“Justice is about making them pay for the pain of others, but revenge is about making them pay for yours.”

― Erica O’Rourke, Torn

One of the hardest things in life to learn

is which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn.

– David Russell

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”
― Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man

Part Four…

“Yes, Mr. Meyer. I am calling with the Department of Immigration, and wish to speak with you about one of your employees, a Mr. Mike Glass,” her voice was calm and clear, as she tried not to sound like herself. Once she knew she has his attention she told him how the department had made the decision to take away Mike’s government clearances, and would soon be deporting his fiancé. Donnie Seemed outraged and tried to convince Lilly that he knew nothing about Mike’s plan to marry this woman illegally. She assured him that as long as he cooperated in the investigations that no harm would come to him, but if he didn’t take her warning seriously and get rid of Mike, the outcome would be out of her control.

A week later the family was summoned by Mike to his two bedroom town home, he had just moved into. “After all I have done for them, they are just going to fire me, over something as stupid as this bogus investigation,” Mike yelled loudly. Lilly tuned out the rest of his ranting, feeling a bit satisfied with herself. She tried not to sneak knowing smirks at Andy who was sitting across the room, but she found she just couldn’t help herself. “How am I supposed to go on this vacation now? Where am I going to find another job?” Mike finished, and then sat down beside Stephanie.

Stephanie put her arm around her father and tried to comfort him. “Dad I’m sure once the investigation is over, they will rehire you. You have worked there since before we were all born, they know you do a good job. And as long as the government doesn’t find anything suspicious, you have nothing to worry about right?”

Mike seemed to be caught off guard and after a look around the room whispered, “Yeah. Yeah you’re probably right.”

The wedding was approaching fast, and Lilly still had no news as to what was currently going on in the investigation. It had been two weeks, and she often found herself pacing the floor, at war with herself over what she would do next. The problem, she thought, was that there were so many “what ifs” that were out of her control. “What if Donnie doesn’t fire him? What if nothing comes of the investigation, and they actually let Maeli stay here and marry my Dad?” she thought out loud. Lilly was startled when the phone interrupted her thoughts. Looking at the caller ID, she recognized the number as belonging to John, the man she was working with in Immigration.

“Hello Lilly. I hope you are doing well, I have some news that I thought you should know. We have spoken with your father recently, and while we know he has not taken all the right steps, such as completing all the required paper work, we feel he may have a valid relationship,” John paused a second. “I’m afraid we simply don’t have enough proof to stop his marriage at this time,” John said quickly.

“But…” Lilly began, but found she was at a loss for words.

“Now,” John began. “This doesn’t mean that the investigation is simply over. We will continue to monitor the situation and make sure the proper steps are taken on their part. We will also continue our interviews with friends, family, and Mike’s co-workers. If we find anything we feel is suspicious we won’t hesitate to take the necessary steps that follow,” John paused for a while waiting for Lilly to speak. “I hope this is good news for you, your dad won’t be going to jail now,” he said sounding hopeful.

“Yeah, thanks,” Lilly finally managed to choke out. She was still too stunned to say anything else. She hung up the phone, and then the anger came. “That con-artist,” she screamed. “He must really be a good liar. How could these fools believe him?” she wondered aloud. She thought long and hard about what she could do now. Her plan had hit a major speed bump, or more like it had come screeching to a halt. Then the famous phrase of all those who seek revenge streamed through her mind over and over, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself,” she thought. With that her mind was made up, she would attend the wedding after all. What she was going to do there was still a mystery to her, but she knew it had be something big. She picked up the phone to call her brother Andy, and they started on a plan.

Getting ready to leave for the church, Lilly looked in the mirror one last time. She wore a short, white dress, she wanted all eyes on her, when she entered the room. Her hair fell down around her shoulders in soft curls, and her make-up had been done just right, to highlight the soft blue in her eyes. She applied one more coat of ruby red lipstick, before walking out the door. She arrived to the church late, taking her time to get there, she wanted the wedding to already be in progress when she made her entrance. Crossing the crowded parking lot, she found her brother, dressed to the nines in a classic tuxedo. They linked arms, both with huge smiles across their faces, making their way in.

“Ready for this?” he asked, making sure she was committed.

“I have never been so ready for anything else in my life,” Lilly said, her voice ringing with the confidence she felt.

Just as the priest said “We are gathered here today,” the pair burst through the huge double doors, and everyone turned in their pew with a gasp.

“They say grief occurs in five stages. First there’s denial, followed by anger. Then comes bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But grief is a merciless master. Just when you think you’re free, you realize you never stood a chance.”