Michael kept his head down, staring at the living room floor, choosing to remain quiet. He was at a loss for words as well, feeling just as embarrassed as Rosalie and feeling quite bad for Franco. Rosalie and Michael did not want to hurt Franco by revealing their true connection. Not now, not today; so Rosalie shifted the focus back to Millie.
Rosalie gently placed her hand on Maria’s lap and told her that she fully understood why Maria would want to stop Millie from interfering with her plan. She told Maria that she agreed that Maria and Franco should be together and that things are the way they should be right now. To gain Maria’s confidence further, Rosalie gave Maria her blessing and wished she and Franco a long, happy life together because she could see how much in love Maria is with Franco and he with her. Maria placed her hand on top of Rosalie’s and simply said, “Thank you Rosalie. I am so happy you feel that way. I love you. You’re my best friend Rosalie. When Franco and I set a date, we’d like you to be our Maid of Honor. We’re going to be married. Is that okay with you Rosalie?” Rosalie, feigning excitement, replied that she’d be honored to do that. Maria then reached out and threw her arms around Rosalie and gave her a great big hug. Rosalie hesitantly hugged her back while fighting hard to keep things together. She had to, in order to keep Maria’s trust and hear Maria’s confession on what she did to Millie. Franco sat stunned as he listened to Maria and Rosalie converse. As Maria blew a kiss up to Franco, Rosalie caught his eye. She motioned to him with a look Franco recognized, that he should just continue to play along. Franco, although disgusted and sickened by this entire scenario, willingly played along to keep Maria placated.
…Rosalie soon brought the subject back to where it needed to be. She said, “Now back to Millie, Maria! Please. I want to hear how you stopped Millie from ruining things for you – for us!” Maria laughed devilishly as she explained how she stopped “the old witch” from destroying her plan and coming between her and Franco. She went on to say that when she found out from Franco that Millie had told Rosalie that she’d seen Maria hanging around outside this house, she knew it was only a matter of time before someone would figure out that Maria had an extra set of keys to the cellar and was actually the one going in and out of the cellar, sending voices up through the air shaft to scare Rosalie. Maria stressed that she now had to move quickly on her plan. Maria apologized to Rosalie, however, for having to do all this to her, but said, “You have to admit, it was a great plan, wasn’t it? It did serve its purpose. It brought Franco to the realization that you were unstable Rosalie and that I was the one for him, which is not too far from the truth. You do suffer from anxiety and panic disorder, don’t you? That was so taxing on Franco to deal with. It was taxing on me too Rosalie. I had to listen to you when you had your little episodes. That tired me out. You can understand that, can’t you? Also, please know that Franco didn’t mean to betray your confidence by telling me what Millie told you about me hanging around outside your house, but he had no choice. You didn’t even trust him Rosalie. He was trying to keep the peace between all of us while still helping you. You don’t even know how wonderful Franco is Rosalie. Well, that’s bad for you, but good for me. Anyway, I guess Franco was trying to save all of us from ourselves. Things were getting pretty hairy, don’t you think Rosalie? All Franco wanted was peace and harmony for everyone…Oh yes, and please also know that Franco is innocent in all this. He didn’t know what I was doing down your cellar Rosalie; but as you can see it helped him discover his one true love – me…Listen Rosalie. Franco and I both forgive you for the way you turned against us. I guess you had some reason to do that, especially with Millie in your corner as your advisor putting all sorts of ideas into your head. But by you spilling the beans to Franco about Millie ratting me out to you - well, that actually brought things out in the open today and finally to a close. Millie had to be stopped. She had no right to interfere with me and report to you Rosalie. This was not her business. I took care of that witch. You should be happy about that Rosalie. That old lady was interfering with your life too Rosalie. See, I gave you back your life. You could think on your own again…Anyway, I was getting pretty tired of playing this game. Do you know the stress I was under sneaking in and out of your cellar with my small tape recording device, sending those ridiculous voices up your air shaft? My voice was getting hoarse too, from calling out your name, summoning you to the cellar. You poor thing Rosalie, I really did a number on you. I’m so sorry. I had no choice though. I had to save Franco from you. I still love you Rosalie. I did this for all of