by Nico Verwey
Chapter 10 - The Final Battle
Leonard and Judas arrived at the starting line around five o’ clock the morning of 16 June 2006, “Okay Leonard my brother, remember the plan! We need to get over Drummond before five hours has passed to be able to make it in nine hour. That gives us about ten kilometres every hour or six to seven minutes per kilometre. My boss if you feel bad at any stage of the race you need to talk to me, okay?” Leonard just smiled, “You know Judas, you worry too much!”
Leonard was greeting a few of the competitors when Sam tapped him on the shoulder, “Morning Leonard good to see you! I am so disappointed that you did not chicken out!” Leonard turned around, “O Sam how nice of you to come and wish me luck!” Sam smiled, “I am here to protect my investment you idiot! See you at the end in Pietermaritzburg. O and watch out on the road boy, it is rough and tumble out there lots of thieves and stupid athletes running the streets these days!”
Leonard just laughed, “Sam don’t you worry about me, if I was you I would start running, because this war stops today!” Sam stepped up to Leonard, “That basted, you got right!” As Sam picket up his cane to walk away, he felt a hand on his shoulder, “Sammy boy keep walking! This race will be fair and if you try any tricks just look around you. Leonard has got some protection from his friends!” Commander Venter stood there with his marathon club, “Wow commander you guys running the race?” “Nope Leonard we are here for the thieves and robbers as Sam just noted! We run interference and replace our guys in the race every 30 km’s. They are marked with their dark blue head bands and ribbons. O and some advice Leonard, move your time token to your wrist so you can see it. This will not only remind you of the task but I have seen people get disqualified for tying it to their shoe and losing it,”
Leonard and Judas moved there tags to their wrists and moved to the front of the mass of people that came to run the race. At six o’ clock the race starter lifted his arm and pulled the trigger. The shot sounded out over Durban and the race was on its way. As Leonard put out his first step he prayed, “God this is me Leonard! My whole life I dedicated to you and you know I love you! Please be with us in this race and I pray that your angels will be sent to protect us and may I win my race with Sam to Your glory! Amen!”
The TV sports commentator gave a rundown on all the athletes and the people with the best chances, “Well in my opinion Frit van de Merwe has a good chance in the ladies race but the men’s race is open. We are also going to keep an eye on the runner Leonard Botha. His race is not for first but to finish below nine hours, this will save his trust for battered and abused women and children. This novice has got a lot of support and as we can see the people going over the starting line, we can see hundreds of people wearing his t-shirt saying “Go Leonard Remember the Goal”! We have also talked to his admin staff and if anybody would like to contribute to his charity you can do so at the numbers below or transfer money to the banking details also shown below. We spoke to the Comrades Marathon organisers and asked them why they adopted this project? Their answer was that this is special to them because in some shape or form, this man has touched them directly or helped someone they knew. It would also seem that his cause has captured the imagination of the country and even the professional bookies have him at a 21 to 1 chance of making it. So all I can say is Go Leonard Go!”
The pace was fast and Judas had to remind Leonard a few times not to get caught up with the pace, “Leonard slow down bro, we have a plan!” Judas and Leonard ran at a steady pace with the one after the other milestones passing. First target was Berea then the Durban boundary and Cowie’s Hill. This was the first check point with Doctor Mustard, “Hi guys you feel good?” Leonard took his bottle of water, “Yes thanks doc, so far so good.”Doctor Mustard plugged in his computer to Leonard’s monitor and downloaded the data, “Okay Leonard you and Judas look good. Keep the pace and stick to the plan!”
Judas and Leonard ran up Fields Hill to Winston Park and passing there next target Botha’s Hill with ease. The escort arranged by Commander Venter had problems of their own, not being use to the pace that Leonard and Judas were setting. Leonard and Judas passed Drummond, the halfway mark, in 4 hours, 47minutes, 38seconds, way ahead of their schedule, “Okay Leonard let’s look at your vitals again. “As Doctor Mustard hooked up his computer to Leonard and Judas’s heart rate monitors, Leonard just smiled, “Doc I feel good! My leg is in good shape and my heart feels fine, just now and then a flutter. You worry too much doc!” Doctor Mustard looked concerned, “We are only protecting our most loved person my boy! The flutter may be a problem Leonard! Your pace needs to drop a bit so you do not over exert your heart. Remember the plan and schedule you two. Last piece of advice rest a bit in the next 40km and remember Polly Shots is the back breaker and the graveyard of many a runner in this marathon.”
