A Silence That Kills

By Eben L. Le Roux

GAUTENG, South Africa

Peter Johnson had only one wish; he wished to be a teacher again. Problem is, he was a hobo and nobody was going to ever employ him.
The wealthy Atkinson family was desperately trying to overcome their grief. Not being able to get over the deaths of their twin daughters in a car accident, the husband, Michael, was slowly turning into a monster. Both the Atkinsons and Peter saw their redemption in a miracle event that was coming to town. A heavy thunderstorm however, disrupted peoples efforts to get tickets for this event. When the beggar offer the Atkinsons to queue for them in exchange for a ticket, Kathy eagerly accepted. The Pastor however, got seriously injured in a car accident on his way and the event had to be cancelled. When thousands of people started to leave the stadium in disappointment, the beggar became saddened at the commitment of their faith. Still dressed in his pitiable cloths, he took to the stage and challenged their devotion to God over the powerful speakers. You are so concerned in your own personal healing that you would not care if this whole world rots around you, he screamed at them.
Being the professional teacher he once was, he followed that with a most powerful speech from the podium.
Bruce Ashton, a highly acclaimed television producer, became enthrall by the intellect of the beggar but was told by his bosses; Sorry, God does not sell; sex, money and violence are whats bringing in the money for any television company.
Risking his future as a producer and counting only on the wisdom of the beggar, Bruce Ashton persuaded Peter Johnson to take up role in a TV program. Together they started what was to become a very controversial crusade. The hobos life was never going to be the same again; nor the lives of those who would get involved with his.
In this novel, Eben L Le Roux brings people together in a plot that could only be generated by divine intervention.
A book so inspiring, motivating, fast paced and thought provoking, it will be hard to put down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479723034

Book preview

Chapter 1

The rain was really coming down in buckets. People had to dash for cover, and every possible hiding place had hurriedly been occupied. Those in the queue at the ticket sales office were soaking wet, yet most refused to leave. Their determination to attend this event made them too scared to start all over again. Some had forced smiles and started conversations with the strangers around them to help boost their bravery against the rain.

A vendor saw this as an opportunity and was doing well selling umbrellas. It did not bother him at all when a second one joined the trade. He even smiled at him as his stock was down to only four by then.

Everywhere in the city, posters were visible advertising the next day’s miracle service. They were attached to anything possible on the freeways, byways, suburbs, townships, and even shopping malls. The miracles that they promised seemed to be what everyone was after.

In the chaos that the sudden storm has caused, a man was holding onto one of these posters to cover his head. It was the only shelter he had to protect him from the rain. Being a beggar, he stood out like an icon from all the rest. He came for a reason beyond handouts and food; he was chasing the dream behind the words on the poster. Though still trying to keep a good image of himself, his clothes showed the ravages of time and were soaking wet. With all the odds against him, he still managed to keep a genuine smile as he went from person to person to beg. By then, he had collected just over sixteen rand, and time was running out on him.

The office would close in two hours, and desperation was beginning to take control of him. As his desperation grew, he thought it would be better not to ask for money any more, but to look for somebody who could buy him a ticket instead. With the speed at which tickets were selling for this miracle event, he knew they would definitely be sold out by the afternoon. For this beggar, giving up was not an option; as impossible as it might look, he was going to be there until the last minute. The sense to be in that stadium was too strong inside him. He silently started encouraging himself, bringing forward the hope that he had lived on all these years. There are far too many people here, he thought. There must be at least one person who would make contact with the passion inside me.

It had been five long hours since he arrived there. He was looked at in very disgusting ways, sneered at, and, many times, even pushed out of the way. Still, he refused to let go. Under circumstances like these, anybody else would have given up by then, but there was a strange force inside this man. He had no idea as to what it was, but his belief that a miracle was about to happen to him was like a prophetic message conveyed to him. Peter Johnson was a beggar only in body, but his mind refused to accept it as the final destination of his life. He had been away from home for more than five years, of which every day he had hoped for a rescue out of a life that he refused to get used to. He was a man with principles and was blessed with a sea full of wisdom. This wisdom had been the core of his hopes. For him, this wisdom could still play a role in someone’s life, and he was not going to let all his hopes be thrashed by somebody else’s refusal to help. He got more courage from Nelson Mandela’s twenty-seven years in prison and then becoming the president of his country. This confirmed that there was hope for him, too. It did not matter how little his reward would be, as long as he could get away from there. He had no wish to die on the streets as an unknown person. Faith is what he had plenty of, and that was his driving force. Getting away from there was not an option for him; it was going to be his reward. He just knew it and believed in it day and night.

