Disclaimer : I own nothing except my own fictional characters and recieve no payments of any sort. This story is for simple entertainment and fun only.
It was late Saturday night and Andy Hillstrand had absolutely nothing to do but sit home and watch tv. There was a program about sharks on Animal Planet playing, but truth be told he was only half interested. He had just had another one of many arguements with his wife Sabrina since he'd gotten home from Opilio Season and to be honest it was starting to take a toll on him. Andy was now 42, his wife being a year younger, and had been married to her since he was 22. There was a point in their marriage, about ten years in, when Sabrina wanted to leave him. She said she was tired of being alone and sitting at home, dealing with the constant worry of whether she would have a husband by the end of another cruel crab season. Andy had begged her not to leave. Andy loved her and coming home to no one was not something he looked forward to. To his relief she had decided to stay but Andy could tell it was never really the same. Sure she told him she loved him, sure she pampered him whenever he was home, treating him like a king. And yes as soon as the Time Bandit pulled into Dutch Harbor she was waiting for him at the docks. But it was never really the same and they both knew it. Though Sabrina had decided to stay, Andy knew a part of her had always resented him for it. And though part of him felt some what bad, he also felt that part of Sabrina should be grateful as well.
They had known eachother since they were in high school and had been dating since Sabrina's freshman year. After Andy graduated he went straight to work on the Time Bandit while Sabrina finished up one more year of high school. When she finally did graduate Andy asked her to live with him. Working on the Time Bandit and being son of the Captain definatly had it's financial benefits and he told Sabrina that he would take care of her and she would never have to want for anything. Sabrina was a very talented painter and Andy knew she had wanted to expand her talents and attend an Art School but with all the financial security Andy could offer he figured Sabrina could just stay home, living a life of luxury and he would even set up an art studio for her. Sabrina told him she would have to think about it but with Andy's constant begging, persistance and Hillstrand charm, within a month of graduating from high school she agreed to move in with him. And he had taken care of her ever since. As far as Andy was concerned there wasn't a thing he hadn't given Sabrina and had never treated her less than a wife should be treated. But lately Sabrina was riding him and giving him shit from the moment he walked in the house. He knew his marriage was heading downhill but this was the worst it had ever been. After the arguement he and Sabrina just had, about who even knew what, she decided to stay at a friends' house for the night. Andy lay on the couch recounting this evening's latest showdown, rubbing his forhead. He was getting one of his many recurring headaches since he'd been home.
"How about some Advil?" asked a voice so close to Andy that it made him jump in surprise. He looked up to see that standing in front of him was Jo Smith, the very young housekeeper Sabrina had hired about 3 years ago. He never understood the need for hiring her, seeing as Andy and Sabrina never had any children and with Andy being gone almost 9-10 months out of the year, the only person Sabrina had to take care of was herself. He figured it was just another indulgence he had to pay for that Sabrina didn't even think twice about thanking him for. Andy could feel his own resentment towards Sabrina growing and then he felt his headache increase along with it. "Sure." Andy said to Jo, closing his eyes again, with his hands still gently rubbing his temple. He heard a cabinet open, the water run for a little, and then the closing of the cabinet. He heard Jo's footsteps coming towards him and continued to keep his eyes closed until she said "Here." He opened his eyes taking the small cup of water and two Advils' Jo had just handed him and downed them quick. "Thanks." Andy said, ready to hand Jo back the now empty cup, but instead found himself extending his glass to an already retreating back. "No problem." Jo said and walked upstairs and into her room, which was on the left side of the hall and gently shut the door. Andy stared at the staircase Jo had just walked before shaking his head and getting up to place the cup in the sink. Andy shut off the kitchen light and then the living room light before laying back down on the couch. He never really cared for Jo as a person, mostly because he got the vibe that she herself had never really taken to him. Sure, she was never disrespectful to him and treated him as an employer should be treated, but he could sense that she never had cared for him and maybe even had a dislike for him. Andy could never figure out why considering that he'd probably had about a dozen conversations with her, if you could even call them that, in the last three years. He finally just figured that Sabrina had filled her head with stories about what a terrible husband Andy was and therefore had a biased and unjustified opinion about a man who she didn't even know. Andy just shrugged it off and soon found himself drifting off to sleep. Whatever Jo's reasons for her dislike towards Andy, he was grateful she had shown some kindness. The Advil had really helped soothe his headache. Andy soon fell into a much needed peaceful sleep.