Breaking Point
Chapter one
He's DEAD dad! DEAD! MIKEY IS DEAD!" Bosco held his shaky left hand up on his forehead, the other gripping the phone so tight his knuckles were visibly turning white. "No... NO I will NOT slow down! No, I blame you dad. I blame you for everything! No... you weren't there to see the look on Ma's face!" Grunting in frustration, Bosco stopped pacing in circles and bent forward, ripping the phone cord from the outlet on the wall. Whipping the phone across his studio apartment, glass shattered as the phone impacted his window.
"Why Mikey why? Why did this have to happen? We were so close bro..." Bosco cried out trashing his arms in the air. Pacing back to his coffee table he picked up his Heineken. Bringing it to his mouth he chugged the lukewarm fluid. Walking over to his front window, he leaned up against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor where he looked to his side and out the window where the rain was pounding hard. Swallowing down another long drink of beer, Bosco threw the empty bottle at the adjacent wall. Not registering the shattering impact or its sound. The voice in his head drowning out all outside influences.
Things were so bad at home. We'd come here and we'd sit out on this wall and we'd watch the boats move out into the sound and we'd wonder "where are they going?" Someplace nice, right, you know? Someplace better than here. And you'd say to me "Mikey, one of these days we're gonna sneak on one of these boats and we're gonna get out of this dump. Just me and you." Do you remember that? Apparently you didn't Mo!
"Yes....YES I remember Mikey," Bosco viciously massaged his temples as tears began to slowly slither down his cheeks.
Is that all that was? See, because I believed you, Mo. I believed you when you said we were a team. I believed you when you said that we could take on the world. And I believed you when you said that no matter how bad things got at home we would always stick together. So what happened to that? I'm dead Mo, fucking dead and I blame you. Ma blames you too! It's all your fault! You can't change the fact I'm dead bro.
Bosco began to sob uncontrollably as he held his trembling bandaged hands to his face The blood seeping through the tan material causing his stomach to churn. The color red bringing back visuals of the most painful event of his life.
Just when he thought life was getting easier and things were looking great his brother gets murdered.
He knew he was a fool for thinking things would be better. When did they ever get good for him?
"Don't touch him! Don't you fucking touch him!" Bosco yelled throwing one arm out for Cruz to back away. Bosco in knee deep water, kept his other hand on Mikey's floating lifeless form.
Cruz responded holding her arms up for everyone to 'back off', while Bosco kneeled into the water cradling Mikey's stiff corpse into his arms. "I'll make them pay Mikey, every last one of them. I swear to God Mikey, those fucking bastards will pay," Bosco held Mikey tight to his own body, observing the gun shot wound to his chest. Bosco couldn't bare to look at Mikey's face. His skull was half bashed in and his massively beaten face made him almost unrecognizable. Swallowing back the bile taste in his throat, he looked anyway. He looked into his brother's glazed over open eyes, wishing like hell he would cough, turn his head, tell him it was a sick joke, anything.
Bosco didn't give a damn about his co-workers who silently observed him. The tears began to fall freely as he felt the coldness of his baby brother up against him. Bosco leaned in hugging Mikey, rocking him he began to whisper to him. "Why Mikey? Huh? What am I gonna tell Ma? I wish... I wish it was me not you... I wish... Oh God Mikey WHY?"
The crisp night air nipped at him as he finally made his way out of the water, refusing to let go of his brother as he carried Mikey out. Setting him gently on the ground, he watched, quietly intent as the Medical Examiners took over. They carefully looked him over, prodding, conversing. After what seemed hours, they gently placed his body in a dark black bag. Bosco followed them all the way to the coroner's van. Leaning into the van, Cruz pulled at his arm, "Bosco, you can't go with them."
Bosco refused to look at her. Complying he stepped back, watching them close the two doors behind the van. As the vehicle pulled away, he felt his tight stomach muscles contracting. Bending forward gripping his stomach he heard Cruz behind him asking, "Bosco? You okay?" Holding his finger out, he stood, walking over a few feet to one of the stone battlements he bent forward again, vomiting. After several minutes, he wiped his mouth with his sleave, standing he leaned into the barrier.
"Damn it," he whispered to himself, lightly punching the stone with his fist repetitiously. "DAMN IT!" He shouted as he began to punch the solid stone full force, using his left hand when his right's knuckles were bloodied and throbbing.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Peters questioned Cruz taking one step towards Bosco, who was in full rage using the wall as a punching bag.
Cruz throwing her arm out as a barrier stopped him in his tracks. "He'll pull through."
