Epistle of the Damned

by M. Lee Mendelson

  Time moves forward and just as they discussed those long days before, they graduate from college and Mike is a successful architect with a big firm with Sarah is employed as an accountant.

  While away for a long weekend to a cabin in the mountains, Mike proposes to her by putting her engagement ring inside the right front pocket of his jeans. While preparing to clean the fish he caught on the lake, he asks Sarah to grab his buck-knife in his right front pocket. Sarah obediently reaches into his pocket, digging around for a pocket knife. She pulled the ring-box out of his pocket and looks at him quizzically.

  “Oh, maybe it is in my left pocket.” He says, grinning at the look on Sarah’s face. “Open it.”

  Sarah opens the box and immediately throws her arms around Mike’s neck.

  “Well, lady, should we get married?” He asks looking longingly into her eyes.

  Sarah smiles broadly, “What do you think! YES!”

  ***

  After the wedding, Sarah got her dream house with a white picket fence. This is truly the life she had always dreamed of and knew one day she would have.

  Mike calls her on the phone regularly just to tell her how in love he is with her. “How are my girls?” he asks. Of course he is referring to Sarah as she is always “his” girl. But another lady was waiting to share Mike’s time—Sarah was expecting a baby girl.

  Sarah gave birth to their child on a stormy evening. Such a precious angel, so well behaved that everyone told them what a perfect little girl they had.

  Sarah would not normally be willing to share her man with another woman, but this perfect baby was the sum of their love. What more could a girl want? Sarah spends her day cleaning and taking care of baby Alexis. Mike, being the model-man, insisted that the baby be named after Sarah’s grandmother to honor her. What a man! Could there ever be a more perfect man?

  Sarah swoons when Mike comes home. She has their dinner waiting on the table. She tells Mike of all the wonderful things that have happened that day. “Alexis said her first words. Guess what they were?”

  Mike responds excitedly, “I don’t know. Please tell me, honey.”

  “She said, ‘Dada.’”

  Mike, of course, being the perfect combination of sensitive and manly, gets choked up and tears of joy well up in his eyes.

  “She misses you almost as much as I do, my darling.”

  “I miss the two of you, too. But what a joy to come home to you. I’m so in love with you. My life is perfect.”

  ***

  BLEEP, BLEEP, BLEEP, BLEEP, BLEEP!

  Sarah was jolted awake by the obnoxious alarm clock that read six o’clock. She didn’t remember how she got in bed, and woke up in a foul mood, not having had to get up this early in a long time.

  Sarah stumbled to her bathroom to get ready for her first day of high school. She took a long, warm shower and began to feel alive finally. She spent the next hour getting herself primped and ready for school. Anxious, and in a rush to see her Mike, Sarah forgot to take her morning medication.

  7:05 a.m. Sarah emerged from her bathroom looking like Madonna in her latest video on MTV. She was confident that Mike would go out of his way to be with her. Why wouldn’t he? They were meant to be. This was going to be the best day ever.

  Sarah ran out her front door and saw Mike come out of his house. She waved at him and cried out, “Hey, good looking!”

  Mike smiled and waved back. They met in the middle of the road and walked together to the bus stop.

  A FRESH START

  M ike and Sarah walked the half-mile to the bus stop together, chitchatting. Sarah was happy as long as his focus was on her. Since meeting him the day before, all Sarah could think about was Mike. A whole summer of distant seduction and their flirtatious first meeting had left her with an irrational perception of their future together.

  Mike now walked with a confidence that he’d never had before. This was going to be a great year. All he could think about was how he was going to show everyone who had put him down in the past.

  His hair had grown out and was now shoulder-length, and lighter blonde due to his time in the summer sun. He also had a bronze tan from running shirtless. The workouts had given him definition. His arms were toned, and filled out the sleeves of his now taut t-shirt. And thanks to his growth spurt, he now stood at five feet ten, taller than most boys his age. His confidence had also improved, as he and Big Mike had started taking self-defense classes together and had been studying Judo.

