Free Ch. 04

That's exactly what he did when it came to it; he chose Manny. So, she did too.

Rick was right about one thing. What she did was petty. She could admit that. It didn't even make her feel better. Sure, she had fun in the moment when she was having sex with Manny, but afterwards she was left with the same empty feeling she was always carrying around with her. She loved a man who didn't love her with the same ferocity.

But she told Rick yesterday that in the end, she will always choose him; even when he doesn't choose her.

And nothing about that sentence will ever change.

***

As the streams of water massaged him, Rick tried to let the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach wash away down the drain. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easily removed as the rest of the dirt on his body. It was like a skunk's spray. It clung to him, forever reminding him that he stunk.

He smelled...like a rat. No matter what those fucking cops said to him, he wasn't proud of what he did tonight. All his life, he followed the code of the streets. That code was as imbedded into him as his love for his wife was.

Choosing to do what he did was the hardest choice he had to make. It was like he was forcing himself to be someone he wasn't. But when Manny showed up at Traci's job yesterday, he had to make a decision on what was important. In essence, he was once again faced with the same choice he made almost half a decade ago.

His street honor, or his family.

For him, the choice was never about Manny. Sure, Manny was his best friend at the time, but Rick would have done what he did for anyone in his crew. When it came down to it, Rick didn't choose Manny over Traci; he chose himself. Being a husband and a father paled in comparison to being "The Mother Fucking Wolf."

But yesterday, Manny didn't go to Walmart to get Traci's help; he went there to send Rick a message. He wanted Rick to know that he could get to her if he wanted to, and not even his past friendship to the two of them would stop him. To him, she was his pawn because she was Rick's queen.

When Manny really wanted something, he only left a man two choices: do what he says and sleep well at night, or don't.

What inadvertently did though was make a blurry choice crystal clear for Rick. The only question now was, who would be the man to respond to Manny's not-so-subtle chess move; the husband, or the wolf?

The Rick from yesteryear would have handled this situation like a thug. He would have grabbed a gun, stuck it in the mouth of one of Manny's little peons, and made them mumble where to find him. Then he would have broken into his house and waited until he came home. Manny would have found Rick sitting on his couch and drinking his best wine with an evil smile on his face and a pistol on his lap.

That would have ended in a spectacular shoot out with only one of two outcomes: both of which equaling leaving his family for good this time.

But the Derrick that stood here now wasn't that guy anymore. This Derrick was the one who will always choose Traci, and never voluntarily leave her side again. That was the only honor worth committing to.

***

Rick and Martha went with Cynthia to the police station later that day. By this time, Mo had been grilled extensively about his taped statements regarding "the butcher". The police were able to track down the shop, arrest the people who worked there, and find Donnie's body.

Or, to be more accurate, Donnie's body parts. He'd been chopped up into several different sections, bagged, and was about to be taken to various places to be disposed of.

That was the how Manny disposed of his bodies. It was the purpose of "Casey's Fine Meats", aka, the butcher shop. It was one of his many fronts.

Cynthia identified Donnie's head. Then she vomited and passed out.

Donnie's murder and disposal weren't the only things Mo confessed to. Once they sat him down in the gloomy, mono-colored interrogation room with the two-way mirror, he started warming up his Whitney Houston vocal cords.

And I will always love youuuuu!

It turns out, he and Tuck weren't as dumb as they made out to be. They were the ones who stole Manny's product. They were tired of working for him; tired of always being put down and feeling like they were next ones on deck at "the batting cage". They did it in hopes that the Sanchez family would get rid of their problem, and maybe see them as more than hired muscle.

But Mo's biggest regret was Donnie's death. He knew that Donnie would get the blame, which was perfect for his plans. All eyes would be looking the other way, but no one would actually get hurt. After all, Donnie was Manny's cousin. He was the only one Manny wouldn't kill.

Right?

Now, Donnie's ghost will forever haunt him.

In the months that followed, Manchester Childs became one of the most infamous names in the news. The case had all the makings of a blockbuster thriller. Sex, drugs, murder, conspiracy, money, glamor betrayal...all ending with the bad guy getting caught in an epic showdown with the police. There was no way news this juicy was dying anytime soon.

