The manchineel tree- Short story - Part 4

 This story is published in our steemfiction series.  The book is still available on kindle. 

Years ago, just after they got married, she saw a small tree at a nursery one day and just had to have it. She told Frank the story about the magic tree and he found it very funny and bought her the tree. In those days they were still pretty much in love, and he would’ve done anything for her.  

Over the last five years that tiny little tree grew into a magnificent tree and it was her pride and joy.  She pampered it as if she would a child, always careful not to touch the leaves. She missed her grandmother so much and was reminded of her every time she walked past the magic tree.  

Sylvia noticed something very unfamiliar and stepped a little closer to the tree. For the very first time in five years she saw the teeny tiny green fruit hanging in the tree. Her magic tree was finally bearing fruit and she felt overjoyed. It was just sad that she didn’t have anyone to share her excitement with.

She still had her gloves on and picked a few of the fruit and added it to the mushrooms in her pocket. They looked like tiny little apples and she wanted to inspect them closer.    

She felt good when she walked inside but her excitement was short-lived when she realized what time it was.  She just stepped into the kitchen to start the chicken, when she heard Frank at the door. 

She froze up. Why was he home so early? Was she in the garden for so long that she lost track of time? She checked the clock in the kitchen and saw that he was much earlier than usual.  

Frank walked into the kitchen looking very somber. She could see that something was bothering him, but she didn’t want to ask or even talk to him. 

“I need to talk to you.” He said and took a seat opposite her at the kitchen table. 

He never spoke to her anymore.  Why would he want to talk to her now all of a sudden? 

“Not now. I’m cooking, can we talk later?” 

Frank looked at her viciously but nodded and walked out of the kitchen. She could hear him pouring a drink and she already realized that it was going to be a difficult night.  

These days the beatings happened more often than usual, but she knew he had a tremendous amount of stress at work.  

She poured a small glass of wine and took a few sips.  She was nervous. She knew Frank and it had to be something serious to come home this early.   

She cleared her mind, and then sliced the onions and diced the carrots before adding it to the pan. When the onions and carrots were cooked, she added the chicken. The aroma was overpowering and smelled delicious. She took out the wild mushrooms from her apron and rinsed them thoroughly before taking out the mushrooms from the fridge.  

She mixed them all up and cut them all into thin slices before adding everything to the pot. She added the cream and a little more spices and within half an hour the chicken and mushroom pie was baking in the oven. It smelled wonderful, and she knew Frank wouldn’t be able to resist it. 

She decided to make a dessert too and suddenly remembered how much Frank loved apple pie. 

She had some apples in the fridge and started peeling them. After she cut up the apples, she put her gloves back on and took out the little apples from her apron. She only had four, but she knew it would do the trick. She sliced them very thinly and added the fruit to the apples cooking on the stove.  By the time she was done with everything the chicken pie in the oven was ready, and she replaced it with the apple pie.  

She took a few sips of the rest of her wine, before carrying the pie to the dining room.   

“Frank, dinner time!” she shouted and quickly set the table for Frank. He was very precise and always wanted things perfect. 

Frank entered the dining room and sat in his usual place. She didn’t even set a place for herself but took a seat opposite him and took a last sip of wine.  

“Was there something specific that you wanted to discuss Frank?” she asked sounding a little sarcastic.  

“Yes, but we can talk after dinner.” It looked like he enjoyed the chicken pie tremendously and asked her for a second slice.  She was very eager for him to eat as much as possible.  

“I baked you an apple pie…” she said and immediately felt stupid.  

He was still eating when the alarm she set for the apple pie went off in the kitchen. She excused herself and removed the pie from the oven.  She added a little cinnamon on top and she knew he loved his ice-cream with his apple pie. She dished up a big bowl of ice-cream and added a big slice of apple pie. 

Frank looked surprised but eagerly took the bowl and started eating.  She told him there was more, but he just shook his head.  

For the first time in years, he actually complimented her on the food. It somehow sounded like the old Frank, until he asked if they could talk in the living room. She nodded and followed him. 

“I can’t go on like this Sylvia. Things are not good between us. We can’t keep on pretending that we still love each other.”

Sylvia was flabbergasted.  “Was he trying to get out of their marriage?” She thought back to their wedding ceremony and all that kept repeating in her head was 

“Till death do us part…”

“I want you out of the house by the end of the week.” Frank said very unexpectedly.

  “Where am I supposed to go?” 

“I don’t know. I’ll give you until the end of the week to find a place. I’ll even pay your rent for the month, but after that you’re on your own.” 

“You can’t just kick me out of my own home Frank.”

“The house is in my name. I can do whatever I want.” 

“I’m sure you can. You know what Frank, I dedicated my whole life to you, and this is the thanks I get. Screw you Frank! Screw you!!”

Frank didn’t say a word and he didn’t touch her.  

Sylvia quickly walked upstairs while the tears were streaming down her face. She didn’t know whether she cried because of happiness or because she was sad. She took a deep breath as she entered their bedroom.  

She locked the bedroom door and went into the bathroom. She had so much hatred inside her she just wanted to scream. She just wanted her life back. 

She washed her face and climbed into bed. She wanted to switch off from the world and hopefully when she woke up everything would be back to normal. 

She lay thinking for a while about the life they had before, and she even shed a few tears. It used to be so wonderful between them, but Frank had turned out to be a totally different person than she ever imagined, and somehow, he had changed her too.  Nothing would ever feel normal again.    

She fell asleep feeling a little sad, but her dreams transported her into a better place. A place where she felt happy and free.  

She woke up the next morning with the annoying sound of a phone ringing in her ear. She checked the time, and it was nearly nine. She totally overslept. She answered the phone still half asleep. It was Frank’s office and they were calling to check up on him. He was late for a meeting and he was never late.  

She apologized on his behalf and explained that he slept in his office downstairs because he still had some work to finish. 

She felt extremely calm this morning despite the broken rib and after she made the bed, she went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. 

She took of her clothes and as usual stared at herself in the mirror.  

“There you are….” 

To be continued