The Pink Haired Woman

by Seran

Disbelief

Fluttershy sat opposite from John as he tried to wrap his mind around the information he was just given. As he continued to watch the show, he realized it was rather entertaining. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that these techni-colored horses had something to do with the origin of the woman living in his house.

Without speaking, he reached for the remote and turned off the television. He dropped back down to his chair and looked straight ahead as he planned his next words. Fluttershy sat and stared at him with fear in her eyes.

Finally the silence was broken. “So what you are telling me is, you are a horse,” he investigated as his eyes slowly panned to her.

Fluttershy hid behind her long hair and responded, “umm, technically… a pony.”

“Right, right, a pony.” He continued, “and you had wings as well, am I correct?”

“I… am a pegasus.”

“A pegasus, with a unicorn friend, with a dragon.”

Fluttershy did not respond. John sat silently as he contemplated his next words in a way that would not hurt her feelings.

“Yeah, I don’t believe that bullshit.” He did not find any softer words.

A soft sniffling came from across the coffee table softened his heart. He turned to see the woman crying behind her rose hair. Suddenly, a feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. John stood up and reached to calm her with a touch on the shoulder. She flinched as the feeling of his hand shocked her.

John couldn’t stand seeing her cry. He sat beside her and positioned himself to embrace her. With an awkward motion, he held her softly and tried to shush her to submission. As the woman calmed down, John’s feeling of awkwardness was overshadowed by accomplishment of breaking a barrier.

“Thanks,” was a the only word said, though it was said by the wrong person.

After a pleasing moment of silence, his phone rang. John ended the embrace and headed into his room his phone. The number was one he did not expect today.

“Hello?” John answered.

“Johnny, do you have a moment?” The familiar voice from the other end stopped John in his tracks.

“What do you want?” John asked angrily.

“Listen, I may not have as much time to stay here in town. Mind if I come by tomorrow?”

“Umm,” John was surprised. Normally a sudden change in scheduling was no problem. However this was something he did not plan for. John began to think about how he would tell him off when he was interrupted.

“Listen, John,” Andrew started. “I know how you feel about dad, and to be honest I felt the same way about it too.” John was shocked. “I guess we need to talk more about dad when I come over. I have so much to tell you.”

John was in awe of what he just heard. He felt there was more to this than he thought, and was compelled to hear more about it. After hearing a grown man fall silent on the other end, John felt the need to talk to him. “Andrew…”

“I just want to get to know you.” Andrew sounded worried. “I want to know my brother.”

As uncomfortable as John was with this, he felt old habits come, and felt compelled to comfort him. “Listen, I have nothing to do this afternoon, how’s about you come by today?” Every bone in his body was telling him to stop. “I would like to talk to you.”

“Alright,” Andrew grew hopeful. “I’ll be over in a bit.” John could feel the man calming down on the other end. “And John,” he interrupted before he signed off, “thank you for listening.”

What followed was the silence of a phone no longer in use. John continued to hold his phone up, pondering over what had just occurred.

Conflicted over the conversation he still had one thing on his mind. “Fluttershy,” he whispered to himself as he remembered his lie wouldn’t work on him.

John’s thoughts raced as he tried to come up with a possible story to explain where she came from. As he walked into the living room, he could only think of one thing to say.

“Fluttershy,” he said as he tried to hide his frustration. “We are getting a visitor today, so can you stay quiet while he’s here?”

She was curious to hear those words, “umm, can I ask why? If that’s okay.”

John felt that he shouldn’t lie to her, as her trust was all she had. With a sigh he told her the truth. “Remember that story we told Martha about… where you’re from?” She gave him a nod, “well, that story won’t work on my brother. He is coming over today. He knows all my friends and family from home, and can investigate on your origins since he works for the government.” He got louder as he went on, “you came to me with no papers, identification, or possible story about your origin. You may be an alien for all I know.”

“But…” Fluttershy tried to get her words together, “but I am a pegasus.”

“And pegasus-es don’t live on our world.” John interrupted. “We have to come up with a believable story about you before they take you away from me!” His voice was raised as he grew more serious.

Fluttershy gave an audible ‘meep’ as she covered her face from John’s view. John felt ashamed as he heard some soft whimpers let out by the frightened woman.

“I...” Fluttershy peeked through her fingers. “but, I thought you didn’t care about me.” She whimpered as she looked at the saddened face of the man standing beside her.

John took those words in as he tried to get his words together. His voice went soft. “Wh-What would make you say that?”

“You always,” Fluttershy tried to respond past her fear, “you are always yelling at me, and you never really want to be around me.”

With his heart shrinking in his chest John felt as if he was being a terrible host. With a heart-heavy sigh, he looked to the ground and thought about how to respond. Unfortunately, the hard truth had to come out.

“It’s not you, Fluttershy.” He started, “I’ve just lost so many people. I don’t want to attach myself to someone too closely. It will be too painful when they leave.” He wiped his face and muttered to himself, “or betray me.”

