

You, one again, went unmoving.

Jeon Jungkook is her fucking boyfriend.

“What does Jk even stand for?”

“Jackson. But he doesn’t like to be called Jackie, and you know how I am about nicknames. So I call him JK.”

“Don’t you fucking hurt her, Jungkook. You leave her alone. Tae, don’t you let him—“

“Don’t you worry about me.”

“BALEY?!”

Baley walked into view, an unreadable expression on her face. The mere realization of what was happening finally over filled your mental tolerance and you brain suddenly launched you away from reality.

The beach. You were at the beach with your cousins, all of you a little over the age of 18. You were on spring break your senior year in highschool and talking about the future. Graduation. Prom. College~

“She’s zoned out.” Baley said, and Jungkook finally let go. You were indeed paralyzed and had completely dissociated, talking to yourself. Taehyung, with a fully-loaded syringe in his hand, leaned over to look at your face. Your pupils were dilated, eyes stargazing in general, lips softly moving as you babbled nonsense. He hated knowing that it was coming to this, but he swore he’d earn your forgiveness.

“I’m gonna get your ear fixed.. or at least get you a better device. We’re gonna be okay. We’re so fucking rich now, I don’t even know what to do with all our money— only to turn it into more. I won’t have to work as much. We can get married, have the best fucking honey moon we can imagine. We can get started on a family. I’ll win your dog over, too. I promise.”

He sank the needle into your bicep, and you didn’t even flinch. Only blinked in rhythm as a tear fell.

“I’m gonna be a forensic scientist, like Mawmaw wants me to be.” You incoherently muttered, having said that to your friend, Jessica, on the beach.

It was insensitive, but he couldn’t help but crack a grin at that. Whatever memory you were reliving at the moment, was quite sometime before you actually began your classes for such profession. He bent down and kissed your cheek one last time as he injected the entirety sedation serum into your system and pulled it out. But you were oblivious to it all.

“I think I’m smart enough...”

”You’re very book smart, baby. But you’re probably gonna drop out after three semesters and become a bar tender at a strip club, because you’re not fit to be a homicidal investigator. You’re too soft.”

“I’m not..”

“You sure?”

“I’m gonna be a forensic scientist, like Mawmaw wants me to be.”

“Well, you’re gonna become my wife before you become anything else.”

“Ew, don’t even play like that. You’re my cousin.”

“Jeez..” Baley muttered. “You really have driven her a little bat-shit, huh? This is way more disturbing than I anticipated—“

“Babe, lets go sit in the car. Come on,” Jungkook hurried, pulling her out of the room.

Taehyung continued to whisper sweet nothings into your deafened ear, but the last night you heard before it all went blank was the perfect, bittersweet saying that bidded you goodbye for the night.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Honey.”

[eraofstories]

OF COURSE I WANT ALL THE ANDY/QUYNH HEADCANONS ARE YOU KIDDING ME? YES PLEASE!!!

Ok, it’s possible I knew you were going to say that. :) Look I just have so many FEELINGS and I want to talk about them. I suspect you understand :D

So, first things first: the movie sort of implies that Andy stopped looking for Quynh, that she abandoned her. And yes, I’m sure Andy feels that way - after all, no matter what Andy has done to look for her we do know that when the movie takes place Quynh is still under the water, still trapped in the iron coffin, still drowning and dying and dying and drowning, as she has been for the past 500 years or so. (Did i just spend ten minutes trying to find an actual date for this specific witch trial? YES. Am I grumpy that I couldn’t? Also yes)

But the thing is, I don’t buy that Andy just straight up stopped looking, that in the past ~70 years since scuba diving was invented, heck, since sonar was invented she just went “well, I failed at this a long time ago, no point trying again! Better just stew in misery!” That’s not the person who we see, not really. She’s more resigned and heartbroken about Quynh than about anything else we see, yes, but everything we see of Andy says that she is a doer. Andy has a problem? Andy does a thing! It’s not even always about doing an effective thing, she’s not always planning ahead, but she doesn’t sit back and hope for the best. And, more than that, before the start of the movie we know that Andy and the others have just been apart for a year. So sometimes the lot of them go off and do things on their own. 

So here is what I imagine: Quynh goes into the water, on a ship that Andy is not on, that Nicky and Joe are not on. The people on this boat are all mortals, and they’re either sailors hired at the port that the ship leaves from or people from that town guarding Quynh. They’re all people who are ready to do whatever they can to make this person Stay Fucking Dead Already. While this is going on Andy escapes somehow, obviously. Presumably Nicky and Joe are involved in this in some fashion, one generally also imagines that any time she is awake after Quynh is taken from her Andy is just straight up SCREAMING, with the exception of moments when she’s damaged her vocal cords so much that it takes a few seconds for them to repair before she can scream again. One imagines that her captors kill her more than once as this is happening too, that she starves a few times maybe, is stabbed, strangled, etc. Once she’s free her only thought is that she has to find Quynh, and by the time she and the others leave the town to ride to the port where Quynh was taken there are a lot of dead people in that town, and they know what the plans were, even if they don’t yet know the details of where Quynh will have been dropped into the sea. 

Now things start to get interesting. Does the ship make it safely back to port? Is there a manifest of some kind that they can use to try to figure out where she was dropped? The ocean is big, the kind of big that humans can’t really comprehend on some level, because it’s just too vast. This is true now, and it was truer when Quynh went into the water, when the size of the oceans was something that people didn’t even really have much of a theoretical grasp of, let alone an actual internalized understanding. All the islands of land across the world had not yet been reconnected by people, there are still people all over the world who don’t know that there are landmasses beyond their own, people in Europe to whom the idea of the Americas is still a little unbelievable if they’ve heard of their existence, definitely people in Australia who have no awareness of Europe, since Europeans don’t land on the continent until 1770, although there were already some maps of the coast at the time from dutch exploration. 

So let’s say the ship makes it back, and Andy, Nicky, and Joe are able to find someone who was onboard, and get them to talk. Someone who hadn’t been from the town, who was willing to tell them where they’d pushed Quynh overboard. Here’s the thing - it’s not like that person will have had a gps on them, to record the exact location, so it’s all very approximate. And that’s if they’re lucky. Maybe they don’t ever find a sailor who will talk to them, or worse, maybe they find several. And they all give different locations. They don’t have the kind of studies that tell you that people being tortured don’t provide accurate info, but we do. And so these sailors lie, maybe they don’t know the answers, maybe they just don’t want to tell the truth, whatever, they lie, but andy is desperate, so they go and search those places. Except what does that even look like? They’re limited to free diving, or using diving bells, which I learned about in a fic about Andy searching desperately, they’re giant bells that force air down with you, but obviously not as much as you can get with scuba, and there’s no light, and so searching is already virtually impossible. They can drag the depths with chains, but the ocean is DEEP. 

Maybe the eventually find a ship manifest, but like. There’s no way that had accurate info about what? Where they threw a human overboard? That just doesn’t seem like something with a paper trail to me. And all of that stuff up above about figuring out where to search, even with the fact that searching is almost impossible to do in a way that could be effective, still assumes that they’re able to get an idea of at least the general area where they should search beyond “somewhere off the shore of England, maybe not too far off but who knows?” And that relies on the ship having made it back! Which like! Maybe it did, but who knows. 

Anyway, the main point is that it’s not working. Andy has been searching for a long time now, she’s desperate. I’d guess that she’s been consumed by it for fifty, a hundred years. And it isn’t working, and she doesn’t know if she just hasn’t looked in the right places, if the spot they dropped Quynh is too deep for any chain to reach, for any diving bell to get her down there. Hell, with some of the dangerously deep free diving she’s done and dives with the bells when she got down so deep that the water went dark even when she went down at midday with the sun high and bright and so strong that she and Nicky had turned red for up to an hour at a time before their skin healed and reburned again she doesn’t know if she’s been within a few yards of Quynh, within eyesight if only she could have seen. When she gets that deep all she can do is reach around herself, wave her arms almost frantically as she starts to run out of air and feels the depth and oxygen deprivation getting to her, and still she’s never bumped up against what she’s reaching for so desperately, never ended up touching cold iron, though she thinks by now it must be corroded. 

And that oxygen thing - she’s drowned a lot of times at this point. Like. A lot. A. Lot. But not as many as Quynh must have, she knows that much at least. And Andy begins to get frantic with it, insisting to Nicky and Joe that she has to keep trying, and she dives deeper than a normal person would dare, because she’s not like them, she will come back, so she doesn’t need to save breath for the way back up - she can die as many times as it takes getting back to the surface. Once after she’s down for a long time, and Nicky has to dive in after her, Joe insists that she tie a rope to herself, so that at least they can pull her up, and not have to hope that she’ll float up to the top as she dies and drowns and dies and drowns, not have to just hope that she won’t get caught under something, or swept away by a deep current. 

Andy doesn’t know how to tell them that sometimes it’s the only thing that feels real anymore, drowning, the water filling her lungs, because at least when she’s drowning she’s keeping her promise. Together. 

But they’ve known her quite a while, and after almost a century of this Joe and Nicky sit her down and tell her that she can’t keep doing this, that she’s destroying herself, that she’s scaring them. They tell her that they love her, that they love Quynh, and that this has to stop. She’s furious. She screams, tells them they are faithless, walks out and doesn’t speak to them for a year, walks out the door of the cottage they were staying in and just keeps walking, then keeps looking for Quynh, drowns a lot more times, and a year later she ends up back there, at that same fucking cottage, not even really on purpose, but it’s close to the coast where Quynh would have left from, but they’re still fucking there, as if they’ve been waiting for her, and the second she sets foot into the house she breaks down sobbing, screaming, but not at them this time, not even words, just incoherent grief. They can tell that in the time she was apart from them she’s barely taken care of herself, has worked herself to exhaustion, and they just hold her, because this is what it is have family, family that is inescapable and endless and beloved. 

And so after about a hundred years of searching nonstop Andy admits to herself, and to them that she doesn’t know what to do anymore, that she doesn’t know how to care about humanity, but she also doesn’t know how to find Quynh, but doesn’t feel like she can stop looking while she’s still out there. 

And they suggest that she doesn’t have to entirely stop, but that she could, perhaps, do other things also, that she’d do at least one search every decade say, and she frowns and says that doesn’t seem like enough, and Joe, so relieved that she’s listening, that she’s acting more like the woman he’s been so proud to call sister he almost wants to cry, laughs instead and says, then do it every five years, or every two, but let’s also travel, and exist in the world. 

