Today People

by Barbara G. Tarn

  "You stole him from under their eyes," Debby chuckled.

  "Yeah, well, if looks could kill, I'd be dead!"

  "All those harpies are going to make your life difficult."

  "If Kurt backs me up, I can fight anyone."

  "From the look of it, you two are invincible." Debby smiled fondly at her.

  "Thanks." She pondered. "Would you like to meet Brian?" she asked. "He's very sweet..."

  "Becky, there's only one Kurt and one you, I'm afraid," Debby said. "But thank you for the suggestion."

  "You might find a rich and wonderful husband too." She felt disappointed. She wanted everybody to be as happy as she was.

  "Becky, I already have a boyfriend," Debby reminded her, amused. "He might not be rich, but he loves me, so I don't care."

  "Sorry, I keep forgetting I was the one who didn't believe in love at first sight," she said with a sheepish smile. And now there she was, love-struck and ready to be married to the most wonderful Prince Charming that had ever existed...

  This story was written based on the "prompt" found at page 170 of the paperback of "On Writing" by Stephen King as follows: As I've already pointed out, ESTRANGED HUBBY BEATS UP (or MURDERS) EX-WIFE makes the paper every other week, sad but true. What I want you to do in this exercise is change the sexes of the antagonist and protagonist before beginning to work out the situation in your narrative—make ex-wife the stalker, in other words (perhaps it's a mental institution she's escaped from instead of the city jail), the husband the victim.

  Here's what I came up with.

  Rapture

  Charlie entered the house with a bag of food in one hand and his laptop case in the other. He closed the door with a kick, left the case in the foyer and went to the kitchen. Valerie was at her mother's for the week, but he could manage on his own.

  He didn't remember leaving a glass filled with orange juice on the counter that morning, but as he was thirsty, he drank it all before putting away the food. I'm too methodical, he thought, amused.

  It was too early to make dinner, so he went back to the foyer to get his laptop and check some work. He took off his jacket and tie, feeling dizzy. He shook his head to clear his mind, panting for breath. He had no chest pains, so probably it wasn't a heart attack.

  His legs gave way without warning. He collapsed, dazed. He couldn't talk, only groan. He felt as if he weighted a ton, and his eyes refused to focus – everything was lost in a haze, including his mind.

  Someone leaned over him, helped him to his feet, and dragged him outside. He tried to protest, to get back in control. He found himself in a car, stunned and confused. He couldn't focus on the person on the driver's seat, nor make sense of the spoken words. He could tell it was a woman and she had a familiar smell. He sank into oblivion.

  ***

  Mary Ellen followed Charlie with her eyes as he got out of his car and walked into the house. She quickly went around the building and glanced inside through the kitchen window. She saw him drink the orange juice and smiled triumphantly.

  When he went to the other room, she forced the back-door open again, and slid inside the house. She saw him collapse and then grope blindly.

  "It's all right," she told him, helping him up. "I'm taking you home. Don't worry, Charlie."

  She pulled him to his feet and struggled to hold him up. Then she towed him to the car and he slumped on the passenger's seat.

  A neighbor passed by, walking his dog. "Everything all right?"

  "Not sure, I'm taking him to the hospital," she answered, closing the passenger's door and rushing to the driver's side.

  The other nodded and kept going. Mary Ellen started the car with a sense of accomplishment. She glanced at Charlie, who looked passed out. Stopping at a crossing, she caressed his clean-shaven cheek.

  "I missed you, honey." She sighed, satisfied. "Welcome back."

  After parking the car in front of the house, she managed to awaken him enough to drag him to the bedroom. Again he crumbled, this time onto the bed, panting and moaning.

  "I know, I know, it's all right," she told him soothingly, unbuttoning his shirt. She caressed his hairless chest, excited. She took off his pants and quickly finished undressing him. He was knocked out by the drug, but still hard. Better take advantage of the situation.

  She used his body, thinking soon his mind would be hers again.