“Okay Bruce, how does Leonard look? And will he be able to achieve his nine hour run?” asked the TV commentator to Bruce Fordyce a veteran of the Comrades Marathon, “Well Steve he is ahead of schedule now but he is starting to lose momentum. The Comrades Marathon is not won in the first half but in the second half where fatigue starts setting in. The runner’s mental outlook is tested here and if he can push through the fatigue wall, he will make it. We will see if he has that ability!” “Thank you Bruce, we have phoned his charity and it looks like he has a big following in SA and as it stands, he has gotten more than a million rand in pledges and thousands of people next to the road with his t-shirt on has donated some money as well. This is truly magic and what the Comrades Marathon is all about!”
Judas called Leonard, “Okay boss we need to slow down now and rest for Polly Shorts! We go down with our pace to between eight and nine minutes on the kilometre till we are through Little Mpusheni. We then take Polly Shorts and then we have ten kilometres to the end! You understand me?” Leonard smiled with the fatigue showing on his face, “Yes Judas let’s go! You know my friend, as I run here, my life is also running in my head and I have been through all the good and bad in my life. I felt the sorrow, the love and the anger I worked through over the years. Now with this one run, I aim to not only beat my enemies but will put those feelings to rest as well! After this a new life will await me!”
The milestones dropped and although Leonard and Judas lost some time, they were still ahead of schedule. “Okay boss, now we need to concentrate! This hill is a demon and will kill us if we do not help one another!” Leonard feeling the strain on his legs just smiled, “Judas, I now understand why this hill kills you. My body is tired and my legs rubber and now you take the strain of this hill! Wow what heartbreak it must cause. Okay Judas back to the plan! Fall in behind me and I will break the wind for the first half, midway you take the strain to the top!” The sweat from Judas’s body was dripping on the road as he took in some water and cooled himself off through the water mist tunnel, “Okay my boss lets break this hill’s back for your Gogo and mom!” Leonard and Judas ascended Polly Shorts and reached the top. Their schedule was shattered and they were still twenty minutes ahead of that schedule.
Doctor Mustard did his last surveillance, “Okay Leonard, the heart is still fluttering?” Leonard was out of breath, “Jip doc but it comes and goes. My heart rate monitor tells me when I go too fast but for the rest my legs are like rubber and hurting, but I will finish this race.” “Okay Leonard it looks like you hit a slight heart beat problem with your heart and I need to tell you this concerns me. You have lots of time boy, slow down and rest your legs and get your heart rate down, okay?” Leonard wiped his forehead with a cool ice pack, “Okay doc, now can we go, we need to finish?” Doctor Mustard gave them the all clear and notified the paramedics in the stadium to be on standby in case Leonard had a problem.
It was at this point the race became a problem. Out of nowhere two thugs jumped out behind some trees and stormed Leonard. They hit him with some knobkieries and injured his leg, head and even caused enough stress to get Leonard’s heart racing... Leonard’s legs went into spasm a
s he fell and Doctor Mustard ran to aid him. Lucky for Leonard his police escort jumped the two men, but the damage was done. Leonard had a cut on his head and some trauma to his chest. The stress put his heart under some strain and to top that, damage to his bad leg ligaments was enough to slow him down. Leonard lay on the ground with his body invaded by pain, “Aaaaaaa my legs, my knee! Doc I am battling to breathe, help me!” Doctor Mustard kneeled next to Leonard, “Okay boy just relax and breathe! Nurse, get those leg muscles out of spasm. Let’s see the rest.”
Judas and a group of Leonard’s supporters formed a circle around him, “Come on Leonard remember the prize!” Doctor Mustard examined the knee, “Leonard I don’t know if you are going to finish boy. This is bad and if you keep on going it will aggravate the problem! Leonard, Sam was paid yesterday so you don’t have to finish, please my boy, let’s go to hospital!” Leonard looked at Doctor Mustard with tears in his eyes, “Doc if I don’t finish I will never ever be rid of Sam and I would have lost to my nemesis. Do what you need to do, but get me on the road and the rest is up to God now!” Doctor Mustard bandaged Leonard with sportsman tape that supported the ligaments in his knee, “Okay Leonard only ten kilometres left. Judas look after him now okay? You have lost about fifteen minutes with this and we planned a twelve minute per kilometre run from here. Let’s do it now!” Judas nodded, “Okay my friend let’s kill this demon once and for all!”
