Terence Mulligan Jr.
Brower park's cold today
for Frankie and those like her
Frankie Baker stepped down from
The stoop of her apartment
Quite distressed after a night
Of heavy drinking, alone, and
Depressed. This was the fourth day
This week she’s emerged at the ripe
Time of three o’clock to grab coffee
Along with a croissant.
She goes back up to her
Big, dark, cold apartment
To garnish her coffee with a dash of
Whisky and baileys. She grabs her bag,
Inside it is a
- Notebook
- Pencil
- Toni Morrison’s Jazz
- Cough Drops
- Mints
- Advil
- Chapstick
- Tobacco & Papers
- Two Lighters
- Napkins
And a handgun.
She walks back downstairs with her bag
On her side and heads for
The park. She takes her usual route
Down Sterling, turning on Hampton to
Look at the cute stoops, and see if
There’s any books worth taking.
Nothing today, but a cat startles her
And she almost drops her strong coffee.
Upon getting into the park she sees
Albert, her husband, lounging on a
Blanket centerfield. He has in front
Of him
- Roses
- A Basket of Food
- Two Plates
- A Bottle of Wine
- Two Glasses
A very romantic gesture, something
Frankie would love.
She makes her way towards him,
Reaching in her bag for the
Chapstick and applying it as
She walks up to him.
“Hey babe, what you doing?” She asks,
As he turns around noticing her.
“Shit, what? What you doing here?”
Obviously startled... he stands up quick,
“I mean, look, I thought you would
Turn up sometime. I got this set
Up all for you.” He says, looking around
Past her, for something else, someone
Else. She pretends to be fooled,
“This is so cute babe, well what you
Waiting for? Sit me down, pour me
A glass of that wine.” She sits and
Looks into the basket, sandwiches.
She holds out a glass waiting for
Albert to pour wine in it. She looks
Up at him and shakes the glass,
“What? Were you not expecting me?”
She smiles at him, putting the glass back
Down and eating some grapes.
Albert sits down,
“Of course I was expecting you, what
You talking about babe?” He again looks past her, this time his
seeming alerted,
He leans in to kiss Frankie,
“Girl, you smell like whisky.”
She backs away from him, reaching into
Her bag again, “What about it?” She says
Pulling out her tobacco and papers.
Albert looks past Frankie again as
She rolls her cigarette. He pours both
Himself and Frankie a glass of wine,
Puts some grapes on his plate, and
Eats a few.
“I missed you last night,” he says,
“I had to work late, you know, Damon’s
Been on my ass about getting this
Project done on time, I—“
“You don’t gotta explain anything,
I know you’d rather be home.” She said
Lighting her cigarette. “Only thing is,
I know home ain’t at my place no more,”
She puts her tobacco, papers, and lighter
Next to her bag, and sips a bit of
The wine Albert poured her.
“I don’t know what you talking about
Girl. That’s my place too, that’s my
Only home.” He replied, gulping his wine,
Eating a few grapes. He reaches into the
Basket and grabs a sandwich, “What
You do last night?” He asks before taking
A bite. “What if I told you I saw a man
Last night, and had a grand ol’ time
Pretending it was him I married?” She
Asked, blowing smoke into his face.
He almost choked on his sandwich,
“Are you fucking crazy? You didn’t,
Did you?” She took another hit, then
Put it out in the grass, “No, I’m
Just asking a silly question, what
Would you do?” She said, then chugged
The rest of her coffee.
“I would probably ask who,” he said
Looking past her, then back at her in
The eyes, “then I would find him, shoot
Him, come back home, have a last glass
Of whisky, then shoot myself. Because I
Ain’t doing prison again.” He said
Straight faced, unwaveringly, then
Came back to reality, “why, did you?”
She looks behind her at someone sitting
On a bench, the person turns their head
Quickly as soon as Frankie looked in
Their direction. Albert speaks abruptly
Again, “What up Frankie, you acting
Weird today, you ain’t get enough
Sleep?” He grabs her on the shoulder,
“Boy get off me, so is that her?” She
Points to the person on the bench,
Looking at Albert, he’s flustered,
Spills his glass of wine. “Is that who?
What you talking about? I don’t know
That woman.” He says trying to clean
The spill.
Frankie refills her glass of wine,
Then gets up, grabs her bag,
And makes her way towards the woman
Sitting on the bench while Albert is
Distracted trying to clean his mess.
Once he notices he jumps up, and tries
To follow, but Frankie is already
Plenty ahead of him. She reaches the
Woman on the bench, “I think this is
Your glass of wine, sorry for taking
Your seat, love. What’s your name?”
“Um, uh, I’m Josephine. Hi?” The woman
On the bench introduced herself.
“What is going on here? Albert, who
Is this woman?” Josephine addresses
Albert as he walks up. “So this is
Her.” Frankie says. She drops the
Glass of wine she was holding.
It shatters on the ground, startling
Both Josephine and Albert, who jump,
And then when they realize what is
Happening, it’s too late.
Frankie pulled out the gun from
Her bag, and almost immediately after
The sound of glass shattering, there
Was another sound that filled the air.
A loud ring, echoing through
The park. That sound came twice,
Following that were cries,
The screams of others panicking,
And Albert screaming in pain.
“We always think so similarly, almost
Exactly alike, I love that about
Us. It feels like there’s
Something to learn, something to
Grow from. Except this time, you
Were just wrong. Yeah, I agree with
Killing the you cheat with, Josephine
Had to go. And I’ll kill myself as well
Prison’s no place to live life. But why
Would I let you live? You were
Supposed to be my man,
And you done me wrong.
I don’t think it’d be fair to me,
Nor poor Josephine, if you had the
Opportunity to do this all over again.
And we both know you’d do it again.
You’re just a man
And you do the world wrong.”
She caressed his face as she
Lay beside him and
Gave him one final kiss.
A third roar soared through
The big, empty, cold park.