And that’s what they do. And it keeps not working, but she hasn’t given up. She has started to worry that maybe Quynh is dead though. She remembers Lykon dying in her arms, and she wonders sometimes if Quynh’s time has come. If she’ll eventually find an iron coffin, and open it, only to find a rotting skeleton. That question is answered decisively in 1812, when Booker dies and comes back, and they find him, and the first night they spend with him he wakes up screaming, a lot like Nile will more than two hundred years later, and asks about the woman who is drowning. And Andy cries again, and while Nicky explains and Joe tells him that she really isn’t usually this weepy, for which she slaps Joe, and then smiles through her tears and gives him a friendly (but still fucking hard, Andy that hurt, just because the bruises heals fast doesn’t mean it’s ok to beat up your friends!) and nods firmly, and tells Booker (Sebastien de Livre at this point, it’s a while before someone decides that it’s really funny to translate his name to English) that she’d begun to fear that she’d never see her again, that she was already dead, before sobering, and asking if he sees any clues to where she might be. He looks at her incredulously and says, rather hopelessly “the ocean.” Which isn’t helpful, but she didn’t really expect much more than that. 

Still, every time Booker wakes from a nightmare of Quynh’s endless drowning he tells her, and it is a reminder that there is still hope, that she can still find her. 

It isn’t until the twentieth century that she starts to think she really might be able to pull it off though. She’s so sure sonar is going to be a game changer, especially in 1915 when the tech was first able to detect submarines (another thing she’d tried as soon as she could). And then in 1943 scuba diving is invented, and again she’s so so sure that this is it, this is what she’s been waiting for (well. as noted above she hasn’t been waiting for shit, but she thinks it might be what actually lets her find Quynh). And she still can’t find her, and she rages about it sometimes, exhausts herself with misery about once a decade, and every few years she makes another attempt, and now that there are better ways of mapping she’s able to more accurately catalog where she’s looked, and there’s a house now where the cottage once stood, and she put Booker in charge of keeping it in their possession via a variety of aliases once he joined them, but it’s got shelves and shelves full of maps and records of her attempts down the centuries. 

And so, when Nile’s dreams change, just six months into Booker’s exile, and she sees first Quynh alive, and then Quynh with Booker, Andy’s already at the house, because suddenly it didn’t matter that Quynh hadn’t died yet, because Andy was dying, running out of time. She didn’t have forever anymore, she couldn’t keep to her slow method. She was still willing to do jobs, but she'd dedicated herself to spending more time searching. 

And so when Quynh comes for them it’s there, and when she opens the door Andy is there in the main room of the house, the one with the maps on the walls and the records on the shelves, neatly ordered by location and then year. 

And Quynh walks in with Booker behind her, anxious, and terrified, and still sorry, obviously terrified that they’re going to be furious with him for being there after such a sort period, but also clearly very frightened of Quynh (it will later turn out that she has uh. definitely killed him a few times already, some fun torture etc. we will excuse this between friends, between family, but it will be a long century or so before he really lets down his guard around her). But beyond Nicky shaking his head in response to the apology already falling out of his mouth as if to say “not the time” no one is looking at Booker, not when Quynh is standing there. 

She’s already found herself weapons, though Andy, Joe, and Nicky are fully aware of just how dangerous she can be even without them, and no one has even really had time to process anything before she’s walking right up to Andy and stabbing her in the gut, wrenching the knife out, crying, saying “Just you and me until the end, that’s what you said, that’s what you promised me Andromache! And you left me to drown!” and the others are already moving in, already catching Andy’s body as Quynh drops her, clearly expecting her to start regenerating, and Nile helps her to a chair, as Quynh looks on confused, and when Nile says “Didn’t Booker tell you? She’s mortal now, you’ve killed her.” with a quiet fury and anguish and shock, Quynh goes silent, and turns to him, says “You weren’t lying?” in shock. 

“Why would I lie about that?” Booker looks stricken, like someone who thinks he’s just killed the best friend he’s ever had for a second time, which in fairness, he has, hasn’t he. 

And Quynh gets a mad look in her eyes, rushes towards Andy, begging her to say it isn’t true, babbling about how it can’t end like this Andromache, I was going to kill you again and again, I haven’t even drowned you yet, and she’s crying, and in her rush to get to Andy she knocks a book off of the table onto the floor and a bunch of maps spill out, and as Andy bleeds onto them Nicky thrusts them into Quynh’s face and she realizes that they’re maps from attempts to find her, and he’s telling her that Andy searched nonstop for a century, but that even since then she’s never stopped looking, that it’s fucking hard to find someone at the bottom of the sea, that Andy has wrecked herself, drowned a hundred times over looking for her, and Andy, who is uh, actively (but slowly look it’s my headcanon i do what what I want) bleeding out here guys, please focus, it’s like you’ve forgotten that some people die? shakes her head at him (well, wobbles her head a little, shaking is beyond her at this point), and rasps that no, she gets it. Quynh has drowned so many more times, she didn’t look hard enough, she gets it, and then she smiles and says “but I got to see you before I go.” And her eyes close.

And at this point Quynh is screaming in fury that Andy does not get to do this, that Andy cannot leave her alone again, and Nile is on her feet ready to rush Quynh and give her at least one more death herself, possibly with a butter knife off the table from when they had lunch earlier that day at this point, telling her that she did this, and Nicky and Joe are just standing there in shock, because they didn’t really expect Andy to make it long enough to die a natural death, not with the way she lived even after becoming mortal, but they also didn’t really expect to lose her so soon, but also Quynh is here, she’s back, and they’ve missed her too, and also separately Booker is there, and Nile looks like she’s about to crack in two, Nile who just a few months ago they watched give Copley the ok to have her family notified, Nile who made the choice not to contact her mother, her brother even though it had been so clearly agonizing to make that call, who had adopted their family with such intense loyalty, and Nicky is already moving towards her when Andy takes a breath and her eyes pop open, and the wound in her side... starts to knit itself closed. 

And then everyone cries! And there are lots more feelings! And a lot of talking, and a variety of people in various pairs and groups go off for a week or more at a time to hash out a wide range of things, but all six of them come back to the cottage after every time, and there’s always at least one of them there, and then they live happily ever after and everyone is very gay, and probably Nile also gets to kiss ladies, I think. 

[timelock97]

Love Without A Name

Chapter Two: The Start

Word Count: 2410

Masterlist

Warnings: Language

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The whole weekend, the ring stay nestled on my finger, catching my eye whenever it caught even the slightest bit of light. Whenever my mind wandered to my appointment on Monday, my fingers would go to twist at the ring, a habit I had when wearing other jewelry.

However, now it is hanging on a chain around my neck, hidden underneath the fabric of my work shirt. My eyes skim over the last document I had to file today, signing it at the bottom and logging out of my computer to clock out. I slide away from my desk before packing the last few things inside my bag, including a few patient files that I would have to look over later in the evening. I walk down the hall and knock on my supervisor's door, calling out "I'm headed out, Michelle. Text me if something on the form is wonky, blah blah blah."

She giggles from behind her desk before waving me off, "Have a nice afternoon, (Y/N). I'll see you tomorrow."

Waving back again, I head to the lobby and say a quick goodbye to the receptionist before heading to my car. The Heart Haven office was only a half hour drive, which should have calmed my nervous/excited nerves. Today is the day. The fact that I was about to state whether or not we could move forward with getting married clouds my mind.

Designs of a million different themes swim in the back of my mind from years of hoping this day would finally get here. These thoughts were hiding my reasons to worry, worry that after everything was said and done, we wouldn't be right for each other, that even in the end this didn't work out.

My mind is so preoccupied, that it takes a minute to register that I had parked my car and am just sitting, staring at the clock stating that I only had seven minutes to walk down to the building, not that it took that long anyways. Bag tucked over my shoulder; I walk down the flight of stairs down to the street level to take the usual route to the familiar building. Once it is in sight, I stand a minute out in the cold, snow filled air to admire the outside of the old, brick building. Take a minute to collect my thoughts. I sigh, walking carefully up the ice covered stairs and open the thick, wood door, cinnamon wafting outside as I do. I smile at the receptionist as I shrug off my coat and scarf and hang it on the hook by the door.

"Afternoon, Ms. (Y/L/N). Hazel should be finishing up her last appointment soon. Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, I'm fine, Jane. Thank you though." The woman behind the desk smiles warmly before looking back at her screen. I move to sit in one of the leather chairs, fingers automatically going up to the chain and ring again as I listen to the soft music playing in the background.

The sound of Hazel's laugh echoes down the hallway as she walks out with her latest client, he smiles brightly at her and pulls her into a quick hug before walking out the door. Her eyes fall on me, smile still tugged up on her cheeks. "Hey, girl, you ready for today?"

"As I will ever be." I whisper, letting out a small laugh before following her back toward the room, "Uh, thanks again for having me early."

"Not a problem, it worked out in all of our favors." She opens the door and the first thing I notice is that her computer screen is turned toward the door, a mic placed on the desk beside it.

"What's this?"

"Well," Hazel walks around me toward the chair before motioning me to sit down, "I talked to Todd, and we thought that this conversation was more between the two of you. So, we're gonna hang back and just let you two talk. The mic will pick up what you are saying and type it out."

"Still trying to keep it as secretive as possible?" I laugh, looking at her with what I can only hope is an excited expression, and not one that looks constipated.

"We know it'll all work out in the end. Whenever you are ready, I told Todd you would start the conversation." She walks to the door, heels clicking as she does before giving me one last smile and walking out.

Sighing, I run my fingers into my hair, pulling at the strands slightly before placing my face into my hands. "I don't know why they don't just give me a keyboard. Wouldn't that of made it easier?" A small ping comes from the computer, causing my head to snap up and see my last sentence is now visible on the screen. Panic creeps into my chest as I squeak out another reply, "Fuck, here we go. Hey, handsome!"

I watch in astonishment as his words begin appearing on the screen. Couldn't agree more, love. I think it's because they want us to just talk and not think about it too much. How was your day?

This is weird as all hell. "Uh, it was good, how was yours?"

I am exhausted, especially since my mates wanted to go out after I had just arrived home. Probably could have used the few extra hours of sleep.

"I can understand that. Um, did your, uh, counselor tell you about anything that has been going on this direction or were you left in the dark?"

Want to get right to the point, huh love? I run my hand through my hair, ready to speak again, but he beats me to it. He did, I will admit that that is not how I wanted to do this, the whole asking you to marry me thing. Would have wanted to do it differently.

"What would you have done?" My voice comes out small, but God, the thought of him wanting to plan something romantic causes butterflies to erupt in my stomach.

I don't know. From what we always talk about I most likely would have taken you on a small vacation, something that wouldn't have made you suspicious. Maybe do it while in bed, just the two of us. That sounds really cheesy doesn't it?

"Just cheesy enough, handsome." I smile, fingers fiddling with the ring. I lift it up and look at it again, smile widening. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you choose the ring? I absolutely love it by the way, but it's been giving me anxiety all weekend." A laugh escapes my mouth, and a part of me is disappointed that the computer doesn't pick it up. "Like this conversation, because you can't tell how people are talking over text."

I'm glad you like it, honestly was worried of what you would think. Uh, if I'm honest, love. I just walked into the jewelers and was wandering around, was planning on buying you a necklace if I remember correctly. I told the guy that was helping me that I was getting something for my girlfriend, and while looking around I just stumbled upon it. I asked to look at it and all I could think about was all the things I had been told about you and what I had learned from you and-

The thought of it being on your hand, as more than just a gift, excited me. So, I bought it, and carried it on me for about two months. Never showed it to anybody, so when I asked Todd about when I could meet you, and the means of what could be done, I gave him the ring to be sent to you in hopes that you felt the same.