  "Because you're mine, my gorgeous husband," she whispered, holding him tight. "This body belongs to me."

  She squeezed his torso, ignoring his total lack of reaction.

  ***

  Charlie woke up weak and disoriented. He recognized the bedroom, but couldn't get up. What am I doing at Mary Ellen's? he wondered. Naked? he noticed.

  She came into the room and grinned when she saw he was awake.

  "Welcome back, love," she greeted him.

  "Mary, what's going on?" he asked, still dazed.

  "Don't you remember? You called me because you felt sick."

  "No, and I wouldn't have called you anyway."

  "Why not? I'm your wife."

  "Ex-wife. I left this house two years ago, and even if you won't let me divorce you, that doesn't change..."

  She closed his mouth with a long, deep kiss – a violent invasion from her tongue that almost choked him.

  "You're my husband, in front of God and in front of men," she said sternly afterward. "Your body belongs to me, like mine belongs to you."

  Oh, God, she lost it! he thought, worried.

  "Mary," he tried again. "We were kids when we got married. People change..."

  "Nothing can change my love for you," she replied. "You had a crush, but you came back and I forgive you."

  "I didn't come back!" he snapped.

  "You're here with me," she insisted, caressing him like she never had, as if she was taking possession of his body again piece by piece. "I love you. Don't worry, everything will be all right."

  "No!" he screamed, frustrated, trying to push her away – but his body didn't really respond. It felt like she could actually control him.

  She closed his mouth with hers again. Breathless, he thought Mary Ellen had never been this active in bed. Her passion overwhelmed him and he fell asleep, exhausted.

  ***

  When he recovered, she gave him something to eat, then helped him to the bathroom. He was still very weak and had to lean on her. He didn't like her possessive touch, but couldn't really stop her.

  Afterward he slumped on the bed again and noticed his hard-on. She must have put something in the food. She'd never been so hungry for sex – quite the opposite.

  The orgasm brought back the memory of Valerie's face. His new girlfriend smiled mischievously at him. Keeping his eyes closed, he could smell only something familiar.

  "Valerie," he whispered tenderly, relaxing in her arms.

  The slap brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes. Mary Ellen looked furious.

  "You're mine!" she whispered threateningly. "Don't you dare mention that being in my presence ever again, understood?"

  "Whether you like it or not, she's my new partner," he replied. "Even if I can't marry her until you accept the divorce. But we've been together for a year and we need no piece of paper to know we love each other."

  "You're mine!" she repeated, slapping him again, then hitting him on his head and shoulders hysterically. "You're my husband, in front of God and in front of men!"

  Oh God! he thought, protecting himself from the shower of fists and open hands. Mary Ellen wasn't very strong, as long as she didn't use her nails.

  She stopped her harmless beating and went to a drawer, pulling out a large dildo.

  "This was my only partner for the past two years," she said, shivering with anger. "It's your size, by the way. Want to try it?"

  "No," he answered, horrified.

  "If I hear you saying that woman's name once more, I'll shove it up your ass," she continued. "Consider yourself warned."

  He averted his e
yes, speechless. What happened to the shy, devotional girl he had married ten years ago? They had been happy – in a very quiet way. He'd never felt for Mary Ellen the passion he had discovered with Valerie, but that wasn't the reason why he'd left his wife. And now Mary Ellen's new sexual urges were quite scary.

  She put away the dildo and went back to hold him, all sweet again. Had she turned bipolar or what? Such sudden changes in mood were very uncharacteristic of her.

  "When will you leave me alone?" he asked, feeling a lump in his throat.

  "Never," she whispered in his ear, nibbling at his lobe.

  He wondered if he should tell her that Valerie was pregnant and would soon need him, then decided to wait. Mary Ellen might have gone crazy, but maybe he could talk her into letting him go.

  ***

  "Are you putting drugs in my food?" Charlie asked in a rare moment when his mind was clear enough to think.

  Mary Ellen shrugged. "You don't leave me much choice."

  "Mary, our marriage is over and there's nothing you can do about it."

