Ricky Rodriguez hurried home when he got the call. He didn't bother to warn his subordinates nor did he notify his superiors that he was leaving work. He just left. Nothing was more important than this. He drove his car like a madman and nearly bowled Mr. Valenti over on his daily walk to the local hot dog vendor. Mrs. Nelson was not pleased to see him and not pleased to have to sign for a purchase of his.
"You should have told me that you had something coming." His landlord shoved the box into his hands roughly and he cradled it, giving her an angry glare. "It's not my responsibility to sign for things for tenants."
"Thank you, Mrs. Nelson."
"What's lepi ... lepi ... "
"Lepidoptery. The science of studying butterflies and moths."
"So there's something
live
in there? Ewww!" She gave him a hateful glare. "I will
never
sign for anything for you again! Next time, have your wife do it!"
Ricky didn't hesitate for very long after she slammed the door. He took the steps two at a time, carefully juggling the precious box and trying to control his excitement. Finally, he thrust a key into the door of his fifth floor apartment and stepped inside, dropping his keys on the side table and hurrying through the living room.
She was still there, waiting for him. His beautiful Maritza laid silently, her golden body draped in snow-white sheets and her hair arranged on the pristine pillows. His adoring eyes drifted over her perfect form, the 38C breasts, the child-bearing hips, the Ava Gardner lips ... but he overlooked the mottled purple and yellow of bruises on her jaw and arms, the black line of dried blood at the corner of her luscious mouth and the anthill-sized lump just hidden under a wing of her dark hair. He did not want to see them nor remember them. There was only now, only the future.
He waited until the clock on the wall read 11:59. One minute till midnight and one minute until the New Year was officially crowned. With shaking hands, he slowly unwrapped the package, keeping his gaze averted until the mantel clock chimed. He took a deep breath and looked down, his breath catching at the beauty inside. The butterfly was like none he'd ever seen. The ad had said that it was only found in the darkest reaches of the Amazon jungle and possessed healing powers second to none. It was for the healing powers that he paid $5,000 for and had anxiously awaited three weeks for its arrival. On this little butterfly's powdered wings lay all of his hopes and dreams.
He sterilized a pair of tweezers from the bathroom, cracked the protective packaging open and fished the quarter-sized insect out, holding it up to the light and gazing at the ethereal luminescence, a pearly light that seemed to emanate from the butterfly. His heart leaped in his chest as he realized that the superstition was true. If the first butterfly of the New Year that you saw was white, good fortune would follow you all year long. Whispering a silent and fervently thankful prayer to his god, he laid the insect between Maritza's perfect breasts and held his breath.
At first, he saw no change. Her chest did not fill with oxygen nor did her sallow skin bronze with life-giving blood. And the lifeless butterfly lay still on her flawless skin.