Forget Me Not by Eddie Renz
Meredith finished clipping the latest batch of flowers that had just come in from the warehouse. She had no idea how much work owning her own floral shop would be. She had started with just a small nursery, and over time it grew into a plant shop that contained all types of flowers, rare species that she imported from over seas, and some every day varieties that were quite popular here in the small town of Sanger.
Walking to the door so she could unlock it for the day, she noticed a brand new pearl white Cadillac Escalade sliding into a parking space directly out front. Meredith’s eyebrows rose, “Who has the new ride?” The question had just sprung into her head when out popped Cindy Smith.
Meredith couldn’t believe it, it just couldn’t be Cindy. How in the world could she afford such a magnificent vehicle, her husband worked as a computer technician in some struggling dot com, and Cindy worked as a cashier at the local grocery store.
“Hey Meredith, How are you?” Cindy walked through the door in a summer dress smelling better than the most fragrant of flowers and looking as fresh as a daisy.
“Oh, I’m fine, busy, busy, busy, you know… Whose new Caddy is that you’re driving out there?”
“Its mine- didn’t you hear, Bob sold his first book- Computer Soup. Well, actually he sold it a while back, but we are just now beginning to reap the rewards- and the timing couldn’t be better, Sally just made head cheerleader, and Ben wants a new car for graduation- he got a full scholarship to A&M so Bob and I are probably going to get him a new truck or something.”
“Wow, that’s great!” Meredith tried to say energetically, but as the words came out she knew they sounded forced and phony.
Meredith wrapped up the fresh Irises in green paper and handed them to Cindy, she tried to appear calm and pleasant, but inside she was a boiling cauldron of envy.
“How much do I owe you Meredith?”
“Um, that will be 19.75”
Cindy pulled out a 50 dollar bill, “Keep the change.”
Meredith took the money and watched as Cindy walked out the door, at that moment she hated no one more than little miss Cindy Smith. Just who did she think she was coming in here with her fat Cadillac throwing money in her face like she was some beggar on the street?
Her son was graduating too- he was in the same class as Cindy's son Ben, but he certainly didn’t get a scholarship- and her daughter, who had already graduated from high school, had never been a cheerleader despite her many attempts to make it on the squad. With her husband Bill out of work, and their finances dwindling, she’d had to give up her many outings with the ladies clubs, she couldn’t participate in the charity benefit, and she felt like an outcast among her own friends.
Cindy had come and gone in just a few minutes, but Meredith could not have been more upset. This time she was not going to let things go, this time she would make the women of this town beg for her, envy her, and applaud her.
She sat down with a pad and pen and made out a list of names. Then she looked through her large refrigerated case and found the perfect flower- a blue forget-me-not.
Chapter II
Meredith perused the large book that sat before her, the gothic font was hard to read and she felt a little weird looking through a book such as this. She had already started germinating a special breed of forget-me-not’s that would grow wildly when planted; but the trick was to not only get them to grow, but to get them to grow without restraint.
After ordering a great deal of supplies from the internet- miracle grow, glucose methanose, celanide-dea, she set to work to create seeds that would grow with the slightest amount of water, and with luck, they would overwhelm houses, uproot foundations, and destroy yards wherever they were planted.
The formula would not be simple, she would have to pull out her chemistry books from college and call her grandmother Cybil. Cybil had won an award for Denton County’s largest pumpkin, she had also been runner up for the largest cantaloupe- but few people around Sanger would remember that.
A month went by and with a lot of germinating and postulating, Meredith cultivated the perfect seed. She cross pollinated an Abrus praecatorius, with a Japanese Hop, and then added the seed of Forget me not. The Abrus praecatorius had always fascinated her during college; it was a beautiful plant whose seeds are toxic and poisonous when cracked. The Japanese Hop was chosen for its fast growing ability, now she only needed to add a vine with size- for this she chose the Liana- Tarzan’s vine of choice not only was it known for it’s wild growing ability, but it also contained a strong muscle relaxant.
Meredith worked day and night, in the mean time; she fed her own hatred by watching the people around her flourish. Cindy had moved into a brand new custom built house, Mary-Kate just had a new baby at 40 and she still looked great, and Susan was raking in dollars left and right from her new real estate business. Meredith’s business continued to put along, her husband was still unemployed, and her entire life felt like the ficus tree- lifeless and wilted. She gingerly placed her seeds in a zip-loc bag. She didn’t really have time to fully test her newest creation, but she was sure that it would do just what she wanted, now all she had to do was get them planted.
Cindy looked over her new yard, she needed a few new shrubs and a couple more trees and the over-all look would be perfect. She hopped in her Escalade and made her way down to Meredith’s Nursery where she was sure Meredith would help her find just the right landscaping to complete her yard.
