SHORT STORY- THE INTERVIEW
A newly wedded young couple had gone for their honeymoon in a fancy restaurant. The room in which they lay was cozy and warm, no doubt its walls were secretly fitted with some insulating material, for the outside temperatures were freezing with the drizzling rain. The white painted ceiling radiated yellow light which brought about the psychological effect of warmth. It was designed with dimly lit diffused ambient lights. A heavy brown leather carpet covered the space around their bed. It was a room worth having a second look at.
The clock on the wall tic-toked gently on the wall as it struck the 9 pm hour. The two lovers laid entangled in the middle of the wide bed. They had fallen for each other since their childhood and they were sharing good memories of their past lives as kids.
“I can’t believe we have come this far my dear,” said the man, whose name was jack.
“you know what they say,” replied Anne, a nice warm grin on her face,” seeing is believing and since you have seen you must believe it.”
Jack chuckled heartily and squeezed her to his broad hairy chest. He gave her a peck on the forehead.
“I will always be by your side honey, in times of sorrow and good times,” jack promised. “wherever you go I will be with you and wherever you will stay I will stay. regardless of how far you will be from me, a part of you will always be with me.” He was quoting a verse he had once read…I mean heard from someone he could not recall.
His voice was reduced into a near whisper as he poured out his feelings to his wife. The words were so charming that they sank smoothly and easily into Anne’s heart like a hot knife cutting through butter. Overwhelmed with love, Anne also made her promise to her husband.
“I promise to love you and keep you by my side forever. Only death and God forbid, shall separate me from you”
Five months later.
Anne woke up to a sudden unexpected call. The sound of her phone ringing the song ‘murder she wrote’ by shaggy disturbed the silent morning atmosphere. she could not remember having set that song as her ringing tone. They were now living in their three-bedroomed mansions in a wealthy neighborhood. It was about five in the morning when she received the call. She kept wondering what sort of emergency would have sent someone arousing her so unceremoniously from her peaceful deep slumber as she scrolled her towards the receive icon. Squinting her eyes under the bright illuminated screen, she pressed the phone to her ear.
“Yes hello… who’s this please…oh Mary! How have you been?” she was now seated across the edge of her bed, legs gently rubbing the warm carpet underneath her feet. Besides her, Jack was in a deep slumber and snoring softly. He was unaware that her wife was awake. Anne knew that he was a deep sleeper and even her conversation on the phone barely penetrated his ears
“Really…?” she continued. “yes, I will take it… I am very grateful Mary… thank you so much for the offer… I’ll be there by seven. Bye and have a nice day too.” She hung up.
Her eyes had become fully awake and gleamed in the early morning light. She was very excited about the news she had received and wanted to keep it until later to break it to her husband when he would be fully awake. She rose slowly and tiptoed to the shower on the soft warm timber parquet floor finish. Jack stirred up a little and his snoring seized.
Minutes later, Anne was in her closet picking her favorite dress, specifically kept for such important occasions. It was a nice fitting grey dress with nicely designed black strips crossing at the waist. She dressed elegantly, did her makeup, and before she could wake Jack up, the doorbell to her front door rung. She wondered who could be knocking at such hours of the morning as she descended the stairs. Peeping through the door hole she was shocked to see, in a fisheye panorama view, her previous caller standing at the threshold. She opened the door and warmly embraced her dear high school friend, though somehow bewildered by her unexpected presence.
Mary quickly explained to her that the job offer she had told her on the phone was going to attract very many people. She explained that she wanted her, Anne, to get it so she had come to pick her so that Anne could be among the few early arrivals, a strategy that would send her potential employer to be pleased with her enthusiasm and probably give it to her.
It was five minutes to six and therefore, Anne rushed to her room and picked her purse. She promised to call her husband later when he would be awake and explain her mysterious disappearance. he was supposed to go to work at 9 am and still had a couple of hours to sleep, so she found it better to let him rest. Down the lounge, she followed Mary to her Mercedes and they sped off.
Two hours later, jack’s alarm clock went off. He was shocked by the elongated ring since her wife always switched it off before it rang farther. Rising from his bed, he realized Mary was not in the bed. This however did not bother him since he assumed perhaps she was in the bathroom for a short call. He stretched his cramped muscles and heard his bones crack under the stretch. Staggering across the room, he walked to the bathroom to take a shower.
Moments later he came back and was starting to suspect that her wife was not in the house, for the level of quietness was abnormal.