us. You’re free to be happy now too…so really, you had a hand in your own destiny by the way you handled this situation. You were smart enough to push Franco away, right into my arms. You helped me save Franco without even realizing it. You almost figured this whole thing out though, didn’t you? With the help of wonderful old Millie of course. Millie, the mother hen. I know Millie better than you think Rosalie, better than you think. She’s a nasty old lady. That wicked witch of Brooklyn…But good for you Rosalie. You helped speed things up and restore happiness to Franco, me and you – and probably to Michael over here. I’ll bet Michael had a hand in helping you figure things out too. He looks like a smart guy Rosalie. Handsome too…Wow, I truly am glad this is all over though, aren’t you Rosalie? Do you realize that I had to carefully watch your house, while juggling my job responsibilities of course, just to be sure you were home alone in order to make things work. I should have been a private investigator. I was pretty good at this stuff. Again though, I apologize for hurting you Rosalie, but it had to be done. All is well now. Isn’t it? Besides, look around you Rosalie, we’re all happy now. You really should be thanking me for this, otherwise you and Franco would still be in a boring relationship that was going nowhere. You’ve been together for so long and yet you both avoided marriage. What does that tell you Rosalie? Franco is where he needs to be now, and with the person he needs to be with. Be happy for him, be happy for us. We all have a chance to move on with our lives now.”
…Rosalie, feeling sick to her stomach and wanting to vomit after listening to Maria’s babbling, carefully responded, “You’re so right Maria, as usual, and you knew what was best for all of us. Your plan worked out well and you should be very proud of yourself. We’re all free to move on with our lives now. I have to respect you for that.” Franco and Michael said nothing. They just studied the pain on Rosalie’s face while keeping their eyes fixed on Maria, ready to jump into action if Maria went on the attack. Thank God she didn’t. She was still in a state of calm. Rosalie, taking advantage of the situation, then asked, “Now what exactly happened to Millie, Maria? Please tell us your story. We’re here to listen.”
Maria, maliciously smiling, wouldn’t miss this opportunity to gloat some more. Her gloating turned into her confession. So she excitedly explained all about Millie; how she conveniently ran into Millie outside Millie’s house today, before she had the chance to enter the cellar once again to continue with her disastrous antics. Maria stated that she walked right over to Millie to say hello and to ask if she could have a glass of water, that she had been running in the park and was very thirsty. Millie ignored Maria’s request for water and asked Maria if she was here to visit with Rosalie. Maria replied that she was. Millie then told Maria to get her glass of water at Rosalie’s house…Maria laughed crazily at this point, adding that Millie was pretty sharp for her age, as she made it very obvious that she didn’t trust Maria. Maria went on to explain that Millie wanted nothing to do with her and she had no problem letting Maria know that. She stressed that Millie didn’t like her, but the feeling was mutual. Maria also admitted that she didn’t take very well to rejection from Millie. So Maria confessed that she pushed Millie to the limit by continuing to beg for that glass of water. Millie finally gave in if it meant that Maria would go away. Unfortunately, Maria said that she had other ideas in her head that took Millie by surprise. As Millie entered her front door to get the glass of water, Maria explained how she got right behind Millie an
d pushed her way into the house. Maria added joyfully, that Millie was an easy target. Her age was no match for Maria. Maria laughed wildly again as she recalled how Millie started to scream and yell, demanding that Maria leave. Instead, Maria locked the front door and ordered Millie to go into her kitchen and sit at the table. Millie was so frightened that she did as she was told…Maria kept smiling at Rosalie, Franco and Michael as she continued on with her story, absolutely loving the concerned look on their faces…Maria further explained how she told Millie that she was an old fool for reporting back to Rosalie that Maria had been lurking around outside Rosalie’s house. Millie did not respond. Instead, she nervously tried to get up from her chair and reach for the phone to call for help. Maria then stated that she forcibly pushed Millie back down…Rosalie was deeply affected by Maria’s account of things. She was visibly sweating as she pictured the frightful scene that was happening in Millie’s house at the hands of Maria…Maria continued on that Millie began to breathe heavily, asking for her heart medication. Millie told Maria that she had angina, and the stress of Maria’s