Hate Mail

Hate Mail

1

The alarm clock on Daphne's bedside table went off at 5:25 AM. She raised her head and looked at the time, yawned and whispered to herself, “Ah, it's my turn this week.” She got up, got dressed and went to the kitchen. All of the ingredients she wanted to use to make breakfast were on the kitchen counter. Like all the other kitchens of the other apartments, her kitchen was small. Luckily for her, she was living alone. Like the rest of her apartment, her kitchen wasn't big enough for a family of four or five people.

She spent the better part of an hour and a half busy preparing a big breakfast. Shortly after she was done, she heard the knock at the door. When she opened the door, the tall skinny man outside her door was busy rubbing his hands together to warm them. He opened his mouth to greet her, but quickly covered his mouth and yawned.
“Morning Howerdel. You ready for breakfast or are you still half asleep?” Daphne asked.
“Mornin'. You know I've never been one of those guys who get up at the buttcrack of dawn and walks around all damn day all chirpy. You're the only reason why I'd ever throw my sorry ass out of bed this early.”

They hugged each other before he entered the apartment. Daphne and Howerdel had known each other for a little over a year. Their friendship started with them running into each other inside the apartment building almost every day. Their short polite conversations in the beginning were of the typical kind that total strangers would have with each other. All of that changed the day that he invited her to his apartment for coffee. As they got to know each other and their friendship grew stronger, their visits to each other's apartments became more frequent up to the point that they visited each other every single day. Four months earlier, the two came up with an idea of how they could see each other every day. They agreed that they would take turns cooking breakfast and dinner for each other. Their agreement was that, one week she would have breakfast and dinner at his apartment, and the next week it would be her turn. Neither of them dared to admit that they were falling in love with each other.

During breakfast, the two spoke to each other like a happily married couple. No matter what the topic was they spoke of, they were always interested to hear what the other's opinion on the topic was. Both of them had the bad habit of changing the topic as soon as the topic accidentally touched on love or relationships. As much as they loved each other, both of them were under the false impression that the other only regarded them as a friend. Neither wanted to say or show how they truly felt. Unbeknownst to them, a few of the people who lived in their building, who'd seen them together, could tell just by their body language and the way that they looked at and spoke to each other, that they were in love.

Shortly after 8 AM , the two left Daphne's apartment and walked together to the supermarket three blocks away where she worked. They hugged each other, said goodbye, and he walked up one of the side streets to where his shop was where he sold and repaired electronic devices.

After work, the two walked home together. He went to his apartment to take a quick shower before he joined Daphne in her apartment as she was busy preparing dinner. The two couldn't stop talking to each other and asking each other questions about the day. Even as they were enjoying dinner together. After helping her to clean the dishes, it was time for him to go home. They hugged each other before they walked towards the door and saw the red envelope that someone had slipped in under her door.
“Oh no. Not again,” Daphne said before she picked up the envelope.
“Wait, have you also been getting these creepy letters?” Howerdel asked.
Daphne pointed at the small pile of red envelopes on the small table in the corner, and said, “I've been getting these hate mail letters for more than a month now. I didn't want to tell you and get you all worried.”
“Hate mail? You should've told me. But I'm the last one to speak, because I should've told you about the letters I've been getting too. My bad.”
Daphne looked at him with a surprised expression on her face before she asked, “Wait. Have you also been getting letters... saying how much you are hated, and how the world would be better off without you?”
“What? No. The letters I got were from a so-called secret admirer, telling me that I'm good looking, that I'd make a good husband and father. In the beginning I... I kinda thought it... it was you who wrote them,” Howerdel said as he stared at the letter in Daphne's hand. She just stared at it. It appeared to him as if she was too scared to open it. He touched her hand before he took the letter from her, opened it and read it. He wasn't reading it out loud, but Daphne could tell by the look on his face that he was shocked by what he was reading.