It seemed like every week there was some new sensational bit of information that popped up. Police raided the butcher shop, which led to more confessions about even more bodies. Low level drug dealers were busted, which led to EVEN MORE confessions. By the time it was all over, Manny was the youngest, most notorious kingpin to be caught in recent history. He stood a better chance of getting abducted by aliens than he did of living life as a free man again.

Unless, of course, he snitched on the Sánchez's.

Rick, for one, was glad that the cops kept their word to him and never mentioned him. He had no desire of being famous, and just wanted to keep his head down and avoid getting caught up in the sensationalism. Besides that, being a snitch wasn't viewed as heroic where he was from. Even against someone as notorious as Manny was, people would still frown heavily upon him.

Naturally, there were whispers of his involvement, but no one ever breathed a word to his face. Reformed or not, he was still Rick. Besides, his reputation made most people discount that anyway. He'd already done time for Manny. What would cause him to snitch after the fact?

Guess it was a good thing Manny kept the fact that he fucked Traci quiet. There weren't too many people who would smile on that little tidbit, either.

All that was left for Rick to do was live his life, finish his parole, and become a normal citizen like everyone else.

Yeah, right. Easier said than done.

Rick may have helped take the kingpin off the street and gained kudos from the police force, but the downside to no one knowing about it was that he was still an ex-con in the eyes of the business world. Places that hired ex-cons didn't do it out of the kindness of their hearts; they hired them because they were disposable. Pay was minimal, and no one gave two shits about whether they were treated fairly.

He may have been a free man, but the shackles of prison remained tightly locked around his wrists. His past followed him from job to job, employer to employer.

Martha worked with Rick in trying to help become less threatening in the workplace. The intimidation that worked for him in the streets had the opposite effect on the job. The two of them worked on softening his mannerisms, speaking eloquently, and controlling his temper. He tried to incorporate all those lessons into his life, hoping that one day someone would see him as man trying to become better.

But we all know that life doesn't work that neatly. Like a skunk stench, nothing he did separated him from his criminal record. Imagine listening to your short, middle-aged, out of shape employer belittle you in front of everyone because it made him feel good to be able to push the big guy around? Or the hopeless feeling of getting blamed every time something went missing? How about just dealing with the women in the office feeling "unsafe", despite him having done nothing to make them feel so?

That's how all of his jobs were. Pride is a hard pill to swallow; especially when it has to be taken every day with shit sandwiches and washed down with bullshit. But every time he found himself ready to reincarnate "the wolf", he pulled Anya's wrinkled and worn picture from his pocket to remind him of what he was fighting for.

And then, life finally smiled at him.

Martha had started seeing a nice man that she met. After going so long without dating, she was rusty at it. But he was kind and patient with her.

While that in itself was insignificant as far as Rick was concerned, the fact that her new beau was a business owner held a lot of significance. Especially when that business was a chain of barbershops.

Remember, Manny ran many business fronts for laundering money. Which one was Rick in charge of?

Oh yeah; the barbershop.

***

TWO YEARS LATER:

Rick rang the buzzer of the familiar building in front of him. Huddled in his thick coat, the harsh wind whipped around his face, which was the only part of him exposed.

"May I help you?" the familiar voice said in a don't give a shit tone.

"Derrick Morrison." He returned. The buzzer rang loudly, letting him know to quickly step inside.

As he approached Linda's desk, he gave her a broad smile. Of course, she simply looked at him with the same disinterest that she's been giving him his entire probation.

"You can go right in." she said in a deadpan voice before returning her attention to her computer.

I'll bet she doesn't do anything on that thing but play solitaire." Rick joked to himself as he walked towards the office. Lightly rapping on the glass of the open door with his knuckle, he got Officer Giuliani's attention before coming in and sitting down.

"Mr. Morrison. So good to see you today." He said as he opened the manila folder that was directly in front of him. Rick gave him a nod in acknowledgment before he continued with, "This is your last probation visit. I, for one, couldn't be happier. You're a pain in my ass."

