Young Squatters (15 page)

“How are you doing?” she asked.

“Am doing time, that is what I am doing.”  He was trying to be funny, and it worked. They both laughed in an attempt to escape reality for a few more seconds, but it was too possessive of him. A cloud of silence then dawned on both of them, but to Nick it was a heavy one, the so-called Nimbus. It had humbled his arrogant self as he could not still believe what the hell just happened to him. It was like the coin of his life just flipped and landed on the wrong side.

***

Fate must have been enjoying this moment as it was the only logical suspect he could pin the blame on.

“Remember my son Jonathan whom I told you about?” Sarah quickly interrupted the roller coaster on his mind.

“Yeah” he answered arrogantly as if she was trying to diagnose his memory of something.

“There is this guy Forbes, I don’t know, he looks like those private shady investigators and has shown great interest in this Bradford case…”

“Then what do you suggest I do?” he interrupted her abruptly.  “It is not about what you can do. I really think this guy can figure this whole mess out by himself; I am told he is good.”

“What do you mean ‘you were told’ Sarah? I am being fried here for attempted murder and now you are bringing up this Forbes guy? For all I know it could be another trap that will now lead me to a life sentence in this crappy place. I don’t think I can handle that Sarah, I just don’t.”  He paused in silence thinking about Nora and the kids and how his actions were a complete letdown to them. He was the head of the family and now he was not so sure about it anymore. A jail time and a divorce to deal with, the world surely had flipped. His dreams must have been at an exchange with someone else’s nightmare.

A perfect life turning into a perfect nightmare, this was bullshit. Shades of tears were clouding his manly eyes, but he was no longer a man; something changed.

He turned to Sarah. “What am I to do Sarah, this cannot be the full stop to the sentence of my life.”

“Oh no dear, it is not, it has to be a comma.” It sounded like a flirt, but she knew she had to say it for the sake of his self-esteem. Every man needs a boost to their ego once in a while and in this case it was Nick.

“Just give this Forbes guy a chance, I have set up contact with him and as soon as you are ready he gets the green light. How does that sound?”

Nick just sat there staring at the walls of the facility that detained him. One would think he was planning a prison break, but no was the answer. He was just wondering how perfect worlds like the one he used to dwell in could suddenly be reduced to something like this. A man of his status in the society quickly stripped of all his medals by a toddler. Yes, Bradford was a toddler to him, a toddler with more balls, had the balls to cross him, and embarrass him like that.

Judgment day, yes, judgment day was fair and it too will put a bounty on fate and punishment for all the crimes against humanity. Was Nick trying to be religious now? Spiritual? He had no clue of how he was going to fix this mess, but time was sliding, and now this Forbes shadow was beginning to cloud his judgment.

Colin was back at campus now with a criminal charge on his trail. He was angry and vengeful at the same time. The son-of-a-bitch called Bradford was to blame for all of this, but he blamed himself even more, and that angered him even more yet. How could he be so obviously stupid to be manipulated into such a scam? His fingerprints were everywhere on the crime scene, but the criminal was now vividly enjoying the life in their castle. He was impressed, but was still going to kill him. He was wise not to let his thoughts speak through his mouth unless he wanted to join his father in jail with an additional attempted murder charge on the family’s portfolio.  That was not an image to live with; he had to outthink his adversary.

Mr. Steven Birk kept a suggestive grin on him throughout the social networking class as if he knew of the bad blood that was running in his family. The only bad blood in the lecture room was the son of the devil himself, and his name was Bradford. Colin could not let go staring at him, using his Gmail account as a frontier to Craigslist to advertise their house and his Paypal account as the place of bidding. He must be proud of himself, he thought. If only there was a way to wipe off that sick smug look off his face without getting into trouble. Bradford seemed to have it all figured out; like a chess master, playing three steps forward while everyone else was still figuring their first move.

***

Bradford felt proud of himself, having taken on a whole army by himself and still managing to throw them out of their nest. Yes, he embraced the power of knowledge and thanked it for the wings it gave him to fly with. To fly like the hawk over the hopeless chicks like Colin, ignorantly unaware of the direction in which they would be struck.

Colin suddenly walked out of class to Bradford’s amazement as if he was reading and mocking his thoughts and decided enough was enough. He did not mind another trip to the “higher” office with Mr. Birk as the “mailman” for his commotion led the whole lecture to a standstill. Connor felt sorry for him, all these troubles befalling them because of the scammer named Bradford. Someone had to pay for such crimes, and a pardon from the judge was never an alternative.