"You knew you wanted to marry me before you were even told about the plan?" I look at the screen in disbelief, heart fluttering in my chest, filling with unconditional love.

I feel like I have known for awhile that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. To have you beside me for all the good times, and the bad. To raise little ones, watch them grow, and for us to grow old together. I'm ready for my next adventure, and I can't see anyone else more perfect to join me for the ride.

"You're going to make me cry, I swear to God." I swipe my finger under my eyes, catching a few tears before they escape.

Don't cry, love, it wasn't my intention, but I needed you to know.

"Well I am glad you told me." I smile at the screen, waiting for him to speak again, but he doesn't so I continue. "Did you know since the beginning; about that I didn't live in England?"

I was told about three months in.

"And that didn't scare you?" I whisper, glad the computer caught it.

It did, but I travel a lot for work, so it didn't bother me. Especially the more I got to know you.

"It felt like this whole thing was a dirty little secret, no one in my family knows about this, and only recently have I told one of my best friends because I just needed to talk it out."

My best mate thinks I am insane. Says ____, there are plenty of nice girls in London, what are you doing?

I immediately giggle, "Looks like we can't even catch a break on this system. Your name, or what I can assume is your name, got blocked out."

Damn, thought they would have let that slide. But either way, he's the only one that knows. But if we decide to do this, we have to tell our families.

"We have a lot to discuss."

We do. But first, I do have to ask. What are your thoughts?

"On getting married?"

Yeah

I smile, "I decided that maybe it's time I should be a little selfish and think of what I want."

And that is?

"If you really want me, that you want to try and be together and make it work, then yes. I will marry you." I watch as the screen blips, words popping up incoherently.

Woo-

Fuck yes-

I fucking love you-

I can't believe you said yes-

Wait it's still recording-

Uh, cool cool-

Oh, who am I kidding, I am completely ecstatic, my love.

At this point, I'm giggling so much at his giddy responses I don't know what else to say other than, "That was the cutest fucking thing ever, and I am taking a picture of that. And, handsome, I love you too, if you were wondering."

I can't wait to hear that in person. Cannot wait, my love.

Todd overheard my excited yelling and wants to come in and have us all talk with your counselor as well, is that alright, love?

"Perfectly fine, handsome." I whisper into the mic before standing and walking over to the door and smiling at Hazel. "They wanna all talk together."

"Then let's get this party started, shall we?"

The next two hours go as smoothly as they can. Todd and Hazel help the two of us begin our plans on when we could get married, and after some discussion, sooner seemed to be better than waiting any longer. As Hazel and Todd attempt to discuss when exactly the wedding should take place, I sit in silence. My phone buzzing in my side pocket pulls me from my fuzzy, love-struck thoughts. I glance at Hazel before pulling it out of my pocket and seeing that he had texted me.

-----

Him

Maybe we should have just discussed these ourselves before bringing them in?

Her

Most definitely. What are you thinking, date wise?

Him

Late spring or early summer, this year?

Her

Late May maybe? It would be beautiful.

Him

Perfect, now, it would be easier for my side of the family to fly anywhere I believe. So why don't we come to you. Is there anywhere you would want to get married?

-----

"(Y/N)?"

My head snaps up, and I attempt to hide my phone as if I was back in high school, hiding it from the teacher. "Uh, yes?"

Hazel looks at me in amusement. "It seems that neither you or your fiancé are paying attention in your appointments." She giggles at the end. "What are you two discussing?"

"When we would want to get married, he asked if there was any place here I'd like to get married."

She nods before leaning over and placing her finger to her ear piece, "Todd, did he admit that too?" She pauses before giggling. "Okay, here is the plan, we don't see you both till next week. So, figure out the main things that you two think you should figure out, Todd and I will get some other things figured out. Everything that should be discussed and either decided on or close to being decided on the time you come back. Sound like a plan?"

I laugh, nodding softly. "Yeah, sounds like a plan."

"Perfect." She lets out a small farewell to the man on the other end of the phone before standing. "Alright, I'll have Jane print out a list that you and him need to discuss for the week and I will see you next Tuesday, okay?"

"Yup, and uh, thanks again."

"Feel a little better about everything?"

"Yeah, I do." I look at her, nodding extensively before letting out a laugh. "Still nervous, but we will just have to see about everything."

"Everything else is just cracks in the sidewalk, sometimes you have to walk over them, around, or take a different path, but in the end we all get to our destination." She hugs me before taking in her next appointment, leaving me to wait in the waiting room for Jane. She is on the phone, but she pushes her chair away from the desk and grabs something off the printer before passing it to me. She mouths a quick, 'buh-bye' with a wave before going back to the person on the other end of the phone. I walk out of the building with a skip in my step, smiling at the small line of dialogue that replays in my mind as I walk back to my car.

I fucking love you.

I love you too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! Reblog and comment!

@revenantwriting | @bellagrayson-wayne | @jackiehollanderr | @snowxbarryxendgame | @let-me-luve-you | @mybitchborky | @linnyalou | @fanficscuziranout​ | @literallytrashhhhhh | @akweenbitch

Chapter Three 

[duskfloret]

Freedom to love should never be questioned.

↳ The Blythe Saga, part 4 / ?

Blythe spent a good hour complaining about how Theon never told her he had such a cute little sister. Theon listened as he ate breakfast the Monday after they spent the weekend at his house. He couldn’t say there was a definite reason aside from maybe the fact that she’d never asked about his family aside from questions about his mom. Instead of explaining, he just nodded along and he agreed that any good older brother would brag about having such a cute little sister.

“If you want to see her again,” he interjected after awhile, “you can come over this weekend.”

“Oh.” Blythe shifted in her seat and looked down at her empty plate, fiddling with her spoon. “I’d love to, but I have plans. Can I take a rain check?”

He nodded. “Of course. Just let me know.”

Theon didn’t understand Jackson. They’d developed a sort of friendship after failing to cook dinner one night--though he still shuddered at the memory of inhaling smoke--and talked to each other on a fairly regular basis, but when Jackson asked about Blythe, Theon failed to see the point he was trying to make.

“I’m tutoring her in math,” he explained for what was surely the fifth time. He failed to mention that she was tutoring him too, simply because he didn’t want to explain why. “It’s not that interesting.”

“For just tutoring her, you guys spend a lot of time together.”

He shrugged. “Well, we’re friends, too. Why?”

Jackson shrugged too, and then they passed by his door and parted ways, and Theon wondered if maybe his and Blythe’s mutual friends were reading too far into their relationship.

Busy with papers and studying, he and Blythe didn’t see each other much for the rest of the week. The weekend passed, as uneventful as a couple days spent with his cousin could possibly be, and they saw each other for breakfast again on Monday. While she presented the cafeteria staff with a warm smile, it seemed hollower when they sat down to each.

“Are you okay?” he asked. He’d expected to hear about her weekend, as she always informed him of anything she did, but she had yet to mention it despite saying earlier that she’d had plans.

She looked up, blinked. “Oh, yeah, fine. Sorry, I’m just a little distracted. You were saying?”

At the apology, he raised an eyebrow. Now that was unlike her. “It’s fine.” He opened his mouth to continue but hesitated for a moment before deciding to go for it. “I don’t want to pry, but if something’s bothering you and you want to talk about it, I don’t mind listening.”

“You’re sweet.” Blythe smiled at him, and though small, he could tell it was genuine. “It’s... nothing worth making a big deal about. But I appreciate the offer, Theon. Thank you.”

Theon knew that was a lie: if it wasn’t a big deal, she wouldn’t be upset about it. If she didn’t feel comfortable talking to her about it, however, he wouldn’t press the issue. Instead, he changed the subject to how Pyrrha dragged him around for hours looking for stray cats to pet, and he hoped that the distraction helped her feel better.

Blythe had, for once, been indulging her negative impulses by lying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling with eyes full of existential dread when she heard a knock at her door. With a shout of, “Coming!” she sat up, stretched, and stood to go answer the door. Though she hadn’t expected company to begin with, she certainly didn’t expect to see Theon. “Oh--hey. What’s up?”

He held out a bag to her, and when she raised an eyebrow, he explained, “It’s butter pecan.”

That was all he had to say for her to snatch the bag from him and look inside to see a small tub of ice cream and a plastic fork. Without thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his shirt. He stiffened, then relaxed and returned the hug.

“You should eat that before it melts,” he said after a minute. She pulled back with a sheepish smile before she blinked in surprise as he lifted a hand and brushed a finger across her cheekbone, just below her eye. Her face heated up, first at the unexpected contact and then out of embarrassment when she realised that her eyes were watering. Mumbling something incoherent, she dried them with her sleeve. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Blythe busied herself with taking out the ice cream, opening the tub, and scooping out a spoonful. “Yeah,” she mumbled right before taking a bite of the dessert. She held up the tub and nodded towards it. “This is the solution to all my problems, and you’re absolutely my saviour. I feel better already.”

Theon smiled. “I’m glad.” She debated inviting him in, but it was late and he probably needed to get some sleep. Before she could come to a decision, he asked, “Are you free this weekend?”

Swallowing another spoonful of ice cream, she hummed, feigning contemplation. “Well, I could be. It all depends. Are you free this weekend?”

He snorted and leaned against her door frame--a sign of weariness, she’d observed. “Well, no. I have my hands full with a kid who likes to drag me around and disappear if I don’t keep a close eye on her.”

“Sounds like you could use an extra set of eyes.”

“It sure does.”

She saluted him. “I’ll be packed and ready to go at eight o’clock sharp.”

“You still have a few days to get ready.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll leave you to your ice cream in the meantime.”

“I’ll most certainly be enjoying my soulmate.”

Theon gave her an odd look but otherwise didn’t question her statement.

“Truth or dare.”

Theon glanced up from the notes he’d been reading over, then looked at the math book Blythe shoved aside. “Are you finished already?” They’d fallen into the routine of studying together at least once a week--outside of their normal tutoring sessions, of course.

While she enjoyed the quiet time together, she, in a word, was bored of math. “Not yet, but it’s easy to burn out if you study nonstop all day. A break won’t hurt.” She smiled. “So, truth or dare.”

“Truth,” he decided after a moment, and he bookmarked his page before closing his notebook.

There were plenty of things she wanted to know about Theon Marlowe, from his likes and dislikes to his favourite memories to his romantic inclinations. The latter would be an inappropriate place to start, so she settled for something simple. “Cats or dogs?”

He leaned back, ran a hand through his hair in a way that obscured his glasses (she’d cheered internally upon seeing him wear them again) before he readjusted them. “I don’t really have a preference. Maybe cats, if I have to pick? Bo likes them a lot, and I like seeing her excited about them.”

How sentimental. She expected nothing less. When he said nothing else, she prompted, “Your turn.”

