Author's Note: All characters are over the age of 18. This story is a work of fiction. Please do not republish on other platforms without my express permission. Constructive criticism welcomed. I hope you enjoy!
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"Another burger coming up!"
I placed the steaming patty on the bun and set both on a plastic plate. I hand it to Ava who has a smile on her face as she takes it.
"Thank you, dear. Now, who wants one?"
She turns and walks towards the guests. Ava had her red hair up in a ponytail and she was as beautiful as ever in her tight blue jeans. It had been a year since that incident. I was mad at her for betraying me and for giving in to Alvin's demands. I almost lost my temper that night, but seeing her serene face as she slept broke me. So I never told her. Instead, I had a lab analyze the liquid Alvin used to spike her drink. The results came back showing it was a concoction of drugs. I didn't recognize any of the ingredients, but the report notes that it was made illegally and the effects were unpredictable.
Sure, that technically exonerates her, but the image of her face masked in pleasure while Alvin plowed her still haunts my mind. I spent every waking moment trying to find out about my former neighbor to no avail. Alvin was a professional and he knew how to cover his tracks. So, I turned my attention to Jay. He was a lot easier to find, but he was wealthy and had a lot of protection. As daunting as it was, I wasn't going to be deterred. There were other ways to break a man. It was a lesson I had to learn the hard way and now I was planning on paying him back.
"Honey," calls Ava catching my attention. "Did you hear me? Two more burgers."
I didn't even realize i was squeezing the spatula and I relaxed my grip as I reply, "Sure thing. Two burgers coming up."
We were hosting a little gathering for some of the Guatemalan families who were refugees. Of course, it was done through Ava's community service org and we even hired one of the young men to babysit our kids. My eyes search the backyard for my kids who were playing with a tanned-skinned young Hispanic man with black hair which reached his shoulders. He was skinny from starving during the harsh journey and his face was more Native-looking than Spanish.
Julio was nice enough, but for some reason he could never really look me in the eyes which was odd. I just chalked it up to him being nervous. However, he had no problem talking to Ava. Who could blame him? She was an easy woman to talk to.
"Thank you for the burger, Mr. Delfino."
I look up to see a young woman with long black hair in a sundress. She was Julio's older sister who came with their parents. The dress looked familiar then I realize Ava must have given it to her as a gift.
"Hm? Oh, Esmeralda! Good to see you here too! I'm glad you're enjoying the food."
"Oh, yes. Thank you. It is very good! We do not have this back at home," said Esmeralda politely. She almost had no hint of an accent and Ava explained it was because she was getting ready to work in the U.S. "Can you take me to work later?"
"Working on the weekend again, huh? Alright, if that's what you want."
Esmeralda worked at a convenience store in the shoddy part of town so I was "voluntold" to give her a ride. Oddly enough, the place rejected Julio before accepting her. Something was up, but I didn't want to meddle.
The party went by without a hitch. The rest of the families were nice enough, Esmeralda socialized with the other women, and Julio basically hung around Ava the whole time. I cleaned up when it ended and took Esmeralda to her job.
"I'm sorry you have to take me."
I glance over to the young woman to see her looking down at her lap. "Hm? Aw, come on. It's no problem, really. Where is this negativity coming from all of a sudden?"
"...I just feel bad since I know you are so busy."
I felt a twinge of annoyance as I replied, "Ah, did Ava tell you that? No need to worry. It's just normal stuff that happens from time to time in the business world. You'll see that soon enough once you get started on your own."
"Mmm, is it hard? You have no time for family, right?"
I nod. "Sometimes. But there are things I life that have to be taken care of first before you can enjoy that time with family."
"Mmm, I see. I think that does not have to be, right? I do this because I love my family and I would do anything for them."
I chuckle at her resolve as we pull up to her workplace. "Well, I can't say you don't put your money where your mouth is working here. Let me know if you need a ride home."
"Thank you, Mr. Delfino."
The next few weeks flew by, but not in a good way. I was hitting some dead ends with my investigations and the detectives I had hired weren't giving me any promising leads. On top of that, they were expensive and I think I might have been fleeced in my zeal for answers. I was angry and frustrated so I took it out on my wife.
"I've had enough of your attitude, Fin! I don't know what's going on, but you need to cool down," said Ava as she crossed her arms. "Maybe you should spend the night on the couch."
I threw my hands up. "Seriously?!? I just asked you to stop pestering me while I'm at work and this is how you react?!?"
"Don't you raise your voice at me!"
"Fuck you! This is my house and I can raise my fucking voice if I fucking want!"
Ava huffs and collects her robe as she moves towards the door. "I can't deal with this. I'm sleeping in the guest room."
"Fine! Fuck off!"
As I laid in bed, I felt bad for my outburst and I was thinking of going over to apologize. However, the scene of her with Alvin flashes into my mind and I clench my fist. When I find that fat fuck, the things I'll do to him...
The next couple weeks weren't that much better except that Ava finally wasn't bothering as much, if at all now. I worked long nights now because I wasted all my savings on those stupid PI's so I had to do the investigations on my own. Since I was a computer nerd, I used my skills to get me the results I needed. Sure, I may have done stuff that wasn't one hundred percent legal, but I finally found a good lead: Jay had some shell companies that weren't exactly IRS compliant by the looks of it.
I slept in that Saturday and woke up to an empty house. Ava was probably off doing her volunteer stuff and the kids were at their grandparents' which meant I had the house to myself!
Happy that I had some alone time, I whistled as I washed my face. As I looked in the mirror, I was shocked at how haggard I looked. My eyes had bags under them and my face looked like it was melting.
"Dammit! Just hold on, body. We'll get our revenge soon enough."
I groaned as I realized I was talking to myself. I better act soon or I'll go insane at this point.
