Status the Third
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HONEY TRAP
All is unfair in love and war.
While he was lying and waiting for a dream to come up and take him into its depths, @RoughMac, although it would be natural and expected to do so, hasn’t been thinking about all those strange events he was caught in, its causes and its potential consequences. Behind his closed eyes, he only saw a huge, blistering monitor with a screensaver made up of #Bianca’s images, which one is more beautiful in comparison to another one, unless all of them were not beautiful in completely equal measure. It maybe was around half past eleven, when he finally fell asleep.
On working days he wouldn’t have slept enough, so on the weekends he would fallen into a deep sleep, rhythmically interrupted by trying to reach the fridge, by watching a TV series like Two and a Half Men, by listening to divine music in half-sleep and by randomly browsing through the newspapers. On Saturday evenings, as it was the case last night, he would be chasing various adventures, which with the course of time and him getting older and older, became increasingly rare, while on Sundays he would be watching political talk-show Impression of the Week, and then some film. At the same time, he would be sipping and finishing with about a half of the bottle of Remy Martin or Hennessy. During the night he would be sneaking around the house, thinking over, tweeting and uploading something on Facebook or BLIP.fm. The sleep usually caught him between three and four in the morning, making him feeling depressed because of tomorrow’s working day.
He was awaken by quiet steps heard in the sitting room, slowly becoming more clearly heard by coming closer to the door of his bedroom. In the sitting room, during the night a dim light used to be always on, and its dimmed brightness shone through the glass part of his bedroom’s door, what enabled him, if not being deep into sleep, to notice anybody’s approach. All his life he’s been thinking as if he was a warrior, the fact at which everybody laughed, especially while he was young, treating it at the same time, as another one of many of his weird traits, and later on, when the local political clan began to consider him (and you won’t believe it, appreciate him) as one of the most serious opponents of the Milosevic regime in the whole of Macva, all of a sudden everybody understood him, and many of them with their minds and spirits got even deeper – into paranoia. #Mac remained loyal to those previously mentioned habits, even after an idiotic, thievish democracy became established in Serbia.
A huge upper part of the body almost completely shaded the glass part of the door, and the lock began to move downwards. Although it was probable, that nobody expected to find the door locked, an intruder didn’t hesitate and he started to break the lock. In just a couple of seconds, #Mac took a gun, placed under his bed, and through the glass part of the door, he shot straightly into intruder’s chest. It is difficult to realize what sounded uglier – a shot at the eleventh hour which sounded like a thunder, a frightful echo after the glass was smashed, or a horrible scream of the shot man, and a terrible slamming of his heavy body hitting the floor.
Suddenly a lot of lights were switched on in the sitting room, and a couple of men broke into #Mac’s room. Seeing a crowd of people in front of himself, he hardly managed not to shoot again, when suddenly an upsetting voice was heard:
– Stop, Stop, don’t shoot, we’re not attacking you.
#Mac turned on the lamp on his little cupboard, sticking determinately to his gun, directed straightly into the unknown intruders.
– For God’s sake man, are you thinking for a moment at least? – asked obviously upset, grey-haired man, whose bearing, clothes and tone of his voice were so distinguished, that there was no chance of him being neither a policeman, nor a criminal anywhere in the world, let alone in Serbia. – You killed a man!
– And moreover, I did it deliberately – said @RoughMac cynically, keeping his half-sitting position, while still lying in the big double-bed.
– We were guilty, we wanted to scare you… – ruefully continued to talk this in terms of his age an old man, but in terms of his appearance, he looked like being middle-aged. Repentance didn’t stop him from ordering decidedly to other two men, to take away the body of the shot guy. – I suppose that any discussion is out of question tonight.
– Well, if you woke me up in four o’clock in the morning, just after I had fallen asleep, it would be quite stupid to reject talking to you and finding out what was it all about – answered #Mac. He’s been persistently following his, at first sight, supernatural intuition, which actually was far from being impeccable, and very often it has been betraying him in so insidious way, and this time around, it might have cost him of his own life. He believed that the other two guys were really gone, carrying the dead body, so that he was left alone with (let us simply say) this Old Man.
Satisfied by the answer he just heard, The Old Man moved into sitting-room, leaving #Mac to take his clothes on. This one just took on his track suit, while still wearing his pyjamas, and with the gun in the hand, he came out of the bedroom. Taking a seat in the arm-chair standing opposite to that one, in which the unknown man took place, he put the gun on the small table in front of himself.
– You won’t need it – said The Old Man.
– Well, you may bet, I won’t!
