Ultimatum Read online



  Ultimatum

  By Eduard Joseph

  Published by Eduard Joseph

  Copyright 2013 Eduard Joseph

  Front cover design by Eduard Joseph

  Twitter: @TheEduardJoseph

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are

  not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. Any resemblance to any person or

  persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved

  The right of Eduard Joseph to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him under the South African Copyright Act of 1978 (as amended).

  OTHER WORKS BY EDUARD JOSEPH

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  The man who refused to grow old (A short story)

  Morgue of the living (A short story)

  Trick or treat (A short story)

  The Town

  Available from June 2013

  1

  “I want three million bucks.” The teacher demanded, “I also want a helicopter to fly me to a location I will specify once we are in the air. I want the helicopter here within the hour. I will kill one hostage for every ten minutes you’re late.”

  The children in the classroom stared at the teacher pacing up and down at the front of the class. She seemed so serious. Her words sliced through the silence in the classroom. She glanced at the room of perplexed faces that stared back at her and then she smiled.

  Her name was Miss Johnson. She had been teaching English at Westcliffe secondary school for almost three years. She was a favorite amongst the students, as she had a unique way of teaching. She would go all out, putting up little performances in class. Older teachers thought of her to be a nut job. Why would she put so much effort into teaching delinquents? They were all going to end up flipping burgers at fast food restaurants.

  “Can anyone tell me what I just gave the negotiator in this scenario?” Miss Johnson asked.

  One of the quiet students at the back of the class raised her hand. Miss Johnson pointed at her.

  “A threat.” The student said.

  Miss Johnson nodded, “Yes. Can anyone else give me a synonym?”

  A boy close to the window raised his hand and said, “A demand.”

  Miss Johnson nodded and said, “Very good, but what else?”

  She stared at the class. Nobody seemed to have an answer. One of the girls in the front row of desks stared at her with her icy blue eyes. Her name was Alice Steward. She was one of those ugly ducklings. She never realized that she became more beautiful as she grew up. Alice was a bit on the quiet side, but very bright.

  “Alice?” Miss Johnson asked.

  Alice shook her head.

  “Nobody?” Miss Johnson said.

  She turned to the blackboard behind her, wrote the word ultimatum and underlined it twice.

  “Ultimatum.” Miss Johnson said.

  She turned to face the class again. She could tell that none of them really knew what the word meant. She was a bit shocked. She was pretty sure that she had mentioned the word at least once or twice in her class before.

  “Does anyone know the meaning of this word?” Miss Johnson asked.

  Everyone stared at her with vacant faces. They had no clue what she was talking about even though the answer was right in front of their eyes.

  “It means final choice.” Miss Johnson said, “It means someone is giving you a final choice to do something or you will have to bear the consequences of what is to come. In this scenario the hostages would be killed if the kidnappers do not get what they want. The negotiator was given an ultimatum. He either met their demands, or the terrorists would kill hostages.”

  The bell rang and that was it for the last class of the day.

  “Okay everyone,” Miss Johnson said, “I know its weekend, but you need to read acts one and two of Othello.”

  A sea of moans washed over the class as the students left the class. Alice leisurely packed away her stuff while the other students rushed out of the classroom. She was one of the last students to leave the classroom.

  Alice made her way through the busy corridors. She was just another teenager in a school filled with pimple faced people. There was nothing that really set her apart from the rest of the school, except those piercing eyes of hers.

  She stepped out of the main building and immediately spotted her father’s blue Mini Cooper parked in the street. Her face lit up. She quickly made her way to the car and got in.

  “Dad!” She greeted enthusiastically.

  “My favorite daughter.” Jim teased.

  “I’m your only daughter.” Alice said.

  She was still confused as to why her father was picking her up from school. He never picked her up from school. It usually meant one thing. The smile faded from her face.

  “Dad,” Alice asked, “You didn’t get fired again, did you?

  There was a heavy silence for a moment.

  “I got downsized.” Jim corrected her, “The Company no longer needed me.”

  “It’s the second job this year.” Alice said.

  “We’ll get by.” Jim said, “I will find something better, you’ll see. And now I get to spend more time with you and your mother.”

  Alice knew her mother would not be very pleased about him losing another job. She was not as understanding as Alice was. It frustrated her mother more and more each time Jim told her that another job had been lost.

  Jim’s brother John died about a year earlier and he was never able to get over the loss. It drastically affected most aspects of his life, but especially his work.

  Jim and John were inseparable since birth. They were best friends. Sometimes Alice wished he could just snap out of his mourning and move on with his life. Every time she had thoughts like that she felt ashamed of herself. She could never begin to imagine what her father must be feeling. She was an only child and did not understand what it felt like to lose a sibling.

  Jim started the car and they drove home.