Infliction

33

How do I begin to tell her what happened? I guess I should start at my own stupid move. I take her hand and we face the ocean while I think of the right words. When I feel ready, I tell her about my involvement in an illegal business where people wanted me dead because of my a few dealings that went array.

I invested in a few merchandise and some people got overambitious and wanted to steal from me. After getting the feds involved, that's when things turned ugly because I was now called a 'snitch'. And then they were onto me.

They wanted to take Karina away and sell her to a strip house as payback. Little did she know that those four men found out where she lives and threatened me to get her to come out into the woods with me or else they'd set the whole apartment building on fire, and all the other innocent tenants would pay with their lives.

That was a risk I didn't want to take especially because the people after all of this belonged to some heartless gang who always kept their threats. After injuring Karina and making them believe she's no good any more, I mislead them in the forest, relying on the fact that there was no source of light and I turned back around and went searching for her.

I had to hide behind some trees because I couldn't bear her seeing me after all I had done. While keeping watch over her, I spotted a car with an elderly man and woman and after enough  contemplating, I picked up a handful of rocks and threw it at the car to make them stop and look for the culprit.

When that worked and they stopped, the older woman ran out and crouched down beside her body, calling back for the man to come take a look. He picked Karina up while the elderly woman  opened the backdoor of their car and with her safely in, they drove away. That's when I turned around and walked away from her forever. Or so I thought.

"That's most of it," I say after a moment of silence.

"They were a very lovely couple," she recalled.

"Yeah?" I ask, smiling a little.

"Yeah. When they took me in they treated me like their oldest daughter. Their own is younger than me."

"How is Juliet involved?"

"She was their sister and an aunt to us. She willingly took us in when they passed away and continued to look after us."

"Where's their daughter?" I ask and she gives me an 'are you seriously asking me that' kind of look.

"Vivica is their daughter," she says snugly.

"I didn't see that coming," I say, truly surprised. I should have clicked this before. Just then the other guy appears on my mind and I look around for him. I feel like he would like to spend a few hours with her. It's his right to, anyway. I mean, I've seen the way he is when he's around her and I approve him worthy of her time.

"We should probably go look for your friend," I say.

"Daniel? Yeah, I'd like to be with him right now," she says with a smile before her face falls and she looks at me with a worried expression. "Not in that way, like, no- I just meant-"

I burst out laughing. She's too cute when she's flustered. "Relax. I know what you meant," I say as we make our way up.

"Hey Daniel," I say when I spot him sitting on the hood of his car. He looks up and jumps off, walking towards us. "She's all yours, man," I say, putting her hand in his. I was about to walk away when he touches my shoulder.

"Pleasure to meet you. We didn't get to say much to each other, but I hope all's well," he says, giving me a genuine smile.

"I hope so too. Have yourselves a great night ahead."

With that, he walks back to his car. I wave at her through the window. By the looks of it, I know she'll be happier with him, and I cannot wait to see her again sometime. Most likely healthier and full of life.

I think I should take a break from everything. Maybe move somewhere for the summer and just reinvent myself. That sounds like a pleasant idea. I hum soft tunes as I cross the road and head back to the bus stop.