Pauper's Desire

by Kitt Lee

  "I'm sorry," She bowed. "I was passing by the kitchen and I happened to see someone who I suspect might have poisoned ma'am Janice."

  Everybody's hearts were pounding in their chests. They were waiting to hear the one who had poisoned the soup.

  Caleb was getting worried by what the maid had said. Last he remembered there was no one in the kitchen at that time.

  Johnny took a deep breath before he softly said, "Who?"

  The maid sighed. "Sir...sir, Caleb,"

  Caleb's eyes watered. His body trembled, his mouth gaped and his head was spinning. He had his mouth open but nothing came out of it. His heart was beating miles away and his strength was slowly leaving him. He'd just being pointed out as the one who poisoned Janice.

  It was hurting really bad especially since the maid had accused him. Now he was sure something was going on. No wonder he had been feeling uneasy. It was all clear.

  "What?" Caleb gasped. He struggled to breath.

  "Caleb, please," Johnny dismissed Caleb leaving him in pain. "Let her finish,"

  "I'm sorry," the maid apologized. "I don't know if I saw it correctly."

  "Tell me everything you saw." Johnny commanded. "I want it all now."

  The maid bowed. "Last night I was passing by the kitchen when I saw..." She paused and gulped. "...I saw Sir Caleb throwing a small bottle in the dustbin. I'm not sure but I'm only saying what I saw."

  Preston' heart was racing. That maid was lying. His Caleb couldn't do a thing like that, never. He completely trusted his Caleb.

  "You are lying," Preston yelled as he brought Caleb's head closer to his chest.

  He felt his pain and he couldn't take anything against his Caleb. His Caleb was completely innocent. He couldn't hurt a fly.

  Preston felt Caleb tense up in his arms. It was clear the boy was surprised and hurt.

  "Really," William snapped. "If it was somebody else you'd have gladly dragged him to..."

  "Enough!" Johnny yelled, panting like an animal.

  Johnny stared at all the maids present.

  "Did any of you find any bottle when sweeping the house this morning?"

  "No," one of the maids said in a trembling voice. "Actually, the whole house hasn't been swept. We were worried and that's why we..."

  "Great," Johnny exclaimed. "Why don't we go and check the bin. We'll find out if what the maid has said is all true."

  From that tone, Caleb knew immediately that Johnny doubted him. But he had nothing to fear because he hadn't poisoned any soup. That maid was lying and he had no idea why. He hadn't used any bottle in that kitchen so all that accusation was futile.

  Caleb watched as Johnny walked towards him and stared at him for a long. That look gave him creeps. He just wanted to prove himself innocent. There was no bottle and that was the truth.

  "Caleb!" Johnny called. "I'm really sorry but I have no choice."

  Caleb felt a tear run down his cheeks. Preston was holding him tightly but he was slowly slipping.

  "I didn't do anything," Caleb muttered. "I swear to you. You know..."

  "I don't know anything," Johnny said hoarsely. "I need to find that person who had my mother poisoned. If you are not the one..." Johnny looked away and put his hands together. "...I'll apologize to you."

  "I didn't do anything," Caleb said as another tear ran down his cheeks. "I'm being..."

  "Then come with me," Johnny said. He extended his hand and held on to Caleb's hand.

  Caleb looked at the hand touching him and he nodded. He had nothing to be afraid of. They were gonna find nothing since he didn't do anything wrong.

  He felt Preston' arms leave him and he felt empty. His heart was beating so fast and his entire body was shaking. He could already see that Johnny was furious. He hadn't seen him like that before. But he understood the guy anyway.

  Caleb followed Johnny into the kitchen while all the others remained. In just a few seconds they were already in the kitchen. Caleb's heart was pounding and he felt weak.

  "Here we are," Johnny said softly, letting go of his hand. "We'll find out if at all you poisoned my mother or not."

  Caleb dropped his head and closed his eyes, feeling warm tears falling down his cheeks.

  "I didn't do anything to mother," Caleb said softly. "You'll find nothing there."

  He opened his eyes just in time to see Johnny kneeling down in front of the dustbin. He was certain there was nothing in that bin.

  Caleb watched as Johnny picked up the bin and emptied its content on the white tiled floor. It was just a bunch of peels from the vegetables, nothing else. He was breathing fine again even when Johnny raised his head and stared at him.

  Johnny too his fingers and slowly searched the content one by one. Caleb was relieved. He'd been telling the truth. It was just a bunch of vegetable peels.

  "I told you I..."

  Caleb trailed off. His eyes and mouth gaped. His brain froze and he was suddenly shaking like a leaf. What he had seen was enough to scare even the strongest person on earth.

  Just down below, covered by an orange peel was a small brown bottle. Caleb's mouth shook and his body felt cold. Tears were already running down his cheeks uncontrollably. He knew he had to be strong but at that point there was no single strength left in him. He slightly moved and leaned to a wall for support.

