Donny is obsessed with his housemate, Selena
– but his love is unrequited. He enthusiastically accepts her willing
friendship, which only fuels his deepening fantasies.
Jaz is their crazy landlord who likes
sleeping with women – lots of them. He takes pleasure in educating the once
innocent Donny in the hedonistic pleasures of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. It
blows Donny’s mind.
Selena is engaged to Melvin – the perfect man – but is also keen to befriend the ever-demanding Donny ... until she falls pregnant and her wedding looms.
Donny expresses his true feelings at the
wedding, causing mayhem and anger. But there remains a chink of hope: perhaps
Selena’s marriage to Melvin is not quite as perfect as it seems.
Extract from
‘Treading On Dreams’ by Jeff Gardiner
The marriage service seemed to go on
forever.
Long,
monotonous choruses accompanied the strumming of two guitar chords. The prayers
began with ‘Lord I just wanna…’ followed by the obligatory praying for the
bride and groom with laying-on-of-hands. When the bearded elder pressed his
hand on Selena’s bosom, it occurred to Donny it was an excuse to touch the
bride.
Then
the photographs took days to complete, while the guests, ensconced at a nearby
posh hotel, starved to death with only small glasses of Schlöer to stop them
from dehydrating.
The
dreaded speeches followed.
‘Thank
you, so much, everyone, for sharing our special day,’ said Melvin, the groom.
Donny
couldn’t help staring at Selena. She looked stunning in the simple ivory dress.
It showed her magnificent figure in all its glory, unspoiled yet by the swell
of pregnancy. Her hair curled in ringlets at the side of her face, falling from
her veil and framing her lovely cheeks. Donny continued his gaze as her hand
caressed her lips. The desperate urge to touch her became an overwhelming feeling
of sorrow and loss.
The
people at his table laughed at Selena’s father’s comments.
‘Does
anyone remember that time my new son-in-law nearly burnt my house down last
year when he lit the barbeque?’ Everyone laughed politely. ‘But anyway, we’re
here to celebrate the love this couple clearly feel for each other. I can see
how much they are in love from the joy in their eyes.’
Donny
swallowed bile.
Then
Melvin stood up to speak. ‘God has blessed me today by letting me marry the
most wonderful woman in the world. With Jesus beside us, we aren’t so much a
couple as a threesome.
A
few guests sniggered.
Donny
looked around with narrowed eyes. Scowling, he wrung the tablecloth as if it
was wet.
The
best man took his turn. ‘As a doctor, Melvin saves lives every day; as a
Christian he works tirelessly for charity. He also finds time to help lead our
church, preaching and ministering to the sick and infirm…’
Why
did nobody mentioned Selena’s baby? As if it wasn’t why they were there today.
Did they not know or were they ignoring it? He wanted them to know Melvin wasn’t
the great shining example they assumed, but a total hypocrite—shagging his
girlfriend whilst preaching morality. Could no one else see the hypocrisy?
Once
the speeches were over, the servers poured more wine while the happy couple
mingled. Donny sat back and listened to the clamour of myriad conversations.
Voices buzzed around him until the hubbub became a grating irritant. Every
sound intensified behind his eyes, which he momentarily closed.
‘Melvin
truly is a holy man of God.’
‘Amen.’
‘They
make such a perfect couple—so young and in love.’
As
Donny sat listening to the inane conversations around him, they began to
reverberate in his head and squeeze his temples like a pincer. Something uncomfortable
stirred, churning his insides.
‘I
was feeling quite depressed and then I remembered Melvin prophesied about Jesus
healing the sick and that afternoon I made an amazing recovery.’
He
didn’t know how much more he could take. The cacophony of voices became a
crashing wave of atonal sound. Every sound was a spike hammering through his
brain.
‘…Isn’t
Melvin just the best…?’
‘…I’ve
never seen a couple so in love…’
‘…and
they’ll have such beautiful children…’
With
a roar, Donny stood, his chair crashing to the floor. He grabbed the table with
all his strength and knocked it on its side. The dishes hit to the floor,
shattering. He had their attention.
‘Fatuous
bullshit! You’re talking absolute, fucking bullshit. Can’t you see what’s going
on? Melvin ‘goody-two-shoes’ got her pregnant, and you still
think he’s wonderful.
Selena doesn’t love him, but she’s too scared to say.’
His
sister, Hazel, tried to stop him. He pushed her away. ‘I can’t bloody stand it
any longer. I’m in love with you, Selena.’
People
sat, speechless.
Some
other guests got up, moving quickly towards him.
‘You
can’t marry him…what’ll happen to me?’ He stopped, breaking down completely and
slowly melted into an indistinct blob on the floor. ‘Who the fuck am I kidding?
Why would she ever love me?’
Melvin,
his father, and a few other men grabbed Donny. They carried him like a rolled
up carpet. He kicked and struggled to no avail as they took him from the room.
‘Leave
me alone, you bastards!’
Where
the hell were they taking him?
His
head ached. He was getting
hotter and hotter while the world outside burst into flames. Finally, he tipped
into a burning abyss.
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