Dangerous Deception - A Short Story Read Free Page A

here?” Gwen asked.
    “Going on two years,” Kay answered. “We first came over with our church’s youth group in high school. We fell in love with the place immediately. People are so friendly.”
    “Are you getting a lot of refugees to the area?”
    “Oh yes, from as far away as Chizoba. The destruction in that area is unimaginable.”
    Gwen fell silent. Some of the contacts she had made in Liberia had been from the area of Chizoba. They’d spoken of unspeakable crimes: widespread deliberate and arbitrary killings of civilians, torture, including rape and deliberate amputation of limbs, and abduction and forced recruitment of large numbers of people, including children. Survivors of some of the worst human rights abuses known to man, they had sought refuge in the small village of Kirabo, only to be massacred months later when the RFAGC rebels learned they had been talking to reporters.
    A short while later they stopped in front of a large three-story cement structure enclosed by a 7-foot wall with matching yellow paint, and it was announced they had arrived at their destination.
    Gathering her backpack , she scrambled out of the van behind the others and followed them to a large wooden gate. Inside the courtyard, there was a large cooking pit with stacks of wood positioned nearby and several metal chairs scattered throughout the yard. Following them up the walkway they came to a large metal door and were met by an elderly gentleman wearing tattered khaki pants and a bright red shirt.
    “This is Omar, he is our groundskeeper and jack-of-all-trades,” Robbie informed as the old man held the door open for them. “The bottom two floors are designated living quarters for our orphans, along with a kitchen and dining area on the first floor. Our living quarters are located on the top floor. There are two apartments, each containing two bedrooms, kitchens, and living areas. We did some shopping at the market earlier to stock your kitchen, but if there’s something else you want just let Omar or myself know and we can pick them up for you.”
    “How many children do you have at the present time?” Celeste asked.
    Shocked, Gwen glanced up at the woman. It was the first time she had spoken.
    As if sensing her surprise, Jack snickered.
    “We have twenty-eight, many three to a room. It’s a bit cramped, but at least they are off the street, and they don’t seem to mind.”
    “Do they attend school?”
    “At the present time most of the schools are closed down, but Kay works with those who were lucky enough to have attended in the past.”
    “Most parents can’t afford to send their children to school which is why the illiteracy rate is so high,” Jack told them.
    Gwen heard giggles and turned to look behind her. She caught a glimpse of two little black heads before they disappeared behind a closed door.
    “Do you like kids?”
    Gwen glanced up at Jack’s question and met his warm smile. “Doesn’t everybody?”
    Though she hadn’t thought about it lately, she’d always hoped for a big family. With three brothers and a sister, she had never lacked for friends growing up as they were all within a year or two in age.
    “Come on and I’ll show you where you’ll be staying .” Robbie led them up two flights of stairs.
    Their apartment consisted of two modest bedrooms ; a parlor with large overstuffed cushions as furniture; a kitchen with a gas stove, small refrigerator and sink; and a bathroom with a shower stall. The toilet consisted of a hole in the floor with cement on each side to position your feet on. After its use, she was told; you were to manually flush it by pouring water down it. Though the accommodations were meager, she had seen worse.
    Since Jack would be staying in the Harrison’s guest bedroom, Gwen would be sharing a bedroom with Celeste. After agreeing to meet with the Harrison’s for breakfast at seven-thirty they bid each other good night and went to unpack.
    Gwen and Celeste’s bedroom