Living the American Dream

by Frank Cereo

  “Hello,” I say

  “Freddy, where are you?” A woman’s voice asks.

  “Who is this?” I ask.

  “It’s your wife, Susan.” The woman replies.

  Freddy looks at the screen of his cell phone and doesn’t recognize the incoming number.

  “I don’t recognize the number. Goodbye whoever you are” I say with concern.

  “Freddy, don’t you dare hang up the phone.” The woman’s voice insists.

  “Why,” I reply

  “I have been looking for you for a couple of days.” The woman’s voice says.

  “I am where you left me.” I reply.

  “I didn’t leave you anywhere.” The woman says.

  “Please leave me alone.” I say as I hang up my cell phone.

  The woman tries to call back two more times but I don’t answer it. Each time the call goes into voicemail. This really concerns me but it isn’t going to stop me from going out on my journey tomorrow. I pack a small bag with a couple of changes of clothing and one pair of coveralls made from denim. I pack my bathroom bag and set the alarm on my phone for three in the morning. I turn off the light to go to sleep but I am curious of the two voicemail the woman left on my phone. So I dial into my voicemail and the phone tells me I have two new voice messages. I hit the application to listen to the voicemails and the first message is just static. I push the button the button for the second voicemail and that’s static also. I scratch my head because the static makes me feel a little eerie inside. I roll over and fall asleep without a problem, for tomorrow I begin my quest for justice.

  Chapter 6 – The Journey Begins

  The next morning the alarm sounds out loud and wakes me up. I take a quick shower and get dressed. I grab my three bags, laptop, and map with notes. One bag contains my clothes, the second bag has my toiletries and the third bag contains all my toys. I quietly head out the door and lock it behind me. Softly I go down the stairs and walk to my car. I start the old Ford Taurus that has over two hundred thousand miles. I put it in gear and drive off. My maps have all the back roads highlighted. I want to make sure none of the modern day traffic devices can take a picture of me and my car. I make sure I have enough cash to pay for fuel and food. Using a debit or credit card will foil my plan. As I drive into the darkness I am lucky because it’s not snowing and the sky is clear. Taking the back roads may take a lot longer but it’s a safety measure that needs to be followed.

  I reach my destination of Saugerties about six hours later. If I had taken all the major roads I would have reached my destination about two and a half hours earlier. I use my map to seek out Ricky’s house. When I find it I sit there hiding off in the distance knowing he will not be arriving any time soon. I quickly change into my black coveralls. I make sure I have on a pair of gloves along with a hat. Knowing he is single and no one is inside his house, I get out of my car to investigate. I use the corn fields to hide behind as I walk towards his ranch style home. I can see the house is well taken care of as I approach from the back. I walk up towards his back door and give it a pull to see if he is careless. The door is locked like I expected. I see two windows on the backside of the house that are eye level. I go to the first one next to the back door. I cup my gloved hands together to block the glare as I put them against the window. I look inside and see everything is in place. It looks like Ricky doesn’t even use the living room because there is dust on the tables. I walk over to the other window and peek inside his bedroom window. The bed is made up and everything is in its own place.

  “I guess he really is military because everything is so nice and tidy.” I say as I walk back into the field.

  I make sure my car is parked off the road and out of sight. I walk back into the field behind Ricky’s house. I have a thermos filled with coffee that I purchased along with a pair of binoculars. I am also carrying the tire iron from my car. I am just sitting and waiting in the field while drinking my warm coffee. Soon the sun sets and it begins to get dark. I remain in the field with my eyes watching his house. Then all of a sudden I hear a car driving down the road. I walk out of the field towards the back of Ricky’s house. I stand with my back against the back wall of his house. Then I see his headlights skim across the field next to his house while he pulls into his driveway. I can see the lights gleaming in the yard as they reflect off his house. The car lights turn off and I hear the car door open and close. I peek my head around the side of the house and I see a shadow walking around the front of the car. I move towards the front of his house as I can hear his shoes walking on the concrete driveway. I peek my head around the corner as Ricky walks up his steps towards the front door. I hear him fumbling with his keys to find the house key.

