Yahara Journal 2021

A Rare Game Elizabeth Pardo It was a rare game they were about to play. This particular brand of fun only happened when Dominic’s temper was so dark that he punctuated each word when he spoke with a sharp, almost-hissing sound.

Jennifer didn’t like this game. It wasn’t fun—this is dangerous, Jennifer. Tell him that it’s dangerous, too dangerous—but she was as silent as Dominic. All she had said earlier was some off-hand, jokey comment about a country singer that Dominic liked, and Jennifer’s opinion had set him off to hissing and silence.

The game was called Mock Execution, and, as far as Jennifer could tell, Dominic made it up himself. Dominic would spot a pedestrian, and then he would drive his sedan as close as possible to the pedestrian, and then Dominic would pretend to try and run them over. Pretend, right? Pretend, Jennifer thought, watching Dominic’s thin face in the burgeoning pre-dawn light. Once Dominic saw the naked and terrified responses of the pedestrians he was trying— pretending—to run over, he would jerk the wheel. The car would right itself in the lane with a squeal, and then Dominic’s game was done.

The last time they played Mock Execution was four months ago when Dominic agreed to finally meet Jennifer’s best friend, Scott, who she met at school. Scott was a classmate she’d known for over three years. Dominic had been nearly silent throughout the whole dinner, looking at his phone, drinking hard liquor, and occasionally laughing at nothing. After they all left the restaurant, Dominic watched Scott walk away to his car, leaving Jennifer standing there on the sidewalk without unlocking the sedan.

Dominic told Jennifer as they drove away that Scott wasn’t actually Jennifer’s best friend, as women simply couldn’t have male best friends because Scott was more than likely just looking to get into her pants. Jennifer snorted and laughed.

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