To the surprise of the attentive few in the lecture room, Colin’s exit was not of fear or sorrow; he was shockingly smiling with a grin that not even a smart person like Bradford could figure out. He wanted it to be that way.  He was too obvious in his moves and now he had an obvious key to everything, but he had to be silent enough and keep it to himself. No more obvious tweets this time round. He had to dwell in the shadows for his plan to mature and be ready for harvesting. “Brad won’t see this coming.  Yeah, I called you Brad!” he silently appraised himself. His fingers were still crossed, he just hoped his plan would be a leeway out of the congested life’s struggle.

Nora was driving to pick the kids up from school, her too questioning the intention of fate on their life. It was cruel, heartless, corrupt, and sent from hell. This life is not what she signed up for and things had to change. Her wedding band was off. Is this a test from God? She could not believe it; a world she had lived so perfectly for decades through her sweat and hard work was now tumbling down the hill, not knowing when she was going to crash. Only a divine intervention would be acceptable.

Nick was in prison, Colin had a criminal record, and now a divorce. “No more!” she said. What was going to happen to her sweet and innocent Clara? She was not going to let her get a glimpse of stain from the muddy world. “Not my Clara, no one should dare come after my Clara as I will destroy them all,” she barked.

Belinda was feeling their weight, and it was not a pleasant load to carry.  But she was family; had she not the heart to house her sister?  Now that Nick was in jail, things were not going to be that easy anymore.  There had to be some light at the end of this dark tunnel, and that was a compulsory thought and prayer she made for her family, including Nick, even if he did not turn out to be the man she thought she knew.

Nick was a grown man, but his actions surpassed every single act of maturity he had ever had and he dared to act without thinking. How was she was supposed to fill his big shoes? Take responsibility of everything? She had not prepared for this. But here she was, feeling like a widow; a widow with a living husband who was as good as dead.

Clara was quiet the whole time, not intending to utter a sound. Colin, on the other hand, was also quiet, but his mind was busy, desperate for clues to plan an attack on Bradford. Only he knew his thoughts and did not trust the surrounding world anymore for it had proved evident to be his sworn enemy. It seemed like every move he made was a mistake, but not anymore. He just had to disapprove whatever force was out there trying to take him down. Yes, the forces siding with Bradford to make the life of other people a living hell.

***

“I am Nick,” he uttered the words feeling slightly proud of himself. “There has to be a reason for my name,” he continued. “Nick is not a sissy, he is a man. He is result driven. He is not stopped by anything.  He knows what he wants and always gets it. He does not give in to defeat. I will win this; I must win this for the sake of my family, my kids, and in order to make things right with Nora, and my business. I must rebuild my business in order to take care of my family,” he said to himself. How the hell was he to do all these things while still inside the prisoned walls? Yes, that was it; he was no longer fighting for his house, but for his family. All along he had been fighting for the wrong reason.  A loud whack on his cell door woke him up from his daydream,

“Up you go, you got a visitor.” Nick abruptly got to his feet, slightly surprised by the guard’s intonation It was more of a respectful tone than a command, or maybe he was just tired. He quickly dragged his feet to the hallway before the gesture of respect faded away as a result of impatience.

He just stared at him the whole time they sat across the table eye to eye.  He wore a long grey coat and his hat laid on the table. He kept himself busy stroking his beard as if waiting for a clue or hint from Nick. He had a round stomach, in contrast to Nick’s. The overall appearance of the guy in front of him was that of either an ex-con or a cop with a reputation feared by many.

“Name is Forbes.” So this was the Forbes guy Sarah was so obsessed about. He had made it clear for her he didn’t want to talk to him and yet she went behind his back and made an appointment for him.   She would sure get a piece of his mind next time he’d talk to her.  For now, he’d play along, as Sarah was the only person that was willing to help him.  Nora only threatened to divorce him.

“I don’t belong here,” Nick muffled out.

Forbes laughed, “I find you interesting.”

Nick was confused.  “Are we speed dating now?”

Forbes chuckled. “I was given an update on your situation by your friend Sarah.  In short, I specialize in the impossible and I think you are impossible, my friend.”

Nick gestured more, this time with the assistance of his twinkled eyes. “Look man, if you are looking for an easy score I got bad news for you. My previous lawyers dried me up and I have nothing to offer, not even my hair; for it keeps me warmer than the bedding I am forced to sleep on. So what exactly do you think you can take away from me that I have not already been robbed of?”

“Listen Nick, I know that you are a tough proud man, but I am not here to milk you of anything. All I need is a green flag for an involvement in your case. I am not a private investigator, if that is what you were thinking. I deal with case files like yours that no one wants.  He then paused for a moment, waiting for Nick to say something, but he was speechless, perhaps drowning again in the thoughts of his sorrows that seemed too gigantic for an immediate solution. He needed a miracle and this guy Forbes was probably just a false promise.

