~Chapter Ten~
The Morning After
Sunlight crept into the 2-story house. The cheerful brightness made everything inside look shabby. The wallpaper. The carpet. The couch. The still and almost stale air. The woman asleep in the not exactly comfortable bed. And her frizzled hair. Noises from the outside street echoed through the emptiness. Last night's dishes were still in the sink. The woman woke up and stumbled out of bed. She sat down on the toilet with her blue eyes closed. The throbbing ache in her head reminded her of what had happened last night.
Just another meaningless fight. Too much heartbreaks. Too much whiskey. Too much bitterness. Too much cliché. Maybe it was time to get another dog. A calm and playful one. A big and fluffy one. Friendly, and well-trained. A fresh start. Wave bye bye to the sad and hurtful past. She flushed the toilet. She stayed on the toilet. What has happened to her life? Her husband's absence screamed too loud. This was not the way to start a day.
The car stopped right in front of the 2-story house. The man locked the car door and headed for his home. He'd woken up, naked, in Terry's bed. They'd kissed. They'd made love. He hadn't bothered to take a shower. His stomach was empty. His steps were heavy. He was still a bit too drunk. He could still smell Terry. Expensive French perfume and the best pepper vodka. She'd been as good as he remembered. He'd come too early. He closed the front door behind him. Everything looked the same in the living room. The absurdity of life. His betrayal. Stephanie's betrayal. And the child that wasn't his. He turned his head and there was no breakfast on the table. A bird chirped on an outside tree. Suddenly he felt angry. He needed to piss.
He reached the top of the stairs. Stephanie came out of the bathroom. They stared at each other. He thought of his bucket list. All those sex positions, toys, and tricks. All those yelling and fighting and her miscarriages. His flesh and blood. His precious little babies. They hadn't even had the chance to see this world. He tried to smile. He tried to hide his anger. He tried. And he failed. "Cupcake," He leered with all his might, "You look like crap."
She stood there glaring at him. She didn't respond. And the blueness of her eyes made him mad. He took a step closer. He leaned in to make sure she could smell his breath. He grabbed hold of her breast hard enough to leave a bruise as she detected a hint of Terry's perfume. He smiled with all his charm as she paled. He was glad that he was hurting her. All the time she'd been fucking Ranger. "Yeah, I fucked Terry twice—"
Her vision went blank.
Her anger roared.
And then she pushed.
He came tumbling all the way down the stairs.
She stood there, on top of the stairs, shaking, trembling, looking down.
She let out a scream.
The universe shattered into tiny little pieces.
She kept screaming.
He broke his neck.