The Black Box - S01 E08

Story 3 months ago

The Black Box - S01 E08

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 8

Episode 8: The Black Box

Rose and Sarah talked on the phone for a very long time. The night was very dark outside, but inside the kitchen, the light was bright and cold. They talked for hours and hours. They talked until the moon began to move across the sky. They talked until the stars began to fade away. As they spoke, they realized something very strange. They realized that David had told them both the exact same lies. He had used the same sweet words with both of them. He had made them both the same big promises. It was like David had a script that he used for his life. He told Sarah that he loved her more than anything in the world. He told Rose the very same thing. He told Sarah that he would never leave her. He told Rose the very same thing. They were both living with a man who was like a ghost. He was a man who did not really exist because he was built out of lies.

Sarah told Rose her story. She told it with many tears in her voice. She said that one morning, many years ago, David woke up just like any other day. He was smiling and happy. He ate his breakfast and drank his coffee. He kissed Sarah on the forehead and told her he had a very important business trip. He told her he would be gone for a few days, but he would be home soon. He told her he would bring her a special gift when he returned. Sarah watched him drive away from their house. She waved goodbye until his car was gone. But David never came back. He did not come back that night. He did not come back the next day. He did not come back for years. Sarah was very scared. She called the police. She called all of his friends. She called every hospital in the city. She thought maybe he had been in a bad accident. She thought maybe he was hurt and could not call her. But the police could not find him. His friends did not know where he was. It was like he had vanished into thin air.

Rose felt a very strange bond with Sarah. Sarah was a stranger. Rose had never seen her face. She had never heard her voice before tonight. But they felt like they knew each other very well. They both loved a man who had two faces. They both had been hurt by the same person. They were like two people who had been caught in the same big storm. Rose realized that Sarah was not her enemy. Sarah was not a bad person. Sarah was just a woman who had been waiting for a husband who never came home. Rose felt a lot of sympathy for Sarah. She felt a lot of pain for her too. They decided that they had to meet each other. They decided that they had to face the truth together. They wanted to see the man who had lied to them both. They wanted to ask him why he did such a terrible thing.

Sarah decided to drive through the night. She did not want to wait until the morning. She wanted to get to Rose’s house as fast as she could. She drove for many hours. She drove through the dark woods and over the long bridges. She drove through the quiet cities while everyone else was sleeping. Her heart was beating very fast. She was nervous about meeting Rose. She was nervous about seeing the house where David had been living for ten years. But she kept driving. She followed the address that David had written on the small piece of paper. She followed the map until she reached the street where Rose lived.

When Sarah arrived, the sun was just beginning to come up. The sky was a soft pink and orange color. Rose was waiting for her on the front porch. When Sarah got out of her car, the two women looked at each other for a long time. They did not say anything at first. They just looked at each other’s eyes. They saw the same sadness in each other’s faces. They saw the same confusion and the same pain. Then, they walked toward each other and hugged. They hugged each other very tightly. They both started to cry. They cried for the years that were lost. They cried for the lies they had believed. They cried because they were no longer alone in their pain. They went inside the house together.

They spent the next day looking through the black box together. They sat on the floor of the bedroom, just like Rose had done the night before. They looked at every photograph. Sarah pointed to the pictures and told Rose when they were taken. She showed Rose the dried flowers and told her which anniversary they were from. Rose showed Sarah the letters David had written while he was living in this house. They compared the dates. They saw how David would write a letter to Sarah and then go to dinner with Rose. They saw how he would tell one woman he was on a trip while he was actually sitting on the couch with the other woman. It was very hard to see. It made them both feel very sick. But they kept looking. They wanted to know everything. They wanted to see the whole truth, even if it hurt.

As they talked, they learned a lot of lessons. They talked about how important it is to be honest. They talked about how secrets are like little holes in a boat. At first, the holes are small and you do not notice them. But over time, the water comes in. The boat gets heavy. And one day, the boat sinks. They realized that their marriage with David was like that sinking boat. The secrets had made everything weak. They talked about how a person cannot be happy if they are living a lie. David thought he was being clever. He thought he could have two lives and two families. But he was not happy. He had to spend every day hiding things. He had to spend every day being afraid that someone would find out. That is not a good way to live.

They made a big plan together. They knew that David was supposed to come home that evening. He had said his business trip was over. He was going to walk through the front door and act like nothing was wrong. Rose and Sarah decided that they would wait for him. They would wait in the dark. They wanted to see his face when he realized that his secret was finally out in the open. They wanted to see what he would do when he saw both of his wives in the same room. They were not going to yell or scream. They just wanted the truth. They wanted him to look them in the eye and explain why he had caused so much sadness.

The day went by very slowly. Rose and Sarah sat in the living room. They did not turn on the lights. They watched the sun move across the floor. They watched the shadows get longer and longer. They did not talk very much anymore. They were both thinking about what was going to happen. They were both feeling very nervous. Rose thought about how she used to wait for David with a smile. She used to be so happy when she heard his car. Now, she felt a different feeling. She felt a cold feeling in her stomach. She felt like she was waiting for a stranger. Sarah thought about the husband who had vanished years ago. She wondered if he would even recognize her. She wondered if he would be sorry for what he had done.

The sun began to set. The sky turned a deep purple and then it turned black. The house was very quiet. The only sound was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Every tick was a second closer to the moment of truth. Rose and Sarah sat together on the couch. They held each other’s hands. They were two people who had been hurt, but they were now strong together. They were ready for the mystery to end. They were ready to see the real David. They were ready to hear the words that had been hidden for so many years.

Suddenly, they heard a sound. It was the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. The sound was very loud in the quiet night. They heard the engine turn off. They heard the car door open and then slam shut. They heard the sound of heavy boots walking on the stone path. It was the sound of David. He was home. He was walking toward the front door. He did not know that his secret was waiting for him inside. He did not know that the black box was open. He did not know that the two women he had lied to were sitting together in the dark.

Rose and Sarah held their breath. They stayed very still. They did not move a single muscle. They watched the front door. They saw the doorknob begin to turn. They heard the lock click open. The door began to swing wide. A line of light from the street came into the dark living room. They could see a tall shadow standing in the doorway. It was David. He was holding his suitcase. He was whistling a happy tune. He stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. He reached for the light switch. He was about to turn on the light. He was about to see the end of his secret life.

Rose and Sarah became friends instead of enemies. Do you think that is the best way to handle a situation like this?

Why do you think David dropped his suitcase? Was he afraid, or was he just very surprised to see Sarah after so many years?

If you were David, what is the first thing you would say to these two women?

Do you think David can ever be forgiven for leaving one family to start another one without telling the truth?