Three of Hearts: Part 4
"Let’s see....eggs, bread....milk and...." Ken buried his nose further into the fridge,
feeling the cold begin to prickle on his skin. Normally Naoto went grocery shopping since he did
the most cooking, but he was meeting his editor to discuss his latest manuscript and would be
gone most of the day. Sighing, Ken closed the refrigerator door, wondering why they wanted to
discuss business on a Sunday, especially on a pretty spring day.
Reaching for his keys and jacket, Ken mentally went over the things he needed to buy.
He closed the apartment door behind him as he left, not hearing the telephone as it began to ring.
The ringer sounded five times before the answering machine picked up, Ken’s voice delivering
the message.
"Hey, no one’s home," his recorded voice said into the empty apartment. "Leave a
message and your call will be returned." A beep sounded, followed by a pause; then, a young
woman’s voice began to speak in a slow, slightly nervous tone.
"Ken?" she said in english. "Ken, it’s me, Maria. I got your number from Jared. Call me
please, we need to talk. You know my number." Another pause before a click was heard.
Another beep to signify the end of the message sounded just as Ken walked in.
"Geez, Ken you’re an idiot," he said to himself. "Go shopping without your wallet. A
real brillant man you are." He was about to leave again when he saw the flashing red light of the
machine. He pressed the replay button, wondering who could have called in the five minutes he
was gone. His face paled at the sound of Maria’s voice; he could feel the blood going cold and
slowing in his veins.
I have got to kill Jared one of these days, he thought, remembering his former coworker
who tended to babble more than he should. He stood in silence for a moment, his face
expressionless but his eyes displaying confusion. Quickly, almost without thinking, he pressed
the erase button, listening as the machine whirled to do his bidding. He left the apartment again
once the machine stopped, pressing the elevator button and waiting for it to arrive. Okay, calm
down. Everything’s going to be okay. Maria is not going to disrupt the life you have now. She’s
not part of your life anymore. Get a grip, Ken. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the
elevator. As the doors closed, he swore he wouldn’t think about the message and pushed it to the
back of his mind as he tried to remember the things he needed to get.