One did not like to invite him anymore to parties because of his macho behavior, but on the other hand he was a person with great influence and with lots of contacts, helping many to get good business relations. Therefore, again and again one used to overlook his absolutely overdriven behavior emerging as soon as women appeared, especially new ones whom he had not seen before. He also did not stop to court the daughters of his colleagues and friends. Some colleagues and friends would have loved to beat him up on one silent night and leave him hanging in a tree, or plunge him into a pool. Others told each other amid tooth biting, that they wished the good old times of duels would come back. The times when one could get rid of such terrible characters who could not control their erotic fantasies and always immediately had to paw like rutting animals when women appeared. Bruno’s wife Alicia was an absolute beauty. Her parents had emigrated from Portugal. Already in ancient times, this is well known, many blue blooded Spaniards fell in love with Portuguese women and one can read in various history books about the immaculate beauty of those women. Her impeccable skin seemed like ebony. She had long, wonderful black hair and had large dark eyes in a well-formed face with a touch of melancholy. Her movements were graceful and she was very well educated. Alicia was indeed a beauty with the soul of an angel. She was the dream for every man. Talented in all the household duties that she fulfilled perfectly and with a certain pride, but she was also a gifted primary school teacher. Children loved her. And above all, she was a deeply loyal wife. Of course, Alicia did realise and know about the womanizing character and tendencies of her husband. He was hurting her regularly by his permanent and provocative courting actions around other women. But she seemed to endure all this with calmness. Some people could actually not understand her. Almost at every party she was after a few minutes already alone, because her husband disappeared and other guests took care of her. While her husband used to return to her side only shortly before leaving time. Alicia always kept her most charming smile and everybody around adored her. But at the same time they all could not believe that a woman could live with such an evil man who treated his wonderful wife in such a humiliating way. Over the years people came to the conclusion, that she must be kind of a saint! When women asked her for her recipe to be able to endure all of the side steps of her husband, she just smiled. Men adored her but also were a bit jealous that their own wives would not accept it at all, not even a fragment of such a flirting behavior. This Bruno was an unbelievably lucky man – some men seem just to get it all! * * * After a few years Bruno had enough of his adoring wife. He wanted freedom. Total freedom to court all these wonderful women in the world. Without having to carry a wife along to parties and events. Without having to permanently hear the same question: ‘And what will happen when your wife finds out?’ It caused him a permanent pain in his ears and reduced the pleasure of making love with his willing victims. It reduced the quality of his love life. He decided to get rid of his wife. His plan was cruel and simple. He intended to invite her to her beloved Portugal. They would live in a romantic hotel and visit one of her preferred castles. He would write a goodbye letter in her name. They would climb up to a special tower with an integrated, almost hidden small terrace near to the upper level. There he would give her the letter to place it in her bag. She should read it later at night because, as he will say, it is a new proclamation of his love. But in reality he wrote her letter of goodbye to the world. Then he would push her from the tower. A fall that she would never survive. The whole action would then look like a suicide. People would understand it without hesitating, because of his many escapades and bad behavior. And so he would regain his freedom. His world would belong to him, open 24hours a day for his peppery hunting for women. Alas, what a paradise! * * * They arrived late afternoon in the luxury hotel from where one had a splendid view over to the imposing and well-preserved castle erected on originally Moorish walls. After a delicious dinner they went to bed. Bruno hardly closed his eyes. He was so excited about what was going to happen the next day. He looked at her when she was already sleeping with a divine smile on her face. Only for a short moment he felt a portion of guilt. He fought it down immediately. He had the right to do what he planned! It was a wonderful day and after breakfast they walked uphill to the castle. He would have liked to dance and sing, so happy did he feel in view of his forthcoming singleton lifestyle. They walked a while around in the castle, peeping through open gates, doors and windows on various levels. Then he suggested to climb said tower. As always when he proposed something, she agreed, smiling gently. He started to climb the stairs. She followed at a certain distance and seemed to study the structure of the tower and especially the spiral stairs with the interesting marble railing. He arrived at the top floor. One could walk through a tunnel over to a small, romantic corner terrace which was a famous place for princesses in ancient times, as mentioned in historical descriptions of the place. It was a narrow balcony in the form of a triangle. The tunnel led in a curve to the said balcony and therefore it was rather dark inside. For a moment one felt like being in a ghost house. They both had been here several times and he said now over his shoulder to her, before disappearing in the tunnel: ‘I expect you on the balcony with a surprise!’ He stepped out of the tunnel and saw directly in front of him the great gap in the defence wall, a gap between two giant wall teeth. His blood cooked, his heart went wild. This was the place! In a moment it all would be over! He turned around and fixed his eyes full of expectation in the direction of the way out of the dark tunnel, where she would appear in a few seconds. He looked at the stone face above the exit of the tunnel, the giant face of a male creature with wild hair and widely open eyes looking directly into his face, and he felt suddenly a terrible guilt. He got very upset about himself and made ugly grimaces. He fought against himself desperately and stared angrily at the wall. When all of a sudden a tall figure came out of the wall. Or did the figure come out of the tunnel and he could not distinguish things anymore because of his bad conscience and murderous intention? The frightening appearance stood there, had a dark green cloth over the upper part of the body. The face seemed to have a large open mouth with sharp edges like a stovepipe under the cloth. Bruno started to shiver all over his body. Vertigo came over him and he felt sweat dripping down his eyebrows. He saw double and felt threatened to death. There was no way to escape. And then he read what was written on the chest of the monster: ‘Thou shalt not kill!’ This all took his breath away. In a desperate action he moved backwards, lost his balance and plunged with a terrible shriek through the gap in the defence wall of the tower. In his hands he clutched the letter he had written in her name. * * * Alicia stepped out of the tunnel, moved slowly over the terrace to the wall, looked down to the ground and fainted. She fell into the arms of a tall, very handsome man with a huge camera in front of his chest. Voices and shouting could be heard. A group of tourists came through the tunnel and reported that they had seen Bruno standing there and staring at the wall, mumbling and making grimaces towards the huge carving on the wall above the door, then stepping backwards, stumbling and falling off the tower with a piece of paper in his hand. They described him to have been totally disoriented and showing an almost mad expression on his face. The police came and started the necessary investigations. After questioning all of the witnesses they all climbed down the narrow stairs. For the police it was clear after reading the letter Bruno was still holding in his cramped fist, that he actually had planned to murder his wife. Alicia fainted again and a doctor had to take care of her. They carried her to the ambulance car. But after some minutes and drinking a glass of water, she seemed to have fully gained her composure. She asked the police with a fine voice: ‘Do you still need me or can I go back to my hotel?’ The chief investigator offered to accompany her. But then the tall man in green with the camera said: ‘Oh, I will accompany her and help her with all upcoming formalities. I live in the same hotel!’ The chief investigator was pleased about this proposition. Alicia and the man walked along crossing the courtyard of the castle, both with bowed heads and not paying attention to the crowd of people. The man in green held her elbow gently but firmly and guided her along the serpentine path leading down to the small town. Before they reached the main street leading into town, they both turned around and looked up at the castle. And she said to him: ‘You were just brilliant, my love!’ and then asked, still looking at the castle: ‘How did you do it in the end, after all our planning over the past months?’ ‘Well, I just moved up my large T-shirt over my head and at the same time holding the camera in front of my face. It must have looked like a terrible monster stepping out of the tunnel wall. When he read the words ‘Thou shalt not kill’ on my undershirt, he freaked out, stumbled backwards and fell.’ Then they turned around and disappeared into the town. |
Alicia the beauty