Obsession

by Maya Moss

  “Of course,” was her answer, and Rick smiled once again, as his hands covered hers.

  “Hey there,” he exclaimed excitedly. “There is nothing in this world that could separate us now that we have found each other. I don’t know where this will bring us, but Allison, what I know is the fact that Monica, or anyone else for the matter, will not be able to keep us apart. I like you very much, and want to get to know you better.”

  Allison smiled at his words. She loved seeing how excited Rick was about this, about them together. She knew that there would not be any problem between the two of them. Monica was the one she was most concerned about. She was kind of cold and distant, while acting all caring and obsessed. It bothered her, but she didn’t feel like bringing it up with Rick.

  He pulled her into a hug, “How are you feeling, Allison? Do you need anything?”

  She rolled her eyes at him, “I am fine, Rick. You don’t need to mother me.”

  Rick smiled, “I just want to help, especially since I am the one causing the problem.”

  “Don’t say that. You are not to blame for the actions of that woman. And I know that you want to help me, it is just that I don’t have an idea how to do so.”

  “What would you say, if we just forget about it and watch some bad TV?”

  “Because it is a little geeky does not make it bad.”

  Rick snickered, “Don’t be so dramatic.” He reached for the TV remote, and laughed at her fake angry face.

  “Oh Rick, you are... you are something else.”

  *********************************

  Chapter 2

  “They say I am obsessed with Rick, but I see it as taking what is rightfully mine. It is not about sex or even love and romance, no, he is mine and no one else is going to have him. Those feelings inside me are becoming more demanding and seem endless – I cannot fight them.” Monica’s Diary.

  The next day after work, Allison felt a strange craving for popcorn. Funny or not, it often happened that she would go out to the store for something as trivial as ice cream or popcorn. She needed very little to be happy and many times, food was bringing her some relief after a stressful day.

  Monica was still sending messages and calling her, and Allison could see that things were escalating. The messages were becoming more personal, filled with small details, which showed that the woman was watching her every move. It was unnerving, it was scary, and most of all it was making Allison fear about her relationship with Rick.

  Everything between them was great at the moment, but there was no telling what the future would bring. Dramas and problems like stalking could bring down much stronger and longer relationships than theirs. What if Rick suddenly decided that she was not worth all the headache Monica was causing? What if, after seeing her dedication, he decided that Monica was the one for him? There were too many questions, and no answers able to calm her down.

  Allison was so lost in her thoughts that she did not even see the other car until it was too late. The dark blue vehicle hit her from behind, clearly trying to drive her off the road. She panicked, and in her rear mirror; Allison could see Monica’s determined face and hard stare. The woman was ready for murder.

  It was hard, but Allison managed to remain calm, hit the pedal to the metal, and escape her stalker. She could see the other car stopping and then turning around, probably satisfied with what she achieved for today.

  *********************************

  Monica watched the other woman get into her car and drive towards the nearby store. She had been watching her house for an hour now; hoping that Rick would come, so that she could speak to him. But this was even better. Now she could show the bitch what she was made of and what she was capable of doing for the one she loved.

  Monica waited for her to exit the store, and followed her on the way back home. She already had a plan and was only waiting for them to reach the right place. The road was passing near a small garden, which at this hour during the winter was deserted. The space just opposite the garden was perfect for her plan, as it ran steep down, and was covered in too much snow.

  When Allison’s car reached the spot, Monica gained speed and hit her from behind, aiming to bring the car out of the road and into the curb. Allison, however, did not lose her cool and stepped on the gas, successfully escaping the trap.

  Monica was a little disappointed, but not at all unhappy with how things turned out, as she was sure that the woman would be scared and would soon be running for her life. All in all, things had turned out better than what she imagined.

  *********************************

  Allison barely made it home, too shaken from what happened to even consider calling for help. She used the remote control to open the garage door, and once inside the house, made sure that all doors and windows were closed and locked. She was shaking and feeling the cold fear stinging at her heart. Allison knew that her actions and thoughts were paranoid, but she could not act differently.

  Monica almost killed her...

  She grabbed her phone, and quickly dialed Rick’s number. She needed someone here with her, and the first name that came to mind was his. The man was slowly becoming an important part of her life, and Allison was almost afraid to think what would happen to her if he decided that it was too much for him.

  The phone rang three times before Rick picked up.

  “Rick, you need to come here...” Allison sobbed into the cell phone, incapable of saying more. “Please, just come...”

  “What is wrong? Are you okay? Please, Allison, tell me something?” He pleaded with her. “I am coming, just wait for me...”

  “Okay,” she muttered in a small voice, already feeling better by simply hearing his voice. “I am okay, but something terrible happened.”

  “I am coming... do not worry... I would be there in a few minutes...” He hung up the phone, and Allison felt the cold returning, but the common sense that had saved her so many times before won over the panic, and she was able to go to the kitchen and drink some water.

