The Price of Freedom: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

 

A tense courtroom scene showing a divorce hearing with a determined woman, a pleading man, and a somber female judge.

The Bitter Divorce

Marian Reyes was a forty-five-year-old single mother of one. She had divorced her husband three years ago; according to her, he was uncaring and full of hatred. She claimed he maltreated her and sometimes became physical with her. It was a tense legal case when the divorce came up in court.

Her husband at the time, Mr. Chucks, claimed she was lying. He told the court he could never do that to the mother of his daughter, eighteen-year-old Sandra. He claimed he still loved his wife and wanted them to work things out. He told the court the problem had started when he explained to his wife that he wanted to marry a second wife; he had been honest with her and hated cheating, so he had told his wife he wanted to marry another wife, and she had flared up. She had threatened to deal with him and his new wife, claiming that he no longer loved her.

But he told the court he loved her dearly. "It is just that I also love Ms. Benita. As a man, temptation happens, but the way you handle it will determine how your life and those around you will be." He begged the court to strike out the case as it was a family matter and just needed a few talks between them to sort it out.

The Judge's Advice

Mrs. Marian Reyes had objected to his plea. She had asked the court to annul the marriage, saying that she had had enough. "Your Honor," she had said that day, "I don't want to continue with this marriage again. I want it annulled so he can marry whomever he wants. I have met my own husband and he is waiting for this judgment to occur so he can move things forward. If Mr. Chucks here could think of marrying another wife, then me too, I'm capable of marrying another husband."

The judge had looked at her and shaken her head. She had explained the matter to Mrs. Marian Reyes: "As a fellow woman, I will advise you to think about your action and have a talk with your husband. Find out the reason he is trying to marry another wife and find a solution. I'm the second wife of my husband and yet I'm content. Don't destroy your home; think of your daughter."

"My home is already broken, Your Honor. I thank you for your advice, but I don't want to do anything with Mr. Chucks again."

The Final Judgment

Seeing that she wouldn't agree any further, the judge had turned to Mr. Chucks. "It pains me to say this, but I need to say it for the record. If I agree to your demand, one party wouldn't be happy, and if I agree to her demand, you will be happy with your new wife with no one giving you problems and she would be happy with her new husband, so it is a fifty-fifty, right?"

He had nodded his head, but those in the courtroom could see the pain in his eyes. A man sitting in the audience section muttered to his seatmate, "If he claims to love his wife like this, he wouldn't have had eyes for that Ms. Benita."

"What can I say," the man answered, "a man needs the will of iron to stick to one woman. It is not easy with all the new generation of beauties we see every day."

"Yeah," the other man agreed, "it is a shame we can't have them all."

"I understand," Mr. Chucks said as he bowed to the judge in acknowledgment, accepting her judgment. The judge sighed; people say judges have steel hearts and no compassion, but they don't know the trauma a judge goes through from some judgments they give. "By the power vested in me as Magistrate, I hereby annul this marriage."

A New Beginning with Mr. Pablo

That had been three years ago, and now Mrs. Marian Reyes was living her life the way she wanted it. She was living with her new man, Mr. Pablo.

Mr. Pablo was a serial womanizer. He had been the cause of so many divorces, and anytime a marriage hit the rocks because of him, he put it in his records with a grin. Women, though they are smart, he thought as he lay on the bed thinking of those he had hurt and got away from unscathed. If his memory was correct, Mrs. Marian was his one hundred and fiftieth victim. He paused in his thoughts. That is quite a record. I wonder how no one ever knew about me. What a shame. His thoughts were interrupted by Sandra’s knock on the door. "Enter," he said in a gruff voice. Sandra entered the room hoping to see her mom, but she was disappointed to see Mr. Pablo.

The Predator's Interest

"Ha, my lovely Sandra, how are you?" he said, looking at her with dark eyes. Now, to think of it, he had never had a good look at her before. Yeah, she was tall for a girl of eighteen and had everything in the right place.

"Where is my mom?" she asked, not liking the way his eyes roamed over her. She involuntarily took a step back as he adjusted his position on the bed.

"No idea. I came home and she wasn't around," he said, licking his lips.

"Okay," Sandra said, turning to go, but he stopped her. "Eh, Sandra, we have never had time to talk—you know, catch up as father and daughter."

"You're not my father," she said, "and I don't think we have anything to talk about."

"Now don't be mean. I want us to be friends. You know, a family."

"I already have a family, and that is enough for me," she said.

"Please, don't let us start on a bad note. I want to be your friend. Why not try for your mom's sake?"

Sandra loved her mom. She had chosen to stay with her instead of her dad, and she only visited him during the weekends. She didn't like Mr. Pablo one bit; he looked like a predator studying his prey and he had that smooth voice that screamed "danger, beware."

"I suppose so," she said.

"Excellent. That is very kind of you. Come on and have a seat, let us talk."

Mr. Pablo was an experienced man. He knew how to handle a situation and he could read people well. He knew about the love Sandra had for her mother and he had just used that to get her to relax. He smiled inwardly, knowing if he played his cards right—and he always did—he would have her trust too.

The Bonding

Mr. Pablo was good when it came to words spoken at the right time and in the right moment. He explained to Sandra about his upbringing and how he had struggled—all lies, of course; he needed her sympathy and trust. He told her he was fifty years old and had never married. He told her he had no child and he would be the happiest man on earth if her mom could give him a child. He lied to her to gain her trust, and he grinned as he saw the pity in her eyes. It was a start, he thought.

"I'm sorry if I have been acting bad toward you," Sandra said. "I was just trying to protect my mom."

