Disclaimer: All the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this story are the product of the author's imagination and used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
PART ONE
Being the foreman for some time now, Ι kept saying the project manager -don't get me started with that clueless jerk- that we should have put a heavy-duty chain on the crane for this project. 'No, it's a big expense to buy a new one, ours will be fine'. Take it now, asshole, the chain broke, the load plummeted to the track and the ground. Thank goodness I saw the chain was about to break, I pulled with hands, feet, kicks, punches and shouts the truck driver and everyone under the crane, and luckily there were no casualties, just some minor scratches and a truck smashed from the cargo crashing into it. The manager-my-ass and the representatives of the insurance company arrived, and had to inspect and settle things up so they took the decision to shut the site down for the day. The guys were going to the pool bar but I wasn't in the mood, best get home early for once.
"Come on, chief, what are you gonna do at home alone?"
"Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll have to pass on the morning beers. I'll putter around the house instead and save my drinking for later when the game's on".
In fact, since Alice died, I'm not in the mood for much. My daughter Abigail makes fun of me. "Dad, have you turned into a cave dweller? You're always cooped up in here. Seriously, you're 40, not 80."
"No, I'm not. I go to the gym, I box, and I can still lift more than most guys half my age."
"Yes, I know that, Dad. But socializing is what you need, not just growing mice"
"Mice? What mice?"
"Your muscles, Dad! In Italian, as you should know better, they call them 'muscoli' which actually comes from the Latin word musculus - that means little mouse!"
"Muscoli, huh? Great. Now I get to be schooled by a smart-ass
bambina
."
"Actually, it's Gail and I'm a 20-years-old smart ass Applied Physiology and Kinesiology major, so I think you should be grateful and proud for the lesson".
"Actually, it's Abigail, you are 19 and I'm grateful and proud for my mice."
Truth is, I am grateful for Abigail. And proud. Back when I was 26 and just starting out as a lead worker, I was a kind of wild. Hot chicks, fast cars and always ready to trade blows...adventure was out there and I wasn't one to shy away from it. Then I met Alice. She was a year younger than me, but let me tell you, she seemed like the most serious person in the world, with this stern look on her face most of the time. But when she smiled, man, it was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.
Turned out Alice had been through a lot before we met. She was only 20 when she had Abigail, and she had to raise her all by herself since that sorry excuse for a man left her high and dry just some months after their baby was born. And wouldn't you know it, every male around tried to take advantage of her because of her beauty. That's why she became so damn cautious. Thing is she wasn't looking for any more drama in her life, and she wouldn't put up with any BS. That's when I realized: this was the woman for me. I decided to cut the wild boy's crap, to pull myself together and get serious. So, a year after we first met, we took the plunge. When we got married, I was 27 and Abigail was 6. It wasn't always easy. But we made it work. The job was going well, Alice was a great wife and mother, and I did my best to be a good father to Abigail. Everyone was surprised that Alice and I, being so young, had such a beautiful daughter. Those who didn't know our story playfully teased us, saying that our daughter looked nothing like the father, that meant me, and had inherited absolutely everything from her mother-the looks, the body type, the blonde hair. They were right: Alice and Abigail bore an uncanny resemblance.
We had eleven good years together. Eleven years of memories, laughter, love... a whole damn lifetime packed into a single decade. But it wasn't enough. Two years ago, the news hit us like a truck: cancer. Aggressive. And just like that, Alice was gone. Just two months after the diagnosis. Gone. She was only 37, for Christ's sake. Abigail, our little girl, just 17. Eleven years of marriage, wiped out. It was a fucking nightmare. I didn't know how to keep standing. But I had to. For Abigail's sake if nothing else.
And thank God, Gail's doing great. She's 19 now, and a year and a half ago, she graduated high school with straight A's, just months after Alice's death. On top of that, she was also a champion in several junior tennis tournaments. Despite being accepted to colleges far from home, she opted for the University of Florida so she could stay with me in her childhood home, save money, continue dominating college tennis tournaments and keep a sense of stability.
As I was heading out from the construction site, I swung by the grocery store to grab some essentials: definitely a six-pack of beer since there was a big match goin' down tonight, a frozen pizza for me, and some tikka masala chicken for Gail, who was supposed to come home around 8 p.m. Parked in the driveway, noticed a new car out front. Didn't recognize it. Walked in, groceries gotta get unloaded. Then, bam! Sounded like a wrestling match erupted upstairs. Voices too, muffled, couldn't make out a word. Didn't waste time. Grabbing my trusty baseball bat, I crept up the stairs, silent as a shadow. Reached my room, voices hushed now. Inched closer, floorboards creaking a silent warning. Door... cracked open a sliver. Heart hammered a frantic rhythm. Two figures, backs to me.
The man's forceful movements sent the woman's body lurching forward, her knees scraping against the floor as she was brutally taken on all fours. Oblivious to my presence, I stood frozen, my gaze fixed on the scene unfolding before me. What in hell's name was happening here? Who's fucking in my room?
I went a little closer and heard them:
"...and what did he do?"
"He was downstairs, he thought I was asleep, he had his pants off, watching porn and jerking"
"And you saw him coming?"
"Yeah...oh my god...yes"
"Did you like his dick? Tell me, you fucking bitch."
Was that my daughter's voice? Did I hear right? Was that Abigail I heard? And the guy she was with calling her a fucking bitch? I tightened the bat, but I stood frozen.
"It was big and thick...hairy...I wanted to...ohhh..."
"You wanted to swallow your father's cum? Suck his cock and swallow it?"
"Yes, oh fuck...yes