| General Fiction posted January 18, 2022 |
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A Talk With An Angel
Family Justice
by Begin Again
Dressed in his best pair of jeans and a white shirt, the old man closed his eyes and gently rocked the antique chair. Memories of a lifetime of injustice, poverty, and violence spun around in his head. Today, he'd stood tall and hoped to wipe the slate clean so his family would have a brighter future. He listened as his mind replayed this morning's court session.
"My name is Jason Manuel Ortega. I will not apologize for my life. Yes, I grew up living among criminals and tough guys, but I had opportunities to step outside the circle of gangs and drugs. Circumstances and my own choices kept me here. So, today, I stand before Your Honor and the jury, willing to accept the verdict."
Jason's eyes opened, and he stared at his bare arm. It felt as if someone was touching him. He'd expected chills or goosebumps; instead, it felt like a loving stroke. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Mary Anne, is that you? I expected you to come before now."
A soft breeze carried the scent of lilacs across the porch, and the matching rocker gently creaked against the floorboards. "You always loved when those lilacs were in bloom. Do you suppose that's what brought you by today?" Jason chuckled and walked to the edge of the porch.
"Mary Anne, Tommy, and I agreed that the gun I gave him was the one that shot Leroy. It was a slam dunk case." Jason sighed and turned to stare at the rocker. "Yeah, he didn't lie, but I gave him the real gun. No one but him, and I knew there were two guns."
"When I heard my grandbabies crying in the back of the courtroom, I just knew I was doing the right thing, babe. I know I am not guilty of this crime, but I accept responsibility and, thus, the punishment. I was a worthless father. Now don't go denying it; after all, you are working for the Lord now."
Jason raised his eyes toward the sky and spoke as if he was talking to his best friend. "Now, Lord, you and I have talked a heap about my past and how I've tried to mend my ways, but if anyone is going to pay for the sins of this family, let it be me, not this beautiful woman. She can't help herself, and you know that. She's carried more than her share while she walked this Earth. You blessed her with a big heart filled with love, and I guess maybe some things are still spilling over. Whatever you decide, be it heaven or hell, I am okay with it. Just don't let anyone else pay for these crimes. Amen. Oh yeah, thank you for listening to this ole fool."
Jason settled his weary bones into the rocker and listened to the birds chirping in the trees. "This is where I want my grandbabies to grow up. They need to stay far away from the city. Our son lies buried over there on the hill. It's a constant reminder of how drugs, alcohol, vengeance, and no fatherly guidance led him to the dark side of life. Leroy lost his soul when he tried to take the lives of his family."
"On that moonless night when I packed their belongings into my car and drove them here, I wasn't thinking straight. Or maybe I was and knew he'd follow. I had just tucked the girls into bed when I saw those headlights turn into the drive and flash across the windows. I couldn't move as fast as Mandy, and she reached the porch first. Leroy was already slamming his fist into her face, with droplets of blood spraying everywhere. I wanted to kill him, Mary Anne. I wanted his lust for violence to end right then.
"The look in Leroy's eyes told me he wanted to kill me, too. Father and son with so much hate built up inside; neither of us was thinking of anything else. I pulled Mandy back and lost my balance. Leroy kicked me and knocked me to the ground. I can still hear my brittle bones crunching as he stomped his foot against my chest." Jason stopped for a moment and ran his hand across his shirt. "I heard the gunshot, and for a split second, I thought I was dead. But it wasn't me who crumbled to the ground; it was Leroy."
"It was crazy, as I struggled to wrap my mind around what was happening. Mandy was screaming for Annie to get back in the house. I spun around, looking for Jackson. He stood outside the driver's door with tears pouring down his face. The gun dangled from his small hand. Babe, his ten-year-old eyes were so sad, and he couldn't stop trembling. By the time I dragged myself across the yard to him, all he kept mumbling was how he'd tried to fire the gun."
"Caleb must have heard the shot and rushed out of the trees and grabbed Jackson, yelling, "We're going fishing." The last I saw of them was Caleb's red flannel flapping in the wind and his arms wrapped around our grandson. They must have gone straight to the boat and down the river."
"When I turned back to where Leroy's lifeless body lay, I felt sick to my stomach. I turned away and caught sight of Annie disappearing around the corner of the cabin as she rushed into the trees, dragging her doll and blanket, screaming for Jackson to come back. I caught her, looked deep into her eyes, praying she'd understand, and whispered, 'Hush, Baby Girl.' Then I shoved her into her mother's arms and told Mandy to get her cleaned up and back in bed. Little Annie's eyes met mine, and I knew my innocent eight-year-old granddaughter had seen the devil. It was then that I made the best decision of my life, Mary Anne."