  At the bus stop there were two other people, Katie and Sheila. Sheila was a very pretty young lady, with long blonde hair much like Nancy’s. She was green-eyed and athletic, too. In some ways she looked a lot like Nancy, but not in Mike’s eyes. He always thought Sheila was the prettiest girl in his class and had secretly admired her from afar.

  Sheila saw Mike first, and reacted in shock. “Oh… my… God! Dweeb?”

  Immediately, Sarah hissed like an alley cat. “His name is Michael. You’d best watch yourself, bitch!”

  Mike laughed and said, “Whoa, chill Sarah! Don’t have a cow.”

  Sheila responded, “I didn’t mean anything by it. God, it’s just . . . you’ve changed so much. I mean . . . a lot! You look amazing.” She was gawking at Mike, making her approval obvious.

  Mike blushed. He was not expecting that from the prettiest girl he knew.

  Sarah raged inside, who is this whore putting the moves on my man?

  Katie, a slight brunette with brown eyes and braces, was pretty and popular also. She responded with the same astonishment,

  “Wow, dork no more!”

  The girls both asked, “So, your name is Michael?”

  Suddenly, he was a hit. This was a far cry from the beginning of summer when he was getting hit by that little piss ant Tommy. Tommy was still in middle school and took the earlier bus. Mike secretly wished that Tommy was there so he could gauge his reaction to his physical change. I don’t think he’d try that again, Mike thought to himself.

  He smiled and said, “Yes, but you can call me Mike.”

  During the next ten minutes, as the four waited for the bus, it became clear that Katie and Sheila had taken quite an interest in Mike.

  Sarah felt that she was being ignored as the other two chatterboxes wouldn’t shut up, and she was growing impatient. “Um, Mike? Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?”

  Mike, unaccustomed to all the attention, responded with a smirk, “Sure, Sarah.”

  Beaming at Sheila and Katie he said, “Be back in a sec, ladies.”

  As Mike and Sarah walked to the other side of the street, he overheard Sheila say to Katie, “Oh my God, he’s gorgeous!”

  Katie said, “Sure is! What a difference a few months can make.

  Mmm, mmm, mmm! You should go for it, girl! I give you my approval.” Sheila responded, “You think so?”

  When Mike and Sarah got to the other side of the street, Sarah began berating Mike. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  With a confused look on his face, Mike said, “Huh?”

  “Talking to those two skanks! Did you screw them or something?”

  Mike, remembering the incident in June, laughed, “You’re kidding, right?”

  Sarah felt her blood boil and a jealous rage built inside her. She screamed, “DOES IT LOOK LIKE I’M KIDDING? DO YOU SEE ME LAUGHING?”

  Mike could see her face was now tomato-red, and beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. She had a disconnected gaze in her eyes. She began crying as she dropped her bag to the ground.

  Mike tried to console her as he innocently picked up her bag. “Are you okay?”

  “NO, YOU FUCKING JERK. I’M NOT OKAY! YOU’RE MY MAN! I GAVE MYSELF TO YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT ME? WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER!” She grabbed at the bag in his hands and it fell back to the ground.

  With both hands in the air and a look of disbelief on his face, Mike stepped back. “Gave yourself to me? Together forever? We just met yesterda
y. Are you fucking nuts? Uh, I’m gonna let you be now.” Mike turned around and walked away. Looking at the other two girls he mouthed, “WOW!”

  Sheila and Katie started to laugh, only this time with him, not at him.

  Sarah shouted, “DON’T THINK I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WERE DOING TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN YOU SAW ME BY THE POOL! YOU WANT ME, MICHAEL! I KNOW YOU DO!”

  Mike had indeed fantasized about her that day, several times in fact, as well as many other days. But as far as that went, he had also fantasized about half the girls in his class, including, oddly enough, both Sheila and Katie.

  Sarah looked up to see her love walking away from her, shaking his head.

  She heard him saying, “What a crazy bitch!”

  Mike returned to the other side of the street, where he started talking to Katie and Sheila again.

  Sheila asked, “Girlfriend?”