She pulled up to the metal building made mostly out of corrugated tin, from the outside it looked like an old barn in the middle of town, there was very little parking, but the trees and plants were plentiful and appeared to do well under Meredith’s care. She also liked Meredith as a person, but lately Meredith seemed withdrawn, aloof. She figured it was because her husband was unemployed, and she didn’t want to pry, so she didn’t ask questions.
She went into the shop and in minutes Meredith had found her 4 shrubs and two trees that would be perfect for her yard.
“If you want Meredith I can come out to your new house this evening and help you get them planted, I have been dying to see your new place.”
“Oh, thanks Meredith, but you don’t have to do that, I can manage, I think Bob will be home later to help me as well.”
The two women argued back and forth for while until Cindy acquiesced- Meredith would stop by around 6.
Meredith waved through the glass as Cindy drove away, this time her smile wasn’t forced- tonight she would begin phase I.
Chapter III
Phase I
Meredith checked on her seeds to make sure that they were keeping well. She had to re-arrange her entire schedule to fit Cindy into her plans, but she was anxious to see how her new seeds would work. Besides, she couldn’t believe how smug Cindy had been, she had come to her shop, purchased her best plants, commented on how cheap everything was, and then pranced around in her expensive clothes- she even had the gall to show Cindy her new anniversary present, a two-carat princess cut diamond in a platinum setting- it was so beautiful Meredith wanted to throw up.
After letting her family know that she would not be home for dinner, nor would she be attending her son’s dramatic performance in the school play- it was opening night, but there would be other nights- instead, she had much bigger plans.
She jumped in her beat-up Ford truck, the red paint was oxidized and rusting away- when Meredith pulled the door shut it squealed and squawked like a pig stepping on a chicken. Meredith hated the old truck, but it was paid for, and it was reliable. Her husband still drove their Toyota Camry, fortunately they had paid the last payment on it right before he lost his job, they had been planning on buying her a new Ford F-250, but she didn’t see that happening until her husband found another job.
As she drove toward Cindy and Bob’s her body filled with excitement. The adrenaline burned so fiercely that her carotid arteries ached with anxiety and anticipation.
The house was a large two-story brick and rock structure that boasted a detached four-car garage, and a swimming pool. Every woman that came into the flower shopped talked non-stop about how wonderful the place had been. Margaret had said that it was the prettiest house in town, and Debbie said that it looked like something out of a Better Homes and Gardens, “Just Gorgeous, Just Gorgeous” If she had said gorgeous one more time, Meredith had planned on stuffing a large geranium in her mouth. She had heard enough.
Her heart pounded as she made her way across town, as she neared the estate the pounding increased to an almost unbearable rate. The excitement mixed with fear was almost paralyzing, but she decided that she didn’t have to actually plant the seeds; she could just help Cindy plant the shrubs and then go home. It was not too late to back out…. Or was it?
Cindy waved as she pulled into the drive. Meredith couldn’t believe it, the house was perfect. The red brick supported by creamy flagstone, the expansive front porch, excellent landscaping, and wonderful windows all set on an oversized lot. Much to Meredith’s chagrin- it did look like something out of a magazine.
For two seconds Meredith couldn’t breathe, but in the next instant she grabbed her seeds and tucked the small bag into her pocket. Her plan was to plant the seeds, water them, give them a couple of days to grow, and then just sit back and wait for Cindy to come begging for her help, then she would charge an outrageous price to extract the vines, and in no time she would be driving away in her own Cadillac Escalade- she might even purchase Cindy’s after she was forced to put it up for sale. The plan delighted her so much that it totally abated all her anxiety and fears.
Cindy sat perched on the porch railing like a canary. Meredith imagined a large lion racing around the corner and devouring that smart little smile right off her face. Cindy climbed off the porch and headed toward Meredith.
“I sure appreciate you coming over; you really didn’t have to come all the way over here.” Cindy said. Her voice was like hot chocolate- warm and smooth.
“Oh yes I did!” Meredith exclaimed. “Susan and Margaret and every other person that has been in my shop has just been raving about your new place, and with good reason, it’s gorgeous.” Meredith couldn’t help it, the place was amazing, it lacked nothing except the shrubs and trees that Cindy had already strategically placed; they just needed to be inserted in the ground.
Meredith looked at the house with envy, she let her eyes wander over the house, the lawn and then over Cindy. Why did Cindy deserve such a perfect life? While Cindy was out getting manicures and pedicures, she was digging around in potting soil and manure. Cindy looked like she had lost 20 pounds, her hair was styled perfectly, her teeth looked whiter, her skin was tan- Meredith hated her; she absolutely, positively hated her.
“Well, we don’t have all night, let’s get started.” Meredith said as she grabbed a shovel, she thought about skipping the seeds altogether and just hitting Cindy in face just one time, she would never really do it, but the thought of doing it was titillating.