"I understand," he replied. "I hope with time you will come to see that I mean no harm—just pure love."

"I hope so," she said, standing up.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of your mom."

The Uncomfortable Truth

"So what do you do?"

"Why do you ask?" Mr. Pablo replied to her.

"I have never seen you leave the house and I can't remember my mom ever mentioning your job."

"Is that a problem?" he asked her.

"No," Sandra said. "I just thought we are getting to know each other."

"Yeah, very well. I do clearing and forwarding."

"Like in the shipyard?" she asked.

"You can say so," he shrugged his shoulders, no longer interested in the talk. It was leading to an uncomfortable topic; kids tend to see what adults can't see. He pretended he was about to get busy and told her to leave him for the moment, that they would catch up later.

Sandra left him and as she came down, she met her mom, who was just coming in.

"Mom!"

"Honey, how are you?"

"I'm fine. I was just having a chat with Mr. Pablo."

"Oh, that is great! I hope you like him," Mrs. Marian Reyes said with a delighted grin. "He is so smooth and he has that way—you just know everything will be alright."

"He had a sad story, mom, but my gut—or I should say my instincts—is saying we should be careful."

"About what?"

"Mr. Pablo. He seems somehow."

"So you're listening to your father? He has been lying about my Pablo."

"This has nothing to do with my father. It is about you and your happiness."

"My happiness is with Mr. Pablo now. He is the man that makes me happy."

"Just be careful, mom."

"Sure. I need to see him now. I have missed him so much."

The Predator's Debt

What Mr. Pablo didn't tell Sandra was that he depended on women; his work of clearing and forwarding was simple: he cleared their accounts of every penny and then he found a new victim. He had known Mrs. Marian Reyes had earned ten million dollars from the divorce settlement and he was angry that she had never said anything about the money. He planned to clear every last penny of it and be damned with any consequences; after all, she wasn't the first and she wouldn't be the last.

As time went by, he started giving one excuse after another about how his business deals weren't making any headway due to lack of funds. At first she kept encouraging him that all would be well, but she noticed he got angry anytime she said something positive; he would just mutter, "I need cash and you're giving me motivational words. Words are shit and they mean nothing; action does."

She had grown frustrated from his outbursts and his melancholic mood, so one day, she had asked him what she could do to help him, and he had grumbled that he needed a loan of a million dollars and that he would pay her back.

"I don't have that kind of money," she had said when he had asked her.

"What about the divorce settlement?" he had asked as his eyes shone with greediness.

"That is not my money, Pablo."

"That money was handed over to you by the court; it is your money from all the years of maltreatment from your ex-husband."

The Confrontation

"My dad never maltreated my mom," came a voice behind him.

He turned around, seeing Sandra. "What do you even know? You're just a foolish kid."

"And you're just a lazy man."

Mr. Pablo was furious; he rounded on Mrs. Marian Reyes. "How dare your daughter insult me! I will not take this in my house."

"The house doesn't belong to you. Get a life," Sandra said, folding her hands over her chest and daring him to do his worst. He took a step toward her but felt a restraining hand holding him. He turned, and what Mrs. Marian saw in his eyes nearly stopped her heart; his eyes were darker—they used to be brown—and he was just emotionless.

"Get your filthy hands off me," he snarled at her.

"Don't talk to my mom like that. I never trusted you, and when you told me you do clearing and forwarding, I took that to heart and I heard things, and it dawned on me what you mean."

"What things?" her mom asked her.

"He clears people's accounts and then he runs away looking for the next victim."

"Is that true, Pablo?"

"Don't listen to her; she has been finding a way to come between us."

"Do you believe that, Mom?"

"I don't know what to believe; you have been acting strange lately."

"That is because I'm not comfortable with him. He is a predator."

The Tragic End

Mr. Pablo couldn't take it anymore and he moved toward Sandra. She could read the danger signal plainly written on his face as his mouth twitched; she took a step back and slipped on the floor, and her head hit the floor with a resounding thunk. In no time they saw the blood from where her head had hit the floor.

Mrs. Marian Reyes gave out a shriek with a loudness that would have woken the dead. She hurried to Sandra, but she guessed it was too late; Sandra’s head was broken open and there was nothing anyone could do. Her shout had attracted neighbors who hurried to the house. Mr. Pablo had used the confusion to slip away.

Regret and Justice

Mr. Chucks was devastated; he couldn't believe his joy had been destroyed by what he and his ex-wife had done. He blamed himself for killing that trust Marian had for him; though he had been honest about his love for Benita, it had destroyed a foundation that had been solid like Mount Everest. He wept openly at the grave of Sandra and begged for forgiveness.

Mrs. Marian Reyes was shocked. From the day Sandra died, she had never spoken a word. She wondered how this could be happening to her; she remembered the judge's warning and she wondered why she had never listened. She wondered why she had agreed to leave Chucks; he was a caring man, but she had hated cheating. That had hurt her, but seeing the price of her decision, she knew she could change it if she could go back in time—and time, as everyone knows, is something that waits for no one. It can never be stopped or moved backward; it can only move forward every second and every day.

Mr. Pablo was arrested soon and he told them it was an accident. He claimed they were just having a family talk when she accidentally slipped, but the police had done a proper investigation and they soon found out about his lifestyle and his victims. When asked about that, he claimed he was not of that time; he claimed he came from the past and he needed to go back, but the only rule was that he bring the souls of two hundred women.

The cops were just shocked, not knowing if he belonged to a mental hospital or prison.

Moral Lesson: Always be content and try to talk things out before making any decisions.

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