Talking To Her Body

Drew had all day to kill Charlotte, and Jimmy had intended to remove the body before ten in the night, but, a family emergency had disrupted his plans.

His elder son had been caught drinking by his mother, leading to a heated confrontation in which the teenager hurled curses at her.

Enraged, she phoned Jimmy to shift the blame onto him.

She screamed and berated him over the phone, prompting him to rush home and address the situation with his son.

Despite his attempts to guide him, the young man was unresponsive, accusing Jimmy of abandonment and laying the blame squarely on his shoulders.

Before Jimmy left around eleven at night, he confided in his wife. She concurred that he had been absent, never bothering to visit or inquire about joint custody.

In her own words, Jimmy must have been relieved when she divorced him and took the children. Jimmy took this blow stoically, even though it stung.

Upon his return, nearly midnight, he offered a milkshake he had been carrying to Ben, a homeless man who often lingered near the entrance to his apartment building.

The same man Drew offered cigarettes to when he was waiting by the apartment building to kill himself.

As he prepared to rest, he recalled the task of moving the bag from Charlotte's apartment downstairs.

Who could forget such a responsibility?

Dressing in seldom-used attire, and gloves, and armed with a master key and a flashlight, he embarked on the mission.

Although some of the apartment building's floors were still lively, Charlotte's fourth-floor corridor was quiet.

With parties underway on the first and third floors, he chose to use the stairs, as few people opt for them when elevators are functioning.

With trepidation, he entered her apartment.

Despite his shock at the sight of Charlotte's wrapped body, he managed to place it in the bin, transport it out of the room, descend the stairs, and load it onto the truck by four in the morning.

Between midnight and that moment, he sat in the room with her lifeless form, reminiscing about how his son was spiraling down a destructive path and taking the blame upon himself.

Most of the time, he used these moments to recount the fond memories he had shared with Charlotte, expressing genuine happiness for having had her as a tenant and lamenting the reasons for their falling out.

He began, "We had quite a journey, you and I.

You… you know.

I never wanted any of this to happen

(Silence)

. You were my confidant, the one person who truly understood me. (Sobbing)

(Stammering)

What has been happening in your room lately? Who we-were those men you were keeping hidden from me?

(Head between his hands)

It tore me apart to witness you self-destruct like that.

They didn't deserve you, not a single man deserves you, Charli. None!

I… I don't deserve you, not in the slightest.

I've let myself go. How didn't I ever get delusional about you and me?

I should've pursued sports in high school or college, but I chose books.

Look at me now – I'm as round as a rugby ball, despite all the wealth and promotions.

If I did that, I would have a body like them, one of those hot bodies like the bartender's and the junkie's.

You fucked them, didn't you?

Why the fuck would you fuck those people? Don't you have morals?

(Long silence. Jimmy wiping the tears off his sweaty face)

You were the only ray of light in my life, Charli. You should have pretended to care about me, even a little bit.

Initially, you were so kind that I hoped you'd notice me. And thankfully, you did, as a friend.

That broke me, but was more than nothing.

I'm not sober now, but I haven't had a drink since morning. I shouldn't have come here sober.

(Shouting)

You turned ice-cold without warning, and since then, you've made my life a living nightmare.

You don't pay rent, you complain incessantly, disturb the neighbors, and even pressure me into covering your bills.

(Nervous chuckles)

I started living in fear.

I feared you so much that I forgot my problems.

But when you began bringing those strange men into your apartment, I knew it was the end of us.

You shattered the best thing we had.

That's why I betrayed our friendship and sneaked into your apartment.

(Pointing at the cold body wrapped on the floor) Yes! I did that.

But do you know what I discovered? (Crying) I found men's clothing strewn all over your place.

(Losing his mind, hitting the floor hard)

How many were they? Are you a whore Chali? Fucking answer me!

I took something from you.

I want you to know it before they bury you. I have your pink underwear – the same one you were wearing when a gust of wind lifted your dress on the balcony.

I got excited, so excited that I came. But you never noticed me, or maybe pretended not to.

You must have wondered where they went the following day. Your quest is answered, I have them.

I didn't wash them, I just smelt them until they stopped smelling of you anymore.

I've held onto it for far too long to let it go.

(Silence)

The reason you're lying here dead is me, Charli. I told them I wanted to end your life because I couldn't bear the pain you caused. The way you broke my heart.

If you had given me just ten minutes of your time or continued being there for me, you'd be alive right now.

Blame yourself. (He concluded, drenched in sweat and tears streaming down his face.)"

After fulfilling his part, he retreated to his room, spending the restless night haunted by his actions.

At eight in the morning, he reluctantly headed to his job at the bank, his mind tormented by guilt and regret.

Everywhere he looked, he saw Charlotte; every woman who smiled bore Charlotte's face and her million-dollar smile.

His productivity at work suffered, as he could hardly focus that day.

He reminisced about all the moments they had shared, the times they sat together and conversed about trivial matters.

And as he sat in the bathroom, he couldn't hold back the tears, sobbing for what he had done.

Whether Matt took the body to dispose of or not was not his business.

He had noticed the pickup truck out of the garage confirming the obvious when he came back home from work.

His eyes were red and swollen from crying, his mind haunted him for what he had done.

But, he never regretted it, because from now on nobody else would ever get to take her from him

He closed her apartment, too sorrowful to let anyone else take it, or enter inside to take her staff out.

Nobody came looking for her.

They had committed a perfect murder.