  Rick arrived in less than fifteen minutes, and Allison thought that he must have broken all the speed limits. She saw him parking, and opened the door, locking it again once he was inside. Then she threw herself into his arms seeking the comfort only Rick could give her. Only when his hands came to embrace her trembling body did she allow herself to cry and relax a little.

  “Come on, Allison, it is okay now. I am here... stop crying...” Rick spoke slowly, as if afraid to scare her more, and gently moved them to the living room. “Tell me what happened?”

  “Monica,” she sobbed out.

  “Shit!” he exclaimed. “What did she do this time?”

  “I went to the store and on the way back, she ran at me with her car, almost forcing me out of the road. It was horrible... I thought this was the end...”

  Rick watched her horrified face, and felt the same terror clench his heart. Monica’s obsession was becoming dangerous. So far, it was annoying to have her follow them around, but now, now she was threatening the life of the woman he felt deeply about.

  “Did you see her? Are you sure it was really her?”

  “Yes,” Allison almost cried out. “I clearly saw her face in the mirror, and it was her blue sedan that hit my car.”

  “This is horrible. I wanted only to be sure, I wanted it to be a simple road accident.” Rick wanted to calm her down.

  “Would you stay here tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Sure, I will stay.”

  “Listen, I know that until now I did not want to know much about Monica, but I think it is time for you to tell me everything about her.”

  Allison looked so fragile and yet, Rick could see her whole body ready to fight. This little woman was stronger than any other woman he had ever known. She knew what was important, and had no intention to let someone else take it from her.

  “Okay, I will tell you all I know about Monica.”

  They adjusted their positions o
n the sofa, so that Monica was facing him, and Rick took her hands in his. He felt a little uneasy talking about Monica, his ex, to his current girlfriend, but Allison had every right to know what the other woman was capable of, and what to expect from her.

  “I met Monica at a business meeting a few months ago, and we went out a couple of times, before I started to see her for what she really was. I actually ended it after only three weeks of seeing her. So, Monica is the worst nightmare of every single man. She is clingy, possessive, crazy to the point of driving you exasperated. She was constantly calling me, using sex and her appearance to keep me by her side, and trying to force me to do things I would not normally do.”

  “Why did you go out with her then?” Allison asked.

  “At first, she was sweet and caring. And I suppose I was fascinated by her beauty and successful career. Those things do not usually interest me, but at that point of my life, I liked the attention she was paying me.”

  Rick saw things differently now, but the truth was that a few weeks ago, the thought of Monica choosing him was really appealing to him.

  “What happened next?” Allison continued to insist. It was very important to her understanding the other woman. Her own experience with stalking had taught her that she needed to learn as much as possible about the stalker, in order to respond accordingly.

  “When it became too much and I started to see her for who she really was – a shallow and possessive woman, I broke up with her. And to tell you the truth, the break up was really gentle and she accepted it with little to no complaints. However, once I started dating you all hell broke loose, as you already know.”

  *********************************

  Chapter 3

  “I read somewhere that an obsession is where something will not leave your mind. Therefore, we are all obsessed, obsessed about different things, but all the same obsessed.” Monica’s Diary.

  Nothing in Monica’s life had ever been more contradictory than love. It represented too many things – loss and gain, hope and despair, life and death – and the warm, sharp feeling of it had swirled inside her so often in her relatively short life that her brain could not seem to figure out how it felt about it. In most ordinary people’s lives, love is a good thing, but for Monica, it was destructive, consuming, something to be feared, avoided. But she was used to it. She did not necessarily like it, she was just used to it, like the way you’d get used to having a limp; she was used to the stinging heat on her face and the flare in her eyes and the way it devoured everything in its path and then eventually burned itself out after it’s had its fun. Like a child throwing a tantrum – better to just get out of the way and let it run its course, because sometimes fighting back causes more problems than it solves.

  So much of Monica’s life had been centered on that simple chemical reaction; so many hours spent lounging about something you may never have; usually sweaty and exhausted but satisfied. She needed love like she needed the air, she breathed, but she wasn’t able to love back. All she knew was how to use the love of others, while all the way longing to at least once experience the same feeling.

  *********************************

  Rick was standing in the middle of his room, looking at his beautiful suit, and thinking about the woman who shortly would be sitting in the car beside him. Allison was everything he ever wanted in a woman. Strong and gentle, at the same time, simple in her desires and wishes, and complicated in the way she expressed them… The complete opposite to all those shallow women he dated up to this day.

  But would he be able to fall in love with her? How was he going to distinguish that so exalted by poets feeling from the rest of the emotions he was experiencing? What love really is? Is it passion, companionship, security, danger…? The question cannot be answered, as the concept of love exists because it serves a need. Love must be what we make out of it, doesn’t it? Another question that can’t be answered might be also: Why is love needed?

