Geraldo by Abby Moran (best historical fiction books of all time .txt) 📖

Yesterday I witnessed the unspeakable. A young child was murdered under the bridge and his body was left to float upon the water. The child was not even six years old. The man got away and I was left just standing there; I was too stunned to move or speak. The man left a knife but he wore gloves so it was of no use for fingerprinting. No one understood how dangerous this act was; I did.

Nobody believed me when I told them that the father would seek revenge for his offspring. Nor did they believe me when I told them he would go insane in time. Of course they didn’t know his father like I did because his father was my brother.Now you’d think I’d be devastated at the murder of my nephew but honestly I didn’t know him all that well. I had only met him as a baby and I hadn’t visited since his birth. Still something inside tugged at my heart hard and that was I’d never know him as a man. What kind of man would he become? Nobody would know now because of a man that is unknown for the time being. I knew I wanted revenge just like his father but at the same time it was almost like peeking into a strangers death and that just isn't how I'd like things to be. I guess it is my own fault for not visiting more but Mike wouldn’t want me at his house anyway. I’d probably be too loud for his wife.

“Mike, I know how you feel but you have to believe me….you don’t need this kind of revenge.”

His pocket knife was outspread and he was tilting it in his palms.

“How would you even know? You have no kids, so you don’t understand.”

It was true I didn’t start a family yet but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t understand enough to know he was hurt.

I didn’t know what to tell him at this point. I already tried to comfort him and he wouldn’t accept it, I tried to calm him but he wouldn’t. All I know about my nephew was that his name was Geraldo and he was not even six yet. I didn’t really know him; I just knew his basic biography. So Mike had some good points but I’m more stubborn than him and I just don’t care if I didn’t know the kid. I know my brother and I’d do anything in my power to help him. He seemed to be alone while I was talking to him but after a while I heard his wife moan from the bedroom. She always has some sort of headache or migraine and I know it’s harsh to say but it gets really annoying. I know sometimes she just says she has one so I’ll leave because I already know I’m a loud mouth and can’t keep quiet to save my life. Her name is Mae. I don’t know why she married my brother because she stays in bed all the time except to make supper and doesn’t really pay much attention to him and his problems. I guess in a way I’m his second wife because I listen to him but I don’t know how he’d feel about me saying that.

“Jim, I don’t know what I’m gonna do without my little boy. He was such a great son and I just know he’d have liked you.”

I just smiled and held him.

“Well I know you were a great father to him.” He sniffled and looked at me.

“How can you tell?” I sighed and held him tighter

“Because a good parent will always sob at the death of their child.”

I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek but I wiped it away before Mike saw. “I know I didn’t know him that long but I want you to know that I’m grieving too. You are never alone.” More tears rolled down but there were too many to wipe away so I just let them fall off my chin and onto Mike. He turned so he could fully hug me and it took us a long time to let go. Tears fell and I heard both of our hearts beating really fast. Deep down both of us knew that Mike needed his revenge and he’d get it sooner or later.

Mae got out of bed moaning “What’s all the ruckus?"

She looked down at us impatiently tapping her foot. “Show some sympathy, Geraldo was murdered.”

I don’t know where I got the courage to say that to her but somehow the words just came out.

“Who’s Geraldo?” she asked still half asleep.
“Your son.”
She is annoying and I could just tell she had a few drinks, especially when I looked down and she was holding a bottle of vodka.

“I don’t have a son named Geraldo!” she took a big gulp and stumbled over to the kitchen counter where she threw up in the sink.

“Are you drunk?” Mike asked. Mae turned and tried to hide the vodka behind her back.

“Oh of course not Mikey. I am just a little woozy.”

Mikey. A sure fire way to tell she’d been drinking. She calls him Michael or Mike and that’s it. That’s just one thing Mike doesn’t get so he just believes her and that really pisses me off about their marriage. She lies and he just thinks she’d never lie to him and believes it.

“Excuse me for I minute Mae, Mike can I talk to you?”

“What is going on?”

“Mae is lying to you; can’t you tell she’s drinking again?”

“My wife wouldn’t lie to me….it’s part of our vows.”

“C’mon Mike, she didn’t even recognize the name of her own son.”

“Well…..”

“And she’s stumbling, throwing up, what more proof do you want?”

“I guess your right Jim but what am I supposed to do? I can’t live alone right now.”

“I’m not sure right now but we’ll think of something I promise.”

Mike got back out to wife and cleaned the sink of her vomit and helped her back into bed. He took the vodka out of her hand and threw it away. I already knew he had a plan and it was in motion.

After my visit with Mike I drove home. I live pretty far away from him usually but I’m renting a place so that I’m closer if he needs me. I searched through my pockets for my keys when I stumbled across an index card I hadn’t noticed was in there before. So naturally, I opened it up and read the contents inside.

Dear Jim,
I’m killing Mae tonight. You were right I don’t need to put up with that broad’s lies.
Sincerely, Mike

I thought about this for a moment. I could let him kill her and then she’d be gone for good but then of course Mike would be on death row for killing someone on purpose. I couldn’t let that happen so I drove back to Mike’s house just in time to watch the knife stab through Mae’s heart.

“Mike! What are you doing?!” Mike sat on the ground.

“I killed her Jim.” I just stood there in the doorway.

Then I went to Mae’s body and checked for a pulse but I didn’t get a single beat. I couldn’t believe it; he killed Mae. There wasn’t a thing I could do.

Of course I decided to hide Mike from this catastrophe at my real house. It’s out in the forest where no one else goes. There is a pond full of fish to eat and a well for water. It was the only place I could think of for the time being. To be honest, I was more concerned about how insane Mike really was at this point. I mean he just killed his wife so did that mean that I’m next? I pondered at this and did so intently that I almost rammed into a tree. I barely missed it.
“Oh Jim I feel so great! I feel so alive!”

“Mike…just…don’t say that in public.”

For the rest of the ride home we were silent. Once in a while Mike would bring out how it felt to put pressure down on the knife into her body but I didn’t respond to that. I was happy to see my house and my backyard. Pollen had collected on top of my rooftop and I knew the first chore of the day already.

“Mike when we get in there, you need to make yourself scarce in the guestroom, understand?”

He looked at me with wonderment. He was actually happy to have the experience. I don’t know if he was truly insane or if he just liked the thrill. He did as he was told and closed the blinds and turned off the lights. I found it strange; it was like he knew the whole procedure of hiding when I didn’t tell him anything but to stay in the guestroom.

“Oh Jim you never do anything right!”

“Oh Jim you are always too loud!”

“Jim why must you come over so much?”

“If you’re going to come over so much Jim could you at least wear decent clothes?”

The many voices of Mae were going through my head. Now that I think about her…..I still feel like she was a complete jerk to me and Mike. Maybe she deserved to die. I never really saw what she was like as a mother but I had a few images that came to mind. I imagined her hitting Geraldo constantly and yelling at him, but never listening to him and his problems. I could be entirely wrong, I’ve been wrong before but to be honest I’m not entirely convinced that she was all that of a good mother. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise coming from the guest bedroom. “Mike are you alright?” No reply. “Mike?” there still was no reply. I went to the guestroom and Mike was no longer in the room. “Great a crazy man is now on the loose.”