  Mike immediately responded, “No way, she just lives across the street from me. I think she’s crazy.”

  Overhearing the exchange, Sarah was sobbing and grabbed her bag from the ground. “I . . . I’m not crazy, I’m not crazy . . . I’M NOT!!!”

  As she skulked away toward her home, Sarah turned around and leered at Mike, Sheila and Katie. She then spitefully whispered to herself, “You cunts! You’re gonna pay. And you . . . you son of a bitch, you’re gonna regret doing this to me. You will be mine, Michael. One day, we will be happy together, forever!”

  Oblivious to the looming threat now walking away from them, Mike and the girls boarded the bus.

  “Is that all of you?” the driver asked.

  Mike responded as he looked back, “Well, there was one more, but I think she must have gone home.” Sarah was nowhere to be seen.

  “Whatever,” the driver said apathetically as he closed the door.

  Sheila found an empty seat, then asked Mike to sit with her. He was all too eager to oblige. Katie sat in the seat across the aisle. Katie winked at Sheila in approval, then silently mouthed, “Go for it.” Sheila smiled and winked back.

  First day of high school and things are really turning around for me, thought Mike as he now talked confidently with two of the most popular girls from his middle school.

  But, it was inevitable--time for the Moose to get on the bus. As the bus came to a stop, the doors opened and Frank “The Moose” Peterson stepped on board. Mike swore he could feel the bus lean to his side. Then Mike heard the fifteen-year-old gargantuan man-boy with the baritone voice cry out his trademark, “What’s up, you douche bags?”

  Mike couldn’t believe his eyes. As much as he had grown over the summer, this behemoth had taken on superhuman proportions. He thought, Holy shit! This guy grew at least three more inches and probably gained another fifty pounds.

  In fact, Frank had grown another four inches and now stood at six feet four; however, he had only gained thirty pounds.

  Mike couldn’t help but think that the Moose looked different. Did he actually shower? Were those clean clothes he had on? Had he actually shaved? What the hell is going on here?

  The Moose was still obnoxious and boisterous, and Mike grew secretly nervous as he approached. His palms grew sweaty and his pulse quickened a bit as he thought to himself, this has been such a great start to the year. Please don’t mess with me, Moose.

  To Mike’s disbelief, the Moose walked right by him without as much as a snide comment. Maybe he didn’t recognize me.

  But what most surprised Mike — no trailing stench. Maybe he had a good summer, too. He certainly cleaned up his act, thought Mike.

  With the Moose crisis averted, Mike could turn his attention back to the girls. He was surprised at how comfortable he felt talking to Sheila. He was thinking, I can’t believe this is the same girl who put me down so harshly just a few months ago.

  But here they were. He was hoping that the rest of the year would go as well. It certainly showed a lot of promise.

  8:15 a.m. The bus arrived at John F. Kennedy High School, which was much bigger than Mike had imagined. He had only been to the school office with Nancy to pick his class schedule a few weeks prior, and had only seen the rest of the school from the outside.

  Sheila never left Mike’s side until after homeroom, which as good fortune would have it, they shared. Sheila asked, “What time do you have lunch?”

  Mike answered, “11:15 to 11:55.”

  “Oh wow, so do I! Do you think we can sit together?”

  Mike responded with a smile, “I think I can fit you into my busy schedule.”

  At lunchtime, Mike and Sheila met up outside the cafeteria and went in together. In a gentlemanly gesture he had learned from watching his father with friends when they would go out, Mike paid for Sheila’s lunch.

  Surprised by the gesture, she responded, “Thank you. That was very sweet.” It was during lunch that he discovered they also had the same history class during fifth period.

  Mike was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the day went so smoothly. He was making friends, and because this was a new school and most of these people didn’t know him from last year, they had no preconceived notions about him. This would truly be his opportunity to complete his transformation from a chubby, shy geek to what he hoped to become, a cool jock.

  After school, Mike and Sheila sat together on the bus again. The Moose never acknowledged him that day, and Mike was now more confident than ever that his transformation was well under way.