– OK. It doesn’t bother me. But, we didn’t want to cause you any harm at all. Though we didn’t suppose, that you already knew, that we mustn’t do you any harm.
– Nobody mustn’t do any harm to me – said #Mac blatantly, trying at the same time to preserve his self-confidence and to anticipate at least, what kind of story The Old Man might tell him.
Expectedly much sooner, a lot of pretty intimidating voices and noisy crashing sounds, were heard in front of the door.
– Don’t move and be quiet! – said #Mac to The Old Man (who took his gun out as well, although “he didn’t need it”) and went to open the door.
Just as he thought, there in front of the door, stood a smaller group of extremely adamant people, who were not only brave, but simply were not aware of the fact, that something like fear did even exist. Those were famous and well-known Davidovic brothers also known as Pindic brothers (in Macva even big families have their nicknames), they were #Mac’s neighbors and voluntary bodyguards ever since his earliest childhood. Bearing in mind that #Mac was exquisitely nice, unconditionally generous child, and at the same time a wunderkind, a star of the small town, Pindic brothers came to conclusion somehow, that he wasn’t only capable of taking care of himself, but that he wasn’t even obliged to do so, and for that reason they simply “threatened” him:
– Mića, don’t let anyone to put even a little finger upon you!
If someone would just look at #Mac with an intimidating air of his face, immediately or after at least one of Davidovic family members heard of it (and it was measured by minutes), that one would sustain an instant, forcefully delivered fist-punch straight into plexus, unavoidably followed by the question:
– How dare you, you motherfucker?
This time Pindic brothers asked #Mac:
– Well, bro, was it the gun-shot heard at your house?
– Yes. I have been showing the gun to some mates, and it just accidentally fired.
– And what about the car, that just buzzed off?
– Stupid jerks got angry, and simply went away, as if I had deliberately fired…
– All right buddy, are you sure it happened that way?
– Oh, yes.
– OK, then people, let’s go! – Pindic brothers came to common conclusion, although they didn’t believe a single word of what they heard.
But #Mac was contented with the fact, that they are not going to report him to the police. He was absolutely sure of it. Well understandably, even among them, there were those who did secretly collaborate with the police, but they were not ready to go against Mića.
At this place I can’t resist not to crossing the nerves of the puritans (as it already was the case in stories about @Torbac_ and @TorbacJr in the first chapter of this novel), by trying to distract the story in ostensibly needless direction, without any connection to the real story of this writing. At least, that could be an impression. But even though, they do make mistakes, I am undoubtedly of the opinion that laughter could never be unnecessary.
Once, in the times of former Yugoslavia, Pindic brothers just like a lot of the Macva peasants, used to sell their home-grown, fresh vegetables on the markets all across Bosnia. One night, while have been driving their pristine and funny-looking, German truck named Hannomag, at a speed a bit higher than positioning that same truck in some particular place, they were after all succeeding in overcoming rugged, rocky and steep mountains of Bosnia. The truck was driven by legendary Mihajlo (aka Mikailo) Pindic, and the co-driver beside him was famous Nenad Neca Pindic, while the place in the small cart behind the truck, under the tarpaulin, on a huge pile of vegetables, was occupied by the most famous among all of them – Milos Pindic, who slept. Mihajlo and Nenad were just rubbing their sleepy eyes, when all of the sudden, in the dimmed light spread by the beacons of the truck, they spotted Milos Pindic passing by the truck, while alertly running uphill, getting out of their sight. With a dire hardship they managed to stop the truck on a very steep ground, they went out, and Neca Pindic with the sleeves of his garment rolled up and with the forearms, as if he was the Popeye the Sailor, yelled in a harsh and strident voice:
– What the hell is going on, Milos?!
– A bear!
– What a bear?
– The bear got into our truck!
Mihajlo and Nenad promptly got off the truck, and approached the back side of it, lifted the tarpaulin and with the help of the battery-lamp, lit the small cart, in which looking at them, almost scared to death and wearing long and untidy beard, lied an ordinary, homeless bum. Low speed at which the truck slowly chugged along the steep road made him enabled to get into its cart effortlessly, and Milos while touching the bum’s beard, got an impression it was the fur of the bear, what caused his panic and decision to get out and run away uphill as quickly as possible.
And now, without any delay, let’s go back to The Old Man.
– Give me the gun – #Mac ordered the old gentleman. – It might be the case that you would like to drink something (you will drink something, won’t you?), while I might be scared and shoot straight into your head. You were lucky, you know, because if my neighbors Pindic had grabbed you, your life wouldn’t have been in jeopardy, but you would have been remembering of their licking for a very long time.