As she started digging she couldn’t help but notice how worn out and old her hands looked. She was the same age as Cindy, but yet she looked 20 years older. When Cindy wasn’t looking she plopped a few seeds out of her bag and planted them as close to the foundation as possible. In a few days the seeds would sprout, with the right amount of rain and a little sunshine the seeds would overwhelm the house and the yard- the place would be a virtual rainforest right here in little Sanger. If all went according to plan, Cindy would be calling her in a few days begging for her help, Meredith would show her how to stop the vines before they destroyed her house, Meredith would have a little more money in her pocket, and the women of the town would be singing her praises- the plan was ingenious.
Cindy brought out a tray of lemonade just as the sun was setting. The air started to turn cool and you could smell autumn in the air. The timing was perfect, too much heat would scorch the vines and in Texas it didn’t get really cold until after Halloween.
The lemonade was delicious, and Cindy was exceptionally sweet. Sitting here with her now on her front porch it was hard to keep the hot rage burning inside her, she had just started to feel bad when Cindy’s husband Bob pulled into the driveway in a sleek Mercedes SL 500. As soon as she saw it she hopped up and told Cindy that she had to go, her envy had returned red hot.
She walked over to her truck trying not to look and feel self-conscious, for just a moment she had let down her wall- a mistake she would not make again. She started up her loud Ford pickup; the engine roared shredding the sweet heretofore silence of the night. It wouldn’t be long now soon Cindy’s new house would be overcome with vines. Something the town would never forget.
Phase II
Meredith turned the heat on it the truck, the warmth her body had generated while planting the plants for Cindy had been replaced by the cool chill of guilt mixed with anticipation. Looking down at the seat she realized that she still had a couple bags of special seeds. She stared at them, her fertile mind cultivating a new batch of revenge. She pulled out her list of names and decided that she enjoyed the taste of revenge so much, why not gorge herself and get it overwith in one night?
She drove to ClaraBeth's which bordered on the outside of town. Her loud truck would be noticed if she pulled up to the house, so she decided to just park down the street in the bushes, just like they always do in the movies, only this time she would do a better job of concealing the beat up Ford. She always laughed at the idiots in the movies and in novels, the ones that always left a finger print here, or a car out of place there- Didn't they ever watch CSI? She would not be so foolish.
After concealing the truck, she crept through the dense trees that surrounded ClaraBeth's house. A breeze whipped through the trees and and the rustling of the leaves sounded like the laughter of children. Snap, Crackle, Pop. With each step Meredith took she couldn't help but notice how loud she sounded, it was as if the ground was covered in rice crispies- fortunately noise for the wind and the trees would help mask her noisy progress.
Meredith decided that she would make her way to the back of the house, there didn't appear to be any lights on, so maybe ClaraBeth wasn't home. ClaraBeth had lived in Sanger most of her life. She had no Children, and she had recently divorced her third husband. She was smart, and pretty, and recently started selling real estate, lately she had rubbed Meredith the wrong way by suggesting botox for some wrinkles in her forehead- The NERVE! She knew she looked a little tired lately, but to suggest that she needed botox! She couldn't wait to see what her Forget Me Not's would do to ClaraBeth's little Victorian style house.
Lost in thought she hadn't even noticed a car pulling into the drive way. She quickly ducked behind some bushes and watched as ClaraBeth got out of the car. When the door opened Meredith's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. What was her husband doing with ClaraBeth? Fear clutched and scraped at Meredith like the rose bushes she was hidiing in, and like the thorns puncturing her skin, Bill had just punctured her heart.
Meredith watched as ClaraBeth waved at Bill as he pulled away, her breasts appearing gargantuan in the wash of the headlights. In a near frenzied state Meredith planted the remainder of the seeds, hot tears streaming down her face, boiling rage steaming inside her. She raced back to the car wondering how her weak legs were going to make it, crippled by doubt and the myriad of questions that plagued her. Was Bill having an affair? Why else would he be driving ClaraBeth home? She had been away from the house a lot lately, had she been neglecting Bill? If so, it was only because she had to, she had to provide for the family while Bill was out of work. What would she do? What would the kids think?
She sat in her truck and sobbed and cried until she could cry no more, then with an added resolve, she pulled out her list and drove to Christine's house, if she wasn't happy, then no one else was going to be...
Christine
Christine got ready for bed slipping into a white silk nightgown. Her husband was out of town on a business trip, he wouldn't be back from China for at least two more days. Christine wasn't pretty by the normal standards, but she was exotic and shapely- in other words, most men couldn't keep their eyes off of her, however, Christine was married, very happily married with 6 children.
She was just about to turn off the light in her room and slip under the covers when she heard the dog barking outside. Living so far out in the country the dogs rarely had anything to bark about. Christine extinguished the light and pulled down the blinds so she could see outside. It wasn't pitch black like she expected, rather a full moon illuminated the fog and created an wicked backdrop for this otherwise uneventful night.
