Alex stood outside the café where she had agreed to meet him. Her hands that clutched her purse were shaking so badly that the contents inside of the purse rattled. Her eyes widened as a man passed, but when he ignored her, she knew it wasn’t him. Not yet. With an exasperated sigh she sat down at one of the tables and lit up a cigarette. The smoke drifted up and curled around the underside of the umbrella where it stayed, like a layer of fog. Alex crossed her legs and wiggled her foot impatiently as she waited. She glanced again at her watch and frowned, he was 20 minutes late. She decided that she’d wait 10 more minutes and then, if he hadn’t shown she would go home and leave, chalking this whole thing up to a large mistake.

She was just lighting another smoke when a figure emerged from the alley across the street. Her grip on the lighter tightened until her knuckles turned white. She sat up straight in the chair and uncrossed her legs, setting both feet on the floor. Her hands were still shaking as she struggled to retain her composure. As the figure moved closer, she knew it was him. Part of her wanted to bolt- but another part of her knew this was the right thing to do. Move on with her life, and put the past behind her.

He stopped in-front of the table and looked at her. “Alexandra?” he asked her, and at her nod he looked towards the chair across from her. “May I?” He took his seat and studied the woman he had just met. The memory of the phone call he received a few nights ago still fresh in his mind. She sounded scared at first; as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to do this. But as they got to know each other- and learn more her voice took on a harder edge, a determination. The woman had guts; he had to give her that.

The waiter arrived to take their orders, and as he removed their menu’s she toyed with the stem of her wine glass, twirling it between her fingers. Staring down, watching the rich red liquid swirl in the glass. Her eyes were filled with such sadness that it took all the restraint he had not to reach out and rest his hand on-top of hers. He knew it would cause her to bolt, and he wanted her to trust him. He watched her, jaw clenched, shoulders back. She looked like a woman who refused to fall- to buckle under stress. The kind of woman he needed. As the food arrived they made polite small talk as she just pushed her chicken around the plate with her fork. After the waiter came and took their plates away, the stayed silent, finally he said, “After tonight- There’s no turning back, I want you to know that.”

Alex looked him straight in the eyes, “I know.” He picked up the check and refused to let her pay. “No, my treat.” He said with a smile. They both stood, unsure of where to go now. “Want to go for a walk?” she asked him, even though she looked surprised at her own suggestion. He accepted her offer and they headed towards Central Park. She stopped suddenly and turned to face him. “When will you do it?” she asked him, her voice shaking a bit. “When will you be done?” He shrugged as if he didn’t know, even though he did. “Well, will he suffer at least?” she asked in a rather hopeful voice that took him aback.

He assured her quickly that he wouldn’t and she frowned, her brow furrowing, which surprised him. “Damn.” She exclaimed. At the look on his face she laughed, “I wanted him too.” She told him. He directed her to a bench and they both sat down.
“How about I start at the beginning?” she asked, and he told her not to leave anything out.

They sat there talking until the sun dipped below the horizon, until the sound so of the city faded and the stars above came out. She told him how the abuse started- yelling at first, but when she had started to yell back he hit her. She explained how many times she had landed in the hospital and how many times she had to laugh it off and tell people she tripped and fell.

“And now I have reached the point where it’s either I kill him, or he kills me.” She said with a sigh as she pulled out another cigarette to light it. “I tried moving out,” she explained. “But that bastard found me. And as revenge he killed my friend, right in front of me.” She bit down on her bottom lip to try to get her emotions in check, and after a moment she continued. “So now, if I ever want to be free and not constantly live in fear, this is what I have to do.”

She exhaled slowly, and studied the smoke for a few seconds before saying, “So you see, I want him to suffer like I’ve had to suffer. I want him to know why he’s going to die. And in the end I want him to know that It’s me that’s having this done.” She dropped the cigarette on the ground and ground it out with her foot. Her voice had taken on a whole new tone- One that gave him chills down his spine. “Call me when you’ve finished.” She said. And with that she stood up and walked away, with out a backwards glance.