2

The following morning, when Howerdel arrived at Daphne's apartment for breakfast, he brought the letters he'd received with him. Obviously the usual topics they talked about during breakfast were put on hold. All they spoke about during breakfast were the letters. The two small piles of letters were on the middle of the table as they enjoyed breakfast together. When they finished eating, they began reading each other's pile of letters. Daphne was shocked at what she read in the letters that Howerdel had received. Judging by what she read, whoever slipped these letters under his door had some sort of sick obsession with him. The complements and praise made it sound as if whoever wrote the letters thought that Howerdel was the perfect man. What Howerdel read in Daphne's letters made him look like he'd seen a ghost. He didn't want to say it in so many words but deep down he was starting to fear for her safety. Among the hateful things said in her letters were threats such as: 'I want to cut your face apart', 'I want to bash your skull in', 'I want to tie you up and keep you alive long enough to feel every inch of your fucking perfect little body burn.' And among the harsh insults, she was called: 'a tramp', and 'a man thief'.

Howerdel touched Daphne's hand and said, “This is some pretty sick and freaky shit. Whoever wrote these sounds like a nutcase who belongs somewhere in a small cell behind bars.”

They spoke about the letters for a short while longer before they left for work. It was a normal day at work for both of them but both of them kept the harsh threats in the hate mail in the back of their minds and tried to figure out who could have wrote them.

After work, the two walked home together. Howerdel went up to his apartment to get clean clothes, a towel, and a few other things before he came down to Daphne's apartment and took a shower there. He'd never done this before. He didn't tell her but she knew that he was probably going to do everything he could think of to be around her more. She could tell that, after reading the hate mail letters she'd received, he wanted to be with her to protect her. While the two of them were enjoying dinner together, the topic of conversation bounced between things that had happened at work and the hate mail letters. As they spoke, she kept touching his hand. At first, she dragged her fingers across his fingertips. Her fingers slowly moved up to his knuckles. He was busy telling her that he would do anything to make her feel safer at home when she used her fingertip to write the word 'Love' across his knuckles. He was in too serious a mood and too busy naming all the things he could do to make sure she was safe to notice what she was doing on his hand. The desire to tell Howerdel that she loved him was starting boil over in her heart. She couldn't keep the secret anymore. Daphne took hold of his fingers and gently began squeezing them. He felt this but still continued talking. She slowly tightened her grip on his fingers. It was only when she squeezed so hard that it began to hurt his fingers that he stopped talking and looked down at his hand on the table. She let go of his fingers and used her index finger to draw a small heart on top of his hand. The look he gave her made it obvious to her that he was confused. She got up, walked up next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He got up, looked at her, opened his mouth to speak but was at a loss for words. She put her arms around him, pulled him closer and kissed him. It was the longest and most passionate kiss that either of them had ever had. They forgot all about the hate mail and what they had done at work during the day, and spoke for a full hour about how they felt about each other and how both of them had been to scared to admit that they were falling in love with each other. She asked him if he wanted to spend the night at her apartment. Howerdel was so overwhelmed with emotions that he stuttered as he said yes and said that he had to go back up to his apartment to get a few things first. The two couldn't stop talking and holding each other's hand as they walked to the door. Even after she opened the door, he stood outside the door and talking to her about how he couldn't believe she felt the same about him. As they spoke, a few of the people who also lived in the building walked past them. They looked at the people and began talking about who they thought might be the one who was writing the letters. Among the many people who lived in the building, there were a few creepy ones who had a criminal history, a few who had a violent history, and a few who just seemed strange. They were whispering to each other about one of the people who they knew was released from jail the previous year, when a mean-looking woman walked up to them. It was Miss Tremblay – the landlady. The 40-something angry looking lady dressed in a hideous green dress and long brown coat, rudely interrupted their conversation and reminded them that their rent was due in less than a week. She mumbled something as she walked away. Daphne and Howerdel just shook their heads. They knew that nobody in their building liked the landlady because she was so rude and always looked as if she was angry at the world. Howerdel went up to his apartment and returned minutes later with a few things. Later that evening, the two became intimate with each other. They were still sitting on the couch talking to each other one minute and the next they were kissing each other. They made their true feelings for each other clear as they made love on the couch. Neither of them knew that as they were making love, someone was standing at the door, listening to them.

