The Homested Part 2
The bar door swung closed behind me, and I let out a deep sigh. I could see my breathe infront of my face, the nights were getting colder around here and christmas was on the way. I didnt want to take a taxi home so I walked, it was only 10 blocks of so, and lord knows I could use some time to think.
The nightime streets were alight with the dingy street lamps, shadows were everywhere as I walked and more so in my mind. Toni's words were ringing in my ears as if he were right next to me "and I will pant your house with their blood when I'm done...two coats" I knew it was no idle threat, the sick bastard would do everything he said. Such are the bosses of organized crime, no morals or mercy, because the whole world were at their feet, and whomever wasnt, they got whacked simple as that. Its either you are with the crooked fucks or you are tits up in a dirt bed somewhere, there really was no middle ground...
The wind starts blowing a little and I pull my coat closer to my chest. Damn its getting cold, goes right to your fucking bones. Or maybe it only feels colder because of the work I do. I mean shit, its been less then 48 hours and I killed 2 people and feel no remorse. Whatever those fucking Micks deserved it, but still if I can help it I would prefer not to kill, but that fuck up Eddie, cant do busniess when you got a jumpy rook with you. Everytime I kill someone for some reason my little boy pops right in my head, what would he say if he saw his old man doing that, his superman being a cold hearted killer, the look on his face would crush my heart to nothingness. I hated to kill.
I turned the corner to my street, "Glamour Meadows". What a misleading name, 1/3 of the houses on this block were boarded up or had drugs being dealt out of them. God I wish I could afford something better, my family deserves better, I need to get out of this shitty ass place. One day I will, if I can help it, I am gonna give my family everything they deserve and never disapoint them or myself again.
I walk up my drive to my white picket fence, well not white really but grayish, but hey I always wanted a white picket fence for my house when I was a kid. The grass was too weedy, and damn it, I need to get up there and fix that leak in the roof, leaks right down into my dinner room. Its dark so I trip over my sons bike, almost break my neck if it wasnt for the railing, But as I leaned on it that broke too. I just let out a sigh and add it to the ever growing list of things to fix in this horrible death trap of a house. The lights are a glow inside and I step in.
The door creaks as I open it, but it shortly over shadowed by my sons screams "Daddy!" he runs and tackles my waist and locks me in a big hug, I lean down and lock him tight in my arms and kiss his curly head. "oh I missed you Caleb, did you have a good day?" I say to him. He looks up at me with eyes beaming and nods "I missed you more daddy! Hurry mommys almost done with din din"! I take off my coat, shoes and hat hang them up then am dragged by my 8 year old ball of energy into the dinning room, where my wife is setting the table.
She looks up at me with those hayzel eyes that made me fall in love with her in the first place. Her shirt was messy and she was just taking off her apron, and her pants had a hole in them but still excentuated her body in all the right places, that would make any man crazy. She was shorter then I, in fact she had to stand on her tip toes just to kiss me sometimes, but it was cute. Her medium length brown hair seemed to be untidy but somehow always made her look gorgious as if she had had it done, even if she had not, as it fell perfectly about her face. She smiled that stunning smile, that makes my heart skip a beat everytime and said "Your late buster" and she chuckled to herself. "Jaclyn, you are the second person to say that to me tonight" I say. We sit down and eat the meal that Jacki had cooked for us, and then put Caleb to bed.
As we are climbing into bed Jacki asks me what I knew had been on her mind all dinner "What happend tonight?" she said with worried eyes. I take off my shirt and reveal the scars she has seen a hundred times, but she recoils at first sight of them everytime I take my shirt off. All are memorys of previous encounters and jobs. "Nothing that I cant handle Jacki, dont worry everything is going to be fine, I promise you." I climb into bed with her and kiss her on her forehead to reasure her. But she is not convienced and props herself up on one elbow and looks me in the face "Too long have you been working for that horrible man, and I never ask questions, I just see you come home everyday with new injures or scars or blood on your shirt. And what am I to think? I know you are a good man Vince, I know that god has given me a great gift in you, but you have to stop working for Toni, its affecting our family to much, and I cant stand to think if something happens to you, think of little Caleb, we would not survive." Tears well up in her eyes, as she says this, I cannot stand to see angels crying. I kiss her tears away and say " I know and I think about it everyday, and I hate working for Toni, because I am not that kind of person at all, but I have to for now to get us by, but I only have one more job to do and I am out" I roll over and try to turn out the light put she jump on top of me and says in a harsh voice "One more fucking job!? Have you heard nothing I have just said! I die everytime you go out, you cannot go!"
"Jacki! what would you have me do, I cant just stop like that otherwise...." I say
"Otherwise what Vince!" She says.
"Otherwise, he might hurt you!!! ok I have got myself into something that I am not proud of, but if I do this last job, just this last one, I am free to go and we are moving out of this hell hole, you have to trust me, I love you and Caleb more then anything but this is the way it has to be right now."
"Alright Vince, I will trust you..." she says with tears rolling down her cheeks "Just this last one" she leans down and kisses me hard on the mouth, and I know she means it, our hearts beat as one as we kiss passionately under the sheets. I guess I wont be going to bed early tonight after all...