"One phone call to Tommy, and it wasn't long before flashing red and blue lights lit up the road and our yard like the Fourth of July. It looked just like one of those detective movies where all the police jump out and draw their guns, ready to shoot if anyone moved. I stood there with my hands in the air and waited for Sheriff Thomas Farrington to do his duty like I knew he would.
"I could see him studying the situation, Leroy's lifeless body, the gun I'd handed the officer, the blood on my shirt from hugging my son while I made the call, and the lack of anyone else outside.
"His gruff voice was almost a whisper, but those cold steel eyes looked right through me when he spoke. 'Looks like someone's got some explaining to do, Jason. Care to fill me in?'
"Me, being all cocky, just flat out told him how it was. 'You know me, Tom. I've walked both sides of the line, but it got a little cloudy today. I brought Mandy and the girls up here to get away from my son. He followed us, I guess. He started beating on her, and I couldn't have none of that. Things got heated, and well, when it looked like I might be on the losing end, I had to end it. I dropped my head to my chest for a moment, and then I remembered my gun. It jammed the first time, but I fired it again. His life was over. I'm sorry, but I couldn't have him hurting the woman and girls no more."
"Tom looked around the yard and at the house before asking where Mandy and the girls were. Right quick, I told him the girls were asleep upstairs, and Mandy was standing inside, frightened out of her skin.
"Instead of volunteering any information, I waited for him to ask about Jackson. When he did, I shrugged and said he and Caleb were up-river fishing. Been gone for hours."
"I thought the jig was up when Tom nodded for his officer to put the cuffs on me. He leaned real close and said how he had to arrest me, but then, quietly, so only he and I could hear, he whispered, 'I know you didn't shoot him.'
"Of course, I answered back he was wrong. He had the gun, the body, and my confession."
"That's when I knew it wasn't an open and shut case like I wanted it to be. Tommy pulled me aside, stared into my eyes, and told me he'd always thought I was a poor shot, but he knew I hadn't ever shot a man in the back."
"Back at the station, over a fifth of whiskey, Tommy and I argued about the shooting all night. I kept telling him to let it go, but he said he didn't want me to go to jail for something I didn't do."
"I finally had to tell him the secret I'd been keeping for months. The Doc told me cancer was having a picnic inside me, and it wouldn't be much longer. Maybe it was time I paid for those crimes I got away with and consider this a bonus. When he threatened me, I asked which one of my family he was going to destroy, and with me dead, there would not be much evidence."
Jason's breathing ragged as he stood and descended the porch steps. He shuffled across the grass toward the trees, found a doll blanket hidden beneath a fallen branch, and plodded toward the old cistern. Looking around the yard, he shoved the lid just enough and dropped the blanket inside, listening as it fell. When he heard the echo of the kerplunk in the water, he knew the job was done.
As he headed for the porch, his knees buckled, and he crumbled to the ground. A smile crossed his lips, and he raised his hand toward heaven, "Mary Anne, you look mighty beautiful as an angel. Shall we go home?"
Dressed in his best pair of jeans and a white shirt, the old man closed his eyes and gently rocked the antique chair. Memories of a lifetime of injustice, poverty, and violence spun around in his head. Today, he'd stood tall and hoped to wipe the slate clean so his family would have a brighter future. He listened as his mind replayed this morning's court session.
"My name is Jason Manuel Ortega. I will not apologize for my life. Yes, I grew up living among criminals and tough guys, but I had opportunities to step outside the circle of gangs and drugs. Circumstances and my own choices kept me here. So, today, I stand before Your Honor and the jury, willing to accept the verdict."
Jason's eyes opened, and he stared at his bare arm. It felt as if someone was touching him. He'd expected chills or goosebumps; instead, it felt like a loving stroke. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Mary Anne, is that you? I expected you to come before now."
A soft breeze carried the scent of lilacs across the porch, and the matching rocker gently creaked against the floorboards. "You always loved when those lilacs were in bloom. Do you suppose that's what brought you by today?" Jason chuckled and walked to the edge of the porch.
"Mary Anne, Tommy, and I agreed that the gun I gave him was the one that shot Leroy. It was a slam dunk case." Jason sighed and turned to stare at the rocker. "Yeah, he didn't lie, but I gave him the real gun. No one but him, and I knew there were two guns."