Christine sensed something was wrong. As a mother and a woman, she had learned to trust her instincts. She quickly slipped on her husbands robe and slipped into her own running shoes. She kept a small 9mm pistol in a lockbox behind some shoes in the top of her closet. She found a step ladder and retrieved the box.
Carefully unlocking the box and removing the pistol, she loaded it. She never really suspected a need for the gun, but her husband Jack had purchased the gun and insisted that she learn how to use it. Sanger was normally a quiet place and the need to lock the doors was rare. However, when her husband was away she always locked the doors and kept a small can of pepper spray tucked under her husbands pillow. She retrieved the pepper spray and tucked it into the pocket of the robe. Just in case their was someone outside she wanted to have ample protection.
Slipping through the house quietly she checked on the children to make sure they were asleep. Fortunately they were only in two separate room, four boys and two girls, the boys were all sound asleep as were the girls.
Making her way out the back door at the last minute she grabbed her cell phone. She had seen too many movies where someone had made the mistake of not having a cell phone nearby, and she was not going to be kidnapped or raped without at least having the opportunity to dial 911.
Outside the cool night air hit her in the face like a cold spray of water. She pulled Jack's robe tighter against her body. She could smell his aftershave in the terry cloth and she felt stronger after inhaling his scent. She wished that he were here right now, but he wasn't and she had to protect her children. Besides, it could be nothing more than an owl or a skunk upsetting the dogs. As she made her way around the backyard she heard what sounded like digging. Stepping ever so slowly keeping her body close to the old farmhouse she poked her head around the edge. On the east side of the house they had only recently planted a plethora of yellow rose bushes and just now even with the fog obscuring her view she could make out the silhouette of someone - and they were indeed digging.
She waited for a few minutes to see who was digging, she inched closer, the gap between her and the digger was only 20 feet. Fortunately, her husband's robe was black and gray and was perfect camoflauge for a foggy night. Upon closer inspection she saw that it was indeed a woman and even though all she could see was the outline of the person's body she felt that she knew this person. Instead of saying anything she stepped closer and cocked the gun. At the same time in calm voice she said, "Hold it right there."
Standing just ten feet away she wished that she had grabbed a flashlight so she could see the culprit.
Cindy
Cindy had made it to Christine's house in record time. It was late, but she didn't know how late. The full moon made it easy for her to make her way down the road. Unlike ClaraBeth's house, Christine's place was on top of a small hill without trees or much landscaping. The night was deserted and due to the location of Cindy's house it wasn't easy to approach without being easily seen. This was both good and bad. It was good because if someone else came along she would be able to hide before they got too close, but bad because from the house it would be easier to be spotted. Fortunately for Cindy, a small barn on the side of the house would block line of sight if someone happened to be looking outside one of the windows from the house. If she parked her car in just the right spot it would be concealed from anyone looking in her direction.
The bag of seeds felt heavy and warm in Cindy's hand. The small shovel suddenly seemed to weigh a ton and part of Cindy wanted to retreat, but as she neared the house she saw the lovely rose bushes, the perfectly white and pink Victorian home. She could see the swingset, and the toys, the white picket fence, the manicured lawn. The entire place looked storybook perfect. Why hadn't she ended up with a place like this? God knows I deserve it.
Eyeing the freshly planted rosebushes Cindy new exactly where to plant her seeds. She placed the shovel to the ground 10 inches from the foundation just behind the roses. She dug and she planted making her way along the side of the house, a few on this side and a few on the other would definitely do the trick. She was really working up a good sweat when she heard the sound of something click, and in one moment of realization of what that sound meant, the very next moment she heard Christine's voice, "Hold it right there."
It wasn't a voice of fear, but more a voice with the hint of a question. Cindy paused holding the shovel in her left hand. She was still wearing the same clothes that she always wore to work. Blue jeans, a flannel shirt, gardening boots and gloves. If Christine new who it was, she hadn't let on yet. Cindy's heart thumped in her chest. For some odd reason she thought of Jack and the Beanstalk and how he took the axe and chopped down stalk before the giant could get to him. She wondered if she could swivel fast enough and hit Christine in the head- just hard enough to knock her out, but not kill her. Then all of the sudden a shrill ringing came from behind her, and Cindy knew it was her chance, like a frightened cat she raced back toward her truck running and not looking back. When she reached her truck she started it and roared down the hill without turning on the headlights. As she neared her own home she couldn't believe her luck, saved by a cell phone! Who would be calling Christine at such a late hour?
Walking into her house quietly she pulled her boots and gloves off and left them in the "mud room". She couldn't believe how tired and wired she was at the same time. Moving through the kitchen her steps creaking on the wooden floor she noticed that the telephone wasn't hung up in it's cradle, one of her pet peeves. She picked it up and started to place it in the charger but at the last minute turned it over to see who might have called. There weren't any incoming calls, so she looked at the dialed call log, the number that had been called only 15 minutes before had been Christine's...
