CHARACTERS
Speaker Julia as Jay’s ex wife
Jay as Julia’s ex husband
Vanessa as Julia’s best friend

Obsession a word familiar to all, fierce, dangerous, simple but for everyday people it’s a common word having a simple and profound meaning. Every word contains a great power, a control something like a feeling and a strong one.
In this world everyone’s got an obsession with something they love. Some say it to be a passion, a fixation but to me it’s more like a nightmare, a torture, a pain.
I always took it lightly and yet it took me way more painfully. I think people are usually obsessed with food preps, professional cleaning, documentaries, DIY’ing and much more but the most unbelievable thing is that when a person becomes obsessed with one person…… just one person……………………..

FLASHBACK

NEW YORK CITY

[Julia and Vanessa having a tea party, late afternoon in Julia’s backyard]

Vanessa: A fine spring day isn’t it jules….

Julia: Of course, sweetie it is indeed.

Vanessa: why don’t you get married ahh… you know that a lot of boys are after you. Pick one and get married. What do you say?

Julia: well sweetie I don’t know maybe I should but I believe in something else….

Vanessa: you mean something like true love like in fairytales…

Julia: yup…

Vanessa: oh girl you and your fairytales… let me get it straight love wouldn’t come to you, you should find it.

Julia: and from where shall I start??

Vanessa: hmmmm your neighbors…. Hahaha ….

Julia: you little… hahaha as a matter of fact no young boy live in this neighborhood.

Vanessa: hey I remember it that the house next door is probably being emptying I think I should pray that a boy would come there for you.

Julia: Oh My God. You want me to go soon don’t you?

Vanessa: just kidding girl…

PRESENT

[I wish that, that day she hadn’t said those words….. because indeed they became true.]

FLASHBACK

[Sounds of unpacking and loading boxes were coming from outside Julia’s house that had bothered her morning sleep.]

Julia: OHhhh god what kind of blast is going on outside I can’t sleep.

Door bell:
Ringinng…… Ringinggg……

Julia: who is that, at the door so early in the morning. Comingggg be patient…

[Julia goes downstairs for opening the door. A little squeak in the door and it opened.]

Julia: ohh beg your pardon!

Jay: ahhh hello miss….. well you know I’m your new neighbor and just shifting in right now. Here I bought some home baked cookies. Oh and sorry for this disturbance and sudden arrival. My name is jay, jay parker.

PRESENT

[I still remember that first meeting, that sudden arrival of that mysterious figure that was trying to get to know me, as if all this had happened just yesterday. That first expression of mine when I saw that handsome blonde wearing purple T- shirt and blue jeans was something that I wasn’t expecting from myself and indeed that was the beginning of this nightmare. The way he looked me as if he understood me completely as if he had known me all along those years when I had not known myself…..]

FLASHBACK

Julia: oh yeah heyyy Jay. Welcome to the neighborhood. Thanks for the cookies they look delicious.

Jay: My pleasure miss. But may I know your name?

Julia: oh sorry my bad I should have introduced myself. I’m Julia.

Jay: that’s a nice name, a very pretty one just like you.

Julia: well thanks.

Jay: see you later then Julia.

Julia: sure Jay.

[The first thing after that incredible meeting with that blonde guy for Julia was to tell the whole story to Vanessa.]

[While on the phone]

Vanessa: hey what’s up you called?

Julia: yo girl. Oh my I can’t believe what you said that day is already happening.

Vanessa: oh don’t tell me that it is that boy thing?

Julia: well it is.

Vanessa: I’m on my way girl….

PRESENT

[That evening I told Vanessa about that guy. That how handsome he was, so elegant. In other ways I was total head over heels for him it was just like a fairytale that feeling of founding your one true love was something that I had always dreamt of and now it was right beside me in that next door house….]

[Days passed by after my first meeting with him excuses were always made and found their way to his house. It was just shocking that he always knew what I wanted and what I didn’t. A special kind of aura would come from him and I would feel irresistible to him. He would always come to my house with my favorite flowers and all sort of other things that I liked. And so we couldn’t resist any more and we started dating…]

[a few months passed by more surprises more gifts, luxurious parties everything just right not a single mistake…. And yet the mistake was made when he proposed me and I accepted it without any other thoughts. In my life that was the biggest foolish thing I had done.]

[because I was in love with him I didn’t even check that how did he knew all about me, the things I liked the things I hated. It was suspicious at first but I was blinded by love….]

[The day of the wedding came I was happy finally to be a bride and awaited for a life I always wished….. and then everything changed I became a thing for him, a thing that he wanted to lock.]

FLASHBACK

[Jay having fits of fury]

Julia: Honey! What’s the matter? I was only having tea with my friend in the café nothing else. Tom is my childhood friend it’s not what you think it is.

Jay: oh so he was flirting with you right? I think it’s better that you stay at home. I don’t want you to be with another guy. YOU ARE ONLY MINE. Do you get it.

Julia: you don’t trust my love. Do you? How could you say something like that. I’m not a thing that you could lock away. Why did you change? What changed you?

Jay: My love, just promise me that you won’t leave the house. Look I’m not changed I’m still that jay that love you so much.

Julia: you are practically locking me up. Okay then I’ll leave. I’m going until your senses come back to you.

Jay: where do you think you are going?

[ That night I saw his various sides. He locked me up in our room. For the first time I was tortured and the pain that I felt was only because of his changed attitude. His eyes changed as if there was a beast inside.]

[Only then I came to realize that it was not love. It never was it was just an OBSESSION. He told me that before he first came in that neighborhood to see me. It was not his first time.He had been stalking me everywhere I went. Every house I changed that’s how he knew about me and it did make sense. That day my dreams and wishes were shattered because they never were filled.

He was obsessed with me. He just wanted to perish me as if I were his trophy.

He would hurt himself after hurting me and it made me crazy.
And one day I escaped that prison . I didn’t know where to go. I couldn’t possibly go to Vanessa that she might get hurt because of me so I went to another city hopefully before escaping I had packed my luggage.

A few peaceful months passed but not a single day went away without my fear. I was scared to death.
He found me then, and I had to run again. I kept on running, changed jobs, gone to various places but he would always found me. I couldn’t go to the police because I was already enlisted there as a runaway crazy wife of jay.

I was afraid not to live freely, I was afraid of seeing what was behind me because he would be there.
I couldn’t live nor die. At last I went to Mauritius where no one can find me I wanted to be alone and feel assured and I’m still living there I hopes that he wouldn’t find me. In hopes that someone help me, in hopes that one day the winds from that nighbourhood would tell me that he died.
I wanted him to die. I was prisoned in the mentality that he had made. His obsession ruined me and I was left with no dreams and wishes at all. The fairytales I wished were gone far away and I couldn’t grab them………………..

© nightingale