Hypothesis

Maybe what happened is John made a terrible mistake. Maybe he had a flashback to Vietnam. There were so many horrible events that took place during the war. These events coupled with John’s childhood could have affected John’s ability to see things clearly. John had many difficult times in his life: the loss of his father, the war, the election. His thought process may have been controlled automatically. Maybe he wasn’t able to control his emotions and actions anymore. Kathy watched John fill up the tea kettle, not once, but twice. She watched him pour the boiling water over the beautiful plants. Kathy saw someone else, not her husband. This could not have been the man she married. She kept hearing the phrase, “Kill Jesus.” Maybe she was startled by his actions. She walked back down the hallway and snuck into bed. She pulled the sheets snug and hoped it would all be different tomorrow. 

John wandered around that night, distraught and emotionless. There were flashbacks to the smell of the jungle, the smell of war. He had seen so many men and women die. Then there was PFC Weatherby. Somehow, things were remembered. John was exposed, there were no walls of secrecy or magic anymore. John walked down the hall to the bedroom and sat with the boiling tea kettle at the side of the bed. He stared at Kathy’s body, the tan of her neck, her lips. He remember how happy they used to be. Then something snapped, he remembered, “Kill Jesus.” Kathy opened her eyes, startling John. He thought to himself he couldn’t know she knew these terrible events of the evening. He couldn’t live with the shame. He took the scolding water and poured it on Kathy. The screams were deafening, but he thought who was there to know. He grabbed her and took her down to the lake. He walked into the water waist deep and held her under. He thought, “Kill Jesus.” After a few minutes Kathy lay lifeless. Maybe John hid her body in the lake, maybe he took her to the dense forests to dispose of her. John remembered his past, he thought about the mirror he could hide behind. He would forget these terrible things he had done that night in the lake of the woods. He came to his senses standing waist deep in the lake water, maybe he had gone there to wash his hands of this terrible crime. Kathy was gone, and John was once again lost in his emotions. Maybe he had let his past experiences bring about too much anger. Whatever may have happened, we will never know, but John Wade will always be a troubled man with a vanished wife.

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~ by horvatkz on March 31, 2009.