Walking to the door so she could unlock it for the day, she noticed a brand new pearl white Cadillac Escalade sliding into a parking space directly out front. Meredith’s eyebrows rose, “Who has the new ride?” The question had just sprung into her head when out popped Cindy Smith.
Meredith couldn’t believe it, it just couldn’t be Cindy. How in the world could she afford such a magnificent vehicle, her husband worked as a computer technician in some struggling dot com, and Cindy worked as a cashier at the local grocery store.
“Hey Meredith, How are you?” Cindy walked through the door in a summer dress smelling better than the most fragrant of flowers and looking as fresh as a daisy.
“Oh, I’m fine, busy, busy, busy, you know… Whose new Caddy is that you’re driving out there?”
“Its mine- didn’t you hear, Bob sold his first book- Computer Soup. Well, actually he sold it a while back, but we are just now beginning to reap the rewards- and the timing couldn’t be better, Sally just made head cheerleader, and Ben wants a new car for graduation- he got a full scholarship to A&M so Bob and I are probably going to get him a new truck or something.”
“Wow, that’s great!” Meredith tried to say energetically, but as the words came out she knew they sounded forced and phony.
Meredith wrapped up the fresh Irises in green paper and handed them to Cindy, she tried to appear calm and pleasant, but inside she was a boiling cauldron of envy.
“How much do I owe you Meredith?”
“Um, that will be 19.75”
Cindy pulled out a 50 dollar bill, “Keep the change.”
Meredith took the money and watched as Cindy walked out the door, at that moment she hated no one more than little miss Cindy Smith. Just who did she think she was coming in here with her fat Cadillac throwing money in her face like she was some beggar on the street?
Her son was graduating too- he was in the same class as Cindy's son Ben, but he certainly didn’t get a scholarship- and her daughter, who had already graduated from high school, had never been a cheerleader despite her many attempts to make it on the squad. With her husband Bill out of work, and their finances dwindling, she’d had to give up her many outings with the ladies clubs, she couldn’t participate in the charity benefit, and she felt like an outcast among her own friends.
Cindy had come and gone in just a few minutes, but Meredith could not have been more upset. This time she was not going to let things go, this time she would make the women of this town beg for her, envy her, and applaud her.
She sat down with a pad and pen and made out a list of names. Then she looked through her large refrigerated case and found the perfect flower- a blue forget-me-not.
Chapter II
Meredith perused the large book that sat before her, the gothic font was hard to read and she felt a little weird looking through a book such as this. She had already started germinating a special breed of forget-me-not’s that would grow wildly when planted; but the trick was to not only get them to grow, but to get them to grow without restraint.
After ordering a great deal of supplies from the internet- miracle grow, glucose methanose, celanide-dea, she set to work to create seeds that would grow with the slightest amount of water, and with luck, they would overwhelm houses, uproot foundations, and destroy yards wherever they were planted.
The formula would not be simple, she would have to pull out her chemistry books from college and call her grandmother Cybil. Cybil had won an award for Denton County’s largest pumpkin, she had also been runner up for the largest cantaloupe- but few people around Sanger would remember that.
A month went by and with a lot of germinating and postulating, Meredith cultivated the perfect seed. She cross pollinated an Abrus praecatorius, with a Japanese Hop, and then added the seed of Forget me not. The Abrus praecatorius had always fascinated her during college; it was a beautiful plant whose seeds are toxic and poisonous when cracked. The Japanese Hop was chosen for its fast growing ability, now she only needed to add a vine with size- for this she chose the Liana- Tarzan’s vine of choice not only was it known for it’s wild growing ability, but it also contained a strong muscle relaxant.
Meredith worked day and night, in the mean time; she fed her own hatred by watching the people around her flourish. Cindy had moved into a brand new custom built house, Mary-Kate just had a new baby at 40 and she still looked great, and Susan was raking in dollars left and right from her new real estate business. Meredith’s business continued to put along, her husband was still unemployed, and her entire life felt like the ficus tree- lifeless and wilted. She gingerly placed her seeds in a zip-loc bag. She didn’t really have time to fully test her newest creation, but she was sure that it would do just what she wanted, now all she had to do was get them planted.
Cindy looked over her new yard, she needed a few new shrubs and a couple more trees and the over-all look would be perfect. She hopped in her Escalade and made her way down to Meredith’s Nursery where she was sure Meredith would help her find just the right landscaping to complete her yard.
She pulled up to the metal building made mostly out of corrugated tin, from the outside it looked like an old barn in the middle of town, there was very little parking, but the trees and plants were plentiful and appeared to do well under Meredith’s care. She also liked Meredith as a person, but lately Meredith seemed withdrawn, aloof. She figured it was because her husband was unemployed, and she didn’t want to pry, so she didn’t ask questions.
