Mr. Nice Guy

By Larry Couchmanos

A man’s goddaughter is kidnapped from under him and the kidnappers put him through a series of obstacles and trials to get her back forcing him to travel the world in search of retrieving her. While in transit, he engages in political discussions with his fellow travelers. The book will elicit a reaction out of you both viscerally and inte

• Language: English
• Publisher: Go To Publish
• Release date: Apr 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781647490409

Larry Couchmanos

"The author is a fundamentalist Ayn Rand objectivist that was born in the south, grew up in the Midwest and spent his adult life in New York City. He has travelled to 40 countries and writes daily political stories at larrycouchmanos.blogspot.com"

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Mr. Nice Guy

Copyright © 2020 by Larry Couchmanos

ISBN: 978-1-64749-040-9

Thriller/Fiction Action/Adventure

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher or author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within.

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Contents

Chapter 1

Taken

Chapter 2

Lesbian Rapists

Chapter 3

Revenge Is Optimal Justice

Chapter 4

Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat

Chapter 5

Helpless

Chapter 6

Sinister Sisters

Chapter 7

Back Home

Chapter 1

Taken

Larry had graduated college. He applied early decision to NYU and got accepted. As a reward for this, his parents sent him to Greece. Larry is of Greek descent, as both his parents were first-generation Greeks. Larry was lucky enough that going to Greece was a summer tradition since he was eight years old. Now, he was eighteen, so he had been going the last ten years. This trip, however, would be different because it was the first time that he was going by himself. As Larry wasn’t accustomed to planning trips, his trip would force him to do a giant U, as he was going to start his trip in an island an eastern stone’s throw from Turkey named Samos. Then he would go back to Athens then to the southern tip of Greece, where his family was from, only to return back to the island of Hios located so close to Samos that they didn’t feel the need to have a hospital on Hios and, instead, just sent their patients on a boat to Samos.

The reason for going to Samos, however, was a girl that he had grown up with had moved there five years ago. In a world before Facebook and other social media, they were able to keep in touch. The trajectory of his Samiotisa friend Effie was very different from his. Effie was a year younger than Larry, but she had just gotten married. When Larry went to Samos, he met her husband for the first time. They already had a house, and it seemed like they were set up pretty nicely. Her husband was a musician and played in various bars and clubs all over Samos. She was ten years Effie’s senior, but that was also common in Greece. One night, the three of them did something that was very odd for people of their age in Greece—they went home early. Normally in Greece, you sleep from 2:00 to 5:00 a.m. so that you can go out till 6:00 a.m. Dinner is normally at around 11:00 p.m. Larry was sitting on the floor, while Effie and her husband, Stellio, were on the bed watching a movie. Effie and Stellio argued sporadically during the movie, and several times Stellio kicked Effie off this bed. Effie never seemed bothered by it, so Larry said nothing, as he had known her not to be a girl that took any shit from anyone. All he could think watching it, though, was how rough Stellio was with Effie. The second thought on the long boat ride back to Piraeus, the main port of Greece, was why he did nothing to stop it.

Six years after Larry’s trip, Larry’s life had taken yet another turn. He had graduated two years prior, and after some jobs that still required him to need financial assistance from his parents, he finally had a job that would lead for him to pay his own bills. Effie had moved back to Cleveland, Ohio, where she grew up and Larry’s parents still lived. Due to this, it was much easier for Larry and Effie to communicate and see each other, especially since Effie didn’t like being alone. So while her husband was playing gigs and working late nights at weddings or various Greek dances restaurants and churches held, Effie would call Larry to keep her company.

It didn’t take long for Effie to become pregnant when she got to America. Larry went back to Cleveland a few times a year to see his family, as it was only an hour flight from New York and a seven-hour drive. Since Larry drove fast, he normally made it in six and half. As Effie got further and further along in her pregnancy, Larry had gone back to Cleveland for a wedding. He was in the back seat of Stellio and Effie’s car as Stellio was driving and Effie had the front seat. Larry blurted out, Can I baptize the baby?

Effie and Stellio looked at each other but said nothing. Effie turned around and answered, Sure. Larry would have no idea how much this decision would affect him.

The baptism went off without a hitch. Pursuant to Greek tradition, there was a large reception afterward, and everyone, including Larry, danced the night away. At the end, Larry had a goddaughter. Even though at the time his goddaughter cried hysterically throughout the one-hour ceremony, Larry and Dite, his goddaughter, would become very close.

