Independence Day

I am sitting here in my cell awaiting the guards to take me down the long corridor to my execution by lethal injection. It seems that I couldn't convince a jury of twelve of my peers that I was justified in killing four people on July 4th five years ago. I've had my last meal and the padre has already blessed my soul and prayed for me. But I really don't give a good Damn. I was right in what I did and if I have to die to make things right then so be it. Maybe it will end my misery too.

I'm sure you would like to know what this is all about, right? We let me start about ten years ago. My name is Billy Bob Sherman, Yeah I know who in their right mind names their kids such names, well my parents had a sense of humor, but it was skewed a little. Anyway, I was 22 at the time and was due to graduate from college with highest honors, actually fifth in my class of 984 graduates. When I was tested in high school my IQ was 142. So you say how come I took four years to graduate college if I was so smart, well I graduated with three degrees, that's how come it took all four years.

I did all that studying for those three degrees, plus my football career. I was the middle linebacker for our Bobcat team. In college I stood 6'-1 and weighted 205 I could run like the wind and hit like a tank. I think that is why my nickname was Tank like Sherman Tank. Anyway in my last year I met a girl that changed my life. She was Mary Lou Singer, 5-3, 98lbs of pure unadulterated sex goddess. Mary Lou could give hardons to brass statues. She was a walking, talking wet dream and somehow she decided that I was going to go somewhere and she latched on to me and wouldn't let go. Not that I was complaining mind you. But besides all the outside glamour, Mary Lou was smart too. She was only two spots below me in the class standings.

We met in February just before Valentine's Day as I was going into the library and she was coming out. Someone said something to me and I turned around and she bumped into me about five feet from the door. She of course crashed to the ground and all her books and papers scattered. I on the other hand had only felt a slight jar and that was it. I heard, "Oh shit!" and turned back around to see this vision of loveliness sprawled on the ground amidst books and papers blowing in the slight breeze. I immediately knelt down and started grabbing papers and books with my giant paw and offering a hand out to the angel to help her get up.

"Are you alright Miss? I'm sorry if I knocked you down. I heard someone call my name behind me and turned to see who it was and I..." That was as far as I got in my apology when I met those emerald green orbs that sucked my life and soul out of me and right into them. I was frozen in that spot, captured by the gaze of that redheaded pixie on the ground. I think she had a somewhat similar experience as neither of us moved. Someone else came up the library steps and was trying to help us, and until Bubba Harkins slapped me on the back I hadn't moved and I don't think Mary Lou did either. Bubba had come out of the library's other door and had seen what happened and was trying to help. Bubba knew that I had sworn off girls so that I could get as much education as I could because I needed that to get out of my home life.

My home town was Wimberley, Texas it is a small town southwest of Austin and northwest of San Marcos. It is kind of a touristy town with its weekend markets and art galleries. But there is nothing for me there. My parents died in a car crash during my second year in college and my aunt is an unmarried spinster who is some thirty years older than me. At twenty she was fifty-two but looked and acted as though she was in her eighty's and so set in her ways that she was determined that I would be raised by the values she got from her parents who were Quakers. She disavowed modern appliances and had no electricity in her home outside of town. She didn't have a telephone either. If she had had her way, I would not have finished school, I was needed to farm her twenty acres because she was getting to the point she could no longer manage the farm by herself. I let her know in no uncertain terms that I was an adult and that she would not be running my life, however she got it in her head that since my parents will had stipulated that she was to be my guardian upon their death then she would rule my life for me. I tried to explain to her that once I attained majority age, she no longer had that control over me legally. It didn't work, I had to get a court order for her to cease and desist. I guess that was the last straw, because two weeks after the court hearing, she died in her sleep.

