"An unjustly pulled trigger has the option of either bruising or obliterating its target. Lucky is the shot that kills the victim because death has no comeback. Wounds on the other hand tend to fester and a flesh wound is far better than a bleeding heart..." said the accented voice that had filled the tense air in the car for the last half hour. The two occupants of the double cabin truck carried on, their thoughts undisturbed by the melancholic voice streaming from the radio.

The car wound down as it approached the opening gates. The screeching sound emitted by the iron reminded Maria once again, of their need to be oiled. She sighed as her eyes roamed over the corroded spots on the imposing metal where shiny layers of paint once resided. The car drove through the opening as she remembered a time when the now-closing gates resembled power. Her estate had been the talk of the town as she and her new husband bought and rebuilt it to fit their dream home. Now, all she saw were unfinished projects, abandoned lawns, and a pavement that was more gravel than concrete.

The car came to a halt a few paces from what was once the designated site for a new fountain. A few moments of silence stretched between Maria and her biggest cheerleader and brother, Joshua. Finally, Maria found her voice; "thank you for going with me." She uttered, gaze lost past the stained windshield.

"No need to thank me," said Joshua, unfastening his seatbelt. "You know I got your back. We'll find him, Maria, believe that."

She choked back the forming lump in her throat, "what if we don't?" The words she had been afraid to voice now spilled from her mouth. With her fear out in the open, vulnerability wrapped its claws around her mind. She imagined the stares, the whispers, and worst of all, the labels.

At the age of 32, Maria Njeri Mukhisa wasn't ready to embrace divorce. Sure, her marriage was going through a rough patch, but which marriage wasn't? She had heard stories of couples that had survived far worse than what they had been going through. Granted, their rough patch had lasted longer than what would be considered normal but Maria believed if people would stay married for over half a century, her decade-long marriage would survive this. Whatever the problem was, they would survive it. They had been doing great for a while there and then all over a sudden, everything changed. Ben became a completely different person and she had been fighting an invisible force for the past year and a half trying to save him from his demons.

Maria sat back in the now stuffy interior of the black truck and let her mind reel with questions. What if he had finally made good his threat and left her for another? What if he hadn't and was really in trouble? She sighed, feeling helpless. Maria had done all she could think of; called all their friends and relatives, and scoured all his favorite hangouts but none bore fruits. Her husband, Benjamin Mwambi Mukhisa, had been missing for at least 36 hours.

A warm hand encased her trembling one, startling her out of her downward spiral. "Hey, Ben is a good man despite all that has been happening. I believe he will find his way back to you and the boys." Joshua said failing miserably at the attempt to sound convincing.

"It's been more than thirty-six hours since I last saw or heard from him. His phone is off, nobody knows where he is," she said, voice raising several uncomfortable notches. Suddenly, her throat felt clogged and breathing became a burden as her vision blurred. Joshua ripped his hand from hers. He unbuckled his seat belt and was out of the vehicle and on her side in a flash. Opening her door, he unbuckled her belt, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her from the seat. He then proceeded to gently lower her on the copper-colored grass.

"I'm fine," she whispered, summoning her strength. "I'm fine." She held onto his taut arms and pulled her limp limbs to their full length. A figure appeared on the front porch prompting her to let go of him before she regained her full strength.

"No, you need to sit down," he said as he steadied her staggering frame.

"I need to go inside and you need to take your wife home." She said throwing a glance behind him, where Anna stood, glaring daggers at them.

Joshua turned to follow her gaze. Sighing wearily, he dropped his arms from her shoulders. "I will call if I hear anything." He said taking a few steps back.

"Same here, thanks again." Maria sidestepped around him and was thankful to hear his footsteps follow closely behind. His presence would keep his wife's insecurities at bay. Joshua had a way of keeping his vulnerable wife on a tight leash and Maria was thankful for it especially today when she needed someone to stay with the kids as she searched for her husband. A task he had easily convinced Anne to take on as he aided in the search.

"Darling," he said his voice dripping with honey, a tone that seemed to melt Anne's walls in quick succession. "How's my love? Did the boys behave themselves?" He continued ignoring Maria's muffled chuckle.

"You know they did, I was with them after all." Anne's fruity voice replied, her indignation long forgotten.

"Beautiful, smart, and motherly, I won the jackpot the day I made you mine." Joshua closed the gap between them and pulled his wife into his arms. Maria moved aside and watched as he whispered in her ear, a gesture that sent the willowy woman into a fit of giggles. Joshua looked over Anne's shoulder and winked at Maria who mouthed a thank you before disappearing through her open front door.

A few moments later, Joshua's truck came to life accompanied by the screeching of her opening gate. Closing the front door, Maria made her way into the playroom where she expected to find her boys. She pushed the door open and poked her head through the small crack. The sound of screeching tires and turbo engines filled the air; a race was on full mode on the big screen. Her eyes traveled to the floor just below it where her nine-year-olds sat legs crossed, hands clutching overused gamepads.

"Hey boys, I'm back." She raised her voice above the sound of roaring engines. The screen went still as the clean-shaven heads swiveled toward her simultaneously.

"Mum!" said Declan. "Did you bring lunch? There's no food in the fridge. Aunt Anna said to wait till you got back."

"She did huh? Motherly my foot," mumbled Maria, "lunch will be ready in thirty minutes, go to your room and clean up." She turned to go get the meal started.

"Is dad home yet?" asked Dean as he pushed himself off the carpeted floor.

The question froze Maria mid-step and she inhaled deeply, "Uhm, no buddy, he might not be home for a while, but I'm here. Did you need something?"

"No, it's okay I'll just wait for him." He said walking towards the screen where he pressed the off button.

Maria exhaled and silently walked into the kitchen to ready their meal.

********

The loud screeching of her opening gate tore through the air. Maria sat up startled. A groan escaped her lips at the sudden pain that tore through her stiff neck. A few seconds passed as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. In front of her sat her open laptop. She tapped on the keypad bringing the screen back to life. The time stamp at the corner surprised her; half past six pm, it read. She must have fallen asleep while on a social media scouring mission. With hours of vain searching having gone by, she had eventually obeyed her droopy eyelids and placed her head at her desk, a position her neck muscles were currently protesting.

Bright headlights flooded through the open windows. Maria shot to her feet, regretting instantly as her limbs joined in the protest. She wobbled to the front door, turned on the porch light, and was standing on the front porch as the familiar black truck came to a halt in its previous position. Joshua opened the driver's door and climbed out. He sauntered languidly towards her. His movement was almost robotic. He stopped a few paces from her, his haunted countenance coming into view under the light from the overhead bulb.

Even before the man could utter a word, Maria knew the meaning behind his pained visage. The heavy load that had seemed too daunting to carry was now her reality. Her throat clogged, eyes welling as Joshua uttered the inevitable truth, "he's gone, Maria. They found his body in Karura forest, it looks like the taxi he'd been riding in was carjacked!" He let out the destiny-changing information in one swift breath.

A foreign mournful cry escaped Maria's lungs as her knees gave out. She leaned against the arched entry, and slowly slid to the cold floor, as sobs wracked her body. Joshua knelt beside her, uttering what she could only imagine were consoling words. The pain of her breaking heart and the accompanying wails were enough to drown his sympathy. One thing was clear; she was now entering her worst nightmare, widowhood.

~~~~~~~~~

So chapter one doesn't change much from the original version...Keep reading though. 

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Love, 

June.