It spread like a wild fire through the crowd in the stadium where the finish line was that this worrier got attacked and injured. As Leonard hobbled along, the pain was killing him and he had to stop once or twice to adjust his shoe laces because of the swelling in his leg. It was at this point where a bunch of runners with his t-shirt on made a circle around him and shouted, “Leonard we are here for you! Come on sir we will finish with you!” Leonard just smiled and started running with Judas.
“Bruce it would seem that Leonard Botha was attacked on the road, what do you think?” asked the TV commentator, “Well Steve I don’t think he will make it. With his injuries the last ten kilometres can feel like a Comrades within a Comrades Marathon! I don’t think he has the speed or the mental capability. A novice just does not have the experience to make it. He will finish, but if I need to guess it will be more to nine hours, 30 minutes! But in my time as Comrades King I have seen the magic flow and if I look at the crowd, there is magic in the air, so just maybe!”
Leonard pushed on, “O God the pain, please help me!” As Leonard grew closer to the stadium he could hear the crowd chanting, “Leonard, Leonard, Leonard...” He could feel the energy in him building and the people next to the road threw roses at him. The closer they came, the more this energy started to pull him. He tried to run faster but the tape interfered. Leonard could feel his heart rate pounding and missing a beat as he started taking off the bandage around his leg, “Leonard what are you doing my brother?” screamed Judas. Leonard looked him in the eyes, “Judas even if this is my last run ever, I will win this race! This is for me, my mom, Grandma Marie, the people in my houses and for God! Now keep up, we have time to make up!”
Leonard ran like he only started the race and the pain in his knee did not matter. His heart monitor was beeping, warning him of strain on his heart, but that did not matter either, he just saw the stadium. As Leonard entered the stadium he had five minutes left to finish the race and received a rose from one of the fans in the crowd. He could feel his heart cramping and his leg wobbling due to the grass that was way softer that the road and uneven.
Leonard ran like there was no tomorrow and with twenty metres to go and three minutes on the clock, his leg gave in and he fell to the ground. Judas stopped and fell next to him, “My boss you okay?” Leonard looked at Sam, “My brother I think I am in trouble! My heart feels funny and my leg, well, has given in!”
The crowd was screaming at Leonard to get up and finish. You could see them crying and if it was up to them they would carry him themselves. Leonard slumped to the ground, “My boss!” Judas was crying, “Please let’s finish! Hear the people, it is all for you! My boss even if we crawl, let’s finish this thing, we still have time!” Leonard could hear the crowd as Judas spoke to him and then opened his eyes. In front of Leonard was Lucifer smiling, “You know boy, I told you I will take everything away from you! You will not make that line, as I said to you, now you believe in me?” Leonard looked up to him and smiled, “You just don’t know when to quit, do you Lucifer?” at that moment Leonard heard his mom’s voice, “Leonard my boy focus and beat this thing! Come on my boy get angry and win!”
It was as if Leonard understood and for the first time in years let Squeal out of his bottle. His eyes turned blue and green and he put his first hand in front of him! Leonard crawled every meter while the crowd screamed. He dragged his useless leg behind him and focused on the line, “This is for my mom you killed Lucifer and this move for my grandma, this one is for every woman you have tried to destroy and this one for every child you have caused pain! This one is for my dad and this one for my little sister!” The cut off official walked out with his gun held high. Everybody in the race forgot about their times and screamed for Leonard. The crowd with their t-shirts on, which they received as they walked in to the grounds, chanted and screamed. Judas looked up, “Boss you will not believe this but everybody has your t-shirt on! Come on my boss listen to me we only have five more meters! The crowd started counting down 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 Leonard looked at the line in front of him, “Lucifer this one is for me, and you demon, LOSE!” Leonard, with a last lunge forward, with his arms, legs and heart failing on him, crossed the line with his hand with his race chip on over the line.
