The Perfect Husband

The next morning Elena woke up on the sofa in the living, she looked around feeling dazed, then remembered that she had fallen asleep waiting for Jason.

She checked the time, noting that it was 27 minutes past 7 am and she had to be at work by eight.

Elena walked around the house looking for her husband, thinking that sometime in the night he had come home.

She tried his phones again and this time they said that the numbers were no longer available or in service.

There was rustling coming from the bedroom, Elena rushed from the shower with soap dripping from her body, thinking it was Malik, but it was only an open window with light breeze blowing through and disturbing a few papers on the bedside table.

Elena stopped breathing thinking of the worst, that her only family. The only person that she had left in the world was gone.

Her mind reeled with what ifs.

‘What if the plane had crashed?’

‘What if his car had crashed?’

‘What if he has been kidnapped or killed?’

Elena forced her nerves to calm down.

‘’He is fine, he will be home soon,’’ she told herself.

Then her mind went back to the time he was in a minor car accident.

A snow plow had run him off the road, and the Subaru he was driving at the time ended up in a ditch.

He still had a scar from that on his forehead and they claimed that Malik was drunk driving.

Elena finished getting ready for a busy day of work, she knew that it would be hell because of the fitful night she had but she must push through.

Elena was passing by the school and had to slam down on the brakes when a kid ran out in the road, the crossing guard failed to do his job as he was busy flirting with a girl.

Elena shook her head and drove up next to them.

‘’Just leave me alone,’’ Elena could hear the girl saying.

“Mighty fine job you are doing here.” Elena rolled her window down.

‘’Elena,’’ the girl said with tears rolling down her face then hurried around to the passenger side of the car and got in.

‘’Abby, what’s happening?’’ Elena asked.

‘’That guy won’t let me cross the road, he had been telling me how ripe I looked in my jeans.’’

Elena could feel anger bubbling up inside her.

Abby was Belinda’s eldest daughter.

Elena took a picture of the man how was supposed to be helping students cross the road.

‘’I work with K5 New, and just know that this entire community and police will know that you are nothing but a pervert, who is probably using this job to lure minors.’’

He looked scared. ‘’I didn’t mean any harm.’’

‘’You were well aware of your actions. She is just a child, and you are nothing but a creepy old man, good luck buddy because this will be your last day at freedom.’’

‘’Lady, why don’t you just fuck off. I was doing nothing wrong.’’

Elena got out of her car to confront him fully, with her phone in his face.

‘’This man is here using his job to possibly kidnap little girls. I am Elena Perry, from K5 News and was just in time to see him harassing my friend’s daughter. Though she had tears running down her face, he sees nothing wrong with his disgusting action.’’

A few parents took notice and a man jogged over.

‘’What is the problem here?’’

‘’This man was harassing my friend’s daughter.’’

The man nodded and suddenly pulled out a gun. ‘’Put your hands in the air. My name is Officer Nathan Green. My daughter’s friend had made a complaint to me about feeling uncomfortable because of remarks a crossing guard at the school said to her. You weren’t here for a week, but now here you are doing the same thing.’’

***

Later that morning Elena was doing a report on a pit bull that attacked a young girl, and her brave little brother who fought the dog off. The two managed to get away into a nearby tree with minor bites.

All the while the only thing on Elena’s mind was Malik, she tried all means of contacting him, but it only ended with the same results.

She was behind worried now and was thinking of going to the police and reporting him missing.

Elena’s phone began to ring when she was still on camera, she smiled through it until it stopped.

The ringing came again, and she thought it was Malik, she couldn’t contain her excitement at the thought.

Upon the third ring she couldn’t ignore it, still thinking it was her husband and asked them to give her five minutes.

Elena answered the unknown number, “hello?”

“Yes, this is she.” Elena listened for a while.

“Is there a reason why I should come down to the station?” Elena frowned because that’s all the person was saying.

There was one reason behind the request, and she dismissed it thinking that it was just a prank call, it wasn’t the first and won’t be the last she thought.

After work Elena drove by her in-law’s place, thinking that somewhere throughout the course of the day, Malik had arrived there. Because after checking the video footage of her house, he hadn’t been there at all.

But to her dismay she was wrong, it was just them and their helper.

The helper didn’t speak much English and only bowed her head to Elena.

“Oh, Ellie. I’m sure that Malik will be back soon, maybe he had an unplanned trip or something. I’m sure he is fine.” Mrs. Franco tried to reassure her.

Elena went home with tears in her eyes, knowing that there was a possibility of never seeing her Malik again.

When she pulled up to the curb she noticed a police car in her drive way, her heart raced, and she prepared for the worst.

She then remembered about that call, but now the cops had showed up at her place.

‘’Can I help you two?’’ Elena asked.

“Mrs. Franco?” The female officer asked.

Elena nodded her head, “it’s actually Perry,” she replied.

The two officers exchanged a look, “we called you to come into the station from quarter to 11, why haven’t you showed up?” The female officer grilled.

Elena sighed; she liked dealing with cops who didn’t know who she was so she could school them.

“I thought it was a prank call.” She told them, fishing around for her keys.

“A prank call?” The male officer spoke now.

“Yes, I’m a news reporter so I get a lot of those lately, and if you were making yourself clear over the phone then I would make it a point of duty to stop by.” She told them, hands now on her hips.

‘’Well, this is a serious matter.’’ The female officer frowned at her.

‘’Care to identify yourself,’’ Elena said, ignoring her remark.

‘’Yes, I’m Officer Keith Jones and this is my partner. Officer Jennie Wilson.’’ The male officer said.

A man who was cutting his edges now seemed interested in what was happening at Elena’s front door.

“Look I don’t want the neighbors involved so can we please go inside?” Elena said, motioning for them to enter the house.

“Now, is there something wrong?” Elena asked, getting straight to the point.

Officer Wilson looked around, then at her partner.

“I think you should take a seat ma’am.” The chubby male officer said.

Elena raised a perfectly waxed eye brow but did as she was told, seating on the arm of the lazy boy chair with her arms crossed.