I had come home for a weekend to my family home to see if there was any interest in selling my home since I was at school all the time. I decided to check in with my Aunt Mildred. She didn't answer my call to her when I drove into her driveway. I first looked around the farm and I saw nobody, I then checked the house and found her in bed and cold. I called 911 and told them I needed the sheriff and the county coroner as I found my aunt dead in her bed. That took forever to get taken care of so now I had a house in town and a 20 acre farm and no relatives. I never knew my father's family. I think there was some bad blood concerning him marrying my mother who was seven years older than him. I really don't know any more about that. Anyway, I had no home life to speak of so I was on my own.

Okay, back to that day outside the library. Once Mary Lou and I met I asked her if would like to have a coffee or coke to make sure I hadn't hurt her. She said she would love to sit and talk. We walked down the hill from the library and sat and talked and got to know each other. I couldn't believe that we sat there and talked for almost four hours. Thank God it was a Saturday and we had no classes. After that meeting we saw each other many times on campus and I finally asked her for a date a couple of weeks later. I checked around and from what I could find out about her, she had dated quite a few guys, but they never lasted long. I finally found one guy that she had dated that I knew, Jerry Hansen, one of our strong safeties. I asked why he broke up with her or was it the other way around.

"Tank, she and I had a great time for a while, a couple of months, but then it seemed that she and I were into different things. I wanted a more long term relationship and she didn't so we broke up. I guess we decided that we were just not right for each other, but I wish you luck." That was it, he never told me the real reason they broke up, but I'll get into that later.

So we dated until I graduated, but as she was still a junior. So I went to Houston to find a job. I had bachelor degrees in business management, computer systems and electrical engineering and had gotten offers from several companies. During the first couple of months after school I was interviewing at several companies and one stood out from the rest. It was a company located in Tomball, Texas, about 35 miles north-northwest of Houston off IH-45. The benefits were great, the place was a small town, and bedroom community for Houston. The population was just over nine thousand people. I found a nice apartment and settled in to make my mark in the world. I did get to visit with Mary Lou and on weekends when I wasn't working and on some holidays. But my main interest was getting started in saving for a future, be it with Mary Lou or someone else. Long distance relationships don't really work very well and ours fizzled out after Christmas that first year. I didn't hear from her again for quite a while.

I threw myself into my job and advanced fairly rapidly. I was actually a supervisor in our IT center the next time I heard from Mary Lou. It was two years after she graduated that I got an e-mail from her asking me if I knew of any jobs in my area. Her degree was in public relations, mass media. So I let her know I would look around and see what I could find for her. We didn't have anything at our company, but I did find something in The Woodlands. Yeah that is the name of the master planned community. It really isn't a town as such but a CDP (Census-Designated-Place). All it really means is that the place hasn't been incorporated as a town. Anyway there were two or three companies that were looking for someone with her qualifications so I sent her the information and she said thanks. That was it for almost another three months. It was late (about nine) one Friday night when my doorbell rang. I was dressed in running shorts and a worn out tee shirt. I had just come in from my run and was getting ready for a shower. I opened the door expecting one of my co-workers who ran with me and lived in the complex. Boy was I surprised to see Mary Lou standing outside my door.

I stood there in awe. If anything Mary Lou was even more beautiful than ever before, but a lot of that might be wishful thinking.

"Can I come in or are you going to stand there and catch flies all night?" She said.

"Em... ah... sure come on in. I was just headed for a shower, I ah... just got back from my run. Make yourself to home. There's coke in the fridge or Gatorade or water. I'll be right back." And I mumbled "Damn she looks good enough to eat," as I stumbled my way to the bedroom and then on into the bathroom. I had grabbed some different shorts and planned to take a very quick shower, but someone else had other plans. I was quickly washing my chest when a pair of small arms reached around my stomach and started rubbing all across my abs and then heading south for something else.

Now Mary Lou and I had had sex before we broke up but only about five times, each time was heavenly, but nothing to write home about. I had had sex with some other girls in college and some were enthusiastic and some were just duds, they laid there and expected you to do everything. Now Mary Lou was of the enthusiastic variety. I learned a lot from her regarding how to turn a woman on and what they would and wouldn't like. Even thought we only got together about five times, we actually fucked maybe fifteen times all told. Once was not enough for Mary Lou and certainly not enough for me either, but I did appreciate the rest between times.

