Another Plan

He knotted his tie and looked in the mirror. This was it. The day has come. The day. The day he’ll give his heart to someone else. Her. He smiled at the thought of her. The day he will promise to live with her in happiness. As he walked down the stairs, he spotted his old journal on one of the shelves. He went, picked it up, and flipped through it.

12 July 2021

I just came home after meeting up with friends. I know they’re here; my uncle, his wife and their children; Lina was their oldest. I wasn’t looking forward to meeting her, not that I didn’t like her or anything, just not excited. No…that’s not the right word. Neutral I should say. In other words, I didn’t care if I saw her or not. They lived abroad, and we barely saw them. One every two years I’d say.

As I approached her, I couldn’t believe it was the same her I saw two years ago. As I shook her hand, her face broke into a huge smile that melted my heart. Neither of us said anything. I had to look away from her eyes because of how intensive they looked right back into mine. At that moment, I knew that we were meant to be.  

13 July 2021

I can’t stop thinking of her. Her lips, and of how silky and soft they looked. I’m shaken by the fact that my mind had taken me to Lina’s lips. I am ridiculous. Later that night we went to the top floor and chatted for hours, just like we were old friends. We looked at the moon above, as it played hide and seek with the clouds. Her smile, the way she talks, and how her eyes look into mine; seem to melt my heart no scratch that, my whole body into a puddle. She just seemed to have that effect on me now.

14 July 2021

We sat in my room. Alone. Not that I had anything on mind. I was explaining some maths to her, I know, I know not cute at all. But she asked. Minus that and plus that and blah blah…I stopped. I felt her eyes on me. The electricity, could be cut with a butter knife. There we were in a moment. A moment. I leaned closer. And closer. And closer. ‘til we were a space of one hair between our lips—mum just BARGED in and just crashed the moment. I was so embarrassed, I left without speaking.

 ***

Noah cringed reading the last page, “What did I expect?” he thought. “I way only bikking sixteen!”

He shook his head, had a last look at himself in the mirror, grabbed his car keys, and headed out. Noah had made plans with Lina to pick her up, and they’d both drive to Terrific tiramisu (Which unlike the name, doesn’t sell tiramisu—Ha) to have brunch, then they’d go to their photoshoot…

Finally, Noah arrived Lina’s about to be past home. It was a nice Victorian house not far away from his own, Lina’s father (Christoph) worked as a deputy editor in a well-respected newspaper. They weren’t millionaires, but they were well-off after Lina’s great-grandfather passed away and Lina’s father inherited everything.

He honked his honk twice—just like he always does. No answer. Repeat. No answer. He killed the engine, and pulled out his phone from his blazer’s pocket to text her. He made sure he got the timing right, and sure enough he did. His phone started ringing in the quite car, breaking his thoughts. Called ID showed: “Auntie”.

Now, that wasn’t his aunt, since his didn’t have any, but Lina’s mother. A bead of sweat broke on Noah’s forehead and rolled the length of his face. Lina’s mother (His soon to be mother-in-law) was an extremely hard, old-fashioned woman, and didn’t approve of this marriage, and so it was certainly unusual for her to call Noah.

“Here goes nothing,” Noah says to himself before pressing the accept button.

“Hello?” He could hear hysterical crying on the other end of the line.

“Oh, thank goodness you answered! A scene, terrible. Lina’s full name! Sprayed in red spray ink! Across the local university! With…with….Y-y-you have to see for yourself—” The line cut off.

Noah was in hysterics himself, this had to happen on this specific day. His supposed wedding day.

Zooming through his way, he saw a couple holding hands on the sidewalk. “What tragedy are they up to today?” He thought. A driver in an exceptionally expensive convertible cut in front of him. “Arrogant guy or just promised his kid to be there in time for his school play?”

Eventually, Noah got to the local university, and what he saw there was monstrous! Infront of him, the side wall was vandalized with Lina’s full name just as “Auntie” had described. But what he didn’t know was right in front of him.

There, Lina’s naked body lay on the ground. Or should I say what remains of her body. Her throat was thrashed and the same for her stomach. Guts, intestines hanging out in the open for everyone to see. Blood was everywhere. So were cops. And this was his supposed wedding day.

Noah fetched his revolver (He had one on him at all times for self-defense) raised it up to the air, and fired once. He brought it to his chest, and said loud and clear for everyone to hear “I choose to stay with my soulmate. We may rest in peace.” Then he emptied the rest of the bullets left in the revolver.

On his supposed wedding day.

And this is how life never goes according to plan.