  “God damn it I should have left a light on.” Ricky says as he continues to fumble with his keys.

  While Ricky is looking for the house key, I move with stealth across the driveway and up the sidewalk. Ricky puts the key into the keyhole and unlocks the door without even noticing me moving up behind him. He walks inside the house as I lift the tire iron above my head and swing it towards his skull. I hit him with such force that his head whiplashes from right to left. Blood spatters against the wall as Ricky falls face first into the carpeted floor below. I watch him as he bounces off the floor once and then lays unconscious and not moving. I go down on one knee and check for a pulse on his neck. Sure enough he is still alive. I drag Ricky inside the house and close the door behind me and lock it. I drag Ricky into the kitchen and tape his wrists and ankles to the wooden chair. I make sure the tape is bound tight so it’s almost impossible for him to get free. Then I splash a glass of water in Ricky’s face to wake him up.

  “Uh, ahh what happened what’s going on?” Ricky says deliriously.

  “Welcome home Ricky.” I say as he looks towards me.

  “Freddy, what the hell are you doing here?” Ricky asks as he tries to regain his bearings.

  “What I’m doing? I am getting even.” I reply.

  “Getting even for what?” Ricky says

  “For overlooking me on a promotion that ended up costing me my job. Your whole favoritism act for Danny boy started a downward trend in my life that cost me my house and marriage. What do you have to say about that?” I yell in his face.

  “The company went through a reorganization, which is what cost you your job.” Ricky says in a defensive tone.

  “That’s your answer. I told you when you promoted Dan you left me dangling and hanging for the opportune moment and that put my head on the corporate chopping block. Take this you bastard.” I yell as I swing the tire iron against his left knee.

  When the metal hits against his knee, the sound of bone breaking echoes inside the house. Ricky lets out a horrific yell inducing blood curdling pain. I look into Ricky’s eyes and I can see a look of agony. I laugh in his face as I walk around to the back of the chair he is sitting in.

  “I need to ask one question and I want you to answer with honesty. Do you understand?” I says loud and clear.

  “Yes, what do you want to know?” Ricky replies.

  “What did you owe Dan? The man was a complete failure at everything he did.” I say as I look at the blood dripping on Ricky’s shirt from the blow that knocked him out.

  “I owe him nothing, his knowledge of the system is irreplaceable.” Ricky answers.

  “Wrong answer Ricky. Let’s see if this jolts your memory.” I say as I walk around and grab a kitchen knife out of the knife rack.

  “Please don’t do anything you’re going to regret?” Ricky pleads.

  “Let’s see, I don’t think I’m in the position to regret anything.” I say as I stab Ricky deep in his left thigh.

  Ricky screams out loud as I pull the knife out of his leg. Blood begins to spill out as it is absorbs into the cotton material of his khaki pants. The wound bleeds profusely as is starts to stream onto the white linoleum floor below.

  “Now tell me, what do you owe Dan?” I say as I lift the knife
over the top of his right leg.

  “Okay, okay he caught me with my pants down with one of the account managers. I promised him he would get the next promotion if he kept his mouth shut.” Ricky says in despair.

  “Now that wasn’t that hard, was it.” I say as I stab him in the right thigh anyway.

  “Oh you fucking bastard, I’m going to kill you.” Ricky screams out loud.

  “Don’t keep promises you can’t keep Ricky.” I say as I punch him square in the nose.

