Fear of the Fathers Read Online Free PDF Page B

there; mostly daytime, no weekends. Being part of the Prime Minister’s personal team was going to throw his leisurely life out of kilter. With the current state of alarm he’d be lucky if he saw his own bed more than once a week.
    â€œWell?” said Ayres. “Is there a problem?”
    Jennings forced a smile. “No, sir, not at all. I was just thinking what a great honour it is.”
    â€œOf course it’s going to be a lot of work,” said Ayres, reading Jennings’ mind. “You’ll be on duty for long periods, and you’ll have to stay here most of the time. But,” he smiled, “don’t worry, you’ll be well rewarded for your sacrifice.”
    â€œThank you sir,” said Jennings, resigned but unconvinced. He felt the thundering hooves of trouble galloping towards him at pace.

Chapter 8
    â€œIs he going to survive Doctor?” said a voice.
    â€œI don’t know,” replied the doctor. “He lost a lot of blood. The knife only just missed his heart. We’ll have to see how he goes over the next few days.”
    Abdullah kept his eyes closed. Opening them would be too much of an effort. He was comfortable and warm, and loathe to ruin the moment. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness for he knew not how long. The last thing he had seen was the blue flash on top of the ambulance. At that point he had let go the fight and put his trust in the abilities of the paramedics: a trust, it turned out, that hadn’t been misplaced.
    Abdullah’s mind floated back to the orphanage. A surge of joy flowed through his body as he remembered his youth. For most people the thought of such an institution conjured up images of misery and squalor, but not for Abdullah. His childhood had not been one of quiet desperation, it had been one of education and wonder and enlightenment. He wasn’t pleased that his parents had been taken from him, but that unfortunate accident had opened up windows of opportunity that would otherwise have been closed to a boy of his underprivileged background.
    The first day had been the worst; emotional and frightened and not quite knowing what to expect, he had tried to escape before he entered the building. But his fears had been quickly allayed by the kindness of Gabriel.
    Gabriel was a missionary of no fixed country or religion. Intuiting a difference from the other children, he had taken the apprehensive Abdullah under his wing and helped him acculturate. With unceasing patience he had schooled him in mathematics, the sciences, languages and literature. By the time he was sixteen Abdullah was better educated than most university graduates.
    And then there was Miguel, Abdullah’s best friend. Miguel had arrived at the orphanage two weeks after himself. Having been orphaned at roughly the same time Gabriel decided that the two boys should room together. From day one, and throughout their childhood, they had been inseparable; sharing the vicissitudes of life, and helping each other through them. They were more like brothers than friends, and with Gabriel as a father figure they had formed their own little family. When the time finally arrived to leave the orphanage and enter the world outside, both boys were filled with regret.
    Abdullah remembered their last day with Gabriel vividly. After calling the boys into his room to say goodbye, he had confided in them the great secret. As he spoke, all that they had been taught suddenly fell into place. It became clear that Gabriel had been tutoring them for a purpose. Abdullah had always wondered why an unreligious man had taught them scripture so thoroughly; why he had given them such an in-depth knowledge of all persuasions. Now, at last, he knew.
    After Gabriel had finished speaking, a heavy silence hung over the room. Not only had he stunned them with a revelation, he had also set them a task that would consume the rest of their lives; a task that would mean the two