Maroon [A Short Story]

Abby has been married for two years but only one thought had occupied her mind. The dark clad figure that had showed up at her home that night, her ex job in criminal division definitely had its down side. “I loved you but you betrayed me”, he had said,”you won’t last here”. “I’d kill you”, he had concluded flatly, “when you least expect”.
Two years ago, these words words had bothered her and had till now haunted her memory. Paranoia at its peak, every little sound activates her adrenaline, any tiny movement makes her cringe. Whenever she’s alone at night, she tiptoes around the house and looks through every window.  Her restlessness was contagious.  

Few months into the third year, she got pregnant. “Hey honey, I ran a home test today and I got the double lines”, she beamed, “we’re having a baby”. “Oh my….wow, that’s wonderful “, Ed said excitedly, “papa, I’d have a child call me papa”, he laughed. Abandoning the rack he was fixing, he gazed lovingly at his beautiful wife. The neck-breaking beauty haven’t lost her charms at all. Today, she looked even lovelier because of this great news. He walked towards her in two long strides and knelt. He placed both his hands on her belly and whispered, “hang in there buddy, don’t trouble your mama ok!”. He rose and Abby could feel the joy radiate through him; his smile, the twinkle in his eyes exposed it all. 

Gradually, as the days passed, his memory faded. She no longer felt the need to watch her back. She was going to be a mum, a new life awaited her. She lived a happy, content life then she had a beautiful baby girl. “She’d be Belle”, she said lovingly looking at her chubby girl, “she’s so beautiful”. Ed smiled,”ofcourse she is”, he affirmed proudly, “her mum is too”. He took little Belle’s tiny hand and watched her sleep peacefully for a while, love welled up inside of him. “She’s mine”, he thought to himself, “mine” a smile visibly playing on his lips. Leaving her crib, he moved to Abby’s bed and planted a kiss on her forehead, “thank you”, he said with tears in his eyes, ” I love you”. She smiled that toothy girly smile, “for what Ed?….I love you too”, she managed to say before she fell asleep. 

Hours later, she woke up to find Ed fast asleep by her bed, hugging their interlocked hands closely to his chest. She smiled, “you’re one good man Ed”, she thought to herself. Carefully untangling their hands, she made her way to the window. “It’s a beautiful world out here”, she thought. From her vantage spot, she could feel the warmth of the sun. She gazed at the stretch of land before her. A huge chunk of the land was mostly filled and groomed with beautiful scented flowers; jasmines, frangipanis, lilacs, gardenias, roses, lilies, lavenders, the collection was breathtaking. Amidst these flowers, were bench like constructions for those who need to enjoy some juice alongside the cool evening breeze. To the far right was a stream, that somehow meandered it’s way around some parts of the garden. Trees were at strategic points that it would be difficult to believe which it was for; aesthetics or shade. To the left, there were some cabins, which they probably use as their storage rooms and neatly packed bins. The air was fresh, the environment was serene. From an hospital room,  that scenery was well planned. “I’m sure this was part of the reasons they had good recommendations”, she thought to herself. 

As she made to leave, she caught sight of a movement in the nearby bush. Turning back, she saw him. “How did…”, she tried to say but saw him mouthing something that would have sounded like, “I’m watching you”. She watched him laugh hysterically. Slowly, she backed away from  the window and ran towards Ed. “Wake up”, she said frantically as she tried desperately to pull his head away from the bed. “I saw a woman….no a man….”, she began disoriented, “just come look”. Sleepily, he walked to the window. There was no one in sight. “He was…..was…..right here”, she stammered. Unable to contain her fear, she burst into tears. “Three years ago, he promised to kill me”, she tearfully revealed, “that night we got married. I had thought it was a joke, an empty threat after two years and I forgot about it”, she continued, “now he’s here again Ed, he’s really going to kill me”. “This….this happened and I didn’t know”, he said with disbelief, “who is he? Why does he want to kill you?”, he continued  lost for words. With streams of tears now pouring out of her eyes, she answered,”I don’t know, I really don’t know”. “We have to get the police dear”, he managed to say and pulled his wife into his comforting embrace.

                                                    **************

To be continued…. (I divided this because I realized people have absolutely zero enthusiasm when it comes to reading lengthy posts.)
NB: I didn’t expect to write this because I don’t  consider myself a storyteller but I do hope you enjoy this. I’m open to comments and constructive criticisms.