An Alternative World

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." (As you Like it, William Shakespeare)

Her footsteps echoed across the New York city apartment. She dragged her night gown as she walked round and round. She was waiting for him. She was known to be very romantic, too romantic at times, so romantic that she was often impulsive and would do anything to keep love once she found it, once she found him. And she had found him. She felt she had power in her hands as she played with the hammer in the gun. Because that was love to her, a game, one she had lost one too many times. She quickly shifted the gun from on hand to the other, an ability she had gained through practice. She kept walking round and round. She was very much used to it, and knew how to handle this perfectly. She knew what to say so clearly in her head, that she could even write a script.

The slam in the door started her and interruptued her walking ritual. He walked in with a radiant, perfect smile and out his briefcase down as he exclaimed:

'Honey, I'm home!'

'Boy, aren't you a walking cliche!' she responded angrily, giving his back to him.

' What? Sweet heart, what's going on?' he said, his naivity seeming palpable.

'I was waiting for you, baby. How was work? I bet it was very... exciting!' she said, her irony seeming palpable.

'What do you mean?' he asked as he got nearer her. 'Baby, are you okay?' he was now practically holding her. As he caressed her arm up and down, he felt something in her hands. He looked down, and before he could distinguish what it was, she turned around and pointed the gun at him. 'Serena, what are you doing?'

She looked at him with resentment, her face that of a wild woman. Her intense blue eyes revealed her true nature. She tried to keep her temper and quietly asked him to sit down and have a drink with her. She then went on and on about how he had cheated on her and how she had found those pictures of him and that woman and after all she had done for him! He pretended to drink the scotch she had served him. He did not mean to anger her. He exaggerated his every gesture, and sput out the lines he was so familiar with, I am so sorry, I was drunk, it was just one night, she didn't mean anything to me.

'Oh shut up! You cheat on me and then you insult me by lying to me? Please, I've heard it all before, you should really work on your acting skills.' she said with a cruel sarcasm.

He frowned, as he didn't expect her to say that. Before he could tell her how he wasn't lying and how he loved her and how could she not trust him after all they'd been through and all those insignificant lies, she pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground with a thud and remaind still. She smiled, put the gun away in the underwear drawer, and served herself some tea. The lights went off. Exeuent. The curtain dropped. The theater burst in applause and the audience gave a standing ovation to the genial play they had just witnessed. The curtain came up again and the actors appeared saluting the audience.

'You put a good show tonight' he said, his love for her palpable.

'I always do' she replied amusingly, her love for him palpable.

'True' he said with that perfect smile of his. 'By the way, what was that about me having to work on my acting skills? That wasn't on the script.'

'I know. I just thought I'd include a personal opinion.'

They held hands as they bowed in front of the audience.