To Each His Own

“Are you coming tonight? I have a special dinner planned.” he whispered, his excitement palpable as he pulled her closer into him. He buried his face in her neck and breathed her in deeply, playfully licking and biting her. She felt his warm breath caress her neck and shivered. He pulled her in closer. How she loved these intimate moments.

He had been planning something very special for her for a while now.

“Of course my love. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” She closed her eyes and snuggled contentedly into his warmth. She wished she could remain here forever. A soft sigh escaped her lips.  

He moved his hands to her waist and gently pushed her back. She cringed inwardly as she felt him caress her plump waist. She had put on weight since they first met, and he insisted he loved her even more for it. He went so far as to encourage her to eat everything to her heart’s content when they were together. His favorite quip was “People who eat are always the best people.” He seemed happy watching her eat. Still…she felt uncomfortable with the weight she was piling on.

“How does my house at 7 tonight sound?” he interrupted her thoughts. His eyes eager.

“7 sounds great.” Her heart fluttered. She was still as giddy as a silly schoolgirl around him.

He glanced at his watch. “Right then, I’ve got to get to a meeting. I’ll see you later”.

He lifted his hand to catch the attention of a passing cab. It stopped in front of them and he opened the door.

“I promise you, it will be a dinner you’ll never forget.” A cryptic statement made more so by the way he stared at her. It was a hungry look. Like he wanted to devour her. Her body erupted in tingles.

He murmured into her ear, “Wear that little white dress tonight. It suits your innocence and purity.” His lips brushed the top of her forehead breathing her in again. 

“I just want to feast on your natural scent tonight. No perfumes or body lotions tonight please.” He ran his hands lightly over her body. A strange request but before she had a chance to react, the cab driver leaned back and interrupted with, “The meters running. You getting in?

She quickly climbed into the car.

“I’ll see you at 7 my love.” She smiled up at him as he closed the door. The cab sped away.

He gazed at the cab as it departed, his heart beating a little faster in nervous anticipation and excitement as this would be a very special night indeed. This would be a first for him, and he wanted to get it just right. He turned and sauntered happily into the building, whistling as he made his way to his meeting.

“I’m sorry about that.” she looked into the rear-view mirror at the ruddy cab driver. His smiling eyes met hers.

“Ahhh, true love. Nothing like it.” His eyes were back on the road. “I been with my missus for 25 years now. She be the love o’ me life”. He looked at her.  “You been together long?”

“Just under a year.” She wasn’t sure why she was sharing this with the driver. But it's not as if she would see him again.   

“He about ready to make an honest woman outta you?” he winked at her.

She blushed furiously and laughed. “No of course not. Just a lovely dinner with a special man.”

She didn’t want to jinx it, but she was hoping tonight would be The Night. The night he would finally propose to her. But she couldn’t very well admit that to a complete stranger!

The driver lost interest in the conversation as they approached her destination. “Ok missy. Here you go.” He slowed to a stop in front of her apartment building.  

He turned back and winked at her “Good luck."

She smiled, paid the cab fare and jumped out.

She hurriedly made her way into her apartment. She had to look good tonight. Good enough to eat she thought wickedly as she reached for the phone to set up her grooming appointments.

She made her way out the door. As she moved from her hair to her nail to her waxing appointments, she reminisced about her life.

She was the miracle only child of an English teacher mom and an engineer dad. The couple had had her late in life. They were told they couldn’t have children. She had a stable and loving, if conservative childhood. Her parents were salt of the earth people and she loved them dearly. Her dad was retired but her mom was still active at the school. They lived close by. She always made time to spend with them whenever she could, which was much less since she had started her relationship. She suddenly missed them terribly.

Tomorrow I will visit them, hopefully with some great news to share, she thought as a happy grin found its way from her heart to her lips.

She loved kids, wanted to have tons of her own one day. She was couldn’t wait to start a family. She planned on being a stay at home mom, the whole shebang - baking cookies for school, driving her kids to extracurricular activities, helping with homework and so on. In the meantime, she settled for being a kindergarten teacher. Teaching little kids filled her with joy and wonder. They were so honest and untainted and funny! Oh but their little antics tickled her to no end.

Life was good indeed and only about to get better.

Back home, she admired her new hairdo, moving her head from side to side. Her pin straight long brown hair looked like a silky curtain falling gracefully around her shoulders. Her pale pink nails were as pretty as a picture.  She walked into the bathroom and drew a hot bath. About to pour scented bath oils and salts into the water, she remembered his strange request - no scents tonight. She shrugged her shoulders, slipped out her clothes and eased herself into the hot water.