She went into the shop and in minutes Meredith had found her 4 shrubs and two trees that would be perfect for her yard.
“If you want Meredith I can come out to your new house this evening and help you get them planted, I have been dying to see your new place.”
“Oh, thanks Meredith, but you don’t have to do that, I can manage, I think Bob will be home later to help me as well.”
The two women argued back and forth for while until Cindy acquiesced- Meredith would stop by around 6.
Meredith waved through the glass as Cindy drove away, this time her smile wasn’t forced- tonight she would begin phase I.
Chapter III
Phase I
Meredith checked on her seeds to make sure that they were keeping well. She had to re-arrange her entire schedule to fit Cindy into her plans, but she was anxious to see how her new seeds would work. Besides, she couldn’t believe how smug Cindy had been, she had come to her shop, purchased her best plants, commented on how cheap everything was, and then pranced around in her expensive clothes- she even had the gall to show Cindy her new anniversary present, a two-carat princess cut diamond in a platinum setting- it was so beautiful Meredith wanted to throw up.
After letting her family know that she would not be home for dinner, nor would she be attending her son’s dramatic performance in the school play- it was opening night, but there would be other nights- instead, she had much bigger plans.
She jumped in her beat-up Ford truck, the red paint was oxidized and rusting away- when Meredith pulled the door shut it squealed and squawked like a pig stepping on a chicken. Meredith hated the old truck, but it was paid for, and it was reliable. Her husband still drove their Toyota Camry, fortunately they had paid the last payment on it right before he lost his job, they had been planning on buying her a new Ford F-250, but she didn’t see that happening until her husband found another job.
As she drove toward Cindy and Bob’s her body filled with excitement. The adrenaline burned so fiercely that her carotid arteries ached with anxiety and anticipation.
The house was a large two-story brick and rock structure that boasted a detached four-car garage, and a swimming pool. Every woman that came into the flower shopped talked non-stop about how wonderful the place had been. Margaret had said that it was the prettiest house in town, and Debbie said that it looked like something out of a Better Homes and Gardens, “Just Gorgeous, Just Gorgeous” If she had said gorgeous one more time, Meredith had planned on stuffing a large geranium in her mouth. She had heard enough.
Her heart pounded as she made her way across town, as she neared the estate the pounding increased to an almost unbearable rate. The excitement mixed with fear was almost paralyzing, but she decided that she didn’t have to actually plant the seeds; she could just help Cindy plant the shrubs and then go home. It was not too late to back out…. Or was it?
Cindy waved as she pulled into the drive. Meredith couldn’t believe it, the house was perfect. The red brick supported by creamy flagstone, the expansive front porch, excellent landscaping, and wonderful windows all set on an oversized lot. Much to Meredith’s chagrin- it did look like something out of a magazine.
For two seconds Meredith couldn’t breathe, but in the next instant she grabbed her seeds and tucked the small bag into her pocket. Her plan was to plant the seeds, water them, give them a couple of days to grow, and then just sit back and wait for Cindy to come begging for her help, then she would charge an outrageous price to extract the vines, and in no time she would be driving away in her own Cadillac Escalade- she might even purchase Cindy’s after she was forced to put it up for sale. The plan delighted her so much that it totally abated all her anxiety and fears.
Cindy sat perched on the porch railing like a canary. Meredith imagined a large lion racing around the corner and devouring that smart little smile right off her face. Cindy climbed off the porch and headed toward Meredith.
“I sure appreciate you coming over; you really didn’t have to come all the way over here.” Cindy said. Her voice was like hot chocolate- warm and smooth.
“Oh yes I did!” Meredith exclaimed. “Susan and Margaret and every other person that has been in my shop has just been raving about your new place, and with good reason, it’s gorgeous.” Meredith couldn’t help it, the place was amazing, it lacked nothing except the shrubs and trees that Cindy had already strategically placed; they just needed to be inserted in the ground.
Meredith looked at the house with envy, she let her eyes wander over the house, the lawn and then over Cindy. Why did Cindy deserve such a perfect life? While Cindy was out getting manicures and pedicures, she was digging around in potting soil and manure. Cindy looked like she had lost 20 pounds, her hair was styled perfectly, her teeth looked whiter, her skin was tan- Meredith hated her; she absolutely, positively hated her.
“Well, we don’t have all night, let’s get started.” Meredith said as she grabbed a shovel, she thought about skipping the seeds altogether and just hitting Cindy in face just one time, she would never really do it, but the thought of doing it was titillating.