  After getting off the bus, Mike offered to walk Sheila and Katie home. The girls eagerly agreed, and the three of them walked away laughing and carrying on.

  In the empty lot across the street from the bus stop, Sarah was lurking, crouched down in some bushes. With her steely eyes fixated on the trio, Sarah watched and plotted.

  She was dirty and sweaty. She had not been home at all that day. She had spent the day meandering alone in the unfamiliar woods that encompassed her new neighborhood. Her bright red hair was now unkempt, and her Madonna-cloned fashions were tattered and torn. She was covered in mud and looked as if she had fallen down on more than one occasion.

  Neither Mike, Sheila nor Katie noticed Sarah when she emerged from her shaded sanctuary and stalked them from a distance. She stealthily darted from bush to bush and took great care not to be noticed.

  As the three arrived at Sheila and Katie’s houses, Sarah paused and thought, So that’s your house, bitch. The two girls were next-door neighbors. They had grown up together and had been best friends from the moment they first met ten years earlier.

  Mike said, “Here you go ladies, all safe and sound.”

  In unison, both girls said, “Thank you, Mike!”

  Mike joyfully responded, “The pleasure was all mine.”

  Before leaving, Sheila gave Mike a hug, and as she slipped him her phone number she said, “You can call me later if you want.”

  Mike blushed and nervously responded, “If you want me to, I will.”

  Sheila said, “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t want you to, silly.”

  Just within earshot, Sarah heard the happy exchange and seethed with rage. “You will never have him. I’ll make sure of that!”

  Mike then gave Katie a quick hug and walked away, grinning from ear to ear. As he walked, he thought he heard some rustling in the bushes.

  Sarah held her breath, afraid she had been detected.

  Mike stopped, looked briefly and said, “Eh, probably a cat.” He continued on his way, unfettered by anything except joy.

  Sheila and Katie stayed outside talking for a few minutes, discussing among other things, Mike of course. Being best friends, they never held back from each other.

  Katie asked Sheila to tell her everything.

  Sheila explained, “I’m really surprised. He is so sweet and gentle. He was so gallant and paid for my lunch.”

  Katie squealed, “Really? That’s a pretty smooth move on his part.”

  “And it worked—I think he’s wonderful. I never would have guessed that last year. He
was quite the frog,” Sheila exclaimed.

  “I wouldn’t have guessed it either, but that frog has sure turned into a prince,” Katie responded.

  Sarah could just make out their conversation from her stealthy vantage point. Simmering like a tea pot ready to scream forth a steamy shriek, she inaudibly responded, “He’s my prince, not yours. He will never want you when I’m done. No one will!” Sarah had spent the entire day plotting her malicious revenge against all three. As she overheard the happy banter between these two that had caused her so much angst, her resolve to seek revenge was further strengthened.

  After talking girl talk for a while, Sheila told Katie, “I better let

  Benny out. I want to be available if Mike calls me.”

  “Okay, sweetie, call me as soon as you hear from him, love you!”

  “Love you too.”

  The two girls parted after giving each other a best friend hug.

  Sarah waited patiently. She watched as Sheila entered her house, and then she heard a small dog bark. She heard Sheila saying, “Hello Benny, who’s my favorite little boy? You are . . . yes, you are!”

  “Benny? Hmm, so Benny is your favorite little boy, huh? Well, whore, you’ll soon find out what it’s like being without your favorite little boy!”

  After it was clear to vacate the safety of her leafy sanctuary, Sarah slipped out from under the bush and sauntered home, while still scheming about how to make Sheila pay for her interference. When she finally got home and walked through the door, her mother saw her all tattered and disheveled. “Oh my God, Sarah! What happened, baby?”

  Sarah, oblivious to her mother’s meddlesome inquiry, walked past as if she was in a trance.

  “Sarah! Sarah! SARAH!”

  Disconsolate, Sarah tramped up the stairs to her room and slammed the door.

  Meanwhile, across the street, Mike was excitedly telling Nancy about his first day of high school.