Outrageous

Eunice Amero

2270 words

OUTRAGEOUS!

“So, all of it was just a lie?” Lucy shouted in anger.

“Yes, but don’t worry about it, you’ll go crazy,” Harry said, pointing his finger at Lucy’s face.

He never cared if she ever found out about his plan, and today it happened. He’d do anything and go anywhere he wanted to go, and though he still cared for Lucy, his thoughts were a lot on himself. He didn’t care if Lucy thought he was going crazy, because he was still building his plan. A plan he hoped would make him money, publicity, handsome, and a longer life.

“I can’t help it if I worry,” Lucy protested, then added, “I have chewed on my fingernails till they hurt, rolled my hair between my fingers till I’ve nearly pulled every spear out, and if I could reach my toenails, I’d probably chew on them too. This just is not fair, you could have been more honest with me, Harry.”

“Why? Make you worry even more than you do? I don’t want to hear your repeated words in your sleep, no more than in the thirty years I have planned this and put up with your sleep talking because you want to know where I’m going, every time I leave the house.”

“You’re gonna go nuts, Harry.”

“It won’t be the first time!” he said, trying to confuse her. Why would you say that?” Harry asked with a grin.

“Because one thing you’re going crazy, and then the other thing you don’t belong on Mars. You are not from there. You belong here with me. I think you are going crazy in your late years.”

“And then they say men are possessive,” Harry laughed, shaking his head as Lucy watched the thin grey hair toss back and forth hanging out of the cap he always wore.

Lucy got very angry. “Why did you lie and tell me you were working? When all the time you were doing this outrageous, ridiculous thing?”

“You found another word for my machine. This outrageous, ridiculous thing has to go to fulfill my dreams, and make me lots of money,” Harry looked at Lucy, “Do you know what else it’s going to do for me?”

“NO!” Lucy shouted with flaming cheeks. She didn’t want to hear anymore.

“It’s going to take me to Mars. I’m going to stretch my arms over the earth and kiss the moon, the moon that shone on me for many years,” Harry started laughing.

“Harry! Are you seeing another woman? That’s what you did to me when we first made love. Those words I remember, too.”

Harry continued laughing, “Why should you be worried, my dear? You are so insecure. Wait till I return. Just give me one year and I shall return to you again fully bloomed. handsome, proud, and famous.”

“You’re going out of your mind, Harry.”

“It won’t be the first nor the last time, will it?”

Lucy disappeared for a short while, and Harry wondered where she had gone. Then, when he looked, Lucy was standing staring at him and said, “Will this change your mind?

“Lucy, get back in there and get some clothes on!”

“Maybe you’ll change your mind and stay home.”

“It would take more than that to change my mind, so get in there and get dressed, I’ve seen enough of that in the 30 years we’ve been together.”

Poor Lucy did as she was told. When she returned, she said, “That’s why you’re going, you are sick of me! So, you may never come back to me again. And as long as you look fully bloomed, those years have gone beyond your reach. You would scare a freight train. No one else could love you the way I do, because they would have to get past your wiggles. So why don’t you just settle down and accept who you are, and what you look like, and me? As far as I’m concerned, going there will only make you look worse,” Lucy frowned.

“No, I will prove it to you. I won’t be gone forever. You’ll see, it will do me better just getting away from you. You're always down my back about how I look, and how poor we are, and you tell me I have lost my mind and my love for you. Well, don’t wonder.”

Lucy started to cry louder.

“One day without you will feel like forever. You and I have been through it all. We’ve had our ups and downs. We’ve had our ins and outs. So, this time I am going for a big change. You’ll see.”

“I hope I live to see that,” Lucy said, wiping her tears and sounding discouraged.

“Just look at it this way. I’m going to a far-off country for a year to get a new appearance and a good job, and you can’t come to me until it has all happened. Cause remember what they say, A woman can ruin a good thing.”

“How can you say that? I’m not going to the moon. That’s not true. I could go to Mars. It might do me well, though I don’t believe it.”

Harry laughed, “You don’t believe in anything I say. I won’t argue with that.”

“If you don’t return, how should I get to you and how shall I know the way?” Lucy asked, still in tears, and paying no attention to what he just said.

“I will spread the Milky Way out for you, line it with stars. Stay on it and it will lead you right to me.”

“Oh, Harry, you have always promised you would never leave me.”

“Sometimes, my love, a promise has to be broken, and I’m not leaving you.”

Harry began to check out his outrageous idea, as Lucy called it, making sure everything was placed in its right position, while Lucy watched.

“There are only a few more things I have to put on it,” Harry said. “The sun, which has been bright and shiny in our lives, will light the way. No matter how good or bad our lives have been. It will always light my path, my Love, and light yours if you let it. Mercury will help me get to where I’m going sooner than anything else in the whole universe because it travels faster than any other planet. Venus will help me spin slowly to help keep me from falling apart.”

“So, do you still have feelings for me?” Luck asked sadly.

“That’s why I’m leaving you. Remember, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder,’ “In those 243 days of the year, my heart will ache the longest, reminding me of Venus. Now I will put Venus in the back because it reminds me of our relationship.”

