Pauper's Desire

by Kitt Lee

  Caleb smiled and then raised his face towards the door. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and his eyes opened wide. He was filled with anger and his heart was pounding in his chest. He just wanted to yell and scream with what he saw. A tall guy, tan skinned, muscular, brown eyes, dirty blonde hair, blue skinny jean and black shirt, smartly dressed.

  Right in front of him, coming inside with Suzanne was his ex friend. That was a friend he had broken up with and got expelled from school due to his bad character. He had lost contact with the guy for three years now. How did he find him and why him of all people? Caleb had it and he needed to yell at the guy to leave as soon as possible.

  Caleb pulled away from Preston and rushed towards his ex friend. He was fuming and he didn't care if Preston was wondering why he was rushing away from him.

  He quickly blocked the way for his ex friend. He looked at him and the guy smiled brightly. Caleb had a frown on his face and that crazy guy was smiling. He needed to leave before Caleb lost his temper.

  "Caleb, Are...."

  "What are you doing here?" Caleb asked angrily. "I thought I told you I didn't want to see you. Please, get out of here before I call security to throw you out."

  "Caleb...."

  "Get out of here," Caleb yelled at the top of his voice.

  Preston rushed to Caleb and held him tightly. He heard him scream and he got worried because Caleb never acted like that. Whatever the guy might have done could have been very bad. Come to think of it, he was getting angry himself.

  "Caleb, did you really ask me to go out?"

  "Was I speaking in tongues the first time I said it?" Caleb yelled, pointing his finger at Drake.

  "Who's this?" Preston asked, looking at the guy in a disgusting way.

  "No one," Caleb said angrily. "And he is leaving."

  "I'm not going anywhere," Drake yelled, getting closer to Caleb.

  Caleb really had no idea what was going on. Drake was a jerk and he didn't want anything to do with him. Why the fuck was he even acting like he owned the house?

  Caleb was surprised when Drake gripped his hand and brought him closer to him. He had no words to say but he was fuming. He wanted to slap him right there. What the fuck! The guy had the guts to even touch him.

  Preston was now angry.

  "Hey!" Preston snapped, pointing his furious finger at the guy. "Get your hands away from him."

  Drake laughed. Caleb was really surprised.

  "Do you also agree to that," Drake said as he held a firm grip on Caleb's arm.

  Caleb pulled away from Drake, raised his hand and slapped him across the face. He saw Drake holding his cheek and looking furiously at him.

  "I want you out," Caleb yelled. "I want you out of here before I call the police and have you arrested."

  "Me," Drake snapped, furiously staring at Caleb. "You are gonna get me arrested? What about you, uh? You are just scared and you don't want them to find out. You brought this upon yourself."

  Seriously, Caleb had never experienced such anger before. It was burning in him and he could feel it. His chest was hot, his fists were clenched and his head was hurting. He was breathing really fast and his muscles were contracting. He wanted to hurt Drake for even showing up at the house.

  "Wait!" Preston said, confused at what the guy was trying to say. "What the hell are you talking about? Please, get out of here."

  Drake laughed loudly. It was so clear that Drake was there to make trouble for Caleb. That got Caleb worried because no normal guy would have acted like that in another person's house.

  "Not without him," Drake said courageously, furiously getting closer to stare Preston in the face.

  Preston had never felt so mad. He looked at Caleb and saw that his mouth was wide open and he was breathing really fast. He looked behind and saw that the other family members were right there watching with question marks on their faces. He was getting angry and he needed the guy to go away.

  "Get out," Preston yelled angrily. "Go and make trouble elsewhere. I don't wanna hurt you and you're really getting on my nerves."

  "Look," Drake poked his finger into Preston' chest. "Buddy, stay out of this. This is between me and Caleb."

  "How dare you?" Preston snapped. "In case you don't know I'm Caleb's husband and you have no right to tell me what to do."

  "Please," Caleb snapped. "Get out of here,"

  "Is that it," Drake snapped. "You've been avoiding for days and you expect me to leave like this? I told you I'd come to this house if you dare do anything to mess with me."

  To say Caleb was surprised is an understatement. He couldn't express what he was feeling. It was deep, painful and...just out of this world. He had no idea how Drake located him and came to make trouble.

  "What are you talking about?" Caleb asked angrily. "Please, Drake, leave this house. Don't make trouble for me because I have more trouble on my hands already."

  "Do you know this guy?" Preston angrily asked.

  "He'll say he doesn't," Drake said angrily. "But I'll tell you what you need to know."

  "Please, leave this house," Caleb begged. "I don't want any trouble."

  "Well, you brought it upon yourself." Drake said, pointing at Caleb angrily. "I told you I'd come here if you mess with me."

  "Please," Caleb snapped. "I don't have time for this no sense. I haven't been communicating with you and you know that. Last time I saw you was in the eleventh grade,"

  Drake chuckled angrily.