The crowd erupted and you could hear people shouting, some were crying and some were praying. The medics came running and started to do CPR on him. They loaded him in the ambulance and drove off to hospital. Then the announcement was made, “Mr Leonard Botha is stable and on his way to hospital and if you are interested, his official time is, 8 hours, 59minutes and 56seconds. He has beaten the clock and won his personal race to save his life’s work!” The crowd erupted in song and joy and you could hear the chanting, “Leonard, Leonard!” Going over into song Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole you are the champ, you are the camp...”
Leonard was admitted to Durban General Hospital and transferred seven days later to Kimberley Hospital. The organizers of the race brought his medal framed to him, with a gold medal set next to his bronze for achievement. Things could not be better with Sam paying back his money and his charity set with funding for at least two years after the outpour of support from his South African supporters group.
Leonard was in bed looking out over Kimberley when Sam walked in, “Well look here. The champion that beat me! You cost me a lot of money you bastard!” Leonard smiled, “Sam, like I told you, start running! Now you can disappear for all time!” Sam grinned at him with the hatred etched in his eyes, “You boy may have won that battle, but the war is mine.” Sam picked up his cane and hit Leonard in the face. “You see bastard, I still have one clause to call on and that is if you die! I am going to help myself with that one a bit!” Leonard tried to get up, but Sam hit his fingers and knee with his cane, “Nope, not just yet. You see my friends gave me a little drug that will put you out of my misery. O no Leonard, it will not kill you, but people will think you are dead. The bushman uses it when they are bitten by a snake. It lowers their heart rate to the point you would think they are dead. They wake up a day later and the snake bite does not affect them as bad because their immune system had time to fight the toxin. Now my boy, enough of this will put you to sleep for five days and by then you will have been cremated as you have wished in your will, just like your grandma. You can feel everything and hear everything, but cannot do anything!” As Sam took out the syringe and needle Leonard looked at him, “Sam even in death I will beat you. I will not bow to you or anybody else so do what you must, but remember this, God never sleeps!”
Sam just laughed as he injected the
serum, “Boy when you are burning alive I will be the one laughing, not you! When I take back my flats because you did not pay me in full, I will be laughing not you!” Leonard could feel his heart rate slowing, “Well Sam, I have a surprise for you, the flats was paid the day before the race, by me. My attorney has given the deposit slip to your attorney and all the transfers have been signed by Judas who you gave signing rights in your absence and seeing that you were hiding, well, he signed. Heads up, the police will also be coming for you soon because Judas gave them all the info they need to prosecute you. Let’s say you have time till I am dead, then your time will come! Thus in the words of Leonard Botha, YOU LOSE!”
Leonard slipped into the darkness due to the drug. He could hear Sam screaming and the nurses and doctor running in. He could hear the doctor calling his time off death at 23h55 Sunday evening. He heard how Doctor Mustard phoned his Grandpa and sister Liza to break the news. He heard the people in the mortuary talk about him as if he was dead. He felt them dress him and put him in his coffin. Leonard screamed at the helpers working with him, “Can't you see I am alive!” Eventually one of the mortuary men noticed that he was warm for a corps. Unfortunately they could not hear him screaming in his mind nor did they report it to the mortuary manager.
They closed the coffin and left Leonard there for his church service the next day, “Hallo Leonard my boy!” Lucifer came laughing out of the darkness. “Well, well we do have a problem now. You will be dead tomorrow this time but I can save you if you just bow to me!” Leonard looked at him, “You will save me if I accept you?” Lucifer laughed, “Yes my boy. You know I keep to my promises! I can see you are not sure yet so I will leave you to think a bit before I need your answer boy!”
Leonard could not believe his eyes or the arrogance of this beast before him. He fell asleep and woke when the coffin was lifted to take to church.
Leonard prayed, “Father God we seem to have a problem here. If you don’t help me I will be dead in a few hours from now. My work on earth is not done yet, please help that someone will see I am still alive, but God if that is not your will, please give me the strength to make it through this hell into your arms. God I now commit my body, mind and soul to you once more and may Your will be done! Amen” Leonard arrived at the church at ten o’ clock that morning and his casket was taken to the front of the church. The top lid was opened for his loved ones to say goodbye for one last time. As the people passed he heard them crying and felt their tears on his cheek.
