The Tragedy of Clark Robinson

The Tragedy of Clark Robinson(Joseph Logsdon) The Tragedy of Clark Robinson
By Joseph Logsdon

Clark Robinson had the perfect life. He was handsome, wealthy, and successful. He had a beautiful wife and she would do anything to please him. Clark’s children were educated, spoiled, and extremely good-looking. Clark loved his job as a lawyer and he would often gloat about his wealth. He had the perfect life, but that life would soon come to an end.

It was early in the morning when Clark decided to get out of bed and walk to his lavish kitchen. Once there, he discovered that his wife was cooking him breakfast. However, Clark was never truly impressed with his wife’s ability to cook. In many ways, Clark remained a spoiled and ignorant child. When he was a boy, the world worshiped him and nothing seemed impossible. As Clark got older, he discovered that the world still worshiped him and everyone like him. Unlike most people, Clark was rich and he was determined. American society adored wealth, charisma, and power. Clark, though young, had the ability to make thousands of people love and respect him. He did not corrupt people, nor did he force them to worship him. In the end, his friends had already been corrupted by a materialistic society.

Lauren Crawford was Clark’s wife. When Lauren was a teenager, she attempted to suppress her magnificent beauty. As she grew older, Lauren discovered that her beauty could lead to a successful life. Lauren first encountered Clark Robinson when she was working as an actress in Hollywood. At first, she attempted to resist Clark’s charming presence. However, her resistance turned into lust and a shameless affair began. They married soon after and Clark had finally captured his trophy wife.

“How was your night?” Lauren asked as she sat Clark’s breakfast on the table.
“I didn’t have one single dream last night,” he replied.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“On the contrary, I hate dreaming and have always hated dreaming.”
“Why?”
“My dreams could never replace your beauty, Lauren.”
“You’re very sweet, you know that?” Lauren said.
“You are the perfect wife. You cook, clean, and care for me. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”
“I only do it because I love you so much.”
“Everyone is in love with me, Lauren. I have never told you this before, but I can somehow attract people without realizing it. Do you know what I mean?”
“I know what you mean. Clark, I know that you get jealous because men find me attractive, but I’m more jealous of you.”
“Why is that?”
“You have a strong personality, a personality that I could never possibly have. You attract people without thinking, without doing anything. When we first met, I thought you were a punk. As time went on, I became attracted to your charm and to your body. I didn’t care about my Christian upbringing and I didn’t care about my vow to stay clean. Because of you, I am no longer a Christian.”
“That was quite a story.” Clark laughed.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“I’m afraid so, Lauren.”

Clark kissed his wife goodbye and walked out the door. As he made his way to work, Clark noticed that almost everyone was staring at him. Clark knew that he was desirable and that he had the personality of a successful man. New York was his kingdom and he would rule it for as long as he could.

When Clark finally arrived at the law firm, his employer’s secretary was waiting for him.
“Mr. Cable would like to see you, Mr. Robinson.”
“Why is that, Molly?”
“He wants to discuss your career.”
Clark was not shocked to learn that his employer wanted to see him, for he had been expecting a promotion for months.
“You’ve always been a good friend, Molly.”
Molly blushed and all worry left her eyes.
“Thank you, Mr. Robinson.”
“Would you like to be more than that?”
Molly could not resist Clark’s charm, even though she was a married woman. In that moment, Molly didn’t care about her loyalty to her husband. She wanted Clark, but she could not bring herself to come out and say it.
“Mr. Robinson, I don’t know what you mean,” she stuttered.
Clark got out a piece of paper and handed her his phone number.
“Call me.”
Molly remained speechless as Clark walked past her and entered Mr. Cable’s office. Molly knew that she would call him, for she could not resist him.
“Robinson, have a seat,” Mr. Cable said as Clark shut the door behind him.
“Sir, you wanted to see me about something?”
“Robinson, what kind of man are you?” Cable asked.
Clark paused for a moment and thought about the question that had been asked. In Mr. Robinson’s mind, he judged himself to be a good and passionate man.
“I’m an upstanding member of my community,” he answered.
“We all know that, Robinson. I’m not trying to ask you about your deeds, nor am I asking you about your work ethic. What kind of man are you?”
Clark had to think hard about Cable’s question, a question that challenged him in a very deep way. Suddenly, an answer came to him.
“Sir, I’m a loving man. I love my wife, children, and friends. All my life, I have strived to help people, even if they seemed mean and hateful. Do you know what I’m trying to say, Mr. Cable?”
“I certainly do, Robinson. Robinson, how long have you been working for us?”
“About five years.”
“I should have promoted you sooner.”
“What do you mean, Mr. Cable?”
“I’m raising your salary, Robinson.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cable. Can I have a bigger office?”
“You can have Mr. Bacall’s office.”
“Doesn’t Mr. Bacall need his office?” Clark asked.
“Not anymore, Robinson. You see, Mr. Bacall is old and I can no longer keep him as an employee.”
“Will he be angry?”
“With any luck, he’ll have a heart attack before Christmas,” Cable laughed.
“When can I move into his office?”
“Give me a few days to fire Mr. Bacall. Once he is gone, you can move in.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cable.”
“Keep up the good work, Robinson.”

Clark smiled as he left his employer’s office. On that day, Clark felt alive and full of love. For the first time, he felt truly content, but that contentment would soon die. Over the next few days, Clark was the happiest man in the world. His wife loved him and everything seemed like it was going to be all right. However, nothing can last forever.
As Clark came home from work, a mysterious figure approached him. The man looked dazed and insane. To Clark’s surprise, Mr. Bacall was standing in front of him. In that moment, all sound seemingly left the noisy street.
“Good evening, Mr. Bacall.”
“You stole my job!” Bacall shouted.
“Sir, I didn’t steal your job. Mr. Cable felt that you needed to retire. Understand me, please!”
“Do you know what you’ve done to me?”
“I haven’t done anything to you.”
“My daughter’s child is sick and without medicine, without charity. I need that job, Mr. Robinson. Will you please convince Mr. Cable to give me my job back?”
“Sir, I only watch out for myself. I’m sorry about your granddaughter, but I need that office.”
“Go to hell!”
Mr. Bacall suddenly withdrew a gun from his pocket.
“What are you doing, Bacall?”
“I’m sick of getting pushed around. All my life, people have been laughing at me. Well, I’m much more than a chump, even if I have to shoot someone to prove it!”
Clark stood in shock as his former colleague became completely unhinged.
“Don’t do this, Bacall.”
Without hesitation, Mr. Bacall fired two bullets into Clark’s face. Within seconds, Clark Robinson was dead. After 10 seconds of silence, Bacall put his gun inside his mouth and fired. The two corpses became cold and pale as snow fell. In the end, Clark was a winner and a loser. He had the perfect life, but that life was empty. Despite his luck, Clark Robinson never cared for anyone. His dead body was cold, but his heart remained colder.