Completely in accordance with his appearance, The Old Man wanted a scotch, while #Mac had nothing against it, and finally he poured the double Glenfiddich in the glasses in front of them.
– Now I hope, that miscreant of yours is still alive, although up until recently, I felt as if I had trodden the cockroach – said he, while trying to sit down.
– I’ve just been informed that he still was alive, but quite honestly, we would be extremely happy, if he managed to succeed in that matter.
– Could you talk now?
– Listen #Mac, first of all I want to apologize for everything we caused, during the last couple of days. But, I hope you are aware, that we have to discover all the secrets you are keeping away from us, by peace or by force.
– You are just not giving up, aren’t you? First of all, though I don’t doubt that you are perfectly capable of putting your emotions under control, a moment before you failed in doing it, so that some inconsiderate words rushed out of your mouth, saying that you, I have no idea for what reasons, mustn’t do any harm to me. And secondly, even more importantly, I am free to guarantee that you, thinking I am the man whom you are looking for, made an epic mistake. I’m just an ordinary lawyer, living in a small town, whose time’s slowly passing by, and the fact is, that I have not any secrets, moreover I am blatantly sincere and open. Whether people want it or not, everybody knows everything about me. I am talking much more than I should, I am very loud and I am boring to death, while I recount about my reflections, dilemmas and problems.
– You are so stubborn. Let’s start from the beginning. How do you know Tesla’s last words?
– I don’t. I am just guessing what his last words might have been, in terms of what he has uttered just before he died. I think that his last words don’t even exist.
– Then, why did you write on your Facebook Status the following words ”Beautiful In Vain”?
– Those are not Tesla’s last words, but it’s a verse from my song, its title and the main phrase of the chorus:
Again
Life’s a parade
But now I understand
I won’t command the parade.
– So I should believe, that the song of yours was just accidentally dubbed according to Tesla’s last words?
– Let me ask you a funny, an absurd question: Are you sure that your not crazy? For god’s sake man, who does know at all, what Tesla said just before an inevitable death grabbed him, once and forever?
– Well you see, you know immediately who’s the heart of the topic.
– It is not a secret, and you are insisting upon the secrets. I don’t even know if he was a communist, but I do know that he was under suspicion of being that.
– But, aren’t we all? I mean communists.
– Well, I’m really not. If you try to describe a communist in the most precise details, you’ll see that not just a communist as a whole, but every single particle of it, is going to be completely different in comparison to me.
– Oh, don’t take it so stupidly. I didn’t mean that we were belonging to the communist party or movement, I wanted to say, that we were fighting for equality.
– Not at all! An equality is not just, and moreover it is not possible.
– Why do you have such an opinion?
– Why would all the people be equal, when every single human being living in this world has its own traits, and shows so many differences in comparison to one another. It is not just about that small handful of people dubbed Human Race, but it is about diversity as well. Thanks to that diversity the Human Race does exist. Moreover if the equality was to rule the Universe, it would not be existing at all.
– All right, all right, some people are always more equal.
– Now, you are definitely speaking as a communist.
– You made me laugh.
– Anyone who’s capable of thinking, knows quite well, that Communism and Fascism are monstrous. But, it seems to me, that the stupidity of these ideas is being insufficiently stressed.
– Explain that, please.
– It is so idiotic, that it’s difficult to simplify it. On one hand, if someone thinks, it’s possible to impose certain control over the equals, that one is an utter fool, because primus inter pares, except for being a platitude, it’s a nonsense either, an oxymoron. If however that one, doesn’t believe in equality and promotes it just for the sake of mesmerizing the fools, he’s immensely stupid if he thinks, that is the proper way to impose the rule over someone, even for the short period of time, let alone forever.
– You are giving me lectures, as if I was The Boy? With such theories you are even undermining our Circle…
– Fuck you and your Circle.
– I said: our Circle, because you belong to it, and that’s the reason you’re checking out am I standing by our ideas, and how I’m managing to defend them. I’ve read and written hundreds of books on that matter, and you keep asking me questions, as if I was a student.
– No. I’ve got a much simpler question for you: how do you know in details, what that man of yours has been talking to me and nickname that I gave him, if you say on your own, that he has gone?
After this question, the Old Man seemed to have lost his composure. He didn’t look like a gentleman anymore. Losing of his confidence was visible in his eyes and moves, being unsuccessful even in stuttering the words out, so he suddenly decided to keep his words back.
– That’s what I’m talking about – #Mac continued. – How could you manipulate and rule over the whole world, if an ordinary man does manage to reveal your lies?