  All these theories about the meaning of life and the lack of meaning when love is not in the equation were foreign to him. He was only twenty three years old when he had finished all studies, and his father showed him what he wanted for his son. With that, Rick’s life changed. Excuses to not go out with friends had turned to be his general trend. His friends soon knew what his answer would be, and stopped calling him. Fights and arguments rolled in – between him and his father, and between him and his friends. His life adopted a hectic routine, as managing his career took most of his time.

  Soon he was left alone, standing up and commanding over it all. With that, any social life became nonexistent and finding the perfect girl, impossible. The truth was that no girl ever really interested him, as the ones he dated only wanted the status and popularity that came from dating a powerful man. Their lust disgusted him. The fact that that was all they had to offer made him feel sorry for them. Their blackened hearts didn’t offer love – that same feeling he still had to find out about.

  For a long time, that was all he wanted – to be left alone. Now, however, he found himself wanting something else. In Allison, he saw some of that true love everyone was talking about. The love was transpiring in the way she spoke about her work and friends, in the feelings she had towards the institution of marriage, and the way she felt about faith and God. It was all new to him, foreign even, but appealing and desirable, when coming from her. Was that what love was? Was love simply the feeling of contentment and happiness that he was feeling now, after a simple day spent with that woman?

  Rick was finally ready to find the answer of that question. Allison made him want to search over the Earth, digging it all out, until he was able to find it. The heartless beast he had become, the manipulator in the trade of business, was looking forward to his destiny, wishing he would find love in it.

  A gentle knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and reminded him of the reason he was even having all these doubts. He opened the door, letting Allison enter his house and hopefully his life.

  Allison entered the room, dressed in simple, but elegant black dress that curled gently around her knees. His house was large, probably the largest she had ever seen, by the looks of it. When he had asked her to come to his house instead of the other way around, Allison wondered what the reason was for this, but now she saw it. Rick was holding a beautiful necklace in his hands, waiting for her to turn around and allow him to put it on her.

  They were going to the wedding of one of the oldest Rick’s friends, whose wedding invitations were made by Allison. She liked the man, and was more than happy to accompany Rick to the big event, although she would know no one there.

  “Thank you for joining me tonight,” Rick said once the first course of the dinner was served. “I wasn’t sure if you would accept my invitation.”

  “I’m happy to be here with you, Rick. You are a very interesting man, about whom I would like to learn more.”

  Rick left his cutlery on his plate, placed his elbows on the table, and looked her right in the eyes. “Really?” He asked. “What do you want to know?”

  “Tell me more about yourself, about your dreams and wishes for the future,” Allison said, a little worried how he would take her question.

  “Okay, then where should I start? Maybe at the very beginning?” And with that, Rick started telling her about his exiting childhood and college years, until it all ended for him, when his father took him to work full time in the family law firm. About the change in him that came with the new responsibility, and the little family support he was given.

  The tale was a sad one, full of unfulfilled dreams and flitting superficial relationships. Rick even admitted to have never really loved or felt loved in his life. It explained a lot, especially after she had heard all the deep observations, made by some of his friends. Rick was mysterious, because he wasn’t letting anyone close enough to really know him. She wondered if people thought the same about her.

  It was easy to judge the one you know nothing abou
t, especially when he or she looks more successful, and appears superior to yourself. Tonight, she found out that inside that handsome, successful man was hidden an unsecure and starving for love little boy who wasn’t given the chance to grow up.

  Allison told him then all her successful business investments, and the way she was using them to achieve her dreams. Life was smiling at them, and Allison was happy to see how they were slowly walking towards their goals.

  With that, their evening changed direction, and they spent the rest of the meal talking about films, books, and favored poets. Rick wasn’t a passionate poem lover, but he knew enough about the world’s famous poets to make the conversations entertaining.

  “Do you think that Monica would leave us be now?” Allison asked out of the blue, changing the course of the conversation.

  “I hope so,” Rick answered carefully. “There has been no more violence after the car accident, but the messages... my God, there are really escalating. She is threatening to use physical violence against us.”

  “I can see that you are worried...”

  “It is not about me...,” Rick sighed heavily. “It is you I worry about.”

  “Thank you,” Allison smiled sweetly at him, and he reached to take her hand across the table. “Let’s change the subject... How do you imagine your own wedding?”

  “Really!? This is how you change the subject?” The man laughed and bent over to kiss her on the lips. “Let me see... I am most certain that pink is out of the equation, but I may agree with some yellow roses.”

  “What about the doves? Do you want them flying while you promise to love your wife forever?”

  “No, I would want her to fly with happiness...”

  “How sweet!” Allison exclaimed.

  “Now it’s your turn. How do you see your wedding?” Rick asked her, while bringing his chair closer to hers.

  “I never actually thought about it. I think that when I have the right man, I would have all I would ever need,” she said, looking Rick right into the eyes, and imagining him beside her at the wedding.