The Nothing (26 page)

Nick had
already faxed several documents to the clerk and now presented his license and Katy’s paperwork. Before long, they were in a musty office with a desk that had a brass paperweight saying ‘Justice of the Peace, Willard Packard. After waiting for ten minutes, during which Katy said nothing while Nick played Candy Crunsh on his phone, Judge Packard walked in. After getting situated behind his desk, the Judge asked, “So how would you two like this to go? You want a ceremony or do you want to sign, swear and leave?” Katy looked at Nick in a panic because she could tell that this wasn’t a normal marriage ceremony. She didn’t want to be a new wife without a wedding that included friends and family. “Mr. Simmons, I wanted to see if you could fly my family here. Isn’t this supposed to be done with a preacher? I don’t have a dress or a ring. Is this a real ceremony?” Nick put his cell phone in his holster and leaned toward the Judge ignoring Katy. “We want to sign and go. No fancy hocus pocus.” Katy grabbed Nick’s arm in a panic. “But Mr. Simmons, what is this? I don’t understand?” He yanked his arm away while grinning at the Judge embarrassed. “Don’t mind her, this is complicated. I want to sign please. Just point to where.” Katy started to cry. “But Mr. Simmons…”

“Listen, I told you to not talk.
You want a preacher? Well here I am so that should be good enough for you. We don’t need family, dresses or fancy rings. I got other responsibilities to worry about besides your personal problems.” Katy tried to get up from her chair. She wanted to run out. She wanted to run anywhere that would get her back home. But Nick grabbed her arms and slammed her back into the chair. Judge Packard became concerned and stood up tall behind his desk. “Is there a problem here? Seems like you two need to have a conversation. This isn’t like buying a new car you know.”

“No sir
, your honor, everything is fine. She is a psychiatric patient under the care of a colleague of mine. We were married in Thailand but for the purpose of the civil union, we needed to make it legal here. Don’t mind her.”

“Whatever works for you
. But if there is a problem, I am sure we can find a few gentlemen in this building that could help you with it. And these aren’t nice people. I suggest you two behave yourselves in my office so we can get started.”

Katy still wanted to get away, but was afraid to do so with Nick holding her arm so tightly.
“Yes your honor. Please, where we need to sign?” The whole event reminded Katy of when her mother took her for a polio vaccine. It was scary, needles were new to her, and she just wanted to go home and be with her dolls and legos. This time however, she wouldn’t be going back home to play with anything.

In five minutes, everything was signed and both Nick and Katy had raised their right hands to swear to the validity of their union. Then without any emotion, celebration or joy, they both left and headed back to the house as if they had
just gone to get a loaf of bread. After Nick pulled into the driveway and told Katy to get out of the car and go inside the house because he had business to take care of. It was three in the afternoon. Katy spent her wedding day mostly sitting in the kitchen not knowing what to do or think. She couldn’t get the TV to work either. A few times, she got very scared and hid in a kitchen corner on the floor. Too many hallways, corners, and rooms gave her the creeps. The house began to remind her of a horror movie she has seen. One where a young woman was in a big house by herself. A killer called on the phone and eventually began chasing the woman throughout the house. Eventually when she got the nerve to go upstairs to the bedroom, she ran fast and immediately jumped into the bed and threw the covers over her head. She still had not showered since Thailand. When Nick finally got back home at four the next morning, he woke her up the same way he did the previous morning. Only this time, he raped her. When she vomited, he punched her in the nose, breaking it.

There would never be a wedding.
There would never be romance. Katy would soon fall into a mundane routine at her new home. For the next six years, Katy would spend every day and night at the large home that she shared with Nick, rarely leaving. There would never be one romantic dinner together. Katy would make a large meal, eat her portion and then put the rest in the fridge. Nick would eat his dinner when he arrived home; which was never at a set time. Sometimes he would bring exotic looking women home, claiming that they were young women he was mentoring and praying with. After several years Katy realized they were doing more than praying. But she knew to never intervene or say anything. The first time she said something, Nick didn’t respond and walked away. Instead, Frank came barging in the bedroom and threw her to the floor slapping her. Threatening that if she ever upset Nick again, she was going to get a real beating.
Why would my husband let other men beat me?