That day when he saw the posters on the lamp poles, the buildings, and even the buses, something inside him happened, as if something was switched on. It felt like a door opened to free him out of that terrible life.

That first time he saw the poster, he must have stared at it for a full five minutes after which it could never leave his mind.

Paul Simons, the Gospel Preacher, at the Olympic Stadium. Come with all your troubles. Miracles Will Happen.

However, the price at the bottom of the poster was his obstacle. For most people, it was not much, but he could not afford it. The fifty rand advertising price was like a monthly salary for him. Whatever he made on a good beggar’s day was just enough for something to eat, and still he had to keep a portion to pay for the place where he slept at night. Hope had finally thrown him a target, and he was chasing it with every portion of his faith.

Searching the area for the right people to approach, he saw a car parked on the opposite side of the road. The couple inside looked like rich people who, with their daughter, were waiting for the rain to stop. He saw this as an opportunity. He would ask to queue for them in exchange for a ticket.

Saying a short prayer, he slowly walked over to the car, and they saw him coming. The husband, in a hurry to get rid of him, took out some coins, opened the window, and offered them to him.

‘No, sir . . . honestly, I can do with some money, but that is not what I want. I want someone to buy me a ticket. If I can queue for you, sir, would that be enough for you to buy me one as well?’

There was so much pleading and desperation in his voice, it stirred the woman sitting in the passenger seat.

‘Please, sir, I have never felt like this ever in my life. Something is about to happen to me, sir. I don’t know what it is, sir . . . I know I have to be inside that stadium, and I know you can help me, please, please, sir.’

The man got angry when the beggar rejected his money. ‘You have the nerve to reject what I have to give you?’

The man suddenly stopped talking when he heard the passenger door open and his wife got out of the car. ‘Kathy, what are you doing? Get back in here.’

The rain suddenly came down harder. The woman quickly rushed back into the car. When she looked outside, she could see the disappointment on the beggar’s face and felt disheartened. He could not hear them, but he could see that they were having a terrible argument. This went on for about a minute, and the door open again. She stepped out into the heavy rain, this time not afraid of it, and walked straight to him.

‘Listen, mister, what is your name?’

‘Peter, ma’am. My name is Peter Johnson, ma’am.’ He stepped closer to cover her with the poster.

This gesture really touched her and made her look at him in appreciation before she said, ‘Well, Peter, seeing that this rain does not seem to want to stop, would you really queue for us?’

‘You mean buying the tickets for you? Sure, I will, sure I . . .’

‘Then buy yourself one as well,’ she interrupted him and reached into the car for her handbag. It was not a smile; it was pure joy that overtook him.

She could see the honesty and the relief in his eyes when he said, ‘Thank you, God’. He looked up at the sky, the rain smashing full in his face, and held his right hand on his chest.

‘You would not run away with our money, would you?’ She regretted her words almost immediately as she could see the honest appreciation in his eyes. The woman became uncomfortable as she could sense something special about this man in front of her.

‘No, of course not, ma’am. You can be sure that I want that ticket more desperately than you do. You can bet on your soul that you will find me back here.’

She studied his eyes, trying to find in them the answer to this strange interest she felt in the man. While she was still looking at his face, she said, ‘I don’t know why, but I trust you, so do not disappoint me.’ Without any further hesitation, she handed him the money.

Overcome by relief and appreciation, Peter turned to her and said, ‘Ma’am, your blessing will be a thousand times more than mine.’

If Peter Johnson did not know the spiritual sensation his words had activated inside Kathy Atkinson, he was soon to find out.