“honey.” He called out. Silence. He walked to the balcony overlooking the lounge and visually searched the entire space. Nothing. The kitchen rang the same results, and so was the dining area. His mind had started to take over and do its usual thing…overthink.
“no. it cannot be,” he shook his head at the preposterous thoughts and suggestions flocking his mind. Could Anne do that to him? Why would she? Had he not always been a good husband? Had he not always been faithful to her?
He was startled and brought back to reality by the sudden ring of the house phone. He picked it up and heard his wife’s voice from the other side. Why was she calling via the house phone? He did not know what to answer for he was deeply enraged by her actions. How could she?
“Morning honey, I hope you are awake now,” she said…happily? Jack could not understand her actions. Her voice was charming and full of life. “I got called for a job interview and had no chance to break it to you before I left. I was informed and picked by my friend. I am at the office now waiting to be interviewed.”
Jack was confused. He did not know whether to scold her or congratulate her. picked by a friend? What friend? Unexpected job interview? So, this is her plan to try and hide her unfaithful acts? jack pretended that he was glad for her and that he was looking forward to her getting the job. His feigned happiness did no good. He was terrible at lying. Anne was taken aback by her husband’s rather unhappy response and even more shocked when he hung up on her while she was in the midst of a sentence.
Jack was fully convinced that Anne had cheated on him and was trying to cover it up by pretending to be in a job interview. If she was being frank, why had she not told him the night before that she would be going for an interview? Could someone be called for an abrupt job interview? The more he questioned the awkward scenario, the more convinced he became that she had done it. He decided that the only way he could believe her story was if she comes home with a letter showing that she had been given the job.
He prepared himself and drove off to his workplace. That day he spent the entire day uneasy and angry. He kept rupturing his moody situation to his colleagues who kept wondering what had gotten into him.
When he got home later on that day, he was met by an unusually quiet wife. Instead of meeting him at the doorstep like she usually did, she simply sat on the soft leather sofa, hands crossed on her chest. She barely looked at him. Her watery red eyes were fixed on the television, which was showing nothing of interest except a long list of credit for an ended movie.
Jack could not understand her. was she nuts? she had cheated on him and as if that was not enough, had refused to talk to him? And why were her eyes clouded with tears? Perhaps she was feeling guilty for her unfaithfulness, jack thought to himself. He tried to sound cool and asked, “how was the interview?”
To his utter disbelief, Anne looked at him scornfully, pain in her eyes, and tears cascading her cheeks.
“It went as you had wished it in your heart. I failed, you monster!” she fired at him. Jack almost collapsed as he flew back at the surprise and unexpected reaction of his wife.
Why was she calling him a monster? And had he wished her to fail? sure he had wished her success in a tone that seemed to portray otherwise, but had he meant it? And Why was she crying? Guilt.
Suddenly jack remembered that the only way he was to prove that his wife had gone for a job interview was if she gets it, and now she was saying she had failed and pretended that she was mad at him?
Before jack could answer her, she stood up and briskly ascended the stairs to their bedroom. Mark was still trying to solve the puzzle of her wife’s weird reactions to what she had done to their perfect marriage when she came back, handheld before her as if she was holding an invisible thread between her thumb and index fingers.
“Is this what you pay me for my faithfulness?”
jack almost swore he was starting to hallucinate. What the hell was she bluffing about?
“What the hell are you talking about!” he hissed in between surges of anger. His muscles flexed, and his heartbeat increased. He could feel heat flowing along his spine.
“Stop pretending you don’t know, you liar!” Anne was screaming now, in between sobs.
“you made me fail my interview by not being happy for me and as if that is not enough you went ahead and cheated on me? Is that the reason why you hung the phone on me? Huh?”
Jack felt his head reel and his vision blur. What was this woman up to?
“cheated on you? Are you trying to accuse me of your evil deeds Anne? You are the one who has broken my heart by lying that you were called for an interview just to cover for your actions! You think I don’t know?”
Jack could now see that she was holding a thin strand of hair before him.
“what!” exclaimed Anne, her eyes burning with fury. “I was picked up by Mary and if you think I was cheating you can call and confirm from her.”
“yes, I will” jack answered sarcastically.
“whose hair is this? Who was with you here when I left jack? Tell me who is she!” Anne was screaming at the top of her lungs. The situation was confusing.
“who are you talking about?” jack asked with pain in his voice. The bizarre question hurt him
“stop it jack. Your pretense will not save you in this situation. I have the evidence in my hand. I found this on our bed jack. We all know that my hair is black. Now tell who this brown-haired woman is! Is she better than me jack? Come on answer me! You think you are a man huh?”