Jillian was the first of his inner ring to say goodbye, “Leonard my boy I love you so much. I cannot believe that you are gone! You gave me hope and life when you saved me. Love you my boy!” Jillian kissed him on his forehead and it broke Leonard’s hart. “Jillian please look at me! My eyes are fluttering please see it! I am alive!” Jillian did not see the slight flutter of his eyes and walked into the church.
Judas, his long time friend, walked up to his coffin, “My friend thank you for saving my family and being my friend! You taught me how to live and helped me to help myself! My boss I will remember you and I promise you I will keep on fighting for your rose people and together I, Liza and Grandpa will heal this town!”
Grandpa John was next and the sorrow washed out of his soul, “My God why did you take him! He was all I had left of Marie and Annette! Why God, why did you take him? If I could I would have given my life for him my God, why?” As the tears fell on Leonard’s face he screamed, “Grandpa I am alive just look at me!” John kissed Leonard on his lips, “My boy I love you! Sorry for all the pain and hurt over the years, but you are now in God’s hands.”
Liza walked up to Leonard, “Hey you! I am going to miss you but I promise you that the work you started will be completed by me, grandpa, Jillian and Judas! Your mission now is our mission! Love you and when you see mom and grandma hug them and tell them I love and miss them!” Sam walked past the coffin and saw Leonard’s little finger move, he grabbed Leonard’s hands and whispered in his ear, “Saw that you little bastard! See you in hell and in my own words, I WIN!”
They closed the coffin and pushed it into the church. Leonard heard the service and felt it when the coffin was loaded into the Hearse. He was taken back to the crematorium and felt his body hitting the slab ready to be cremated. Leonard heard his family crying as they pushed him into the oven, “Hi Leonard I nearly missed it! You ready to submit to me?” asked Lucifer.Leonard started reciting Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd I shell not want...” When he was finished he smiled, “God I now give my soul into your hands!” He could smell the gas coming into the oven and heard the first click of the burners which failed, “Lucifer I will not bow to you, get it through your thick scull!” At that moment Leonard felt a sharp pain in his chest as his heart stopped due to a massive heart attack as if God shouted from heaven, “ENOUGH!”
* * * *
Leonard was not there when the flames burned his body. He was not there when his ashes was gathered and given to his family. Leonard was not there when Sam’s investors and drug dealers walked into his home and shot him 25 times to make sure he did not survive. He was not there when Sam started slipping away into darkness. In Sam’s state of confusion and pain he saw Leonard’s dad, Squeal, “Leonard that you my boy? Glad to see you and I hope you can forgive me. Well just one thing, if you are here I must be in heaven! Yippee I beat the system!”
As Sam’s eyes adjusted he saw the man before him, “Hallo Sammy boy, remember me? I was that boy you and your friends beat-up many years ago! You remember, there at the cemetery!” Sam started laughing, “Yes I remember. Your name was Squeal or Kaffer! Wow we did a good job!” Squeal smiled, “Yes that I am and that boy you killed, Leonard, was my son. I was sent by Lucifer to come and get you and do with you what I want. So Sammy welcome to my world, it’s called HELL!” Leonard was not there when Sam was dragged to the dark regions of hell where he would spend eternity without God.
Leonard was not there to see the success of his work nor the accolades that it was given. Leonard did not see the countless women and children that was saved and the families that was healed again. Leonard was not there when Liza got married and had two children.
Leonard was there when Grandpa John was called home to heaven.
Leonard opened his eyes as he walked through to the other side and saw Lucifer waiting, “Told you, you were mine!” at that moment a presence filled the place he was in and he saw his Grandma Marie and mom Annette walking towards him and Lucifer disappearing like mist before the sun, “Hey my boy you made it!” Leonard looked at the bright figure in front of him and smiled, “God one question, why all the hurt and pain?”
God looked at him and smiled, “Leonard you came to the world from darkness. You changed the world to light. You worked through all this and still stayed true to Me!
You made a choice FOR me. Now my son, come into my glory and rest, for you are truly My Rose Angel!” Leonard walked into heaven with his grandma, grandpa and mom hand in hand.
LEONARD WAS NOT ON EARTH ANYMORE
BECAUSE HE WAS WHERE “ROSE ANGELS” ARE MEANT TO BE
IN HEAVEN
WITH ME!
The End
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