Why did I listen to him?

Jonathan’s girlfriend Gisselle slumped in her seat. “They’re going to ask how this happened. Oh, God, why did I let you talk me into this?”

Jonathan had promised to marry her in nine months. But that wasn’t going to happen now. Not after this. They were going to lose their apartment and go to jail. She held her head and cried.

Blood oozed through the towel wrapped around Jonathan’s forearm.

The emergency room nurse called for him, but he slipped into the bathroom.

He carefully removed the towel and gasped at the gouge. He piled paper towels on the wound to stop the bleeding, but it was no use.

He returned to the waiting area and huddled in a corner seat, away from the nurse.

She called him again, but he kept quiet.

When she turned the corner to look for him, she stopped.

There was a pool of blood on the floor under his arm.

“Oh, my God! Why are you avoiding treatment?”

“Please don’t take Tiffany away. I won’t do this again, I promise,” he whispered.

Back at the apartment, Tiffany frantically paced the bedroom, looking to escape with her family after the attack. Finding no way out, she eventually settled down and cuddled with them.

The police officer in the hospital room was in disbelief. ”You’ve got to be kidding me. What were you thinking? I understand why she sliced you up. She saw you as a threat to her children.”

The officer probed further. “How did you get to the hospital?”

Jonathan lowered his eyes. “My girlfriend Gisselle drove me.”

“So Gisselle knows about this, I presume. Was she in the apartment when this happened?”

“Yes,” Jonathan admitted.

“Where is Gisselle now and is she hurt?” the officer asked.

“She’s in the car down the street, waiting for me to call. No, she’s not hurt.”

“Based on what you’re saying, Gisselle is an accomplice,” the officer stated.

“Please don’t punish her,” Jonathan pleaded. “The whole thing was my idea. I take responsibility for it all. I will never do this again, I promise.”

The officer shrugged. “Sorry, pal. What happens to her will be up to the judge.”

The nurse spoke up. “But right now, we need to stitch you up.”

Nine months later, Jonathan and Gisselle stood overlooking a grassy expanse.

“Luckily, both the landlord and judge fell in love with the little ones. That’s the only thing that kept us in our apartment and out of jail. It’s a miracle the judge let us off with a warning.” Gisselle blew a sigh of relief.

“I wish the police didn’t have to shoot Tiffany, but I guess they had no other choice,“ he replied.

“No, they didn’t. And you’d better not talk me into a crazy idea like that again.” Gisselle shook her head.

“I won’t, I promise.”

She turned and looked at him. “Do you remember what you promised me before your injury?” she inquired, crossing her arms.

“Funny you should ask,” he said. He retrieved a small box from his pocket. He opened it, pulled out a ring and fell to one knee. “Will you marry me, Gisselle?”

“You never cease to amaze me, for better or worse,” she smiled. “Yes, I will marry you.”

He placed the ring on her finger. He rose and kissed her.

They held hands while watching four figures play in the grass.

She spun towards him again. “I still can’t believe you had me order semen online and you impregnated Tiffany with a turkey baster! Remember what the judge and landlord said: ‘No more animals, not even a hamster!’”

“No more animals, I promise. I will never ask you to do anything like that again. You know I’m true to my word.”

She gently raised his hand and kissed it. “I know you are. As weird as this sounds, I’m going to miss Tiffany. Remember how little she was when we first got her? I never expected her to get so big.”

“Thankfully, the police shot her with a tranquilizer instead of killing her. She looks so happy now in her new home! The zoo is taking such great care of her and the cubs,” Jonathan pointed towards the figures.

“We’re probably the only people in New York to have ever had a tiger give birth in their apartment,” Gisselle chuckled.

Jonathan balled his hand into a fist and examined his scarred forearm. “Well, at least the only ones who lived to tell about it.”