by TYLYN
I know that I was made to show love and affection to my owner through cuddling and all that every night, I can’t bring myself to think that, one bed thought mutely. Sometimes, the bed’s owner sleeps on the couch that he first bought alongside it upon purchasing the bachelor’s pad they now share. The man is a philanderer. I can get over those accidental nights on the couch, but the women he brings in here are too much.
A pricey and saucy, queen-sized bed, she was bought in the summer of ’08, when ol’ Johnny had barely graduated from college. Not wanting to rely on others for support, she looked for a change in scenery from what had been the supermarket. Johnny treated her like she was a favorite, in sleep and in consciousness, whatever the smells that developed in her over time. In fact, he probably cleaned her more often than he dusted those basic, unnecessary pieces of furniture.
But alas, this is not a story of your typical love…
Everything began well. He would rest in her memory foam, all while she wrapped him up in her blanket. But soon came the point where Johnny wished to have a “love life”.
Am I not good enough for you? Seethed his bed, I’ve been here for you since you were a mere graduate. She did nothing but try to be there for him, despite his gripes to no one in particular. And then one night, he brought home Alyssa. Some would say that the bed was forever scarred that night. In truth, she was furious.
So this is what those motel beds go through… She brooded. And then came Janette, prior to Mary, Amanda, and a slew of other female humans in the following weeks. It only got worse as she was forced to simply observe his flirtations with others, and to then endure their activities of the night. When will he grow up and realize how faithful I’ve been to him? With Johnny’s cheating ways showing no signs of ending, there came a point wherein the bed began to question things.
I don’t understand… Why are my kind supposed to behave as ever-present mistresses as our owners live their lives? I mean, they get to simply go through life without considering what we deal with as they make their way, settling down and starting to build families, she wondered during the day, simply sitting in the same room Johnny had put her in so many years ago. Family… Do I even have one? And what will Johnny do once he starts building a family of his own? Will I still be around by then?
The real question is: Do I really love him, or the security I’ve had for so long?
While his bed reflected over the purpose of her existence, Johnny met another one, a girl by the name of Maddie. This one was a change in Johnny’s usual pace of going through women. He didn’t hit it after the first date, she wouldn’t allow it. In fact, this was the first time his bed had seen him behave so… responsibly. They would simply lie on her as they watched TV, without a hint of sensuality, despite the obviously ever-growing closeness of their relationship. Time went on, and eventually, Johnny started mumbling in his sleep about proposals and marriage.
So he’s finally gonna leave me for some, some creature? She fumed mutely.
“Ya know, Johnny really does care for that girl you hate so much.” Came the mirror.
“Oh shut up. What do you know about love? He just looks at you so that he can see himself!” She retorted. The mirror sighed.
“And he sleeps on you, sometimes with other people. Come on, you know that we’re nothing but tools to humans, no matter our feelings for them.” She took in a breath of air, causing Johnny to toss and turn a bit.
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean–”
“No,” he interjected, “We’re nothing but tools. All we can do is accept our feelings, accept our position, and still care for them. The only other option is to get thrown away and replaced by another. We’re disposable.” The bed sat in silence, brooding on the truth of what the mirror told her. It wasn’t like she didn’t know it, she just didn’t want to, refused to, believe it.
“Hmph. Whatever.” And more time passed, until the day Johnny proposed to Maddie. He came home and flopped into his bed, excitedly talking into his phone about everything to come. His hopes for the wedding, for the future to be had with Maddie.
It was the day that broke his bed, as he slept peacefully. Twisting and tearing at her memory foam, bending her frame into an unrecognizable shape, her fury truly left her discombobulated. Upon waking up, Johnny was shocked to see the damaged state his bed was in, an overnight transformation.
This will teach you for trying to leave me for some chick with two legs!
“I guess that it’s time for Ol’ Reliable to go,” he remarked quietly, “She’s been through more than her fair share of me. Suppose that it’s time for change, now that I’m engaged and all.” When she realized that he considered her reliable, that he actually cared for her, regret couldn’t even begin describe what she felt in that moment.
It didn’t take long for her to be taken outside by Johnny and Maddie, just in time for the garbage truck to pull up. As they swung, then tossed her into the back of the truck, she reflected on the mirror’s words to her. The walls of the container closed in on her.
Well, I hope that theirs is a happy life. I should’ve loved Johnny like a good mistress, a tool. She contemplated as she was crushed into a cube alongside the rest of the trash, And I’m sorry for being so… Useless.
And so this false romance comes to its end, thrown away, nothing more than junk.
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