Chapter 6 - The Kneeling
Victor’s knees hit the hard marble floor with a dull thud.
His mother,
Lorraine,
followed suit,
her strength finally failing her as she realized her social empire was dust.
They were both on their knees now,
the very position they had forced my daughter into just minutes before.
The irony was not lost on anyone in the room.
The diners,
the staff,
and the officials all stood in a silent circle,
witnessing the fall of the arrogant.
“Look at them,”
I said,
my voice cutting through the sounds of their weeping.
“This is the true face of a bully when the shadow of the law finally catches them.”
“Small,
pathetic,
and desperate.”
I walked over to Victor,
standing directly over him.
He looked up at me,
his face streaked with tears and snot,
his expensive hair disheveled.
“You forced her to bow,”
I reminded him.
“You thought you were a king in your own little kingdom.”
“But you forgot that kingdoms can be conquered in an afternoon.”
I turned to the Chief of Police.
“Take them away.”
“I want them processed through the standard channels,
no special treatment.”
“In fact,
make sure they are placed in the general population.”
Victor let out a wail of terror.
He knew what happened to men like him in general population.
“No!
Please!
Not there!”
The officers stepped forward,
clapping heavy steel handcuffs onto Victor’s wrists.
The sound of the ratcheting metal was the final punctuation mark on his old life.
Lorraine was lifted to her feet,
her designer heels clicking uselessly against the floor as she was led away.
She tried to maintain some shred of dignity,
but her smudged mascara made her look like a broken doll.
As they were marched toward the exit,
the restaurant staff stepped aside,
their faces masks of professional indifference.
Victor looked back one last time,
searching for Emily.
But Emily was already looking away.
She was looking at the window,
at the city lights,
at the future she had thought was lost to her.
The doors opened,
and the cool night air rushed in,
carrying away the scent of fear and failure.
The sirens of the waiting police cars flashed against the walls,
red and blue,
May you like
red and blue.
The circus was leaving town.