"When I heard my grandbabies crying in the back of the courtroom, I just knew I was doing the right thing, babe. I know I am not guilty of this crime, but I accept responsibility and, thus, the punishment. I was a worthless father. Now don't go denying it; after all, you are working for the Lord now."
Jason raised his eyes toward the sky and spoke as if he was talking to his best friend. "Now, Lord, you and I have talked a heap about my past and how I've tried to mend my ways, but if anyone is going to pay for the sins of this family, let it be me, not this beautiful woman. She can't help herself, and you know that. She's carried more than her share while she walked this Earth. You blessed her with a big heart filled with love, and I guess maybe some things are still spilling over. Whatever you decide, be it heaven or hell, I am okay with it. Just don't let anyone else pay for these crimes. Amen. Oh yeah, thank you for listening to this ole fool."
Jason settled his weary bones into the rocker and listened to the birds chirping in the trees. "This is where I want my grandbabies to grow up. They need to stay far away from the city. Our son lies buried over there on the hill. It's a constant reminder of how drugs, alcohol, vengeance, and no fatherly guidance led him to the dark side of life. Leroy lost his soul when he tried to take the lives of his family."
"On that moonless night when I packed their belongings into my car and drove them here, I wasn't thinking straight. Or maybe I was and knew he'd follow. I had just tucked the girls into bed when I saw those headlights turn into the drive and flash across the windows. I couldn't move as fast as Mandy, and she reached the porch first. Leroy was already slamming his fist into her face, with droplets of blood spraying everywhere. I wanted to kill him, Mary Anne. I wanted his lust for violence to end right then.
"The look in Leroy's eyes told me he wanted to kill me, too. Father and son with so much hate built up inside; neither of us was thinking of anything else. I pulled Mandy back and lost my balance. Leroy kicked me and knocked me to the ground. I can still hear my brittle bones crunching as he stomped his foot against my chest." Jason stopped for a moment and ran his hand across his shirt. "I heard the gunshot, and for a split second, I thought I was dead. But it wasn't me who crumbled to the ground; it was Leroy."
"It was crazy, as I struggled to wrap my mind around what was happening. Mandy was screaming for Annie to get back in the house. I spun around, looking for Jackson. He stood outside the driver's door with tears pouring down his face. The gun dangled from his small hand. Babe, his ten-year-old eyes were so sad, and he couldn't stop trembling. By the time I dragged myself across the yard to him, all he kept mumbling was how he'd tried to fire the gun."
"Caleb must have heard the shot and rushed out of the trees and grabbed Jackson, yelling, "We're going fishing." The last I saw of them was Caleb's red flannel flapping in the wind and his arms wrapped around our grandson. They must have gone straight to the boat and down the river."
"When I turned back to where Leroy's lifeless body lay, I felt sick to my stomach. I turned away and caught sight of Annie disappearing around the corner of the cabin as she rushed into the trees, dragging her doll and blanket, screaming for Jackson to come back. I caught her, looked deep into her eyes, praying she'd understand, and whispered, 'Hush, Baby Girl.' Then I shoved her into her mother's arms and told Mandy to get her cleaned up and back in bed. Little Annie's eyes met mine, and I knew my innocent eight-year-old granddaughter had seen the devil. It was then that I made the best decision of my life, Mary Anne."
"One phone call to Tommy, and it wasn't long before flashing red and blue lights lit up the road and our yard like the Fourth of July. It looked just like one of those detective movies where all the police jump out and draw their guns, ready to shoot if anyone moved. I stood there with my hands in the air and waited for Sheriff Thomas Farrington to do his duty like I knew he would.
"I could see him studying the situation, Leroy's lifeless body, the gun I'd handed the officer, the blood on my shirt from hugging my son while I made the call, and the lack of anyone else outside.
"His gruff voice was almost a whisper, but those cold steel eyes looked right through me when he spoke. 'Looks like someone's got some explaining to do, Jason. Care to fill me in?'
"Me, being all cocky, just flat out told him how it was. 'You know me, Tom. I've walked both sides of the line, but it got a little cloudy today. I brought Mandy and the girls up here to get away from my son. He followed us, I guess. He started beating on her, and I couldn't have none of that. Things got heated, and well, when it looked like I might be on the losing end, I had to end it. I dropped my head to my chest for a moment, and then I remembered my gun. It jammed the first time, but I fired it again. His life was over. I'm sorry, but I couldn't have him hurting the woman and girls no more."
"Tom looked around the yard and at the house before asking where Mandy and the girls were. Right quick, I told him the girls were asleep upstairs, and Mandy was standing inside, frightened out of her skin.