  "How dare you? Now I will show you that you don't mess with me."

  "What's going on," Preston yelled. "Who's this guy?"

  "I'll tell you," Drake said, chuckling like an evil lord. "Caleb and I had some business going on."

  "What?" Caleb snapped, gasping. "How dare you? Please, get out..."

  "Wait!" Janice said, coming closer.

  She came near Caleb and stared at him. "Why don't you want him to tell us about your business? Why do you seem scared?"

  "Because this man here is a liar," Caleb said angrily. "He is nothing but a troublemaker. I knew him from high school and..."

  "You knew me," Drake asked, nodding his head in disapproval. "You still know me and you won't escape from me now. I'll tell this family who you really are,"

  "What?" Caleb snapped, directing his eyes at Drake. "Just what do you want from me?"

  "I warned you." Drake warned. "I helped you out and now you were trying to betray me? You told me I'd have the money in less than a week and now a week has passed. You promised me half of everything you were gonna get."

  "How..."

  "Caleb!" Preston said angrily. "What is this man talking about?"

  "I don't know," Caleb said, looking at angry Preston. "This man is just a troublemaker."

  "If you have questions," Drake said angrily. "I'm the guy to answer. Caleb has betrayed me and now I'll expose him for who he is."

  "What are you talking about?" Preston asked, furious.

  "I'll tell you," Drake yelled and then sighed. "I helped Caleb and he told me he'd give me a lot of money."

  "Wait!" Preston said, trying to understand things clearly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Drake laughed teasingly. "I helped Caleb. About two weeks ago, I met with Caleb after a long time. We started communicating and 10 days ago he told me about his great plan."

  "What plan?" Janice asked, folding her arms on her chest.

  "Well ma'am, I wasn't supposed to say this but since he betrayed me," Drake said. "I'll tell you everything. This'll serve as punishment for trying to act smart with me. He told me that he has suffered a lot and that his only goal was to make money by all means necessary." He chuckled. "He told me of how he got married into a rich family and how he wanted that wealth for himself."

  Caleb's eyes watered. He knew that Drake was lying. He gasped for air and no words were coming out of his mouth. That was all a big lie and Drake knew it too.

  "What?" Caleb gasped, a tears falling down his cheek. "When did I...."<
br />
  "Shut up!" Drake yelled in his face. "This will show you not to mess with me. I warned you."

  Preston couldn't believe it. He knew the guy was lying. His Caleb wouldn't do such a thing.

  "He asked for my help and I offered it to him but the deal was that he gives me thirty percent of everything," Drake added. "He agreed to the terms and I helped him get the papers. He also said there was a woman who was bothering him and he wanted to teach her a lesson.

  I never knew how he would deal with her but the deal was that he would give me that thirty percent within a few days. Those few days passed and I came here to collect my share." Drake yelled. "And now he has the effrontery to try and act smart with me?"

  "You are lying," Preston shouted. "I want you out of my house."

  He pushed the guy and he felt to the floor but furiously got up and came closer, looking at Caleb angrily.

  "I'll leave," Drake yelled. "But I hope this backstabber will pay for this," He pointed at surprised Caleb. "If you don't believe me look for the power of attorney papers. They are somewhere in this house,"

  "Get out!" Preston yelled.

  Drake looked at Caleb for a long time and he stormed out.

  Caleb was shaking. So many questions were running through his head. He'd never been that scared before. Drake's words had scared him a lot and he had no idea how Drake came to know about all that. Truly someone was after him.

  "Caleb!" Preston muttered, looking straight at him. "What...what did that guy just say? Please, tell me it's not true."

  Caleb shook his head, cupped Preston' cheeks with his trembling hands and nodded again.

  "No," Caleb mumbled, scared. "I don't know what he was saying and..."

  "Didn't you say you didn't poison mother?" Johnny snapped. "Weren't you denying?"

  Caleb moved his head and looked at Johnny. It was true that the guy's anger was burning. He was even angrier than before.

  "I didn't," Caleb said softly. "I don't even..."

  "Didn't you hear him?" Johnny snapped, furiously rushing towards him. "You told him you needed to deal with a woman. That was last week and my mother was poisoned. Is he a magician that..."

  "I didn't. Drake is just an ex friend who wants to see me fall." Caleb said as tears ran down his face. "Someone is..."

  "And you..."

  "Johnny, please," Preston snapped, feeling a terrible headache taking over.

  Caleb knew Preston was angry again. He had no idea how he was gonna explain himself now.

  "Tell me the truth," Preston demanded. "Were you just after my wealth? Did you actually poison my mother and were..."

  "No!" Caleb cried, trying to touch Preston. "I love you and..."

  "He's lying," Suzanne yelled as she came closer. "He poisoned mother and he wants your properties. One thing has been confirmed. If you ask me, I think we should search your room."

