Honey Whiskey

Ablaze

As he rose from the couch, Jonah searched his phone for Maybelle's song. He wanted to listen to it one last time. He saw the music file, staring at it, he closed his eyes as tears were creeping their way back out. Jonah broke his phone in half, he didn't want any temptation. If he had dared listen to her voice, he wouldn't have been able to handle the consequences of his future actions. His mind was darting around all the ideas he had, all the preparation he required. He took the time to clean the apartment, putting trash away, brooming, and mopping the floors before going to make the bed. Jonah was very meticulous with each of his movements. After finishing the cleaning, he walked back to the entry and got out of the apartment, locking the door behind him for the last time. Getting back to the old pink Cadillac, he got inside the car and placed the apartment keys and a note into an envelope. He drove back to Miss Elliot's house. Walking up the stone path, Jonah locked eyes with the rusty mailbox. He placed the sealed envelope into it before going back down the path. He stopped suddenly when he heard the voice of Miss Elliot right behind him. His heart was beating rapidly, he couldn't dare to look at her.

"Jonah!", she was wobbling towards him in her old slippers.

"Yes?"

"Are you going out?"

"Yeah, I had to come by to get something,...in the garage.", he took a deep breath before facing her as he forged a slight smile.

"Could you get me milk at the corner store? I want to try making a cake tonight. It probably won't be edible but it is the efforts that count, am I right?", she laughed to herself as she knew her cooking skills were none to zero.

"No problem. I will be back in an hour or two."

"Here, take this. Keep the rest.", she slid a few dollar bills into his hand.

She was worried about him but she didn't want to make him regress in the progress he had made these last few weeks. He was finally eating and drinking more regularly. He was also attending his therapy sessions as he was supposed to. Leaning towards him, Miss Elliot wrapped her arms around him. Her hand was caressing his back lovingly. The hug felt like it lasted forever, he closed his eyes and hugged her back. Trying not to cry, Jonah places his chin on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Miss Elliot...", in a way, he was thanking her for everything she had done for him. Every time she had taken care of him, he was so grateful for all of it.

"You are welcome, dear. Go now, don't be late for dinner."

Without another word, he let go of her. Jonah went back to the car after placing the money into his back pocket. Unbeknownst to her, this money would help him with his next task. He drove away in the car, leaving Miss Elliot as she waved to him, Jonah was driving to a gas station. Parked next to the pump, he got out of the car and started filling up the two gas cans he had placed in the trunk. After the deed was done, he paid for the gas and left the area. Jonah drove around town, trying to remember every memory he had with Maybelle. He saw all the places he went with her, where they had met up for the party, the house of the murder, the plant nursery where they had gone on a shopping spree a few years ago to decorate his shoe store, this amazing bakery where they would get beignet from every once in a while, the farmer's market they had visited a few months ago.

Finally ready, he parked on the street across from the Silver Fox. He had a good view of the front door, the two massive blue doors that could be opened during the summer heat waves to let the tiniest breeze come in as the customers enjoyed the finest jazz music in this renowned bar. This was the time to finish what Papi had started. Jonah turned the keys into the ignition as he started feeling the rage crawl back in. Without thinking, he drove right into the front doors. Taken aback by the force of the crash, he took a few seconds before he stumbled out of the car. Facing Papi who was standing near the bar, alone, Jonah approached him as his body was aching from the sudden pain. Unready for the assault, Papi was rapidly knocked down by Jonah. He grabbed the old man and bashed his head against the floor of the Silver Fox. As they exchanged punches and blood, he wouldn't let go of him.

"You fucking killed her!", Jonah hit his jaw as Papi was trying to push him away, with no success.

He took hold of his jacket and banged Papi's back against the floor as he was screaming angrily in his face. Enraged, he got back up and tried to kick his face. The old man managed to roll out from below him, he got up and started attacking Jonah in return. They scuffled around the bar, fighting until one of them would get knocked out or die.

"You murderer!"

His jaw received a blow, he let go of Papi as he was trying to recover his breath. Suddenly pushed back, his fist connected right into his opponent's ribs. Papi hunched as Jonah kept hitting him until he was finally knocked out. His face was a mess of blood and bruises. A low guttural lament came from Jonah's mouth as he walked back to the car surrounded by smoke. He took the gas can out of the trunk and approached Papi, he stood over him. Locking eyes with the unconscious man, he stared at him. He had killed Maybelle and at this exact moment, he felt not even an ounce of pity for him. Jonah unscrewed the lid of the gas can, emptying them one by one onto the man and himself. This was his last moment, this was going to be his ticket home. He was going to see Maybelle. He couldn't contain a few tears that breached and made their way down his cheeks. Regaining consciousness, Papi was in a lot of pain. Jonah held out a lighter, smiling proudly at the result of his action. The flame flickered at the end of the lighter before engulfing them into a storm of fire. As the men burned alive, their screams could be heard across the street as the echoes resonated all around. The Silver Fox was burning down as the pink Cadillac was still embedded into the doors. Everything was turning to ashes. As the time went by, the silence became stagnant. Flames danced around the rubbles of the building, sirens could be heard in the distance as they approached the remains.