what’s the worst that can happen?
You go up to the girl and ask her out. She blushes, but accepts. Over the next few months you have joyous times together. As fall comes, she goes off to college but you see her on vacations. Time passes by. Months become years and you get married. In a year you have a baby boy named Johnny. As he learns to walk, you find out another child is on the way, a baby girl named Sara. Life blossoms and with a raise at your job, you move to a big new house. The first week goes nicely. The kids settle into their rooms. The neighbors welcome you. But soon you realize something is off. Whenever you take a walk, blinds cl9se. People that are talking to each other hush as you pass and stare as you leave. Johnny starts not wanting to go to school. Sara has no one to play with. But then you notice your wife is doing fine and the neighbors are warm to her.
One day you wake up to go to Sunday Mass. But your wife says she’s sick. Mass ends a little sooner than usual and when you get home, you find her well to do at a meeting with the neighbors. Betty from across the street points at you and says, “Stop him.” You turn to your wife, baffled, but she has you in a headlock. You pass out.
When you come to, you’re hanging upside down, chains around your ankles. There are guards. Tom and Jed. You ask them what’s going on. They tell a new world order coming, but not much more. Soon your wife walks in. She laughs at you. You ask her what she’s doing. “Husband,” she says, “always so silly. I’m remaking the world. Betty and her group had a good base, but they, could never have done it without me.”
“Done what?” you ask.
“Build the bombs.” she replies. Your children walk in. You see fear in their eyes and try to be brave. They call for daddy. “They’re your problem now.” says your wife and leaves the room.
Tom and Jed approach. They start to punch you. Sara screams. Johnny tries comforting her, but he’s crying too. As you’re punched, the chains around your ankles loosen. You crash to the ground but soon you’re up. Fallen bricks have knocked Tom and Jed out. You grab your kids, lock the door behind you, and run away from the house. In the distance you see your wife with a button in her hand. She presses it and trails of smoke appear in the sky, missiles headed to who knows where. And as the first mushroom clouds appear on the horizon, you think back to that coffee shop where you asked her out.
Now I’m not saying that’s gonna happen, but you did ask…
