Weekend Freewrite - Not Anymore

I participated in #freewrite challenge and was given three prompts to write a story. I am putting it all together here in the final installment. I would have made it more related and polished but the idea of the challenge is to write freely for five minutes per prompt and have the story come out as it is.

I named the story "Not anymore" and here it is :

"I like hats." That's what Donald said the day before he killed Sally.

It made perfect sense. What with having a popular magician for a father and spending your childhood touring the world doing shows. It made absolutely great sense to say that.

But why that particular line, aren't you all thinking that?

Sally and Donald met in college during art class. They were never really in love with each other but found that they were at ease in each others presence.

That was what led them to think of marriage. Silly, how people often forget that love is that magic potion that binds people together in marriage.

In the second year of marriage was when finally the acid poured out on the skin of their relationship burning it completely.

It wasn't long before fights in the evening became the common thing. It was almost as if it was scheduled.

She found him in the Terminal Bar and Grill. He was sober for a change.

Photo by Adam Jaime on Unsplash

She thought about how this might have changed both their lives if being sober was one thing he could do before. She might get to it later.

Sally was dating Donald for almost three years when she had finally decided that it was enough and she could do it anymore. Donald was a great guy. There was no doubt about it. But he had one flaw.

He could never say no to a drink.

Earlier she did not mind, as she thought it was just normal to go out with the guys for a drink in the evening. But soon, he started gambling, he started ending up in the alleys after a short bout of fist fight with his fellow gamblers over money.

She tried her best to change him. He did not. It was then that she met someone else and left Donald for him.

The time he caught the flyball was when things was going to change for them. The boy who threw the ball at him turned out to be Sally's kids from the second marriage. It was then that he decided that what he could not have, he should never have let anyone have.

He should have done this a long back, he thought to himself.

He had purchased the hat to cover his face while he stood outside Sally's house in the shadows figuring out when would the best time for him to make his move.

"Isn't it quite warm to wear a hat", asked a passerby.

"I like hats" replied Donald curtly and thought about his dad. He sure had every reason to wear hats any time of the day, he convinced himself.

Photo by Craig Whitehead on Unsplash

Next morning, he was at the same spot when he saw Sally's husband take their kid to school in the car.

It was time.

He started walking towards the back door to let himself in.