"Death With A Smile"

"Invalid Item"  by stbnasa

The prompt: Your dreams aren't just your subconscious...

“Death, With A Smile”
Written by Sheree Rabon

”This sure has been a long and very tedious day,” I said to my best friend as I prepared a small dinner for one. I wedged the phone between my ear and shoulder as I cut the fat off of the soon to be tender and succulent rare broiled T-bone steak.

Suddenly, I heard a loud crash behind me, “Clank, clank, BANG!” Had I snapped my head toward the sound any faster or harder, I may have suffered whiplash.

The cordless phone fell next to my feet and the battery and it’s cover slid across my soiled kitchen floor. My eyes continued to the initial noise that caused this commotion. “What the f—? “Dammit!”

I stooped down to retrieve what was left of my phone. I put it back together, clicked the ‘on’ button and to my surprise, there was a dial tone. I placed the phone on the counter just above the mess I’d carelessly caused. Once settled in my kneeling position, I frantically called my friend back in fear that she’d call for back up believing that my ex-boyfriend had intruded, again.

”Hello,” I said nearly breathless, thinking to myself, “I need to stop smoking.”

”Girl, you scared the mess out of me! I didn’t know if I needed to call the police or what! What in the hell happened?”

”I was too lazy to arrange the pots and pans cabinet and all of that shit just came tumbling down and out. I must say; it sure scared the shit out of me. I wasn’t sure if that crazed idiot of an ex was crashing in or what,” I explained, still out of breath as I arranged the pots and pans. I put the phone on ‘speaker’ to take my constricting blouse off while I neatly arranged the cookware and swept broken glass.

”Well, that’s exactly what I was thinking too. Maybe you should move, or at least come and stay over here for a while until this whole situation dies down between you and Ulysses. You know he aint wrapped too damned tight, Ariah.”

”That’s true. I’ll think about it. I just don’t want to infringe. I know how important privacy is. God knows I love mine, even though I get lonely most of the time, the peace and tranquility is priceless.”

I finished sautéing my steak with fresh minced garlic, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I fumbled around on my junky kitchen table to find my headset.

”Hold on a second while I plug this headset in, Celeste.—Ok, I’m back. Whew, that’s much better. I don’t know why I keep forgetting about this wonderful piece of equipment you bought me. Thanks again.”

”Girl, I can’t function without my headset. You’re welcome, again.”

”Okay. You’re right. I will stay over there for a few days until the trial is over and he’s been put away where he belongs. Deal?”

”We’ll have fun. Hell, we’re on the phone 24/7 damned near anyway. May as well be here,” she laughed trying to ease my weary mind.

My sick and horny mind drifted off between her legs momentarily. Images of her pretending not to want me to eat her danced just like she would if she ever admitted wanting to cum from a woman's expertise.

My mind came back to reality:

”I’ll be over after work tomorrow. I’m going to finish up some things around here, eat my dinner, then go to bed.”

”I think you should come now. I am not trying to scare you, but your lover boy has really lost it. Who can say what he’ll do now that he realizes it’s really over?”

”I know, I know,” I sighed deeply. “Well, I will get some clothes together after I eat, then I’ll be on my way.”

”That’s more like it. I’ll see you then,” Celeste said with a sigh of relief.

I finished preparing my dinner, pulled out a TV tray, turned the satellite television on.

“Oh, one of my favorite twisted movies is on! Yippy for pitiful me. I’m surprised that they’re showing a gored movie like this so early in the day,” I thought aloud.

I turned the volume down just in case my deranged ex-lover attempted to intrude again. The last time he was irate when he found that I’d changed the locks. He tried his key, then, with one swift kick, he entered with a fury. I was seven months pregnant. He was three days drunk and angry. Everything happened so fast that day. I honestly cannot remember if he hit my stomach purposely, fell into me or exactly just what happened.

Everything was simply a blur. My family suspected that Ulysses had done this to me. I could not verify that for them or even me. I just recall him kicking the door in. After that, I woke to nurses and doctors and relatives at my bedside. The doctor told me that I’d lost my baby. He asked me what happened. I did not know. I could not answer. I was weak from the hemoraging incurred during the stillbirth.

This particular day was long because I had to go to court to tell them what I could not recall. They believe that I am a victim trying desperately to protect my man. The face of the woman that claims to be his ‘woman’ carrying a child with eyes just like his haunted me. No tears would fall.

I was blank as the woman confessed, under oath, that Ulysses was with her the evening that he broke into our house. The evening our unborn child was cut short his life.

”I’m not going there. I will not think about this one more second, today.”

The television portayed a serial killer as he seduced his next victim in the movie. I decided that I’d finish watching the movie after I’d finished eating instead of gathering clothes. I pulled the covers left on the sofa the night before over me and watched the movie as if I’d never seen it prior. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep. I repositioned my over stuffed body, attempting to wake up.