3

The following day, after work, Daphne and Howerdel arrived back at the apartment building together. Miss Tremblay stood waiting at the entrance door. She didn't even greet them before asking Howerdel to come to her apartment to fix one of her electrical appliances. Daphne could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't in the mood to do the rude landlady any favors. Miss Tremblay told him that if he helped her, whatever price he wanted for the repair, he could deduct that amount from that month's rent money. Daphne and Howerdel looked surprised. He gave Daphne a kiss on the cheek and followed Miss Tremblay to her apartment.

Daphne went up to her apartment and began taking out the ingredients she was going to use for dinner. She was busy taking a bag of frozen veggies out of the freezer when there was a knock at her door. When she opened the door, Miss Tremblay stepped into the apartment without being invited in and began whispering something to Daphne.

“I know that it's none of my business, but I see you and Howerdel are kinda a couple so you deserve to know.”

Daphne didn't think that her and Howerdel's relationship was something she'd be comfortable discussing with her. She was about to tell Miss Tremblay in a polite manner to mind her own damn business when the landlady said, “I've been seeing another woman coming and going from his apartment. Do yourself a favor. While he's busy in my apartment, go up to his. Maybe you'll catch her there.”

After Miss Tremblay left, Daphne stood at her door for a minute trying to process what she'd just been told. She couldn't believe it. She knew that Howerdel loved her but was there really even a remote possibility that he'd been seeing someone else? As much as she tried to refuse to believe it, the fear that it might be true became to much for her. Instead of waiting for him to return and to talk to him about it, she took the key to his apartment and left her apartment.

When she unlocked the door to Howerdel's apartment and stepped inside, the entire apartment was a mess. She knew he didn't live like a slob and for a moment she thought that the place might have been ransacked. That was when she saw the red pair of panties on the couch. She went to the bedroom and found the unmade bed with more ladies undies on it. There were three sex toys and condoms on the bedside table. Seeing this, hearing Miss Tremblay's words playing on a loop in her mind, her heart began to shatter. After everything they'd been through, after taking the big step out of the friend zone and starting a relationship, this made her feel so betrayed.

Twenty minutes later, Howerdel walked into his apartment and saw Daphne standing in front of the couch.

“Here you are. I went to your place and... What the hell happened in here? My place is a mess...”

Daphne threw the condoms she'd found on the bedside table at him and yelled, “How could you?! How long have you been seeing someone else?! Why didn't you tell me?!”

Howerdel didn't know what to say. He didn't have a clue what was going on or why she was accusing him. “I'm not seeing anyone else. You know I...”

“No, I don't know! I don't know what you've been doing or who you've been seeing behind my back and I sure as shit don't know why you've been stringing me along if you don't want to be with me!”

He tried to stop her as she stormed out of the apartment and the last thing she said to him was that she wanted her apartment key back and that he wasn't welcome there anymore. He left the door open as he began looking around his apartment. Shocked and confused by what had just happened, he began thinking that maybe his apartment had been burgled. He began looking around the mess to try and see if anything had been stolen. Someone quietly entered his apartment and shut and locked the door. Howerdel was busy going through closet in his bedroom where he kept his spare cash to see if anything had been stolen when someone sneaked up behind him and struck him on the back of the head with a baseball bat. Dazed by the blow, he fell down on his hands and knees and was struck several times more until he was unconscious.

4

In her apartment, Daphne was an emotional wreck. She couldn't believe that Howerdel would be so careless and heartless. She sat on the couch with a box in front of her filled with everything she found around her apartment that belonged to him. She'd been staring at that box for more than an hour. She wanted to give all his stuff back to him, but she didn't want to see him. She thought about leaving it outside his door but feared that it might be stolen. As she sat there, there was a war going on in her mind. The thought of him making love to another woman was battling against all the good memories she had of times they'd spent together as close friends.

