Happiness and Harmony

# Rachel and Vinny #

As Vinny opened the door to his studio apartment, he was surprised to see two innocuous brown boxes at his feet. Normally he would pick up packages from the doorman of his building, so this was unusual. He looked around the hall and noticed that handfuls of small brown boxes were in front of every other door as well.

“Rachel, there are little brown boxes in front of everyone’s door.” He said.

“What? Is it like, a voting thing?” Rachel said, walking towards Vinny by the door.

“I don’t know, they aren’t marked other than your name and my name. Must be from management.”

“Weird.” Rachel said as she took her box from Vinny. She reached out with her left hand, palm down, making a point to show off her brand new engagement ring.”

“Thank you, fiancé.” She said in a comedic, fancy voice.

“Oh, you are very welcome, fiancé.” Vinny said with his own take on the playful accent.

The newly betrothed pair wasted no more time and began to open their boxes. They both took note of the care and perfection with which their boxes were sealed. There was something alluringly soothing about each box, but neither wanted to bring up such an off kilter topic, fearing they were alone in their sense. As if it were a living being, the pair finished opening their boxes carefully, keeping the smooth cardboard completely intact.

“What the fuck?” Vinny asked rhetorically but wishing Rachel could answer.

“Bro, I have no idea.” Rachel responded.

Inside each box lay a single polaroid photograph perfectly centered in the container. Vinny’s polaroid had a picture of a tan brunette woman with the name, Isabella, beautifully handwritten on the bottom. Rachel’s polaroid showed a clean cut, muscular man with the name Elliot written in the same handwriting.

“Do you know either of these people?” Rachel asked.

“No, I have no idea what this is. Is there anything else in the box?”

“No, just the picture.”

“Do you think all the other boxes are pictures? Is this like an art installment?”

“Rach I have the same information as you.” Vinny said, shortly.

“Ok, relax, I was just asking.”

“Sorry. Whatever, I have to get to work. Text me if you find anything else out.”

Vinny gave Rachel a disingenuous kiss goodbye and made his way down the hall to the elevator. Vinny usually left for work earlier than most, so only a handful of boxes had been collected so far, but it was clear that they were at every door. While waiting for the elevator he heard a couple arguing. He couldn’t make out much, but he was sure it was related to the photographs.

# Vinny #

Once outside, Vinny felt irregularly uneasy on his short walk to the subway. The air was unnaturally warm for a late fall day and the sky was tauntingly blue. Had he not known any better he would have guessed he was dreaming. Weirdly, the advertisements and billboards that usually littered New York City, were all missing.

He couldn’t get the image of Isabella out of his head. He felt bad for snapping at Rachel, but Isabella was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Something about the polaroid planted a seed in his mind that he couldn’t shake. He felt that he somehow knew or was connected to this Isabella in some way.

The way Isabella’s brown curls rested so lightly on her tanned shoulders made Vinny think about all the things he hated in Rachel. Isabella’s smoky brown eyes and sharp features made his fiancé seem so plain in comparison. He hated that he felt this way so suddenly. He had proposed to Rachel only a few days prior and it had been the happiest day of his life. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but they worked hard to be a good team. It was something they were both proud of, and Vinny had never doubted that he loved Rachel, but this Isabella… He grasped at the golden cross chain hanging at his neck and begged his god to give him strength. As he walked into the subway, he couldn’t help but feel he forgot something.

# Rachel #

Rachel walked back into the small apartment she shared with Vinny and watched from the window to see if she could spot Vinny as he walked to the subway as she did every morning. She looked down at her left hand to admire her ring and realized that she was still holding the picture of Elliot. She lingered on the image for a moment. He had perfect bone structure, and it was clear that he worked out. Rachel always lamented that the Italian diet Vinny so enjoyed led to a slightly rounder face and less toned build, but it wasn’t like he was fat. It really had never bothered her more than a second thought, but as she looked down at the picture in her hand, she couldn’t help but feel disgusted by her fiancé.

“Oy vey.” Rachel said to herself once she realized she had gotten so caught up looking at Elliot that she missed Vinny waving up at her as he did every day.

She walked over to the TV to flip on the news while she made herself some breakfast. As she poured oats into a pot to make her daily oatmeal, she thought of how Vinny called it inedible mush and often berated her cooking skills playfully. In the moment it always felt like it wasn’t a big deal, but she always thought she was a good cook. “I bet Elliot would like my cooking.” She thought to herself.

“Reports from people all over the city stating that they received a mysterious brown package this morning has New York both confused and intrigued. Who are these people? Who delivered the packages? All of this and more, right here, right now.”

“What the fuck? Everyone? Really?” Rachel said aloud.

# Vinny #

Vinny sat at his desk staring at his computer screen which unfortunately did not complete the work he needed to do for him. All he could see or think about was Isabella.

“Yo Vin, did you get a box today?” One of his coworkers said while poking a head into Vinny’s office.

“Yea, did you too?”