Lucy smiled, “Well, a little is better than no love at all,” She watched Harry place the only foundation their love had built on earth, right under outrageous, being better than the moon, which is dry and barren; reminding them of the hard times their marriage has become because of it. So, he placed it to the side under outrageous pressure. Mars marked their relationship sometimes as well. When it got very rocky, which Lucy is now feeling and hoping through all of this, she wouldn’t lose Harry.

“Jupiter represents your heart, Harry, a rocky core.” Tears ran down Lucy’s cheeks. There were times Harry’s heart was like Saturn and consisted of a small core of rock, but today it was different. His heart couldn’t be any worse, so he positions it on the side of outrageous.

Harry put Uranus and Neptune in the front of the outrageous, for he would need lots of gas.

Every time Harry placed something on or in outrage, Lucy worried. He would soon be on his way and maybe never to be seen again. At times, Lucy felt like Pluto, small.

“So, are you finished?” Lucy asked. “You named this idea of mine outrageous, so it would be a pleasure to see you paint the name right on the front top of it,” Harry said, looking down at Lucy, smiling. “Will you do it for me, my dear?”

“Why should I?” Turning from Harry and trying to hold back the tears, Lucy said, “Maybe if I were outrageous like your stupid plan, you would stay, but no, you have to go and hurt me.”

“Yes, you are outrageous, outrageously jealous, and always doubting me. Will you do it for me, my dear?” Harry asked the second time.

“What’s wrong, Harry? You can’t love me enough to put up with me anymore?”

"Well, besides the things I already have told you, I have to add, your hair is thin, dirty, and grey, your teeth are rotten and ready to fall out. You never brush them. Then you never clean the house or yourself, always complaining. You're always wearing dirty clothes. If you think my machine is outrageous, go take a long look in the mirror. Then you can worry that I might cheat on you. I have always been true. No other man would put up with you?"

"Harry, be quiet,” Lucy sobbed. "You're making me feel bad."

"I wish you would feel embarrassed. But no hope. Come and paint outrageous on for me, to remind me while we are apart, that you still love me.”

“Why would you care whether I love you or not?” Lucy complained.

“I have to go, and I will tell you why,” Harry spoke seriously.

Lucy stared him in the eyes.

“I have to take back what I took years ago from the earth, the moon, the sun, and the planets.”

Lucy quickly looked up at Harry, wondering if he had lost it. “What do you mean? What did you take?” she stared at him.

Harry looked at Lucy, wincing his eyes, “When I met you, I fell deeply in love with you. Before, I promised the earth I would give back what it has given to me. I pleaded for love from the planets and promised if they would give me the love, till I could repay them, I would one day return to thank them and renew what they had given me back when I was a young man.”

It took Harry years to put his outrageous thing together, and he was proud of himself.

“Are you proud of me, Lucy?”

Lucy, never heard anything so ridiculous in all her life, “So now you’re going to give what back?”

“What they have given to me,” Harry repeated. He reached up to the sky, “Love, strength, a foundation, and love for you and happiness forever.”

“Well, you are totally going out of your mind this time,” Lucy looked at Harry with eyes so big that Harry thought they would burst. Lucy’s heart was sorrowful. How was she going to live without Harry? She knew he was crazy, but she married him for better or worse, and right now it’s for worse. Harry walked over to her and put his arms around her, and wiped her tears. “Lucy, I shall return, but if I don’t, what would be the one thing you would want most? Dust from the moon, a man from Mars, or outrageous?”

“I don’t want anything or anyone else. I want you!”

“Okay, that you will have,” Harry positioned himself in outrage. “Hope I return and gain what I have given. Time, talent, and strength to make it outrageous. Money to build an outrageous. A year away from my wife, and love her again and see her as pretty as she once was.”

“What do you mean?” Lucy cried over the sound of the motor.

“You will know one day. Just give me a year,” Harry cried, as he lifted off the ground.

Lucy could see a tear in Harry’s eye, in the shining of the sun. He went up, up, up. His newly made space shuttle, which was called outrageous, belonged to the planets, but her Harry belonged to her.

Lucy continued to stand and look up. She had hoped Harry would change his mind and come back. It was going to be a long ride alone for Harry, and Lucy could hardly wait for the year to end.

While watching the news report one day, a year later, Outrageous was spotted in the sky. Harry looked happier and very different. All the planets came from the sky and were returning back with Harry a changed man. Lucy could hardly wait to see him again. He was still riding OUTRAGEOUS but he wasn’t alone! It even had a new look.

Suddenly, outrage fell from the sky onto her lawn. “Hi,” Harry smiled, “I’m the new Harry.”

Lucy collapsed to the ground. Harry’s voice and his looks were like when he and Lucy first met, thirty years ago. His twelve personalities represented twelve months of the year. Looking down at Lucy with a smile, Harry said, “Lucy, I’m back to love you now more than I ever have before.”

Lucy awoke and felt so happy that she began to cry. They held each other tight, and Lucy knew that she was going to love Harry more now than ever before, and Harry also knew he would love Lucy more than before. For she was the most beautiful, kind, warm-hearted woman he had ever seen.

The earth got back what Harry promised, fertilizer for his gardens, and in return, the earth gave more than before. A new, outrageous, handsome Harry, and for selling an outrageous, million-dollar man.