A burden. Lately, Mia have gotten acquainted with that feeling when your body keeps reminding you how you are. She wishes she can escape it but it is difficult. Mia was stupefied when she learned from her doctor on one of her schedules with him that she has a brain tumor and that it will completely alter her health it was then clearer to her why the constant headaches, dizziness and loss of appetite. As weeks were passing, she realized that she is now becoming slim, she looks hideous sometimes when she stares at her reflection in the mirror. Her lips are always parched, she'd rub them with lip gloss a few times and still, they were getting darker. Her cheeks which were chubby were now flat and her eyes always seemed sombre. Strands of her hair would roll off her head dropping like grains of sand on her shoulders.
Jansen, her husband nowadays do not wait to have breakfast with her, he'd always leave to his office before she wakes up and when he arrives home at night, he arrives late at the time when she is already fast asleep. Mia noticed that he feels irritated looking at her face unless she's wearing a make over and is in a dazzling wig.
Two months ago, on a hot and radiant Thursday afternoon. Mia was sitting on the couch in the sitting room, her legs were stretched to the edge. She looked at Jansen striding across the room in a luminous blue suit, and he was wearing a pair of flashy black shoes. He was offered an invitation from his Boss to attend a ball at his resort.Jansen grabbed his car keys seated on the table and he swerved to her "I gotta go hon." He approached her and pecked her on her forehead and she touched his arm, "I wanna....I wanna go with you. It's been quite a long time I came with you to an event."She noticed his eye brows furrowing, "no need for you to come.""But, why? Other husbands' wives are going to be there with them.""It'd be better you stayed home and rest." He swerved from her and he was almost walking away she grasped his arm and he hung back."But I wanna come with you." She insisted. She really wanted to be besides him at the party. Thinking of the moments that they've danced, shared glasses of drinks and chatted at the numerous events they've gone to, she felt so elated to experience such feeling again even if the event is going to last for a few hours.Jansen sighed and he was almost fuming, "no, you can't go. Take a look at yourself in the mirror, you look so pale and fragile. And, your cute dresses no longer fits you anymore. Other men's wives are gonna be looking exquisite, I don't want you embarrassing me looking like a maid. What if you get stressed and collapse?"She tried to fight back the tears building in her eyes, "I am just ill I am not ugly. I just wanna be beside my husband and you do not spend much time with me." She fired back."Taking you with me to the ball's just gonna make you a burden to me. I can't keep an eye on you each minute.""So you're embarrassed and ashamed of me?" She gulped down her tears.Jansen's eyes drooped feeling awful seeing her disconsolate, he grazed her cheek and looked into her eyes, he was feeling irritated staring into them and he wore a fake smile, "no I'm not hon. I can't take you out with me just yet not today. Moreover you seem fagged you will feel stressed.""It's what you tell me all the time, " Mia yelled, "not yet, not today anytime I ask you to take me out. I am your wife and you're already feeling bored of me? I feel disappointed cause anytime I keep hoping and waiting for you to ask me to go out with you, you do not hesitate not to. I wish I do not anticipate at all but is it wrong of me to anticipate? Is it wrong of me to wish to dine with you or dance with you at an event? I have that right right? Since I'm your wife but you keep making me feel I am wrong." She kneaded her jowls and sniffed."I love you Mia and I'm considerate about your health and that's why I want you to stay at home and just rest. Gotta go. Bye!" Mia glanced at him approaching the doors and exiting the room. She closed her eyes and sniffed and she kneaded her wet jowls. Most of Mia's friends are always occupied with their business and family, she is usually alone home. Her sister, Juliet stays in Brazil and she has been staying in Brazil for almost a decade. Mia had to be seperated from Juliet when they were just teenagers as Juliet was offered a scholarship to continue her studies in Brazil and ever since Juliet left to Brazil, Mia and her have not met with each other but they try to chat on Skype. Juliet could not make it to Mia's wedding as there was a heavy storm ongoing in Brazil and airplane flights were cancelled. Juliet arrived New York city a week back and Mia has been excited to meet her but she hasn't been feeling well to go pay her a visit. Although she did not have her friends and Juliet to keep her company, her four-year-old daughter Isabella would hang with her and will play her toys with her and Mia would try to prepare her some snacks.