“Oh. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.” There weren’t many dares they could do in a library, after all. Maybe she should have just suggested a game of twenty questions? Ah, but that had a limit, and she wanted to know as much as possible.

“What did rocky road ever do to you?”

Taken aback by the question, she snorted out a laugh. Who could say he didn’t have a sense of humour? “Rocky road owes me five dollars. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

Albeit tempted to return the question by asking him what he had against butter pecan, she settled for something a little more serious. “When you get a fancy job or own a company or whatever, what’s the main thing you want to do with your money?” It didn’t have the same weight as his opinion on butter pecan, but it was an important question nonetheless.

Tilting his head, he tapped his pencil against his notebook, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, “I want to take a proper bath.” He sighed, subtly dramatic. “I can’t fit into a standard-sized bathtub, but it seems like it’d be relaxing. Also, I’d remodel the counters in my house to be a few inches higher so I won’t have to bend over as much throughout the day.”

You dork. Her stomach turned, but in a pleasant way she’d never experienced before. Great. “I’m glad you have your priorities in order.” She couldn’t say she understood his tall people problems, though she did support him being happy.

“I’ve learned what’s important. Truth or dare.”

“Truth.”

“What do you plan on doing once you graduate?”

She’d half-expected another silly question. In fact, she would have preferred one over what he did ask. “My family owns a manufacturing company. I’m majoring in business, and then I’ll work for them and inherit the company in the future.” Fortunately, she’d long since gotten used to hiding her displeasure about that fact.

“Oh.” Theon blinked. “I’d assumed you wanted to be a chef.”

Shifting her weight, she fiddled with her sleeve and stared down at her hands. “That’s... more of a hobby.” She cursed herself for hesitating. Maybe she could play it off as embarrassment? “Just something to enjoy in the meantime, you know.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. “Anyway, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Have you ever...” She wanted to ask if he liked anyone; however, that was too direct for her taste. If she asked, the reason behind the question might be obvious. Jackson insisted that Theon was dense when it came to that topic, though that explanation didn’t seem quite right. Asking about some personal history would be better, she decided. “Have you ever been in a relationship?”

Despite the fact that Jackson’s comments made it seem like she would’ve needed to elaborate, Theon wasted no time in responding, “No.”

Blythe sat up straighter. “Any reason?”

He snorted. “Your turn. Truth or dare.”

“Truth.” Her shoulders slumped. Only one question per turn, huh? Fair enough.

“Have you ever been in a relationship?”

Oh. So they were returning questions now. “I’ve been on dates, but nothing I would call being in a relationship.” Namely because her parents pressured her into seeing the people they were with--sons of their rich business associates. For the most part, they were nice enough, but the principal of being forced into a relationship turned her off. “Now, truth or dare, and you already know my question.”

Theon took a deep breath and leaned back. From what she could tell, he didn’t seem too keen on answering. Maybe he thought she’d judge him for it--maybe because he was used to being judged for it? The thought bothered her. “I’ve never been interested in anyone,” he explained.

She cursed the way her stomach sank, but at least her smile didn’t waver. “Oh. That makes sense, then.”

“It does?” His eyebrows raised.

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “If you’re not interested in that sort of thing, then you shouldn’t force yourself to be. There’s nothing wrong with being comfortable.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “Thank you for that.” She nodded, and a moment of silence lapse between them before he spoke again. “So, truth or dare?”

Not wanting to risk being asked any romantic questions, she leaned forward and answered, “Dare.”

“Finish your math homework.”

On Saturday, Blythe found herself herself sitting on a park bench next to Theon as they watched Pyrrha play with a cat she’d found--an outdoor cat, given the collar, and a friendly one. To the child, at least, though he’d hissed at Theon, which Blythe found amusing. As such, he’d resigned himself to sitting a safe distance away, and after a couple minutes of petting the cat, she decided to keep him company.

They sat in silence for a minute before she asked, “What was that thing you said before about her name? I meant to ask earlier, but I forgot until now.”

“Her name is Pyrrha, and if you want her to like you, call her that.” He smiled, and his gaze never strayed from his cousin crouched on the ground next to the cat and seemingly having a conversation with the animal. “My aunt and I call her Bo because that’s how she referred to herself when she couldn’t speak well enough to pronounce her actual name, but she doesn’t like the nickname.”

“I bet she’ll like me no matter what I call her.” She perked up. “I’m a very likable person, in case you weren’t aware.”

That comment elicited a snort. “If you insist.”

She pouted. How dare he! But her expression softened as she turned her attention back to Pyrrha and watched the child giggle as the cat licked her nose. “She has to be the cutest kid I’ve ever seen,” she commented, and Theon hummed in agreement. Glancing back at him, she shifted her weight. “So... let me know if you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m a little curious. You said you’ve never been interested in a relationship, right? Is that because you’ve never liked anyone, or some other reason maybe...?”

He looked at her for a moment before returning his gaze back to watch his cousin. “I don’t mind. Well, not for the most part, at least. Some people aren’t very pleasant about it, but...” He made a face, then sighed. “It’s mostly that I’ve never liked anyone, and I’ve never felt the need to pretend I’m interested in that sort of thing when I’m not. I also wouldn’t want to be in a relationship before graduating from school anyway.”

Ah, well, maybe it’d be a good time to get over her crush, then, if there wasn’t a chance of having her feelings reciprocated. “I see.” She nodded slowly. “Why not before you graduate?” It seemed like an oddly specific rule, especially for someone who wasn’t interested in relationships to begin with.

A squirrel ran by, catching the cat’s attention before he took off to chase it. Pyrrha stared after them for a moment, then slumped her shoulders, trudged back to the bench, and climbed up to sit on Theon’s lap. He shifted a bit to accommodate her, and when he didn’t say anything, she prompted, “You guys can keep talking.”

Blythe laughed a bit. “Sad that your friend ran away?”

The child perked up at that, her legs swinging. “Nope! He’s having fun, so I’m happy! Just sad that I can’t pet him anymore, but I’ll see him again. He’s a good kitty. I’ve met his owners before too, ‘cause the first time we saw him, we were worried that he’d just escaped his house and they’d be looking for him, so we scooped him up and took him to the address on his tag, and they reassured us that he runs around outside all the time. Brings them presents, too! Cats do that ‘cause they think their humans can’t hunt for themselves, y’know. They’re just looking out for us.”

“Do they? I didn’t know that. That’s great!” Blythe beamed as she reached out to ruffle the kid’s hair, though she received some protest to the action. Idly, she wondered if Theon would be comfortable continuing the conversation in front of Pyrrha, but she didn’t want to seem too desperate either.

Apparently, she didn’t need to ask, since once the kid quieted down again, he explained, “My mom dropped out of college because she got pregnant with me. I guess that’s partly why I don’t see the appeal of dating during college. The other part, well, I already mentioned.”

“Theon’s a pill baby,” Pyrrha piped up. While he spoke, she’d curled up against his chest, humming softly to herself. “His dad’s super rich and lives in Italy. He bought me cake once too.”

Pill baby? Given the context, Blythe supposed that must’ve meant that his mother had been on birth control at the time she got pregnant, right? She’d heard the term before, and if she remembered correctly, that was what it meant. “Did his dad--” pay for his college? Fortunately, she managed to stop herself just in time. She shouldn’t have had any way of knowing about Theon’s financial situation, but Pyrrha’s comment did explain why he suddenly didn’t need the scholarship. Theon’s brow furrowed at the way she cut herself off, and she rushed to continue before he could ask. “Uh. Did his dad move to Italy after graduating?” Nice save.

“No,” Theon answered, “he’s from Italy, but he decided to go to college here as a foreign exchange student. He and my mom had a short relationship, and after graduation, he moved back home.”

Blythe nodded. Well, that mystery was solved. She wondered if she’d ever meet his father; she seemed to be curious about all things Theon Marlowe recently. And as Pyrrha tugged at his shirt and requested that they go eat lunch, she didn’t see anything wrong with that.

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/14/2019

Good MORNING & HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday 14th February 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

TRANSPORT BOARD FUNDING CUT BY A THIRD – In the clearest indication yet that Barbadians could face a rise in bus fares and likely more private operators in mass transit, Government has slashed its subsidy to the Transport Board by one-third – even as the state bus company plans a new electric fleet to replace its dwindled and aging stock. In the Estimates of Government’s spending and revenue targets for the next financial year, laid in Parliament on Tuesday, the cash-strapped bus company is to get $15.8 million, cut by $7.5 million from the 2018/2019 fiscal year. The subvention to the Transport Board is “to assist with offsetting the operational cost”. The cut is in keeping with the mandate to cut transfers to state-owned enterprises under the IMF-backed austerity plan known as BERT. While not indicating an imminent fare hike, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has already said the $2 fare for any journey on public transport would inevitably end – even as she rejected notions of a $5 bus fare. Mottley had given the assurance that pensioners and police officers would continue to ride free on Transport Board buses. “Will we have to sensibly review what the Transport Board and the minibus and ZR drivers get? Yes, we would,” she said during a joint media conference with the International Monetary Fund last year. Mottley said: “We are sensitive to people’s plight and that is why there will not be a $5 bus fare in Barbados. But we have to increase the bus fare from the $2. And the Government will continue to maintain its role to support those who cannot carry that cost as we have always done.”  The 2019/2020 Estimates also made provision for a $1.58 million grant to the state regulator, the Transport Authority, for spending on improvement to public transport. But this is also a roughly one-third reduction from the $2.12 million received in the previous fiscal year which ends on March 31. At the same time, the Transport Board is to get $400,000 for capital works at Roebuck Street, Mangrove, Fairchild Street, Speightstown and Princess Alice bus terminals and depots – the same amount approved last year. Overall, the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance is earmarked for $120.66 million for the new financial year, which begins on April 1, an increase of about $16 million for the last financial year. The Transport Board, which is currently experiencing a severe fleet shortage, is in the process of introducing between 120 and 180 electric buses over the next 18 months. At the same time, Williams Industries is to embark on a pilot project with the state bus company to retrofit some of its redundant buses into electric-powered vehicles.  (BT)

