okay- I redid it and i like it better:) Unhinged Jane threw open the screen door and saw Frankie scraping old paint off of the fence. “I need you to either pay attention to me or run me over with the car! Which do you choose?” She yelled. He paused a moment and chose his words carefully. “My keys are on the counter, which do you want me to choose?” She let the screen door slam behind her as she stomped off towards the bathroom to gather another handful of tissues. She would prefer he run her over with the car but she knew he wouldn’t do it. Jane had quit taking her medication under doctor’s supervision three months ago. She convinced her doctor that she was in a better place now than when she began taking it twenty two years ago and felt she had the tools and stability in her life to give her mind a shot at trying life without chemical assistance. She marched down the hall into her son’s bedroom and halfheartedly knocked on the door while pushing it open. “Max do you have any chocolate in here?” she asked through her tears. Max was busy creating a homemade gift for his girlfriend and the sight of it made her embarrassed to be intruding into his creative haven with her tears and ridiculous requests. This was the second time in two days she had come into his room acting less like a mother and more like an escaped mental patient. Max handed her his chocolate. “Do you need me to leave again?” Max asked. She took the chocolate bar and wandered back down the hallway. She stopped to watch Frankie through the window and her thoughts demanded she replay the events of the previous day: “Please can you leave the house for a while Max? I need to lose my mind on dad and I don’t want you to hear it! Can you just go get a coffee and come back in fifteen minutes?” She said gasping for air. Max replied kindly, “Sure mom, just give me a minute.” Jane stood at the door like a race horse poised for the gate to open, waiting for Max to put on his shoes and leave the house. “Max! Please!” She begged. Frankie stood at the kitchen sink, his back was to her and it infuriated her even more that he had no idea what was coming. She clenched her fists and drew them to her face placing them over her mouth. Her body instinctively took this position as if trying to stop her from what she was about to do. She knew she needed to keep her voice low; Frankie had no tolerance for yelling and would leave the house immediately if she crossed the line. She needed him to stay within the four walls so he could feel the full wrath of what his insensitive act had done to her. She stepped into the light of the kitchen, opened her mouth and engulfed him in flames. Frankie’s initial reaction made his body take a defensive almost superior pose. He listened and watched his wife descend into madness before his very eyes and to his credit seemed to realize that this was a moment for him to choose between defending his innocence or be merciful and dive in to the abyss and save her. He stood stunned as she consumed the room with poison; watched helplessly as she shook and labored for air and words, like a possessed child chained to a post. Jane knew she had stepped away from her sanity but felt as she was watching it all happen from outside her body. She remembered her visit to the doctor’s office three months before and her very sensible speech on all the reasons she was ready to try life without her medication. She remembered these things as she dug her fingernails into her skin wishing they were powerful enough to puncture her veins and send her blood all over the room and put her out of her misery. Frankie approached her and slowly reached his hands toward her as one would do if trying to corner a rabid dog. “I’m sorry, how can I make this better?” He said softly as he put his hands around her waist and drew her to himself. Jane suddenly felt exhausted; she laid her head on Frankie’s shoulder and her body shook from the aftermath of adrenaline. Several moments passed and Jane decided that this would be all she would require of him, and it was over. Frankie stared at the long row of fence. It seemed like he had done this only last month. The years of continual home repair projects were taking their toll and he winced as he bent over to scrape the peeling paint from the fence. Suddenly he heard Jane throw open the screen door and he braced for what was to come. “I need you to either pay attention to me or run over me with the car! Which do you choose?” She yelled. He paused for a moment running the question back over in his mind and was unsure of how to respond. The events of yesterday were still fresh in his thoughts and he decided to go with humor and hope it was enough to calm the brewing storm. “My keys are on the counter, which do you want me to choose?” He said. The screen door slammed and he continued scraping the paint and wondered if he should make further inquiries or let her fend for herself. He chose the stability of the task at hand and kept at his work. Moments later Jane appeared in front of him holding her bundle of tissues. Her face was red and puffy; evidence that she had been crying. Eating a chocolate bar; evidence that she was trying to fend for herself. “What are you eating?” Frankie asked. “Yer momma’s chocolate.” She answered. Frankie felt relieved, humor was a good indicator that the chocolate was doing its job and he could possibly finish the fence without his wife bursting into flames in the front yard. “I think I need to go back on my medicine.” She announced. Frankie continued scraping paint and considered carefully how to respond. If he seemed too happy about the news she might become upset. If he seemed indifferent about the news, she might become upset. He balanced the scraping tool on the edge of the fence and took a step in her direction. She didn’t appear to be getting impatient that he was taking so long to respond, but he knew her well enough to know that he only had a few more seconds before insecurity would get the better of her and she would make an aggressive demand for him to say something. “Are you trying to make me kill myself right here in the front yard!-would you say something please?” Frankie smiled and kissed her on the forehead. Jane knew she needed to accept his gentle offering as his response and move on. “You never said which one you choose; give me attention or run over me with the car?” Frankie stood close to her and looked her in the eyes. She looked weary in a way that made him sorry he wasn’t capable of saying all the words she needed. Jane leaned in closer to him and whispered. “I will give you one chance to say the perfect thing. If you do, you shall have my undying devotion.” Frankie smiled and softly replied, “I would absolutely run you over with the car and never look back.” A smile stretched across Jane’s face and she placed the last square of chocolate bar in Frankie’s mouth. She kissed him on his forehead and held his gaze as she walked back to the house. “You are perfection.” She said, and gently closed the door behind her. (this may or may not be the end.) :)
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 10:15:55 +0000
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