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Keisha POV
"John?.... John!!?..." I found him talking to himself again. He seems to be doing a lot nowadays, cooped up in his box-like closet consumed in idle chatter with himself, taking up different roles to help him write stories, it's effective but odd. At times he would say something in between conversations and I would think he's talking with me but....
"John?... Are you in there honey? Your food is going to get cold." I asked at the door of his closet. I knew he was in there for I could hear his chatter, having one of his meetings with a character of his new book. "What could we do Diego? I don't think I can keep on." His voice then became deeper and heavily accentuated, surely to depict that Diego is talking back. I went back to cover the food, seems today is another dinner alone.
I remembered when this all started, John was just a novice writer, making small novels here and there. Back then life was the best, the two of us and a lot of books, when we finished reading we have idle chatter about the characters. When his books gained a lot of reader's that's when it started. At first it was small gestures like him twitching his ear a bit as though someone was whispering something there, then it moved to him having quiet conversations when alone. I remembered when I was still ignorant of his habit there was one particularly embarrassing incident, I was walking past his study and I heard him talking to a female persona. This went on for a couple of months and when I confronted him about it, he always claimed that he wasn't talking to anyone. I thought he was having an affair so I decided to record it for evidence and sign for a divorce.
A month to me carrying my supposed evidence to my lawyer and filing the divorce petition. He finished a book and had me read it. Upon reading it I saw all my recordings where the lines of his character Jonah to his lover Rina. I still feel utterly and shamefully embarrassed whenever he mentions that book.
Since then I haven't had the nerve to talk to him about his habits, I need to talk with him. A true conversation without any unnecessary chatter from any other character, just me and my John.
He came out of the closet and sat down about to start eating his food. I have to say it now, I have to engage him in a conversation so engrossing his other characters can't even think to intrude but what will we talk about? I blushed as my mind came across that novel again. He looked at me and smiled, I could feel the heat rushing up my face. It's now or never, I have to say it.
John's POV
Why is she red? Is something on my chin? She looks pretty though, what am I saying, she's always pretty. It's been long we've talked, I should say something.
We've gotta start going lad. No time for the lady today. Diego was calling, with the rate this is going this book would be the best. "Ermmm.... How's your book going love?" She finally asked a question and thank God for that, I would hate another night without talking with her.
"It's going fine, I'm almost through with it. How was you day?" I asked back
"Uneventful....." Then she fell quiet again. I hate the silence, in the silence the voices come and although they are well needed in my work, the only voice I want to hear is that of my wife.
*Oii I'm still waiting for my drink handsome. * Violetta, the female violinist voice came unexpectedly. It's been long I wrote a line about her.
"The voices?" Huh, Which voice was that, then I saw my wife looking at me expectedly.
"Is it the voices?" She asked again
"You know about them?" I asked. She simply nodded
"Do you hear them too?"
"What no, of course not." I chided myself. Of course she couldn't hear them, if Diego was talking to my wife he would have told me right?
"Wait, then how do you know about the voices?" She blushed again. My interest was piqued, why was she blushing so much?
Keisha's POV
I have to say it, he asked the question and for the first time in months our conversation hasn't been interrupted by one of his characters. This is what I wanted, no matter how embarrassing it is , so I said it "Well I first noticed it when you were writing The Jewel of the West, where I mistook Diane for your secret lover."
He laughed out loud at that, I have to say it was nice hearing him laugh. I went on to telling him how I recorded him talking as evidence and he nearly choked on his food. We kept on talking and went on to different topics, it was like a dream come true. It has been so long since we had such a long conversation, he had to retire by evening saying his about to finish his book. Naturally I didn't want it to end but I let him go, satisfied with the amount of conversation we had today.
Epilogue
John's POV
It's finished, my book is finished. The launching party is as colorful as ever. I looked fresh in my snazzy velvet suit, chosen with Diego's assistance, I looked at Keisha in her flowing velvet gown and I smiled at how lucky I am to have a wife like her. It was 2 years today when we had that conversation and I still remembered how I would have lost her and I still chuckle at times imagining how the divorce case would have gone.
I walked up to her and took her away from the guest's into the balcony.
"What is it John?" She asked. I just smiled at the craziness of what I'm about to do. I feel like a crazed teenager confessing his love again. Kneeling down on one knee I gave her a small velvet coated box. She held her mouth in shock as she took it and opened it.
The change of her facial gesture was so iconic and amusing, I ended up laughing. "Ha ha ha, very funny John, where are the cameras? Now I don't know who put this stupid prank idea into your mind but it's not funny." She vented while I was still trying to compose myself. "What exactly is this? Or is this the camera?" She pressed the button and was cut shut.
"John? Is... Is this?" She asked. Finally getting a hold on myself I answered.
"Yes honey. It's the full dialogue between Diane and Andre in The Jewel of the West. Your evidence of my secret lover, now it's the evidence of my love for you. For as in Andre's line to Diane goes "As sure as the Sun rises East and sets West, would I love you and forget the rest" so here's my gift to you, idle chatter caught in a small box, our Chatterbox."