by Mike Gomes
“Yes. The ambulance could not get to us with the traffic so there wasn’t any other way. I used part of his shirt to try to stop the bleeding, but it fell out on the way. I know moving him isn’t the smartest thing, but I didn’t think there was any choice. I didn’t know if there was any damage inside.”
“I am sure that you did everything you felt was best. Who knows how long that ambulance would have taken. You might have saved his life.’
“Thank you.”
“Can you tell me the boy’s name?”
“Joaquim... I... I am embarrassed to say I don’t know his last name. I do know that his mother is on the burn unit here. I just came to the island for this week and met them. Guess we never got to the point of learning last names.”
The nurse looked at the man with a bit of suspicion in her eyes. “Do you know his mother’s name?”
“Yes. She is Apollonia and is on the fifth floor in the burn unit. Seems that someone set off a bomb at her home.”
“A bomb?” questioned the woman. “For a guy who does not know their last name you know a lot about this family.”
“Let’s just say that I have been in the right place at the wrong time a lot this past week. It hasn’t been the most relaxing vacation a guy could have.”
The nurse smiled at the man and looked up to make eye contact with him. “I will be sure to let the boy’s mother know he is here once we have him in stable condition.”
“Is there a chance you could get an update on him now. I can’t really leave here without knowing what is going on.”
“Normally it is against the policy to let non-family members know what is going on. I am sorry, but we can’t tell you what is happening. If I could I would.” said the woman placing her hand on the arm of the big man before turning away.
Pushing his hand against the door forcing it open the big man made his way through and back out to the lobby. Looking over to the woman behind the glass he could see her with her head down typing away not looking up to see if anyone was waiting to talk with her. Wishing she would lift her head for a moment he was ready to extend his middle finger at her placing some of his anger on her.
The big man’s feet hit hard on the ground as he walked out the front door and felt the evening sun hitting down on him. Reaching into his pocket he felt for the chip and rubbed it between his finger and thumb trying to calm himself and bringing himself back to center. If there was a time to drink, the trip he was on was doing all it could to test the man. The chip was smooth and slid between his fingers. The big man could not help but think that the chip had luck in it. It kept Dave sober for years and it was helping him so far.
Apollonia thought the big man. I need to tell her about Joaquim before the nurse.
Furrowing his forehead Falau thought of the generic and steel way that information got disseminated to families in a hospital. The staff saw this as an everyday event, but for the families the injury was tragic and shocking at minimum. No matter the case the staff would never be able to talk with the family about the injury in a manner that would suit their emotional needs.
Walking back into the hospital he worked his way around to the far end of the building where he came in with Joaquim the night before to see his mother. From here the big man remembered how to get to the room. Going to the elevator he went to the fifth floor and made his way to the hallway where Apollonia’s room was. Rounding the corner, the big man was surprised to see that no police were outside the door. They must have got all the information they were after and had gone back to the station.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The big man gently pushed on the door while knocking and it slid open in a wide sweeping motion. All the same machines were hooked up to the woman but now the tv was playing giving off its sound through a small speaker embedded into the rail of the bed. The monotone sound lacked any substance but was loud enough for a patient that lay in the bed.
Crossing the room as lightly as he could the big man looked to see if the woman’s eyes were open. Closing the distance, he could not see her eyes looking back at him. Her chest raised and lowered and a simple and rhythmic pattern showing her body to be at ease.
Feeling a warmth build up inside him Falau was glad to see that the sleep she was in was not causing her pain or discomfort. The extent of her burns on her body must have laid on the top portion, particularly the right side of her body where the hair had been singed off and her cheeks scarred.
Moving to the window the big man took a seat on the windowsill and looked down on the street below. He desperately wanted to open the window and let the fresh air in for the woman who had spent most of her life in the outdoors, but that was not to be with her risk for infection.
Down on the street an ambulance came rushing into the hospital parking lot screeching to a halt in front of the front door. Men rushed from the ambulance and opened the back door pulling out a person on a stretcher and whisking them into the building.
“Is it a good show, Michael.” said a soft rasping voice causing the big man to turn his head to the woman in the bed.
Pulling himself off the sill he moved the closest chair to the side of her bed and sat down in it. “Apollonia, you should be resting.”
“And you should be getting ready to go home.”
“I still have some things to do before I leave. The things we spoke about.”
“All you heard were the angry words of a hurt woman. Forget what I said. No more blood. No more violence. You go back to America and find a nice girl to be your bride.”
“Getting me married off that fast? I thought you had a fancy for me. Was I wrong?”
“Look at me, Michael. No matter if I did fancy you or not things could not work out.”
Feeling his anger rise a flushness took over Falau’s cheek. “I am a better man than that. I love the woman on the inside as well as the outside.”
Lifting her hand Apollonia reached out and took Falau’s hand in hers. “I know. You’re a good man. I would never let you settle for a woman that carries the scars I do. You could see past them, but I could not.”
