Cherry Pie
Ruby had the worst of luck when it came to men, she needed them to wait for her and they never did. She was as beautiful a woman as a man could possibly find and she was a wonderful cook as well. Ruby never understood why men would treat her like that, but men were strange creatures in the least, always in a hurry.
Sometimes she would stand in front of the mirror for many moments, and then the oven’s bell would sound and she would have to move herself away from the mirror, even her reflection wouldn’t wait for her. Surely it could manage to be there for some time but when she’d return she’d always find a new reflection staring back at her. Maybe the mirror was odd.
There was only one man in the whole wide world who waited for her and whom she loved dearly but he wasn’t her lover, more of a really good friend. Larry was his name. He was always around for her and they were inseparable. One could always find them together, chatting and baking and what not. He was her only constant companion, the sole rock island in the otherwise cold, endless ocean. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. He would advise her on how to pick men up but it almost never worked. Occasionally they used to get so drunk that they would keep on talking about all the past men that had come in her life till the roosters crowned.
During one such night they had their first big fight in a while. It was Larry’s condition, obviously, he never could control his foul breath. The night of drinking hadn’t even begun and he already stank. The stench was unbearable. This infuriated Ruby, how could he drink without her especially on their drinking day? The house reeked of that awful smell. Ruby got so angry that she turned her back against him and drank alone.
The next day, Ruby suffered from a bad hangover but even in her suffering she thought of Larry. She shouldn’t have yelled at him. Did she yell at him? She couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter because Larry was her best friend and she didn’t know what she’d do without him. She searched for him but he was nowhere to be found. Hungover, she searched her house inside out but no sign of him. This scared Ruby, she called the police. They asked her a few questions, inquired about his identity and his appearance as she last saw him and assured her that they’d find him. Returning to her spirits Ruby prepared a cherry pie for Larry when the police would find him.
An officer showed at her doorsteps that evening. Giggling and excited to see Larry, she cut the pie into seven equal slices, the jam oozed out and trickled down the sides dramatically. She hurried and answered the door. The officer said, “Miss, how long have you known Larry Curtis?”. “Why officer whole my life. Though he just returned a few weeks ago from his restaurant. You see, he was the only man who waited for me.”, Ruby said. The officer looked at her with genuine concern, “Miss, you must be mistaken. He was just a delivery boy and he was also reported missing 2 weeks back.” Ruby gave a high pitched giggle and said, “Oh officer, but he’s right in front of me.”, with that she plunged the knife deep into the policeman’s chest, straight through his heart. She had much practice of it. The policeman coughed blood and crumbled on the doorstep, she carried him inside. Now she just had to dispose of the old rotting corpse of the delivery guy, fortunately she had a big backyard. She preferred less blood, a bloody body wouldn’t be a good form for Larry, the only man that ever waited for her.