****It was 8:05 in the night, the wind was howling and it was blustery. A gush of rain spewed from the sky in intense speed. The thunder roared angrily and the lightning was flickering. Mia just finished having her bath, she walked past the bathroom door feeling harsh hotness inside her feet, her feet was trembling as if freezing by ice. She felt her breath getting hot and her tongue drying up. She sighed.She glanced at a glass of water standing on a table besides the window and attempted to walk towards it, she suddenly felt her bones cringing and as if dizziness has paralyzed her, she halted. Her vision started getting blurry, almost all the objects she glanced at appeared triple. Her knees quivered and she dropped to the ground as if pushed by a car she threw her hands on the floor, her legs both curved. Her eyes unhurriedly closed and she conk out.It was 10:15. Jansen crouched on a wedged chair in the middle of the room at a bar grasping a glass of liquor. He drove to the bar soon as he left his office. The bar was spacious, glowingly red bulbs rotating in the gleaming ceiling was illuminating the room, the rug on the floor was crimson red. Bottles of liquor were being tossed on the floor, champagne glasses and packets of cigarettes as many youths were hopping energetically, twisting and coiling their bodies like an uncoiling rope. The crowd became bigger as many youths barged in through the doors scampered to the stage slipped into the crowd. They were dancing to the fast beats of the music streaming from the studio and screaming as if from a mountain top audibly.Jansen downed his tumbler of liquor and he moaned, it tasted bitter like a dose of a medicine and he felt gag, he closed his eyes against the bad taste. He was feeling unrelaxed as the music was banging in his ears and he wanted to go to somewhere noiseless and he spr
It breathed a frenzied morning the subsequent day. Mia woke up. A radiant sunlight streaked into her room from the windows illuminating the room. She glanced left and right hoping she might see Jansen lying besides her but he wasn't. She glanced at the door post staring at it to see if his pair shoes could be sitting there. He usually drops his shoes by the door when he comes home exhausted.Mia tossed on the bed and cuddled her pillows softly, "where are you Jansen right now?" She felt quite perplexed. She misses Jansen holding her in his arms when they lie on the bed together. She misses the smell of his perfume and his warm soft touch.She felt quite anxious and picked her phone from the table by her bed staring at the screen to check for any missed calls or texts from him and the screen was blank."Huh!" She sighed, "why isn't he home yet?" She pondered. It felt strange cause he barely spends a night outside. And when does, he'll send a text. She sprang to her feet to head to the
On the luminous Wednesday afternoon, Jansen crouched on a wedged chair across an Italian glossy dining table with Mia and Isabella grasping his cutlery and slicing the fried steak on his plate, the cutlery was clanking as it scrubbed against the plate. Shiny trays of cheese and salad sat on the table beside bowls of fresh bubbly fruits.Jansen's cheeks rolled as he was nibbling the steak, he pulled the napkin on his table kneading the sauce on his lips. He grasped a glass of chilled water, bowed and downed a few sips, and sighed, "this taste so good." He grinned from ear to ear.Mia rolled her fork in her pasta to scoop out of it her lips curved into a smile, "I'm glad you like it." She stretched her hand toward his hand and held it and she looked into his eyes, "I'm glad hon that you are home today.""Yes, daddy!" Isabella screeched in excitement, "I wanna introduce you to a lot of my new toys momma bought me most especially to my barbie dolls.""Really?" Jansen stared into Isabella's
