[Pride 2021 Short Story] A Spider Crawls in a Red Rose

“So, what do you think of Chris’s death?” the curious Jaime says. His friend Thomas looks on his right side to Jaime while smoking a cigarette. He doesn’t say anything. Jaime looks to Thomas and repeats the question. Hesitant, Thomas responds:

“Well, it is sad that Chris is dead. Lots of reasons for it.”

“Reasons? What do you mean?”

“Some rumors are going on that he may have been killed due to envy?”

Jaime thinks while Thomas finishes his last cigarette. Thomas throws it to the ground and smashes it with his black leather boot.

“Chris was selected for a sports scholarship. Apparently, lots of his teammates were angry,” an exhausted Thomas sats. 

“Really? Geez, still, that isn’t a reason to get him killed; nevertheless, for Chris deserving that,” Jaime says, as perplexing as that motivation sounds. Thomas looks to Jaime thinking how naïve Jaime is.

“Murder is very complex. Look I need to attend night school. It is almost 7:00pm. We’ll keep in touch.”

Thomas walks away and waves back to Jaime without turning his back. Jaime responds the same to Thomas. Jaime slides his right hand to the nearest jacket pocket and brings out a small notebook. Opening it, Jaime writes in it. And thus, concluded the first unofficial interview.

“I guess he was killed by a bitch,” Natalie smokes to calm her anger. She offers a cigarette to Jaime. 

“No thanks.” Jaime gestures.

“Ok. Anyway, Chris was a fucking cheater and probably got what he deserved. That’s what cheaters get,” Natalie smiles sarcastically.

Natalie was Chris’s last ex-girlfriend. She didn’t go to Chris funeral unlike the other ex-girlfriends. The only thing that Natalie does is attend high school and pray to graduate without dying.

“Obviously, it was a conspiracy to cover up the steroid football business.”, said Garrett while he arranges his velociraptor mask that covers his face.

“Steroids?”

“Yeah dude. All of the jocks use it, and someone provides them. I heard the police said it was steroid junkie who got into business with Chris and he fuck it up.” Garrett still tries to arrange the mask.

“Shit! I shouldn’t never have bought this piece tight of shit!”

“Let me help you.” Jaime leaps his hands on Garrett’s mask. Garrett moves away from Jaime.

“Hey! Hey! I don’t need any help. I don’t want anyone to reveal me.” Garrett distance a little bit.

“Still. The school, colleges and everything will cover it up. I mean, junkie athletes are really bad business for education.”

This was the last time I spoke with Garrett. Rumors say that he joined a conspiracy cult only to get caught by the feds. Don’t know if it was true and I never want to know.

“He may have committed suicide. He was a very troubling kid.” says Daniela as she holds her cross with a sad face.

“Why would he do that?”

“To escape the evils of the world and be saved by Jesus.” Daniela smiles with such confidence.

“Well, I guess we would never know.” Jaime distances himself while rolling eyes.

My last interview was with Daniela. She still waits for the messiah’s return. I am still surprised that she didn’t created a religious student club or even a cult.

Walking the path to his home, Jaime sees the beautiful red rose garden that his grandfather has been building for months. Jaime’s grandfather is competing in a gardening tournament that will debut on Red Rose Day. Gardening is a hobby for both Jaime and his grandfather. After all, Jaime was raised by him after Jaime’s parents died in a car crash while Jaime was three years old. 

“Hey kiddo. How was school?” his grandfather grandfather while he looks at the television. He writes down notes as he watches videos of past gardening tournaments.

“Everything fine like always.” Jaime shares an ambivalent smile.

In the bedroom, Jaime opens his closet that reveals a bulletin board filled with notes, pictures and news information (clippings and social media posts) of Chris’s death. Jaime sticks notes of his latest school interviews by sticking a hobnail on the board. 

He looks at it. Thinking about Chris, about his death and why it matters. He cannot take his eyes of Chris. Slowly, Jaime touches Chris’s picture with his right fingers. So softly and caring till the fingers moves away to close the closet.

Later in the evening, Jaime, wearing underwear and lying-in bed, cries. He remembers that day when he wrote his anonymous crush letter to Chris. He put it in Chris’s locker. As Chris read it, he smiled while Jaime watched the reaction from afar. Jaime knew that Chris would never find out who wrote it; after all, that was Chris’s last day. The last moment he saw Chris and still he continues to spiral Jaime’s head. Something is missing or was it in plain sight?

Today is Red Rose Day. Jaime and his grandfather are at the tournament. Forcefully smiling at everyone so the audience can delight themselves to the row of red rose bouquets on the table. Accommodated in different sizes and in groups, taking the whole table space. Jaime is happy for his grandfather as he watches him talking about his work with three judges. Grandfather knows how to enchant people. He cuts some of the roses and places it on the business suit pockets of the judges. He sure enchanted them and that is why he won.

“Here, take a bouquet.” grandfather gives to Jaime. Both are walking to the car.

“Thanks.” Jaime smiles as he carries the beautiful bouquet. 

“I am so happy that you won. You sure enchanted them.” Jaime smiles at his grandfather.

“In an alternate universe, I was magician.” both laugh.

Later in the evening, Jaime walks to the cemetery and towards Chris tombstone. He carries a red rose. Jaime place it in front of Chris tombstone.

“This is wrong to tell you, but I think that you already know. I really loved you.” Jaime cries.

“I did send you that letter which I’m happy that you like it. You were always phenomenal in football and even that only time in biology where you were my lab partner. I wanted to kiss you so badly, but I knew it was just a fantasy. And yet, I cannot get you out of my head. I am so sorry that I couldn’t understand you or what happened to you, but I’m trying to solve it.”

Tap Tap Tap

Footsteps are heard. Jaime distances from the tombstone and walks away to find a hiding spot. He sees some bushes and hides behind it. Thomas is walking to Chris tombstone. Surprised and terrified, Jaime takes out his smartphone and records a video. Disgusted, Thomas unzips his pants and pees in the tombstone as well as on the rose.

“Still in death and you’re fucking me up. You should have given me that fucking scholarship!” says a pissed Thomas.

“My folks cannot handle more debts and I can’t fucking stand them! I needed that future, and you just took that away from me. And for what?! You had lots of scholarships, even some that I recommend you, distracting you from not applying to the ones I wanted. And yet, you somehow got the ones I wanted. The perfect candidate while I got screw up again.” Thomas scratches his head.

“So difficult in finding that spot to kill you and make you look like you were murdered by some hobo or whatever. At least, you died in reek since that’s what you are.” Thomas smiles.

“Goodbye, reek.” Thomas spits the tombstone and walks away.

The next day in the morning, Jaime and his grandfather are eating breakfast while watching the news. The news reports that Thomas has been arrested for Chris’s murder after an unknown individual gave the police by mail a video recording of Thomas’s murder confession.

“Would you mind change the news?” says an ambivalent Jaime.

“Sure. This is so disgusting. I want to see something brighter.” grandfather changes channels.

Grandfather and Jaime continue eating. Jaime stops and watches the beautiful red rose bouquet, standing near an open window in the living room. A black spider crawls around the bouquet, while making a web. Such a beautiful view.