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“Didn’t you see how she was looking at you?” I drove on, the road nearly empty, my brain processing friction, velocity, angles, momentum, speed. The calculus of a body, moving through space. Leaving point A, heading for point B. “52nd Street” blared from the stereo. “Didn’t you?” “Who?” That seemed safe. “That woman. Jessica.” My wife spat the words out. Nick’s assistant, Jessica. Jessica with the doe eyes and low cut top and too high heels. “How was she looking at me?” There was only one place conversations like this ended. “She wants you.” “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m married, for one thing. ” “Oh, she does. She wants you. You don’t know. You don’t understand how women are. You don’t know what we’re capable of.” That was true. “I don’t think she’s like that.” “We’re all like that,” my wife said firmly. “I doubt it. Not her, ” I said softly. I accelerated a little bit more. “You never think women do anything wrong,” she told me. “Never. I wouldn’t trust her with you for one second. I’ll slit her throat if she touches you.” I thought she was wrong, but I had been married too long to say that. “Would you?” she said, rubbing her nyloned foot. Her heels were high, too. “No. Of course not.” I pulled through a stoplight, glancing around for cops. “You know you love the knife,” Billy Joel told us. |
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Stiletto by Michael Webb
Filed under Michael Webb
52|250 A Year of Flash 
Having lived with four women for almost twenty year now, I definately say they’re evil…it’s why I love them.
Being married to a woman for almost that long, I will neither confirm nor deny your remark.
There’s a little of the evil in all of us. This story of yours, though? Deliciously, devilishly good.
Well done, Michael.
Oh man, you have hit the nail on the head for pretty much any relationship, and two people who are “in love,” and have “something to lose.”
I have one minor suggestion, a quick fix: if you move the sentence ‘That was true.’ to the beginning of the next line, it stays more in the POV of the main character (husband) and we wouldn’t wonder if she thinks it after saying it on her previous line.
Great job, Michael!
Interesting couple-story, I like how he is protective of “the other woman” but his wife is no dumb-dumb. She’ll take his balls off in a split second. And I think he knows it.
I love how you developed the two female characters around the stiletto, both women with a lot more in common than the husband is willing to admit (at least out loud). The husband’s character, on the other hand, is developed around the notion of blindness. He is neither blind to the charm of Jessica nor the murderous streak of his wife and yet he knows enough to not acknowledge seeing either. Another great piece!
– Karla
Ah, and the worst he’ll ever do, despite his desires, will be to slip through a red light. Perfect.
Her heels were high too. Sort of says it all; doesn’t it?
Jeez – damned if you do and damned if you don’t! Maybe the other woman was the wife’s secret twin?! I did like this Michael – the kind of scenario that only, only, only leads to fathomless trouble.
great sharp piece, in more ways than one. everyone else pretty much sums it up. peace…
Thank you all so much.
@Robert- I intended it all to be in the husband’s head, with the wife only involved through her dialogue. Upon reflection, you are so right- moving the sentence makes that abundantly clear. Thanks for the advice.
i liked “the calculus of a body.
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