Surprise

“He’s going to kill us”, the voice whispered. Gwen jumped at the sound, banging her knee painfully on the table she was hiding behind. Until that moment the room had been eerily quiet and she was listening intently for the sound of approaching footsteps. Failing to receive a response from anyone, the voice tried again. “He’s going to kill us”, a louder and more urgent tone used this time.

“Shhh”, hissed another voice. “He can’t know we are here”.

Although Gwen couldn’t see either speaker, she knew the voices belonged to Carol and Paul. Like her, they found themselves in the same position; trapped in a dark room awaiting the moment of discovery. Her thoughts turned to Tom and she wished again that he were there, holding her hand and calming her nerves. No, she thought, it is better that he is not a part of this.

The sound of raised voices coming up the path set Gwen’s heart pounding. This is ridiculous, she chided herself, get a hold of yourself. Stick to the plan and everything will be fine. Gwen held her breath as she strained to hear the snippets of conversation coming in through the window.

“He shouldn’t even have a licence. Who drives like that? He’s going to kill someone you know? What the hell did he think he was doing…”, the sound receded.

“It’s over with now John. We are both fine thankfully. Let’s just move on”, Anna responded.

“Move on? Did you see what he was doing?” There was no need to hold her breath now as Gwen and half the neighbourhood could hear every single word John was saying. “You think I am overreacting? Do you think he was in the right and I am in the wrong? Do you?”

“Look honey, no…um…sometimes it is tricky at those intersections-“

“Holy shit! You do think I was in the wrong. Typical, it is always me who is in the wrong. So I am a terrible driver, is that it? May as well add it to your ever-growing list of my failings. I knew you were going to take his side, I knew it”.

“I’m not taking sides John, I just…”, Anna’s faint words trailing off.

Here we go, thought Gwen. The side of John that he tried to hide from the world, the side his wife was usually the unlucky witness of was now on full display. Many tears had been shed over coffee as Anna would detail John’s latest tirade, his bursts of anger that bubbled up quickly and seemed to take longer to dissipate each time. Gwen had witnessed flashes of it briefly, however John was always careful to ensure the mask didn’t slip too low.

They had reached the front door and it sounded as though John was unleashing his anger on the defenceless lock, jamming the key in and twisting the door handle fiercely. “He’s going to break that key in a moment” murmured Paul.

“I should have known this is how you would be. Always undermining me, always against me. That idiot could have killed us and you still choose him over me. Why don’t you run along and find him? You and the moron would be perfectly suited to one another”.

Gwen winced at John’s words, feeling anger and embarrassment that she was a witness to this exchange and that Anna was the recipient of it. She sensed Carol shift next to her and guessed that she was also feeling the awkwardness of the situation. Gwen wanted to march out to the door and slap John across the face but she felt herself transfixed to the spot.

I’m losing him Gwen, a shake in Anna’s voice as she confided to her. The John I once knew is disappearing and I don’t know how to bring him back. What am I going to do? I have to fight for my marriage, fight for the man I married. He just gets so angry these days and anything seems to trigger him. I just want to show him that I love him and I am on his side. The tears ran unchecked down Anna’s face and Gwen remembered the shock she felt at the depth of Anna’s emotion. She knew things hadn’t been as good as they could have been but until Anna made her confession a week ago, Gwen assumed it was the usual run-of-the-mill marriage issues.

Then the flash of inspiration struck Anna. It’s his birthday next week so maybe I could throw him a party. Gwen thought this was a terrible idea and her face must have shared the thought as Anna immediately belittled herself over the idea. Maybe it could be a small, intimate dinner for the two of you, Gwen suggested. Anna pondered this and then shared her idea. I have it, an intimate dinner with our closest friends and…wait for it. It will be a surprise party. Everyone loves a good surprise. Please say you will come Gwen, it would mean so much to John and I.

Tom couldn’t control his laughter that evening when Gwen relayed the conversation. Annoyed by the humour he found in the situation, Gwen took delight in informing him that he was also on the guest list. Anna, John, Gwen, Tom, Carol and Paul. Anna believed that having some of their friends at the dinner would help remind John of who he used to be, the man they all wanted to spend time with. Sobered by the thought of actually going, Tom questioned why Anna would think this was a good idea. John hated things being sprung upon him and discovering people shouting ‘surprise’ at him could result in a very unfortunate reaction. Gwen agreed but they were going to do this to support Anna.

The door slammed with a bang and Gwen jumped, banging her leg once again on the table. Judging by the mood he is in, John really will kill us when he finds us here hiding in the dark waiting for him, she thought. The echoing footfall grew closer, informing them that John was approaching the dining room. This is definitely not going to be a happy surprise, Gwen surmised.

Anna must have shared the same thought. “Oh John wait, there’s something I have to tell-“. Anna’s sentence was stopped short by the sound of a thump followed by a heavy thud on the floor. What was that, she wondered. She wished again that Tom were here to squeeze her hand, not lying in bed at home with an imaginary migraine.

“I think we should tell him we are here”, suggested Carol. The trio stood up from their hiding places as the doors to the dining room burst open with a beacon of blinding light.

John stood in the doorway to the dining room, backlit with the warm glow of the hallway. Paul cleared his throat to speak but instead made a wet, gurgling sound.

“Anna?” Gwen tried to form the word but no sound passed from her lips. Gwen’s brain could not correlate what she was seeing into a verbal response. John was standing in the doorway to the living room, one hand clutching Anna’s as he dragged her lifeless body (complete with caved in skull) along behind him.

“What…?” said John with a start as he noticed the three of them standing there. “Looks like tonight is full of surprises”. He turned and locked the door behind him.