Sudden Confession
"You don't understand. I want him dead." Helen Plum closes her eyes and clasps her hands. Her voice is quiet. Her face is tired. She can no longer hide the anguish inside. She has to confess. Even though she's feeling ashamed. "I want to stab his heart with a knife. I want to claw his eyes out. I want to chop off his hands. I want to shoot him through his head. I want to erase him from our memory and our life. I should have called the police when he took advantage of Stephanie again. I should have slammed the door in his face when he came uninvited that night. But I was too busy being considerate. I was was too busy being polite."
Helen lets out a small sob and dabs at her eyes. She doesn't turn to face her silent friend. Her voice quivers a little as she tries to smile. "They said it was just boys being boys. They said it was nothing to worry about. They said he was actually a nice clever child deep down inside. They said it wasn't really all his fault. He had a hard time growing up in a family like that. He was going to join the Navy. He loved his country. He deserved another chance. And I let them persuade me. I let him get away with what he had done. It was all my fault. I made the same mistake twice. Stephanie was the one who paid the price. People made fun of her. She became the laughing stock of town. No decent boy wanted to going out with a girl like that. She lost several friends. And I made dinner for that rat bastard. I treated him like an honorable guest. I thought he was the right man for my daughter. I thought he had changed.
"Oh God, how stupid was I? They said I needed to stop overreacting. They said I should learn to be more forgiving. They wanted me to act like a good Catholic. Can you believe that? Now I just want to slap them and spit in their faces. Every single one of them. Those shameless hypocrite who took the side of the predator and ridiculed the victim. They said Stephanie was the one to blame. She should have been more careful. She should have been smarter. She should have known better. They said it was Stephanie's fault."
Helen's whole body trembles as she breaks down in tears. Without a word Isabela Manoso holds her in-law tight in her arms. The two of them have become good friends over the years. They are about the same age. They are both bossy mothers. They are both great chefs and excellent bakers. From time to time they will drop everything and have a girls' day out together, gossiping about their crazy families, exchanging recipes and tips. They both know know how hard it is to have stubborn kids. They both love little Roy. And the tragic incident at their grandson's school has not only given them nightmares but also shaken their souls.
Isabela knows exactly how Helen feels. She herself almost died the night Carlos got shot by the mad man who'd kidnapped Julie. The moment Isabela wrapped Julie in her arms outside Carlos's hospital ward, she too, wanted to tear the man apart into pieces with her own bare hands. She, too, has daughters. She feels sorry for poor Helen. And the day she learned that the mad man had killed himself in the mental hospital ward, she actually felt happy and relieved. Some people don't deserve to be human. Some people don't deserve to live. The mad man can't do harm anymore. Carlos and Julie will be safe. That's what matters. She has every right to be harsh. She has the right to be selfish. She will do anything and everything to keep her loved ones safe. She has it in her to become a merciless avenger. She's a mother. Some things can't be forgiven. She can't even imagine what Hell Carlos would go through had anything happened to Stephanie, Roy, or the babies. Isabela Manoso gently pats Helen Plum on the back as tears well up in her own eyes.
Yes. She, too, wants Joe Morelli dead.