  I break his nose as blood begins to spew down his face and all over his light blue button up shirt. I look down at the floor and as a puddle of blood begins to pool. At this point, I was beyond pissed off because I lost my job because Ricky couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. I could feel my blood boiling inside me. I am so pissed off that I went wild beating Ricky into oblivion. I hit him so hard I could hear the bones breaking in his face. I beat and beat him until he was unconscious and barely breathing. That’s when I took the tire iron and smashed every finger on both hands. At this point the fun was all but over and Ricky was close to death. I dragged him over to the basement door. He is still tightly tied down to the chair with the duct tape. I open the door and look at Ricky’s eyes that were now bugging out of his head.

  “Let’s see I count fourteen wooden steps that decline into a concrete floor. Oh this is going to hurt so much.” I say as I tip the chair towards the stairs.

  This brings Ricky back to life and he uses his weight to struggle and fight back. I play around as I would tip him forward and pull him back. Then I shove the chair over the edge. I watch as Ricky goes head over heels down the basement stairs. He flips at least three times before he hits the concrete floor below. When he and the chair hit the concrete floor, the weight and force shatters the chair into a million pieces. I look down the stairs and Ricky is still moving. Slowly I walk down the stairs and without taking my eyes off Ricky. I want to make sure he is dead because I don’t want him identifying me as his attacker. When I reach the bottom stair Ricky is lying on his back with blood spewing everywhere. I know by looking at him that he will not last much longer but I am not going to take any chances. I walk around so I am facing Ricky but not standing over his body.

  “I hope this was all worth it for you. You ruined my life and karma is a bitch.” I say.

  “Fuck you, I hope you die in hell.” Ricky mumbles with blood spurting from his mouth.

  “I will see you in hell but you will be arriving now.” I say as I lift the tire iron over my head with the pointed end facing down.

  I drive the tire iron right through Ricky’s forehead. The sound of the metal piercing through the bone of his skull makes a crunching sound. Blood splatters all over me and on the floor. Ricky is dead lying on the floor with his eyes wide open. I can see the look of horror on his face as I open the door to hell and sent him with a one way ticket. I thought about closing his eyes but that would ruin the effect.

  “Goodbye and enjoy the trip.” I say as I turn around and walk back up the stairs.

  I leave everything the way it is with the basement door open. I walk out the front door and lock it behind me. I walk towards the back fields and make my way to my car. It’s a cold but refreshing night.

  “One down and nine to go.” I say as I walk through the field.

  When I reach the tree line where my car is parked, I take off my gloves and blood soaked coveralls. I throw them into a garbage bag. I get into my car and drive to an all-night laundromat where I wash the coveralls, gloves and hat that I was wearing during the murder. While I’m sitting and waiting for my clothes to finish my cell phone rings again. I look at the screen and it’s the same number from yesterday. It’s the woman who claims to be my wife.

  “Who are you?” I ask as I answer the cell phone.

  “It’s Susan, where are you? Please come back.” A woman’s voice says.

  “You are not my wife, what do you want?” I reply in an angry voice.

  “I want you to come home to me and the kids.” The woman’s voice say.

  “Please leave me alone.” I say as I hang up the phone.

  I put the phone in my pocket and finish up with my laundry. I jump back into my car and head to Poughkeepsie. I use the map to find Dan Hearth’s house. It’s located just outside the city limits. I sit inside my car and watch the house. I look at my watch and see the time is nearing two o’clock in the morning. I am parked on the right side of the road with all the other cars. I grab an old sweat jacket and prop it under my head. I zip up my coat and close my eyes. I am exhausted and a little sleep will refresh my mind and body.

  Chapter 7 – The Second Stop

  I was awakened by a loud bang and I look up and see a garbage truck picking up and dumping a dumpster. I look around and notice it is light out. I watch as the garbage truck sets the dumpster down and drives away. I look at my watch and see it’s after ten in the morning. I get out of my car to stretch my arms and legs. I take a walk towards the local mini market and get myself a cup of coffee and a bagel sandwich. I grab a seat inside to eat my sandwich and drink my coffee. I sit and listen to the conversations inside the small business. I am waiting to hear someone mention something about the murder in Saugerties but no one says a word about it. I finish up my breakfast and walk back to my car. I get in and start it up. I proceed to park the car on the opposite side of the street to accommodate the alternate side parking. I lock the car up and snuggle up to sleep again. I figure I have over six hours before old Danny boy comes home from work. I can’t wait to be reunited with my old boss. I think our reunion is going to be an eventful one. Then I am awakened by someone knocking on my window. I look up and see Danny knocking on my window. I look around in a daze and notice its dark outside. I roll the window down to see what he wants.