Juliet stood in front of the sink in the kitchen scrubbing a pile of plates dissolved in it. White bubbles floated over the water in the sink like a giant white cloud. Jansen advanced towards her he stroked her waist and stared at her face, "hon you look beautiful even when washing the dishes."She scraped out of the bubbles and splashed them on his face and she giggled. Jansen felt the bubble tickling his nose and cheek and he stretched his hand towards the sink, "since that's how you wanna go...," Juliet panicked sensing him grasping some bubbles and she held his arm pulling it, "don't love." Jansen wrapped his hand around her waist and he stood so close to her their nose was almost touching and they stared deeply into each other's eyes she wrapped her hands around his thick neck."I can't ever stop loving you.""I can't ever stop loving you either." She let out a chuckle.****Days after, in the wintry gloaming Juliet waddled on a secluded pathway heading towards her condominium, s
Jansen was crouching in his chair in his office. His chair is Captain style on wheels with leather seat and back. Jansen leaned way back in the chair and cranked his neck hard over, he could see the sky from the office window, hazy-blue and cloudless and so smoggy.Inside, the office was small and cold. Four cubicles shared an empty common area. The carpet was sea green. There was one window, vertical, narrow and fortified with chicken wire. Jansen sat up and he glanced at the bouquet of red roses lying on his desk. It was wrapped with a luminous white leather on the sides. Jansen rose to his feet and he leaned the bouquet towards his face, the fragrant scent oozing out flowed into his nostrils and he grinned from ear to ear, "Mia's gonna love it." He purchased the bouquet since forenoon to present it to Mia during their anniversary dinner tonight.Suddenly, a broad image of him grasping Juliet in his huge arms and kissing her lips affectionately flashed through his mind and he giggle
It was 11:52 pm. Jansen arrived at Havelock street, he quickly stepped out of his car and had to grasp a torchlight as he observed that the road is murky and covered with a mist. He strode the street glancing left and right pointing his torchlight at wherever he looks. The rays of his torchlight gleamed on the road. "Juliet!" He screeched. He did not hear any response and his heart was fluttering he screeched her name thrice still the street was utterly silent and he rubbed his hair in nervousness, he sighed, "where are you?" His eyes trembled and tears were soaking them."I hope you're not dead, " Jansen clenched his fists, his face contorted with rage, "I swear I'm not gonna spare any of the goons should anything happen to you." He kneaded his cheek, and a tear dropped. He continued to waddle.Juliet felt as if she is being pricked by sharp thorns as she tossed and the slope pulled her toward the edge of the cliff, she rolled off the edge and she glanced down noticing huge sturdy ro
Jansen lazily rose to his feet, he was almost swerving from the pole the rays of the torchlight shone on the road towards the forest and he specked Juliet's shoe lying near the entrances to the forest. "Could that be her shoe?" His face was puzzled and he hurried over there. He stared at it closely, it looked like a lady's shoe and he grinned from ear to ear, "this could mean that she went this way and is not dead. She walked here so she is not dead, " he let out a chuckle in excitement, "She's still breathing."He sighed, "got no time to waste I gotta find her." He was shivering and although he was in a coat, the cool wind pierced his skin. Jansen stepped into the forest and glanced from left to right, he could only observe the trees and he walked further into the forest, "where are you, Juliet?" He muttered.Juliet's arms were starting to become numb and she was starting to feel dizzy her palms were slowly slipping from the rocks. "Help! Someone help! Anybody!" She screeched.Her vo
Mia rolled on her bed, a soft rumbling noise hummed in her ears and she unhurriedly opened her eyes she noticed a gleaming radiance in her room. The windows were large, they were allowing natural light to enter the room. Mia sat up and she yawned audibly she listened to the birds chirping noisily and she realizes that it is already dawn. She flipped her blanket off her and attempted to step down from the bed she halted feeling stunned seeing Jansen standing by the door. He was clasping a small tray with a cup of black coffee sitting on it, he stared at Mia and grinned from ear to ear. Juliet awakens, she could not feel Jansen's arm around her she panicked and swerved glancing at the left side of the bed. It was utterly empty she glanced around the bed and neither of his clothes or shoes was in the room."Jansen!" She screeched sitting up. She did not hear any response and she attempted to rise from the bed she paused spotting a small pile of baked bread with fried eggs in between them