  That was really painful for Caleb. Everyone kept on blaming him for something he had absolutely no idea about. He expected them to trust him not some stranger.

  "I'm telling the truth," Caleb cried. "You need to believe me. Please,"

  That was it. Preston couldn't just stand there and watch him cry. Caleb was a good boy and he wouldn't betray his love like that. There was just a mix up somewhere. He went closer and smiled at him,

  "Don't worry," Preston smiled. "I'm sure that guy was lying. My Caleb wouldn't..."

  "How would you know?" Janice yelled angrily. "You're so blinded by love. He just told us that he was planning on killing me which had happened. If you don't want to lose your properties then I guess you better find those papers."

  Caleb closed his eyes as more tears flooded his face. He opened them again.

  "If you really think I did it," He said softly. "You can search. You'll never find them anywhere."

  "Sure," Johnny said angrily. "We'll surely search for those papers."

  Caleb was hurt. How can the family believe a complete stranger over him? It was really painful. Someone was definitely out to destroy him. He had no idea how to explain himself. Searching was the only way he'd be able to be proved innocent.

  "Caleb!" Johnny called.

  Caleb raised his face towards Johnny as more tears fell to his face. He knew exactly what he was going to say but it was too painful to hear.

  "You want to prove your innocence, right?" Johnny asked.

  Caleb nodded as the pain increased and more tears flooded his face.

  "Then come with me," Johnny commanded. "I'll search the room and if you are innocent then I'll apologize to you."

  Caleb looked at Preston and he looked away. He slowly walked towards Johnny and the both of them headed for the room with the family behind them. This was the second thing and if what Drake had said was true then he had to be careful and find out who was the one doing this to him. He couldn't live his whole life being accused of something bad.

  Man when he thought of losing his husband he cried out more.

  Finally they reached the room and everyone else followed. Caleb was shaking, his body was cold and he had a really bad headache. He just wanted to get it over with. He looked at everyone and they were staring at him as if he was a really big thief. All he wanted was to prove them wrong and get it over with.

  "I need help searching this room," Johnny said hoarsely.

  Caleb watched as Preston came inside the room and stood at a distance. Preston had suffered a lot without him and he didn't want him to suffer anymore. All he wanted to do was make Preston be peaceful because he was really getting hurt.

  William, Suzanne and Juanita volunteered to help Johnny search the room. He was really crying because the pain was too much. Drake couldn't have come and said all that. Someone from the house had called him and he was going to find out whom.

  Caleb rubbed his tears, calmed down and stood firm. He watched as the four searched every part of the room including the room where they kept the clothes, the office and even the bathroom. This went on for an hour and Caleb was confident that they were not gonna find anything.

  They came back to the room and all of them had wrong faces. Caleb was able to breathe again because it was clear that they had found nothing in that room. He just hoped it would stay like that.

  They then started searching the cupboard and threw all the documents in that cupboard on the floor. They were quite many and they also included his education certificate. They began searching the documents one by one packing them back in the drawers.

  It took long and Caleb was tired of standing. It was just a few and they would be done. Then they took the envelope were his educational certificate was. They were not gonna find anything from there except his results. He watched as Johnny took the envelope and emptied it. To his surprise there were other documents that fell from there too.

  Caleb hoped it was not what he thought. He really hoped it was not what he thought. He watched as Johnny slowly took the documents in his hands and got up, slowly walking to him. He was really close and Caleb had no idea why Johnny was staring at him nonstop.

  Johnny slowly moved the documents and exposed it for everyone's view. Caleb really had a surprised face but what he saw made him scared and hurt. His heart painfully pounded in his chest, his breaths were violent and painful, and his tears just poured to his face and he began trembling terribly.

  "What's this?" Johnny asked hoarsely.

  Caleb had no words to say. Those were really power of attorney papers. His mind was blank and he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest that left him hurting really badly.

  Preston slowly walked towards Johnny, hoping and praying that what he was thinking was not the truth. He prayed that whatever Johnny was holding was not the truth. He could clearly see that they were power of attorney papers.

  He went closer to Johnny and grabbed the papers. Taking a deep breath he slowly read through them as tears fell down to his face. His heart broke; his mind couldn't believe it and his body just went numb when he read through those papers. He was s
haking terribly and his strength left him.

  Those papers stated that he had transferred some of his wealth to Caleb Kavanaugh. What was left was only his signature. He couldn't believe it. He was suddenly taken over by anger. He was fuming. The guy had been telling the truth after all. Caleb was after his wealth.

  "What's this?" Preston snapped, holding the papers in front of Caleb's face.

  Caleb had no words to say. He couldn't say anything because he was dumbstruck. His mouth was moving but no words were coming out of his mouth. He didn't know how Preston would act or how he would view him and that was killing him. The tears that came out were of pain and anger.