Eight years after Larry baptized Dite, Dite’s life took on a huge transition. Throughout this time, Larry visited Dite often, and the rough husband he saw in Greece was nonexistent. Apparently, it was just a one-time thing. Unfortunately, these late-night gigs and performances Stellio was having had some unscheduled extracurricular activities. Stellio had been cheating on Effie frequently and ended up leaving her for a woman he met whose family owned a venue that he performed at.

Naturally, Effie was extremely distraught in the first couple months, but she filed for divorce when it became evident that he wasn’t coming back. During the divorce proceedings, Stellio often stood up Dite when it was his turn to have her for a weekend. This devastated Dite and forced Effie to try to lobby for full custody. Stellio only came to get Dite when court was imminent, but during the numerous and continuous delays, he was nowhere to be found. When he did show up, he would constantly be on his phone with his new girlfriend and neglect Dite, causing Dite to come back to Effie bawling about how her father loved the new girlfriend more than her.

What Dite was looking for was someone that would make her number one. Effie was unable to do it because she had had another kid five years after Dite, and admitting she loved one daughter over the other was unfair to the youngest. During this time, Larry’s visits became more frequent, and he spoke with Effie every day to help her through the trying time. Larry realized that he was the only one that was in a position to tell Dite that she was his number one without it being a slight to someone else. The first time he said it, Dite’s face lit up, and that was all the justification he needed to remind her frequently that she was his number one. With the absence of a steady father figure, Dite looked to her godfather and one of her uncles who would attend father/daughter events at school or in church.

Dite has just turned ten, and Effie has found a new serious boyfriend who lived at the house. This had been beneficial to everyone involved, as Dite had a positive male role model in the house. Since Larry was a data analyst, he knew all the statistics. People who grow up without a father were five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of school, and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. These statistics had even been corrected for household income, and the results came out similarly. It was due to this that he was thrilled Dite had a father figure living in the house with her mom, as he couldn’t do that from New York and her uncle’s frequent visits weren’t going to be enough. This bore out in school, as her performance increased exponentially with the introduction of Effie’s boyfriend, whom Larry had known longer than he had known Effie. The other benefit to this was that Larry, who was introverted to begin with, got peace of mind not talking to Effie every day.

As Effie and Larry were close friends, they told each other everything. Although Effie didn’t mind this, there were some things Larry just didn’t want to know. There was one secret, however, Effie kept throughout her marriage. One day, while Larry was in Cleveland, Dite was talking about her day in school. Dite mentioned that a boy had hit her at school, and Larry snapped back, You should never talk to that boy again.

"Why, Nouno [the Greek word for godfather]?"

Because boys don’t hit girls.

But Dean [Effie’s new boyfriend] says when boys do that, I should kick them in the balls.

I would agree with that.

But you just said—

Girls can hit boys, Larry interrupted, but boys can’t hit girls. Have you ever seen me hit Mommy?

No.

Have you ever seen Mommy hit me?

Yes.

Have you ever seen Dean hit Mommy?

No.

Did you ever see Daddy hit Mommy?

Yeah, all the time.

Larry was stunned. He glared at Effie, and the look she gave back confirmed that Dite was telling the truth. His voice went from stern to solemn and responded, Well, he shouldn’t have done that. Like I said, boys don’t hit girls.

When Larry talked to Effie later, he got the full details of it. Apparently, that night in Samos wasn’t an anomaly. Stellio just got better at doing it in private and not in public. What unnerved Larry more than anything was that Dite’s tone was very matter-of-fact. She wasn’t bothered or shocked by it. This made him realize it was a regular occurrence. Although he kicked himself for not realizing it and doing something about it when he was eighteen, he focused on the facts. The divorce was finalized, and Stellio was out of her life. He had had another kid with the girl he ran off with and had removed himself from his first family.

Once again, Larry was in Cleveland for a wedding. He arrived the day before the wedding and stayed with his family. The day after the wedding, however, Effie picked him up, and he went to her house to hang out. Larry looked at Dite and asked, Do you want to get gelato?

Larry had studied abroad in Italy for three months in 2004. It ruined ice cream for him, and he had tried many places claiming to have authentic gelato, but shockingly Avon Lake, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland that Effie lived in), was the only place that he thought met the claim. Dite regularly agreed. Effie and Dean were too tired and told Larry to go with Dite. They went and got gelato, and Larry realized that it was only going to whet his appetite, so he decided to go next door to get some ribs. While they were driving, Dite was on her phone, and Larry hadn’t noticed or cared, considering he was driving. He had a bad sense of direction, so his focus was on the GPS.