Chapter 2

Ross Carter was becoming more and more desperate by the day. He had been thinking long and hard, trying to shake certain ideas off his mind. Whatever choices he took from here, he realised that his fate was now in his own hands. Driving home from another failed job interview, he had made up his mind; he was going to do it. As much as he did not want to go that route, there seemed to be no other way. As he took the freeway off-ramp, he started dialling the number of an old friend who he knew was as desperate as he was. He was sweating, and he could not understand why life must be so cruel to him. Never ever had he imagined committing a crime, but this time he made the decision. He had to do it.

Twenty-four years ago, Ross Carter got a second chance at life without him even knowing it. He had been born into a family with an alcohol problem. His father drank every day of his life. He would always come home from work in a drunken state. His problem was so bad that when he lost his job, he was never sober enough again to look for another. His mother was a factory worker, and on weekends she would happily join in with his father’s drinking sessions. In fact, Ross was doomed to be a failure just like his two elder brothers. One of them was shot in a brawl at a local drinking spot, and the other one was still doing time for selling drugs. Fortunately for Ross, he attracted the attention of the neighbours.

When he was only four years old, he used to wander outside the gates of their house and walk into the street. The first time the Johnsons took him back to his house, they warned his parents that they would have him taken away by the welfare state. In fact, they pleaded with them to take better care of him. Only the next day, he was back on the street. In the end, they decided it was better to take Ross to their house and have him play with their children. What they saw on that first day, having Ross with them, hurt the Johnson family. The child was so hungry that he had eaten an apple without even leaving the seeds behind. When they gave him a sandwich after that, he hardly chewed, trying to swallow as fast as possible. Peter then instructed his wife, Irene, to bring Ross to their house every day and feed him. However, that was not necessary as Ross was at their gate every morning after that. On weekends, if he arrived late, their son, Ray, used to walk next door to fetch him. They became the best of friends. In fact, they became brothers, for Ross now addressed his parents as Mom and Dad.

As time went by and Ross grew older, he considered the Johnson house as his home. Peter took a real liking to him as he noticed that Ross was doing most of the work around the house. Ross and Ray became very close and did everything together. Most people who knew them thought of them as brothers. As Ray was two years older than Ross, he finished school before him. He left home to study marketing and had to stay in a boarding school. They saw less of one another, but the bond between them had stayed the same. As far as they were concerned, they were brothers, and they were going to keep it that way. Circumstances, however, did not turn out as well for the rest of the Johnson family. Collin and Sandra, Ray’s younger brother and sister, were from a completely different generation. They were always fighting with their parents about wanting the latest fashions on the market. Peter had them controlled, but his wife mostly gave in to their demands. It became harder for Peter to discipline his children because their mother was constantly siding with them. Ross overheard them having an argument one day about their children. He heard Peter telling his wife, ‘If you want those two to turn out like Ross and Ray, you better stop following their orders. Seems to me they are in charge of you. You give, give, and give whatever they want. What if we cannot afford it any longer? They will start to look for their supplies outside this house. Do you know the dangers that follow this? I am telling you now that this is not what I want for my children.’

Irene did not stop, and Peter was forced to deny her access to his accounts. He instructed her to send the children to him whenever they needed anything. This did not sit well with her, and she got herself a job at a nearby supermarket. She carried on spoiling the two. It was as if the rest of the family then lost contact with Peter and lived around him in the same house. One day, Ross brought this up with Ray, and both of them spoke to Sandra and Collin. It was already too late. Sandra was pregnant. Peter took it very hard, and the two parents started blaming one another. That same year, the police came to question Collin about one of his friends’ involvement in stealing a car. Though Collin was not charged or arrested, Peter would never recover from that blow.

What Ross had noticed was too sad for him to handle. Peter was now reduced to an unattended member of his own family. Ross remembers how proud this man used to be. As a school principal, he was highly regarded by his teachers. In his community, he was the kind of person whom people would look up to, and he was well respected. Then, one day, life dealt Peter the worst blow he could ever imagine. As a principal, he strived for high standards in his school, something he maintained year after year, until he met with any teacher’s nightmare.

