Deceptive Revenge

In the few weeks since he and his wife of four years separated, things had gone downhill for Tom Beyer. His wife's family was trying to ruin his reputation, his job was in jeopardy, he was battling depression, and he wasn't sure if he could find happiness again. He had given her everything, and yet, she had tossed him out like garbage, stomped on his heart as though he didn't exist, and made him feel lower than dirt.

She had taken everything with her, including the rare ebony statue his brother bought him while on a trip several years prior. When he told her this, she laughed it off and said that she could sell it and make good money off of it. This affected him the most since the statue was one of the few reminders he had of the good times, and now it was going to be lost forever. Even the dog he loved with all of his heart had been given away. His mother had pitched a fit because she was promised Leo if neither of them wanted him anymore. Still, it was as though his family didn't exist to her. His former wife was going to do whatever she pleased, regardless of what they thought. 

"To hell with her." Tom thought, looking out his window. To say that he was bitter toward her was the understatement of the century. Tom resented her. He felt terrible having so much hatred because that wasn't who he usually was. Still, he never thought it was possible to have so much loathing toward someone who had no regard for his feelings. "Why am I thinking about her still? Maybe I'm truly obsessed with her as everyone thinks."

No, that wasn't possible. If anything, Tom was grateful toward the freedom he now had. His wife was a control freak, and that was one aspect he didn't miss in his new life, even if it was a miserable hell. 

So why was she still in his thoughts?

That was the million-dollar question he was trying to figure out. Tom knew that his bitterness and resentment was a sign of healing, but he still loathed himself to save a marriage that was doomed to fail. All of that wasted time. It could've gone toward achieving a better job or traveling across the country instead of a woman he considered a mix of Helen and Jezebel. 

With a sigh, Tom sat down in the armchair and devoured his second cup of coffee for the day. His family had gone to see a distant relative, so he had the entire house to himself. It was eerie, with only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall breaking up the heavy silence. He needed something to do, but was there to do? He knew of a few things he wanted to do but knew that prison wasn't worth it in the long run. He had to get his mind out of the gutter. 

Simple, go for a walk. 

"Duh, dumbass." He thought as he quickly finished the coffee and grabbed a hoodie. It was the middle of May, but blackberry winter had settled in, so the air was crisp and refreshing, but perfect for an early morning walk.

As Tom walked around the neighborhood, he could see the budding magnolia trees shower the ground with their pink blossoms that mangled with the flowering violets. Birds whistled from the cottonwood trees and called out to their mates in a song that echoed the love for spring. The sky above was as blue as it could be. Not a single cloud in sight. The sun was warm but not overly hot. Some of the neighbors were relaxing in hammocks and lawn chairs with glasses of iced tea while watching their children play. Others mowed their yards before the incoming rain arrived. The mix of freshly cut grass and crisp wind awoke even the sleepiest of people. 

This was the life he was supposed to have. It was the life he wanted for years. He wanted to have a house and settle down with a family of his own. He knew that at 35, his biological clock was starting to wind down, and time was ticking away. It was why he married her in the first place because he thought she shared those same dreams. He quickly realized how much of an idiot he was, but it was too late by then. He was stuck in a loveless marriage with no way out of it without making the first move.

Well, that is until she walked out on him. 

He tried not to think about it, but that was easier said than done. The betrayal and her destructive actions were a thorn jabbed into his side. Sometimes, it made him sad, but other times, it made him angry. 

It turned out this was one of his angry days, and he felt like exploding when he heard someone call out, "Hey Tom!"

Tom turned and thanked whatever God was above because he saw one of his neighbors, Rick, run up to him. Rick had been a tremendous help to him during this time, and he didn't know what he would've done without his assistance. He was probably the only reason why he felt sane and not a nervous wreck. 

"Hey man, I saw your face turn a deadly shade of plum, and I wanted to see if you're alright," said Rick, gasping to catch his breath. 

"Well, I was alright until I thought about her again." spat Tom. 

"Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" asked Rick. "We talked about this last week."

"I know, but it's hard not to. I keep thinking that I make progress and-"

"-and then you see something that triggers your memory, and you're right back to square one." 

"Precisely."

"You're doing something wrong then."

"Obviously." 

Tom's sarcasm wasn't lost on Rick. "Look, I know it's hard, but you've got to get yourself under control. It's like you're walking on a landmine with your emotions, and they're waiting to explode! You'll lose all control and rational thought. I don't want to see you become a sociopath or worse." He replied. 

"I don't want to become one either," sighed Tom. "but it's impossible because of feelings that I have bottled up."

Rick pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what he can do for his neighbor. Then he got an idea. It was an awful sneaky idea, but, he concluded, it might just work. "Are you busy at the moment?" He asked, changing the subject. 

"No, I'm not," replied Tom. "Why?"

"Can you come with me?"

"Where to?"

"You'll see."

"Another surprise. Why not? I've received plenty of surprises in these past few weeks to last me the rest of my life." 

"That's the spirit."