My mama didn't raise no fool and I was always plenty prepared when we got together so there was no possibility of disease or pregnancy with me. But lately things were a little dry as far as my love life was concerned so when she started rubbing on my cock, it didn't take long to paint the walls with some of my essence. We rapidly adjourned to the bed room where we had some really great make-up sex, or maybe it was 'damn I'm sure glad to see you again' sex.

Anyway to make a long story shorter, Mary Lou had found a job in The Woodlands and needed a place to stay and since we used to be an item, I let her stay with me and six months later we were married. Eighteen months later I got a big promotion and so did Mary Lou, so we looked for a house and found a ten year old home in a nice subdivision about half way between our work places. Things looked good for quite a while and then five years ago on the 4th, we were hosting a barbeque and Mary Lou had forgotten to get enough beer, ice and chips and we needed another bag of charcoal, so I was sent down to the HEB in Tomball for more.

I remembered a convenience store a couple of miles away that would have everything we needed and so I went there instead of the HEB twelve miles away. If I had gone to the HEB I would be gone close to an hour, but this trip I was back in fifteen minutes. I pulled into the drive and put the beer, cokes and ice in the coolers in the garage and headed into the house with the chips and dip. It was funny that in the back yard there were a couple of the wives, but no Mary Lou and no guys. I figured the guys were watching the big TV in the den. Nope not there either then I heard a voice that I will never forget. It was Jim Harrison, my neighbor on the right side of us saying, "Fuck em good Mary Lou, cause I'm next."

I stopped dead in my tracks and could not believe what I had just heard. I immediately got angry, then I got really MAD and then I got revenge. I marched right back down to the den and into the closet and pulled out my M1911A1 and slid the magazine in and charged the weapon. I calmly walked back down the hall and opened the bedroom door and saw my wife on her back with Len from next door plowing her pussy, Jim was in her mouth and Henry was getting a hand job next to the bed. I lost it completely then. I put two holes in each of the bastards that were fucking my wife and then put the last one into her head. Each guy had two new holes in their chest and were bleeding all over my dead wife. I just stood there in shook and with the gun pointed at Mary Lou and still trying to pull the trigger.

Barbara, Jim's wife was the first to get to me and saw the carnage and went over and kicked Jim in the balls saying, "Serves you right you bastard. That's the very last time you cheat on me."

Karen, Len's wife and Shirley, Henry's wife came in and both vomited violently and left for the other bathroom. Barbara held my hand and said, "Billy, put the gun down, you got all the slimy bastards and that cheating bitch too. Just drop the gun and go sit in your chair, I'll get you a beer, okay Billy?"

I seemed in a trance as I dropped the gun and turned and went to my recliner in the living room. I sat down and just stared ahead. I was dead to the world.

Later Barb gave me a beer and had me recline and drink my beer. She called 911 and the sheriff and they were out there in a little while. I just sat there in that chair oblivious to the world around me. My world ended when I heard Jim talking, well maybe it was when I opened that door and knew for sure what was happening.

Needless to say I was arrested and charged with four counts of murder one and taken off to jail. I sat in one jail or another, first the sheriff's jailhouse and then I was moved the Harris County facility. Everyone knew I was guilty, but the trial took another two years to come around. I pled guilty and my lawyer said it was no contest due to mental instability. No one bought that. The trial took all of one day and then sentencing was another day. I got the death penalty which in Texas is lethal injection. My appeal was a moot point and my death was scheduled for July 4th, 2012, at eight pm. So there is my story, I loved and lost and then I lost my head and my life. I should have never opened that door that night I came back from that run. If I'd have been a little faster running I'd have been in the shower and she would have gone away. She said I was her last hope to find a friend. I wish I wasn't.

The End