ENOUGH – Several teachers at the Ellerton Primary School stayed off the job today in an apparent response to the Ministry of Education’s perceived failure to adequately address their security concerns. Barbados TODAY understands that earlier this week and for the second time in as many months, a seemingly mentally unstable man barged onto the premises. Barbados TODAY visited the school, which currently has neither perimeter fencing nor a security guard, but was unable to ascertain if classes were disrupted by the absences. On January 7, the man, who was later picked up by police, barged onto the compound, alarming teachers as they were attending a meeting in preparation for the start of the school term. On Monday the man returned, this time coming into contact with students, who were reportedly terrified by the encounter. “Luckily no one was attacked. The first time it happened it was planning day so no children were around but children were around on Monday. This time around he was spinning around in some incoherent manner and also had a conversation or two with some of the children. The kids were quite shaken by the ordeal,” said one teacher, who did not want to be identified. Another teacher said, “This situation cannot be allowed to continue because these are people’s children that are being put at risk. That’s all I have to say.” On this occasion teachers and their bargaining agent, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), were not satisfied with the reactionary response, calling in the police or dispatching officers from the Ministry of Education to the school. “So far the ministry’s response has been to send an officer who comes and takes notes and we have to wait and see. So yes some of the teachers stayed off of the job, that was their response and I have been in conversation with a few of the officers,” said BUT president Sean Spencer. Back in January Spencer had lamented that the school in question has been without a proper perimeter fence for over ten years. “The fence has been very porous. It could be one where you could say that the poles and the fence have long divorced and gone their separate ways,” Spencer said. The union boss said at the time that the incident brought into sharp focus teachers’ concern regarding the security at the island’s schools and he queried whether a more serious incident would have to take place for measures at schools to be urgently improved. “And it really and truly is not a tenable situation. The teaching fraternity is really and truly highly desirous of seeing that these needs be addressed urgently . . . and we are going to have to look into this matter more thoroughly,” he promised.  (BT)

GAIA PARTNER SEARCH – Government’s plans to partially privatise operations at Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) are about to move a step further. Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds said he would be seeking Cabinet’s approval, at today’s meeting, to put out a worldwide tender for the creation of a public-private sector partnership for the operation and expansion of the airport. This was in keeping with proposals in the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) plan. “It is known that we intend to work with the International Finance Corporation, which is essentially the private sector arm of the World Bank, to give us [that] kind of technical expertise because Barbados does not possess it,” he said. (DN)

GOVT EXPLORING PARTNERSHIP TO RUN AIRPORT – Ministers are to consider a proposal to begin a worldwide search for a private firm to partner with Government to run the Grantley Adams International Airport, Minister of International Transport Kerrie Symmonds has revealed. Symmonds is to present the plan for a public/private partnership when Cabinet meets in weekly session tomorrow. Symmonds, who launched a project to rehabilitate the airport’s pavement and expand its near 40-year-old terminal at the Caribbean Development Bank’s Wildey headquarters this morning, maintained that the move is critical to develop and expand the island’s lone airport. He said it was necessary to seek a worldwide tender as Barbados did not possess the technical knowledge for such an initiative. Government, he added, was also not in a financial position to develop the airport on its own and would therefore need assistance. Symmonds said: “It is known that we intend to work with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is essentially the private sector arm of the World Bank and the world’s leading developmental institution, to give us the kind of technical expertise because Barbados does not possess it in a matter of this nature. “It lends not only to an improved operation efficiency, but for our purposes in Barbados it is critical because of the capacity constraints. Our two terminals, the arrival and departure lounges are literally bursting at the seams and we cannot continue in this vein…substantial developmental work has to be done and the country is not in a financial position where we can add that to one of the several guarantees that the Government of Barbados has been asked to make.” The civil aviation Minister said this would not be the first such partnership in the Caribbean as Suriname, St Maarten, Jamaica and Martinique had also entered public/private partnerships to operate their airports. But he insisted that while the concessionaire would be granted a lease of between 20 to 30 years, the airport would remain government property. Symmonds said: “The proposal will be that the concessionaire, once identified, would be given an operational lease for a period of 20 to 30 years so that they have a reasonable time to have a return on their investment. The ownership of the airport will remain with the Government and people of Barbados and at the end of the period of the operational lease the control of the airport will revert to the [airport].” He also said the time had come for Grantley Adams to find ways of making additional revenue. While studies by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) showed than an average airport in North America and Asia had non-aeronautical revenues of around 60 per cent, in Barbados it was 25 per cent, he said. Symmonds said the large plot of land surrounding the airport needed to be used efficiently. He said: “We need to have substantially greater returns on our capacity to see the aviation sector first and the airport as a vehicle within the aviation sector secondly, giving this country greater revenue. “As far as I’m concerned it is unacceptably low, but yet we have tremendous potential…we have acres and acres of airport land which we have not utilized, but which has the potential for a number of things such as a hotel, car rental facility, aviation related industry, maintenance repairs and operations. “All those things usually bring revenue to airports. Those things are the things we are not doing and if we are to seriously speak the language of growth in Barbados and seriously speak the language of transformation and development in Barbados then the hour has come when there has to be a fundamental, philosophical rethinking of the process.” Speaking on the CDB-funded Pavement Rehabilitation and Expansion Project, Symmonds said the $80.8 million loan would be used to resurface the 2.8 mile long runway, allowing for larger commercial planes to land at the airport. He said this would allow large commercial jets such as the Airbus A380 to be able to land at the airport. The Minister said: “The pavement work is not only going to resurface the runway, but also the taxiways and the parking aprons and lend us capacity in the context of making us able now to play host to the Airbus A380 which is the largest piece of equipment being used in commercial travel.” Symmonds gave his assurance that operations at the airport would not be compromised, with the majority of work scheduled to be done between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. He said while the project had not yet gone out to tender, he was hoping that would be done early next month. Symmonds said once that was completed it was expected that  construction would begin around May. (BT)

BETTER DEAL ON THE WAY FOR PORT TAXIS – A better deal is coming for taxis operating inside the Bridgetown Port that should see them getting a larger slice of the cruise tourism pie. Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds yesterday disclosed that a plan was in train that would give the taxis inside the Bridgetown Port the opportunity to operate “bespoke tours” by next winter season. “We are trying to make the pie more inclusive so that there is an opportunity to share economically in the cruise business,” he told the NATION. Giving the details, he said the small taxi operators “will be able to have their own connection to the cruise line and they will be able to take people on tours, whether it be for beach and adventure purposes, or whether it may be for a wellness tour experience”. He added four categories of tours had so far been identified and they should begin around October or November this year. (DN)

SYMMONDS BAULKS AT CENTRAL BANK FIGURES ON TOURISM PERFORMANCE – Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds has flatly contradicted the Central Bank Governor’s declaration of a weak performance by the tourism industry in the last quarter of 2018, when the winter season began. But the Minister also accepted that depending on what dates were used as the parameter for measuring the performance, there was a possibility of  a slight decline. “I have no idea where the Central Bank Governor got this information,” Symmonds told Barbados TODAY. Contrary to Haynes’s statement at last month’s news conference, the Minister declared a “bumper year” which had spilled over into January. Symmonds said: “I personally asked the Governor from whence it came and what he was guided by. He assured me that it would have to be a misrepresentation, but I cannot ascertain what the basis of that would be.”  As he reviewed the economy for 2018 last month, Haynes told journalists that tourism’s sub-par performance was largely responsible for the economy shrinking a further 0.1 per cent to 0.6 per cent over the final three months. The governor said cruise visitors for the year fell by almost 10 per cent while the rate of growth for tourism had fallen 0.6 per cent. But Symmonds insisted: “Our end of year figures for December 2018 would indicate that tourism in Barbados would have grown in spite of all the odds.” He said although the issues surrounding the South Coast sewage spillage had led to four source markets issuing travel advisories against Barbados last February, the industry had still managed to thrive. During the Test match between England and the West Indies at Kensington Oval it was almost impossible to get a hotel bed in Barbados, he added. Symmonds told Barbados TODAY: “We overcame that. In terms of cruise tourism I think that was flat, but it certainly was not able to reflect the suggestion that the Governor is making. It was a bumper December and January has continued in the same vein. “I know that it is an unquestionable fact that out of the United Kingdom we have had the second best ever year of performance on record. Out of the United States we broke all previous records and had the best year ever and in terms of Canada’s long stay arrivals it has been the third best year on record. “So I am not sure where the statistical data came from or what informed it or what even was the cutoff point.” But the Minister acknowledged that if October or the start of November was used as a cutoff point, there was a possibility an argument could be made that there appeared to be a decline. Yet, Symmonds said he was not too concerned about those statistics. What was much more important, he declared, was the need to get tourists to open their wallets and spend more freely. He said: “I don’t worry too much about the numbers. I think what we have to look at really and truly is the spend and all that I’ve been saying especially with regards to the cruise sector has been aimed at trying to get the Barbadians who are involved in craft, in vending and watersports activities to get their act together, to up their game. “It all resonates in terms of spend and this country desperately needs the spend from our tourists if we are going to continue to maintain and sustain the quality of life that we now have.” (BT)

PUZZLED – The first Estimates laid by the eight month-old Mia Mottley administration on Tuesday, is highly ambitious for its projected revenue haul – indicating more burden to come for the middle class, a respected economist has said. University of the West Indies lecturer and former head of the Barbados Economic Society, Jeremy Stephen, is puzzled by the projected uptick in Government’s revenues, noting that there is little movement by way of growth or foreign direct investment to justify this. He said he is concerned that the Government’s projected increase of $163 million in income tax revenues and profits will not augur well for the middle class. He also suggested the Government’s projection of a $32-million deficit – slashed from the one-billion-dollar deficit proposed for this financial year by the previous administration – may be “unrealistic”. Stephen told Barbados TODAY: “Government revenue has actually increased. It is normally estimated to be around the $2 billion mark but has now climbing to the $3 billion mark and this definitely points to some sort of burden, particularly when you are cutting back on capital expenditure. From what I have seen there is a closing of the gap in income tax and Value Added Tax (VAT).  So it definitely means that there is bigger burden to be shared by the average person.” Stephen noted that this move is consistent with the International Monetary Fund-approved Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) plan. In its revenue projections for the new fiscal year which begins in April, Government is to rake in $1.48 billion from goods and services, $1 billion from taxes on income and profits, $216.5 million from taxes on international trade and $186.7 million from taxes on property. At the end of last fiscal year, Government’s intake from income tax was calculated at $837.6 million. But the economist was not prepared to speculate on what form the burden would take, noting that new taxes or collection of owed taxes are all likely options open to Government. Stephen said: “I can’t speculate on whether or not there would a new tax. That would be made known in the Budget. What is clear is that they expect more taxes and it is clear that it is going to be done by personal income taxes. That jump in income tax cannot be from corporate taxes because there are not enough companies in Barbados nor has foreign direct investment jumped that immensely in the short term. So sadly that means that there would be more burden either via compliance, introducing new taxes or shifting rates around.” He argued that this is especially worrying when one considers Government’s plans for wide cuts in capital spending, which often signals a short-term slow down in the economy. He said: “I saw that there was a significant slash with regard to capital expenditure and I am sure that Government’s economic team knows that slashing capital expenditure normally redounds to a surplus potentially on the capital side but it definitely will also redound to a slow down in the economy. Although we are seeing increases in allocation for some ministries, the problem is slashing capital across the aboard as opposed to showing a re-purposing of expenditure that is moving towards triggering growth in the economy. The respected economist also declared that the projection of a deficit of $32.369 million for the new financial year was the smallest he has ever seen. Acknowledging that it was not the first time that Government has set an ambitious targets in Estimates, Stephen said he expected the Government to be flooded with requests for supplemental spending. Even as he expressed hope that Government is able to meet expectations,  Stephen added: “No Government Estimates are ever realistic because sadly the process of budgeting is one where people just put increments on top of expenditure or asked to remove certain line items and then are trapped during the year with asking for supplemental. So the realistic nature of this is questionable and supplementary is going to be name of the game until Government starts budgeting on a bit more rigour. I have never seen a deficit this small in my professional life, which begs the question of how realistic it really is.” (BT)