  "I could teach you some good sense and remind you of your duties," she replied coldly. "I should have started years ago."

  "You're out of your mind!" he protested. "Are you aware Valerie is pregnant?"

  The slap on his mouth almost made his lips bleed.

  "I warned you," she whispered with hatred.

  She rushed to get the dildo and was on him before he could gather his wits. The drugs left him weak and whatever she had added to the last meal started having an effect on his body at that moment, reducing him to a lump of limbs anyone could use for pleasure. His voice worked, but tongue and mouth refused to form coherent words, so he could only moan. Dazed as he was, he didn't feel too much pain. She must have given him some Viagra as pain and pleasure mixed. He couldn't focus or feel in this swamp of sensations that felt more and more like a nightmare.

  "You're mine," Mary Ellen repeated over and over. "This body belongs to me."

  He wanted to scream but couldn't. Breathless, he lost consciousness.

  ***

  Mary Ellen stared gloomily at her husband, sprawled on the bed seemingly asleep but with irregular breathing and muffled moans escaping from his lips. Her eyes explored his naked body, capturing every detail, pimple, scar, hair, quiver. Why did she still want him so much? Why was she still so obsessed with him after ten years? And why couldn't he love her back?

  His lips looked dry, so she licked and sucked them. She never got enough of tasting his skin, of listening to his breathing, his voice. But she couldn't allow him to speak at the moment. Charlie would spit out his new personality and utter her dreaded rival's name. And even though he had never hurt anyone, if she allowed him to move freely, he'd leave her.

  "I don't want to lose you," she told him with a lump in her throat, caressing his chest. "I don't want you to have a child with someone else. I don't want you to keep on living without me, because I can't live without you."

  He looked asleep now. She had watched him sleep so often when they were married... At the time she dared not touch him, still incredulous for her luck in finding him. She had lived for him for so long... and had failed to notice he was falling out of love. She hadn't been too good at communicating with him. So when he had moved out and started living on his own, she had thought, he'll be back.

  But he hadn't come back. And then he'd found another woman. He had filed for divorce, and when she had refused to sign, he hadn't insisted. Then she had discovered her rival was pregnant, even if he was still married to her. So she had set up this desperate plan to get back the man she still loved more than life.

  "I'd rather take you to Hell with me than let you go," she whispered, frustrated, while her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Charlie, why must it be so hard?"

  She leaned to kiss his still lips. She sighed and decided to go out. She could let him rest for now.

  ***

  Charlie opened his eyes with great effort. It must be dawn judging by the pearly light coming through the curtains. He felt numb and tried to move his limbs. Thus he discovered he was handcuffed to the bed's headboard.

  So, first he was raped and now restrained? His ex-wife had turned into a dominatrix? Where did that fit in her church's upbringing? Where did she find ideas to humiliate and hurt him like she was doing?

  Mary Ellen seemed to be asleep by his side, but she was backlit and he could barely see her shape. He moved his wrists, trying to free himself, and felt panic rising inside his chest.

  "Your struggle is useless," she said in the half-darkness.

  "Mary Ellen, this game has lasted long enough!" he exploded, trying to control his fear. "Let me go and I won't sue you!"

  "For what?" she asked innocently, switching on the light.

  "Abduction..."

  "Rapture," she corrected. "Word originates from Latin, meaning 'act of carrying off' or 'seizure, rape, kidnapping'. More modern meaning is a sense of spiritual ecstasy. Will you sue me for adoring you?"

  Her face looked angelic. He couldn't believe his ears. Who was this woman who had chained him to the bed to subdue him?

  "I didn't know you were such a psycho," he said sourly. "Now I know I married a weirdo."

  "Not at all." She cooed, embracing him and putting her cheek on his shoulder. "It's just that your meek Mary Ellen has decided to fight to keep what she earned with great effort."

  "You can't keep someone against their will."

  "As you can see, yes, I can," she replied, caressing his wrist under the handcuff.

