Bad Man

BAD MAN

A very quick flash story. More than the now usual 750 word story. But I feel its complete at a little more then 1100 words. Is it original. Probably not. I don't read all the stories on this site. But I hope its interesting.

This is another story that came to me and almost made me get out of bed to write it.

This is in the Greenville universe. If a story I submitted earlier has been published before this one there is a hint in this story of how its connected.

My usual disclaimers: Bad English is my 1 language, No editor. I use a crappy word program. I hope you enjoy the story.

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I'm a bad man. Not in the James Brown sense of a bad man. Definitely not in the Ted Bundy or Charles Manson mode of a bad man. More of a say, Paladin or a Robin Hood. I do things good people won't or can't for the benefit of other good people. I realize the effect those comments have on people. No one wants to be the villain in their own story, I don't mind it. That's the difference between you and me. I know I'm a bad man. In a world of everyday people you can't have hero's without villains.

I'm not some Jack Reacher looking guy. I'm an everyday Joe. 5 foot 7 inches tall, weigh 225 pounds, brown hair and eyes and I wear glasses. My profession, would it be cliché to say I'm an accountant? I'm not, I'm a cook on a food truck. I'm a quiet guy, don't talk much. But I listen very well. I'm the kind of guy people freely talk around. And Joe isn't my name.

What makes me a bad guy or a villain. For some what I do actually makes me a hero. A very few people though. Usually those who are on the other side of the equation. Right vs Wrong. Good vs Evil. Justice vs Crime. Love vs Hate. I help those that can't help themselves or may not even know they need help.

Let me give you an example. I was sitting in a bar when a guy was complaining about his wife cheating on him. She had him over a barrel as happens in most cases. We all know the women get away with murder in the courts when it comes to divorce. He would have to pay alimony, child support, move out the house, only see his kids a couple of times a month if she didn't make it hard for him to do so.

We got to talking and I got his and his wife's name. He even knew the guy she was fucking. That's how bold she was. As we talked, well him talking getting it all out for the first time without any recrimination. As men we know how good it feels to be able to open up about your feelings without judgment, even if you're half drunk when you do it.

I asked if he could have anything to solve this situation what would it be. He hesitated for a minute to think. He looked at me for what seemed like the first time, saying he would want to guy to suffer, suffer the same humiliation he has suffered. He wanted his wife to suffer and he wanted to be free of her and be able have full custody of his children.

Let's talk about the 3 types of Villains. There are comic book villains that do outrageously bad or stupid things and besides getting beat up nothing else usually happens to them. They fly off and disappear until the next issue they are featured in. Then you have TV villains who do bad things and either die or go to jail. The third type is real life villain. They usually go to jail. Not being a super villain or on TV I didn't want to die, get beat up or go to jail. So I had to be smart in my villainy.

There's lots of ways to avenge someone. In this case I took the quick route. For the AP and wife I set them up. First I made or had other people make several calls to report suspicious activity over the next 3 weeks to the AP's residence. It helped that the neighbors thought he was an ass. Especially the husbands. So now he was on the police's radar. Working on a food truck you meet all kinds of people. I'm not going to name the food truck to protect the owner. But its one of the most popular in the city. Let's say its "Delightful" and leave it at that. And there are people who will make a simple phone call for a good meal.

I used one of my connections to purchase some illicit substances that law enforcement frown upon. While I was doing this I had another "friend" make a call to DHS about the kids being left alone by the wife while the husband was at work. I also had her call to report the kids appearing abused. So now the wife was on DHS radar. You see, she was a stay at home mother and sole caretaker. The dad was a hard working man and upstanding citizen. He was the kind of the guy that helped elderly neighbors.

When the time was right I made another call to the police concerning a car driving erratically. Beforehand I had out those illicit substances in the AP's car. And what made the time right. The wife's car was disabled so she needed someone to take her to pick up the kids at school. Since she was at the AP's house already he was the obvious choice to help.

On the way back from picking up the kids he was pulled over for having a broken taillight and missing license plate. No one ever checks to see if their tags are on the car. Upon running his license and seeing a history of complaints the officer asked to search the vehicle. Thinking he was in the clear he consented. To his surprise and dismay the officer found some substances that should not only be in the car but in the car with children inside. To add more pain the kids weren't in car seats. But that was the least of his or her worries. The amount of substances was enough for a dealing charge. Having under age kids in the car only made things worse. Both were arrested and taken in. The kids were taken by DHS until their father was able to pick them up.

Because of my villainy, the father got full custody of the children, the wife and AP were found guilty. Him of possession with the intent to sell as well as the traffic violations, child endangerment and more charges. He was sentenced to 5 years. He would most likely be out in 2 years if he stayed clean. She got 3 years probation with a 90 drug program. She'll be cleaning the sides of highways for the next 6 months and have to see a probation officer for a year with monthly drug test. She did get supervised visitation.

So because I was a bad man the husband got justice. He also got everything he wanted. Does he know I did it. I hope not. He probably won't put 2 and 2 together. He's to busy being the father he's always wanted to be. And I don't care. Its not about the pat on the back.

Have I done worse, What do you think? I do what I have to do to get people justice. Even if it means being a bad man. Do I feel guilty about it? Why should I? Not all Villains wear capes.

The End.