BY KAREN UTTIEN
Copyright is held by the author.
THE SHOP was simply called Pillows.
But that was where the simplicity ended.
The assistant was ever so helpful. And extremely patient. But Sally was exhausted. After an hour, she knew such a lot about pillows and yet, she still had no real idea which one would actually work.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling apologetically.
“OK, I’ll leave you to think about it.”
Sally wandered around the shop for a while. Feeling the pillows again. Pressing them against her face. Analyzing the firmness chart. Weighing up the pros and cons.
Her watch alarm buzzed. Making her jump. Reminding her it was time to leave.
“I’ll take the bamboo-shredded-memory-foam-viscose-shell one,” she told the assistant.
“Good choice. Although, it is quite heavy.”
“Yes. I need it to be firm,” she said, looking out the door — avoiding any further chit-chat.
Running, she made it to the bus just in time. She needed to get Gareth’s dinner on the table by five, before he went out with the lads. Wednesday was poker night.
Her heart sank. His car was already in the driveway. She threw the pillow behind the bushes and fumbled her way into the house.
“Where the fuck —” Gareth said, holding the door.
“Won’t be long, love,” Sally shrunk passed him, to get to the kitchen. “Beef Wellington tonight,” she said, hoping to bring his mood up.
It worked. He flopped back into his chair and opened another beer.
Gareth loved beef Wellington. Said it made him feel like the king he was. Said she should put more effort into preparing his meals, instead of dishing up her mother’s working-class slops.
“Ready, love,” Sally said, putting the plate on the table and pulling out his chair.
Gareth ate. And left. Thank goodness. Sometimes on a Wednesday he liked to get his leg over in case the girls weren’t at the club.
Sally watched his car disappear before fetching the pillow. Then went into the bedroom and lay on the bed facing the ceiling.
Lifting the pillow above her head, she carefully placed it over her face. The assistant was right. It was heavy, even without any pressure. She put her hands on top and pressed down firmly until little stars began dancing through the darkness. And she drifted into a wonderful peaceful . . .
Bolting upright, she gasped for air, wheezing and coughing until she retched. Dazed, she held her face in her hands for a while, then laughed and laughed.
Satisfied, she got up and changed into her night-dress.
“Right, time for a nice cup of tea,” she said, putting the kettle on and getting a biscuit from the tin hidden at the back of the pantry. Gareth didn’t like her eating biscuits. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t like to upset him. So, she only ate them on Wednesdays.
Her favourite quiz show was about to start. She took her tea and biscuit into the sitting room and turned on the telly. It was in the evenings she missed Sacha the most. Gareth said cats were unhygienic. At the time she had supposed he was right to get rid of her.
The clock ticked. Ten o’clock. She would usually be in bed by now, but not tonight. Tonight, she must stay focused, ready for when he collapsed into a drunken coma.
She had fantasized many ways to kill him. Most were unrealistic, but rewarding. Of course, most women used poison. How dull. But suffocating the life out of him? Yes, that felt good.
The blue flashing lights startled her into now. She put on her dressing gown and unlocked the door.
“Mrs. Moore?” the officer said.
“Yes?”
“There’s been an accident.”
“Oh?”
“Your husband — ”
Sally unhinged the chain and let the officers in.
It was a head-on collision. Both drivers intoxicated. Stuart O’Grady identified the bodies. But she would need to go again in the morning.
The officers were terribly kind. It was past midnight by the time they finished their tea and she convinced them she would be fine on her own and that she had no one to call.
She locked the door behind them, put the cups in the sink, and went to bed. She left the biscuits on the table.
***
Born in Kenya, Karen now lives in western Australia enjoying a wonderful life by the beach with her husband and Bonnie the dog. She has taken time out from her office job to pursue her love of writing, and hopes to entertain you for a while.