Samantha told me about Gerald two days ago. How could this be, I wondered. Gerald is a swell guy. He couldn’t have murdered his wife. After lunch, I asked her to join me for coffee in the pantry.
“I know for a fact he did, Winnie,” Samantha said. “I know he killed her.”
“Did you see him do it? Why didn’t you call the police?”
“Because they are not going to believe me.”
“Why won’t they?”
“She appeared to me in a dream, okay. She told me, he killed her and hid her in a jar in a freezer.”
I chortled, but stopped when I saw the look on her face. I grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”
Samantha got up with a huff. “Think what you like, I know what I know.”
I stared at her back as she walked out of the pantry, feeling a little cheated. Then I got up to wash my mug before returning to my desk.
Ten minutes later Gerald walked past with a newspaper gripped under his armpit. Suddenly he turned and walked back to my table.
“Winnie, could you do me a favor?” he asked.
“Depends,” I said.
“Marsha is coming back from Singapore today. I want to pick her up at the airport. If anyone asks, could you tell them I am meeting with a client?”
Madamzilla can’t take a cab, I thought without saying it aloud. I squinted and turned my face a little, so I looked at him from the corner of one eye. He clasped his hands in front of me. “Please,” he pleaded, “I promise to bring you chocolates from the airport.”
“Okay, make sure it’s a big box.”
He tapped my table twice. “Thank you. You’re a gem.”
I shrugged. Well there goes Samantha’s story, I thought. I am glad, however, because Gerald is such a nice guy. I have only met Marsha twice, and I must admit, she didn’t make a good impression on me. In short, she was a snob and she only had respect for anyone at her husband’s level or above. Anyone else below that is nothing more than scat under her shoes. I helped Gerald not for the chocolates but because I sensed that he would get hell from her if he didn’t pick her up himself.
It was also a relief to learn that Samantha’s dream was not true. Must had been wishful thinking on her part because if Marsha had treated me bad, she treated Samantha worse.
True to his word, Gerald brought me a box of chocolate and a bottle of perfume later that day. I said, “This is so sweet of you. I only asked for chocolates.”
“Marsha thought that you might like the perfume. She picked it up in Singapore.”
I stared: What! I swear, that was the one single word I could think of at that moment. That one single moment, when the world shifted on its axis, I could only think of that one word and nothing else. Thank God my subconscious had the sense not to blurt it out. Or it could be because of my years of public relations training.
“Thank you,” I said, with a big smile that showed off my well kept teeth.
“I hope you like them,” Gerald said. “Marsha also wants to do a barbeque this Saturday. Just for you girls because you have all helped her so much all this time. Could you come?”
“How early does she want me at the house?” I asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. I knew it; there was a catch in that gift. I bet she only spent two Singapore dollars on it and expect me to work my ass off in return.
“Early enough to eat the food while they are hot. Say around 6 p.m.”
Huh, I thought to myself. “Alright then. I can’t wait to see her at six tomorrow,” I lied.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only person surprised by the invitation. Samantha, who almost fainted, and two other secretaries and five clerks were also invited. As I cleared my desk for the weekend, Samantha came over and said, “Be sure to bring some tummy medicines. I think she is up to no good.”
“Well, maybe she had an epiphany in Singapore. You dreamed she died right? Maybe this is the meaning of your dream -that she had changed into a better person.”
“Just make sure you bring some sort of anti-poison or whatever, Winnie.”
I rolled my eyes.
I must admit though, when Saturday evening finally arrived, all my bravado had disappeared. I decided to eat something first before going and took constipation, diarrhea and gastric tablets with me, just in case.
After parking my car to the side of the house, I entered the home and to my relief saw that two other clerks had arrived earlier and they both looked comfortable. Marsha, I saw, was different. She was clearly enjoying their company and invited me to join them.
“Hello Winnie. It is so nice to see you again.”
“Hi,” I said, a little suspiciously. “How was your trip to Singapore?” I took a seat across from her.
“It was lovely. Gerald is such a darling to pay for my holiday there.”
“Did you stay at a resort?”
“Yes, I did. When I first arrived, I thought the place looked terrible, but after the first spa treatment, everything became perfect.” A sudden strange blankness overshadowed her face, and she stared into our faces by turn as though confused.
“Ooohhh,” I said and the other two girls laughed as they shared a nervous glance.
Gerald came down the staircase. “Hi ladies. You are all early.”
“Hi Gerald,” we all said as one, our voices echoing our relief.
Gerald reached down to Marsha’s wrist to press a wide multi-colored bracelet. “Time to check on the food, Marsha.”
Immediately her face broke into an over-enthusiastic smile and she got up. “Of course, darling. Thank you for reminding me.” She left us just as Samantha and three other girls walked into the house. Marsha was so single-minded it appeared as though she didn’t even see them entered the front door.
“Wow,” I said, “it must had been one hell of a resort she went to.”
Gerald took a seat after making sure that Samantha and the rest had settled down too. “Actually it was a hospital.”
We all stared wide-eyed at him, each thinking of the same question but none daring to ask it aloud.
“She had a brain tumor, so I sent her there for treatment. They had to take out half of her brain.”
“Oh my God,” Samantha exclaimed. “How could she still be alive?”
“When the doctors first made the suggestion to us, the same thought crossed my mind. But he assured me that it is possible. He also introduced an interesting technology to me, to help us both cope.”
“What was that?” I asked, my curiosity aroused.
“Mood controllers. After they took out her brain, they inserted very tiny little electrodes into part of the remaining brain. That way if she becomes sad or angry for no apparent reason, I can change her mood anytime to something less destructive.”
Samantha clapped her hands. “What a wonderful technology. People are so smart nowadays, don’t you think.”
Gerald laughed and nodded in agreement. I forced myself to smile as a chill ran through me. However, after an excellent barbeque and after seeing how happy Gerald looked, I changed my mind. I guess, some people do need to do crazy things in order to stay sane.
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