UNION ‘TO REPORT TO SSA WORKERS ON OVERTIME TALKS – The union representing Sanitation Service Authority workers is reporting that it is making slight progress in negotiations for the restoration of overtime pay. The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and SSA management met again today at the authority’s Wildey, St Michael offices to continue talks on the issue. The perk had been slashed under the IMF-supervised Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, which has affected agencies and ministries across the Government. Shortly after exiting the hour-long meeting, Acting NUPW general secretary Delcia Burke told Barbados TODAYthat the union would report back to its members on the newest developments. Burke said: “We have made a few strides. We are going to meet with the workers within a week and put the two sides’ case to the workers and get back to SSA management in a week’s time with the position of the workers. “We are cognizant of the fact that there is an IMF programme in place and there are certain measures that have to be put in place so that that plan can be effective, but we are also mindful that our workers must not always be bearing the brunt of that programme. We put that to the SSA and we would have made a slight move and they made one as well, so we’re going to discuss it with our workers.” Burke also contended that SSA workers were more efficient in collecting garbage than the private haulers who Government was paying to collect refuse. She pointed out that it would be almost impossible to avoid paying overtime to sanitation workers. Burke added: “We are saying that in some instances overtime is going to be necessary and for the SSA we would have had the example of when the workers worked three weekends and you would have seen the difference with the streets when they worked those weekends. “We also know that when we compare the tonnage of garbage that they collect to what the private haulers collect it is significantly larger. Obviously there are still going to be areas where persons are going to have to continue working overtime because the streets have to be cleaned everyday.” At their last meeting held on February 1, the union’s acting deputy general secretary Wayne Walrond had charged that the nation’s health was being compromised for the sake of a few dollars, after a decision was taken to stop weekend collections to prevent paying overtime. SSA spokesman Carl Padmore had revealed that the overtime cut had indeed contributed to irregular garbage collections in several rural communities, especially in the north of the island, as well as in St Joseph, St George and St John. (BT)

UWI SELECTED TO LEAD CLIMATE-SMART WORLD – The International Association of Universities (IAU) selected The University of the West Indies (UWI) as its global leader in the mobilisation of research and advocacy for the achievement of a climate-smart world. The IAU designated UWI in recognition of the University’s decades of world class research on climate change and sustainable development. At its meeting at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris, France from January 28-30, the IAU received a report from Vice-Chancellor of UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, in which he commented on the honour and recognition bestowed on UWI. He recognised that UWI was selected from a field of very distinguished universities across the world that have established a track record of research around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Climate Action. Beckles informed the gathering in Paris of some 30 university leaders and IAU officials that UWI had already selected a global cluster of universities from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania to assist in the task of achieving SDG 13. The president of IAU, Pam Fredman, noted that 16 global universities have been selected to lead on 17 of the SDGs. In his address Beckles stated: “UWI’s scientists recognised decades ago that climate change, rising sea levels and ocean temperatures, were an existential threat to the Caribbean, small island states, and the world, and to this end provided a body of scientific knowledge to prove and promote the case.” He noted further: “UWI is therefore satisfied that world leaders and their policy advisors have come to see the truth of its research and rightness of its advocacy.” He commended all members of UWI’s Climate Change Research Cluster currently led by Professors John Agard, Michael Taylor and David Smith, and coordinated by his advisor, Jeremy Collymore, Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Development, and Resilience Consultant to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for the global impact of their research and teaching. UWI’s commitment to supporting the Caribbean region in the development of a culture of resilience and resilience planning as part of its Triple A Strategic Plan 2017-2022 is evidenced through a number of initiatives with global impact. In August 2018, UWI, led by Director for Development, Dr Stacy Kennedy, was selected by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and Virgin Unite to host the launch of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator, a ground-breaking initiative to support the Caribbean becoming the world’s first “climate-smart zone”. In its climate advocacy, Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the UWI Mona Campus was one of the coordinating, lead authors of the IPCC 1.5 Report released by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in October 2018. The report is the latest in a series from the IPCC assessing scientific, technical, and socio-economic information regarding climate change. It reveals that the planet could reach 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by as early as 2030, with particularly severe impacts for the Small Island States (SIDS) in the Caribbean region. Now widely referred to as 1.5 to Stay Alive, the Caribbean push for this global warming target was in part informed by UWI Climate Studies research and modelling, and has sparked a global campaign calling on world leaders to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees in order to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change. (DN)

NO CONFIRMED ZIKA CASES SINCE 2017 – While sporadic cases of Zika continue to be reported in the Caribbean, there have been no confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease in Barbados since 2017. This was disclosed by Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kenneth George, as he addressed the opening of a training workshop being conducted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Breakthrough ACTION project. The three-day workshop, designed for local environmental health officers, has as its theme Strengthening the Zika and Arborvirus Response: Using Effective Interpersonal Communication for a Whole Family Response to Zika. Dr. George noted that, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), 48 countries and territories in the Americas had confirmed autochthonous vector-borne transmission of the Zika virus since 2015. In 2016, the World Health Organization declared Zika to be “a public health emergency of international concern” with the major concern being the link between Zika and microcephaly in infants, and between Zika and Guillain-Barre in adults. The Chief Medical Officer stressed the importance of proactive measures in preventing vector-borne diseases. “The oldest and most cost-effective method of prevention is the mechanical method, which includes eliminating breeding sites and improving environmental, community and personal hygiene,” he stated. This method, he said, relied heavily on public education aimed at getting people involved in eradicating breeding sites and limiting human exposure to mosquitoes. Noting the value of training opportunities, such as the workshop, in Government’s efforts to improve the Zika and arboviral response in Barbados, Dr George added: “It is a treasured opportunity which the Ministry is extremely appreciative of, as it will undoubtedly enhance the knowledge, skills and competency of our environmental health officers working in the area of vector control.” This is the third training workshop facilitated by USAID, in the area of Zika response, in which Barbados has participated. The other two took place last year. Engaging Communities in the Zika Response was held in Guatemala in April, and The Role of Innovative and Strategic Social and Behaviour Change took place in Jamaica in June. (BGIS)

MORE EDUCATION ON HIV NEEDED FOR OLDER GENERATION –The Minister in charge of the elderly is appealing to the older folks to get tested for HIV. Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde, said research has shown that the older adult is less likely than younger persons to get tested, so they may not know that they have HIV as the aches and the pains of normal aging as well as other attendant diseases can mask the signs of HIV/AIDS. Speaking at the opening ceremony of an HIV seminar for older men, at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa, Rockley, Christ Church, this morning, Forde said that often doctors do not always think to test older people for HIV and by the time the older person is diagnosed, the virus may be in the late stages and more likely to progress to AIDS. Forde said that recent information indicated that people aged 50 and older accounted for 17 per cent of the 39 782 new HIV diagnoses in 2016 in the United States. She also said that people aged 50 to 54 accounted for 43 per cent of the new diagnoses among people ages 50 and older. And while many of them were diagnosed with HIV in their younger years, thousands of older people are still being diagnosed as new HIV cases every year. “The aforementioned statistics indicate that there is a need for more strategies to be developed and implemented when seeking to educate our older adults about HIV, its causes, treatment and impact. The Government of Barbados through its policies and programmes has placed emphasis on health and wellness, while creating an environment where persons living with HIV can access a medical regime to ensure that they can continue to live positively and play their roles in society,” she said. Forde said she holds the view that education is the key to behavioural change. “That is why I can stand here today and be proud of the fact that the National Assistance Board in collaboration with the National HIV/AIDS Commission continues to facilitate this annual seminar to not only ensure that the mandate of the various entities is being met but that the older adult can safely engage in sexual activity without compromising their health and that of their partner and to endure the stigma and discrimination that has surrounded HIV and AIDS for 30 years or more,” she said. The Minister also encouraged the participants to be rid of the taboo that lingers with respect to sex and sex education, and stressed that some of the myths could be dispelled through the sharing of information with peers as well as intergenerational sharing given the access to technology by the younger population and their resultant advanced knowledge base. Forde said parents and mentors must recommit to the socialization and education of young people. “This must include sex education and the need to protect themselves against all sexually transmitted infections by using condoms, abstinence or being loyal to one partner. However, as older adults we must have the correct information and model the appropriate behaviour, so that we do not perpetrate the same myths and attitudes which contribute to HIV as well as stigma and discrimination,” she said. (BT)

MINISTER APPALLED AT ATTACKS ON ELDERLY – The Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs is finding difficulty in accepting that three elderly people have been brutally killed in less than one month. In the wake of 74-year-old Douglas Barker dying after a vicious cutlass attack at his Walkes Spring, St Thomas home last night, Forde told members of the media this morning that she has a tremendous difficulty, and was feeling disturbed, with what has been happening in society, where the elderly are being abused in this manner. “I too am concerned about it, and the rest of Barbados is. I pray that when people go into their houses at night, they will secure themselves properly and that the perpetrators be the ones who will turn their lives around and seek the Lord and remember that they too have grandparents, parents, children and others that they would not like anybody to brutalize, or disfigure. “But we know there is this violence across the world. It is permeating Barbados as it is in other countries in the region. And I pray that God would continue to bless the family in these moments of grief. And as I said earlier, not only the family of the deceased but the family of the perpetrator, because at the end of the day, almost everybody is family to each other in Barbados and we need to value human life in a different way,” she said. The Minister alluded to the fact that abuse of the elderly goes beyond the brutality that is being seen, as some of them are also being financially abused and abandoned. “Only yesterday morning I heard of two that I have got to report to the National Assistance Board and I told the lady call the police and then the officer can call me, and we will try to institute measures to make sure that those senior citizens enjoy the rest of their lives in their twilight years, with a measure of peace and comfort . . .” Forde said. The St Thomas Member of Parliament also noted that her ministry has been seeking to address the issue of elder abuse, through the implementation of relevant policies and programmes. She said the ministry has also asked for additional funding in the 2019 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, to be able to ensure that the needs of the elderly are thoroughly met. “As we go forward, we pray that all persons in Barbados would look out for each other. No longer are you getting the neighbour looking after another neighbour. The other thing is that people have so much information and they want to share it sometimes, but they do not know with whom to speak, for fear that there would be reprisals. As long as they are identified they are called snitches,” she said. On January 22, American educator, 68-year-old Dr Sarah Sutrina, who was a lecturer at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, was discovered at Northumberland, St Lucy next to her vehicle with wounds about her body. Hours before Dr Surtina was discovered, 69-year-old Martha Doyle, was killed at Vauxhall Senior Citizens’ Village, Christ Church on Monday January 21. Doyle was reportedly stabbed to death. (BT)