visit was causing her to have heart palpitations and chest pains…Maria found this hilarious because Millie was at her mercy…Maria claimed that she found Millie’s medication on the kitchen counter over by the sink and brought the bottle over to the table. However, after opening the bottle to show Millie she had found the medication, she then spitefully flushed the pills down the toilet. Millie began to sweat profusely and continued to breathe heavily. She begged Maria to call 9-1-1. Maria just laughed as Millie struggled to get to the phone. That’s when Millie fell to the floor. Maria then stated, “Millie was in bad shape at that point, so I left the old lady to die. There was no way she was going to make it over to the phone to call for help. Ha! Score one for Maria! I had come too far and I wasn’t going to let Millie destroy me. The only mistake I made was that I left Millie’s front door ajar as I walked out of her house in a rush. I thought about that when I was down your cellar Rosalie. But I had bigger fish to fry down there, so any thought of Millie went out of my head. Anyway, if Millie that old witch was able to call for help, well then whoever came to her aid would have been able to walk right into her house with no problem. That was my stupidity; but as far as I know, the way I left that old lady, she is gone! Dead! – and not coming back!” Still with a frightening smile on her face and a distorted sense of accomplishment, Maria happily added that it was so simple to get rid of Millie. She stated that she expected to do something tragic to Millie, like choke the life out of the old witch with her own telephone cord or push her into the bathtub to drown the “old bag”. Laughing sinisterly, however, Maria bragged that she ended up thanking her lucky stars since all she had to do was flush Millie’s meds down the toilet. “What a break for me,” Maria gloated proudly, “the meds did all the work, or the lack of meds that is. All I had to do after that was walk away and let the old witch croak. No evidence of a crime whatsoever. As far as anyone knows, Millie died of a heart attack…I don’t know why I’m telling you people all this. You better let this be our little secret, because if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it. Just pray for the “old bag” and keep your mouths shut. It’s no big loss. I told you Rosalie, I know Millie better than you think. She was a selfish old bat and I’m glad I was able to rid the world of the likes of Millie! I have no regrets, and none of you should either!”
Rosalie, Franco and Michael sat motionless and in disbelief. Maria was a psychopath! She was a murderer! She was someone they all should be fearful of…After several minutes of a disturbing silence, Maria, apparently exhausted from talking so much, dozed off once again on the sofa. Rosalie, with tears in her eyes for the dear and defenseless Millie, excused herself from the group and made her way into the kitchen to call EMS to have Maria picked up for what appeared to be a serious and dangerous mental breakdown. Michael and Franco were in full support of this as they both sat and stared at the sleeping Maria, awestruck at what just transpired, as Rosalie made the phone call. Rosalie then joined Michael and Franco in the living room, while silently praying for Millie who had survived the wrath of Maria. Tonight they all learned something about themselves. Rosalie learned that she was sane all along, Franco learned that he was oblivious all along and Michael learned that he was right all along. Together they learned that Maria was a woman gone mad.
…Rosalie, Michael and Franco sat together quietly, awaiting the ambulance that would take Maria away to a psychiatric facility for evaluation. Rosalie said, “How ironic it is that Maria would end up like this when her plan all along was to have me committed for psychiatric issues.” Michael slowly nodded his head in agreement while Franco sat quiet and embarrassed, knowing he had unwittingly sided with Maria against Rosalie. He had questioned Rosalie’s sanity too, and agreed that Rosalie should sign herself into a psychiatric facility for help. Franco was devastatingly pained by this, and it showed across his face.
Franco looked towards Rosalie and said, “I’m so sorry. I had no idea Maria was a mental case. I had no idea she was that sick of an individual. I was blind to it Rosalie.” Rosalie responded by saying, “I know you had no idea what Maria was capable of Franco. I can’t believe it myself…but you took her word over mine, betrayed our trust, and almost convinced me to lock myself away until we could figure out what was wrong with me. As it turned out, nothing was wrong with me. I tried so hard to make you see that Franco, but you just couldn’t see past your nose. Not even for love.” Franco hung his head in shame. He could no longer look Rosalie in the eye. He continued to stare at the floor in silence, as all three of them waited for EMS to arrive.
