It was a good sunny day. The weather was fine, and the first rays of the vernal sun tried to warm the earth tired after the long winter sleep. However, either sun was lazy, or the spring was sheepish, but it was still cold, and people walked the streets wrapping up in scarves and dreaming of warm days. They will take off their heavy winter clothes and enjoy the sun and pleasant wind bringing the smell of fresh grass, flowers, and spring.
Keith and Leo, the young couple living together, were still lying in the bed, basking the coziness of the soft bed and the calm atmosphere of the weekend morning. Altogether, nothing foreboded the tragedy.
All of a sudden, Leo remembered the horrible thing. This Sunday was the day appointed for shopping. His relaxed mood disappeared in a moment. He sweated. He trembled. He was lining in the bed trying not to move and not to breath as Keith could hear it.
He hated shopping with his heart and soul. Being a grown man, he realized the necessity of this process and managed to overcome it stoically. However, things became much more complicated when Keith proclaimed her desire to buy a new piece of clothes. It was equivalent to the proclamation of war. It meant that they would be going round the biggest mall looking at the same brands for hours, trying to save their relations and not to kill each other. Rather significant reason for Leos fear and despair.
Besides, he deiced that this time everything will be different. He will just lay calm, and Keith will sleep up to the noon when she has to go to her friend. An ideal and artful plan. Leo smiled. He accepted his genius and anticipated his obvious victory. Yet, there was some vague feeling that troubled him. At first, he was not able to recognize it. Several minutes later he understood that he was doomed to fail. It was an early morning, and he needed to go to the bathroom badly.
Creating the plan, he forgot about the physiological needs of his body. Unfortunately, the last evening he drank couple bottles of beer while watching the game. Now, he realized the stupidity of that action. His bladder was full. He was not able to change the pose as Keith would hear it and wake up. However, he also could not lie anymore. But the thought of the failure was unbearable. He could not loose. Not this time. He is a man. He is able to suffer.
Five endless minutes later, Leo was ready to let the disaster happen but not to wake Keith up. He was sure that is was not the worse variant. Hardly had he accepted this thought, he heard her voice ‘Morning, sweetheart. What a lovely morning!’. Leo groaned and ran to the bathroom. He failed. In all senses.
The breakfast was silent. Keith was pretending nothing had happened while Leo was eating his flocks. She was the first to speak.
‘Honey, are you fine?’ she tried to sound natural
‘Yes. I am ok. Why are you asking me?’ Leo was focused on his plate
‘I dont know’ she gave a shrug of her shoulders. ‘By the way, do you remember what day is it today?’
Here it is! The beginning of the end. The Harbinger of Apocalypse. The start of the horrible day.
‘Sunday?’ Leo pretended he did not realize the hint.
‘Yes, and it means….’ insisted Keith.
‘We have a weekend.’
‘No, silly! We go shopping!’ Keiths eyes shone, and she was more than excited. ‘I know a perfect place where we can get an overwhelming jacket!’
Leo sighed fatefully. He was ready for it; however, it was still difficult. And it would be better not to start quarreling in the apartment.
‘Ok, honey. Just give me several minutes and I will be ready.’
“Of course! I am sure we will choose the best one and I will go to Judith in my new jacket” Keith was rather optimistic about their trip.
Leo murmured something and went to the bedroom.
The mall was giant, and there were dozens of shops and boutiques suggesting hundreds of jackets of various colors and shapes. Hundreds of people were wondering across it, hoping to make the best buy. Maybe some of them were happy. However, Leo noticed the same signs of the impending doom in the eyes of all men walking with their beloved ones. They all realized the inevitability of the tragic end.
Keith and Leo entered the first boutique. There were several rather pretty jackets there.
‘Look at that yellow one!’ Keiths voice quivered with excitement. It was just the first shop, and she was happy that there are many other to visit.
‘Nice. Try it on’ Leo perfectly realized the game. He had no choice but to play along.
Surprisingly, the jacket suited perfectly. Keith always enjoyed yellow things as the color added some freshness and mystery to her image. The jackets style and size were also ideal. Leo could not believe his eyes. It seemed that someone sewed this one, especially for Keith. It accentuated her figure and made her more feminine.
“Awesome!’ Leo was bewildered.
‘Are you sure?’ pleased by his reaction, Keith looked in the mirror.
‘Yes. We should obviously buy it!’
In a trice, her mood changed. She pursed her mouth and took the jacket off.
‘I see.’ her voice was tragic.
Leo had almost moaned.
‘What is wrong, honey?’
‘Everything is fine, except that you do not love me’ mournfully said she.
‘But why?’
‘You are ready to buy the first available jacket. It means that you do not care about my appearance. It means that you do not love me’ her logic was perfect.
‘Here it is. It has begun.’ However, Leo did not say it aloud.
‘Honey, I love you. Let us look for something else.’
Four hours later they still were in the mall. Leo did not remember how many boutiques they had visited and how many jackets Keith had tried on. He was just walking near her, wondering whether it would ever end. However, in the next shop, Keith managed to surprise him.
‘Leo. I think I found the ideal one. We should buy it.’ said she.
In utter disbelief, he looked at her. The jacket was really good. But there was something familiar about it. All of a sudden, he remembered.
“Keith, it is the very first yellow jacket you have tried on today!’
She pursed her mouth.
‘You do not love me, Leo.’
‘For Gods sake, why?’
“If you had loved me, you would make me buy it, and we would not spend the whole day wondering around the mall.’