CHAPTER TWO-1
742 Words
CHAPTER TWO
“Let it out,” Kathy repeated. “Don’t keep carrying it around. You know I’m here to listen.”
So, Maddie told her all of it. The hateful speech and wounding words, the distance that had grown in her marriage, not just emotional, but physical.
“Ouch,” Kathy murmured in sympathy. “How long since... you know...”
“Years,” Maddie blurted out. “We haven’t had s*x in four years.”
“Really?”
“Really. And Kathy, I’ve tried everything. Sexy outfits, romantic date nights, even, you know...” Maddie trailed off as she blushed, “um... I’ve even suggested role playing. Nothing has worked.”
She could see the understanding in Kathy’s eyes when she risked looking over at her friend.
“Well, I know you, Maddie, and I know you’re really shy about that kind of stuff, so, those were big steps for you. And you got no reaction?”
“I even went and bought this ridiculous red lace getup. It stressed me out just trying to figure out how to put the damn thing on. You know?” Maddie managed a small smile at that memory.
Kathy chuckled. “One of those ‘is it lingerie or a puzzle rug’ types?”
“Exactly! But I figured it out, and I put it on in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, and went downstairs into the living room. Eric was watching a show, and I stood in front of him and said something provocative, I don’t even remember what exactly. Something sensual, like in those romances we read. You know what his response was?”
“What?”
“He said, ‘Move, Maddie, I can’t see the TV’.”
Kathy’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”
Maddie’s smile was gone, replaced with brimming eyes as she whispered, “Yep.”
“Wow,” Kathy breathed. “What an ass.”
“So, I went upstairs, and took the red lace off and threw it in the trash, and put on sweatpants and a t-shirt, and I haven’t tried anything like that since. That was four years ago. And I’ve gotten used to not having an intimate life anymore. But now, it’s everything. He can’t even bother to let me know he’s working late anymore.”
Maddie was transitioning back to anger as she spoke. “Like last night. I found a new recipe, decided to make us a nice dinner, with candlelight and everything. Had it plated and ready to eat at seven o’clock sharp. And he didn’t come home, and he didn’t return my text or calls. I wound up eating by myself, again, then falling asleep on the couch.”
Her laugh was a bitter one. “I actually even put a negligee on last night too. Thank God I changed out of that! When I woke up this morning, he’d left me a note. A note, Kathy. And it just said, ‘I worked late, didn’t want to wake you, see you in a week.’ Not ‘I love you’, not ‘sorry I made you worry’, nothing else.”
Maddie stood and began to pace, her anger growing.
“And I am tired of it, Kathy. I think I might be done with this whole damn thing. I think I deserve more. I’m thirty-seven, not dead. I’m no beauty queen but I am one hell of a good woman. I’m smart, I’m honest, I’m loyal, and I’m loving. There’s got to be more for me in life than this.”
“I agree,” Kathy nodded. “Except for the ‘no beauty queen’ part. You don’t give yourself enough credit, Mad. You don’t ever notice it, but you do have men looking at you more than you realize. I think you’re fabulous, and you deserve to have a man in your life that thinks so too!”
She reached out for Maddie’s hand.
“Whatever you decide to do, just know, I have your back. If you need to crash here for a while, just say the word. Okay? You don’t have to go through this by yourself.”
“I know,” Maddie answered as she hugged Kathy. “And I am so thankful for that.”
“So, what’s next?”
Maddie set her jaw, and her tone was soft but resolved. “I suppose it’s time to find a good divorce lawyer.”
***
* * * *
“I think that went well,” Toby said, as the research and development team members began to leave the meeting.
“Me too,” Mason agreed. “And I believe we’re actually ahead of schedule. Depending on this last round of testing, we should be good to soft launch.”
“Mason, I just want to say thanks,” Toby told him earnestly. “I am so grateful to be here, to be a part of all of this.”
“Happy you’re here, man,” Mason clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re a big asset to Gentries Unlimited.”
The young man grinned.
“Now, back to work.”
***
- Writer
