31st of February Street

Griffen Household on 31st of February Street in Central London is a nice suburban house of Mrs. and Dr. Steve Griffen and their two young children Amy and Sue, 8 and 6 respectively. A solid brick house that was built just a decade ago when Queen Victoria took to the throne. Quite common, the house viewed from the outside, is a plain house with two floors. Almost every day in the evening saw the two young children playing around on the front porch and a proud Dr. Griffen looking at them playing as Elizabeth, his wife brought his evening tea out.

This wet winter afternoon the sky was full of broken clouds, and the whole neighborhood was swept by their shadows. The street lights to the northward were obscured by a heavy shower, traces of which were drying off the slates of the sidewalk. The backyard was a well-kept lawn with a few clipped holly trees. The land was enclosed for the use of the girls.

On this rainy winter afternoon, a horse carriage stood at the door of Griffen House. The carriage was that of Mark Griffen, Steve's younger brother who was married to Sandy and had two sons Peter and Paul. As we move indoors to observe the proceedings we see that within-doors, in the drawing-room, Dr. Steve Griffen was sitting with a petite lady aged about thirty-five to his right and a rather attractive couple in their late thirties in front of him. Both the ladies were elegantly dressed, of attractive features, and only falling short of absolute beauty in their complexion. He held a gun in his hand.

"No compromise whatsoever, I am sorry to say," the doctor spoke.

"This is not like you," said Liz, his wife, rubbing her hands.

"It is quite natural that you should feel disappointed," replied the doctor. "I would earnestly advise you to try and talk to Mark about the dilemma that I have placed in front of the three of you. The choice is quite straightforward and someone as astute as Mark must be capable of making a firm decision--" The doctor stopped and looked at Mark, who was sitting right in front of him. Liz's face had lost most of its shine but her features were still striking. Mark raised his hand with a gesture of protest.

"Oh, no, Steve," he said. "I am not going to make this decision; I will not make it easy on your soul. I know that if you do as you propose, some of the blame will fall on me but I am not likely to decide who lives and who dies. As to taking life away, that is your decision. I agree that when I slept with Liz I crossed the line that is set for decent behavior and family but it was a mistake that millions of people make and no one dies over it. I should not have a moment's peace from this day just knowing that my actions turned a decent man like you into a monster but I will not decide who lives and who dies. You will give us a trial, will you not? Will you not hear what we have to say?"

"Certainly. With the greatest displeasure," spoke Steve, looking at Mark and Liz with the most hateful look that you could imagine. "I shall listen as long as you speak. But"--here the doctor toyed with the gun in his hand, "you cannot appeal to my better nature because I have decided that I will kill either your wife or mine before the night is through."

"But why," said Sandy, sitting to the left of Mark, evidently still coming to terms with her husband's infidelity and Sophie's choice laid in front of the gathering. "I have done no wrong, yet I find myself in a game of Russian roulette where my philandering husband decides if I get shot or the bed-warmer that he was using gets shot." questioning the doctor's doctrine. "What about my children? If I die they will suffer too."

"Hmm!" said Dr. Griffen, toying with the gun in his hand. "That would doubtless be unfortunate but imagine this -- Mark tells me to shoot Liz and I hang, while Liz meets her maker. This leaves Amy and Sue at the mercy of the Crown. On the other hand, if he tells me to shoot you, Amy and Sue have Liz as their natural parent, and Peter and Paul have Mark as their natural parent. So, if you think about it pragmatically the only good choice here is for the two innocent parties, you and I, to die."

"Not at all," said Liz, interrupting him hurriedly. "What if no one dies and we all go back to how things were. I promise that I will never be in the same room as Mark as long as I shall live. I promise that I will not even think about another man. It was just..."

"Do not use the word 'just'." Steve thundered. "I am sick and tired of the word just in relation to this affair. What was it? It was just a blowjob from the same mouth that kisses my daughters in the morning each day? What was it? It was just another man between your legs because I was lacking when it came to sex? What was it? It was just another forbidden thrill that was missing from life since you got married? Say what, this too is JUST an effort of mine to set the balance right." Steve got up and poured himself a glass of water.