In Howerdel's apartment, he was finally starting to regain consciousness. In his bedroom, he was on the floor with his hands and feet tied together. The rope around his neck was tied to the armrest of the wooden chair next to the closet. Dazed and having a headache from all the blows he'd received, he raised his head and saw Miss Tremblay standing in front of him with a baseball bat in one hand and a knife in the other. His bottom lip quivered as he tried to speak, but he couldn't think of anything to say. The only word that slipped out of his mouth as he stared straight at her was, “Why?”

Miss Tremblay pressed the baseball bat against his forehead and looked down at him as if he was a slave and she was the master.

“All you men are the same. You fall for the pretty young women. You give them your all and love them with all you got in you, when there's a better woman right under your damn nose!”

She struck him twice in the face with the bat. When he yelled at her to stop, she took one of his shirts that was on his bed and gagged him with it. She struck him once more before she continued insulting him. Blood dripped from his nose and the cut above his eye.

“I tried to scare that bitch away from you with those letters, and I was hoping those letters I wrote you would make you want me more. I take it that when she saw all the underwear I left in here made her think you're a cheating dog. Maybe you can learn to be different. Maybe you can do what none of the others could do. You could learn to love me and be my obedient little lover boy. You'll never look at another woman or want to be with another woman ever again. You'll want to be all mine forever!”

Daphne was still in her apartment, crying and sobbing. She finally gathered enough courage to take Howerdel's stuff back to him. She tried to think of something to say to him but she was too heartbroken to come up with anything. She took the box and left her apartment. The walk to his apartment felt like an eternity. She paused on the stairs and considered turning back.

When she stopped in front of his apartment's door, she wanted to knock, but paused when she heard the voice of a woman inside the apartment. The first thought that popped into her mind was that the voice she was hearing was that of the woman he was cheating on her with. She put the box down, took his apartment's key out of her pocket, unlocked and opened the door quietly, picked up the box and entered. The voice she heard began sounding familiar as she walked towards the bedroom.

Miss Tremblay was mocking Howerdel and slapped him twice before she told him that he didn't deserve her and that she was going to make him feel her pain before she killed him. Daphne dropped the box when she saw what was happening. She could hear Howerdel's muffled yells as he tried to tell her to run. Miss Tremblay looked at her, pointed the bat at her and began calling her the same insulting names as she did in her letters. She attacked Daphne and began hitting her with the bat. Daphne fought back. Blocking the bat with her arm, she punched Miss Tremblay in the face twice before she grabbed hold of the bat. Howerdel was frantically trying to free himself. Daphne was pushed back into the living room. Miss Tremblay punched her and tried to pull the bat free. In the struggle, the bat fell on the floor. When she tried to grab it off the floor, Daphne kneed her in the face. When she fell, Daphne jumped on top of her and began punching her. The two exchanged blows until Miss Tremblay grabbed her by the throat with both hands and tried to strangle her. Daphne felt her fingernails scratch her neck as she pulled her hands off of her neck, grabbed Miss Tremblay by the neck and began strangling her. She tried to pull Daphne's hands off of her neck but couldn't. Daphne was using all the strength she had in her to strangle the life out of this psychotic woman. Miss Tremblay kept trying to fight back as she slowly felt how the life was draining out of her body. Daphne didn't loosen her grip when she stopped fighting back. She strangled Miss Tremblay to death. After a full six minutes, she finally let go, got up and went to the bedroom to free Howerdel. Both were in tears. Between the sobs, she kept saying sorry for thinking that he was cheating on her.

One month later, Daphne and Howerdel were busy unpacking their boxes of belongings in their new apartment. It was a full two blocks further away from work, but all that mattered to them was that they were out of the old apartment building and that they were going to live together. There was a newspaper on the table in the living room that neither of them had read through yet. On the second page of the newspaper was an article about the three bodies of men found buried in the playground next to their old apartment building. If Daphne hadn't gone to Howerdel's apartment when she did, he would've been Miss Tremblay's fourth victim and the fourth body to be buried in the playground.