"Instead of volunteering any information, I waited for him to ask about Jackson. When he did, I shrugged and said he and Caleb were up-river fishing. Been gone for hours."
"I thought the jig was up when Tom nodded for his officer to put the cuffs on me. He leaned real close and said how he had to arrest me, but then, quietly, so only he and I could hear, he whispered, 'I know you didn't shoot him.'
"Of course, I answered back he was wrong. He had the gun, the body, and my confession."
"That's when I knew it wasn't an open and shut case like I wanted it to be. Tommy pulled me aside, stared into my eyes, and told me he'd always thought I was a poor shot, but he knew I hadn't ever shot a man in the back."
"Back at the station, over a fifth of whiskey, Tommy and I argued about the shooting all night. I kept telling him to let it go, but he said he didn't want me to go to jail for something I didn't do."
"I finally had to tell him the secret I'd been keeping for months. The Doc told me cancer was having a picnic inside me, and it wouldn't be much longer. Maybe it was time I paid for those crimes I got away with and consider this a bonus. When he threatened me, I asked which one of my family he was going to destroy, and with me dead, there would not be much evidence."
Jason's breathing ragged as he stood and descended the porch steps. He shuffled across the grass toward the trees, found a doll blanket hidden beneath a fallen branch, and plodded toward the old cistern. Looking around the yard, he shoved the lid just enough and dropped the blanket inside, listening as it fell. When he heard the echo of the kerplunk in the water, he knew the job was done.
As he headed for the porch, his knees buckled, and he crumbled to the ground. A smile crossed his lips, and he raised his hand toward heaven, "Mary Anne, you look mighty beautiful as an angel. Shall we go home?"
"My name is Jason Manuel Ortega. I will not apologize for my life. Yes, I grew up living among criminals and tough guys, but I had opportunities to step outside the circle of gangs and drugs. Circumstances and my own choices kept me here. So, today, I stand before Your Honor and the jury, willing to accept the verdict."
Jason's eyes opened, and he stared at his bare arm. It felt as if someone was touching him. He'd expected chills or goosebumps; instead, it felt like a loving stroke. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Mary Anne, is that you? I expected you to come before now."
A soft breeze carried the scent of lilacs across the porch, and the matching rocker gently creaked against the floorboards. "You always loved when those lilacs were in bloom. Do you suppose that's what brought you by today?" Jason chuckled and walked to the edge of the porch.
"Mary Anne, Tommy, and I agreed that the gun I gave him was the one that shot Leroy. It was a slam dunk case." Jason sighed and turned to stare at the rocker. "Yeah, he didn't lie, but I gave him the real gun. No one but him, and I knew there were two guns."
"When I heard my grandbabies crying in the back of the courtroom, I just knew I was doing the right thing, babe. I know I am not guilty of this crime, but I accept responsibility and, thus, the punishment. I was a worthless father. Now don't go denying it; after all, you are working for the Lord now."
Jason raised his eyes toward the sky and spoke as if he was talking to his best friend. "Now, Lord, you and I have talked a heap about my past and how I've tried to mend my ways, but if anyone is going to pay for the sins of this family, let it be me, not this beautiful woman. She can't help herself, and you know that. She's carried more than her share while she walked this Earth. You blessed her with a big heart filled with love, and I guess maybe some things are still spilling over. Whatever you decide, be it heaven or hell, I am okay with it. Just don't let anyone else pay for these crimes. Amen. Oh yeah, thank you for listening to this ole fool."
Jason settled his weary bones into the rocker and listened to the birds chirping in the trees. "This is where I want my grandbabies to grow up. They need to stay far away from the city. Our son lies buried over there on the hill. It's a constant reminder of how drugs, alcohol, vengeance, and no fatherly guidance led him to the dark side of life. Leroy lost his soul when he tried to take the lives of his family."
"On that moonless night when I packed their belongings into my car and drove them here, I wasn't thinking straight. Or maybe I was and knew he'd follow. I had just tucked the girls into bed when I saw those headlights turn into the drive and flash across the windows. I couldn't move as fast as Mandy, and she reached the porch first. Leroy was already slamming his fist into her face, with droplets of blood spraying everywhere. I wanted to kill him, Mary Anne. I wanted his lust for violence to end right then.
