Andy & His Half Clogged Brain

10

Past

"I think it should be in the middle of the room"

"But then the room looks quite empty on the sides". So I suggest

"Then we can put a table set for kids there", I point in the direction of the corner. Sofia doesnt look satisfied but for the time being but anyway says

"It should do".

We descend the stairs together ,carefully while I hold her hand to help her. Once were on the floor I straight away head towards the shoe rack to take out my formal shoes. Sofia brings my briefcase which was lying on the couch. Finishing tying my shoe lace ,I take my briefcase from her hold and walk into the atmosphere of cold air gushing. Not anticipating such a weather the blazer is buttoned up, covering my front now as the flaps were flying before. I reach the bus stop and wait for my bus to arrive. Usually I would have taken a taxi but lately the expenditures are going up high. The bus doesnt arrive for at-least another half an hour , making me late and restless. It leaves me no option but to avail a taxi.

Checking my watch as I reach, I see that I am twenty minutes late for my interview so I close the taxi door with a loud thud making the driver curse at me and Im running through the office building. It takes another two minutes for the lift to arrive at the ground floor and by this time a huge crowd has formed around me waiting for the same. Everyone gets ready, tightening their hold on there respective bags or briefcases as the lift arrives because as the ting sound resonates among all of us, we start to push each other just so that we can have a spot in the lift whos door hasnt even opened fully.

We sheep's all do the same thing , move in a herd whether it be for grazing or to a slaughter house. By the time I have pushed other people to the side and reached the lift it has already been filled to its maximum capacity, I still could have adjusted myself in it thinking what more another 60Kg could do but I dont and back away from it while it closes and moves in the upwards direction. With no intention of repeating my mistake, this time I take the staircase to the sixth floor.

I take the help of the railing to pull my weight forward while I practically run on the staircase. The dust which is getting stuck on my fingers and palm and is cleaning the areas I touch tells me this is not a path that is used much. The fact that all the other sheeps had managed to snuck in while I stayed outside tells me that they were actual wolfs in sheeps clothing and its in wolfs nature to be cunning and deceitful .Bursting out into the sixth floor I find one of their employees on the phone and to him I ask where the interviews were being conducted and he kindly guides me there.

"Sorry but it can't happen now"

"It wasn't even my fault, the circumstances were present in such a way that deceiving time felt highly improbable". She looks at me with confusion as if my words were incoherent to her foolish self.

"I am a worker here .Its not in my power to give you a second chance and putting youre misery in-front of me won't help". She moves ahead from me to attend to other candidates query. I had showed up forty five minutes late. Instead of listening to my plea ,I was being taught about time management . I don't see a point of standing here , arguing and trying to prove my point. So I walk out of the building through the stairs.

I had told Sofia that after my job interview I would straight away go to the pub but I felt such intense pain in my head that I had called in and taken a leave. I take a bus back home and don't mind waiting this time. The briefcase in my hand feels heavy so I constantly shift it from one hand to another. Walking the short distance from bus stop to home ,I feel lethargic but an instant energy fills my limbs as soon as the house is visible to my eye sight. My short steps change to longer jumps and the house starts to look bigger with every motion of my body. The relief I felt changes from confusion to suspicion in a heart beat when I notice a car in my driveway. The car is parked in a horizontal way as if the driver was in a hurry and could care less about the parking. This way the car also blocks the entrance so I had to move across it to reach to my own house .

I move slowly towards my door as I don't want to alert Sofia or the stranger inside. If my suspicion is correct this could be my golden ticket out. Moving the handle of the door all the way down the ,it still doesnt open which means it has been locked from inside. This is the very moment when we can say things do come to bite you in the ass as the plant near our doorway has stones inside its pot.

Taking the biggest one I slide its surface to the side and take out the extra key. It was Sofias idea and this was karma in its true form. I slowly and as quietly as possible unlock the door. I don't swing the door wide open , just a fraction of it to squeeze myself in and close it again. I don't hear anything so either they arent in the living room or my assumption has been false. I had also removed my shoes at the door to avoid making noise and it was a good decision. I check the kitchen before moving upstairs towards the bedroom area. This is when I catch whispers of conversation. There are not being loud so that they do not get caught by the neighbors.

The only door that is open is our bedroom door and the light from in there streams into the narrow hall illuminating it on a sun less day. Instead of listening to them sneakily I decided to confront them upfront. So I just walk and decide to stand in the doorway what I see is kind of shocking . A person in blue uniform stands alone in the room , he's looking out of the window and turns in time to face me. His hands move in such a way that it gives me the feeling that he's going for his holster, so I put both my hand above my head.

"Honey, what are you doing?". Sofia who suddenly comes from behind and hugs me with her arms around my stomach . Her sudden intrusion kinds of disperses the tense atmosphere that had formed.

"What a surprise!", Sofia says to me while the officer in our bedroom remains unacknowledged. I reply something along the lines of 'yeah' and instead bring my attention to him.

"What is a police officer doing in our bedroom?"

"Nothing a routine check in ,its going on in the whole locality. Apparently the crime rates have increased in this area"

"Its an annual thing", the officer says. This is the first time he speaks. I move forward ,out of Sofias clutches and put out my hand for a handshake

"I'm Andy, the husband and the owner of this house ". He shakes my hand with equal force and introduces himself as

"Officer Mark Robinson of the Police department". The name does match his badge.

"Anything else you need to check?"

I was almost done. He walks out from the room brushing my side but not before saying

"You guys should be safe , most of the time its the people we know that hurt us".

*******

"Would you like to say something?". By now I had took a bath, changed my clothing, and was ready to dive straight in into this situation.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing". It was dumb of me to say anything to her. I had no substantial proof that something else might be going on here. Plus the fact that he was a police officer changed everything, somehow it felt now she was out of my reach. I wish I had caught her doing something she wasnt supposed to. Then maybe I would feel no amount of guilt in leaving her. The divorce papers which have been in my briefcase for months needed to be taken out now. Everyday I am getting weaker and weaker at keeping up with this life.

*********

The next day when I leave for work I put the divorce papers on top of the dining table with the spoons and forks as paper weights. I see myself out today. As the winters start to approach with days becoming shorter and nights becoming longer Sofia wishes to stay in bed , it also could be because of the growing belly each day. I would give her a whole day to think about it but my mind was now made.