DOOM, FEAR AND WORRY

Gloria tipped forward in the rocker and her eyes opened swiftly. The sky-coloured nails stretched sideways as she righted the chair. A seagull said something in the distance and another seagull replied. The cool breeze carried the whispering of the dancing wave. The wandering breeze also carried cheerful laughter to Gloria's ears and she frowned slightly. The sun had lost its fury and under the large blue canopy, Gloria couldn't feel the intensity as much as before she fell asleep. 

She gazed at the sea as it danced luciously and moved back and forth as if trying to seduce her. She was still frowning. 

Something was wrong. 

She raised her right hand and stared at the gold Rolex watch on her wrist. She tried not to let her gaze linger on the long slash just below the watch. It was six o'clock. A tremor suddenly shook her lithe frame, and the frown between her long brows deepened. 

Something was wrong. 

Gloria stood from the chair and turned to go into the house they had rented for their lodging at the beach. 

Something was wrong.

She nearly walked into Tobby.

"Mum! Kyla called me stupid!" Tobby complained. His full rosebud lips were pulled up in a pout and his eyes were raised to his mum's. 

"Oh baby," Gloria said. She stooped to his height, not minding that her long green beach gown spread on the ground around her. "Never mind Kyla, she doesn't mean those things."

She placed her hand behind Tobby's head and laced her fingers through the thick mass of hair. His pout was still intact and she smiled at him. She couldn't shake off the feeling of woe that gripped her. 

"Don't worry, baby. Let's go find daddy," she said to Tobby and stood. With her hand on his head, she pushed him gently ahead of her as they strolled towards the small cottage. 

They found Damian in the kitchen looking through the glass windows to the sea and sipping coffee from a green mug. 

"Go and play, baby. I need to discuss something with daddy." Gloria nudged Tobby gently and he nodded, walking out of the kitchen as requested. 

Damian glanced at his wife with the hint of a smile on his right cheek. "You've been out there so long. I was thinking of coming to check up on you," he said. 

"Right. Before or after sipping the coffee?" Gloria teased. 

"In the middle," Damian said seriously. He glanced at his wife and the right eye creased into a wink. Gloria's laughter rang out and Damian smiled, his gaze returning to the sea. 

"I have a feeling something bad is about to happen," Gloria said. 

She watched the wave, before looking down at her wrist. At the ugly scar that deformed the wrist. A scar caused by a sharp silver knife wedged by a man she used to love. The knife that had cut several anniversaries and birthday cakes. Gloria shuddered. 

Damian said nothing. He put down his mug of coffee and took a blue mug. He made another cup of coffee and handed it to his wife. Gloria accepted it with a smile. Being married to Damian was different from her previous one to Jake. Damian's selflessness and readiness to compromise for the sake of peace and happiness still managed to throw her off, even after four years. 

"Babe, I think being out in the sun all day might have something to do with it," Damian said. He took his mug of coffee and sipped slowly. 

"I'm certain it has nothing to do with it. Something really bad is about to happen. We have to be careful." 

"Sweetie," Damian cajoled. He pulled Gloria close and took the mug from her hands. He place their mugs in the sink and held Gloria in his arms. "Nothing wrong will happen, okay?"

"But I feel it badly. I can almost smell death moving around. Maybe we shouldn't have come for-"

"Babe!" Damian scolded gently and he felt Gloria stiffen in his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He placed his head on her shoulder. "Don't worry about anything. We'll all be fine. You should rest early. I'll prepare an early dinner and take the kids to bed."

Gloria relaxed into her husband's warmth and tried to get her mind to relax. Perhaps, she would just wait and see if anything bad happens. In the meantime, she'll make sure she's careful with the children.

***

"Mum, Tobby is not in his room," Kyla said slowly. She stood hesitant at the entrance to her parent's room. Her pyjamas top said Girls Gone Mad and there were three cartoon characters of girls who were standing on their heads. 

"What do you mean Tobby is not in his room?" Gloria asked. She had raised her eyes from the laptop she was bent over. 

"I mean he's not in his room. I can't find him," Kyla repeated. Gloria's face paled. She moved her laptop unto the bed and ran out of the room with Kyla at her heels. They walked through the open door and searched Tobby's room, but he wasn't there. 

"Go find your dad," Gloria told Kyla.

"Step dad," Kyla muttered before strolling out of the room. Gloria sighed as she watched her daughter leave. Teenagers rebelled stupidly, but she didn't have the time to ponder on that. She stared at the watch on her wrist. It was 08:23 am.

How could Tobby have left without their knowledge, and where could he have gone that early? That he was just four years old got her more worried. 

Her glance shifted to the scar and through her fear, she knew she had to consider every possibility. What if Jake had finally decided to revenge? And had taken Damian's son as payback? She shivered at the thought. If Jake hurt her son, she would go to hell and back to see he paid for it. 

"Where's my son?" Damian asked, dashing into the room.

"I can't find him," Gloria said. Her robe was drawn tightly around her and she hugged herself. "I don't know where my son is. I knew something bad was about to happen. I told you, but you didn't believe me!" 

Damian's mouth tightened. "This isn't the time for regrets. Let's check the beach and the sea side."

"Mum, you warned him about this?" Kyla asked. She turned disgusted gaze on her stepfather. "And you still allowed it to happen!" She accused. 

"Let's look for him," Damian said through clenched teeth. They filed out of the house in the same order that soldier ants do. Damian went towards the left of the beach while Gloria and Kyla took the right. They called for Tobby, but there was no sign of him or any boy of his age. The sea roared, but kept Tobby's whereabout a secret. 

Gloria was getting scared as time passed and they didn't find him. The sense of doom that had taken her the day before had departed and she worried that her son was either dead or already taken to a place she would never see him again. 

"We should call the police," she told Damian when she went back to meet him. 

"Let's go back. Our phones are back at the cottage," he said. His tanned face was dark with checked anger, but his eyes revealed his worry.

Gloria wanted to assure him that they would find Tobby. Moreover, Tobby was as much her son as his, but she was scared they would never find him. The path they walked through blurred as they trudged home and she cleaned tears from her eyes. She needed to be hopeful. She needed to be strong, she told herself. 

When they walked inside, Tobby was sitting on the brown rug in the small space that served as the living room. He raised his head at their entrance and pouted. 

"Where did you all go?" He asked.

Gloria paused for some seconds, but recovered immediately and was by his side. "Tobby!" She exclaimed as she hugged him. Damian and Kyla also rushed to his side and they held unto him.

"Where did you go?" Damian asked. 

"I went to look for seashells, to make a chain. I'll gift it to Ceci when we go back home." Tobby replied. His innocent eyes stared suspiciously at his family. 

"Baby! We couldn't find you! We thought you might have been kidnapped or something," Gloria said. A tear slid from her right eye. 

Tobby gave them a curious glare. 

"Why? Didn't daddy say it's a very nice place?" He said slowly.

"Oh baby!" Gloria said again and embraced him. "Don't go out like that again. You scared us. Okay?" 

Tobby frowned, but he nodded. "Okay," he said and the wave cackled outside, signing the agreement. The sun had resumed to its duty post and day was veering towards sunset.