As she started digging she couldn’t help but notice how worn out and old her hands looked. She was the same age as Cindy, but yet she looked 20 years older. When Cindy wasn’t looking she plopped a few seeds out of her bag and planted them as close to the foundation as possible. In a few days the seeds would sprout, with the right amount of rain and a little sunshine the seeds would overwhelm the house and the yard- the place would be a virtual rainforest right here in little Sanger. If all went according to plan, Cindy would be calling her in a few days begging for her help, Meredith would show her how to stop the vines before they destroyed her house, Meredith would have a little more money in her pocket, and the women of the town would be singing her praises- the plan was ingenious.
Cindy brought out a tray of lemonade just as the sun was setting. The air started to turn cool and you could smell autumn in the air. The timing was perfect, too much heat would scorch the vines and in Texas it didn’t get really cold until after Halloween.
The lemonade was delicious, and Cindy was exceptionally sweet. Sitting here with her now on her front porch it was hard to keep the hot rage burning inside her, she had just started to feel bad when Cindy’s husband Bob pulled into the driveway in a sleek Mercedes SL 500. As soon as she saw it she hopped up and told Cindy that she had to go, her envy had returned red hot.
She walked over to her truck trying not to look and feel self-conscious, for just a moment she had let down her wall- a mistake she would not make again. She started up her loud Ford pickup; the engine roared shredding the sweet heretofore silence of the night. It wouldn’t be long now soon Cindy’s new house would be overcome with vines. Something the town would never forget.
Phase II
Meredith turned the heat on it the truck, the warmth her body had generated while planting the plants for Cindy had been replaced by the cool chill of guilt mixed with anticipation. Looking down at the seat she realized that she still had a couple bags of special seeds. She stared at them, her fertile mind cultivating a new batch of revenge. She pulled out her list of names and decided that she enjoyed the taste of revenge so much, why not gorge herself and get it overwith in one night?
She drove to ClaraBeth's which bordered on the outside of town. Her loud truck would be noticed if she pulled up to the house, so she decided to just park down the street in the bushes, just like they always do in the movies, only this time she would do a better job of concealing the beat up Ford. She always laughed at the idiots in the movies and in novels, the ones that always left a finger print here, or a car out of place there- Didn't they ever watch CSI? She would not be so foolish.
After concealing the truck, she crept through the dense trees that surrounded ClaraBeth's house. A breeze whipped through the trees and and the rustling of the leaves sounded like the laughter of children. Snap, Crackle, Pop. With each step Meredith took she couldn't help but notice how loud she sounded, it was as if the ground was covered in rice crispies- fortunately noise for the wind and the trees would help mask her noisy progress.
Meredith decided that she would make her way to the back of the house, there didn't appear to be any lights on, so maybe ClaraBeth wasn't home. ClaraBeth had lived in Sanger most of her life. She had no Children, and she had recently divorced her third husband. She was smart, and pretty, and recently started selling real estate, lately she had rubbed Meredith the wrong way by suggesting botox for some wrinkles in her forehead- The NERVE! She knew she looked a little tired lately, but to suggest that she needed botox! She couldn't wait to see what her Forget Me Not's would do to ClaraBeth's little Victorian style house.
Lost in thought she hadn't even noticed a car pulling into the drive way. She quickly ducked behind some bushes and watched as ClaraBeth got out of the car. When the door opened Meredith's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. What was her husband doing with ClaraBeth? Fear clutched and scraped at Meredith like the rose bushes she was hidiing in, and like the thorns puncturing her skin, Bill had just punctured her heart.
Meredith watched as ClaraBeth waved at Bill as he pulled away, her breasts appearing gargantuan in the wash of the headlights. In a near frenzied state Meredith planted the remainder of the seeds, hot tears streaming down her face, boiling rage steaming inside her. She raced back to the car wondering how her weak legs were going to make it, crippled by doubt and the myriad of questions that plagued her. Was Bill having an affair? Why else would he be driving ClaraBeth home? She had been away from the house a lot lately, had she been neglecting Bill? If so, it was only because she had to, she had to provide for the family while Bill was out of work. What would she do? What would the kids think?
She sat in her truck and sobbed and cried until she could cry no more, then with an added resolve, she pulled out her list and drove to Christine's house, if she wasn't happy, then no one else was going to be...
Christine
Christine got ready for bed slipping into a white silk nightgown. Her husband was out of town on a business trip, he wouldn't be back from China for at least two more days. Christine wasn't pretty by the normal standards, but she was exotic and shapely- in other words, most men couldn't keep their eyes off of her, however, Christine was married, very happily married with 6 children.
She was just about to turn off the light in her room and slip under the covers when she heard the dog barking outside. Living so far out in the country the dogs rarely had anything to bark about. Christine extinguished the light and pulled down the blinds so she could see outside. It wasn't pitch black like she expected, rather a full moon illuminated the fog and created an wicked backdrop for this otherwise uneventful night.
Christine sensed something was wrong. As a mother and a woman, she had learned to trust her instincts. She quickly slipped on her husbands robe and slipped into her own running shoes. She kept a small 9mm pistol in a lockbox behind some shoes in the top of her closet. She found a step ladder and retrieved the box.
