Attention

We may not know till the truth comes out, how a soul suffers through all the wonderful things it could have but refuses, because it thinks that it doesn't deserve it. I am going to tell you an unusual story, but not so unusual situation. A story about a beautiful boy.

He was born as the fourth child. He had pretty brown eyes, that twinkled when he smiled. But life was not so kind to him. He was just a month old when he heard his father yell at his mother, "I never wanted him. I asked you to get get rid of him when you had the chance". To which the little boys mother replied with a loud cry of agony as she was kicked on the stomach. The baby boy started to cry. Loud unbearable screams, as fear gripped his little heart. His mother did not take him in her arms. neither did his father come. He lay in his crib and cried the whole night.

This boy was called, Jack. He grew up with the same innocent features he was born with. And the fights continued. The arguments never stopped. One day when little Jack came home from school he saw his father with another strange woman. His mother was crying uncontrollably in the living room. His father took the lady into his bedroom. As soon he saw Jack, he started kissing this other woman, and touching her everywhere. Jack was confused. He didn't know what to do. His mother started to scream at his father.

But before Jack knew what was happening, a flower vase was hurled through the bedroom, where his father was in the middle of stripping his clothes off. The flower vase unfortunately hit Jack on the side of his face, bruising it badly. Jack was so frightened ran from the room, straight to the attic and huddle up in the corner. Tears were streaming down his face, but Jack was too shaken up to realize he was hurt.

Jack never had birthday parties, no friends he could call home, nor could he make a sound when he came home. But it was his birthday, he remembered, as he sat huddled in the dark attic. He just turned 7. His life was a mess. His parents didn't want him. He had no where else to go. His siblings where much older than he was. And there was no one who could help him.

After a while, with the bruise still throbbing, he slowly headed down the attic. He could still hear his father screaming. His mother wailing. As he came into view, his father looked at him venomously and said that he was a mistake. He never wanted him. He stormed out of the house that night. Jack never saw his father again.

The smell of coffee brought Jack back to reality. He was sitting in a road side cafe drinking a double latte. It was his 29th birthday. He had a job as an assistant manager in a pharmaceutical company. He was in charge of the shipments of drugs. He was smart. Life had thought him many things. He was a tall, rugged man now with chiseled features. The only thing that did not change were his baby brown eyes. They still looked as innocent as they did when he was born. His cell phone rang disturbing his thoughts. His mother was on the phone.

"Where are you, son?"

"I'll be home soon ma, do you want me to get something for you?"

"No. I think the neighbours don't like us. They look at me like I live in a zoo" Jack's mom fell apart ever since Jack's father left. They never got along. And that night Jack realised that staying under the same roof with his mother was too much for his father to take. After his father left, Jack and his mom moved into a smaller place. Jack was very attached to his mother. He wanted to look after her. But he knew he could not have a normal life. Anger dwelled in him since he was a little boy. He had to have everything his way.

"I'll be right over ma. Just watch some TV or something'" Jack heard the phone click on the other side. He put his phone back in his pocket and asked for the cheque.

He hurried out into the rainy street. As he was waiting for a taxi to come by, he looked across the street and saw the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on. It wasn't hard for Jack to have any woman he wanted. He was a smooth talker and a well dresser. He never attached feelings to his one night stands. And when he saw this gorgeous woman, he knew he had to have her. After all, it was his birthday!

He crossed the street with ease and purposely bumped into her. She looked up at him annoyed.

"Hey, watch where you're going"

"Sorry, I didn't mean too". Their eyes locked, and Jack gave his most innocent smile. The woman smiled back. Jack stood next to her.

"You look like someone I am going to be with for a very long time"

"Excuse me?" The woman was used to people flirting with her all the time, but this was a brand new line.

"Do you like Coffee or Tea? You've gotta choose one, so that I can tell you where you've been" Jack said confidently.

"How?"

"Coffee or Tea?"

"Coffee" She said looking at him coyly.

"Lets go some place where we can have the best Coffee, and then I will tell you"

"What? No..."

"Don't worry, I don't bite" Jack looked so innocent that she said OK. This coffee escapade led both Mary and Jack, to fall in love with each other. Jack never really told Mary what happened in his childhood. But every time Mary had to go away on work, he would tell her that his father was a bad person and that he had many wives. This worried Mary. Jack even told her that he was a drug trafficker once. He said that he was so angry at his father for hurting his mother that he would kill him one day. Mary didn't know how to react to it all. She was brought up in a lovable family. The only fights they had were when they had to decide where to go on a vacation.