"Well, it's a large ass. I think you can take it." Rick chimed in jokingly. "Besides, I think you're gonna miss me."

"I'm gonna miss you like I'd miss a headache."

"A charming headache?"

Giving him a blank look over his glasses, cop asked, "Is there a such thing as a charming headache?"

The two laughed at that. For Rick, this final visit was bittersweet. He was thrilled to finally be off probation; however, he was definitely going to miss Officer Giuliani. This man, this cop, has had a profound effect on his life.

He was definitely one of the good ones. It was good to see that there were ones left who didn't have to go to Narnia.

The rest of the visit was pretty quick. Rick didn't have to pee in a cup, didn't have to give an update on his job hunt. He loved working at the barbershop. He got along with his co-workers, had regular clients, and made decent money. He and Traci now had their own place uptown, and even had a new car.

Things were finally working out for him.

As Officer Giuliani walked him outside to take his smoke break in the frigid weather, he said, "Oh, by the way, congratulations on the baby on the way. I know I'm probably like 7 months too late. Do you know what you're having?"

Beaming with pride, Rick said, "Anya's having a baby brother. His name is Noah."

"Noah?" Officer Giuliani repeated, nodding as he let that roll around in his head. "I like that. Really biblical."

"Yeah. That's why I chose it. Noah was the man who survived the flood that wiped everyone else out. He chose his family, and he listened to that voice telling him to do right instead of the world around him."

With a proud smile and a shake of Rick's hand, Officer Giuliani said, "I'm glad he did."

As the two men parted ways for the final time, each was left with the recognition of the profound effect that the other had on their lives. There people who come into your life for a season, and people who stay for a lifetime. But even the most short-term relationships can have lasting effects.

***

Rick kicked the snow from his feet on the welcome mat before turning the key to open his front door. He didn't want to hear Traci's mouth about tracking snow all over the carpet.

He smiled to himself as he repeated that thought. His front door where he stayed in his apartment with his family.

Sounded nice.

"Daddy!"

That's what welcomed him inside as a tiny imp launched herself at him. Scooping her up in his arms, he tickled her stomach.

"You're getting too big for daddy to pick you up! What's mommy feeding you?"

"Hotdogs!" she squealed as her squirming body in his arms tried to get away from his fingers.

Traci waddled her way over to him holding her protruding belly. Her swollen bare feet hardly made a sound as they plodded through the carpet.

She stood up on her tip toes and kissed him on the lips before looking down disapprovingly at his boots.

"I kicked all the snow off them." he said defensively, already knowing where this was headed.

With an exasperated look, she said, "They're still wet, Rick! That's why I tell you to take them off outside, BEFORE you walk on my carpet!"

"Okay. Okay." He surrendered. Putting his daughter down, he took off his boots and walked them over to the hall closet. Then he turned to face his wife with an exaggerated open arm motion, as if to ask "Happy?"

She simply rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Rick could only look at his wife in wonderment. How could a woman be so beautiful? Maybe he was biased; after all, she was pregnant with his second child. But if he had to cast his vote on the most gorgeous woman ever produced, there wouldn't even need to be one.

She tried to walk back into the kitchen, but he grabbed her before she could get away from him. The two of them played an impromptu game. He was trying to kiss her, and she was making a show of moving her face to keep him from doing so.

"Get off. I'm mad at you!"

"Kiss me."

"No."

"Kiss me!"

Sighing with exasperation, she stopped struggling. "Fine!"

With that, she allowed his lips to find hers. It was supposed to simply be a peck, but it deepened. Forgetting her feigned annoyance, she stood on her tip toes, wrapped her arms around his head, opened her mouth, and turned that kiss into a smoldering make out session.

"Ewww!" Anya said, breaking the mood and causing her parents to laugh out loud.

Rick went to take a shower while his wife finished cooking. While the food was simmering on the stove, Traci placed Anya in front of the TV to watch her favorite movie (Frozen) and snuck into the bathroom to steal some alone time with her husband.

Noticing that someone had entered the bathroom, Rick popped his head out of the shower and saw his wife sitting on the closed toilet. She was looking lovingly at him with a smile on her face.

