This is BTB, not a wank story. If that is what you're after you may wish to come back at a different time. THIS STORY IS FICTION: Any similarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidental.
Sex, Lies, and Video Tape.
A short story by R.C.PeterGabriel. All rights reserved.
I tried to stifle a yawn as my coffee failed to give me the boost I was looking for. Not really its fault, I've been up for almost a day. After working, I took the redeye from Seattle to Miami with a layover in Chicago and Atlanta. If that's not bad enough, I have a return flight in just over three hours. I'm hoping to get some sleep on the way back. But, being as tired as I am, I doubt that will be an issue.
Why did I fly across the country, just to stand in a line and then fly back? I had to, so that my brother's lawyer would hand me my check. We've all been waiting over an hour, even though we had all requested to have our court-mandated restitution checks mailed to us. But, like everything else my brother has ever done, he was making it as difficult as possible for everyone else. What legal loophole they used to keep the courts from distributing the money was beyond me.
To put it bluntly, my brother is manipulative, and ... evil. A cruel, vile, putrid example of humanity. A narcissistic sociopath with tendencies toward sadistic expressions. No those aren't his actual diagnoses. Those are my opinions. He truly believes that he's entitled to whatever he wants and will endeavor to harm anyone in his way. Oh, he can act as if he feels things like sympathy, kindness, and remorse, but he's pathologically incapable. And just because he can, he pays his scum-sucking lawyers extra for them to act the same way he would. Yes, even they need a financial incentive to act as inhumanely as he likes.
On a good note, I guess this line marks the end of his lawyer's retainer as well. What a shame.
I'm really, really tired so if you didn't catch the fact that "What a shame" was spoken in sarcasm, then well, I can't help you.
Fortunately for the world, my brother DJ, believed himself more intelligent than most court-appointed psychologists. Having practiced deception from the moment he began forming words, he arrogantly proved his cold lucidity to the authorities. If he had been wiser, he would have shown himself to be a total loon, but 'pride goeth before the fall'.
Even now, he denies any wrongdoing as he stares at the pale pink walls of his 7-foot by 10-foot windowless concrete home. A home, that everyone in this line hopes he never leaves under his own power. Feet first would be our preference. But, if he ever manages to get out of prison, it will be a given that he immediately sets out to harm someone for his gain.
For years now he's used social media and sycophantic followers to push a thousand lies on the jury pool. Unlike others that have used the tactic, it didn't work as well for him. He's even been found in contempt in not one but three of his trials. Three you ask? Let's just say he's found enough people to con into paying for his appeals. That's probably the only reason I'm getting a check at all, but that's a different issue.
Why was he found in contempt? Oh, nothing as mundane as refusing to keep quiet during the proceedings. True to his typical bully persona, he claimed the judge and other court personnel lied, had their own agenda, or were too stupid to deserve the jobs they held. He even started unsuccessful recall campaigns against two of the judges.
Of course, he believed he had a right to free speech, but that right apparently only pertains to him. As proof that he feels he's above everyone else, he tried suing every person who testified against him including the prosecutor. A total waste of money but when you're getting your fees donated, why would anyone expect him to care?
Whenever a news camera or an opportunity to post on Twitter or X as it's called now, came up, he would jump at the chance to blame someone else. "I'm the victim. I never did anything to anyone that didn't want it done. The evidence is all fake, manufactured by corrupt cops and cuckolds that paid me to fulfill their wive's hidden desires." He even tried the new go-to defense of "All those images are A.I. generated". And my favorite one of all, "My brother must have gotten a used condom from my house and planted my DNA." As if I'd ever set foot in his house. Ummmm... let's call that a no.
No one seems to notice the contradicting implications of one statement he makes to the next, at least outside of court. I have no idea why anyone believes a word he says, but admittedly, I have a few more facts than his Twitter followers. And everyone knows that if it's posted online it has to be true. Right?
I'm just glad that I'll finally be able to put him behind me once I get my check. Who knew that it would only take me thirty-three years, seeing him sentenced to prison, and a class action lawsuit for that to happen?
Will I enjoy spending my winnings? Not really. More than I'm getting should have been mine years ago anyway. Yes, the courts forcing his lawyer to liquidate all of his assets and leave him without a penny is somewhat satisfying. But the middle six figures I'll have in a few moments, won't come close to paying me back for the things he's done or the anguish he's caused.
My demon-spawned big brother has done nothing but torment me from the moment of my earliest memory. Everything from putting my toys on a shelf out of my reach to physically assaulting me.
Of course, my parents were completely blind to anything he did to me or anyone else. The numerous black eyes and stolen items were explained away with pathologic proficiency. Even when he broke my collarbone and wrist, pushing me down the stairs. His defense? "I only came running when I heard him screaming that he was hurt. I was in my room until then."
Once we got home from the hospital, I was informed that I would no longer get my allowance because I had supposedly lied about my brother 'again'. Not only that but as soon as I was out of my cast, they spanked me for it! They claimed it was to ensure that I wouldn't lie anymore.
I guess it seemed to work. I learned to keep my mouth shut after that. My parents were proud that they had finally gotten me to stop lying. At the same time, my brother's belief that he could do anything to anyone and get away with it was reinforced. Yay, parenting at its best!
My entire childhood was spent hiding from him, being beaten up, teased, stolen from, or falsely accused by him. I had no intention of seeing any of my family ever again when I deliberately attended college in the opposite corner of the country.
Of course, fate would demand otherwise. At least in my brother's case, anyway.
When my parents died in a plane crash during my sophomore year, I wasn't surprised that the cause was determined to be faulty maintenance. It was well known that one of my brother's friends just happened to be an aircraft mechanic. No, there wasn't evidence that he'd 'worked on' my parent's plane but he did work in the hangar next door.
Did my brother have my parents killed? I'm almost certain of it, but I have no proof. One way or the other, it couldn't have happened to nicer people.
I was disappointed when the insurance and wrongful death settlement went to the estate instead of to my brother and me individually. Why? Because as the oldest, my brother got everything of course. Just one of the many family traditions that I will not be continuing.
Am I bitter? What the fuck do you think? Yes. Although not as much as I used to be. But, I most definitely was until the cops found the smoking gun. After that, it was a massive feeling of "Well it's about fucking time!" However, the relief and gratification took years to fully arrive. Trials, appeals, and lawsuits take time. Not to mention the actual cost. He took things from my wife and me, and a lot of other people, that you simply cannot, in any way, pay back.
What 'smoking gun' or evidence, you might ask? Obviously, the same video evidence he claimed was fake, A.I. generated or planted by myself and all of those corrupt cops that are out to get him. But, once his lawyer realized the prosecution had a slam dunk for a case, instead of taking a plea deal, my brother insisted they go on the offensive. What else would he do? He's never felt the rules applied to him.
His go-to response? Just turn things around and blame his accusers. If you blame your accusers long and loud enough, people start believing that they must be the bad guy and not you ... Right?
He made sure every video had to be shown in open court. Conveniently only having time for the edited versions. It would seem he had the right to have the jury see the evidence against him. I get it, but there is something fucked up about not making exceptions in certain cases.
Anyway, he was hoping the threat of exposing all of our wives to the embarrassment of staring in very graphic sex videos would get them to withdraw the breaking and entering, theft, fraud, wiretapping, kidnapping, administering a drug to aid a felony, sexual assault, and blackmail charges. Quite a list isn't it? And those are only the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
It almost worked. My wife and all but one of the other eleven women were waffling. Which, had us husbands stuck in between being supportive and wanting him thrown into a wood chipper.
Ironically, it was my brother's ego that did him in.