Chapter 9
Alex stood on the stage in front of peers and gentleman figures waiting for what he thought would be his release. He stood with a bright smile, thinking of joining Evangeline in just a few hours. She had called the institution and had given Alex a message she would be at the apartment of Liam next to the known milk bar he had fancied to go to on ultra-violent nights.
A man rose to the stage next to Alex and began speaking. "Ladies and Gentlemen, at this point, we introduce the subject himself. He is, as you will perceive, fit and well nourished. He comes straight from as night's sleep and a good breakfast, undrugged, unhypnotized. Tomorrow, we send him with confidence out into the world again, as decent a lad as you would meet on a May morning. What a change is here, ladies and gentlemen, from the wretched hoodlum the state committed to unprofitable punishment some two years ago, unchanged after two years."
Alex beamed at the words, wanting to play the part so well. Oh how he would hold her so close, how he would tell her all the sweet things he had been thinking for two years. He thought about her skin and her eyes burning into his, it was hard not to jump from the stage and run to her right then.
"Unchanged, do I say - not quite. Prison taught him a false smile, the rubbed hands of hypocrisy, the fawning, greased, obsequious leer. Other vices prison taught him as well as confirming him in those he had long practiced before. Our party promised to restore law and order and to make the streets safe for the ordinary peace loving citizen. This pledge is now about to become a reality. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an historic moment. The problem of criminal violence is soon to be a thing of the past. But enough of words ó actions speak louder than. Action now. Observe all." The minister stepped down and suddenly the lights dimmed around Alex.
A man dressed as an elegant fag came up to Alex suddenly from the back of the stage.
"Hello, heap of dirt. Pooh, you don't wash much do you, judging by the horrible smell!" the man said to Alex.
Alex was confused and almost taken aback "Why do you say that, brother? I had a shower this morning."
The man scowled at him "Oh, he had a shower this morning. You trying to call me a liar?"
Alex was even more confused now "No, brother. What d'you want?"
The man looked even more angrier at Alex "What do I want?"
"Sorry, brother. I didn't mean any offense" Alex said quickly not wanting any more confrontation with this man.
"Oh. Oh, you're sorry are you, well you must think I'm awfully stupid!" the man said and gave Alex a quick slap across the face.
Alex was getting angry now "Why did you do that, brother? I've never done wrong to you."
"You want to know why I did that, well you see ó I do that.." he said stamping on Alex's foot "And that" pulling on his nose "and that" the man screamed as he pulled on Alex's ear and shoved him to the ground with his foot planted right on Alex's chest "because I don't like you horrible type, do I, and if you want to start something... if you want to start... go on... well, you just start. Please do!" the man screamed at Alex.
Alex felt his blood boil and then the horrible pain in his gulliver started and he quickly panicked wanting it to go away. He felt like he was about to vomit and tried to think of something else other than his ultra-violent thoughts.
"I'm gunna be sick" Alex moaned.
"Your gunna be sick are ya?" the man mocked him.
"I wanna be sick" Alex cried out not caring as the people watched him. He wanted to be home, he wanted his snake Basil and his em's tea. He wanted Evangeline naked in his arms, he wanted to hear Beethoven's music once more.
"You wanna be sick?" the man mocked again.
"Let me get up" Alex pleaded.
"You wanna get up?Well, you've gotta you see... well I want you to lick it. Go on... Lick it!" the man said holding out the bottom of his shoe.
Alex gagged and coughed as he licked the shoe, only thinking about Evangeline the whole time, thinking that if he could just get through this, she would be his again.
"And again... Go on! Again! There's a good boy"the man mocked him again as Alex did all he could to stop the sickness from taking over him once more.
"Enough! That will do very well. Thank you" the minister said and the man thankfully left Alex from the stage.
As Alex looked up, a beautiful girl nude to everyone in the audience and him stood perfectly still in front of Alex. He looked up at her and horrible thoughts shot into his mind, having the old in-and out with her, just to spite those who had done this to him. But the pain shot through and suddenly he knew it was wrong, not because society told him it was wrong, but because it would wrong her, his devotchka.
"Thank you very much. Thank you my dear" the minister said and the girl exited out from the stage.
"Not feeling too bad are you?" the minister said as he approached Alex on the stage.
Alex pulled himself up and tried to straighten out his suit jacket he had been lent "No sir, I feel really great."
"Good" the minister said shaking his hand.
"Did I do well sir? Was I alright?" Alex said hoping the performance went as planned and he would be freed.
"Fine. Absolutely fine. You see, Ladies and Gentlemen our subject is, you see, impelled towards good by paradoxically being impelled toward evil. The intention to act violently is accompanied by strong feelings of physical distress. To counter these, the subject has to switch to a diametrically opposed attitude. Any questions?"
Suddenly the priest the had watched over Alex in prison rose up "Choice! The boy has no real choice, has he? Self interest, fear of physical pain drove him to that grotesque act of self abasement. Its insincerity was clearly to be seen. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice!"
