Dream On

Darlene had made sure to get off work early to go to that much needed dentist appointment she had scheduled for twelve. Luckily for her she was out of the dental office within forty-five minutes. She stops by the supermarket and buys all the ingredients for Brian's favorite meal. She would have more than enough time to prepare it.

As she pulls up to the house, she sees Brian's police cruiser in the driveway. How odd! She thinks, Chelsea, his partner always takes the cruiser home. Maybe she was taking a personal day tomorrow and he brought the car home to avoid confusion the following day. Well, she didn’t dwell on it too long. She was hoping to surprise him with the meal but she was quite happy he was home. He had been putting in so many hours at work lately that they didn’t get nearly enough time together.

When she walks in she is once again surprised. There are rose petals littering the floor leading the way into the living room. A mesmerizing jazz number is playing in the back ground. The coffee table has two glasses filled with champagne and a platter of strawberries. The last time they drank champagne was at their wedding. This must be a very special occasion. She didn’t forget their anniversary did she? She did the math in her head. Nope there was still another month until they celebrate their 4 year anniversary.

She begins walking up the stairs once she realizes that he is not on the lower floor. She can’t even imagine what other surprises he has planned for her. She walks into the bedroom which is completely lit by candles. Rose petals are flowering the bed. She can hear bath water running from their master bathroom. She walks in completely captivated, already undressing, ready to join him. As she turns the corner that would lead her to the jetted tub, she stops dead in her tracks. Damn he’s handsome! There he is facing her, his head towards the ceiling with a look of pure ecstasy. He must not have heard her come in. She sits there watching him to enjoy the moment.

Quite suddenly he opens his eyes and looks at her with what can only be described as horror. She smiles back apologetically hoping that the surprise wasn’t completely ruined because she came home early. But then she notices him make a quick motion underwater with his arm. For some reason this motion provokes the worst of feelings in her. She feels as if she can’t breathe, while feeling the exact opposite of what would be butterflies and her heart seems to weigh a thousand pounds. As a confirmation to this terribly unnerving feeling a woman rises out of the tub facing him. You can hear the smirk in her voice as she says, “I don’t know why we waited so long to do this again. Don’t look at me like that. You know I’m the best sex you’ve ever had.” By some unseen signal she suddenly turns around.

It’s Chelsea, his partner. Darlene feels like such a fool. Had she taken the time, she would have noticed the lipstick ring on one of the champagne glasses, the ruffled bed sheets, two police officer uniforms lying on the bathroom floor, the tinge of a perfume scenting the air that did not belong to her. In a desperate motion, she picks up the gun in the nearest holster. The two in the tub are sitting there dumbfounded simply watching. Until she takes the safety off of the gun and points it at them. Suddenly, Brian jumps out of the tub and starts walking towards her with his arms in the air, in surrender. Her finger starts itching towards the trigger. Just then their lives start flashing before her eyes. The first time she say him across the dining hall her freshman year at college, her finally getting up the nerve to ask him out, their first kiss and every other moment that led them to this one.

She hesitates with her finger over the trigger for just a second, in that second of hesitation they must have gotten some advantage she never noticed nor considered. She was suddenly hit HARD in the back of her head. She cries out and looks over to see the culprit, when she notices Brian lying next to her with an apology in his eyes. “I must have been having a bad dream, I’m sorry I hit you babe.” He starts kissing her tears away assuming they were somehow associated with the unconscious hit he gave her. Little did he know that she was simply trying to come to terms with it all being a dream; coming to terms with the fact that she was going to pull the trigger.