Visual Trigger

 

Though plagued in darkness, the only illumination the city of München received was from the moon. Soft moonlight penetrated through the glass pane of an apartment, where a girl was lying on her bed with a photograph of a man in her hand. Heidi gazed amorously at the photograph of Franz, her soulmate. They have been together for three years – and still running. She wondered when are they going get married, and when can she finally have her fairytale ending of life. Being together for three years, Heidi knew enough of Franz. His character, his mannerisms, his favorite food, what types of photographs likes to take. She knew virtually everything about him like the back of her hand. After being roused from dreaming, she would instinctively reach for her cell phone to call Franz and whisper sweet nothings into his ear. This moment was no different. As if on cue, her fingers pressed nine different buttons in quick succession. The tepid dialing tone blared in the hearing end of her cell phone. Someone picked up.

“Gute nacht, darling.. Ich liebe dich!” she whispered breathily.

“Gute nacht, my love. Wie geht es dir?” Franz replied, and the pair continued their passionate conversation late into the night, volleying back and forth in English and German.

Morning came. Heidi opened her eyes and saw the morning light streaming through her window. Franz was still sleeping beside her. He came over to her place after they ended the conversation the night before. What a fun night it was, she thought. He knocked her door, she opened it, he came in, they started to lock lips, things got rough and then they had fun in bed until they fell asleep in each other’s arms. In the cold air of the room, neither of them shivered as their embrace kept each other warm. Through the embrace, Heidi felt for a moment that he he would never leave her, and that he was the one for her. Knowing this, she thought to herself that she would do anything to protect Franz and make him truly hers.

“Darling? You’re awake?” the deep yet masculine voice of Franz pierced through her train of thoughts.

“Good morning,” she crooned as she ran her fingers through his blond hair, gazing into his electric blue eyes. “Your breakfast is ready in the kitchen, by the way.”

“I can’t dear. I’ve got to get home to finish my work, remember?” he replied, and in swished the quilts away and got dressed. “But I’ll be back soon enough! Auf wiedersehen, darling!”

“Auf wiedersehen,” Heidi replied with a degree of disappointment in her voice, but nevertheless kissed Franz on the cheeks before seeing him to the door.

She was alone again in the house. Following his departure, the temperature of the room seemed to emulate that of a freezer in an abattoir. For the first time since she woke up, Heidi shivered. She bathed and fixed herself a spot of breakfast after getting dressed. After a couple of bites, the thought that which she seemed to have properly banished into the murky abyss of her mind a few days ago came clawing back. Her best friend Andrea told her that she has reason to believe that Franz has been cheating on her for another woman she never knew. When first informed, Heidi brushed off that thought with a girlish laugh and branded Andrea’s claim as ‘mere codswallop’. What caused Heidi to have a degree of doubt within herself was that Andrea has been her best friend since childhood, and she would never have reason to tell a lie. Then again, Franz was her man, and she trusted him too. The thought of Franz having an affair with another woman caused a spark of doubt inside of Heidi to burst into fiery flames of jealousy. Though she told Andrea that she was fine, she never truly was. That same thought had roused the over-protective persona of Heidi. She cannot let any other woman have him, she must do everything that she can to have Franz all for herself. Just like that, an hour flew by surreptitiously.

Her cell phone rang. It was an unidentified number.

“Guten tag. Wer bist du?” Heidi asked inquisitively.

“It’s me, Andrea. I’m sorry Heidi, but I just saw Franz with the woman whom I talked about before” Andrea replied, her voice dripping with concern and anxiety.

“Damn it, Andrea! Will you stop bringing this up? I told you, I trust Franz! He’s the one whom I’m going to marry! He wouldn’t do such a thing!” Heidi replied hotly.

“But I just thought as a best friend, you should know about it. I’m really certain and unmistaken about it! Franz is cheating on you!” Andrea replied adamantly.

“You’re raving, weibchen. I’ll have Franz no matter what. I’ll protect him in any way I can. If I can’t have him, no one will! And if you’re so against me loving Franz, then I never want to see you anymore!” Heidi screamed.

“But Heidi..” Andrea got cut off.

“I never want to see you again!” Heidi replied angrily, ending the conversation.
In a bid to extinguish her anger, Heidi got dressed and left her house for Franz’s. The cold of during a German winter was sure to send anyone walking on the streets scurrying to find shelter from the wind’s icy touch. However, Heidi seemed resistant to it as she marched along rhythmically on the streets, down the path she knew too well, that is the way to Franz’s place of residence. As she drew nearer to where Franz was, her innate yet subconscious protective self told her that today is the day that Franz would finally ask her to be his wife. And there it was, the brown oak door of Franz’s apartment. She took out the key to his apartment, slotted it into the knob and opened the door. The air was dead still.

“Franz?” she whispered.

The air was no longer still, as if it was agitated by Heidi’s intrusion. Heidi turned to the hallway leading to the rooms.

“Franz?” she whispered again as she tiptoed along.

The door to his room was closed. Why was it? She gingerly reached for the knob, turned it and opened the door. Her heart sank.

“Franz!” Heidi shrieked.

“Yes, Heidi. It’s about time you found out.” Franz said coolly, while stroking the hair of a woman lying in bed beside him. The woman gave a snide smile to Heidi, feigning a look of victory.

“But.. but.. why? You loved me! No one else!” Heidi started to rant.

“That’s the thing, Heidi! You were always jealous of everything and everyone that made me happy! In my whole life I have never met someone who is so jealous. You thought that you were the only one for me, and no one else! You denied me of things. You denied me mixing with people. You controlled me. I really hated you for that! I regretted having a relationship with you!” Franz shouted back at the speechless Heidi.

“I was just trying to protect you!” Heidi bleated incoherently

“Get a grip. Stop living in denial. You’re just jealous! I purposely let the hapless Andrea spot me in the company of my new woman here. If I’d known you better, your jealousy would have prompted you to desert Andrea. Now you have no one to turn to. Kindly remove yourself from my house before I call the police,” Franz replied while staring hard at Heidi. His eyes told no lies.

Heidi felt surreal. She found herself walking towards the door, and out of the apartment. Stray thoughts ran amok in her head. Now she had no one to turn to. Franz was her everything. She really thought he was the one. She broke down upon entering her apartment. Tears of sadness intertwined with that of acceptance. She accepted the harsh reality that it her unnatural jealousy had finally caught up with her. She remained in this catatonic-like state for days. She would spend the day staring into blank space, and cry herself to sleep at night. It was quite apparent that she was really devastated by what had happened, and that it would be of no surprised of Heidi was harboring any suicidal thoughts. However, she did something different one day. She called someone on her cell phone. Whoever she called picked up the call.

“Andrea? It’s me. I’m really sorry…” she started to talk.

“It’s okay, Heidi. We’re still best friends.” Andrea replied with a relieved tone.