He had a boy in his school that had shown complete disregard for discipline. Other children were intimidated into handing over monies and valuables to him. On some Mondays, this boy would reek strongly of alcohol and sometimes slept in the classrooms. Peter had realised that his problem was beyond what any school could handle. He confronted the boy on numerous occasions, even threatening to expel him from the school, which he finally did. However, the boy’s family objected, and the school body voted against this decision. A month later, the boy was allowed back into the school. This time, the situation worsened. He now had no respect for discipline, and he felt untouchable. What made it worse was that he had followers who respected him as their leader. Sometimes, he would even taunt teachers just to show off his power over them. Then, one day, the boy came to school drunk and caused a lot of trouble in the classroom. Peter was called to deal with the situation, and a big argument broke out between them. When the boy tried to attack him, Peter smacked him so hard that he started bleeding through both his nose and mouth. Having had enough of the boy, Peter walked him through the gates and locked him out. The police found him there, still with the blood on his face. The boy’s bloodied face was on the front page of the newspaper the next day. For this, Peter was suspended and subsequently dismissed from the school.

Ray knew that his father’s spirit was crushed that day. His father’s love for teaching was only second to his love for his family. In a very short space of time, he had lost both. He thought of giving up his studies to bring support to his father. Instead, Peter put enough money in his account to make sure he finished his studies. The next day, Peter said something to Ray that made Ross a very proud man. ‘Don’t worry, son. Ross is still around to keep me going.’ Ross had made a promise to Ray to honour those words.

Sandra had moved out of the house to stay with her then latest boyfriend, and Collin had slowly become a problem child. His parents had a really hard time keeping him in school. Sometimes, Ross was also called upon to give Collin a tough talking to. By then, Ross was working at a steel engineering company, a job he had lost more than eight months ago. Since then, he had tried in vain to find other work. He knew very well that the money he had saved was not going to last long if something did not come up very soon. As he was sitting with a glass of ice-cold juice, he wondered if Peter Johnson could still be alive. It was during times like these that he needed the wisdom and parental guidance from the man he had called Dad since he could remember, and today, he really missed that support. The sound of the doorbell shook him out of his thoughts. Suddenly, he was not so sure if he still wanted to do this. He opened the door and let the three men in. Much to his surprise, one of them was Collin. As the men walked through the door, Ross stood for a number of seconds just staring at them. He closed the door behind him, paused for a moment, and then called on Casey to follow him to the other room.

‘What the hell is this?’ he asked him, not hiding his disappointment.

‘What seems to be the matter, Ross? You don’t even greet us properly.’

‘Casey, I am not going to work with these guys. Are you telling me you cannot find better than this?’

‘Hey, come on Ross. What is it you wanted . . . hardened criminals? You told me not to come with gangsters and killers. You want me to question everybody in the streets about their criminal records? What are you looking for, people who could pass an army test?’

‘This is no joke, Casey. I am putting our freedom on the line here. We have to do this right from the beginning.’

‘So what seems to be the problem?’

‘I don’t know the third guy, but Collin and Max . . . ?’ Ross spoke in complete dissatisfaction of his choice of men.

‘Ross, I think you underestimate these guys . . .’

‘It’s not that simple. I was brought up and looked after by Collin’s family. You want me to pay them back by dragging him into crime? That one is a definite no.’

‘Ross, Collin is as streetwise as I am. This guy has been hanging out with Twist and his company since I know him. I bet you he has the most knowledge about this stuff of any of us here.’

‘Max is no good for society. I have been trying for years to get Collin out of his company. Suddenly, you want me to endorse the guy to him?’ Ross sounded angry.

‘Rossy, there is nothing wrong with Max. He is only a loudmouth and just needs to be kept in place. If you want somebody that will never split on you, then he is the right man. You said you want to get into a house unnoticed, I know nobody better than him. Trust me, this guy will not even tell his best friends how he makes his money.’

‘I don’t know, Casey. I wonder if I should not just drop this idea.’

‘You mind telling me what this is about?’

‘If I tell you that I know where we can knock off a Rolex, what would you say?’

‘Hell . . . Ross! A Rolex? You think we can pull it off?’

‘Do you think it is wise if I tell them now?’

‘When were you planning on doing it?’

‘As soon as possible. That house is going on auction very soon.’

‘I think we should discuss it now. We need some planning. Doesn’t matter how little, but we have to.’ Casey sounded scared, but excited.