“Sure did, check this stunner out.” Vinny’s aggressively single coworker held out a picture of a thin blonde woman, with the name, Grace, written on the bottom in the same handwriting that Isabella’s was in. Vinny felt that the woman was pretty, but did not feel the same as his coworker who kept saying she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. “Isabella was so much more beautiful.” he thought.

“How’d Rachel react?” He teased.

“She got one too.”

“Oh, no shit? Wonder what this is all about.”

Vinny’s coworker left to go show his picture to other office mates, but Vinny couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Grace was pretty, sure, but she was no Isabella. “Even Rachel was better looking than Grace.” He thought.

Vinny’s phone buzzed; it was Rachel.

[ Vin, the pictures are our soulmates. It’s on the news. Some weird guy made a company for it.]

# Rachel #

“Early this morning, brown boxes were delivered to every residence in the world. No matter where you are from, you received a package today that has assuredly left you asking, who sent this? Why send this? And who is the person in my polaroid photograph? English couple, Mary and Ted Rose, have helped shed some light on the situation after speaking with their local British news network. Mary and Ted, true high school sweethearts, have been happily married for over seventy years. This morning, in their brown boxes, they received pictures of one another. After speaking with neighbors, they pieced together a theory, the pictures everyone received, are of their soulmates. Joining us now, virtually, and to corroborate this hypothesis, is founder and CEO of soulmatch.io, Edgar Harmony. Hello Edgar, how are you?”

Rachel recoiled at the man on her screen. He had disgustingly greasy hair. His face was riddled with boils and scars. His back was hunched and his skin looked dryer than sand. His small eyes pierced through the screen in an unnatural way that made Rachel instinctively cover her exposed chest despite being alone in her apartment.

“I am filled with happiness, thank you.”

“Is it true that your company delivered these boxes?”

“Yes, in the name of happiness and harmony, we delivered boxes to everyone.” Edgar stifled a cough into the palm of his hand, revealing yellowed and cracking fingernails.

“And is it true that the polaroid pictures inside are of everyone’s one true soulmate?”

“Yes, using proprietary algorithms we have been studying dating apps and social media for the last twenty years. After many hours of harmonious work form many happy people, we are now ready to launch soulmatch.io, the first dating app guaranteed to work, because you can only use it once! Simply scan the polaroid with your phone and you will be given the contact information of your soulmate. From there, you can build a new life of happiness and harmony together, just like Mary and Ted Rose, who have never fought nor had a single disagreement in seventy years of happiness and harmony. Mary and Ted Rose can be you if you use soulmatch.io”

“What do you say to the millions of outraged couples who have received pictures of other people today?”

“I say that such existing relationships are disgusting and offensive to the true beauty of happiness and harmony. Look at Mary and Ted Rose! They have never fought nor had a disagreement in over seventy years. Leave your imperfect life behind with soulmatch.io and you too can join Mary and Ted Rose in happiness and harmony.”

Rachel scoffed and realized that she still had her hand over her chest. When she lowered it, she swore that Edgar’s eyes darted to view her breasts, but she quickly dismissed the impossibility. Either way, she had no intention of throwing away everything she had with Vinny, but the inevitable fear hit her, that Vinny might not feel the same.

Rachel pulled out her phone to text Vinny. She told him the news and wanted him to come home.

# Elliot #

Elliot stared at his polaroid in disbelief. Rachel was his soulmate, and she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Elliot had been part of the Israeli military for most of his youth, and after a difficult transition back into everyday life, he found dating to be a challenge. He wondered if Rachel was the answer to his loneliness and his fears. He sat in his small apartment and cried for he did not want to burden such a beautiful woman with his troubles. How could anyone see past his traumas? Elliot had killed before and been around death long enough to know what life was worth.

He took out his phone and saw soulmatch.io pre-installed and waiting for his thumb on his home screen. He hovered his thumb over the icon but could not press down. He loved Rachel more than he had ever loved anyone. He knew in his heart that they would be happy together, but he could not shake the feeling that he was not deserving of any true happiness or harmony in his life.

Elliot walked over and closed the blinds on his small windows. He took out a pen and wrote down how he felt. He poured his heart out and soaked the table with his tears. He wrote that he hoped Rachel would be happy, and that she would not feel the same terrifying obsession he felt for her. No matter how beautiful a life they could have together, it felt unnatural to him. He signed his name, capped his pen, and pressed his pistol to his head. “I’m sorry Rachel. I love you.” He said, as he pulled the trigger.

# Vinny #

Vinny got up from his desk and peaked out from his door. He wasn’t sure why he was checking around the corners, or why he was so afraid all of a sudden, but Rachel’s text and his coworkers obsessive behavior had left him completely unnerved. He hoped that Isabella was safe.

He cautiously made his way through his office, a normally quiet and comfortable place for him, that now felt like a jungle. Two of his coworkers began to argue as he got closer to the door.

“How can you not see how beautiful my soulmate is?”

