KAREN HAS A LESSON pt. 1
(Autistic author)
"You never listen to me!" Karen
exclaimed, her voice echoing
through the small lab.
Her husband, Plankton, looked
up from his invention, a frown
furrowing his brow. "What's
wrong now?" he asked.
"It's the same thing, every
single day," Karen said, crossing
her arms. "You're always so
focused on your work, you forget
what's important."
Plankton sighed, setting down
his wrench. "And what's that?"
Karen's eyes flashed with frustration.
"Our anniversary dinner, for one,"
she said. "You promised we'd go out
tonight, remember?"
Plankton's frown deepened as he
tried to recall the conversation.
"The dinner...right. I thought it was
next week," he mumbled, his gaze
darts back to his invention.
"No, it's tonight!" Karen's voice
was now a mix of annoyance and
desperation. "I've had this all
planned out for weeks, and you've
barely even acknowledged it."
Plankton looked at her, his eye
suddenly wide with realization.
"Tonight? But I've got the final
adjustments. It's a breakthrough,
Karen!"
Karen threw her hands in
exasperation. "It's always a
breakthrough, isn't it? When are
you going to realize that we need
to make time for us?"
Plankton took a step. "You
know how important this is to me,
to us," he said, his voice
softening. "Once I get this right,
we can finally be happy, have the
life we deserve when I..."
"When you what?" Karen interrupted.
"When you finally steal the Krabby Patty
formula?" she finished for him, her
tone heavy with sarcasm. "Is that what you
think will fix everything?"
Plankton's shoulders slumped. He knew
his obsession with Mr. Krabs' secret
formula was a sore spot for Karen, but
he couldn't help the hope that burned
inside him. "It's not just about that,"
he said, trying to explain. "It's about
proving to everyone, including myself,
that I can do something big." He gets
up on the shelf. Karen turns away.
Karen's frustration boiled over, her
face flushing. "You're so caught up
in this ridiculous vendetta that you
don't even see what you're doing to us!"
she yelled, slamming her hand down
on the lab table. The sudden noise
startled Plankton enough to wobble
on his precarious perch, and with a
tiny squeak of terror, he lost his balance
and toppled over.
His invention fell with him, colliding with
his head with an ominous clank. Karen
turns around, her anger replaced with
concern in an instant. "Plankton, are you ok?"
He lay still. Karen
rushed over. He was unconscious.
Karen knelt beside
his tiny body. "Plankton," she whispered,
shaking him gently. Panic began to
set in as he didn't stir. The weight of
her actions crashed down on her. She
hadn't meant for it to go this far.
"Plankton, talk to me," she begged.
With trembling fingers, she
checked for a pulse. It was faint but
there, and she felt a small wave of
relief. But he was still out cold.
Her mind raced as she tried to think
what to do next. Calling for help
was out of the question; their rivalry
with Mr. Krabs meant they couldn't
afford any more attention from the
authorities. She knew they gotta
wait it out.
Gently, she picked him up. He
was surprisingly heavy for his size.
Carefully, she cradled him in her arms
and laid him down on the couch.
The room was eerily silent except for
the faint ticking of the clock on the
wall. Karen sat beside
his unconscious form, her eyes
brimming with worry. The fight they'd
just had seemed trivial now.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, stroking
his antennae gently. "You're right, I
know how much this means to you.
But I just want you to know that no
matter what, I'm here for you."
Her voice was barely above a
whisper as she talked to him, as if
fearful that speaking too loudly would
shatter the fragile peace that had
settled over the room. "You don't
have to prove anything to me, or to
anyone else. I'm proud of you just
the way you are."
Karen's eyes searched Plankton's
face for any sign of movement, but
his features remained slack, his eye
closed. She leaned in closer.
"You're a brilliant inventor," she
continued. "But you're also a husband,
and I need you to remember that."
Her voice was filled with a
mixture of love and desperation.
"I know you can't hear me right
now, but I need you to know," she
continued, her voice shaking slightly.
"I know you're tired of
always being second best. But to me,
you're not just Plankton, you're the
man I chose to spend the rest of
my life with."
Karen took a deep breath, her
hands shaking as she held onto
his limp form. "We've been through
so much together, and I know you
think the Krabby Patty is the key
to our happiness, but it's not. It's
you. It's us."
Her voice grew stronger, fueled by
the passion of her words. "We can
have a great life without that
formula. We can build something
new, something just for us."
Plankton's chest began to rise and fall more evenly,
his breathing steady. Karen watched him, hope
growing in her heart. Maybe he could hear her
after all. "When you wake up, let's talk. Let's put
this behind us and make a promise to each
other to make our marriage a priority," she
pleaded, her eyes never leaving his face.
The minutes dragged by, each one heavier
than the last. The silence in the lab was
a stark contrast to the usual cacophony of
whirring machines and Plankton's excited
exclamations. Karen's mind raced with
thoughts of all the times they'd shared,
laughing and planning together, and
she couldn't help but reflect on their
relationship. The countless nights
spent in the lab, the stolen glances
of affection, and the shared dream of
a better future. It all flashed before
her eyes, and she realized just how
much Plankton meant to her.
With her heart pounding in her chest,
she leaned closer to his unconscious
form, her voice trembling. "Plankton,
please wake up," she whispered. "I need
you to hear me. Our love is our greatest
invention, not some secret recipe. I know I've
been pushing you, but it's because I
see how much this obsession consumes
you." She took a deep breath, her voice
steadying. "But if you can't let go of this
dream, I'll support you. I'll always
be here, by your side, no matter what."
After a long silence, Plankton groaned.
Karen gasped, her eyes filling with
relief as she saw the spark of
consciousness as he opens his eye.
He groaned softly, his hand coming
up to rub his head.
"Where?" he mumbled, his voice
slurred with confusion. Karen took
his hand, her voice gentle. "You're on
the couch, Plankton. You fell."