The minister seemed unamused at the priest's outburst "Padre, these are subtleties. We are not concerned with motive, with the higher ethics; we are concerned only with cutting down crime. And with relieving the ghastly congestion in our prisons... He will be your true Christian, ready to turn the other cheek. Ready to be crucified rather than crucify, sick to the very heart at the thought even of killing a fly. Reclamation, joy before the angels of God. The point is that it works!"
After that there was a lot of talk and soon, Alex was walking out of the door with his things wrapped up in a brown paper bag.
The first thing on his list was to drop by his house and greet his pee and em that must have missed him something quite terrible, and then, it was off to see his angel that was waiting so patiently for him.
He walked happily up to his old apartment housing and walked in the door as if nothing had happened at all.
"Hi. Hi. Hi, there my Pee and Em!" he said joyfully. His parents looked up startled, having only read a little of the newspaper this morning of his release into society.
"Alex?" his Em said.
"Hullo love how are you?" he said giving her a kiss "Nice to see you dad."
"Hello lad, what a surprise it's good to see you" he said hesitantly.
Both of them looked uneasy as he tried to make small talk with them.
"Why didn't you let us know what was happening, son?" his mother said now showing her discontent.
"Sorry, Em, I wanted it to be like... a big surprise for you and pee" Alex said feeling confused on why they were not happy to see him.
"Well, it's a surprise all right, a bit bewildering too" his dad said "You should have let us know, lad, not that we're not very pleased to see you again. All cured too, eh?"
"That's right, Dad they did a great job on my gulliver, I'm completely reformed!" Alex said giving his old charming smile to them.
"Aye" his dad said still giving Alex that uneasy look.
Alex looked at the man that was sitting next to them on the couch, he had acted like he didn't even see him but since he was listening in on Alex's conversation, he decided to take notice.
"Hey, Dad, there's a strange fella sitting on the sofa there munchy-wunching lomticks of toast" Alex jested in a fake whisper.
"Aye, that's Joe. He... ummmm, lives here now. The lodger. That's what he is... he... he rents your room" his dad said now a bit nervous. Alex could tell this is what his parents were uneasy about. A stranger had come and taken over his room and house.
He decided to approach him kindly to figure out what sort of fellow this man was about "How do you do, Joe? Find the room comfortable, do you? No complaints?"
Joe looked up to him with a sneer "I've heard about you. I know what you've done. Breaking the hearts of your poor grieving parents. So you're back? You're back to make a life of misery for your lovely parents, is that it? Well, over my dead corpse you will, because you see, they've let me be more like a son to them than like a lodger."
Alex wretched his fist back to hit the sodding veck but suddenly felt the sickness over take him and he pushed himself back away from the bastard.
After his Em tried to break up the fight Alex became angry at his parents for taking the side of a stranger over their own son "What have you done with my belongings?" Alex said.
"They were taken by the police" his Pee said "Something about compensation for the victim."
"And what about Basil" Alex almost cried "Where's my snake?"
"Oh dear" his Em said "He was taken, by a young girl in fact. I believe you had mentioned her before, but for the life of me I can't remember her name."
Alex suddenly brightened up and remembered his devotchka. To hell with these fools! He had something better, something sweeter waiting for him then this hole in the ground. He would get by, find a place to stay, even if he had to stay on the streets.
He left angrily after having it out with his parents and headed for the milk bar to see Evangeline. He thought about all his suffering, how he had taken the fall, how he had gone through torture just to see her again, and now like the light at the end of a tunnel, she was going to be his once more.
Alex had made it to the milk bar and inquired on where this certain Liam lived. The bouncers, who welcomed Alex back into society, pointed upstairs and told him it was the first door on the left.
Alex rushed up the stairs, not caring how much noise he made and pounded heavily on the door. He could hear footsteps coming lightly towards the door. His breathe held as the locks on the door became unhinged and his heart beat faster than ever as the door knob slowly turned. Alex's heart stopped as the door swung open, but suddenly there standing instead of his angel was some bloke that looked as normal as ever.
"Alex?" the malachik said.
"Yes?" Alex said confused "I was told Evangeline would be here."
The veck got a very worried look on his face "You might want to step inside, there has been, well, an incident."
Alex stepped inside shaking. What happened? Where was she? The look on the man's face sent a sickness not like the other painful one down right into the pit of his heart.
"Please brother be honest, what has happened to my devotchka?" Alex pleaded.
Liam looked at Alex with a heavy sigh "She's been taken Alex, her dad, came in here with two big bruisers and took her away just before you were released. I'm sorry Alex, she's gone."
For the first time tears stung at Alex's eyes, and he now knew the term of a broken heart.
~*So sorry for such a late update, there was some family matters that were going on and the ending and starting again of college. I promise now there will be more frequent updates now!*~