When I was in middle school, my dad met a woman named Betty for a blind date. Apparently, the two of them hit it off so well and they started dating shortly after. Betty was a nice woman but I would always get an uneasy feeling whenever she was near.
I remember a time where I was home alone and watching tv when I heard a knock at the door. When I look through the keyhole, it was Betty standing with a covered tray in her hand. Without really thinking, I opened the door and let her inside.
“So what are you doing here? My dad won’t be home until 7.”
“Actually, I came to see you!” She shoved the tray into my face and smiled sweetly at me. “I found the most delicious recipe online! I just knew I had to make it for you!”
Feeling hesitant I declined the offer of her treat, but she kept insisting. With each time I said no, she just continued to shove the tray in my face.
"Please, Neil! Take it! You've been so thin recently. It breaks my heart to see you so small," Betty pleaded and pouted.
Finally giving in to her pleas, I took the tray from her and examined the contents. It was a batch of chocolate chip cookies; my mouth was salivating as I pulled out the biggest one I could find.
"This was really nice of you Betty," I thanked her.
"I’m glad you like them Sweetie,” she chirped as she pinched my cheek. “I’ll have to get going now. Enjoy the cookies!”
When she left I wasted no time on enjoying the sweets. I took the biggest bite possible and savored the taste; so I took another bite, then another, then another. Suddenly my arms and legs felt incredibly itchy; my throat felt like it was closing; and I could feel my face swelling. Then everything went black.
***
The sound of slow beeping was the first thing I heard after I woke up. The second sound was my dad calling out my name as he hugged me tightly. Betty was right behind him and bombarded me with questions about my health. When they finally stopped, a woman in a white coat entered the room with a look of relief on her face.
“It’s nice to see you awake Neil,” she stated. “If your father didn’t come home when he did, you would’ve been dead,”
“Wait, dead!?” I shouted. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve had an allergic reaction,” she continued. “Are you allergic to anything?”
“Peanuts,” my dad responds.
Betty’s gasps filled the room as she started to burst into tears.
“It’s all my fault! I’m so sorry Neil! I didn’t know!” Betty cried as she held me tightly.
***
A few weeks after my recovery, my dad called things off with Betty. He had a hard time trusting her after almost accidentally killing me. He even went as far as changing our number and moving so that Betty had no way of contacting us. After a few years we forgot about Betty, until we turned on the news.
The breaking news said, “Woman arrested for poisoning children” and on the top right corner of the screen, there was mugshot of Betty.