  “Can I help you?” I say playing the innocent person.

  “Move your car, you’re in my parking place.” Dan says without recognizing me.

  “Dan, its Fred. How are you?” I ask in a polite voice.

  “Hey Fred. What are you doing here?” Dan asks with his prestigious personality.

  “I was in the area so I stopped by to see if you wanted to get something to eat.” I reply as I pull the hood off of my head.

  “I don’t know, I told my wife we were going out tonight but she won’t be here for another hour or so.” Dan replies.

  “Well let’s go grab a beer then and talk about old times.” I say trying to provoke him to getting into my car.

  “I don’t know, I have a lot to do.” Dan says trying to brush me off.

  “Come on its only one and I will have you back here in no time.” I say in a convincing manner.

  “Oh alright, just one.” Dan says as he goes around to the passenger side of the car.

  Dan gets in and I put the car in drive. I pass a couple of bars when Dan starts to get a little nervous.

  “Hey man, where are we going?” Dan asks as I head out of the city.

  “To a place that you won’t ever forget.” I say as I pull my pistol out of the console.

  I turn off 9W and drive towards the Hudson River. The road is old and untraveled due to the closure of old water filtration plant. Dan has a look of fear in his eyes as I drive seventy miles per hour down the road.

  “What the fuck do you want?” Dan asks in a fearful voice.

  “To even the score my old friend.” I reply.

  “I didn’t do anything to you.” Dan says as he tries to defend his guilt.

  “There are too many things that I can think of. Number one, no support when I needed it. Number two, vacation and time off requests that were never approved. Number three, taking my job without any guilt. Do you want me to continue?” I say while pointing the gun at his head.

  “It was all Ricky. I had nothing to do with it.” Dan says with tears forming in his eyes.

  “Please Dan I have had enough of your bullshit. You’re going to take it like a man, just like Ricky did.” I say.

 
; “Why what did you do to Ricky?” Dan asks inquisitively.

  “I sent him to hell last night.” I reply with a devilish smile.

  “That’s why he wasn’t at work today and nobody heard from him.” Dan responds as I slam on the brakes almost throwing him through the front windshield.

  “Get out,” I say as Dan opens the door with hesitation.

  I open the car rear door with my left hand. The gun is in my right hand and pointing at Dan. I grab my bag out of the backseat that has all my toys. I put the bag over my left shoulder. Dan stands against the car frozen with fright.

  “Get moving towards the door.” I say as I put the barrel of the gun against his forehead.

  “Please, if it’s money you need I can give you what I have in the bank.” Dan says as he holds onto the door handle.

  “Get moving,” I say as I pistol whip him against the left side of his head.

  Dan falls to the ground holding his temple as it bleeds. He crawls on all fours towards the door.

  “Please we can work something out.” Dan pleads as he cries like a baby.

  I kick Dan in the ass so hard that he falls over. He just lays there crying like a baby that hasn’t gotten his way. If he thinks that this is going to change my mind he’s got another think coming.

  “Please Fred, I am sorry for everything I have ever done to you to make you angry.” Dan says as he continues to cry.

  “There is nothing you can do to change my mind and crying just reminds me that you were the worst manager I ever worked for. So unfair and always putting everyone else down. Did you ever look in the mirror and see the pathetic lying piece of shit you are.” I say as I kick him in the ribs.

  “Ahh god that hurts. I am sorry maybe I can make it up by being a better manager in the future.” Dan says.