Short Story / Ruthless

So…

The story goes that he lost her while they were out grocery shopping. She was right along with him as they passed the vegetables. And she was still by his side, as they passed the meat section. It was when they got to the frozen foods section that he realized she was no longer with him! So, he double-backed to the previous aisles, looking for his one and only, and couldn’t find her.

He even searched for her under the tables that held the discounted items. And she wasn’t there. So, he thought, perhaps she’s by the cheeses. I know she likes cheese. Rushing now, he sped up to the cheese aisle, bypassing the paper products and milk. And once he got there, he breathed a sigh of relief. Oh, there she is! With confidence, he strode up right next to her and whispered in his sweetheart’s ear, “I got you.”

And the face, the startled, blue eyes that looked into his weren’t his honey delightful brown eyes. The stranger screamed. And everyone at the store rushed to her side. The store manager put a consoling arm around the stranger’s tiny waist.

He started backing away, completely forgetting the ground beef and pasta sauce he had in the cart. I was going to make her favorite dish tonight, he thought. I was going to add her favorite cheese, too. And bake some garlic bread, maybe some wine …

His thoughts went on and on, and to him, the crowd disappeared. Even the grocery store became part of the background. He jammed his hands in his jacket pockets. It was chilly outside. After a few seconds of fumbling for the car keys, his right hand finally was able to grasp them. He had stormed out of the store without realizing it and went directly to his car.

Put the key in the keyhole, he told himself. But, his hand wouldn’t stop shaking. His left hand had to calm his right hand, and finally, the key slid right into home. Click!

He got in the car. And placed his hands on the steering wheel. Oh, sweetheart, he thought as tears leaked from his eyes, I didn’t mean to lose you. He stared straight ahead without really seeing…

He woke up hours later in a bed. In a room that remarkably looked like his bedroom. His eyes glanced around … and landed on a woman asleep on a chair. On her lap was a book and her eyeglasses were perilously close to falling off her nose. She must have felt the gaze for the woman asleep on the chair came to life slowly.

Delightful brown eyes peered behind the glasses. And as soon as they focused, a serene smile transformed her plain face. It was if she stared directly into his essence. She said something, he thought, I’m sure she did.

And, of course, she said something. It was, “Good evening, dear.”

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