Fate

Liar, liar, pants on fire. Hanging from a telephone wire.

I woke up in the middle of the night and he was packing his bags. There was already a suitcase by the door.

“What are you doing?” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and hoped it was a nightmare.

“I’ve got to go. I can’t do this anymore.”

He had on that white shirt again, from the first real night together.

“You said you wouldn’t leave,” I cried. I was immediately a tear spilling, snot flowing, hiccupping mess. “You said!”

“This was all a mistake, Twyla.”

That’s not my name, I thought. My name is Shadow. I’m your shadow. You love me. You have to love me.

“No, no. We’re made for each other. We love each other.”

“Twyla, I don’t love you.”

“Yes you do!”

“No.”

Then I was hitting him. Leaving bruises so that everyone would know he wasn’t available. He wouldn’t hit me back. He hugged me. He held me way too tight, like a human straightjacket, screwing my arms down to my sides. But I got away. I got to the kitchen. I got to the drawer.

“Put down the knife, Twyla,” he was backing up.

“Don’t leave me.”

“Drop it!”

“You can’t leave me.”

“I said put the fucking knife down you crazy bitch!”

I could see the ghost in his eyes from the moment we met. Yes, this was fate.



“I couldn’t let him leave me, Officer. We were in love.”