Is He Going to Murder Him Now?

I guess by the time an author is famous and generally acknowledged by
everyone who counts to be a near-perfect genius, they get used to readers applying all sorts of themes and intentions  to their work. Since I'm fairly new at putting my work out for anyone (preferably anyone with 1.99) to read, readers' responses still bemuse me.

I sent a short story entitled Vermilion Wants to Go to the Movies to a friend to get feedback before I upload it to Amazon and Smashwords. I don't want to give the story away, but let me say that it is not a mystery and has nothing to do with any crime. The plot involves the hero's journey wherein the hero is challenged, fails or becomes discouraged, is challenged again, and then either  overcomes the challenge or fails a final time. Any possibility of violence in VWTGTTM is strictly psychological.

In it, Peter feels incapable of giving his flamboyant Southern wife the desire of her heart, which is a pretty simple wish to go to the movies every weekend. In 1932, the dollar a movie and popcorn cost seems like too much to spend, even for a man who is still employed, so one particular week, Peter tells Vermilion that they can't see a movie the next weekend. As the week progresses, Peter begins to feel his marriage threatened by his best friend Jake, whose amusing, story-spinning, flirtatious personality makes Peter feel.overshadowed and stodgy. The story is about Peter's attempt to nullify Jake by playing a kind of psychological warfare, Let me iterate, however, that I use neither violent language nor war imagery.I asked my friend--let's call her Jane--to let me know if she understood the ending, which is subtle.

Jane's first email said, "Vermilion murdered someone and then Peter covered it up. Or maybe Peter murdered Jake. Right?"

I laughed in the middle of Macy's as I read this on my phone (ah, yes, modern technology). Anyway, I wrote back and let Jane know that no one was murdered and, furthermore, I couldn't imagine where she got that idea from my story.

The next day I told a colleague (let's call him Dean) about Jane's comment in the way that one shares a good laugh before the deeper discussions of business take precedent. To help him understand why Jane's comment was so funny, I had to tell him the story. After I answered a barrage of questions, Dean informed me that Vermilion plans to have an affair with Jake. When I said that she most certainly did not, Dean informed me that I was being naive.

Later that day, Jane wrote back:  "So now is Peter going to murder Jake?"

Really, I think my friends watch too much television.