Page 9 of Enough
I stare in utter shock. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I know I fucked up, Everly. Give me a chance to make this right.”
I nod my head as the tears begin to flow. He softly kisses my lips and wraps me in an embrace. Although I know I should feel better, something inside me clicks and makes me more afraid than I was before.
I REMOVE THE plastic wrap from his dinner plate and place it in the microwave. It’s after nine, and he should be home at any minute. I put the kids to bed at eight thirty as usual and rushed into a hot shower. I brushed out my hair and applied a little gloss to my lips. I put on my silky robe and changed into my nice underwear.
After I ended my call with Gwen, I seriously thought about all Mike and I have been through. There must have been a reason we were together, and I need to try harder to make it work and be more of the wife he needs, to be there for him and support him. Maybe once he sees how hard I’m trying, he’ll try harder too.
I take the plate from the microwave and position it neatly on the table. I hear the garage door open and I jump. Roscoe barks lightly to warn me he’s heard a noise. I pat him on the head nervously. Mike and I haven’t been intimate in over six months, and I’m really putting myself out there, hoping he’ll still be attracted to me.
He opens the door and Roscoe rushes to him, tail wagging. Mike doesn’t bend to pet him, and after a few seconds, Roscoe trots away. His tie is hanging loosely from his neckand he seems tired. I feel bad for giving him a hard time earlier. He places his briefcase on the dryer and strolls into the kitchen. His eyes dart to me as he notices I’m waiting for him.
“Hi,” I say.
He nods his head at me as he takes out his wallet and places it and his keys on the kitchen counter.
“I’m sorry about earlier today,” I continue. “Things were just really crazy and I was close to losing my mind when you called.”
He stares at me briefly, not saying a word. He ambles toward the stairs.
“Mike,” I call out to stop him.
He sighs and turns to face me. He’s already two steps up.
“I made you a plate. Are you hungry?” I ask as sweetly as I can muster.
“I ate at the office.” He turns and continues up the stairs.
I stare after him for a moment in disbelief. It’s not how I saw the night going. I make my way to the table and glare at his plate of food, trying to decide if I should put it in the fridge or throw it away. If he sees I threw it away, he’ll say I’m wasting his hard-earned money. I re-cover it and place it in the fridge.
I consider pulling out the kids’ lunch bags and making their lunches for school tomorrow but think better of it and decide to try to talk to him again.
I head up the stairs and toward our bedroom. He’s standing in a t-shirt and his boxers in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. I lean on the doorframe and cross my arms.
“Rough day?”
His eyes meet mine in the mirror’s reflection, and he nods as he spits out his toothpaste. “As if you didn’t know.”
I sigh. “I said I was sorry.”
“And I heard you the first time,” he responds as he wipes his face with a hand towel and hurries past me.
I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realize I look as ridiculous as I feel. Am I trying to seduce him? What am I even doing?
I turn on my heel and follow him to the bedroom. He’s setting his clock. It’s only nine fifteen and he’s going to sleep. That’s odd.
I don’t know what to do with myself, so I sit on the edge of the bed.
“Is there something you want, Everly?”
My eyes fall to the floor. Can’t he see I’m trying? “I wanted to talk to you,” I respond. “I hate how awful things are between us and I hoped to try to make things right.”
“And you thought a silky robe, a dinner plate, and a little conversation would be enough to do that at this point?” he questions with a squint of his eyes.
I glance down at my toes. At least I haven’t destroyed those nails. I raise my eyes to his. “Yes?”
He stares at me for a moment before the corner of his mouth curls up on the side. “Is that all you’ve got?” he asks playfully.