She closed her eyes and relaxed. Her thoughts shifted to the first time they met. He had literally bumped into her at the library, dropping the books she was carrying. Then it was all hands fumbling to pick up the books, mumbled apologies, heads bumping and more embarrassed mumbled apologies until they both burst into peals of laughter. That was the beginning. They had coffee together that day, enjoying each other’s company immensely. And so began their adventure of discovering, exploring and falling in love with each other. It was a blissful experience and tonight was the climax. A content sigh broke her reverie. The bath water had cooled. It was time to get ready.

She lifted herself out of the bathtub and dried herself off. She reached for the lotion before once again remembering his request for no scented lotion. Hmm.

She slipped into the white dress he wanted her to wear. It fit more snugly than she remembered. Apprehension slithered through her. She really needed to lose some weight, she thought as she surveyed her body in the mirror. She shook those thoughts away. No! she berated herself. He loves me just the way I am. Nothing is going to spoil tonight.

She applied light make up, picked up her gold clutch and slipped on her gold heels.  She admired herself in the full-length mirror. Yes she was ready for tonight. Switching off the lights and locking up her apartment, she left to call a cab.

It was a long drive to his house on the outskirts of the city. Traffic was heavy. Her tummy was tied in knots. She was excited and nervous. She was grateful for the cab driver's silence. It was an opportunity to practice the breathing exercises she taught her school kids when they were too rowdy. Breathe in 2-3-4, hold 2-3-4, breathe out 2-3-4-5-6. And repeat, repeat, repeat. It calmed her down on the drive. As soon as she stepped out of the cab, the excitement and nervousness was back with a vengeance.

Ah well. This would be a story to tell their kids one day. Mommy was so nervous she almost threw up on the white dress she was wearing on their very special night. A nervous giggle escaped her lips. She rang the doorbell.

The doorbell startled him. Was it 7 o’ clock already? He had been lost in thought, taming his fraught nerves by arranging and rearranging his special spices and chopping the onions and garlic too finely. He almost threw the marinade down the drain. That would have been a disaster as he had spent many a weeks perfecting it. He loved cooking. He loved experimenting. Now the doorbell was ringing.

He opened the door and she stood happily smiling up at him. She looked resplendent in the white dress. Pure white. Perfect. The dress was too tight but he didn’t care. In fact, what was underneath built his excitement. He shut the door, pulled her into his arms, and tenderly kissed her. He breathed her in deeply. No scents. Just the way he wanted.  

“Hello” he whispered when he finally pulled away. “You look beautiful. The dress was made for you.” He took her hand and led her into the dining area where he twirled her around. He nodded approvingly.

“Thank you.” she said. Suddenly, she felt terribly shy. She looked around to distract herself.

“Something smells good. Do you need some help?” she asked as she glanced at the kitchen. The fragrance of onions and garlic frying in butter made her hungry.

She had expected dinner to be ready at 7. Perhaps she had misunderstood him.

“As a matter of fact, yes please. But first…” He trailed off as he walked into the kitchen, took the pot off the stove which he switched off.

“Come with me.” He smiled as he took both her hands in his and gave each a gentle kiss.

“I have been planning and longing for this night for a long time.” He looked content. "You, my love, are about to make my dream into a reality.” 

Her heart raced. Oh my God this is it, she thought. All hunger and thoughts of food disappeared as he led her into the garden. He’s going to propose to me, he’s going to ask me to be his wife and I’m going to say yes yes yes!

She thought her heart would jump out of her throat. She couldn’t contain her excitement. He stopped and turned to look at her, his eyes gleaming. He let go of her hand and stepped back towards the table set for dinner, still looking at her. Was something amiss? He reached for something…the ring?...behind him.  

He stepped toward her. Too close she thought. She took a step back, giving him some space to kneel down. A gentle rustle caught her attention. She looked down. She was standing in the centre of a huge plastic tarp neatly laid down on the grass. She looked up confused.

That’s when she saw the machete in his hands and the look of madness in his black eyes. The twisted grin made his face unrecognizable. He lunged towards her, the machete slicing into her abdomen. Bright red blood cascaded down her pristine white dress. She looked up at him. He was mesmerized at the sight of her blood.

“Exactly as I pictured it! ”. He was salivating.

“What? Wher.. where’s the ring?” she stuttered in surprise or was she going into shock.

 “Ring? What ring?” he laughed menacingly.

“You, my dear, are going to make a scrumptious dinner! A dinner I have been waiting to sample for a very long time!” The machete sliced into her again. His high-pitched maniacal laughter faded into the background.

Her final thoughts were like a puzzle coming together to form the final picture…he fattened her up, the dinner table was set for one, he wanted no scented lotions or soaps so that his marinade would be the only flavors he tasted, no proposal, no husband, no busload of kids, no future….