‘Listen, Casey. I still don’t want Collin involved. I need to speak to him alone . . . and don’t tell those guys anything yet.’

As Collin walked towards Ross, he knew there would not be any soft talk coming from him. Ross had helped him out of trouble many times. The last time he had told him that it was getting to the point where he wanted to give up on him. As much as Ross wanted to help Collin, he did not want him to feel comfortable with the life he was living. He knew that if he failed the boy, he would be failing Peter Johnson. There were times when Ross believed that Peter Johnson was already dead. He also thought about letting go with helping Collin. As much as he tried, he could not fail him this far. Collin was still a little brother to him.

‘Collin, I want you to leave immediately.’ There was no sympathy in Ross’s voice.

‘Ross, but . . .’

Collin was interrupted very harshly.

‘Do not use buts on me, Collin. I said, leave . . . now!’ He said it so loudly that the others jumped to their feet and came to see what was going on. Ross did not like the interruption and was just about to send them back when Max said to him, ‘Come on, Ross. Give the man a chance. He is one of us.’

This only infuriated Ross more. ‘You know, Max, you are the last person to speak for this man. Maybe your influence got him where he is today? Not one of you is moving one inch forward in life. I still hold it against you for introducing this man to Twist. Talk about giving him a chance. He had plenty. Even if the best opportunity had come to him, he would not even have noticed. Go back inside there. I am not done with him.’ Ross waited until they were all in the living room before he addressed Collin again. ‘Tell me, Collin, do you sometimes wonder what could have happened to your father?’

‘There were times, yes,’ he answered softly.

‘And . . . ?’

‘Hey, Ross, why do you have to embarrass me like this, man. I’m not a little boy any more, you know?’

‘You are so right, Collin. Since the age of sixteen, you wanted to be your own man. At the age of twenty-one, you sold your father’s house. You had so much money that you felt like you owned the damn neighbourhood. Now, at the age of twenty-three, you are standing in front of me, begging me to be part of a crime. So you see, Collin, you do not need to be embarrassed. You are an embarrassment to yourself.’

‘Please, Ross, I don’t have anywhere I can start from. If only I could have some money . . .’

‘Collin, why does it always have to be about money? Did you not listen to your father? A future starts with positive thoughts and a lot of patience. People like Swift and Max will ruin your life forever.’

‘I know that very well, and I want to get away from their influence.’

‘Why don’t you go talk to Ray? Maybe he can help.’

‘Ray is still mad at me.’

‘Rightly so. I also despised you for selling that house. Just six months after Mother moved out, you thought it wise to sell something that was not even rightfully yours. Ray is right. That was the only address your father could come back to. By selling it, you deleted him from our lives. Where are you staying now?’

Collin hesitated for a moment, as if he was scared of the question. ‘I moved in with a friend of Max’s until I can find a place.’

‘Collin, you make me sick. I borrowed money for you to pay your rent. Now you’re staying with Max’s gang, and you’re looking for a place. What crap are you trying to sell me? Looking for a place, my arse . . . you don’t even . . . Collin, listen here, and listen very carefully.’ Ross was so angry that he had to take a deep breath. He remembered how quickly Collin started spending the money he got for the house. Ross and Ray learnt about the sale only three weeks after Collin got paid for it. When they approached the people who had bought it, telling them about the legality of the contract, they wanted their money back. There was nothing they could do as most of the money was already spent. As no one had the money to pay them back, their mother had to sign the papers to keep Collin out of jail.

‘You know this thing that I am planning to do? It has been in my head for six weeks. Every day I’ve planned to do it, and every time I’ve put it off. You know why? Because I think of how your father raised me. It is painful to know that you rejected that man’s wisdom.’ Ross felt he could no longer stay calm talking to Collin. ‘Collin, I think I am wasting my time with you. We will talk about this again. Let’s go. The others are waiting for me.’

*     *     *

The arguments at 41 Windy Ridge Road were becoming more regular. Twelve years ago, they were one of the happiest couples in the world. Today, their marriage was falling apart.

‘You know, Kim, we can’t even have a normal conversation any more. Everything turns into an argument. I think you really need to take some time off from work. In fact, I think you should just give up working.’