‘APPALLED’ – A man’s torrent of abuse in which two tourists were threatened with violence – captured in a video that has gone viral – has been strongly condemned by Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds as an act of “unreasonable incivility”. The incident comes halfway through the make-or-break winter season for the bread-and-butter industry. During an irate rant, the man, so far unidentified, threatens to hit one of the tourists with a rock. He is also heard telling the tourists that he sells drugs and that he does not care about the Government. Speaking on the sidelines of the official launch of a project to renovate the country’s lone airport financed by the Caribbean Development Bank, Symmonds said he was not aware of all of the details which led to the incident. But he stressed that under no circumstances should the incident have spiralled out of control. Symmonds told reporters: “I am appalled at the fact that something could escalate to that level in circumstances where I am sure if the individual on camera had it all to do over, he would on hindsight want to do it a lot differently. “The most polite word that I can use about that video is that it was very unsettling. At a personal level for me it is deeply distressing that some folks are not getting the message. “I believe that I would hear that there are extenuating circumstances and I probably will be told that there are justifications which can be advanced, but I believe that what we are dealing with is a situation that goes beyond just how you treat a tourist. This strikes at the heart of how we as Barbadians treat ourselves and how we interact with each other. ” Describing the man’s actions as a display of “incivility that went beyond that which is reasonable or expected”, the Minister said it was another sign of the declining morals in society – a situation which had now become too familiar. Symmonds said: “If the snocone vendor puts the wrong colour syrup in a snocone he is likely to be greeted with a similar type of torrent of abuse, or if the bread vendor has a dispute with his client that too will happen. “It goes right up the scale. I have heard of these types of displays between lawyer and client and doctor and patient and the problem in Barbados is that we have to learn to disagree without being disagreeable in the process. I think that is really where the process begins.” (BT)

PIGS STYMIED – The villagers of Applewhaites, St George, may soon breathe fresh air again as an illicit pig farm has been ordered to close down by the Chief Town Planner. In a letter by the Chief Town Planner dated February 13, a copy of which was obtained by Barbados TODAY, notice was given to the owner of DL Prestige Farms, Gregory Forde, that he has until March 29th to remove pens which were erected between January 2016 and February 2019. The notice said: “The Chief Town Planner hereby requires that the following steps be taken to restore the land to its condition before the development took place. What you are required to do [is to] remove the structure (pig pens), remove from the land all building materials and rubble arising from compliance with the enforcement notice, restore the land to its condition before the breach took place by leveling the ground.” Forde has the right to appeal the enforcement notice by asking a judge to hear his application. The judge may quash the order if it can be proved that planning approval had been granted for the pig farm. It was back in November that the residents of Applewhaites told Barbados TODAY that they believed that Forde was operating without Town and Country Planning’s approval. They wrote the Ministry of Health and Wellness informing them about the health problems that the residents have been having since the pig farm was set up. St George North MP Gline Clarke hoped that the issue would be remedied by last December. But tempers flared last month as the pig farm still continued to pose problems for the residents of the small St George village. Applwhaites resident Anita Yarde said that the smell was awful, with some passersby referring to the area as ‘Mount Stinkeroo’. Yarde told Barbados TODAY: “We still getting the smell from the pig farm. It is really awful. I cannot open my house, I cannot invite anyone at me. No one wants to come down through here with the smell. I am right below the pig farm. I does feel so awful because my family does not want to come out here because you cannot open the house. Even at nights, I have to put up a towel to keep the scent out of the house. “People have started to rename out here ‘Mount Stinkeroo’ because out here smell so stink. Sometimes when I leave home to go work after 5 a.m. I can smell it. We cannot live like this! I am asthmatic, and I have sinuses really bad. A couple of weeks ago I was on vacation. I had to go to the doctor and then get medication because the smell had my lungs actually blocked and it is really awful. “I would like to see it closed because we cannot go on with this. At the end of the day, it means that we have to go to the doctor and then pay money for medication. Sometimes even if you go and buy over-the-counter medication it does not work.” Another villager, Beverley Forte, told Barbados TODAY that she is hopeful that the pig farm would be closed as the enforcement order states clearly that he did not have permission. Forte said: “We are hopefully optimistic that even if he appeals or applies for permission it will be denied because it is a health hazard to the community. People are getting sick. Up to tonight, the people up the hill were telling me that the smell up there was killing them still.” The enforcement order stated: “This notice is issued by the Chief Town Planner in exercise of powers conferred to him by Section 23 (1) of the Town and Country Planning Act Cap 240 and all other powers enabling him in that this letter hereby gives notice that the development hereunder specified appears to him have been carried out without the grant of permission or approval in accordance with the terms of the Town and Country Planning Development Order, 1972. “It appears to the Chief Town Planner that the above development has occurred within the last four years between January 2016 and February 2019 and being after 14th April 1972, the date of coming into force of the Town and Country Planning Development Order 1972.” (BT)

BLOODY HORROR – The close-knit rural community of Walkes Spring, St Thomas, has been thrown into a state of shock following the gruesome killing of one of its senior citizens, Douglas “Dougy” Barker. Police said yesterday that a man known to Barker’s family and people within that district entered the elderly man’s house armed with a sword just after 11 o’clock on Tuesday night. Family members and neighbours who were nearby tried to help but to no avail, as Barker, 74, who received several wounds about the body, died at the scene of the deadly attack. His death brought the number of murders for the year to ten. The male suspect was taken into police custody. This murder prompted a reaction from parliamentary representative for St Thomas and Minister of Elderly Affairs Cynthia Forde, who expressed concern about the level of crime, especially that which impacted senior citizens. Forde lamented that the elderly were being ill-treated, abandoned and targeted for their money. (DN)

MAN ACCUSED OF KIDNAPPING GRANTED BAIL – A 20-year-old man accused of kidnapping a 60-year-old woman from her Fort George Heights, St Michael home last month, was granted bail this afternoon. Teriq Kaareem Linton, of No. 2 Cavewood Road, Tichbourne, St Michael, was not required to plead to entering the house of Radha Rabilall as a trespasser to commit an arrestable offence to wit: theft and had at the time a firearm on January 31. He was also not required to plead to robbing Rabilall of a $2 400 cell phone, two ATM cards worth $50 and $1 000 in money on the same date. He was further accused of removing Rabilall from her home, without her consent, or someone who was legally authorised to do so, also on January 31. Prosecutor Station Sergeant Cameron Gibbons objected to bail in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court. However attorney Kristin Turton, who represented the man made a stirring argument. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant granted the lighting technician $20 000 with two sureties, ordered him to surrender his passport and report to the Oistins Police Station every Tuesday and Wednesday before 3 p.m. He returns to Criminal Court No. 1 on October 9. (DN)

MANSLAYER SENTENCED – A 48-year-old manslayer was today given a starting sentence of 18 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Kari Nolan Cumberbatch six years ago. Dave Henderson Powers, of No. 9 Clinketts Garden, St Lucy and Eden Lodge, St Michael was originally charged with murdering 33-year-old Cumberbatch in the car park of CinCin By the Sea Restaurant in Prospect, St James on Wednesday January 16, 2013. However, he had pleaded not guilty to the capital offence, but guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition and attempted murder. However Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Anthony Blackman, who was the prosecutor in the case, formally withdrew a kidnapping charge against Powers in the No. 2 Supreme Court today. The incident occurred around 10 a.m. on the aforementioned date when the deceased, who was driving, arrived with Powers’ wife at the upscaled restaurant where they both worked. Powers and his wife were separated. The facts showed that Powers approached them armed with a gun and confronted the deceased who was sitting in the car and shot him in the head. He then went into the car and pointed the gun at his wife’s head and pulled the trigger but it did not discharge. In sentencing Justice Randall Worrell noted that Powers had indicated that the criminal act was not something that he had planned to do but “there must have been some planning involved for you to go there with a firearm and ammunition – there had to be some planning and pre meditation – you were armed, [there is] nothing in this case about self defence . . . I cannot accept that it was a spontaneous act by you. “A person has lost their life. That life cannot be brought back. A person’s life is finished at your hands . . . forever lost,” the judge stated. Worrell went on to explain that while Powers had surrendered himself, he could find no mitigating factors when it came to the offence. “You should not have been there no matter how bad things were . . . . I can’t find anything mitigatory in the case of the offence.  [You went] there . . . taking out a loaded weapon, a firearm . . . . It was quite clear you were unlawfully in possession of that firearm and the use of the firearm is also aggravating,” the judge added. Making reference to guideline cases Justice Worrell settled on a starting point of 18 years in prison but adjusted the sentence upwards by four years given that Powers used a dangerous weapon and “you were armed with it in advance . . . showing planning and premeditation”. With a sentence of 22 years the judge then took into account that the convicted man had no previous convictions and according to character witnesses was an industrious and law-abiding young man before the incident. He was also contrite and admitted that it was an egregious act. His guilty plea was also considered but Worrell made it clear that Powers could not get the full one-third credit. “Although you pleaded guilty, persons were there and saw what you did . . . this was in broad daylight . . . what else could you have done but plead guilty,” the judge stated. With all those factors taken into consideration, Powers was left with a 14-year sentence. However, Justice Worrell also took into consideration the six years and one month already spent on remand leaving the convicted man with seven years and 11 months to serve on the charge of manslaughter. On the other charges of attempted murder Powers who was represented by attorney-at-law Angella Mitchell-Gittens was given a ten-year sentence and possession of a firearm seven years on each. However those sentences will run concurrently since the offences stemmed from the same incident. (DN)

THREE CHARGED WITH DIESEL THEFT – Two members of staff and a former employee of the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance (MTWM) have been arrested and charged, in relation to the circulation of a video in which they are seen removing diesel from a Government vehicle. Police arrested and charged Edwin Orlando Clarke, of Thorpe’s St James and Gregg Allan Holder, of Third Avenue, Dash Gap, Bank Hall, St Michael - both employees of MTWM - as well as Keimar Rasheed Browne, of Mount Tenantry, St George - a former employee of the Ministry - for the offence of diesel theft. The three accused appeared in the Holetown Magistrate Court, before Magistrate Wanda Blair, where Browne pleaded guilty, to the charge and was granted bail, to return to the court on March 29 for sentencing. Clarke and Holder both pleaded not guilty and were granted bail to return to court on June 24.  (DN)

‘MISSING’ ACCUSED REMANDED – Court officials will have no difficulty finding Chad Jamar Roberts for his next appearance in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ court. That’s because Roberts who was listed as having no fixed place of abode on an almost five-year-old charge sheet, was remanded to HMP Dodds for 28 days. The accused was 26 years old when he was charged along with three others with entering Playfair Arcade as trespassers and stealing $4,998 belonging to the business on March 7, 2014. It is further alleged that Roberts was armed with a gun at the time. However, he had not been been attending his court dates resulting in several warrants being issued for his arrest. “All the time I have been asking for you, where is Chad Roberts, where is Chad Roberts, nobody knows,” Magistrate Douglas Frederick told the accused who responded: “The phone I had with the dates I lose it.” Roberts, who only attended court on Tuesday February 12 after going missing for sometime explained that he had only seen one of his co-accused the day before who told him about the date. “The only reason you run in here today [Tuesday] is because I asked for your surety,” said Frederick before informing Roberts that he would be going to the St Philip correctional facility. “I have a child I can’t afford to go to jail,” was Roberts response. “You have inconvenienced everybody, now it’s time to inconvenience you,” Frederick responded before giving the accused a March 12 remand date even as his accomplices walked out of the court precincts.  (BT)

