The Professor’s Wife (Flash Fiction Part 6)

This is the 6th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Alotus’ revenge is weaved into everyday life. She doesn’t have a plan or a plot with an up-and-down like a Broadway play, or a twisted surprise of a suspense movie. Actually what she is doing is not even perceptible if one doesn’t look closely. However it does provoke a wave of familial disturbances.

One day, Alotus’ daughter loses her goggles during a swimming class. Her husband Daneu says offhandedly, “just buy a new pair of goggles,” which enrages Alotus. She demands that her husband go to the swimming pool and dive for the goggles immediately. He objects but she insists; he dodges but she argues. When he refuses to respond anymore, she keeps on nagging.

She whines about the money Daneu has given to his relatives without her knowledge and she complains that he never listens to her. When Daneu continues to be silent, she starts to cry and chant at the same time about her misfortune. It goes on for half an hour, during which she practically lists all the disappointments she has had ever since they first met each other. Daneu is so surprised that Alotus can still remember the minutest details of a meal they had fifteen years ago. Finally, Daneu reluctantly gets up. When he is stepping out the door, his wife asks him to buy some milk from the supermarket after he dives for the goggles.

When Daneu comes back, Alotus examines his bag and finds a carton of milk and a brand new pair of goggles in an unopened package Daneu just bought from the store. Alotus is so furious that she drags Daneu to the car. They drive to the gym, where Alotus forces Daneu to dive several times, but Daneu is very inept in physical exertions. He swims very awkwardly and is not capable of underwater swimming at all. After several attempts, he has to give up. Alotus is trying to get somebody else to do it for them, but Daneu tells her that she has to give a big tip, which is equivalent to the price of a pair of goggle anyway. Eventually they come home, each in a foul temper.

Actually Alotus is not really in a bad temper. She wears a sad look because Daneu wears a sad look. Deep down, Alotus is actually happy since she has exerted herself. Even if the goggle is not retrieved, she feels a little relief in her heart as if she has achieved something. But what has she achieved? She doesn’t know.

The following Wednesday is her turn to cook. Usually her mother-in-law does most of the cooking since she knows how to cook Daneu’s favorite dishes to perfection. However the kids demanded to eat American food regularly and Daneu agreed that eating American food once a week should be mandatory. So every Wednesday, it has become her obligation to cook spaghetti, or mashed potatoes, or fried chicken, or hamburgers since her mother-in-law has no idea how to cook them and can’t understand recipes in English. Anyway, Alotus hates cooking, but she has always tried her best to make the Wednesday’s food as good as possible. She fulfilled her duty grudgingly.

However this Wednesday, she suddenly comes up with a new idea. She goes to the store, buys the pizza dough, and comes back home to make the worst pizza possible. The toppings are just the leftover veggies and chicken chunks from the day before. The result is predictable: nobody wants to eat it, but she forces everybody to finish his or her portion since Alotus has a great excuse–there is an inflation going on and no food should be wasted.

After several weeks of food sabotage like this, her daughter asks if they can stop having their Wednesday routine. Everybody agrees. Alotus says to herself that she wins again.

And this is not enough for Alotus. Soon she finds a new way to express herself and force people to respect her.

(To Be Continued Here)

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