Those events are what led him back to drinking again, something he always wanted to avoid. He pulled out another beer from his refrigerator and screwed the top off, savoring the flavor. So much for making amends with his family. Bosco chugged the beer down, the painful memories of the day tearing at his soul. Hitting the bottom of the Heineken bottle, Bosco grunted in frustration, throwing it against his bedroom wall, swearing out loud, "Fucking DAD! You son of a bitch! Reward... all for a fucking reward. People don't change!"
Pacing his living room again he snatched his coat up off the sofa. Opening the door, there Faith stood with her arm up ready to knock. It was apparent Faith had been crying as well, her eyes swollen and puffy.
Bosco just stood there and stared back at her, not really sure why she was here. He stepped aside, inviting her in.
She slowly let herself in, and looked at him, noticing all the glass that was shattered in his apartment. "Sorry to come over, I just..." She hesitated. "I just needed to talk to someone."
Bosco frowned. "So you chose me?"
She nodded. "It looks like this is a bad time, I better go." She then walked towards the door but Bosco stood in the way, and he wouldn't move.
"No, what's going on? Look I got somewhere to be," he kept his voice light.
"I ah," Faith began pausing. "I heard about Mikey Bosco, I'm sorry, I wish I was there for you." Faith looked up into Bosco's blue eyes, then down to the floor.
"Its okay Faith. I understand. Look Faith I gotta...," Bosco began but Faith cut him off.
"Fred left me Bosco," Faith blurted out, tears began to fall freely from her eyes as she began sobbing. "I came home from work yesterday and he left me Bosco. He took the kids, I... I knew he was upset about this but..."
Bosco's stomach sank down. He backed away from the door and went to his couch, where he faced away from Faith. Not this too, not right now. Couldn't anything POSITIVE come out of his life EVER? He looked back at Faith who was crying uncontrollably.
Faith wiped away the wetness from her cheeks. "Look, I know you are going through a much harder time right now but I needed to vent, and I thought I should come see how you are anyway."
Bosco shook his head no. "Faith, did he leave you because.."
Faith quickly cut him off. "Don't even talk about it Bosco. It was bound to happen anyway." He paced back and forth, knowing deep down that he was the one that pretty much caused the breakup.
More fuckups to add to his list. He ran his hands over his hair. "I'm sorry this happened, Faith. Fred's a good guy Faith, he loves you, we'll just ask Swersky to split us up when I go back to work," pausing, "He'll be back Faith you know he will."
"I don't want to split up Bosco," Faith sobbed harder, looking up and shrugging her shoulders letting out a heavy sigh.
"Faith, its not an option. Look Fred's gonna pull through you'll see. Hasn't he helped you though the..." stopping himself and swallowing back the bile forming in his throat from the memories of what happened in Noble's apartment.
Faith closed her eyes. "Bosco, please listen to me. I don't want to split up our partnership. I just, I don't know. I'm so damn confused right now."
Bosco arched his eyebrow. Why on earth would she want to be with him after all of the ruckus he caused? It was beyond him, but he wasn't going to push the matter.
"Faith, do what you want to do, but you deserve Fred over me. That's the God's honest truth."
She gritted her teeth. "I don't know what I deserve anymore. Thanks for listening though but I guess I better go. You were on your way out anyway." She turned towards the door but Bosco put his hand on it.
"It'll work out Faith. Life has gotta work for someone, and since it doesn't work for me it should for you," he said nodding, then removing his arm.
"Take care of yourself Bosco," Faith said wiping away another tear as she exited his apartment doorway. Watching his partner walk off, he slowly eased the door closed, turning and sinking to the floor he began weeping again.
As Faith exited the apartment building, she put her hood up before stepping out into the pouring rain, jogging over to the taxi cab still waiting for her.
"I fucking knew it," Fred said pounding on his dashboard. Shutting his screeching wiper blades off, then his truck, he sat fuming observing the taxi drive off. Once the red lights were out of view, he stepped from his truck, slamming the door shut as he speed walked up towards Bosco's apartment.
Bosco jumped at the extreme pounding on his door. Sighing, he yelled in a hoarse tone, "Please Faith, just go away okay? I'll call you tomorrow."
There was a brief silence, followed by more pounding. Sniffling, Bosco wiped some of the tears from his cheeks. Standing and pausing, he then opened the door. Bosco's eyebrows arched in confusion. "Fred?"
"Surprised Bosco?" Fred spat pushing the door open and charging at Bosco...