“Your soulmate sucks, mine is way more beautiful!”

“You’re a piece of shit, and your soulmate is a whore!”

Vinny shot around as he heard the distinctive sound of two men racing towards each other. Clearly the news was spreading. Tommy and Reginald, the two longest tenured employees in the accounting department were on the floor of the office, beating the shit out of each other.

Once outside, the streets were filled with yelling, violence, but most of all, tears. People were sobbing out of fear, betrayal, and joy. Vinny ran as fast as his legs could take him. He was so afraid for himself and everyone he loved. Every advertisement had this Edgar Harmony on it. Every billboard said soulmatch.io. Giant signs with the words “Happiness and Harmony” stared down on a bloody and restless Manhattan.

# Rachel #

“Come on Vin where the fuck are you?”

Rachel was pacing around the apartment staring at her phone. With Edgar Harmony all over the news, she was now wearing a baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants. She looked at her picture of Elliot, but no longer with the same interest she had before. For some reason, the sharpness of the image had dulled and her feelings were more mellow. She felt no connection to him, and just wanted to see Vinny. She felt unsafe and Vinny had always given her the safety she craved now.

She looked out the window and saw chaos and fighting in the street. She wondered how things had gotten so bad so quickly. She was sure that the advertisements on the buildings were all different from even just this morning. They were all for soulmatch.io now. She stared out the window, praying to her god that Vinny would appear from the subway stairs. She put her fingers on her engagement ring and cried. She then looked over and saw the polaroid of Isabella sitting on the counter.

# Vinny #

Vinny walked into the train station and quickly realized that the subway was no longer an option for travel. He ran back up the stairs and took out his phone. He had so many unread texts from Rachel. He opened his phone up and saw the soulmatch.io app staring back at him. His polaroid was still in their apartment. He froze for a minute to catch his breath. He could find Isabella if only he had the polaroid.

He looked up at the many billboards and signs that seemed to be replicating all on their own. In giant letters he saw “Mary and Ted Rose have never fought nor had a disagreement in seventy happy and harmonious years of marriage! Use Soulmatch.io and you can be like Mary and Ted Rose, who have never had a fight nor a disagreement in over seventy happy and harmonious years of marriage!”

Vinny looked around and saw the words “happy and harmonious” everywhere he looked. Every woman he saw disgusted him and every male made him fearful for Isabella’s safety. He had to make sure she was safe. Rachel would understand.

He made the decision that he would return home, but not for Rachel.

# Rachel and Vinny #

Rachel took the photograph and stared at it for a long time. Never in her life had she hated someone the way she hated Isabella. She loved Vinny, and she didn’t care that they weren’t soulmates. She knew that they worked hard and she wanted to cherish that. They were engaged and it was the happiest she had ever been.

She grabbed a lighter from their drawer and held it up to the picture.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Vinny! You’re home, thank god.”

“Put the polaroid down.”

“What? Vinny you’re scaring me.”

“Put it down.”

“No. I’m burning this and we are moving on with our lives. People are fighting out there Vin! We have to get to safety.”

“Exactly! I'm just supposed to leave Isabella alone to fend for herself? Are you crazy?”

“Am I crazy!? You don’t even know this bitch!”

“Fuck you! Do not speak about her that way!”

“Is this a fucking joke? Are you fucking with me right now?”

Vinny moved sternly towards Rachel with his arm outstretched to grab the picture. Rachel backed away quickly and held the lighter up to it threateningly.

“Take another step and I light this on fire.”

“Rachel, you have to calm down. I’m sorry. I just want to make sure she is safe. I’m not going to leave you, I just don’t want her to get hurt because of me.”

“Vinny, You. Don’t. Fucking. Know. Her.” Rachel said furiously.

Rachel turned on the lighter and caught the corner of the polaroid. Vinny grabbed a knife from the kitchen rack and rushed towards Rachel. He plunged the knife into his fiancé and quickly put out the flame.

“You’re ok, you’re ok!” Vinny said to the polaroid, which had only slightly burned on the edge.

Vinny took his phone out to scan the picture, but the app wouldn’t recognize the polaroid.

“You ruined it! The app won’t scan the picture! Are you happy now!?” Vinny screamed at Rachel, who lay on the floor coughing up blood.

Vinny froze. He looked at his fiancé, dying on the floor. She had tears pouring out of her eyes, and blood pouring from behind her hands that were grasping her chest.

“Are you Vinny?”

Vinny turned around to see a stranger standing in his open door.

“You’re my wife’s soulmate?” the stranger asked.

Vinny didn’t answer.

“Whatever. You’ll never be like Mary and Ted Rose, who have never had an argument nor a disagreement in over seventy years of happy and harmonious marriage.” The stranger said, as he pulled out a gun.

Vinny grasped the cross hanging around his neck. He turned and locked eyes with Rachel. The last thing he saw were the words “happiness and harmony” on the TV, as his fiancé’s blood completely drowned the engagement ring he had given her.