Nodding his head Falau understood what the woman was saying. He had traveled that road a thousand times before with Jennifer. He saw himself as too gruff and hard for a refined woman like her, but never once did she have a problem with what he enjoyed or did. Apollonia was returning the cosmic favor.
“Apollonia, I need to tell you something.” said Falau looking out the window.
“You check the window and not the door. Must not be a secret but a hard truth.”
A sigh fell out of the big man’s body and he opened his mouth to speak.
“Is Joaquim dead?” asked Apollonia interrupting the man before he had a chance to say a word.
Catching his thoughts mid-stream, the big man stammered and refocused his eyes on the woman wondering if she just had an instinct that her son was not well. “No, he is alive, but he got stabbed at the festival. It was Carlos and Candido. Joaquim confronted them. I was too far away to stop it from happening. By the time I got to him he had been stabbed with a small knife.”
“The woman tilted her head back and tears filled her eyes. “Where is he now?”
“Down in the emergency room. They are checking him over. He has lost a lot of blood, but it didn’t seem to hit his lungs or organs. Maybe they can just patch him up and things will be ok.”
“You told him to stay away didn’t you?”
“Yes. He came after me and wanted to attack the other boys. I told him that was foolish.”
“Head strong just like his father and all that ever got him was an early grave.”
“Maybe this is what it took for him to learn before it’s too late.”
“I hope so, Michael. I hope so.”
Chapter 31
Leaving the hospital Falau walked out into the darkness of the night now illuminated by the high streetlights that lined the entrance into the hospital. Over the last few hours Falau had to convince Apolloni
a that he had no intent to cause anyone any harm for the rest of his trip.
All feelings of revenge dropped when the bed of Joaquim was wheeled into his mother’s room allowing the two to stay in the same room during their recovery. As luck would have it Joaquim’s knife wound ended in the best possible way resulting in no surgery or damage to any internal organs. The doctor explained to Apollonia that her son was saved by the length of the knife and the angle it entered him. If his lung had been punctured the results could have been deadly. Instead he was looking at a painful recovery where he would need to keep himself calm and with low activity to not pull the wound open again.
Walking the streets, the big man found himself working his way up the mountain side winding in and out of the streets that he had been familiar with as he made his way up to see Apollonia and Joaquim.
Getting closer to the outskirts of Funchal the street lights became fewer and fewer until they disappeared altogether as the street had turned into a path. Shortly down the path the entrance to the courtyard that was the source of so many problems waiting for the big man to come and inspect it.
Stopping at the edge of the path Falau pulled the image of Apollonia and Joaquim laying in their beds at the hospital. In his ears the sound of the woman’s voice in the hospital telling him to not cause blood shed rang true to him. He had been given the free pass to just walk away. He had the blessing of the woman who lay in a hospital bed covered in burns with her stabbed son by her side. If she had said that it was ok to let the boys go, who was he to make a change in that? He was not in his home and didn’t know what the impact of his actions could cause for the woman and her son.
Falau turned back and started walking away from the path and down the paved road. He could just go back to his room and get some sleep before getting on a plane in the morning and returning home. It would all be easy, and Apollonia and Joaquim would be safe in the hospital.
What happens when they get home? thought Falau thinking of the two going back to their apartment that had been destroyed with all their belongings. They are going to be sitting ducks for anyone who wants to harm them or steal from them.
Was there any real chance that Carlos and Candido would walk away from their crimes? At the festival earlier that day they stabbed a friend in the middle of the day with dozens of people around. Falau knew the boys would not have a fear about attacking the boy and his mother again.
Caught in the struggle of doing the right thing for the wrong reason, Falau turned back and started up the unpatched path. Tumbling the thought around in his mind the big man knew that he would never be able to rest going back home and not knowing if the boy and his mother were safe or not. There was too much at stake. Too many lives had been lost to just let the situation go on by itself. That would be leaving Joaquim and Apollonia left to the whim of Carlos and Candido and if they chose to let them live. The chance was slim to none that that would happen. They would be dead by fire or some accident. Anything that would eliminate them from talking about what MB4 had done.
The fire burned bright in the middle of the courtyard like it did every night before. The breeze was soft off the water as it made its way up into the higher ground and the tree cover.
Candido took up his usual location at the picnic table and was spinning a knife in his hand and jabbing it into the wooden table. By the look of the knife it was the same one that he had used to stab Joaquim.
The big man felt the heat rise in his face as the blade of the knife shined in the fire’s light. Unable to pull his eyes away from the glint that shone a fist drew hard and pulled up to his waist level.
Letting his eyes move to Carlos the boy sat back in the chair that he had stolen from one of the homes. His legs extended and he crossed them at the bottom. His arms folded and he looked like a man deep in thought staring into the fire watching its constant shifting and moving.
There was no interaction between the two boys. No conversation or even arguing. They seemed to be bored and uninterested in the night in front of them despite what had gone on over the last few days. They had become hardened or just blind to their actions over the last few days. Without the rush of their aggression the night alone was simple and unable to capture their attention.
