Envy
The woman was driving too fast and knew it. It would be just her luck to get a speeding ticket. She was going to be late and her sister would make a point of it. They had just come off a two-month period of not speaking. Which was not easy when you factored in the elderly mother and her nurses and shuttling her between the three houses. Her sister's kids were grown, long out of the house. Her sister should be the one rushing to pick up their mother for her doctor's appointment. Not the woman, with the youngest one still at home
The woman still marveled at how her sister had gone about the second half of her life. She, herself, had plans along the same lines once her youngest was away at school. The woman's no-good husband, who was so full of schemes, had amounted to nothing. The woman was working in order to supplement the high costs of college. This was never in the woman's plan. The woman had been a good mother and wife for so many years, to no avail. The woman's youngest couldn't wait to get out of the house. Her eldest didn't even try to attempt a relationship. And when the woman's husband wasn't at his dead end job he was golfing. The woman's sister, who married her ex-husband's best friend, lived the life of luxury. If anyone deserved the huge serving of shit that passed as a life, it was her sister. No. Her sister spent her vacations in exotic places. She always had a new handbag to match her new pair of shoes. Her nails were always perfectly manicured. Her perfect life infuriated the woman to no end.
One of the woman's guilty pleasures was thinking back to a day so many years ago -- a day that had been almost perfect. She was a young newlywed and she and her husband were planning on spending the summer on the Island. She planned on getting pregnant the following summer: long enough to enjoy married life without the hassles of children but soon enough so that people would not start to whisper. It would take big leaps and bounds to catch up with her sister.
That nearly perfect day had been an early summer's day. Hot but not humid. A slight breeze had kept the air moving. The woman had had lunch with a friend. She remembered thinking her friend was most likely going to end up alone. After lunch, the woman went shopping. She exchanged a few pieces of china that were almost the right pattern. The woman needed a blender. The woman remembered the store smelling of cinnamon and apples and thinking to herself that that was not really a summer smell.
The woman and her sister were to play tennis at 4:00 that afternoon. The woman remembered thinking that things were starting to fall into place -- the woman and her husband had just joined her sister's club and, at this rate, she figured, by the time their first baby arrived they would be able to afford the right house in the right neighborhood. And the woman would be even with, if not ahead of her sister. She waited at the court for her sister but she did not show up. The woman had to forfeit the court. But today, nothing bothered the woman. She had a cocktail at the bar and familiarized herself with the clubhouse. She met a very handsome man at the bar. Had made sure he saw her wedding band and then shamelessly flirted. She loved the attention. Somehow an hour and a half slipped by and it was time to head home.
Her husband would be home from the office in less than two hours -- they had dinner reservations at nine. The woman was about to get off at her exit when she decided to find out what had happened to her sister. Normally, the woman would have been quite upset by such a slight by her sister, but that day she was feeling generous and even some sisterly compassion. So the woman stayed on the parkway and went the extra three exits to her sister's house.
The woman remembered pulling into the driveway and noticing how perfect the perennials looked. Her sister's gardener had a waiting list. He gave the garden that extra touch that made people stop and notice how beautiful the flowers were. That thought quickly vanished and the woman noticed that her sister's husband's car was parked in the driveway. That was odd since he was never home before 7:00 PM at the earliest. The woman decided she would go around back and enter through the yard. The woman opened the gate. The perfectly manicured lawn looked cool and inviting. The woman made her way across the lawn and was just stepping foot on the slate patio and thinking how inviting her sister's pool looked. Smooth as glass. More like a mirror. The woman distinctly remembered thinking that her life could not be more perfect when there was a scream. Not quite sure where it was coming from, the woman hurried along the patio toward the sliding glass doors that opened into the kitchen. All of a sudden she saw something thrown against the sliding glass door. It startled the woman so much that she almost screamed. The woman took a few steps back before she realized that it was her sister that was thrown up against the glass. What was going on? Had someone broken into her sister's house? Then the woman saw her brother-in-law's big hand grab a handful of her sister's hair, his face purple with rage. He pulled her sister away from the door and the woman could see no more.