  He watched as Johnny carefully picked the bottle and held it in his hands. He was really hoping it was not what he was thinking. He really hoped so because it'd be a disaster for him. He'd never get out of that situation if his fears came true.

  Johnny slowly got up, held the bottle in his hand and carefully read it. From the way his face was sweating Caleb could tell his suspicions were right. But he was still hoping for the best.

  His suspicions were proved right once Johnny brought that empty bottle close to him. He was now in deep shit. He couldn't think clearly as his mind was instantly blocked. Sweat began forming on his skin and his head was spinning. That bottle scared him big time.

  "Poison," Caleb read.

  He could see the horror in Johnny's eyes and he felt like he was about to receive a really hot slap. He felt Johnny's breathing become violent and his fists clenched, shaking terribly. He'd never be able to escape that if Johnny punched him at all.

  "It was you?" Johnny bellowed, coming closer to Caleb. "You did this? You emptied this..." Johnny raised his shaking hand to show the bottle to Caleb. "...You emptied it in my mother's soup."

  Caleb gasped in pain. He was really hurt. God, he knew he had never even seen that poison bottle in his life till now. It was so confusing. He couldn't think properly and he was suddenly struck by a terrible headache. His head was pulsing and every blood that passed through his veins was like poison.

  "I...I," He stammered, trying to understand what the hell was going on.

  Johnny grabbed his arm furiously making him wince.

  "Come with me," Johnny said hoarsely as he dragged him out of the kitchen.

  His arm was hurting really badly. His heart was on fire and his mind was blocked. While being driven there, all he felt were warm tears that made their way down his cheeks. The pain he felt was worse than anything else. He'd never even thought of killing Janice, not to talk of poisoning her. Some was framing him for what he didn't do.

  "Look at her," Johnny pointed angrily to his mother seated on the couch.

  Caleb came back to reality. He hadn't even realized that they were back to the living room. His confused mind was playing tricks on him. He felt frozen. Looking at Janice only gave him more fear than he'd thought he'd ever have in his life. There was something deep inside of him that was hurting really badly.

  Preston had no idea what was going on. His Caleb was in tears and his brother was furiously pointing at their mother. He had no idea but what he knew was that he had to hold his Caleb and prevent his brother from saying anything.

  "What happened?" Caroline asked as she went nearer.

  "You won't believe it, aunt," Johnny snapped,
tightening his grip on Caleb's arm. "This boy actually poisoned my mother."

  Preston instantly froze when he heard his brother's statement. He was accusing his Caleb of poisoning their mother's food.

  "How can you make such allegations?" Caroline said angrily. "Yes, Caleb made the soup but you and I both know that..."

  "I found this," Johnny let go of Caleb's arm and raised the small bottle of poison.

  Preston' heart broke. It still failed to accept that his Caleb had poisoned his mother. It was really impossible. There was no way Caleb would do that.

  "I did cook the soup," Caleb sobbed, feeling a sharp pain in his heart. "But I didn't poison her food. I have never seen that bottle all my life."

  Caleb's face was flooded with tears. He was shaking terribly. There was nothing else to do. He couldn't even think properly about what to do. He couldn't even raise his face to Preston. He couldn't do it because he didn't want to see him hurt.

  "Of course," William said angrily. "It just magically appeared in the bin, right?"

  Caleb nodded his head, sobbing uncontrollably. The pain was too much. He had never cried in front of his in laws but he couldn't help it.

  "I didn't do such a thing?" Caleb cried. "What would I gain..."

  "I don't know," Johnny snapped, throwing the bottle furiously on the floor. It broke into pieces. "All I know is that you tried to kill my mother."

  Everyone was quiet and Caleb knew that he'd be in jail if he didn't act fast. He had to beg the one person who had brought all this up. She needed to clear that misunderstanding and save him from that torture. It was too much to bear.

  Caleb quickly ran towards the maid who had started all this up. He held his hands together and begged,

  "Please," Caleb begged as more tears ran down his face. "Please, tell the truth and save me from this. I know you know the complete truth. Tell them what you know,"

  The maid bowed her. "I'm truly sorry," She sobbed. "I've already told them what I saw."

  "You are lying," Caleb yelled into her face. He used his hand and grabbed her by the uniform. "You are lying. Why are you trying to set me up?"

  "This is not a setup," Caleb heard a voice say angrily.

  He let go of the maid and quickly turned around. It was Suzanne who had just spoke and she was looking furious with a tear running down her cheek.

  "What?" Preston muttered. "You've got to believe me and..."

  "Why should I?" Suzanne said hoarsely. "It is all clear that you had tried to kill mother. There was no one else in this house that'd have done it."

  "Suzanne," Caroline said, trying to touch her before she withdrew. "What, aunt? Are you still gonna defend him? Mother almost died and it's all because of his fault."

  More tears ran down Caleb's face. He was flooded. It was like one by one they were ganging up on him. He was getting afraid because they had been so good to him since the day he came back to the house.