The thumping sound of boots moved across the grass as Falau closed in on the boys. The big man made no attempt to conceal himself. His hands balled into fists that were ready to unleash upon them. Eyes sharpened and focused on the job that needed to be done to set Joaquim and Apollonia free from the terror of the gang.
Candido raised his head to make out the man bursting into the light. Scrambling backward on the picnic table he slipped off the back having his behind hit the ground while he struggled to pull his feet off the seat. His eyes opened wide and he stared at the big man in disbelief that he had returned. Pulling the knife in front of himself he looked down at the blade and then back to the big man realizing he was out matched with the knife or not.
Looking back at his friend, Carlos peered over his shoulder seeing Candido fall and start to frantically back up. The hair on the back of his neck stood up at once and he placed both feet to the ground snapping his head around to see Falau within feet of him. The boy pushed off the chair and got to his feet and moved closer to Candido trying to show a more unified front.
“Now you’re killers?” asked the big man giving no introduction.
“Don’t know.” said Carlos trying to stay cool in the situation. “We didn’t stick around for any medical reports.”
“Well, I have a report for you. That little boy José is dead. His family is dead. Which one of you gutter snipes did it? Which one will get to carry the image of that boy’s face in his mind for the rest of his life.”
A sniffing sound pulled out from Candido and Falau could see his eyes were welling up with tears. The boy was unable to control his feelings and his shoulders hunched up as the tears started to freely fall and the boy stammered to explain.
“I... didn’t want to. He was ... going to talk. I am so sorry.”
“You’re sorry. That’s all you have to say is you’re sorry.” said Falau not yielding one inch to the boy. “So, José never gets to fall in love. He never gets to have a family. He never gets to grow old but you’re sorry so that makes it ok. Fuck you!”
“Hey!” snapped Carlos putting up his hand to the big man. “You don’t speak to MB4 that way.”
“What?” questioned Falau. “What did you say? You’re telling me how I can act with you. You’re not fully understanding what I am doing here are you?”
“And you have no idea what I have on me right now.”
The big man turned away from the boy in a rough laugh and slowly turned back. “You have nothing. Do you think this is my first time around the block? Do you really think that I have not been trained to know exactly the situation I am walking into at every moment? Your gun is now burned and destroyed in the fire. You lack the know-how and the skill to build a zip gun and you’re too dumb to have made anything from scratch. Your waistband is empty and there is nothing in your socks. Between the two of you there is the one small knife that Candido used to stab Joaquim today.”
The two boys looked to each other and back to the big man.
“Oh, you didn’t know I was at the festival, did you? I was having something to eat behind the trees. I saw you two fight him and stab him. I could be at the police now giving a positive ID of each of you.”
“So why are you here?” asked Carlos casting a dirty look back at Candido who had not stopped crying.
“When I took my friend Joaquim to the hospital I went and spoke to his mother on the burn unit. Someone attempted to blow up her house. Instead she got burned on twenty five percent of her body including her head and face. If it wasn’t you Candido that only leaves one moron left. It was you Carlos.”
“No, not me, man. I was here by the fire. People saw me all night. I would never do something like that.”
“I am not the police and I am no
t your trial, so you can stop lying to me. If you keep lying to me I may have to take further action and make sure things are right.”
“You are kidding me, old man. You’re going to kill us on your vacation. I will give it to you that you can fight, but you kill someone in another country while you’re on vacation you are looking at being put away for the rest of your life. No way the people here on the island would let you go if you hurt a local. No matter how bad we have been, we are locals and you are not.”
“I might just have to take my chances and see what happens.” said the big man taking another step toward Carlos.
Chapter 32
The two boys slipped apart but showed no signs of running. The knife that was in Candido’s pocket made an appearance again and rested in his hand ready to do its job when called upon.
“This is crazy, man. Why do you want to get mixed up in something like this anyway?” questioned Candido fighting back his tears. “Why not just get out of here and not have all this shit coming down on you?”
“That’s a good question Candido. Maybe trouble just finds me. Maybe I go looking for it. All I really know is people have a habit of ending up dead around me. Sometimes I kill them, and sometimes other people kill them. But, I truly have no interest in killing you or Carlos today.”
“Then why fight?” questioned Carlos straightening himself up and pulling out of the fighting stance.
“I never said I was going to fight you. You boys are the ones who got ready to fight. Maybe I just wanted to come talk and find a way for everyone to be safe and happy. Just clear the air between you and Joaquim. We don’t need anyone to end up dead tonight.”
Carlos moved farther away from Candido making the distance greater than ten feet. Falau knew he could work with the distance if needed to. Ten feet was nothing more than a step for a kick or punch.
The knife in Candido’s hand bounced with the slightest shake in his hand. The big man watched as the tears on his face were replaced by sweat. He was already starting to crack under the pressure of the situation and nothing had even started. With just a small amount of pressure he would fold up and do whatever Falau wanted.