***

Harper was inside the house most of the time, afraid of even looking outside due to the unexpected outcome from the gang of women that previously caused her a panic attack. The only exception was in the presence of Bradford, her timely savior. Through time he had managed to grow on her and now functioned as her rock. Without him, she was going to lose it and would not be able to recognize the consequences of her actions. He had managed to move mountains for her to be in this dream house, but nightmares still existed; the nightmare of scolding neighbors, and most of all the guilt in her conscience. Bradford did not seem to care about the consequences of anything as long as the law was there for their protection, as he always found a way of manipulating it to serve his interest. He was more fascinated by the way he twisted its arms to favor him than the way it twisted the life of the innocent. He might not have cared at all, but Harper was there to be a victim of his actions. She felt what his cold heart seemed to repel most of the time.

The guilt always found a camp inside her heart, a heart that was so fragile for peaceful resolution, but too strong when it came to love. Despite her self-declared definition of herself, moral guilt still spoke in her conscience with a loud enough voice, and it sometimes frightened her. Not even Bradford could protect her from such guilt, for it was one controlled by no law but every action. It was true, she would one day start a family with Bradford, but what were they going to do now?  She was an innocent sheep under the care of a wolf.  She was human and the power of love had taken over everything in her life. He was her salvation and she was grateful.

“A mother to be and a lesson to teach.” Harper did not understand why she uttered such words.  If she was soon be a mother, what are the qualities she found favoring for a child? Were they not love, forgiveness, sharing, and honesty? It seemed too difficult to raise innocence in a world of corruption.  “And karma, that bitch!”  She paused for a moment. “Bradford will handle it, where he will take us not even karma can find us.”

***

The sun was setting and Bradford was not home yet, and she was beginning to worry.

He knew very well how scared she was of being home alone especially after the incidence that drove her to a hospital.

“He knows very well that we live alongside mad people, especially those women that came here claiming to be the law abiding citizens and he dares let darkness…” before she could finish the last sentence, she saw his boyish figure appear around the corner, and smiled. He was there and she needed not to worry anymore. Her prince charming must have heard the echo of her complaints.  She would have called him an angel, but they both knew that was an obvious lie that had no ground to stand on. She jumped on him for a hug as they went inside the house for an evening meal for the two.

***

Ben was busy scribbling through the newspaper for any alarming news, as Belinda was skillfully looking for someone to boss around. Isaac seemed to have outwitted her every move as he always emerged as the victor. “That kid will be trouble in school,” Belinda always muttered every time she came out of their playtime with a stained dress or blouse. Isaac, on the other hand, cheered at his victory.  Ben, on the other hand, dared not to utter even a single word of intrusion in the presence of Belinda. She was the queen bee when it came to love, and the lioness when it came to her hunting skills for victory in any single argument. Her word was final since mostly the only opponent present was Ben.

***

To Colin, Ben’s character seemed strange in the presence of Belinda. He assured himself that Ben must be getting paid to live the way he was, as he never saw a man be so dominated by his wife.

Belinda had Ben wrapped around her fingers, and could hold the absence of Isaac’s birth over his head.

Nora didn’t see this.  Nora loved being the boss too, but she never bossed Nick around the way Belinda bossed Ben.  She missed Nick.  A divorce was lurking around the corner and she did not know what to do. She had planned her life with him, up to the golden ages and now something, someone, was in their way. Her life was corroding slowly, and now she was losing her husband. She blamed everything on him.  He wasn’t thinking of them, his family.

***

Forbes sat inside the blue Toyota Prius, carefully observing Bradford’s newly acquired nest. To him it was just a nest, and he was the eagle that will soon force him out of his comfort zone.   He was sure about this.    Bradford was clever, but Forbes was another story. The word smart might have found its way in the dictionary with him as an example. His knowledge might have grown on him due to his old age. He was approaching his forties and life was kind to him up until he came across this Bradford character.  He had hit his nerves and the pain was nowhere to end soon. Mark, his only son, was one of Bradford’s victims; a loyal customer. He became a victim of his drug trail and that led to an accidental overdose of the stuff. Bradford never knew about the incident, as his ignorant nature always kept him focused on Harper. She was the only thing that seemed to get to him.

Mark was gone, and his death only separated his parents further with a divorce. Forbes became an alcoholic as he sought no other reason in life that made sense apart from Mark, his dear son. He had been in the rehab for months, and now he was back to exact revenge. His life as a cop always seemed interesting as he considered himself a top-notch one in his department. No case seemed too difficult for him and he believed that:  “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” That was his opening and closing line on any police case argument and for that, the respect he deserved.