When Larry was in town, Dite was allowed to watch the same shows that Larry watched. It wasn’t anything on the movie channels, so Larry didn’t think it was inappropriate, but given that he didn’t have children, he wasn’t the best judge of what was appropriate for children and what wasn’t. He especially liked doctor shows but realized that Dite got squeamish during surgery scenes. Larry’s reaction to this was to tell her to close her eyes and he’d tell her when it was over. Effie and Larry had an unspoken agreement when this happened. Dite can watch the shows, but Larry has to answer any questions that arise from them. While at dinner, Dite asked, Hey, Nouno?

Yeah?

Remember that show we were watching?

We watch a lot of shows. You’re going to have to be more specific.

The one about the black kid that was shot by the police.

Yes, I do remember, but keep in mind that the show isn’t a true story.

I know, but when his brother was mad, he said that cops shoot black people all the time. Is that true?

No, it’s not, but people like pretending that it happens more often than it does. Policemen are your friends, they’re there to protect us. If there were no policemen, then society would be really scary, and we would never feel safe no matter where we went.

Why do they say that then?

There are bad people in the world that make a lot of money if black people and white people don’t get along. By telling black people that policemen are there to kill them, black people tend to be a lot more violent and mean toward policemen. As you saw in the show, when the brother started yelling at the policemen and attacking them, did the policemen shoot him for attacking him?

No.

Right, they just restrained him, but they didn’t hurt him because they understood that he was just scared for his brother.

So the policemen understood that he was acting out because he was sad.

Right, but white people are less likely to hit a policeman even when they’re sad. Bottom line is, if you attack a policeman, you shouldn’t be too surprised when they hit back. The thing about policemen though, they don’t believe in fair fights. They deal with the most dangerous people in the world, so they make sure they have a lot of support and back up. If you’re fighting a policeman, you’re probably going to lose because he’s going to get other policemen to help him. This is actually good because if the bad guys beat the policemen, then they start hurting innocent people like you and me.

So policemen do shoot people.

Only when they’ve tried everything else to stop them or if someone points a gun at them. Most policemen never take out their guns, let alone shoot it.

But sometimes it happens.

Yes, and despite everything I just told you, this part is really important.

Okay.

Are you listening? Because your teachers and other people will try to tell you something different, but it’s only because I know the truth and they don’t.

Dite smiled, insinuating that she didn’t really believe this. Okay.

Policemen kill twice as many white people than black people every year.

What? So they do—

You weren’t listening. Almost, if not all, of them deserved it. For every famous black person that was beaten up or killed by policemen, there’s usually a reason behind it. Usually, it’s because they attacked the policeman first. Just remember that if you see a policeman, you always make slow movements. If your hands are in your pockets, take them out slowly. When a policeman sees your hands moving fast, they react, and it may be bad.

I will make sure I move slowly.

Good, and if anyone else tries to tell you that all policemen do is kill black people, ask them for an example.

All right.

They’re going to give you a few names. When they’re done, repeat to them the statistic I just told you, ‘Policemen kill twice as many white people as black people every year.’ Say it back.

Policemen kill twice as many white people as black people every year.

They will try to tell you that there are more white people than black people, so that’s not fair, but I want you to tell them it doesn’t matter. Then I want you to ask them to do something.

What’s that?

Name one white person a policemen killed.

Why?

Because even though twice as many white people are killed than black people, nobody can name the white people. The news only talks about the black people that get killed. It’s because of this that policemen actually hesitate more before shooting a black person than they do a white person.

Thank you for explaining it to me.

I’m not even done. I also want you to tell anyone that tries to tell you that black lives matter that they don’t seem to care that almost all black people that are killed are killed by other black people. Why don’t they care about that? How come they only care if it’s a white person that kills a black person? Then ask them why they don’t care if white people are killed by black people.

So you don’t think black lives matter?

Of course they do! All life matters. The thing is that if you are concerned about black people being killed, why not target the people that kill the most black people by far and away. Why focus on the people that kill only a tiny percentage?

Oh, yeah, I think that makes sense.

Just remember, I’m always here if you have trouble with arguing with anyone. I will always be honest with you.

I do like that you don’t treat me like a baby.

The food arrived, and while eating, Dite said, Nouno, I need to go to the bathroom.

So go.

