The last piece

The dominoes are in place. One-by-one the man placed over a million wooden dominoes in an intricate pattern across the gym floor. For months he'd dreamed about the design. A math teacher, he calculated the fall rate if one line of dominoes were to trigger three other lines. He drew a rough draft. Bought several cases of the black dominoes, carried them home in the station wagon, asked the school principal for permission, filled out a liability form taking on all risks. (He never considered dominoes held any risk whstsoever but apparently all life held risk and as far as that goes dominoes, the time spent placing them, would be less of a risk than say crossing the school parking lot or eating in the cafeteria!)

The neighbors boy helped unwrap the boxes but Virgil alone placed then on the slick shiny floor. A few dominoes short he ran to his car and retrieved a handful of dominoes from the glove compartment.

Virgil was a cautious man. He didn't like surprises. He didn't like to be caught off guard or not knowing how things work. He prepped, planned and often profitted from careful analysis. Of everything. His fiance did not. Some wondered how the two ever met or collided. He was organized to a T. Jenna was not. He kept lists and notes and wrote with a measured script in a clean notebook, carefully turning each page so as not to cause a crease or stain a page with a greasy fingerprint. He made lists and kept every password on a special password recording device.

Jenna could barely remember what day of the week it was and didnt mind making new passwords everytime she logged on. Virgil didn't mind the password reset even if it pained him to think about how often she couldn't remember them. It was the purse that tried his patience. He wondered why she even carried the pouch. He couldn't stand to watch the woman's endless searching of her purse, her hand deep in the bag rooting around. After awhile she'd get frustrated and dump the contents out onto a table, or worse the bed and scatter the contents across the spread, pens rolling to the floor.

"Its going to be great. Wait till you see it. The entire basketball court covered ." Virgil said. "That's nice dear." Jenna said sorting bottle tops and bits of debris. "When is the big day?" Jenna asked. "Today. Did you forget?" he asked. "No I never knew." she said puzzled at how he forgot to tell her the big day. "I told you." he said showing her the date marked on his google calendar. "See, right there." Jenna looked at the device. "I can't believe you though you'd told me. I think you thought you told me, but you probably told somebody else." "Is there a problem? You are going to come aren't you?" Virgil asked watching Jenna root and pick, sort and make trips to the trash can.

"Its puzzle night. The girls are almost done. We've been piecing a huge patchwork quilt puzzle together for the last month. I would like to see it." She said kissing him. "Stop." He grabbed her hand, removing it from the purse. "Let me distract you for awhile." He said pushing the junk to the bottom of the bed and unbuttoning her blouse. Neither paid much attention to the papers and bottles or the unsorted pile. He didn't mind her forgetfulness as long as she was sweet. And she was sweet and sweet on him. And sweet often with great enthusiasm. "Get dressed we have to run. The auditorium is about to open." Virgil showered and dressed in a rush. Jenna waited in the car still rummaging through her purse. Trying to find some order, any order.

"what on earth are you looking for?" Virgil snapped, growing irritated. "Two things. A piece that fell into my purse and the address of Shirley's home. Jenna has the flu and we had to move the puzzle. Off they drove, Virgil pleased to be moving, Jenna growing weary of the routine. Neither had much fun or time alone both consumed by tiny pieces. Some lost, some found, some that fit and others carefully measured and put in place. Jenna was as excited as Virgil. There he was standing tall admiring his handiwork when Jenna shouted. " There it is! " Virgil jumped hearing her screech and was horrified as he watched Jenna running along the border of the court. "Stop, stop not another step. Don't even bresthe!" The dominoes quivered. Time seemed to stop. So frozen with horror Virgil's eyes were wide and beads of sweat dripped into his eyes.

Jenna was on her hands and knees inching closer and closer to the dominoes. He tried to stop her. She only realized later the need to stop, but it was too late when it dawned on her to show some restraint. Her knees on the hard wood floor, balancing with one han, reaching across row after row of dominoes, each a carefully measured half inch apart. "There it is" Jenna pointed. "See that piece with a red dot. That's the piece I've been looking for. I thought it was in my purse but there it is. Not a Domino at all." "Stop." Virgil pleaded. Jenna just about to pluck the piece. "I can't place them again. Some things cannot be rebuilt and it you topple a piece its all over." Jenna looked at the piece, and looked at Virgil. "Don't you trust me? You don't think I can just take that one piece do you? You think I'm clumsy and will ruin the whole thing don't do?"

Virgil had to nod. He feared the worst. She'd ruin the whole thing. Her hand shook and his voice alone made a few pieces tremble. "Ill help you. Ill take you to shirley's house. Ill take you anywhere you want to go. We'll skinny dip in the pool. We'll go for a long drive, ill let you have a puppy or burn the stinky incense you like." He knew she loved him and wanted only the best for everybody. Somewhere she was lost in the midst of everyone's grappling.

The temptation was great, as her hand hovered. She looked at him with such an intense stare she saw a cavity in his kind of grungy mouth. Then she deftly reached for the piece. "Please don't do it." Virgil winced and he waited.....