Writing for Fun
Dressing To Kill - Bob Wendelkin
May 2014
Isabel put on her finest and most expensive dress and enough of her diamonds to be slightly over dressed, just outside her normal modest style; in the mirror she looked like she was dressed to kill. This was to be a special day as it was her birthday, all her life she felt that she had been a victim, particularly of her dinner guests. These people had taken advantage of her good nature but today it would all change.
Isabel always seemed to be that poor little girl at the bottom. When she was at school she was bullied, she was too nice and had such a gentle nature that allowed the bullies their way. On one occasion she was pushed so violently she was knocked out. She was a very intelligent and talented girl and her talents brought out the jealousy of these lesser people.
Eventually her mother, sensing that Isabel was suffering, decided to take her away from her Boarding School and let her live at home and go to a local private school.
She never forgot those days of bullying as it had a most profound influence on her confidence and mental state. Somehow she always felt inferior to those around her although she could run rings around most of them both intellectually and physically. But none of that really meant a lot because it was the way she felt inside that counted. She always felt she was in competition and having to prove herself.
In some ways she was fortunate as her family were wealthy and she, as the only child, had great expectations of a fortune. In fact she was already a very wealthy girl as her grand-mother had made a significant gift to her. After school she went to university and obtained a first in Quantum Physics, not the trivia of media studies for her.
Her wealth made her a target for the fortune hunter. John was one of those individuals who, encouraged by his mother and sister, saw her as an easy touch to grab her and her money. John was shallow but had great charm and a way of inveigling himself with the ladies. He himself, although playing his part, had little or no real feelings towards Isabel who was the centre of his attention. John also had a violent streak in his make up that came to the fore when he had too much to drink, most of the time he held this defect in check.
'I have asked you all here for my 50th Birthday dinner as I want to draw a line under all that has happened in the past, much of it brought about because of my weakness and all of you exploiting that vulnerability.' Then changing the subject, 'I do hope you all like salmon for dinner?' said Isabel.
'You all have had a profound effect on my life, starting with you Jessica. When we were at school you led the bullies that even knocked me out,' continued Isabel.
'Please Isabel don't go on, all my life since you left us at school I have been so ashamed that I bullied you. You were such a nice person, and I was so jealous of you. You seemed to have everything: beauty, intelligence and money. I had none of these attributes; because of my feelings for you and what I did to you, when I left school I didn't go to university but I went to work for a charity that look after less fortunate people,' replied Jessica.
'Are you saying that because of what you did to me you felt so sorry that you took up charity work as way of apologising to me?' asked Isabel.
'Quite simply, yes. Please forgive me,' replied Jessica.
'Well in that case I thank you to leave my house. I don't want to dine with you. Please go now,' said Isabel with a stern edge to her voice.
Jessica picked herself up and put her coat on and said, 'I deserved that,' as she left the house.
'Thank God she has gone. Do any of you who are left want to apologise for the way you have treated me in the past?' asked Isabel.
None of her remaining guests made any move or said a thing.
Then John's mother made her presence felt and spoke to Isabel.
'You have always been spineless from the first time I saw you, you never showed any strength of character. In the past I encouraged my gutless son to use you as a source of money to get him out of my pocket. I thought you were both well matched,' said her Mother-in-Law.
'I looked to you for support as my own mother had gone. I cried night after night when I found out I couldn't have children. I wanted you to come and cuddle me and comfort me, as your son wouldn't, but all you said was at least the gutless and spineless line stops here,' said Isabel.
'Now I come to Paula my charming sister-in-law. When you were my bridesmaid you got so drunk and started to shout obscenities of how John had even been out with another girl the night before our wedding, but in a manner that praised John and ridiculed me. That was only an example of the insults over the years; you never lost the opportunity to put me down and make me the butt of your jokes, particularly about being childless.' continued Isabel.
'I never knew why you treated me so, but that doesn't matter anymore. Are you sorry for the way you treated me all these years?' asked Isabel.
'You were a joke then and you are a joke now' replied Paula with a smirk on her face.
'Now I come to John my so called beloved husband. When I married you I really loved you. You gave the impression that I had qualities that were worth embracing,' said Isabel to John who was drinking his 4th large glass of whisky.
'Yes, you had qualities that I liked, you were both rich and stupid so I wouldn't have to go cap in hand to that other woman who pretends to be a mother,' said John.
'Living off my money I could forgive but what I can't forgive is that I didn't know until it was too late; because of your loose living, you gave me a disease that made me sterile,' retorted Isabel holding back the tears.
'You were too easy, you weren't any fun, you weren't any form of challenge. I could and did ride roughshod over you. You did nothing, that's why I started to hit you to try to get some form of response,' said John.
'Many time I had to nurse a black eye and other bruises. Somehow I had convinced myself that if you were hitting me at least you still had some feelings towards me. I just didn't know how to react to you. I just didn't have anyone to ask,' replied Isabel.
'As mother said you are spineless,' retorted John the drink talking.
John was now beginning to feel a little uncertain about his future, he could see that there was a change in Isabel's demeanour. She was showing subtle changes from that downtrodden woman. The manner in which she had thrown out her school bully earlier on showed she had become harder. What could it mean for him – he was getting older and wanted a more relaxed life style; would he lose his source of money?
'Will you excuse me I have to go to the kitchen, the foods all cooked and only needs to be served. Would anyone like a pre dinner drink? John will get it for you,' said Isabel.
Tonight was to be the culmination of a few years of planning. Isabel had created a completely new identity, a new name, a new place to live, everything anew; tonight she intended to leave them all after this farewell meal and take up her new identity in Rome.
Isabel left her guests and went into the kitchen taking the salmon out of the cooker, she divided it up, she put a portion on to each plate.
Thinking to herself, perhaps just a little more honey as she mixed the dressing, it must be absolutely perfect as I have had enough criticism of my cooking from them in the past. She added another spoonful honey. Now as they are very special people shall I put in one or two spoonfuls of arsenic? . . . Three I think.