My subconscious mind intruded, “You know better than to go to sleep after a huge steak, a baked potato with sour cream and a healthy helping of salad with extra ranch. You know better. Now get your fat butt up.” I couldn’t fight the much-needed sleep any longer. I did try despite.

I tumbled unto the floor, ran upstairs to put my jogging clothes on, grabbed my house keys and took off running like a health conscious slightly over-weight thirty year old woman was supposed to do. I ran a total of four miles then came home to a door that had obviously been intruded.

I walked inside calling out the suspected culprit’s name, “Ulysses? Why are you doing this? It’s over! Don’t you fucking understand that? You had your chance and you blew it gambling and hustling and only God knows what else. I keep finding more and more out as this whole thing unfolds! Now get out of my house!”

I walked to the kitchen counter where I kept the automatic 9mm gun I’d purchased the third time my whacked boy toy had lost his mind. I pulled it out of the flour container, then from the plastic zip-lock bag where he would never suspect it to be. I turned the safety in the off position, then headed upstairs where I was sure he was hiding. I was so tired of going through the changes he’d put me through wit all of the women, lies and financial problems.

I kicked my shoes off just before I made my first step up. I heard a noise behind me. Without turning to see who it was, I turned with my finger on the trigger, “POW!” The loud noise rang through my ears and the power of the fired gun knocked me against the wall. I landed on the floor beside my one and only love.

I saw the blood rush out of someplace on his chest. I screamed loud and hard. ”Baby, baby, please, oh please wake up! I’m sorry! Please, Ulysses! Oh, God, what have I done? Please don’t let him be dead, please,” I cried as I tried to find the whole. Just as I opened his shirt, he rose. Blood was pouring from him like a faucet.

“Baby, lie back down. Let me get some help.”

I stood to go to the phone but he pulled me down next to him attempting to speak.

”I have to call for help, baby. Let me go, please?” I cried.

”No. I’ve done enough to you. I deserve this. I killed our baby. I had no right to punch you in the stomach like that. You even almost died. Yet, you forgave me. You gave me so many chances to straighten up. I don’t deserve a woman like you. Let me die. I will never leave you alone as long as I live. You love me too much to leave me alone too. You know it. You know that you’ll eventually let me back in your life to finish destroying you out every single day, Ariah. You don’t deserve it baby. Let me die,” he said through tears as he gasped for air and pulled my face close to his own. I could taste his tears, salty and warm.

”No. I can’t do this. No! Please let me get help! I screamed through blinding tears. He pulled me closer to him.

”If you want to help me, just lay here with me, holding me just this one more time. Let me feel your soft body next to mine. Let me die with a smile on my face.”

His strong arms cradled me in his. I resisted but was too weak with agony. I lay there next to my dying lover. His huge masculine hand caressed my face gently and loving like never before. He tilted my head up to look me in my eyes and said, “Make love to me just one more time, Ariah. Let me feel your soft love rain down on me, please,” he begged.

”You—you want to make love? Like this? Baby, I need you here. We can make it work. You’ll get a real job and do what you’re supposed to do if you just let me—“

He pulled my lips to his and kissed me deeply. I could feel his hands searching for the string of my jogging pants. I could feel the evidence of his arousal on my thigh. I could feel my own secretions sliding creamy puddles down my walls.

“Just one last time, Ariah. Make love to me.. This is a man’s dream that if he has to die, he’d wanna die inside of some of that good stuff.”

I pulled my pants down the rest of the way. I unbuttoned his, then straddled him. Electric currents of lust filled my body. I shivered and moaned as he met my every thrust. Finally, with one swift jolt of pleasure, he smiled then closed his eyes. I lay there on top of him hysterically crying.

"Bam-bam-bam! Open the door right now, who ever is in there!” The voice was familiar. It was not the police. “Wait!”

I got up then looked over at the stairwell where I’d last seen my lover, dead. He was not there. I looked around my den. My uneaten portions of food were still there, the movie was still on and I was still on the sofa. My pillow was soaked with tears as were my eyes. Just as I stood to open the door, Celeste and her brother were opening it with the spare key I’d given her.

”Oh, Ariah! You scared the shit out of me! When you didn’t answer the phone I panicked. But, I’m glad to see that I was wrong, wasn’t I? Why were you screaming? You’ve been crying. Look at you. You’re practically skin and bones. Come on. You’re going with me right this minute. Sweetie, I know how much he hurt you but you must move on. You have to take care of yourself. Look at that plate. You barely ate any of it.”

”I’m okay. Really. I just had this dream. No, more like a nightmare. I killed Ulysses. He had broken in here after I’d gone for a run to work off some of these pounds.”

”Uh, excuse me, Ariah. What pounds?” My friend’s brother, David, interjected the snide remark as I attempted to make some sense of the dream that seemed all too real.

I looked at his tall, thin and puny build then continued to explain.

“We were making love when he died, with a smile on his face. Just the way he always said he wanted to.”

”You know, Ariah, your dreams aren’t just your subconscious,” Celeste said as she looked over her rimless glasses directly into my bloodshot swollen eyes.

End