"You trying to get in with me?" he asked invitingly.

She almost accepted the invitation, but she remembered that she still had spaghetti boiling on the stove, and their six-year old daughter was unattended in the living room. Plus, shower sex wasn't really easy these days.

She did, however, like the fact that he still found her sexy enough to ask despite her swollen feet, large belly, and the fact that she had no makeup on. That alone earned him a very enthusiastic blowjob to be given the moment their little hellion nodded off.

"I can't." she said with disappointment in her voice. Still, her eyes lustfully roamed up and down the length of him as she added, "But I love watching you. Just let me sit here and enjoy you for a second."

With a playful grin, he joked, "You're kind of a pervert; aren't you Mrs. Morrison?"

Her response was a wicked, bottom lip-biting smile and a few bounces of her eyebrows.

So that's what he did. She sat on the toilet, and he showered like she wasn't even there. Watching him soap his bulging chest, his broad shoulders, and his firm legs...

Oh God! Yes!

She could've literally pulled down her pants, shifted her panties to the side, and masturbated right there watching him. If her belly weren't so big, she probably would have. All she could do right now was lean back on the toilet and marvel at him.

She meant what she said to him that first night he was released from prison over two years ago. He really was beautiful. Not just his body, but him; everything about him was just so...beautiful.

No other word came close.

Something crashed out in the living room, reminding her that her gets-into-everything toddler was free to roam with no parental supervision. Reluctantly, she tore herself away from her sexy husband to finish his shower alone. They'd have this discussion about how beautiful he was later, preferably with his dick in her mouth.

"It broke." Anya said with a look of guilty innocence as her mother entered the room to investigate. Her finger pointed at the shards of glass that was once a vase. She was saying it like the vase just jumped off the mantle and broke itself.

Coincidently, the vase was laying next to a big, red, rubber ball; the very one she was forbidden to play with indoors.

Traci wanted to give her a stern look and speak in a strict tone of voice so that she knew how serious this was. She wanted to; she really did. But...Anya was just too cute!

All she could manage was a shake of her head. This little girl...

Dinner was served not too long after that. As the family sat around the table, Traci looked at each of them. This was...perfect. This moment was exactly what she wished for every night Rick was locked up. She didn't need the money and the cars to be happy. Everything she could ever want was sitting right here at this table stuffing spaghetti into their mouths.

Despite that, dark thoughts filled her, replacing the happy ones she was just thinking. She couldn't help feeling a sort of survivor's remorse. This was what she almost lost; what she deserved to lose. What would her life be like if Rick hadn't forgiven her? What if he just...walked away?

Or worse?

She didn't even notice the tears that had started streaming down. It wasn't until Rick looked up at her with a look of concern that she realized how much her anguish was painted across her face.

"Trace? What's wrong?"

Trying to gather her words, she attempted to get it out, but the words were lost. "I...I just..."

"What, baby?"

The sob that had been waiting to come burst through. Rick got up from his seat and squatted next to her. While he rubbed her back comfortingly, she was finally able to say, "I'm just so...happy."

He could only smile at that and rub her hand. "Me too. I know I was against marriage counseling in the beginning, but I'm so glad your mother insisted. I'm starting to believe she's our guardian angel."

"Oh God!" Traci said as she let out a teary laugh. "Please, don't ever say that to her! She already thinks she knows everything."

He laid a soft kissed on her salty, tear-soaked lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Rick."

Across the table, Anya must have felt left out. With spaghetti sauce covering the surrounding area of her mouth, she threw her hands in the air asked, "Who loves me?"

Both parents looked at each other humorously for a moment before rushing over to her. She squealed and giggled in delight as each parent took a cheek and laid a loud, fart-noised kiss on her.

***

**BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN**

The body of Manchester Childs, the notorious kingpin that led an underground criminal drug ring for close to a decade, was discovered earlier this morning. A fisherman was out on his boat when his line caught something strange. It turned out to be a severed hand. After combing the lake, the Police were able to recover other body parts including a head, a foot, and a torso.