Tom just rolled his eyes and followed Rick. He didn't understand what his neighbor had up his sleeve, but then again, nothing made sense to him anymore. Life had become one gigantic mirage that was confusing no matter where he looked. Everything blurred together and nothing stood out, especially in his emotions. Tom was like a hot potato with a rocket booster because he could go from sad to euphoric to angry to silly in less than an hour. He had gone to a therapist to try and get everything under control, but it just added onto his misery and made everything worse. Fortunately for him, Rick understood what Tom felt since he had gone through a nasty divorce several years before. He had been a lifesaver for Tom since he found that Rick's advice worked better for him. 

But now he was wondering what was going on. 

Several minutes had passed, and by that point, they had left the neighborhood, and Tom was beginning to worry. He had no idea where Rick was leading him, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. "What is going on?" He asked. 

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything in a moment," said Rick. 

Tom just rolled his eyes and kept on walking behind Rick. After several moments, Rick stopped in front of a small house. It was a quaint house with white siding, green trimming, and a picket fence wrapped around the yard. It puzzled Tom because he never saw this house before and knew that Rick didn't live there. Were they breaking in? No, that seemed silly because Tom knew enough about Rick to see that he wouldn't rob anyone. After all, he unlocked the door. "Come on in." He said. 

Tom followed Rick inside and found himself standing in a cozy living room. It was spacious with a comfortable couch, some armchairs, and a beautiful bay window with plenty of sunlight. It was a starch contrast to the gloomy atmosphere of Tom's bedroom, and it was a feeling that he missed. It was soothing to feel the sunshine and see all of the objects layered with a layer of the sun. It was warm and inviting. It was homey. 

"What's this place?" asked Tom. 

"Oh, it belongs to someone I know," said Rick. "They've allowed me access here anytime I want to come over, even if they're not around."

"Seems like they trust you a lot." Tom quipped. 

"Oh yeah, they do," Rick replied. "That's why we're here. We're going to destroy their house."

If a record had been playing at that moment, it would've made a screeching sound. Tom turned toward Rick, confused. "Did I hear that correctly? You're wanting to destroy their house?" He asked, hoping that he was just imagining things. 

"Yeah, you did. We're going to destroy the house," said Rick. 

"But why?"

"Because you need to let your anger out, and this is the best way."

"By destroying someone else's property? I don't care if they gave you permission to be here. What we're doing is wrong."

"It may be wrong, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"I wasn't that desperate," spoke Tom in his defense, trying to find a way out of this predicament. It was a beautiful home, and he didn't want to destroy someone's home, especially if they had done a lot of hard work to make it as appealing as he saw it. 

"Yes, you were. Your ex is consuming your thoughts so you need to let that steam out. Think of every bad thing she's done." replied Rick. 

Tom sighed. He thought about what Rick told him and understood what he was saying. Rick was right. He had kept everything bottled up to this point, and he couldn't go further. Tom couldn't continue holding everything down and letting it eat away at him. He had to let those feelings out now. The more Tom thought about Rick's words, the more Tom thought about her ex. At first, it was "meh" thoughts, but as he thought about the betrayal and pain, the deception, the humiliation, and everything she brought down upon him, the anger he got. He had fought to save a marriage that she threw away like garbage. He had been controlled and manipulated to the point that his heart was utterly broken and beaten. He had felt sad and worthless, believing that no woman would ever love him for who he was worth. It was all her fault. She was the one behind all of this. She was the one who ruined him and took everything he loved away from him. 

She was the worst human being he ever met.

Oh, and to have been married to her! It was disgusting and deplorable. Just thinking about her made him want to wipe his mouth right then and there since even the swine would've been better wives than her. Tom couldn't believe it, but he did. He believed it. All of those years wasted on a vindictive woman who was lower than dirt. She made Salome look like a pious woman at her best. And her worst? He couldn't even imagine. 

Everything was coming out of him all at once. He didn't know why he did it but punched the palm of his hand hard. His eyes grew wide, and his nostrils flared up like a dragon breathing fire. He looked around to find a way he could let his anger out-

Wham!

Before he could comprehend what he was doing, Tom had punched a hole in the wall. It was a massive hole because it left an indent and even tore through the drywall. Henry and Tom looked at each other, bewildered. Both men were surprised at what happened, and neither of them said anything for a few moments. Finally, Henry said, "Congratulations. You've done what we do when in your shoes: punching the shit out of a wall."

"Is it wrong that it felt good?" asked Tom. 

"No, it's not. You released your anger and got all of those feelings out of you." 

"My hand hurts, though."

"Of course it's going to hurt. You punched through the wall as though it were made out of paper."  

"Can I punch something else?"

"After seeing that, who am I to stop you? You can punch or smash the fuck out of anything you want."

Tom had a gleam in his eyes that was full of destruction and malice. He was going to have so much fun letting his anger out on objects. If he had known how good this felt, he would've done it much earlier to get his emotions out and also take care of his ex-wife's possessions, killing two birds with one stone. 

He went over to a table and picked up a statue, but froze when he heard the door open. Tom looked at the figure and saw a pair of ebony elephants playfully kissing each other. Tom froze because this looked exactly like the statue his brother had bought him. If that was the case, then-

All of his thoughts flew out of the window as he saw his ex-wife walk into the living room. She glared as she looked at Tom holding the ebony statuette, the hole in her wall, and Frank, who realized that his big idea had just blown up in his face. 

"What are you two doing here?!" She hissed.