TBC...
He's DEAD dad! DEAD! MIKEY IS DEAD!" Bosco held his shaky left hand up on his forehead, the other gripping the phone so tight his knuckles were visibly turning white. "No... NO I will NOT slow down! No, I blame you dad. I blame you for everything! No... you weren't there to see the look on Ma's face!" Grunting in frustration, Bosco stopped pacing in circles and bent forward, ripping the phone cord from the outlet on the wall. Whipping the phone across his studio apartment, glass shattered as the phone impacted his window.
"Why Mikey why? Why did this have to happen? We were so close bro..." Bosco cried out trashing his arms in the air. Pacing back to his coffee table he picked up his Heineken. Bringing it to his mouth he chugged the lukewarm fluid. Walking over to his front window, he leaned up against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor where he looked to his side and out the window where the rain was pounding hard. Swallowing down another long drink of beer, Bosco threw the empty bottle at the adjacent wall. Not registering the shattering impact or its sound. The voice in his head drowning out all outside influences.
Things were so bad at home. We'd come here and we'd sit out on this wall and we'd watch the boats move out into the sound and we'd wonder "where are they going?" Someplace nice, right, you know? Someplace better than here. And you'd say to me "Mikey, one of these days we're gonna sneak on one of these boats and we're gonna get out of this dump. Just me and you." Do you remember that? Apparently you didn't Mo!
"Yes....YES I remember Mikey," Bosco viciously massaged his temples as tears began to slowly slither down his cheeks.
Is that all that was? See, because I believed you, Mo. I believed you when you said we were a team. I believed you when you said that we could take on the world. And I believed you when you said that no matter how bad things got at home we would always stick together. So what happened to that? I'm dead Mo, fucking dead and I blame you. Ma blames you too! It's all your fault! You can't change the fact I'm dead bro.
Bosco began to sob uncontrollably as he held his trembling bandaged hands to his face The blood seeping through the tan material causing his stomach to churn. The color red bringing back visuals of the most painful event of his life.
Just when he thought life was getting easier and things were looking great his brother gets murdered.
He knew he was a fool for thinking things would be better. When did they ever get good for him?
"Don't touch him! Don't you fucking touch him!" Bosco yelled throwing one arm out for Cruz to back away. Bosco in knee deep water, kept his other hand on Mikey's floating lifeless form.
Cruz responded holding her arms up for everyone to 'back off', while Bosco kneeled into the water cradling Mikey's stiff corpse into his arms. "I'll make them pay Mikey, every last one of them. I swear to God Mikey, those fucking bastards will pay," Bosco held Mikey tight to his own body, observing the gun shot wound to his chest. Bosco couldn't bare to look at Mikey's face. His skull was half bashed in and his massively beaten face made him almost unrecognizable. Swallowing back the bile taste in his throat, he looked anyway. He looked into his brother's glazed over open eyes, wishing like hell he would cough, turn his head, tell him it was a sick joke, anything.
Bosco didn't give a damn about his co-workers who silently observed him. The tears began to fall freely as he felt the coldness of his baby brother up against him. Bosco leaned in hugging Mikey, rocking him he began to whisper to him. "Why Mikey? Huh? What am I gonna tell Ma? I wish... I wish it was me not you... I wish... Oh God Mikey WHY?"
The crisp night air nipped at him as he finally made his way out of the water, refusing to let go of his brother as he carried Mikey out. Setting him gently on the ground, he watched, quietly intent as the Medical Examiners took over. They carefully looked him over, prodding, conversing. After what seemed hours, they gently placed his body in a dark black bag. Bosco followed them all the way to the coroner's van. Leaning into the van, Cruz pulled at his arm, "Bosco, you can't go with them."
Bosco refused to look at her. Complying he stepped back, watching them close the two doors behind the van. As the vehicle pulled away, he felt his tight stomach muscles contracting. Bending forward gripping his stomach he heard Cruz behind him asking, "Bosco? You okay?" Holding his finger out, he stood, walking over a few feet to one of the stone battlements he bent forward again, vomiting. After several minutes, he wiped his mouth with his sleave, standing he leaned into the barrier.
"Damn it," he whispered to himself, lightly punching the stone with his fist repetitiously. "DAMN IT!" He shouted as he began to punch the solid stone full force, using his left hand when his right's knuckles were bloodied and throbbing.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Peters questioned Cruz taking one step towards Bosco, who was in full rage using the wall as a punching bag.
Cruz throwing her arm out as a barrier stopped him in his tracks. "He'll pull through."
