A short story
Photo by Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash
Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorned. — William Congreve
The Storm (The Conclusion)
2022, Henery X ©
After only thirty minutes, Samantha was back in her apartment, soaking wet. Her a.m. jog through Central Park was going just fine. It had totally stopped raining. There had been only a few people out, so it made the moment perfect. As she was moving along the paved path at a steady pace, a memory of her and Jason overtook her mind. At first, the said memory had her smiling, but then her smile turned into a scowl and obscenities flew from her mouth. Lightning cracked from the sky and shortly after the fact, a downpour of rain drenched everything and everyone. She was even more upset that she was caught in the rain, with no shelter in sight.
“I hate Jason Wilson so much,” Samantha said. She was standing at the front door of her apartment, taking off her wet clothes. As she was about to take off one of her shoes, she thought about the moment before the rain started. “No. It can’t be,” she said in a trance-like state. She removed her shoes and socks and then walked over to the picture window.
The rain was really coming down. As Samantha stood before the window, she closed her eyes and thought of a pleasant memory. The memory in question involved her parents, who were very proud of the woman she had become. She had just landed her first client as a professional architect, and this moment announced her arrival as the hottest new architect on the scene. To celebrate, she took her parents to Hawaii for a week. She was smiling, as the feeling of the memory overtook her entire naked body. When she opened her eyes, the rain had completely stopped, and the Sun seemed to be shining brighter than it ever has.
“Well, I’ll be damned!” Samantha said. She started laughing afterward.
It was 9:30 p.m., Samantha and Karen were in a popular restaurant eating an amazing meal, which the latter of the two had promised to deliver earlier. Both women were dressed as if they had just stepped off the runway at fashion week. They both had a keen sense of style. Samantha met Karen shortly after landing her first client, who was Karen’s father. They became fast friends, and seeing Karen was a top-notch attorney, her new friend, also became a new client.
“Seems as if your mood has improved, Sam,” Karen said. The forty-five-year-old Italian American was drop dead gorgeous, and like her friend, she didn’t need makeup, nor did she care for any. She wore her brunette hair in a braided ponytail, which hung down to her lower back.
“I am indeed feeling better, K’,” Samantha said cheerfully. “Hey, K’. What if I told you what you said about the weather thing was true? Would you believe me?”
Karen looked straight into Samantha’s hazel eyes. “Yes, I would. So, has something happened?”
“Yes! Something phenomenal!” The excitement in Samantha’s voice was undeniable. She began telling Karen about what had transpired earlier, and her best friend was hanging on her every word.
Samantha and Karen were now at the latter’s swanky apartment, which was in Brooklyn. The two women had kicked off their shoes and were lounging on a leather sectional sofa, sipping red wine.
“Considering what you told me, I have the perfect way you can get back at Jason.” Karen took a sip of her wine.
“I’m all ears, K’,” Samantha was staring at her friend intensely.
“You remember he has that big event set up for tomorrow in Central Park, right?”
“I totally forgot about that. So, what do you have in mind?”
“Well, my husband shared some privileged information with me. It was supposed to have been a secret, but we don’t keep secrets from one another. Besides, once I work my magic in the bedroom, he’s putty in my hands.” Both women laughed.
“You silly, K’.”
“And so serious as well. Anyway, he told me that Jason paid five movers and shakers to appear on stage with him tomorrow. These are individuals he only knows of, and that my husband actually knows. He reached out to Dan and asked him to deliver his proposal to the men in question. He paid these men sixty-thousand dollars apiece just to appear on stage with him. Dan said if it hadn’t been for the money, they would not have agreed.”
“Wow! So, what’s his angel?”
“He’s hoping that the presence of these men will have other powerful individuals eager to invest in his cause.”
“That’s an enormous gamble, K’.”
“I agree. And under normal circumstances, I believe he’d pull it off. But you’re the game changer. You can literally rain on his parade. Seeing these men were only paid to appear, and not endorse, once the rain falls, Jason will have lost three hundred thousand dollars.”
“Wow! Samantha said. "If his failed plan doesn’t leave him broke, he won’t be far from it. Ooh, I love how you think, K’,” Samantha said, she giggled.
“I think he’ll be broke, seeing he had to borrow fifty thousand from Dan. Dan said he has a sound idea, but it cost more money than he had to move forward on alone. So, he’s looking for investors. Like I said, I believe he would have gotten what he wanted if it wasn’t for what you can do.”
“Oh, I’m going to ensure he regrets leading me astray, K’,” Samantha said, and right after the fact, a streak of lightning shot across the sky, and past the large picture window before them.
“Damn!” Karen said. She chuckled afterward.
The next day, 2:00 p.m., Central Park had been closed to the public, and thanks to a fifty thousand dollar donation to the city of New York, and compliments of Jason Wilson. Everyone who was anyone in the business world was present, most of which were there to see if the five men who were scheduled to appear would actually show. The forecast called for clear skies and sunshine all day, but the forecasters knew not of Samantha Jackson.
It was 4:00 p.m., and Jason Wilson’s day had been a complete disaster. The second after he stepped to the podium on the makeshift stage was the moment the downpour began.
Samantha had been staring at him from the moment he made his presence known, and this activated her rage. The five men he paid to appear with him didn’t even have enough time to sit down before they were running off the stage. Everyone present was in search of shelter, but none was to be found. Everyone, except Samantha and Karen, who both had extremely large umbrellas. The event was a total washout.
“Girl, you did your thing!” Karen said. She and Samantha were back in her living room, lounging on the sectional sofa, and sipping red wine.
“K’, I haven’t felt this good ever. I just know Jason is sick,” Samantha said cheerfully.
“I told you karma was going to pay his ass a visit before long. I would have never guessed she was going to appear in the person of you though,” both women laughed hysterically.
Jason Wilson had stolen Samantha’s joy with his deception, but she reclaimed it with her blessing from the Most High.
After the Central Park incident, Samantha no longer possessed the ability to control the weather. I guess that old saying is true: “God don’t like ugly.”
I love paying homage to the Most High’s greatest creation, which is the woman. — Henery X
Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge my offering.
Remember. I’m not here to convince you to believe. I’m here to offer you something else to consider.
May we never lose our desire to outdo what we’ve already done.
Peace, Love, and the utmost Respect.
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