"The look in Leroy's eyes told me he wanted to kill me, too. Father and son with so much hate built up inside; neither of us was thinking of anything else. I pulled Mandy back and lost my balance. Leroy kicked me and knocked me to the ground. I can still hear my brittle bones crunching as he stomped his foot against my chest." Jason stopped for a moment and ran his hand across his shirt. "I heard the gunshot, and for a split second, I thought I was dead. But it wasn't me who crumbled to the ground; it was Leroy."
"It was crazy, as I struggled to wrap my mind around what was happening. Mandy was screaming for Annie to get back in the house. I spun around, looking for Jackson. He stood outside the driver's door with tears pouring down his face. The gun dangled from his small hand. Babe, his ten-year-old eyes were so sad, and he couldn't stop trembling. By the time I dragged myself across the yard to him, all he kept mumbling was how he'd tried to fire the gun."
"Caleb must have heard the shot and rushed out of the trees and grabbed Jackson, yelling, "We're going fishing." The last I saw of them was Caleb's red flannel flapping in the wind and his arms wrapped around our grandson. They must have gone straight to the boat and down the river."
"When I turned back to where Leroy's lifeless body lay, I felt sick to my stomach. I turned away and caught sight of Annie disappearing around the corner of the cabin as she rushed into the trees, dragging her doll and blanket, screaming for Jackson to come back. I caught her, looked deep into her eyes, praying she'd understand, and whispered, 'Hush, Baby Girl.' Then I shoved her into her mother's arms and told Mandy to get her cleaned up and back in bed. Little Annie's eyes met mine, and I knew my innocent eight-year-old granddaughter had seen the devil. It was then that I made the best decision of my life, Mary Anne."
"One phone call to Tommy, and it wasn't long before flashing red and blue lights lit up the road and our yard like the Fourth of July. It looked just like one of those detective movies where all the police jump out and draw their guns, ready to shoot if anyone moved. I stood there with my hands in the air and waited for Sheriff Thomas Farrington to do his duty like I knew he would.
"I could see him studying the situation, Leroy's lifeless body, the gun I'd handed the officer, the blood on my shirt from hugging my son while I made the call, and the lack of anyone else outside.
"His gruff voice was almost a whisper, but those cold steel eyes looked right through me when he spoke. 'Looks like someone's got some explaining to do, Jason. Care to fill me in?'
"Me, being all cocky, just flat out told him how it was. 'You know me, Tom. I've walked both sides of the line, but it got a little cloudy today. I brought Mandy and the girls up here to get away from my son. He followed us, I guess. He started beating on her, and I couldn't have none of that. Things got heated, and well, when it looked like I might be on the losing end, I had to end it. I dropped my head to my chest for a moment, and then I remembered my gun. It jammed the first time, but I fired it again. His life was over. I'm sorry, but I couldn't have him hurting the woman and girls no more."
"Tom looked around the yard and at the house before asking where Mandy and the girls were. Right quick, I told him the girls were asleep upstairs, and Mandy was standing inside, frightened out of her skin.
"Instead of volunteering any information, I waited for him to ask about Jackson. When he did, I shrugged and said he and Caleb were up-river fishing. Been gone for hours."
"I thought the jig was up when Tom nodded for his officer to put the cuffs on me. He leaned real close and said how he had to arrest me, but then, quietly, so only he and I could hear, he whispered, 'I know you didn't shoot him.'
"Of course, I answered back he was wrong. He had the gun, the body, and my confession."
"That's when I knew it wasn't an open and shut case like I wanted it to be. Tommy pulled me aside, stared into my eyes, and told me he'd always thought I was a poor shot, but he knew I hadn't ever shot a man in the back."
"Back at the station, over a fifth of whiskey, Tommy and I argued about the shooting all night. I kept telling him to let it go, but he said he didn't want me to go to jail for something I didn't do."
"I finally had to tell him the secret I'd been keeping for months. The Doc told me cancer was having a picnic inside me, and it wouldn't be much longer. Maybe it was time I paid for those crimes I got away with and consider this a bonus. When he threatened me, I asked which one of my family he was going to destroy, and with me dead, there would not be much evidence."
Jason's breathing ragged as he stood and descended the porch steps. He shuffled across the grass toward the trees, found a doll blanket hidden beneath a fallen branch, and plodded toward the old cistern. Looking around the yard, he shoved the lid just enough and dropped the blanket inside, listening as it fell. When he heard the echo of the kerplunk in the water, he knew the job was done.
As he headed for the porch, his knees buckled, and he crumbled to the ground. A smile crossed his lips, and he raised his hand toward heaven, "Mary Anne, you look mighty beautiful as an angel. Shall we go home?"
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