THE BRAVERY OF A MAN written by M. E Heed

THE BRAVERY OF A MAN

written by M. E. Heed

The military were after George, he was on the hit-list with orders to be shot on the spot. He had to be vigilant that no-one saw him when he came to see his wife and children. He had done this many times after the coup, but still couldn’t get used to this idea of hiding. He felt like a criminal and the only thing he did was to belong to a political party in support of the president who was killed by the military. His visiting period was for half an hour to an hour at the most to spend it with his family. This was a cautious measure. Someone could be spying on him, whistleblowers were common in these unsettling and dangerous times. The military would take about an hour to get to the village after the whistleblower had made the call. He felt more apprehensive than ever that night, he had an inkling the whistleblower may phone the military.  

George was supposed to be leaving the house before the curfew started at 9.00pm. It was ticking on 8.30pm and George was just finishing his meal and he had yet to finish his favourite dessert, creme brulee that his wife had cooked and baked as a farewell meal. He was trying to savour last minutes with his family, but it was time to leave now! When he went out the door, he could hear heavy footsteps coming down the steps from the entrance to the village. His survival instinct made him go to the back of the house and jump over the fence to the gorge. 

His wife and daughters were upset to see him leave. It hasn't gone past five minutes when they heard commotion outside then …. BANG! BANG!!, there were thudding noises at the door.  

They were all scared to open the door; however, Martha had no option but to do so. There were 4 or 5 men with face masks and machine guns pointing at them, demanding to know where George was. They said people had seen him come into the house. The family, although in shock to see such an intimidating act, didn't break or give anything away about George. The family had a very strong love-bond and loyalty to him.  

Most of his co-workers, who were also his neighbours, lived in the same community. They held him in high esteem and respect for the work he and his family had done for the shanty town. However, there was one neighbour who saw him as the number one enemy, Sergio.

Sergio was one of the whistleblowers and his hatred for George came from the different political parties they both belonged to, and there was some level of jealousy too, of George's kind heart. No matter what the consequences would bring, he was determined to call the military that night.

When Sergio peeped through the window he saw the military invading George's house which brought a smile to his face. His job was done, “there was one less of them”, he thought, believing George was caught. He had no idea how George’s bravery pushed him to freedom.