A COUPLE

By

Nugra Gente

 “Will you marry me, Alice?” A boy said while he stood on one of his knees and opened a little box of a ring.

The girl couldn’t hold her tears, “YES! Oh my god I’m the happiest girl on earth!”

They both hugged one another. Flowers grew on their lungs as love was in the air.

A few months later the lovey-dovey couple, Jason and Alice, was married. They held a garden themed ceremony with green spring grasses and pink lilies and roses everywhere.

A year and a half passed, in a cold winter morning a silence broken, Jason yelled at Alice, and either did she. They flamed out arguing over having a baby.

“You are being dramatic, Alice!” Jason screamed his lungs out.

“Am I being dramatic or you’re out of your mind? We cannot have baby, Jason! Our savings aren’t enough to raise a child yet! I don’t want my child to go to public school. Ew!”

“I can have a double job or work overtime!” He continued, “And you can stop buying fancy stuffs, you know?!”

She felt there was an arrow just poked her inside beast, “Now I am to blame?! Oh look at you Saint Jason, going to bar with your friends every night. What is it called again? An alcoholic?”

The fight was going even crazier; they started cursing and swearing. Then Jason left the house and his wife in tears.

A quiet night had come as the girl sat alone at dining table. She stared at her dinner in empty look, even forgot to turn on the light.

Jason opened the front door and quietly stepped inside. He switched on every needed lamp. He saw his wife sitting alone and so silently. He said, “Honey, forgive me, will you?”

The girl finally woke up from her long daydream. She glanced at him, “Let’s talk.”

“I’m sorry for what I said this morning. I really am, Alice.” As he sat on the chair and held his girl’s hand.

She grabbed his hand back and softly said, “I’m sorry too, honey.”

“Thank you.” He smiled.

“Let’s eat.”

Few moments later they both were sleepy and went to the bedroom to have a rest. Jason easily fell asleep but not Alice; she still lied on the bed and blankly gazed at the ceiling. She waited for something, and two hours just gone.

Alice got up, then walked to the dresser looking for something she had hidden. She grabbed its firm handler and stepped back to the bed. Her legs were at ease. Her hands were on the air. At last, without hesitation she swung the baseball bat on her husband face. Braakkk!!! It was really hard the guy lost his life.

The wife took so many tape pieces she had prepared which one side of each attached under her bed. She then hauled her husband dead body and put it into the bathtub. She taped his hands around another at the back and intentionally did the same to his mouth too.

With a happy face she got back to the bedroom and then hit herself with the bat, not quite hard but enough to make her face ugly. By her long sleeves, Alice wiped out the fingerprints on the bat. She then sit on the middle of the bed, calmly tied her legs. Then she continued taping her both hands with a help from her mouth. She put out a plastic and took a really deep breath and put her head inside it. With a little struggle she taped its end on her neck so very tightly so there wouldn’t be even a slight air passed through. The last step, because the girl’s body was elastic, she easily placed her taped hands to her back. She waited her death in piece.

…

“Hey, Sweet Pea.” I walked into her room to find her playing with her dolls. “What are you doing?”

“I’m playing household with my dolls.” She put the girl one on the stuffed bed.

“Oh. Are they Barbie and Ken?”

“They are Alice and Jason.” She replied.

I was a bit passed out for a millisecond like I was just forgetting something. “Why is the guy sleeping in the tub? Are they fighting?”

“No, Dad. They were married but then they died.” Her innocent voice sounded so cute.

“Oh… That is sad…” and I continued, “now you are going to bed, come on.” I tucked her to bed.

As I walked out of her room, she asked, “Daddy, why did mommy hate me and leave us?”

I was quite confused to answer that, but then I answered, “Well… you are a very special child. Not everyone is worthy to have you by their side.” I smiled. “Good night”

“Night, Daddy.”

In the very next morning I woke her up and we both rushed to meet her doctor.

“Have you brushed your teeth?” as I pinched her face.

“Yessss”

“Come on… come on… we gotta hurry to see your doctor.”

She got in the car. I saw her holding the dolls in her arms. “Oh, they comin’?”

“Yes. Of course. They are my besties.”

“Sure.” I fastened her seatbelt.

As some houses passed through, I slowly stopped my car. There were so many people crowding around a green painted house at the corner of the street. I was curious and I cared to ask a woman nearby, “Hey, What happened?”

“A homicide. The police said so.”

My baby girl poked me and asked what happened. I explained in very kid friendly words.

“Who lived here?” I asked again.

“Jason and Alice. A very young couple. Such a miserable ending.”

I checked my watch, “Excuse me, gotta go.”

As I fastened my seatbelt again, I caught a glance my baby girl pulling up both sides of her lips. So did the dolls.

THE END