It wasn’t me

It wasn’t me

It's been 8 years since the investigation started. Sleepless nights, the thunder in his head won't stop. The coffee split all over the files, vodka bottles pieces laying on the floor, surrounded only with the echo of the impact. Everything was in vain. The case of the criminal twins was still unsolved. It was always a mistery for Theo. He solved every case before this one. But since 6 may 2012, things weren't the same anymore. He lost everything and sacrificed his life for this.

It all started when he encountered this little girl, with bruises all over her arms. She looked very familiar, hazel eyes and curly brown hair, with flashes of gold. He could have ignored her, he wasn't responsible for everyone's business, but he couldn't. Something in his heart knew that he had to see what is wrong. Turns out, he had a reason. With rain drops from her eyes, trembling voice, the little angel in front of him, told him that her father was sick. But not in the way everybody expects, like a cold or a flu. It was something more. Turns out, the father had an accident. Falling from a roof, he was in a coma for 3 months. After that, he woke up. But it wasn't the same. He couldn't even eat, walk or even talk. It was just like a baby, but with an old appearance and an attitude. And with the awakening from the coma, all the bad things started to happen. He will have a lot of accesess of angriness, throwing all the plates, hitting her and her mother, making them run from the house. Imagine this case, seeing your hero become like this, the man you would hate and love the most, your own father. The sadness hit Theo's heart, and a reflection occurred in his mind: If someone knew this would happen, they would still save him? He immediately thought, that is immoral and unfair, everybody deserves their chance at life. But is it true? Sometimes we don't agree with things because of the morality, but who tells us what is moral and what is not? This situation, normally, it had to be brought to the attention of the police. Still, how can you do that, when you know that men is mentally ill, and a father? Scrumbled in pieces, the image of a little girl's father, who sees him still the same.

So he decided. He will take care of this family and will help both the mother and the daughter, and will find a way to make things easier for them. After meeting and keeping touch with the mother and the girl, Theo found out that the father had a twin brother. But they don't know anything about them, just his name. He left his family after the accident and disappeared. Nobody in the family could find him. That was kinda weird, thought Theo, why would you let your twin brother have this battle alone? Was he maybe responsible of the thing that caused his accident? And then, Theo knew what he had to do.

He started to search the fathers brother, his name being Marcus. He searched him for years, a lot of things indicated the fact that he was hiding something. But what was it? Turns out, he was an abusive father because of the alcohol and depression. He had a wife and a boy, but they left him because of his behavior. He stole money from the bank where he was working at, and played them at lucky games. The splinter doesn't fall away from the tree. What was wrong with these people? Why would they all fall back in the same sin? Different ways, but the same pattern.

23 november, 2016. The leaves being crushed under Theo's foot was the only sound that broke the deafening silence. Broken and empty houses, a haunted alley. Playgrounds haunted with the memories of the kids laughter. There he was. Finally he was gonna find out who is Marcus, knowing why he left his brother in this difficult time and not helping him. But out of nowhere, it hit him. What gave him the right to do that? You can't intrude in someone's life and choices. But it isn't moral what Marcus did. Nothing was right. Maybe in his head was right. Everybody has different perspectives about life and the good and bad doesn't exist. We only conceive it based on our beliefs. But he had to know. He spent all this years trying to find Marcus, so he crushed the morality and knocked on his door. And here he was. With a bottle of vodka in his hand, hair unbrushed and unwashed for days and a cigarette between his lips. The image was repulsive.

How could this man be this relaxed when he abandoned the family and his brother? Anger seized him and without having a second thought, he grabbed Marcus by his throat and hit him on the wall. Why did you do it? WHY ? Why you left your brother crumble in his own misery without getting help and traumatize a kid? How could you? Theo said breathless. The air in his lungs was no longer here.

Aren't you the same? Said Marcus with a smirk on his face. You would have done the same, and deep down you know that. If you haven't already.

Confused and with the anger and desperation growing in his mind and soul, he shouted: WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I WILL NEVER BE LIKE YOU. I am not a monster. My goal was always to help people in need, how can you say we are the same?

With a devilish laugh, Marcus ordered Theo to look in the mirror. Look what have you become, you will never solve this case, because it is all in your mind, you can't solve something that doesn't exist.

The reflection of desperately face of Theo, in his own mirror. It started again, his psychotic disassociation episode happened again. He looked in the mirror and recognized Marcus. He recognized himself, again. He was Marcus. Marcus was the mentally ill father. The three of them were all the same person. All the different realities living in his head. With furious and tearing eyes, he took the bottle of vodka from his hand and hit the mirror. His soul was in agony, he couldn't believe it. With the blood running from his cuts, shouted from the bottom of his heart: IT WASN'T ME!