What was this? Jack had come here to get answers from his cheating wife and instead he was the one being compelled to give answers and being accused of cheating?
“I haven’t cheated on you! Can’t you see I just walked in from…”
“from escorting her back to her home.” Anne interrupted rudely.
Jack eyed her for a long time, his mouth frothing with mounting anger. He was trembling like a kid who had been found stealing his father’s money. He stood rooted at the same spot, his crimson eyes fixed on his once gentle and loving wife. After what seemed to have been ages, he gave a cold, final warning to his wife, which sounded nothing more than a whisper.
“if you dare accuse me again of your adulterous actions, I swear I will skin you alive. I will smack the hell out of…”
“try it you coward! Do you think I’m afraid of you? What will you do your thankless son of a…” before she could finish, a hot heavy slap whipped across her cheeks? She fell back and staggered a few steps before gaining her balance. She touched the hot spot which was beginning to swell and gradually raised her gaze at jack.
“you slapped me? You mean you slapped me!” she screamed and flew at her husband with a mighty, rather unwomanly blow. Jack felt his nose go numb as a warm red liquid flowed out. He hit the chair beside him which helped him regain his consciousness.
However, before he could strike again, Anne was all over him, screaming and throwing her fists at him like a madwoman. Jack stumbled on the leg of the table and landed on the thick carpet. Anne gave him no break. She landed on him as he fell and hit his mouth with the television remote. She was throwing anything she could find at him. Jack could not take it anymore. He rose suddenly and threw a heavy blow at his screaming wife. It missed her with only inches to her right ear.
Anne ran to the kitchen or retreated as jack thought. He could not let her run away after what she had done to him. He ran after him. Passing by a mirror installed on the hallway leading to the kitchen, jack saw his reflection. A bloody broken nose and a badly swollen mouth were enough to tell him that his manhood was no more. He dashed to the kitchen; fist firmly clenched.
He halted at the kitchen door. On the other side of the kitchen stood Anne, a sharp shiny steel knife held in her hand.
“take one step and watch your soul leave you.” She hissed. Her usually sweet seducing voice was turned into nothing more than a rough life-threatening roar.
Jack was boiling with anger. he took two courageous steps towards her, like a cat ready to pounce on its prey.
“you wouldn’t dare,” he said. Anne held the knife tighter, ready to strike.
They moved in circles, each eyeing at his or her enemy, once a lover. Jack saw that he was standing next to the kitchen switch and quickly made a calculated move. Without warning, he switched it off and the kitchen went dark. He pounced on his confused wife with a mighty leap. The knife flew from her hands and landed on the terrazzo tiled floor as she struggled with the strong grip on her neck. Jack held on firmly, choking her. her lungs burned for air. She instinctively threw her legs and arms at him, but the man’s grip held on. They fought in the dark kitchen. With her body starting to give in, she slowly dropped her hands. Her legs felt feeble and her knees buckled. While dropping her arms, her right hand touched on the knife she had dropped. With one last move, she picked it and directed it into Jack’s left lung. The darkness had made him unable to see her pick the knife.
They both collapsed on the cold floor. Jack wriggled in pain as blood oozed from his freshly cut woodlands lifeless body lay beside him. She still retained her gracious figure even in her death. He could not believe what had happened as reason returned to his mind. He had murdered his wife! Sharp pain brought him back to his misery. He crawled toward the kitchen door. He needed a phone. Wait, to call the police and tell them he had killed his wife? No. he retreated at this thought. If he called the ambulance or the police it only meant he was going to jail. He writhed in pain on the floor like a salted earthworm. A pool of blood flowed viscously along the edges of the tiles on the floor. He watched the dark shadows of utensils hanging on the walls, some assuming humanoid silhouette. Or were they humanly shadows? He thought he saw one of the shadows move. he looked at the ceiling and saw beautiful butterflies. They flew past his eyes. A white light appeared and he saw Anne and him, still young, playing by the flowers, chasing the butterflies. They were so young and energetic. Suddenly, they transformed into two young adults. He could see her smiling at him. It was a sight to behold. It was like the future held something good for them, something mysteriously good but they had to live till the time when it would reveal to them…the future. His wife’s promise reverberated one more time in his mind. Till death do us part. His vision became even more blurry. It was time to let go. just a few meters from where the two lifeless bodies lay, the clock in the living room struck the 9 pm hour.