After the few seconds of shock had worn off, the woman thought, "NOW my life could not be more perfect". That had been the best day ever. The thought of it still evoked a smile. The woman was still smiling when she noticed the flashing lights in her rearview mirror.
The woman still marveled at how her sister had gone about the second half of her life. She, herself, had plans along the same lines once her youngest was away at school. The woman's no-good husband, who was so full of schemes, had amounted to nothing. The woman was working in order to supplement the high costs of college. This was never in the woman's plan. The woman had been a good mother and wife for so many years, to no avail. The woman's youngest couldn't wait to get out of the house. Her eldest didn't even try to attempt a relationship. And when the woman's husband wasn't at his dead end job he was golfing. The woman's sister, who married her ex-husband's best friend, lived the life of luxury. If anyone deserved the huge serving of shit that passed as a life, it was her sister. No. Her sister spent her vacations in exotic places. She always had a new handbag to match her new pair of shoes. Her nails were always perfectly manicured. Her perfect life infuriated the woman to no end.
One of the woman's guilty pleasures was thinking back to a day so many years ago -- a day that had been almost perfect. She was a young newlywed and she and her husband were planning on spending the summer on the Island. She planned on getting pregnant the following summer: long enough to enjoy married life without the hassles of children but soon enough so that people would not start to whisper. It would take big leaps and bounds to catch up with her sister.
That nearly perfect day had been an early summer's day. Hot but not humid. A slight breeze had kept the air moving. The woman had had lunch with a friend. She remembered thinking her friend was most likely going to end up alone. After lunch, the woman went shopping. She exchanged a few pieces of china that were almost the right pattern. The woman needed a blender. The woman remembered the store smelling of cinnamon and apples and thinking to herself that that was not really a summer smell.
The woman and her sister were to play tennis at 4:00 that afternoon. The woman remembered thinking that things were starting to fall into place -- the woman and her husband had just joined her sister's club and, at this rate, she figured, by the time their first baby arrived they would be able to afford the right house in the right neighborhood. And the woman would be even with, if not ahead of her sister. She waited at the court for her sister but she did not show up. The woman had to forfeit the court. But today, nothing bothered the woman. She had a cocktail at the bar and familiarized herself with the clubhouse. She met a very handsome man at the bar. Had made sure he saw her wedding band and then shamelessly flirted. She loved the attention. Somehow an hour and a half slipped by and it was time to head home.
Her husband would be home from the office in less than two hours -- they had dinner reservations at nine. The woman was about to get off at her exit when she decided to find out what had happened to her sister. Normally, the woman would have been quite upset by such a slight by her sister, but that day she was feeling generous and even some sisterly compassion. So the woman stayed on the parkway and went the extra three exits to her sister's house.
The woman remembered pulling into the driveway and noticing how perfect the perennials looked. Her sister's gardener had a waiting list. He gave the garden that extra touch that made people stop and notice how beautiful the flowers were. That thought quickly vanished and the woman noticed that her sister's husband's car was parked in the driveway. That was odd since he was never home before 7:00 PM at the earliest. The woman decided she would go around back and enter through the yard. The woman opened the gate. The perfectly manicured lawn looked cool and inviting. The woman made her way across the lawn and was just stepping foot on the slate patio and thinking how inviting her sister's pool looked. Smooth as glass. More like a mirror. The woman distinctly remembered thinking that her life could not be more perfect when there was a scream. Not quite sure where it was coming from, the woman hurried along the patio toward the sliding glass doors that opened into the kitchen. All of a sudden she saw something thrown against the sliding glass door. It startled the woman so much that she almost screamed. The woman took a few steps back before she realized that it was her sister that was thrown up against the glass. What was going on? Had someone broken into her sister's house? Then the woman saw her brother-in-law's big hand grab a handful of her sister's hair, his face purple with rage. He pulled her sister away from the door and the woman could see no more.
After the few seconds of shock had worn off, the woman thought, "NOW my life could not be more perfect". That had been the best day ever. The thought of it still evoked a smile. The woman was still smiling when she noticed the flashing lights in her rearview mirror.
posted by yellowcracker @ 11:00 PM
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