Jack told Mary stories about how his father was so ruthless that he did not bother to find out if his mother was still alive after he had left. But what worried Mary the most was that he kept telling her that he was going to kill his father.

One day, the news of Jack's father's death reached Mary. She rushed to see Jack. He was sitting at home with all the lights turned out. His shadow was the only thing Mary could see till her eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Jack, are you alright?" There was no reply.

Mary looked around the room for the light switch. As soon as she turned it on she was horrified to see blood on Jack's hands.

"Oh Jack, what did you do? What is all this blood? Jack, tell me. What happened?"

There was still no reply.

"Its OK Jack, we'll handle this. We'll take care of it. Lets just get this blood washed of first, alright?" Mary said reaching for Jack's hand.

Jack suddenly grabbed Mary's wrist. He looked up her, with a madness in his eyes.

"You think I am stupid? You think I will not know?"

"Jack what are you talking about?"

"Don't try and hide it now" Jack said screaming. Mary was taken aback.

"Jack, I know you are upset. I know you are hurt. But you've gotta relax. Where is your mom?"

"She lied to me too. She supported you. I had to do it" Jack said clenching his hold on Mary's wrist.

"What are you talking about? Where is she?" Jack looked at Mary. And with one swift move he was up on his feet, twisting Mary around and strangling her with his arm.

"Come. I'll show you where she is" Jack said leading Mary to the kitchen.

"Jack, you are hurting me. Let me go" Mary was almost choking.

"Come out, come out where ever you are" Jack said like he was playing Hide and Seek.

"Jack what are you doing....aaaaaaaaaaaaaahh" Mary screamed when she saw her. Jack's mother lay on the dining table. She was bleeding from her neck and wrists.

"Ah...there she is. Look ma, even Mary knows now. She came looking to see if you were OK" Jack said.

"Jack what did you do to her?" Mary said almost weeping.

"Shut up you bitch! I had to do this because of you. If you hadn't done what you did, and if Ma here, didn't support you, then none of this would have happened. I wouldn't hurt my Ma..." Jack said looking at the almost lifeless body on the dining table.

"You think I don't know. I know cause I saw. I saw you and my father. You were smiling and talking to him like he was your lover. I saw. I saw you two getting into my father's fancy car. He took you home, didn't he? You made love to him, didn't you? Now its time you go to where he is now. It was difficult killing him and all. But there is nothing I cant do, I am the Best anyone could ever be" Jack said.

Mary was stunned. She looked around to see if she could get out. With the adrenaline kicking in, she elbowed Jack with all her might. As Jack doubled over and weakened his hold, Mary tried to run out of the kitchen. She was not quick enough though. Jack caught her by her hair, and the impact led Mary to crash into the kitchen wall. Both of them fell to the ground. Mary was screaming and was trying to crawl away from Jack. But Jack was strong. He caught Mary by her leg and pulled her to him. Mary used her free leg to kick Jack on his face. As Jack recoiled, Mary stumbled up and ran into the hall.

Jack was quick to recover. He ran after her and hit her with a candle stand he picked up on his way. Mary reeled from the blow and fell to the floor. Jack was standing above her now, holding his bleeding face. As Mary tried to collect some strenght, both of them heard the sirens of police cars. Jack ran to the window to look outside.

Mary gathered her strenght and picked up the candle stand Jack hit her with.

"Hey, Jack, I didn't sleep with your father" she said. Just as Jack turned around, Mary struck him as hard as she could. The candle stand hit Jack's temple and he fell unconscious to the floor.

Mary ran out onto the street where the police cars where already parking. An officer ran to her and asked her if she was alright.

"He is in the house. I hit him with a candle stand" Mary said, trying to swallow the blood in her mouth. The officer rushed into the house with a gun in hand. I came to know that the person who called them was Jack's mom. But she collapsed before she could tell them to hurry.

Soon an ambulance turned up. As Mary was helped into the ambulance, a gun shot rang in the air. The echo of the gun shot told her it was all over.

Tears welled in Mary's eyes. She knew he was dead.

If only she hadn't gone to meet his father, to try and convince him to come back to his family. If only she hadn't bothered to know that many years ago the doctors diagnosed Jack as delusional, all of this wouldn't have happened. If only she didnt bother to answer Jack's question on the street one rainy afternoon, Jack would still be alive.