The uncomfortable silence between them, which was a very common thing this evening, seemed to go on forever until the sound of the doorbell came to their rescue. Rosalie ran downstairs to let the medical technicians in the house. They followed Rosalie back up to the apartment as she explained to them that Maria had a mental breakdown and may be a danger to herself and others. As the two EMTs approached Maria, she jumped out of her sleep, sensing their presence. Maria grew distant and confused as the EMTs explained to her that they would be taking her to a hospital where she could rest and get the help she needs. Maria tried to fight them off as they took her blood pressure and gave her a brief physical examination, but Rosalie walked over to her and calmed her down by patting her shoulder. Maria asked Rosalie what was going on. Rosalie said that these two gentlemen were here to help her and that they would be bringing her to a place where she can be more comfortable with people who could care for her until she feels better. Maria looked around her with big bulging eyes and a face full of fear. She was no longer in control, and this frightened her. She stated to Rosalie that she is feeling fine and doesn’t understand why these two men are here. Rosalie instructed Maria to just listen to these two gentlemen and to do what they tell her to do so that she can start feeling more like herself again instead of feeling anxious and agitated. Rosalie further stressed that Maria would be able to get a good night’s sleep tonight, and she promised that Maria would feel much better by morning. Maria seemed to believe Rosalie; or maybe she was just too exhausted and too confused to fight. Whatever the case, Maria turned to the two EMTs and asked them if she would be able to sleep better in this new place, to which they responded she’d be able to sleep like a baby. Maria was then strapped into a wheelchair ready to be taken down the stairs and out of the house. Once again Maria dozed off. However, as the EMTs pushed her towards the apartment door, Maria lifted her head and turned back to look for Franco. Once her eyes met his, she asked if Franco would be going along with her. Franco, not sure how to respond, gazed at Michael then at Rosalie, and said with certainty that he thought it would be best for everyone if he accompanied Maria. Maria smiled at Franco with half-opened eyes, then placed her head flat against the back of the wheelchair and went off to sleep again. Franco whispered to Rosalie and Michael that he would call Dr. Whitman and fill him in on things once he got to the hospital with Maria. As he followed behind the two EMTs wh
o were carrying Maria down the hallway stairs to the front door exit, he turned back around towards Michael and said, “Take care of Rosalie.” He told Rosalie that he’d be in touch to pick up the rest of his belongings. Rosalie nodded and said, “We’ll talk Franco.” She followed behind him so she could lock the front door downstairs, then advised the EMTs that Maria had taken two xanax a couple of hours ago. Rosalie did not go into further detail about the xanax because she did not want to answer any questions about it, but she thought that information would be important and in Maria’s best interests when she arrived at the hospital. The EMTs wrote that information in their notes.
Before she could close the front door behind all of them, Franco looked back at Rosalie and said, “I truly am sorry. I love you Rosalie. I hope you can forgive me.” Rosalie had no response other than to nod and smile politely at Franco. She then pushed the door closed and locked it securely. Rosalie was in so much pain from this ordeal that she just couldn’t speak. In her heart she knew she was walking away from Franco from this side of her locked door, yet envisioned Franco walking away into the lonely hours of the night hanging on to the hope that they would work this out…Not this time…Rosalie made her way back up the stairs to the apartment, and into Michael’s waiting arms.
They both embraced each other with passion and emotion, wanting to erase the events of the evening. However, they both knew that they couldn’t move on as if nothing had happened. Too many lives were affected by Rosalie’s situation and too many lives were destroyed as a result of it. Maria had terrorized all involved. There was just too much pain and sorrow that would never go away. Rosalie knew that she had to tell Franco about her relationship with Michael as soon as possible in order for them all to move on in peace. Tomorrow will be better, she convinced herself, and tomorrow will allow her to do what she needs to do in all fairness to Franco, Michael and herself.
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