‘For heaven’s sake, Ray, must it always be my fault? You are always the perfect one, and I should jump when you speak. Is that what you want? No, thank you, Mr Johnson. In case you did not know, women have rights too, or didn’t you know that?’

‘My dear wife, if it is about rights, you can have all of it from inside this house. I think it is about the power you have at work. You are never available for us. Whenever you are at home, we should consider it a bonus.’

This statement triggered anger in Kim. ‘Are you listening to yourself, Ray? You are beginning to sound just like your father.’

‘Oh, I do? At least I am doing something right. I only wish he could hear you saying that. He would have been so proud of me.’

‘You are just another loser, Ray, just like him . . . maybe you feel insecure without him. Why don’t you go look for him? I did not tell him to run away from his family. Maybe you can join him wherever he is.’

‘Kim, don’t bring my father into this . . . I am warning you, I will not allow any person to speak like that about him, not even you.’

‘Just get out of here,’ she interrupted. ‘Get the hell out and never come back.’

‘What about my son? You think I will ever leave without him?’

‘What about him? He will stay here with his mother, and I will fight you to see him.’

‘Yes, he is your son, darling. He is only waiting for you to become a real mother. When is that going to happen?’

Neither of them saw him standing in the hallway. He heard every word they said. With big eyes, he stared at his parents, and sadness crept into his whole being. Nine years old, and most of these years he saw and heard his parents argue. Somehow, it made him strong with hope that circumstances would improve. Only this time, he could sense his father was really going to leave. He could feel it was not a threat any more; he was leaving. The more he thought about that, the sadder he became. Suddenly, the tears started coming, and he ran to his room. They both heard the room door close, and they looked at one another. There was silence, and all they could do was to stare in that direction. Ray was throbbing, and he wanted to shout at his wife. He lived only for that boy. He was the only thing that kept him in the house. He moved quickly towards his son’s room, opened the door, and looked down at his sobbing face.

‘Son . . . I’m sorry. I am sorry because I did nothing to save you from this. I am sorry . . . I really wanted . . .’

‘Dad,’ he interrupted, ‘I know everything, and you don’t have to explain.’

Truly, Jason knew what his father was going through. He had once heard him say to his mother that she did not love them anymore and that he would not leave because of his love for him.

‘Dad, are you really leaving us? I love you, Dad, and I know you love me too. You do not love my mom any more, do you?’

‘Son . . .’

If ever there were words that could sting Ray Johnson deep into his heart, they were the words just spoken by his son.

‘Dad, I know. I heard you saying that to her. I heard most of your arguments. I know everything . . . Please don’t leave us, Daddy . . . please!’ He was crying now.

Seeing his son cry because of his parents’ conduct broke Ray Johnson to the core of his soul. Being trapped in a situation like this did not form part of the plans he had for his family.

‘Son, sometimes grown-ups will say stuff that they don’t really mean. We allow our anger to take control, and we become ugly. I know it is wrong, and I am so sorry that you had to hear it. So I’m saying sorry for making you cry.’

‘Are you saying you are not leaving us, Daddy?’

The door opened with force, and they both looked towards it.

‘Ray, you’re upsetting my son. I want you to leave now!’ Kim was shouting and swinging her arms wildly.

It was like adding fuel to the fire for Ray. ‘This is what I am talking about. You are more worried about me leaving this house than you are about your son’s emotions, but do not worry. Go to your well-beloved work, and I will see that he is fine. You will never separate this boy from his father, woman, never!’

His anger got the better of him, and he threw up his arms and stormed out the door. He turned back suddenly, looked at his son, managed a smile, and saluted him.

‘Son, Daddy’s got to go now, but I’ll see you later. Come here. Give your dad a hug.’

Through his tears, a smile formed on Jason’s face.

‘When I said I was leaving . . . I meant I was not going away, as in leaving, forever. Maybe I should try to find my father . . . your grandpa . . . Yes, I think I will take next week off and start looking for him.’

‘I will help you find him, Dad,’ Jason said joyfully through his tears.

*     *     *

Thick cigarette smoke hung in the room as Ross walked in. He was furious at having to choke on smoke in his own place. Both Casey and Max had a burning