Dite got up and went to the bathroom, and Larry stayed at the table as he could see the bathroom from where he was sitting. He continued to eat his food. As he took down rib after rib, he looked at his watch and realized that Dite had been in there for ten minutes. He shook his head and thought to himself, What do girls do in the bathroom for so long? He understood when it was more than one because they gossiped, but Dite was by herself. He shrugged it off and continued eating. As twenty minutes went by, he grabbed a napkin and wiped his hands. He took out his cell phone and texted Dite, Are you all right in there? Did you fall in?

He stared at his phone anticipating an annoyed response. Instead a girl sat across from him at the table. Larry asked with a confused tone, Can I help you?

No, but I’m here to help you.

Well, I’m here with my goddaughter, so whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying.

I’m here to enlighten you about something.

What’s that?

You are actually no longer at dinner with your goddaughter.

What the fuck are you talking about? Larry’s voice was getting heated, and he was struggling to keep it in check.

There’s a window in the bathroom. Dite is small enough to fit through. She’s not in there anymore.

Larry pulled out his phone and called Dite. As he did, he heard a ring in the girl’s pocket. The girl took out the phone and put it to her ear. Hello?

Larry heard her voice both from her mouth and through his phone. He hung up and glared at the woman, wondering what would happen if he killed her in the middle of the restaurant. He queried, What the fuck do you want?

Oh, I got your attention now I see.

Not really, Larry said as he got up and walked to the bathroom.

At this point he didn’t care. If liberals can claim that gender bathrooms are hateful, he could just pretend to be a woman for a couple minutes. He pushed open the door to the girls’ bathroom and walked through the bathroom checking the stalls. No sign of Dite. The ones that were occupied he knocked on the door to see if Dite’s voice responded. He yelled out, "

Dite

!"

There was silence, and a girl at the sink turned to him and said, Whoever you’re looking for isn’t in here.

Larry stared at her, confused why she had no reaction to his intrusion. He wondered if she was in on it but decided to go to the one person he knew was in on it. Before he did that, he went to the window and opened it. He confirmed that Dite could easily fit through there. He left the bathroom and sat back down at the table to find the woman still there. He remarked, You’re lucky you’re not a guy.

Why’s that?

My hand would be around your throat demanding you tell me where she is.

Ah yes, the whole you-don’t-hit women thing. I happen to know that you’re full of shit. You grew up here.

I grew up in Lakewood.

Still a western suburb of Cleveland.

Yes, what’s your point?

My point is, people here know you. You can’t escape your past. You were a violent kid.

Yes, I was.

Did you hit women then?

Not really, no. My fights were with guys. The last time I hit a girl was when I was sixteen.

You sure?

Yeah, I mean there was a love tap a couple years ago, but she didn’t care.

Well, we’re going to see just how deep your morality lies.

Where are you going with this? What does this have to do with Dite?

You were a dork as a kid. Kind of weird, right?

Still am.

Well, when we’re done with you, your closest friends are going to hate you. We’ll see just how much you care about Dite. Are you willing to sacrifice all your friends? Face all the demons from your past for one little girl? I mean, the godfather-goddaughter bond isn’t that strong. I mean, when’s the last time you saw your godparents?

I think like ten years ago.

There you go. Sure it’s cute now when they’re young, but when they get big, life gets in the way. You grow apart. The godchild goes their own way, lives their own life, and you do the same. Is it really worth it to sacrifice the people that have been with you since before she was alive just to have your heart broken?

Yes.

We’ll see. Your first mission is that you have to go back to her house and explain to her mother that you lost her kid.

Larry started looking back and forth. If he made a list of things he didn’t want to do, that would be at the top, if not very close. What is this?

Payback for your past sins.

Why can’t you leave Dite out of this? She’s just a ten-year-old girl. She’s innocent. I don’t recognize you. You say you knew me when I was little. Can you tell me what this is about? I can just apologize. You give me back Dite, and everything’s fine.

We’ve never met. The person I work for knows you. It’s not that simple. You have to suffer. You have to face your inner demons. You’ll have to do things that you’re not comfortable doing. If you succeed, you get Dite back.

And if I don’t? What does not succeeding even consist of? Me refusing to do a task?

If you don’t, you will never see Dite again.

I guess you’re saying I have no choice.

On the contrary, that’s the point. You do have a choice. Do you love Dite more than you hate what we’re going to make you do?

How do I know Dite’s okay?

For your first mission, you don’t. Before each task, you will be given proof of life.

And if I’m not convinced?

It’ll be unmistakable.

It better not be a picture of her holding a newspaper or something. That can easily be photoshopped nowadays.

"You’re just going to have to find out. I’m not going around in circles with you. Your first task is simply to go back to where you were staying. Tell Dite’s mom that you lost