Richard Hale, self-starter and CEO of a well-to-do firm, loved a good joke. But he also had one major flaw: he did not know where to stop. For him, the line between a joke and cruelty was often blurred. When Adeline stepped out of the car to stretch her legs at the gas station, he smirked, shifted gears, and rolled forward a few feet.
“Come on,” he called. “Keep up.”. She frowned, half-laughing, thinking he was only teasing. Then he accelerated just enough to make her jog after him. The sound of her calling his name followed him into the dark, swallowed by the noise of rain and engine. The thrill was intoxicating. She’d soon be furious, then she’d forgive him. She always did in the end.
In the rearview mirror, he watched her grow smaller, a shape under flickering fluorescent lights. He almost stopped, but didn’t. A lesson, he told himself, maybe she’d finally learn not to take herself so seriously. He drove away humming to the rhythm of the wipers, proud of his own wit…