Katy eventua
lly learned not to think. She eventually learned to enjoy the solitude when Nick wasn’t there. Katy would have called her family and communicated with them, but she wasn’t allowed to. She never learned how to use a computer, nor did she learn to use or receive a cell phone. Landline phones like they had in Thailand were non-existent here. Facebook to Katy was only something in the news. They never had children either. Doctors could never figure out what the problem was. Nick refused to get checked and didn’t seem to care. Yet Katy was happy to not have kids. Her dreams of children, marital bliss and having a close family faded quickly in their marriage. Katy was only happy at the moments when Nick walked out of the front door. It was at those times that Katy would feel free. She never wanted to drive or have a car. She had her books and her soap operas. For the duration of their marriage, the only time they spent together was in bed.

***

As the front door slammed shut, Katy breathed a sigh of relief. Nick didn’t acknowledge her as he walked through the house and left. Not only was his food still splattered on the wall, he couldn’t get his phone to work. Before he left the house, he even tried to get online with his laptop. But the internet was down. As Nick got dressed, he turned on the TV and found that the cable wasn’t working either. What pissed Nick off the most was that he wanted to see his girlfriend Kyla and couldn’t call her to make sure she would be ready. The arrangement was that he would pay for the loft apartment and give her money if she had sex with him whenever he wanted. She was basically Nick’s on call hooker. And he paid her well. He didn’t care what she did in her spare time, as long as she didn’t sleep with any other men. Otherwise the deal was off.

Fifteen minute
s later Nick was at Kyla’s apartment building, which was a five-minute walk to the front door of Houston Baptist Ministries. Very convenient for Sunday mornings. Nick had been checking his phone along the way, but still no signal. Even the Sirus radio wasn’t working so he had put in the latest Justin Bieber CD. When Nick got out of his car, he angrily slammed the door. A lady standing nearby screamed. He saw the lady jump and said, “Sorry Madam, traffic was really bad after lunch. Idiots all playing or texting with their phones while driving.” The lady put her hand to her chest, “It’s ok mister. I actually can’t get my phone to work either. Just bought it yesterday. These new ones are real pieces of shit aren’t they?”

“Yeah I have an iP
hone. It isn’t working either. And come to think of it, my Sirus, cable, and internet are out as well.” The lady nodded her head and smiled. “Sun flares. They come from time to time and wipe out cell signals and internet stuff. No biggie, should be up and running in no time.” Nick smiled at her and walked hastily into the building.

There was a short elevator ride, then a brisk
walk down the hallway to Kyla’s apartment. Nick was moody and he wanted a good romp in the sack to relieve the pressure. Once at her door, he knocked. Nick put his ear to the door so he could hear when Kyla was coming. He knocked again. This time it was louder.
Oh damn she isn’t home. I could just smash this fucking cell phone. Oh I’ll use my spare key.
Nick tried his key but found that the deadbolt was locked from inside. She was home after all. He banged heavily on the door with his fist, which shook the wall. Then, he looked at the peephole and saw the small hint of light turn dark from a person looking out. “Yo, Kyla, it’s me. My phone isn’t working so I wasn’t able to call you.” The glow in the peephole came back as the person, who should be Kyla, moved away. But no one spoke or opened the door. This was bothersome to Nick, he felt very much disrespected. Nick heavily knocked again. “Kyla, you going to open up? You have the deadbolt locked, I can’t get in.” Nick felt like kicking the door down.

I pay for this shit.
How dare she pretend she isn't here. I saw her through the peephole.

Nick was looking through the peephole again when the glow disappeared again.
Kyla yelled from the other side of the door, “Hold on Nick, I need to put something on.”

