Nicholas knows the end is coming. As he steps closer to the red metal gate of house at block 14 lot 32, he knows he cannot walk back.

The gate clangs behind him, and a girl of his age — as beautiful as a doll — waits for him at the door. They smile at each other.  Once inside, the girl turns at him (he recognizes that look really well) and says, “Mom went to the grocery. I think she won’t be back until 6.” She grabs Nicholas’ biceps and slides down to his hands where she lingers.  “So do you want to go inside the room? Or stay here?” Her voice is laced with sweetness that it almost seems like a really innocent offer. But the look on her eyes doesn’t match and the years Nicholas spent with her don’t, either. Nicholas holds her hand tightly and says, “Jenna, we have to talk first.” Jenna smiles lustily and replies, “Sure. Talk to me.” He shakes his head to gesture no and to will the thoughts from his head. “No, Jenna. I have to tell you something.” She bites down the lust and exhales mockery.

They settle on a lush couch that they both know intimately. Jenna raised an eyebrow as to ask, “Now what?”

“Let’s break up,” Nicholas says. At the ‘break’, Jenna laughs mockingly. He is unfazed.
“Are you being serious now?” she asks, not expecting an answer.
“Yes, Jenna, I am. I want to break up with you,” he tells her. The laughter hasn’t left Jenna’s eyes but at least her lips are shut. “All we do is fuck and fight now and it’s tiring.”
“Tiring, huh.”
“Yes, it is.” He grabs both of her hands. “Jenna, I love you, all right? But we can’t just do the same destructive shits over and over again. I’m fucking exhausted.”

Nicholas stares at Jenna. He grabs her shoulders, then his hands slide down her smooth arms, to her soft hands where he draws small circles on the spaces between her thumb and forefinger. She looks like a doll, then – beautiful but cold. The laughter leaves her eyes, and the mockery, her lips. She sits emotionless, like a porcelain baby on a dress at the top shelf. This is a side Nicholas hasn’t known. He isn’t even aware of this facet. Three years and all he sees are smiling Jenna, moaning Jenna, mocking Jenna, but not emotionless Jenna. He is almost scared.

“You can’t break up with me,” Jenna deadpans.
“Jenna, I know it’s hard but you have to understand—,”
“No, you have to understand. You can’t break up with me.”

For a moment, the façade ripples; the glassy exterior cracks but it is miniscule, hard to see. Nevertheless, it’s there and Nicholas sees.

“I’m pregnant, Nick.”

Suddenly, the bells ring: a clang, clang, clang of metals, loud and almost deafening. The circles on Jenna’s hands stop midway – bumps.


Nicholas knew the end was coming. And it has come, with the ringing of the bells.