CANNABIS GROWER MUST PAY – A 45-year-old lorry loader has three months to pay $3,000 to the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court if he wants to avoid spending time behind bars at HMP Dodds. Sylvester Christopher Phillips, of Block 7F, Factory Avenue, Wildey, St Michael pleaded guilty to the February 12 charges of possession, possession with intent to supply, possession with intent to traffic and cultivation of cannabis. Station Sergeant Cameron Gibbons told Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant that lawmen were carrying out investigations at Phillips’ residence where they discovered several pots with cannabis trees in the backyard after a family member let them in. Phillips was not at home at time but subsequently turned himself in and admitted knowledge and ownership of the two pounds of marijuana which had a $2,175 estimated street value. He was reprimanded and discharged on the possession and supply charges and the fine imposed on the other two offences. Phillips must return to court on May 14 to show proof of payment.  (BT)

CANADIAN LOSES US DOLLARS HE CONCEALED ABOUT HIS BODY – A Canadian man is out thousands of dollars after failing to get permission from the Exchange Control Authority to leave Barbados with US$15,000. Station Sergeant Glenda Carter-Nicholls in prosecuting the case in the District ‘F’ Magistrates’ Court yesterday revealed that 63-year-old Claude Samard of Quebec was caught with the United States currency at the Grantley Adams International Airport on February 9. He had concealed the money on different parts of his body including his underwear and pockets. It was also disclosed before Magistrate Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell that the visitor sold some shares he had in a company here but failed to seek permission from the Central Bank of Barbados to leave the country with it. Investigations by law enforcement officers reportedly showed that Samard was familiar with the procedure for leaving the island with large sums of cash but chose not to follow through. Following his guilty plea and facts of the case Samard was fined $5,000 forthwith with an alternative of three months in prison. The money was paid. He also had to forfeit the US$15,000. (BT)

GABRIEL HIT WITH ODI BAN - A second West Indies cricketer has been suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Following captain Jason Holder’s one-match Test ban for his team’s second Test slow over rate, fiery fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has been controversially slapped with a four-match one-day international suspension by cricket’s world governing body, the ICC, after being found guilty of player abuse. The 30-year-old Gabriel was also hit with a 75 per cent fine and three demerit points for the incident, which took place during the England second innings on day three of the finalWisden Trophy Test in St Lucia on Monday. In a statement yesterday, the ICC said Gabriel was found guilty of breaching article 2.13 of the Icc Code Of Conduct For Players And Player Support Personnel, which relates to “personal abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee during an international match” following an incident with England captain Joe Root. Surprisingly, the ICC did not reveal what Gabriel said to Root, nor did stump microphones pick up his comments but according to media reports, Root was overheard telling Gabriel in response to a remark: “Don’t use it as an insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.”  (DN)

YELLOW WIN AT QUEENS – AJANI INCE and Kamile Gaskin-Griffith powered the Yellow Panthers to their third successive victory with 945.50 points during Queen’s College’s Inter-House Athletics Championships at the National Stadium yesterday. Trailing by 37.50 points were the Blue Bull Dogs (908), the Green Dragons (775.50), Red Mad Dogs (728.50), Orange Cheetahs (651.50) and Purple Phoenix with 565 points. Ahead of the relays, the Panthers were leading by 47.5 points and they sealed the outcome by winning five relays. Ince and Griffith-Gaskin played an integral part in their success by capturing the victor and victrix ludorum titles with 86 and 68 points, respectively. In the Under-20 Division, Ince dismissed the field to triumph in the 100 metres and 200 with times of 11.01 and 22.25 seconds. He also had the winning leap in the high jump and finished third in the 400 metres, which was won by Jamahl Burke of Orange in 50.03 seconds. (DN)

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[kaylitos694u]

Life and Death - Complex relationship edition

How long has it been since I’ve contemplated the things I would say at your funeral. It’s something I can’t place a time stamp on because it seems like it’s been for most of my life. When am I going to get the call? When will he really do himself in?

In August you were on your death bed again - another overdose. After years of on and off attempts at getting clean (if there were truly attempts at all), it was bound to happen again I used to think.

But part of me never gave up on you. Part of me always wanted to see you get your head out of your ass, for you to stop wallowing in sadness and start finding a reason to fight, to live. Apparently being there for me was not something that was enough for you to stay clean. It’s a selfish thought but one I’ve had an internal struggle about for years. He chose drugs over you, he doesn’t love you, you’re a burden, if you didn’t exist he would be happier. These are things I internalized since childhood, sometimes it still haunts me and the voices in my head constantly tell me it was all because of me. But part of me also knew that you had good intentions. I mean, why would you want your daughter witness that low in your life? It’s to shelter her, to save her from it. But it was a failed attempt because I always knew. The money you “borrowed” from me for pizza and drugs, the times you’d disappear with Julie in her room while I was isolated upstairs. I still saw a lot of shit I shouldn’t have. Being around scumbag crackheads like Jeff was a lot. Seeing the things I saw was a lot. Enduing the way Julie took advantage of me as a kid when it came to free labor. The way she used me as a tool to guilt you into paying her to the fucking penny when you barely got paid to begin with. I remember the times I was scared of you when you drank sometimes. One memory that always haunts me is the way you screamed at me when I said I was scared of you when you were drinking back at Quarry Lane. I can still feel the fear creep up on occassion. It was the first and only time I was ever scared of you and I don’t know why that’s coming to me right now. 

My solace during those times were video games,Something that started with us playing Final Fantasy IX when I was 5. I will never forget how proud I was beating the Black Waltz I in the Ice Cavern and gushing to you about it because I was becoming a big girl. I remember all the times we spent playing the Spyro trilogy Even now when I go back to playing the original games I always think of you, and remember how you taught me to search every nook and cranny for ever gem. Watching you play games was inspiring and it’s become such an important aspect of my life. I even learned to be a completionist from you and it’s one of the only things that makes me happy to this day. Remembering the time we spent together playing games is something I cherish greatly. The times we would sit around and watch TV, or just talk about all the crazy things you did when you were a teenager, all the lessons to learn to help me stay away from that life.

But yet I also remember all the times earlier in my life when you’d promise me you’d come pick me up and I’d sit on the stoop out on Arnold Ave back when we lived in Queens. There were so many days I would pack and dance around my room waiting for you to come, only to come to realize you weren’t actually gonna be there. I remember the times you weren’t around back at Quarry Lane when I was too scared to speak up from the trauma of those earlier experiences to the point where I starved myself because there was minimal to no food and I was too scared to touch or ask for anyone’s food and Julie would order food for her and Courtny but forget my existance since I used to stay upstais. 

But even still, I remember the day you called me at Sunny Hill and explained the behavior, explaining why you were gone for so long. You said you did it for me, for my sake.But I don’t know if you ever truly thought of the consequences of your actions cost me. I have a lot of commitment and abandonment issues because of this kind of stuff. I can never erase the vivid memory of sitting on my stoop for hours waiting for a car to pull up and for you to jump out and hug me.

This relationship has always been so complex, I’ve always had internal battles. But despite everything there’s one thing that I’ve always known - That you love me very much, that despite everything you would always love me. And I would always love you too, no matter how petty some of our arguments would be. 

I remember when I decided I couldn't talk to you for a while because I was filled with anger and resentment for my childhood. But I also remember slowly trying to gather my thoughts and get everything out. This is most likely incoherent but I have to write something. It feels as if I’m running out of time. I wish I was stronger and was able to tackle it then instead of pushing it off like I do with everything else thanks to how awful my mental state has been. I've been depressed and suicidal for years but yet I still keep fighting tooth and nail to stay alive, to strive for the happy, healthy, and stable future I've dreamed of for ages.

Oh how I wish I could go back. To muster the strength to talk to you about all these years where I was hurt but too scared to speak up.

But through it all I have always loved you. And also counted you as my ally when it comes to family. You were a black sheep and so I was labeled one as well. I mean, I grew up differently too so it only makes sense. I often feel like I don’t belong in this family, that I’m just not worthy or good enough. That all my effort is for nothing and I will never be fully accepted by some of our family because of my background and beliefs. But you, even when I felt like I hated or resented you, I always knew you were the one person who would always understand that feeling of not belonging, and have people looking down at you.

If I have any regrets it’s that I couldn't muster the courage to reach out as much as I should have. God how I wish I could rewind the clock and tried to have this conversation before, when we had time. How I wish I could have time to figure out what to say, how to feel, what to do. 

I’m lost. I’m in pain. I often find myself crying and worrying about you often, because despite how fucked up and inconsistent our relationship has been, I always knew that through it all love would hold us together. Sometimes I felt like giving up was my only option but I could never bring myself to do it.

It pains me even more when it comes to Sam and her girls. I haven’t told you about it yet because I’m so conflicted, but hearing the way you’d slip wife into conversations we had about her, the way you wanted to be there and help her kids and shield them from that piece of shit guy. Part of me feels like I’ve been stabbed in the chest. Almost a betrayal, seeing and hearing the way you care about them and want to be there for them when there were years we’d go without speaking because of your habits. Occasionally I feel some resentment about it. But more importantly, as we continued to speak about Sam I could see how happy she made you, how much she made you want to keep fighting, to have a reason to be clean. I never felt like I was good enough for you or anyone to be a reason why you’d try to stop, so it hurts thinking about. But interacting with Sam, and seeing how much she loves and cherishes you...All I wanted was for you to be able to recover so you could finally settle down with a wonderful woman who loves you, and for you to be able to be a positive influence on girls who are in need of a role model. When I prayed for you, I prayed that you’d be able to spend your life with Sam.

When I went to see you in August, at first he seemed like he had nothing to live for. No reason to fight your addiction, to tackle all of the pain and suffering you endured, no reason to truly realize the things you have done in the past and claim some form of responsibility.But I also realized despite it all, I wanted you to be able to see me get married, and graduate, and be able to start a good life for myself where I’m happy and healthy. At the bare minimum I wish you were able to meet my boyfriend Jack. Hes honestly the sweetest guy in the whole world and I want to marry him. I found someone who loves and supports me and I wanted him to get to meet you.

There were so many things I wish you could be there for, There are so many things I could redo, so many moments I’d spoken to your sooner about how complex our relationship is to me.

But I have to get it all off my chest now, I don’t want to live with any regrets and above all I respect our honesty policy we have. I wish you were around more as a kid but I was also looking forward to see our relationship blossom and improve. 

This is an incoherent mess, but I just need you to know how much I love you. I love you so damn much and I’m so sorry I couldn't have been there more through these times..