The untimely death of Frank - Fiction - Short Story

               

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Sally lay in bed, too scared to move. She lay as still as possible to assess her injuries. She felt tired and scared. Frank left early this morning and she had no idea where he was, but usually after a night like last night he's gone to find something to make it up to her. She didn't know how many times this has happened before. She stopped counting a long time ago. 

He drinks too much and then he takes out all his frustrations on her. He had no control over what he said or did while he drank. It didn't happen often but last night she felt something die in her and she didn't want to go on like this. If she walked out she would have nothing. He always had control over the money and he just gave her enough money to survive.  She had no bank account and no savings.  He bought her clothes for her and if she needed something he bought it for her. 

Frank was such a loving person when she met him, and it was all moonshine and roses, until they got married. He wanted to start with a family soon after and they tried for a few months but nothing happened. The stress was just too much for him, and he started to stay out later each night while she sat at home. He never touched her until one day just more than two years ago.  She didn't expect it, and after than it happened regularly. It was as if now that he knew he could get away with it, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted. 

He didn't care about her enough. She was only there to cook and clean for him. He was used to her and she has had enough. She was no longer going to allow him to treat her this way.  

Frank walked in with a bunch of flowers.  He kissed her on her forehead and took a seat on the bed next to her. 

"I'm sorry baby...I didn't mean to hurt you..."

She was more adamant than ever and turned away from him, but he begged for forgiveness and she turned her head towards him. 

"It's okay Frank. Just leave it alone." she said and got up and walked to the bathroom. 

She tried to walk as upright as possible, but she was in pain. She was sure there was a broken rib, but she had her medical aid kit in the bathroom and she would just bandage it up herself.  Frank always made sure that she had enough bandages and he only took her to the hospital once and told the doctor she fell from the stairs. 

She could hear the phone ring in the bedroom and heard Frank speak to someone on the phone. He knocked on her door a minute later, to tell her that he was going back to the office, and that he left all the ingredients for her in the kitchen to make a pie for dinner.  

No one at work knew what type of person Frank was. Everyone adored him, and they saw him as their guardian. If they only knew. He was the main man at every work party he went to, but he never took her with.  She stopped caring long ago. 

After she took a shower and bandaged herself up, she went to the kitchen to get started on the pie. She made the dough, and while it rested in the fridge, she started to cut up the chicken and put it in with the cream to cook. She needed a breath of fresh air and decided to take a walk through the garden.  

Her garden was her only escape and she spent so much time there during the day while Frank was at work. It was the only place where she felt free. She took a stroll and noticed some weeds under the Manchineel tree. She stopped to pull them out and noticed some wild mushrooms.  

Without thinking twice, she picked all of them and even some of the fruits on the Manchineel tree. Frank used to love apple pie and she hasn't made it in ages. She still had enough flour left for the apple pie. 

She went back inside and put the ingredients on the table. She rinsed the wild mushrooms and cut them up very finely. It would be a great addition to the creamy chicken sauce. She stirred everything in the pot and added the mushrooms that Frank brought. Within half an hour the chicken and mushroom pie was baking in the oven.  

She peeled the little apples from the tree and quickly made a dough.  She mixed the Manchineel apples with the apples she took from the fridge, and began to cook it in a pan with sugar. It looked the same, so no one would notice. 

Everything was ready by the time she heard the car in the driveway. He apologized again when he walked in, and for a minute she even felt sorry for him. He was in a happy mood for a change, and for a few minutes it felt like it did in the beginning of their relationship. 

She set him a place at the dinner table and he was excited when he saw the pie. He started eating right away and asked for a second slice shortly after. She surprised him with the apple pie and served it up with some fresh cream. 

He couldn't stop telling her how delicious it was, and how grateful he was to have her in his life. 

After dinner he asked her to sit on the couch with him. He poured himself a drink and turned on the television to watch a movie. Just after the movie started, he fell asleep. She took the drink, swallowed it, and went to bed. 

The next morning she found him right there on the couch.  She phoned the ambulance, and when they arrived they declared him dead. It looked like a heart attack. There was no reason to suspect foul play. 

A tear ran down her face when they lifted him into the body bag. She sighed with relief when they closed the door behind them.  It was over. 

 

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