“Were you taking a shower?
You don’t need to put anything on. I want pickle dipping time ok?” But again, he didn’t hear anything back. “Kyla, what is going on? Open this door and quit fucking around.” Nick was now pissed. He paced outside Kyla’s door for one minute before the door opened. Nick noticed that Kyla suspiciously wasn’t wet as he walked in the door and rushed past her. “Gosh Nick, walk in like I am not even standing here why don’t you!” Nick sat on the couch and put his feet on the coffee table. “Come here babe and sit next to me. It has been a tough morning and I need to get my carrot wet before I go out for the day.” Kyla went and hesitantly sat down next to him. Nick noticed her apparent lack of enthusiasm. “Something on your mind today? What were you doing? I knocked for a minute. If you weren’t taking a shower then what was going on?” Kyla then scooted a few inches away. She didn’t want Nick to sense any deception. Nick leaned closer and started smelling her. “Why do you smell like sweat? You have never smelled like this when you got sweaty with me. Is this someone else’s sweat? You don’t exercise or anything. I like your big booty and tits so I know you don’t exercise.” Nick got up and stood in front of Kyla who was still sitting down and beginning to cry. “And why are you crying? You have nothing to cry about.” He turned to look at the bedroom door then turned back to Kyla. “I think I am going to go in there. Tell me right now, am I going to find something I don’t like?” Kyla looked away to the wall and then to the floor in front of her. “Please Nick don’t go in there. Please just leave?”

What?
She wants me to just leave? Hell to the fucking no! This is my apartment bitch. Ain’t no one leaving unless it’s in a bodybag.
Nick saw a metal baseball bat leaning in the corner. A gift he had given her because she was an Astros fan. He grabbed it and returned to stand in front of Kyla.

“This is my place bitch.
You don’t tell me to leave. You are allowed to stay here provided you follow certain rules. And I hope I am wrong in thinking you have broken one today. So again, tell me, what am I going to find in that bedroom?” As Nick spoke, the bedroom door opened. A kid not older than seventeen dressed only in boxers came out. Stuttering, the kid said, “I’m Kyla’s boyfriend Gerard. We have been seeing each other for three months. Are you her Father?” Nick turned his head back to Kyla. “Got your self a young one didn’t you!” Nick turned back around and walked towards Gerard who nervously backed away into the bedroom. Once they were both in the room, Gerard turned his back and said, “I’ll get my cloths and go. I don’t want any problems and I am so sorry for the......”

It
was a loud crack as the bat collided with the back of Gerard’s skull. Like the crack a bat makes when hitting a homerun. Vast amounts of meat from Gerard’s brain splattered against the wall, reminding Nick of the sound his breakfast made as it hit his kitchen wall an hour or so earlier. Nick had hit Gerard so hard, that the top five inches of the metal bat broke off and flew against the opposite wall. Nick amusingly thought the splattered brains and blood looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. Gerard, who was convulsing in small jerks, repeatedly murmured, “Nanu, nanu.” An incoherent vocalization due to the last few synapses in his brain generating randomly. Gradually, his voice grew softer, quieter, before it stopped along with his heart.
Guess there was still enough brain left to go to Mork and Mindy land! Funny fucking thing the brain is when coming in contact with a bat!

Kyla runs in and screams when she sees Gerard laying facedown on the floor.
As she kneels next to him on the floor crying, Nick walks out to the balcony off the bedroom and picks up a pack of cigarettes with a lighter from a small garden table. Before he turns to go back inside, he notices a pair of small pruners used for snipping branches from small bushes and plants. Nick slides them into his back pocket.
Who knows? Just in case.
Right before he makes it back inside, Kyla leaps up and runs out of the bedroom. Figuring that she is trying to escape, Nick takes off after her and is able to block the front door hallway. In a casual, and almost victorious looking manner, he lights the cigarette, takes a puff and says, “Where do you think you’re going?” Kyla backs up, grabs a vase, and throws it at Nick. He didn’t flinch as the vase cleared his face by three inches and shattered against the front door behind him. Then she makes a run for her phone on the kitchen counter, grabs it, and bolts to another balcony off the living room. Kyla was happy that she was able to lock the door from the outside. It was a measure she had requested in case of home invasions. Yet not effective since all anyone would have to do is break the glass to get to her.