The New Carpet

Penny walked into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Malcolm!” she thundered, but the house was silent.

Malcolm had stripped his motorbike and laid out the dirty parts on her new carpet. Yes, he’d put a plastic dust sheet down, but still! They’d been saving up for that new carpet for nearly two years and she’d made him promise to keep it clean. She’d even threatened to divorce him if he didn’t look after it. It was her line in the sand. And here it was, with a dirty, deconstructed motorbike on it.

Penny walked towards the pile and kicked a number of parts in frustration. They hit the wall, cracking the plaster and leaving a streak of oil. The parts fell onto the carpet and left a stain, which Malcolm hadn’t.

She was furious. And she was exhausted; working the night shift at the factory was difficult. She needed a cup of tea and a good sleep. Then she’d be in a better frame of mind to deal with that idiot husband of hers. She wrote a ranting note, left it on top of the largest motorbike part to catch his attention, then went to bed.

***

The loud knocks on the door woke Penny from a deep sleep. She waited a few minutes in the hope that either Malcolm would get the door, or the visitors would leave. Neither happened so she dragged on her old dressing gown and wearily made her way downstairs.

When she saw two police officers standing on the doorstep, Penny felt sick.

“Can we come in?” the older man asked.

In a daze, Penny showed them into her living room and sat on the sofa as they told her there’d been an accident and a man on a motorcycle had been killed. The ID in his wallet named him as her husband, Malcolm.

Penny sobbed.

***

The traffic police investigation took several months to conclude. An Inspector and his Sergeant knocked on Penny’s door to update her on what they’d found.

“Two of the key components in the bike’s engine showed evidence of small cracks. As your husband increased his speed, the stress caused the components to break apart, which caused the bike to veer off the road. The components had small traces of paint on them. The same colour as this wall.”

Penny wailed.