– We won’t talk about it anymore – The Old Man tried to regain control of himself.
– No of course, but we will discuss your favorite subjects, you slimy old motherfucker! – shouted #Mac. – You are going to interfere into my life, to disturb my calmness, fuck off once and for all, you fucking lunatic! I’m not going to shoot you, I’m going to strangle you!
– Wait, wait please, we won’t be talking further tonight…
– Tonight! No, never again actually! If I see you once again…
– All right, all right… we’ll skip all for now… I‘ll offer you a deal.
– I don’t need any deal with you.
– Oh, you do, I know you do need. Actually, #Bianca…
– What now #Bianca? – suddenly @RoughMac began to calm down, as if he was shot by an arrow, being used to quiet down wild animals.
– Considering that you have lost your patience, here’s the deal: you will give us The Secret, and we will give you #Bianca.
– #Bianca and I, we have a relationship not depending on anything or anyone, especially not on you and your Circle.
– That’s what you mean. But #Bianca is pretty interested in power and supremacy. She doesn’t exactly know who we are, but we are attracting her as a magnet. Therefore we used her as a Honey Trap, if you are familiar with that phrase.
– Yes, I am. You try to tell me, that you have used a beautiful woman to approach me. I don’t believe she would give her consent to something like that.
– To be honest, I didn’t have an opportunity to meet a person like you are. You know literally everything, your intuition is very closed to prediction, you are as quick as a snake, you are fearless, and in spite of all, you are so naive. How would you describe a man who unconditionally believes a woman?
– Like being romantic one. For that reason I found myself being fucked up so many times, that I almost lost a will to live. Then, I am not brave or fearless. On the contrary, I am a coward. I want to kill a lot of assholes like you are, so as to induce your criminal organization to kill me, since I have no courage, determination, wit, stupidity (whatsoever) to take my own life.
– And you thought that #Bianca might be your Savior.
– Exactly. Again after all disappointments, I wanted to believe that there was a real one.
– Maybe you haven’t even made a mistake. She has not a single idea about this. We hacked your Facebook Profile, and using your name, we sent her a friend request. She accepted it, and afterwards, she invited all of her friends, including you, to her event. We told her nothing about you, knowing that you would find the way to approach her.
– But she came close to me.
– Well, we didn’t know that, we didn’t in any way influence her actions. Maybe there is something between two of you… attraction, destiny…
– That way you are trying to make me behaving friendly, but at the same time, you are accusing me of being naive?
– No really, I’m only speaking the truth.
Luckily it was the moment, #Mac couldn’t see his face in the mirror. Contrary to his hectic thoughts, filled with doubts and controversies, which he pretty easily managed to put under control, but nevertheless he looked like an idiot, because after all, he cherished the hope and believed, that #Bianca felt the same, what he did. If he stated that loudly, in the presence of someone very close to him, that one would be scared to death. Because, if @RoughMac ”feels” something, no matter how wrong is the direction he took, there is no way to stop him, unless someone, God forbid, killed him.
– OK. Let’s suppose, that’s the case. But, why the hell do I need you? If she wants me, you are needless. And if she doesn’t want me… I don’t want to buy even a prostitute, let alone a woman I do care about.
– But, you don’t understand. We are ready to use all our power, all our influences and connections, to get her to know you. And afterwards, when she gets to know you, you’ll be in need of anyone. Believe me, if I were a woman, I would fall in love with you.
– And if you were not older than I am, I would slap you in the face – @RoughMac said carelessly laughing at stupidities, which The Old Man told him, but even more he would laugh at himself, because he felt shame and joy at the very same time, and always believed in all that shit.
Suddenly, one of The Old Man’s intruders, entered the room again. He held a “lost” @Samsonite bag, giving it to The Old Man, pointing in #Mac’s direction and speaking:
– I found this in the trunk of his car.
@RoughMac ran wild again, grabbed the gun from the table and hit the newcomer straight in the head.
– You scumbag, how dare you to frame me! – he yelled.
As quick as a deer, The Old Man helped the other one to get up, speaking all the way: ”It’s all right, it’s all right”, and finally together with him rushed out of the house.
– And the bag? – shouted #Mac after them, but before he managed to regain control, the sound of the vehicle moving towards the road, was clearly heard.
OK, let us consider that he had enough time to react, but his wish to finally see the content of the bag was simply much stronger.
He started opening the bag for the second time now, laughing at Pavlov’s reflection, which caused him a sensation, that somebody would hit him in the head again. And yet, he’s been opening it slowly, feeling satisfaction, that at least something would be clear out.
The bag was completely empty.