  "You have to believe me," Caleb cried.

  Suzanne came closer and Caleb literally died. He'd never seen her like that. She was just this girl who was lively and sweet. Now she was like this angry lady who was ready to have his head on a platter.

  "I won't," Suzanne shouted in his face. He closed his eyes as a shot of pain hit his head. "You tried to kill my mother and for what, because you hated her?"

  "I'd never hurt mother," Caleb cried. "I had no reason to,"

  "Of course," Suzanne chuckled angrily. "We both know that mother has always disapproved of your relationship with Preston. She always preferred William for him. You got pissed and decided to eliminate her before she could do that, right?"

  "No," Caleb cried heavily. "Mother..."

  "Maybe mother was right," Suzanne said loudly. "Maybe you are not good for my brother."

  "No," Caleb nodded as more tears flooded his face. "Please, don't say that."

  "Yes and from now on, I'll never speak to you." She yelled. "I hate you and I never want to see your face again."

  "Suzanne..." Before Caleb could even say what he had to, Suzanne went away from him leaving him empty and sad. He had no idea where the other members stood. They might as well say what they had to say to him.

  "Suzanne is right," Juanita said loudly. "You almost killed your mother in law. A son in law is meant to bring peace and not death. I think you are really dangerous. I wonder what else is in your mind."

  "You know me," Caleb cried. "I'd never do such a thing."

  "I'm sorry, Caleb," Juanita muttered. "I'm with Suzanne on this one."

  Preston was hurting. He didn't know what to think or who to trust. His Caleb was a sweet, sweet, innocent boy. Everything about him was absolutely innocent. No way in this world would he harm anyone? All those comments from his sister and Juanita were really painful especially the part where they didn't want to see him.

  On the other hand, his mother had been poisoned and he had no idea who could have done it. He would have gladly accused William but the guy loved his mother like super crazy. There was no way he would hurt her and besides, William had not been in the room.

  He felt like he had played a part in the poisoning of his mother. He had forced Caleb to make the soup even when he felt like Caleb didn't want to. That didn't mean anything though. He was a little bit doubting but he couldn't accept his Caleb had done that.

  He wanted to rush to him and kiss those tears of his but he was frozen. He couldn't move any part of his body. He was numb and he was in pain, deep pain. That was the pain of his mother poisoned and his Caleb being accused. He just didn't know what to do.

  Caleb ran to Caroline and looked at her. She had tears in her eyes and he couldn't read what she was thinking. His heart was really hoping she had believed him. He was really hoping so.

  Caleb touched her hand and stared deep in her brown eyes.

  "You believe me, don't you?" Caleb cried. "You believe I didn't poison mother. I...I'm not like that. Please, you have to believe me."

  Caroline was deeply hurt. Deep down she knew that Caleb was innocent but she couldn't say anything to him either. She just stared at him while he cried. She had never seen him cry so it kinda got to her so badly. She had never seen a boy cry like that. She wanted to hold him, embrace him and tell him she believed him but on the other hand she couldn't say a thing or do anything.

  Caleb saw that Caroline was not responding to anything. He understood but he had to try one more person. He ran to granny and fell on her feet. He respected her a lot and he really hoped that she'd understand him unlike the others who'd chosen not to believe him.

  "Granny...granny," He cried heavily, holding her feet. "Please, believe me. I didn't do it. I never poisoned mother. I know it's hard to believe but....you believe me, right? I just need....I need..."

  Caleb's voice just went away. All that was heard were his sobs. It didn't seem to affect anyone and it was hurting so fucking badly. Even granny didn't believe.

  "Please,"

  Caleb cried for almost a minute on granny's feet. He was slowly losing hope till he felt hands sweetly rubbing on his back. He raised his head and saw granny staring at him with sympathy on her face.

  "Please, get up," Granny said softly. "It's really hard and confusing. But I know that you didn't do it. I believe you,"

  "You do," Caleb gasped as more tears flooded his eyes. He cried even more. At least there was still one person that believed him.

  "Thank you so much," Caleb cried. "This really means a lot to me."

  He cried even more till he felt her hand on his face, slowly rubbing his tears away. That was really sweet but instead of stopping his tears was now flowing faster.

  Preston was in pain. He saw Caleb right in front of him but he couldn't do anything. It was supposed to be him rubbing those tears away and not his grandmother. He was supposed to stand out for his love not his grandmother. He was really confused and couldn't think properly.

  He looked at Johnny and he was trembling terribly clenching his fists. His sister on the oth
er was on the couch holding their mother who had not uttered a word but just watched. The rest were sad and angry.

  Preston felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked past his shoulder and saw George with a frown on his face. George signaled for him to go to Caleb. George was really emotional and it showed in everything that he did. It was clear to Preston that George was concerned about Caleb. He was only quiet probably because it involved the family and he had no words to say.