Chapter 34: A Choking Meal
Sitting on the dining table, watching his wife serve his food, David couldn’t seem to focus on her. He was lost in thought.
His wife was up to something. He could tell. He could feel it. But he couldn’t wrap his fingers around it. He left home last night, amidst their argument and she didn’t call to check on him.
Anita didn’t like fights, he knew that. But whenever they fought, she didn’t stop calling to boss him around, to keep tags on him, and his work.
To David, Anita checking on him and asking about his day, his work, and telling him to not stress himself, was her ’bossing him around and keeping tags on him’. So why did he care about her not calling for the past week? Shouldn’t he be happy?
She rarely went to his office, but for a week and few days, after that time he dismissed her pregnancy prank, she’d never set foot in his office again.
She wasn’t even talking about their coming anniversary.
And now, this food she was serving him, the aroma, the dressing, it didn’t look like hers.
Did she allow someone else cook his meal? David remembered her always saying, "A meal made with love keeps the heart safe."
It was one of those things she said often, like a family rule etched into the walls of their home. She would hum while cooking, taste everything twice, and make sure it was perfect for his taste. She’d even scold him if he dared to snack before dinner.
But tonight, there was no humming. No familiar scent wafting from the kitchen. Just silence and strangers’ food on his plate.
David watched Anita as she gracefully served his meal. The aroma of glazed pears mingled with the richness of wine and herbs, filling the air with a scent that made his stomach growl with hunger and suspicion.