[FF] Fiction Friday

For this week's Friday post, I decided to create a story based on a dream I had had. I don't claim to be a good writer, so this is definitely not going to be Hemingway. Please enjoy~

Photo credit to Shutterstock.com

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Kate stretched her arms over the steering wheel. She’d been staring at the iPad on her lap for over an hour, sitting at the front seat of the family car in her front driveway. Music was blaring from the inside of the house. Kate’s sister-in-law was having a party and although Kate had nothing against her sister-in-law or her friends, she needed to be alone for a while.

A knock at the driver’s seat window made her jump.

“You’re going to suffocate in there!” yelled Kate’s neighbour, Ryan.

Kate rolled down the window to the sympathetic eyes of Ryan, who had his son bouncing on one arm.

“Hey Ryan,” Kate mustered a smile.

Ryan sighed, his gaze full of understanding and concern.

“I know what you’re doing,” he started, “It’s been four months. You can’t just hide in here and avoid everyone.”

That’s right, Kate thought, it’s been four months. My, how time flies.

“I really don’t mean to pry, but you deserve so much better. A man who ca-“

“Thanks, Ryan. I’m really appreciative of your kind words, but I can’t possibly...” Kate let her words trail off without making a point. She was tired of justifying everything.

“Alright, Kate. Just let me know if you need anything, please.”

Once Ryan was out of sight behind the hedges separating their houses, Kate stepped out of the car.

It had been four months since the news broke. It seemed everyone in the neighbourhood knew about Rob’s affair.

Four months already, huh?

No, it’s been way longer than that.

Kate remembered the first time she suspected Rob wasn’t being faithful to her. Somehow she knew, from the way he was more absent than present, buying extravagant gifts like the 3 carat diamond sitting on her ring finger. Maybe it was also the unfamiliar perfume that radiated from him whenever he came from work.

It wasn’t until Kate found condoms in his blazer pocket, did Kate suddenly realize her suspicions had been confirmed.

How could anyone be surprised though, really? Rob was the managing director of a hip IT firm, who had his employees do most of his job, so he spent most of his time networking and drinking with clients. Not only that, Rob came from a wealthy family who was almost celebrity status in this city. Tabloids were frequently paid by competitive firms to try to find the dirtiest secrets to keep themselves on top of the game.

“You pushed me to tell you,” Rob threatened Kate when she mustered the courage to confront him, “I didn’t want you to know, but you pushed me. It was just a passing thing and now you’ve gone and made it a big deal.”

“I want a div-” Kate began.

“A divorce?” Rob chuckled, “You’re not going to ask for a divorce. You don’t even know what you want. You’re just a little shocked because you just found out. Give it time. You don’t want a divorce.”

What is this? Kate was confused. Why is he being like this?

At the time, Kate didn’t understand why Rob refused to divorce her. But she walked out of the room that day with a secret. A secret that would come out half a year later when Rob and his affair were spotted climbing into a taxi, her arms flailing in the air, clearly inebriated. It turns out the “passing thing” was a young Chinese girl whose only goal in life was to become a model, but failed to land herself a career in the field because she was too easily mistaken for Asian girls already in the industry.

Kate thought maybe then the affairs would end. The competition was not going to let this news go and any confidence in the firm would drop. But the affair didn't end and nor did Kate's marriage. One night, Rob pulled Kate into their room and pushed Kate down at the edge of the bed. His strong body soon followed, pinning Kate’s hands down as he spoke.

“You have to understand something, Kate,” he breathed into her ear, “you love me, right Kate?”

Kate didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure what to say.

“You can’t divorce me. I won’t let you,” Rob continued, twirling a strand of Kate’s hair around his finger, “you will stay in this house and we will remain husband and wife until the day we die. It’s for our own good. Your own good. Got it?”

Kate swallowed, understanding full well that his intentions were to protect his public image. He had to become the perfect husband in order for everything to remain stable in his life.

“Got it?!” Rob thundered.

Kate nodded, too terrified all of a sudden to cry or to speak.

Rob took Kate’s face and planted an aggressive kiss on her lips before sauntering out of the room.

A honk of a car-horn jolted Kate back to her senses.

“Get out of the bloody driveway!” shrieked Kate’s mother-in-law, Linda.

Kate teetered a safe distance away as the driver pulled the van into the driveway and Rob’s mother hopped out of the passenger’s seat. Linda had taken the driver and her friends down to the casino and now they were back to the house, probably because she needed to show off the new antique vase she had won at an auction just yesterday.

“Kate,” said Linda, sounding suspiciously testy, “I’m showing my friends around the house so please get us some tea.” She patted her hand a bit too clumsily against Kate’s, her jade bracelet hitting Kate’s bone causing her to wince. Linda ignored this and ushered her friends, who were now filing out of the van, into the house.

The mistress had met Linda, and instead of being reprimanded for ruining her son’s life, Linda embraced the girl into her life and meets her regularly for dim-sum on Sundays.

Kate straightened her shoulders and waltzed in after the guests into the house.

Entering the kitchen, she found her sister-in-law, Tracy, struggling to open a biscuit tin.

“We ran out of snacks!” yelled Tracy, clearly having been in the loud music for too long.

Kate helped open the tin canister.

Tracy sensed something and lifted Kate’s face with a finger.

“It’s my brother again, isn’t it?”

Kate put on a bright smile, “I’m fine, Tracy. I just hope you’re enjoying your party.”

Tracy crossed her arms, “You’re such a strong woman, Kate, if I were you I would have left the man. But you really believe in his dreams and his ambition.” Tracy’s eyes glimmered under the kitchen island lights, making Kate smile. Kate needed the support.

Just then, a crash could be heard in the living room.

“Aie ya, Rob, watch where you’re going, please! I don’t want to have to send Richard to buy me another one!” gasped Linda.

Kate and Tracy rushed to the living room to see Rob staggering in through the patio doors, looking incredibly drunk, suit disheveled, and a bruise below his right eye.

“YOU!” Rob screamed, pointing firmly at Kate, “IN OUR ROOM. NOW.”