HOOKED ON ZERO

L

unched him i

cocked his head like he was expecting to hear something along the

badmouthing my wife and talking about her in a disrespectful way. You don't g

each other and nodded. "He's

exactly?" The one

hought I was going to bring out a weapon or something, because his hand went to the waistband of his trousers and hov

em was scraped and the

arazzo'

opened my mouth and began to relay exactly why I was sit

my lab. You know that feeling that

eeling

it wasn't just a sense of accomplishment I felt, it was of relief as well. Relief that what I

ch and holing myself up with my team in the

nd re

ould be

na

ng up was the call

he colour yellow, and fresh yellow tulips were her favorite flowers. When she was alive, I always

same street the laboratory was

just sold the last batch of yellow tulips and

for the yellow roses instead, because they technically represented the same things

and I knew what would happen next. She looked up at me and smiled. "Forg

tle curtly but followed it with

taking so long in registering the flowers. I had the sneaky feeling she was stalling in order to ask me fur

yly. "Oh my wife definitel

thy. Once I got into the car, I told Eric to take me to Rose garden cemetery where Aretha was buried. Some minutes later when we got there, I took

hing I needed

e to take root in the centre of my chest and I felt the beginnings of a headache at my temples. I sa

nelt with their heads bowed low in front of a tombstone. I knew it wasn't any of my business, but I lo

in pain for them. The person in the grave must have been their child. I s

denly and I realized I had space

ground and put the yellow roses on her tomb.

ece of paper from inside my jacket. It was all crumpled

be damned if I didn't try. I threw the crumpled paper away and cleared my

re blue, you left me suddenl

nd got down on my hunches. I removed the bottle of wine and two glasses from the bag. After po

. Remember you always liked to take it wit

ced. "You know I'm more of a hard li

shopping because we found out you were expecting junior?" That was actually the beginning of our troubles.

to the house, the big departmental one on district road where they sell wholesale baby stuff. You said

t there. The call came just on time, the call that change

d. "Perhaps it would have been better we never got married, just like mum said." I shook my head, annoyed at the words I

were perfect, my love, and you would alwa

or her was still full. "Drink, my love." I s

lences, M

at my face. A flash went off, momentarily startling

re when I saw her pictures. She looked quite light to me. I had an argument with my friends that she was probabl

of this man w

y fist landed on his face, anger surged through me. Anger that Aretha had not lived long enough, anger towards myself for being angr

ace until someone pulled me away. By then,

my hand, it was the man who I had see

en exclaimed when I finis

rns respect. That was probably why I

those words." One of the

shouldn't have." An

ess charges?" Another

cessary. I just need to go back to my wife. W

course." They

ut into the wa