What would my parents say? She thought aloud. Images of her father came to her mind. His strict and angry voice. Would he slap her? Would he ask her to leave the house? She wondered. She knew she had made a mistake, but it was not entirely her fault. She had been so naive. How could she have trusted him, but then again, he was very convincing. The knock on the door broke into her thoughts. The nurse walked in and sat down.
She knew the nurse was giving a lengthy explanation on childbirth. Words like "placenta", "umbilical cord" and "Caesarean" occasionally caught her attention but somehow she could not concentrate. Her tired eyes checked the wall clock a couple of times. She had to squint to read the time.
His deep voice filled the room. Once again she was in the cozy home back in New Zealand.
"Why do you sit so far away, darling?"
Carol took her glass of wine and sat next to him on the couch.
"Do you have any unfulfilled dreams, Carol?" he asked.
"Of course, Danny. Everybody has, why do you ask?"
"I have this dream, Carol. Sometimes it seems almost impossible but I persist in dreaming it. I dream of a house with a hearth-fire, a dog, footsteps of friends and.... you."
"Well, I really ..." she started to say something but he continued.
"Will you help me fulfill this dream, Carol, please?"
"Danny, I don't know what to say." She looked away.
"Well I guess it should be okay ..." He did not let her finish, drawing her close he kissed her gently on the lips.
"Mrs.Daniel, Mrs.Daniel" The shrill voice of the nurse could be heard again.
"That's about all, do you have any questions?" she asked.
"No" came the reply.
The nurse rose, collected her files and left the room. Her heavy eyes followed the while-clad woman to the door. As soon as the door closed behind her, she looked around the room. For the first time since she had been here did she actually study the room. The carpet had a purple shade and the curtains that blocked the daylight was heavy in peach with a handsome blue border.
With much difficulty she hauled herself up and stared at her protuberant belly. Leaning sideways, she reached for the bedside table. Opening the drawer she took out a short but hazardous-looking knife. She carefully placed the knife on her belly, crossing her feeble fingers over it. She closed her eyes as she thought of her original plan. She remembered that fateful night.
"Danny, ... Danny!" She opened the room door and fumbled for the light switch. A dim yellow light lit the room. Carol was dumbfounded. She felt anger welling up within her. She rushed forward to hit the other woman, but someone pulled her hair and stopped her. She turned around and looked at him, her husband.
"Why you ..." He stopped her with a strong blow of his fist. She fell to the floor. Next, his heavy shoes came down on her shoulders. She rolled to avoid more pain, only to have a vase brought down on her head. Fluid seeped into her head and she remembered no more.
The whiteness of the hospital room crept back to her. She still liked the original plan. Oh, how she wanted to dig a knife into his thick skin and watch him scream in pain. No, she could not, she had the law to think about. "How do I escape from the law if I were to kill him?" she had asked herself. It was then a beautiful thought came to her. She now knew exactly how to get her revenge and at the same time manage a narrow escape. She smiled to herself.
"The law will never catch me now" she said aloud. She hated him so much, he had cheated her with all the empty promises. She knew she would never return to her family. Every muscle in her body wanted revenge. If not him, his son. She must have her revenge.
Holding the short knife above her belly, she brought it down in a swift movement. She lifted it again and brought it down with all the energy she had left. She felt the cold tool graze her skin, tear it and then slide between the hot layers of her flesh. The pain was piercing, the smell of blood loathsome. Yet, she smiled. She had just managed the perfect murder and the quickest narrow escape, out of the law and out of this sinful world. Red blood crawled onto the white sheets. Her fingers no longer clutched the weapon. She lay motionless.