“Is that what happened with Lucia?”

John’s eyes widened and he flew into a fit of rage. “Where did you hear about her?” he growled through his teeth.

Fluttershy cowered more behind her shoulder as she noticed the ever-expanding aggression growing from the irritable man. “I– I…” She tried to get it out without hurting anyone, “I hear you screaming it at night.”

John was embarrassed. He never knew he was screaming it across the house at night. He knew he was a talker, from what people who lived with him had told him.

“What happened to her, if I may ask? You are upset over it.”

With another sigh, he thought of one thing to respond. “Lucia was a… Mistake.”

Fluttershy was surprise by his phrasing.

“She had a bad addiction that got her into trouble, both with her boss and with me.” John continued, “I was told to leave her, but I was so blinded by love that I stayed with her, costing me my freedom, my job, and my trust in people.”

Fluttershy sat up looking into the blank face of the man seething in rage.

“But that’s all I have to say about that.” John concluded in a feigned calmness, “I hate talking about that. So let’s talk about something else.”

Fluttershy felt a great worry as John leaned onto the wall and covered his face. She couldn’t even start to think about what had happened. John’s face turned dark as she believed he was reliving the moment. Her guilt grew as he gripped his face and began to breathe heavily.

____________________________________

John entered the Los Angeles Police Department South Bureau headquarters, stampeding through the front doors. As the receptionists let him pass through the security doors, a friendly officer walked around him, nearly spilling his coffee on himself. Before he could respond John had passed him and several doors.

Several officers tried to talk to him, congratulating him on his return to the force. their words bounced off the angry man as he entered the captain’s office.

“John?” The commander stood from his chair as John entered the door surprising him. “What are you doing here? I thought you took a week’s vacation.”

John glared daggers at him. As he looked on, he remained silent, waiting for the captain to make his move.

The commander noticed the crowd gathering around the door. He then walked to the door and closed it while waving for the crowd to return to work. “John, I know it has been rough with what happened last month.” He continued, “but you need time to rest before you are fit to work again.”

“I’m not coming back.” John finally replied.

“What?” Asked the Commander.

“I don’t want to come back to the force.” John replied.

“Why are you saying this?” He was confused with the statement.

John did not respond.

“John, we haven’t found any evidence to link you to it.” The Commander explained. “Mike and James were found guilty of perjury, John. Why would you leave?”

“Because none of you helped.” John growled. “I talked to the office after it happened. Everyone thought I was guilty before they heard me. I spent two fucking weeks in the jail not knowing when I was going to get shivved and breaking skulls to stay safe at lunch. I was finally safe for the last week and a half in solitary. But you know how many people came to visit me?”

The captain stayed quiet as John went on with his rant.

“Two. Both fucking lawyers.” John shouted. “I thought I had friends here, people who would help me with my problems and believe I was innocent. They never gave me the benefit of the doubt. I thought we were innocent until proven guilty.”

“But John–” The Commander tried to get words in.

“This ordeal left me with nothing,” John continued, “I lost my freedom, I lost my fiancé… and I lost the trust of all my friends and neighbors,” John started to tear up. “I don’t need you guys, and you don’t need me.” John proceeded to throw his badge and gun at the desk as he turned and ran off out the way he came. The voices shot out at him as he ran off into the darkness and self-hatred.

_____________________________________

“Umm, John?” A soothing voice took him out of the trance he fell into. “John. I’m sorry if I brought bad thoughts. I just don’t know much about you.”

John wiped the tears out of his eyes with a light smile on his face. He looked back at his last thought and finally compared it to what he saw. What his eyes paid the most attention to was the pink haired girl who genuinely cared for him. Looking into her deep blue eyes he forgot of what he had lost, and remembered instead who he has now. “It’s okay.” He said with his voice breaking. “I just need to be reminded of what I have, not what I had.”

“Well,” she shyly placed her hand over her stomach. “Can we get something to eat? If that’s okay with you.”

“Sure,” John said as he walked over to the kitchen. He then quickly turned his head and replied, “but can I please get some meat? I haven’t had a good meal since I met you.”

“Please don’t do it in front of me,” she responded, “I don’t like the smell of it.”

“Fine,” John said as he thought of how to get a sausage in his food without her looking.

_____________________________________

In an office filled with monitors, Oswald looked at one that showed a hotel with an African American woman in a suit entering the room. Oswald paid attention as she talked on her phone to her partner. Oswald’s hand hovered over a phone ready to call in the strike.

He then turned his attention over to a monitor labeled ‘interview room’ where an elderly woman was pleading to the men to go easy on her. Oswald listened in as she cried, testifying that she didn’t know anything. One man in the room grabbed her head and held it back as the other held a rag on her face and poured water on her. Oswald looked between the both monitors waiting for the right moment to come.

Comments

[Jman796]

One man in the room grabbed her head and held it back as the other held a rag on her face and poured water on her.

Ahhh, good old water-boarding. I'm more of a Chinese Tiger Bench and Iranian White Tourture fan myself