Those events are what led him back to drinking again, something he always wanted to avoid. He pulled out another beer from his refrigerator and screwed the top off, savoring the flavor. So much for making amends with his family. Bosco chugged the beer down, the painful memories of the day tearing at his soul. Hitting the bottom of the Heineken bottle, Bosco grunted in frustration, throwing it against his bedroom wall, swearing out loud, "Fucking DAD! You son of a bitch! Reward... all for a fucking reward. People don't change!"
Pacing his living room again he snatched his coat up off the sofa. Opening the door, there Faith stood with her arm up ready to knock. It was apparent Faith had been crying as well, her eyes swollen and puffy.
Bosco just stood there and stared back at her, not really sure why she was here. He stepped aside, inviting her in.
She slowly let herself in, and looked at him, noticing all the glass that was shattered in his apartment. "Sorry to come over, I just..." She hesitated. "I just needed to talk to someone."
Bosco frowned. "So you chose me?"
She nodded. "It looks like this is a bad time, I better go." She then walked towards the door but Bosco stood in the way, and he wouldn't move.
"No, what's going on? Look I got somewhere to be," he kept his voice light.
"I ah," Faith began pausing. "I heard about Mikey Bosco, I'm sorry, I wish I was there for you." Faith looked up into Bosco's blue eyes, then down to the floor.
"Its okay Faith. I understand. Look Faith I gotta...," Bosco began but Faith cut him off.
"Fred left me Bosco," Faith blurted out, tears began to fall freely from her eyes as she began sobbing. "I came home from work yesterday and he left me Bosco. He took the kids, I... I knew he was upset about this but..."
Bosco's stomach sank down. He backed away from the door and went to his couch, where he faced away from Faith. Not this too, not right now. Couldn't anything POSITIVE come out of his life EVER? He looked back at Faith who was crying uncontrollably.
Faith wiped away the wetness from her cheeks. "Look, I know you are going through a much harder time right now but I needed to vent, and I thought I should come see how you are anyway."
Bosco shook his head no. "Faith, did he leave you because.."
Faith quickly cut him off. "Don't even talk about it Bosco. It was bound to happen anyway." He paced back and forth, knowing deep down that he was the one that pretty much caused the breakup.
More fuckups to add to his list. He ran his hands over his hair. "I'm sorry this happened, Faith. Fred's a good guy Faith, he loves you, we'll just ask Swersky to split us up when I go back to work," pausing, "He'll be back Faith you know he will."
"I don't want to split up Bosco," Faith sobbed harder, looking up and shrugging her shoulders letting out a heavy sigh.
"Faith, its not an option. Look Fred's gonna pull through you'll see. Hasn't he helped you though the..." stopping himself and swallowing back the bile forming in his throat from the memories of what happened in Noble's apartment.
Faith closed her eyes. "Bosco, please listen to me. I don't want to split up our partnership. I just, I don't know. I'm so damn confused right now."
Bosco arched his eyebrow. Why on earth would she want to be with him after all of the ruckus he caused? It was beyond him, but he wasn't going to push the matter.
"Faith, do what you want to do, but you deserve Fred over me. That's the God's honest truth."
She gritted her teeth. "I don't know what I deserve anymore. Thanks for listening though but I guess I better go. You were on your way out anyway." She turned towards the door but Bosco put his hand on it.
"It'll work out Faith. Life has gotta work for someone, and since it doesn't work for me it should for you," he said nodding, then removing his arm.
"Take care of yourself Bosco," Faith said wiping away another tear as she exited his apartment doorway. Watching his partner walk off, he slowly eased the door closed, turning and sinking to the floor he began weeping again.
As Faith exited the apartment building, she put her hood up before stepping out into the pouring rain, jogging over to the taxi cab still waiting for her.
"I fucking knew it," Fred said pounding on his dashboard. Shutting his screeching wiper blades off, then his truck, he sat fuming observing the taxi drive off. Once the red lights were out of view, he stepped from his truck, slamming the door shut as he speed walked up towards Bosco's apartment.
Bosco jumped at the extreme pounding on his door. Sighing, he yelled in a hoarse tone, "Please Faith, just go away okay? I'll call you tomorrow."
There was a brief silence, followed by more pounding. Sniffling, Bosco wiped some of the tears from his cheeks. Standing and pausing, he then opened the door. Bosco's eyebrows arched in confusion. "Fred?"
"Surprised Bosco?" Fred spat pushing the door open and charging at Bosco...
TBC...
