Once Living Doll

Chapter 1

"Hey, Will. Check her out." John pointed to a woman on the other side of the fountain they were standing at. 
William took one look at the woman and instantly fell in love with her. He was only able to take his eyes off of her when she looked at him and smiled.
"Who's that, Ruby?" Lara asked.
"I'm not sure, but he is cute."
"Don't look now but he's coming this way"
"Oh my god. Really? How do I look?"
"You look great. Now go."
"Hello." Ruby spun around to see William standing behind her, smiling an awkward but kind smile. 
"Hi. I'm Ruby."
"I'm William. I just saw u from the other side of the fountain and thought I should come over to  say hello."
"I'm glad that you did." Ruby tried to hide the fact that she was blushing.
"Well since I'm here, how about you and I go out sometime?"
"I'd like that."
"Are you free Friday?"
"No, but I'm free Saturday."
"That works for me. I know a good Italian restaurant by my place. Maybe we could go there?"
"Sounds good to me. How about around 6?"
"Perfect. You don't happen to have a piece of paper and pencil so I can write the address down for you, do you?"
"No, sorry." 
"I'll go find some for you," John said excitedly. He couldn't let the opportunity pass for his best friend. This was the first time William, in his 31 years of life, had ever gained enough courage to ask someone out on a date. 
He walked over to an older lady sitting on a bench with a notepad. "Can you spare a piece of paper for my friend?" 
"Of course. Do you need to borrow my pen as well?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Very well. Just make sure you bring it back."
"Thank you." John motioned at Will to come over to him. "Here you go. Now write that address." 
After he wrote the address, William ran back over to Ruby and handed her the paper.
"If you don't mind me asking, what is the address for?"
"Well my friend just got himself a date and he had to write down the address of the restaurant they want to go to. And thank you for letting him use your pen." He handed her pen back.
"You're very welcome. I'm glad I could help your friend." She smiled at John. She had one of those smiles that could make anyone smile, no matter how sad they were. 
"Hey, John." He turned around to see William standing there with a smile on his face and the kind of shine in his eyes that you usually see when a kid enters a giant toy store.
"I guess it went well?" 
"Yep."
"Young love," sighed the lady. "So beautiful. A word of advice, don't bring real flowers until you know what she's allergic to." She giggled. "That's how my husband found out I was allergic to roses. Instead, give her a beautiful bouquet of artificial flowers. She may even appreciate you more if you did." 
William smiled at her and said, "Thanks. I appreciate it."
"Anytime, sweetheart."

"Do you happen to have artificial flowers?" William asked the florist. He had been running around all day looking for them for his date the next day.
"As a matter of fact, I do." William was relieved. No more running around. "Follow me."
He followed the florist to a part of the shop filled with flowers in beautiful arrangements. He noticed a sign that read, "Custom Bouquets only 15 cents!" 
"I'll take a custom bouquet, please." 
"Of course. I'll give you a minute to pick out what flowers you would like to include." He motioned to a poster showing the flowers that were available for the artificial bouquet. 
William chose the flowers that most reminded him of Ruby. Daisies for their innocence, pink carnations for their grace, orchids for their elegance, roses for their beauty, tulips for youth, and magnolias for their purity.
"Of course," the florist said. "Is there a name that I can put by this?" 
"William."
"Okay." He wrote the name down on a card. "Come back in an hour. You can pay then."
"Thank you. Is it possible for me to pick it up tomorrow?"
"Yes, but the shop closes at five o'clock on weekends so be sure to pick it up before then."

The next day, William walked into the shop to see the shopkeeper behind the counter. The florist went to the back of the shop and returned with a beautiful bundle of artificial flowers.
"What do you think?" He put the flowers on the counter. 
"They're beautiful. Thank you." Will said as he handed the man a nickel and dime.
"Thank you for giving me business."

By the time it was six o'clock, William was already sitting at the table in the restaurant. He was waiting anxiously for her arrival. He checked his watch: 6:02. He tried to remind himself that she's most likely to be a little late. He checked his watch again: 6:10. His mind soon assumed that he had been stood up. "Did she only agree to go on this date with me so I wouldn't feel bad?" He thought to himself. 
He watched as the door opened and someone came in. Not Ruby. He watched the door open and closed, as people went in and out. None of them were her. He checked his watch one last time: 6:28. He was starting to believe that he was stood up. Just as he was about to get up and leave, Ruby walked in. 
"Do you have a reservation?" A waiter asked.
"Yes, I do. I believe it is under the name William."
"Right over there." He pointed to the table William was sitting at. She started walking quickly towards him.
"Hey. I'm so, so sorry I'm late. I was getting ready all day and lost track of the time. When I looked at the clock, it was already 5:50 and it takes fifteen minutes to get here. Then of course there was traffic so it was even longer. Please forgive me." 
William tried to speak but he was at a loss for words. She was even more beautiful than when they first met in the park. When he finally managed to get his thoughts together, he got up and pulled her chair out for her. "That's alright. Have a seat. Also before I forget I got you flowers." He handed them to her.
"Thank you, but why are they fake?"
"I didn't know if you were allergic. Also these last longer." 
"That's very considerate of you, but no, I'm not allergic to any flowers," she said with a smile.

The rest of the date went well. They laughed, ate, drank, and learned more about each other. 
"I had a great time tonight," Ruby said as they left. 
"Me too. Maybe we could do it again sometime."
"Definitely. Hopefully, we'll run into each other at the park again and we could set something up then." 
"Yeah. That's actually a really good idea. I hadn't thought about that." 
They hugged and went their separate ways.

Eventually, they ran into each other at the park again and went on another date. Finally, after four years of dating, they married and had a baby boy. They decided to name the boy Daren after Ruby's grandfather whom she had been close to before he passed. 
When Daren was three years old, Ruby had found a necklace that wasn't hers and started suspecting William of cheating. William had told her over and over again that he had bought the necklace for her, but she didn't believe him. The accusations had gone on for two years. William Payne had had enough. 
One night, when Ruby was asleep, William went into the kitchen and grabbed the sharpest knife there. As he walked back into the bedroom, knife in hand, he mumbled, "It has to stop." When he leaned over her with the blade against her throat, his final words to her were, "There's only one way to stop it." 
After the deed was done, he smiled. He felt like he just flew through the air like a bird. Away from all responsibilities.

When that feeling wore away, he knew what had to be done. He had to make it look as if it wasn't him who had killed her. Otherwise, he would never be able to feel that free ever again. 
He brought the knife back into the bedroom and placed it in the hand of his wife's bloody corpse. He then forged a note in her handwriting:

Dear my closest friends and family, 
By the time you read this, I most likely have been successful in my suicide. You may be wondering why I would do this to myself, why I would do this to you. I can't stand my husband cheating on me anymore. I know he is, but he just keeps denying it. He's out almost every night now, including tonight. I just can't take it anymore. And to my son, Daren, I'm so, so sorry that I am leaving you with that bastard. I wish I could be there for you, to be able to witness all of your amazing accomplishments and achievements. I just can't. I'm sorry. I love you all. Goodbye.
Love,
Ruby

And with that, he had a fake alibi from his very first victim.