Mike sees the intent in the loan shark’s eyes through the open window of the car before he even sees the gun. Quickly, he pushes Susan out of the way and drops to the ground at the sound of the gun firing. It fires again, and this time he feels the bullet graze his head.
Mike (calmly, quietly, and sternly): “Stay down, Susan.”
He knows he doesn’t have to tell her to be quiet.
He hears the squeal of tires as the car makes a turn about and roars out of the lane. He waited a beat, two beats, and then crawled on his belly to Susan, shutting the door with his foot. Any minute now they”d be engulfed with concerned neighbors and police, but now, right this minute, he wanted to be with his wife.
Mike (gently, reaching out to her): “Susan? You okay?”
She lifts her head, a curtain of her dark hair hiding half her face. Her wide eyes were filled with tears. “Mike? You’re bleeding.”
Mike (sitting up and gathering her in his arms): “It’s okay. We’re both okay.”
Susan sobs quietly into his strong shoulders for a few seconds and then bolts upright: “MJ!”
Mike: “He’s okay. He’s at a friend’s house. Remember?”
She nods.
Mike knows from here on out things will be different. He will have to fake his death. Susan will have to play the grieving widow, and his son will have to be told of his death. Nothing more, not until it was safe.
He hears a commotion on the front porch, and quickly moves to the side as Bree barges in the house, followed by Gabby and Lynette.
Gabby: “Oh my gosh. Are you guys okay? I called the police.”
Susan covers her face with her hands. “Maybe now they’ll take us seriously,” she moans.
Bree: “Mike, what happened?”
Lynette: “Yeah, what was that?”
And so Mike told them, and then he told them of his plan. He’ll disappear. And when the time was right, Susan and MJ would join him.
Susan (moaning): “Julie! And the baby! We can’t just leave them…”
Lynette: “They’ll be fine. I’ll take care of everything on this end. ”
Mary-Alice (Voice-over while the police arrive and begin to take statements): “Yes, in our neighborhood, there are people we see every day, and every day, we take them for granted. As we go about our lives, we may be too busy with a mundane task and miss one another completely. Or we might give a polite wave, only to return to what we were doing. One moment, we’re spending time with a loved one, and the next, we’re wrapped up in our work or preoccupied with our own problems. What a shame these neighbors take each other for granted… Because before you know it, the life you once had is gone.”
cloakeynotes 