Carefully unlocking the box and removing the pistol, she loaded it. She never really suspected a need for the gun, but her husband Jack had purchased the gun and insisted that she learn how to use it. Sanger was normally a quiet place and the need to lock the doors was rare. However, when her husband was away she always locked the doors and kept a small can of pepper spray tucked under her husbands pillow. She retrieved the pepper spray and tucked it into the pocket of the robe. Just in case their was someone outside she wanted to have ample protection.
Slipping through the house quietly she checked on the children to make sure they were asleep. Fortunately they were only in two separate room, four boys and two girls, the boys were all sound asleep as were the girls.
Making her way out the back door at the last minute she grabbed her cell phone. She had seen too many movies where someone had made the mistake of not having a cell phone nearby, and she was not going to be kidnapped or raped without at least having the opportunity to dial 911.
Outside the cool night air hit her in the face like a cold spray of water. She pulled Jack's robe tighter against her body. She could smell his aftershave in the terry cloth and she felt stronger after inhaling his scent. She wished that he were here right now, but he wasn't and she had to protect her children. Besides, it could be nothing more than an owl or a skunk upsetting the dogs. As she made her way around the backyard she heard what sounded like digging. Stepping ever so slowly keeping her body close to the old farmhouse she poked her head around the edge. On the east side of the house they had only recently planted a plethora of yellow rose bushes and just now even with the fog obscuring her view she could make out the silhouette of someone - and they were indeed digging.
She waited for a few minutes to see who was digging, she inched closer, the gap between her and the digger was only 20 feet. Fortunately, her husband's robe was black and gray and was perfect camoflauge for a foggy night. Upon closer inspection she saw that it was indeed a woman and even though all she could see was the outline of the person's body she felt that she knew this person. Instead of saying anything she stepped closer and cocked the gun. At the same time in calm voice she said, "Hold it right there."
Standing just ten feet away she wished that she had grabbed a flashlight so she could see the culprit.
Cindy
Cindy had made it to Christine's house in record time. It was late, but she didn't know how late. The full moon made it easy for her to make her way down the road. Unlike ClaraBeth's house, Christine's place was on top of a small hill without trees or much landscaping. The night was deserted and due to the location of Cindy's house it wasn't easy to approach without being easily seen. This was both good and bad. It was good because if someone else came along she would be able to hide before they got too close, but bad because from the house it would be easier to be spotted. Fortunately for Cindy, a small barn on the side of the house would block line of sight if someone happened to be looking outside one of the windows from the house. If she parked her car in just the right spot it would be concealed from anyone looking in her direction.
The bag of seeds felt heavy and warm in Cindy's hand. The small shovel suddenly seemed to weigh a ton and part of Cindy wanted to retreat, but as she neared the house she saw the lovely rose bushes, the perfectly white and pink Victorian home. She could see the swingset, and the toys, the white picket fence, the manicured lawn. The entire place looked storybook perfect. Why hadn't she ended up with a place like this? God knows I deserve it.
Eyeing the freshly planted rosebushes Cindy new exactly where to plant her seeds. She placed the shovel to the ground 10 inches from the foundation just behind the roses. She dug and she planted making her way along the side of the house, a few on this side and a few on the other would definitely do the trick. She was really working up a good sweat when she heard the sound of something click, and in one moment of realization of what that sound meant, the very next moment she heard Christine's voice, "Hold it right there."
It wasn't a voice of fear, but more a voice with the hint of a question. Cindy paused holding the shovel in her left hand. She was still wearing the same clothes that she always wore to work. Blue jeans, a flannel shirt, gardening boots and gloves. If Christine new who it was, she hadn't let on yet. Cindy's heart thumped in her chest. For some odd reason she thought of Jack and the Beanstalk and how he took the axe and chopped down stalk before the giant could get to him. She wondered if she could swivel fast enough and hit Christine in the head- just hard enough to knock her out, but not kill her. Then all of the sudden a shrill ringing came from behind her, and Cindy knew it was her chance, like a frightened cat she raced back toward her truck running and not looking back. When she reached her truck she started it and roared down the hill without turning on the headlights. As she neared her own home she couldn't believe her luck, saved by a cell phone! Who would be calling Christine at such a late hour?
Walking into her house quietly she pulled her boots and gloves off and left them in the "mud room". She couldn't believe how tired and wired she was at the same time. Moving through the kitchen her steps creaking on the wooden floor she noticed that the telephone wasn't hung up in it's cradle, one of her pet peeves. She picked it up and started to place it in the charger but at the last minute turned it over to see who might have called. There weren't any incoming calls, so she looked at the dialed call log, the number that had been called only 15 minutes before had been Christine's...
posted by Eddo | 11:50 AM | 11 comments