"So Mark, you wanted to be heard and to have a fair trial. Speak now. Give me a reason why it was alright for you to sleep with my wife and destroy a family that has two young children. While you are at it also give me a reason why you thought taking my wife to bed would not have any consequences? I, last but not the least, would also like to know why I should not just shoot you and get the things over with."

Mark sat quietly knowing well that there were no reasonable explanations for any of the questions that Steve had raised.

"Oh! Then you would not like to speak in your defense?" Steve paused, "Most decidedly not. I hope now you know why I think this game is played better this way."

"I want you to stand up now and Liz, you too," Steve spoke as he got up and took place in the center of the room. Now, Liz and Sandy were sitting side by side and Mark was sitting facing them.

As Mark looked at the two women he was sleeping with, side by side, it dawned upon him that one of these two would not see the next morning. It was just supposed to be some fun on the side. Of course, he had promised Liz that he would leave Sandy and marry her, but it was a convenient lie, nothing more. While Liz was a great lady, she was not Sandy, the woman he had loved since eighth grade. Liz was an unattainable woman, simply by the virtue of being the wife of his brother. That is what made the chase and the conquest more thrilling.

"So here it is. Since you do not have any plausible defense, the ruling of death by your choice stands and if you do not give me a name before I count to 5, I will shoot all three of you and make all the four children orphans." Steve spoke as he took his place behind Mark facing Liz and Sandy.

The room, for a moment, went quiet and then Liz started sobbing again.

Five... Four... Three... Two...

"Shoot Liz" shouted Mark and Steve collapsed on the floor. It was almost as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He let out a shrieking cry of pain and spoke.

"Is this the piece of shit that you betrayed me for?" Steve wailed. "He is ready to let both your daughters go to hell. Is this what your golden love affair was all about? For all his drama, it took him a countdown of five to choose you. This is how much you mean to him. I sure hope he gave you a fabulous fucking because I do not see him giving any loving."

Liz broke down completely and cried her eyes out. Mark rushed to Sandy and held her tight, all the while saying how sorry he was and how he had made a mistake that he would never repeat in his life. Sandy was still in a state of shock and was sobbing heavily while trying to get out of his embrace.

"Mark, take Sandy and get out of my house. I do not want anything to do with you anymore. I will talk to mom and dad tomorrow and let them know not to invite both of us together for any gathering anymore. And yes, I will tell them how you cuckolded me." Steve did not look at Mark while talking to him.

"And what about me?" asked Liz, looking at him with red crying eyes. "How will I face your parents after this gets out?"

"Why would you care about what they think after the divorce?" Steve asked as Mike and Sandy quietly left the room.

"No, please do not divorce me. I made a mistake and I realize how badly I have hurt you. I am not trivializing the magnitude of my mistake but this meant nothing to me. You are the center of my universe. I will die without you." Liz was on the floor not making any head or tail of what happened today. It was a meaningless affair and it wasn't supposed to end up like this. While Mark had promised that he would leave Sandy and marry her but she knew it was just physical passion speaking.

"You will still have Amy and Sue. You are a good mother and daughters will need their mother more than the father as they grow up. Think about me for a second. All you have worried about till now is yourself, worry for me for a while. I will not be a full-time father to my daughters, I have lost my brother and my relationship with my parents is going to be strained. Think about our daughters and how they will have to make do with some scattered periods of time with their father. Think about my parents who at this advanced age have to see their sons as sworn enemies. Think about Peter and Paul who will have no connection with their uncle or cousins anymore." Steve had dropped the gun on the floor and was down on his knees crying.

There was no winner, no one died but none of the lives would ever be the same again. As Liz looked at her broken, desperate husband, she knew her actions had a cost and it was not just her who was paying it.

As we moved out of the Griffen household and onto the 31st of February Street, the rain had stopped but there was an eerie silence and gloom that almost foretold the life that was ahead for Liz and Steve, of broken dreams and shattered lives.