Denver Ricardo

Chapter 3 : Denver Ricardo

Danny knew things would have been different if he was rich, but being poor and without money. It's all these people cares about. His body shook with anger and despair. He walk to the bar just outside of town. The money still clamped in his hand. His mind kept replaying what had happened to him. As he enters the bar, a couple of lifers looked curiously at him. He sits down at the nearest chair.

“What can I get you?” the bartender stood in front of him. “What happened to your face?”

“A bitch,” he suddenly snarl smacking the money on the counter.

“Mild…hard…harsh…” the big man asks.

“Huh,” Danny looked openly confused.

“I got you, dude.”

Danny watch him place a Beer in front of him. The door opened behind him. The rowdy footballers enter. He reached for his bottle of beer and took a giant swallow. He instantly chokes making the men close to him laughed softly.

“Buy us a brandy and talk to us, boy.”

The two men comes and sits down on both sides of him. He shrugs his shoulders before placing the order. Again; reaching for his beer. Using the mirror behind the counter he watched the footballers, a grim look on his face.

“I take it they confused your face for a ball.” Guy on the left asks.

“You can say that.” Danny admits.

“I assume there were a girl involved?” Guy on the right asks reaching for his brandy. He eagerly swallows the content.

“You can say that,” Danny kept answering in a monologue. He nods to the bartender for another round for the men beside him.

“Talk to us. We can see this beast is eating you from the inside.” Guy number two said.

Danny drinks from his bottle again. No drinker he can feel the instant effects on his senses. With his fingers around the bottle he looked at both men. “I might insult you,” he observed.

“Doesn’t matter. Buy another round and all is forgiven.” Guy two said eagerly.

“Lisa…her name. She is gorgeous.” He took another swallow from his bottle. “Just found out I am the biggest loser and fool in town.” He said with a nasty twist around his lips.

“Are you going to take revenge?” Guy, one asks curiously.

“How?”

“Your Lisa belongs to the footballers, right.”

“Yes,” Danny looked curiously at the older man. He seemed to have knowledge.

“Happened to both of us,” Guy one said. “The mistake we made was looking into the bottle too deep.”

“I can’t compete with them in sports. I am not build that way. Besides, I am poor with no future.”

“There is always a way.”

Danny said nothing just broodingly looked at the bottle of beer. “Somehow…I will make them all pay.”

“That’s the spirit.” Both men clapped him on the shoulder.

The cell phone ringing in his pocket. He slowly realized he had been there much longer then he realized.

“Hello…” he said with a slur.

“Denver…” the voice sound harsh on speaker.

“Yes sir.”

“Come to the house. We need to talk.” Daniel Ricardo orders.

“Yes sir. The…loser is…coming,” he said burping.

“Denver…get into a taxi. I will pay.”

“I can do my own paying.” He said slurring before putting the phone back in his pocket. He removed the money he earned and throws it onto the counter. Getting onto his feet he staggered to the door. The two men and bartender watch him leave.

Danny climbed from the taxi. He stood looking at the house where he had grown up in. He watched the front door open. Taking a deep breath, he slowly staggered forward. As he steps past his father he just wanted to go to his room.

“What happened, Denver?”

“Do you really care?” he asks sullenly.

“Denver…” he growls.

“Lisa played me for a fool. I am poor and stupid.” He starts to walk towards his room.

“Denver…I need to tell you something.”

“Tell me tomorrow.”

“No…you must know tonight. You have come of age. It’s time that you know the truth.”

“I already know the truth, Dad. We are poor and I will never amount to anything more then what I already am…a loser.”

“Denver Ricardo…you are no loser. Son; we are in truth very wealthy.”

Danny looked at his father shaking his head. “Stop daydreaming Dad.”

“I can prove this, son.”

“You know Dad, I could use 100 billion dollars as an allowance. But that’s not going to happen. I am going to bed.”

Danny dropped full length onto his bed. He was sound asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. In his dreams he could still hear Lisa laughing at him calling him names. He rolled onto his side feeling the pain in his chest.

“Bitch,” he whispered.

The cell phone beside him alerted a message. Reaching for it he found photos of him being beaten and humiliated. He lifted his hand and throws the phone away. The beeping suggested there was more messages.

“Bloody hell, I have gotten the message.” He punches his pillow. The noises keep coming from the corner where the phone had landed. He placed the pillow on his head and forced himself to sleep.

The insistent ringing of the cell phone woke him the next morning. The moment his eyes opened it felt like needles sticks right into his head that was throbbing like crazy. The taste in his mouth made him realized he will never drink again. His own breath also stinks.

“Hell no,” he rolls onto his side before moving into a sitting position. The world was spinning and still the phone keeps ringing.

“What the hell do you want?” he growls into the phone he finally managed to picked from the floor.

“Starting the day on a lousy note.” The voice grumbles.

“Who the devil are you?” he grumbles back.

“You know for someone who insisted on having an allowance of 100 billion dollars, you sure know how to use it effectively.

“What…what are you talking about?” Danny slowly recalls he made such a remark to his father.

“Did you even look at your phone fool?” the voice snaps sounding a bit familiar.

Danny removed the phone from his ear and start checking the messages. Apart from the photos still circling around…he finally found the message reading 100 billion dollars credit to his account.

“Who are you?” he finally asks. The hang over heavy but the fussiness was quickly clearing.

“I am Denver Petro Ricardo, senior. I am your grandfather. Get yourself from that bloody bed and come to the living room. We are waiting for you.” The call suddenly dead.

Danny jumped from the bed. He rushed to the door. He fumbles a moment trying to open it. Once in the hall he quickly went to the living room. He stops in his tracks when he saw an older version of himself and his father.

“Ricardo men never conduct themselves as drunkards,”

“Father…easy, the boy had to learn the tricks of beautiful girls. Danny, take the pain killers and water. There is also a strong cup of coffee. It will help for the negative effects.”

Danny stood looking at both older men. He was hearing their words but was slow in understanding.

“What’s going on here?”

“You, are Denver Petro Ricardo, my name sake. I am your grandfather. Daniel, is my son. We are the powerful Ricardo men. We own the whole town. That include that fools from the football team. You ready to take your revenge for what happened yesterday?” Ricardo senior asks. "There is much more to you then what you currently knows. You are not ordinary."

"What do you mean?"

"I want you to discover your own truth. Never let them see you come. Strike your blows." The Ricardo men looked at each other.