  "Mary, this is ridiculous!" he protested, exasperated.

  "You've become cruel and cynical," she said, frowning. "Once upon a time you weren't so scornful of other's feelings."

  "I'm not cruel or cynical, but in love with someone else." He tried to be patient. "And I didn't leave you for her, I didn't have anyone in my heart when I left."

  "I know, that's why I let you go. I thought you needed time and my presence was a disturbance for you – you had career choices to make. I thought you'd come back when you made up your mind."

  "I thought I'd made it pretty clear that our marriage was over and I couldn't continue it."

  "You were tired, in fact it took you a year to file for divorce."

  "I wanted to be free to meet other women. Mary, we grew up together, but we grew up differently. I haven't become the one you think or hope for, and you're not what I need anymore. It's life and you must accept it."

  "I believe marriage is forever."

  "I know, that's why we had a religious wedding. But I changed, and I need something you cannot give me!"

  "Ask! What do you want, a child? Ten children? Ask, I'll give you anything you want."

  "I want the freedom to start my own family with someone else."

  "I'm your family," she retorted. "And since I stopped the pill when you left, you'll soon have a child to keep you busy."

  "God... no! It's not what I want, don't you understand?"

  "I did what you wanted for years. Now it's time you do something for me."

  She took off her nightgown and started kissing and touching him with frenzied passion.

  "Mary..." he began.

  "Oh, shut up." She closed his mouth with hers, arousing him with her hands and body. Charlie struggled against the restraints, then surrendered. He felt like crying.

  ***

  "How come you're dressing me up?" Charlie asked, surprised, when Mary Ellen pulled him into a seated position on the bed and freed his other wrist. She had filled him with sedatives so he didn't have much physical strength left.

  "Mom is visiting," she answered, putting his shirt on him and buttoning it with extreme care, like a mother with a child. "You know how she is – she needs to check on me from time to time."

  "What have you been telling her for the past two years?" he asked as she pushed him down again to slid on his underwear and pants.

  "That you were away for work." She shrugged. She finished dressing h
im and leaned over his face. "But this time you're in," she whispered before giving him a quick kiss.

  "Right," he grumbled, massaging his wrists, bruised by the handcuffs. She buttoned the cuffs and helped him to his feet.

  "Let's go downstairs," she said. "You better watch what you say."

  He leaned on her. His mind seemed clear, but his body felt like jelly.

  "Everything is fine between us," she continued as they slowly progressed down the stairs. "And she'll be happy to hear she'll have a grand-child soon, so she won't bother you too much."

  She helped him to the couch, where he slumped, breathless.

  "Mary, you know this farce can't last forever, don't you?" he said as she fixed his shirt collar and his hair – again, like a mother with a child. She had even shaved and washed him, but he felt dirty inside with all the drugs she was feeding him against his will. He had tried to refuse to eat or drink, but it had been even worse. Mary Ellen had revealed herself to be a merciless sadist who could really scare him into submission.

  "Your Valerie came looking for you, but I told her I hadn't seen you," she replied. "She's convinced you abandoned her, like you abandoned me."

  Charlie gritted his teeth, but his fist didn't have the strength to rise and hit his ex-wife.

  "You'll go to Hell, Mary Ellen," he muttered, furious.

  "Probably." She smiled pleasantly. "But I'll take you with me."

  He stared at her, incredulous and horrified. She couldn't be serious. She couldn't be thinking of killing him and then committing suicide when the world found out what she had done.

  "And to be perfectly clear," she continued, sitting next to him on the couch. "First I'll send your Valerie there. Be nice today, or tomorrow I'll go to your house and poison her food and drinks."

  "You can't!"

  "I've already broken in once, I can do it again," she reminded him. "I'll enter your beautiful kitchen and put arsenic on everything I can find! I'll kill her and show you the news and only you will know it was me..."

  "No!" he screamed.

  He never understood where he found the strength to command his unresponsive body. His mind was blurred by the terror of what the crazy woman could do to Valerie.