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As the gun went off, Brian woke up.

“Nooooo!!!!!”

“What are you yelling for?” said a voice from the living room.

Brian didn’t know where he was. The place looked familiar but he wasn’t sure it was for real. After seeing Lacey aim and fire, he surely didn’t expect to wake up to this scene. He felt on his face a few times, then he felt on his body. He had no blood on him, no injuries and he had no bullet holes in his body. And as for the voice, he recognized it but he could not believe it was real.

“I asked you what you were yelling for. Are you going to answer?”

It was Charlotte in the flesh. She was right there in front of him like nothing had happened. Brian again was perplexed.

“What happened Charlotte?”

“All I know is you went to sleep and got up yelling.”

Brian again was trying to figure out things as he was apparently back in his original situation. Charlotte was still being the Charlotte he remembered. He looked around the apartment and there were the pictures of he and Charlotte, including their wedding day. He was happy he wasn’t dead but he wasn’t happy that he was back in a miserable reality that he called being Charlotte’s husband.

“I gotta get out of this place.”

So in his usual routine, Brian got in the shower, got dressed and headed to work. And there he sat at work again, looking out the window at what all was around him. He was back in a reality that he did not want to be in and was thinking of his way out. He daydreamed so much at work that he almost missed his lunchtime. His boss was the only thing that saved him from daydreaming through that.

“Hey Brian. You going to lunch sometime?”

“Yeah boss. I’m sorry.”

“Maybe when you come back you can get some work done or something?”

“Yes boss.”

While Brian was at work, Charlotte was at home plotting on how to make Brian’s life even worse. Charlotte felt she was responsible for everything Brian had become and therefore, she was in control.

“Should I put him on an allowance or should I make him work for his allowance every week?”

Charlotte was definitely planning to stick it to Brian even more and let him know that she was in charge of this relationship.

As Charlotte was plotting more misery, Brian was headed to his favorite spot, Jerry’s. He got his favorite, pork chops, again. And as he sat down he, he began to daydream again about who he saw the last time he was there, Lacey. Just as he was getting ready to take his first bite of food, here she came in the restaurant again.  And like in the previous time, she walked right by him. Her order was ready and Jerry handed it to her and she turned around and walked out of the restaurant. As she walked by this time though, her eyes connected with Brian and she said one word to him as she passed by.

“Soon.”

Brian tried to ask her what that meant but she ignored him, as she exited the restaurant and headed to her car. From the rest of his meal to the rest of his day, all Brian could think about was what she meant by saying that to him. Brian didn’t get much done at work that day. The amount of things he was processing was sending him into sensory overload and he just needed to leave.

“Ah. Finally the day is over.”

Brian took his time going home. He knew he didn’t want to be there either, so the car was his peace. As he turned on the radio, Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” was playing. This song seemed to have perfect timing because Brian had just about had enough of Charlotte. The nagging and the controlling nature of this woman had driven him crazy and the accumulation of that over time had him ready to leave.  As he pulled up to the house, he seemingly had made his mind up.

“Good Evening Brian. Today I made a decision. I will be giving you an allowance from your check now. I will be giving that check to you every two weeks to coincide with when your check hits the bank account, which you will not have a debit card for. You will have to go in and get your money.”

Brian sat there and listened to the latest demonstration of power from Charlotte and he had decided he had enough.

“Okay. Well,  I am not going back to that job. I hate it. And to top it all off, I hate being here with you too. I’m packing my things, jumping in my car and I am out of here.”

As soon as Brian said that, he headed to the bedroom and started packing his bags. Charlotte was charging right behind him and still talking down to him.

“You really think you’re leaving? I own you Brian. Everything you own I got for you.”

Brian may not have said anything at first when packing, but that comment had his attention.

“First, you don’t own me. Second, I am leaving. And third, there is no way you are going to stop me or control my money. An allowance? You must be out of your mind.”

Brian stormed past Charlotte with his luggage in hand. He felt a little different now. He decided it was time to handle his business and quit taking orders. He was going to live for him and throw all the rest to the wayside.  As soon as he got to the door though, that theory was tested. He was walking to his vehicle and out came Charlotte with her gun.

“You better stop right there or you’re going to die by your car tonight.”

“I don’t believe you will shoot me Charlotte. So, I’m going to get in this car and leave and never come back. Goodbye to you and that boring job of mine.”

Brian moved to the car and then a shot rang. Brian ducked, but was he turned around, he noticed Charlotte falling to the ground and as he turned back around, he saw Lacey standing there right in front of him.

“She earned that one. You ready to get out of here?”

“With you, for sure. Just as long as you don’t kill me.”

“I just killed for you. Sure, I wanted to kill Charlotte, but I just saved your life. I been spying on you for a while in town Brian. I didn’t want to blow my cover, so that’s why I didn’t talk to you in the restaurant. I’ve been plotting to kill her for a while. Now that you’re packed up, are you ready to hit the road and start over fresh together?”

Brian nodded and he threw his bags in the car. He and Lacey both left the house, riding off into the night, not knowing what adventures awaited them.