Dave was lost in thought in Mega-Lo Mart. He absentmindedly browsed the aisles, occasionally putting something in his basket. He couldn't shake the scene from earlier out of his head. He wanted to help Emily, but felt powerless by Brad's words. He shouldn't intervene between a man and his wife. Still the desperation in that woman's voice left him deeply unsettled. He didn't like that Brad had said even if it was the case, that God permitted it to happen and to help them come together. He sighed heavily. He doubted Brad when his wife died and here he was doubting him again.
He was startled out of his thoughts when he bumped into a woman. "Oh, sorry miss I wasn't watching where I was going." He apologized immediately. When he recognized her. "Lenore?" He asked in disbelief? He hadn't seen her since she divorced Bill. "Dave." She said coldly before hurrying out of the aisle. "Wait!" He called after her and caught up. "What do you want, Dave? I'm trying to shop." She said in annoyance, glancing around for any sign of Bill or his friends. "How ya been? It's been a few years." He said good naturedly. "I'm well, actually, and you?" She said with a little more confidence. "I've been doing okay." Dave said, an awkward silence fell between them. Dave rubbed the back of his neck. "So have you heard that Bill remarried?" He asked nervously.
Lenore's eyelids nearly flew off. "I haven't." She said dryly. "Yeah, they've been married for I think a year now." He said, noting the concern in her eyes.
"Tell me a little about her." She asked, gripping the handle of the shopping cart tightly.
"Well she's spirited...and uhhh." Dave trailed off as scenes from earlier in the day flashed through his mind.
"She's in trouble isn't she?" Lenore answered grimly.
"No, they just need a little time with each other." Dave said awkwardly.
Lenore gave him a pointed looked. "I have to go, don't tell Bill you saw me." She said and left her cart there and left the store, glancing over her shoulder. Dave stood there in shock. He wasn't sure what he expected, but this wasn't it. He wrestled internally, he heard some of the things Bill did to her through his wife. Thinking back on it, Lenore did look better now than she had when she was with Bill, more alive, younger even.
He shook his head, surely Bill would change for the sake of his new wife? Dave finished his shopping, grabbing a cheesecake on his way to checkout. He was going to stop by Bill's and see if he could steer him into being gentler with his wife. He had never seen a woman breakdown like that before.
Dave loaded up his groceries and got into his car. He looked over at the empty passenger seat and sighed. He missed his wife. Guilt made his heart feel like a thousand pounds. Dave hoped he could talk some sense into Bill. He kept questioning the church, Brad, and everything he thought in the last 20 years. What would he even say to Bill? Dave didn't let on that he was still angry that Bill had dared to shoot his wife for trying to run away, Brad had to be wrong about this one.
Before he knew it, he found himself pulling into Bill's driveway. Dave steeled himself and grabbed the cheesecake.
Lenore looked at the time before calling a former friend. She tapped her foot as the phone rang. Unless things changed, Arthur, her former friend's husband, was at the bar right now meaning it was safe to call. "Hello?" A woman answered. "Jean? It's Lenore, hun, how are you?" Lenore asked, twirling a loc of hair around her finger.
"I'm fine! Pregnant with my sixth right now. How are you? I haven't heard from you in awhile." Jean said, while ironing her husband's work pants.
"I'm well, finally. Congrats darling on the baby!" Lenore said, her stomach in knots.
"Thank you! He was definitely a little surprise, I guess the good Lord isn't done blessing us yet." Jean laughed.
"Yeah...what's this I hear about Bill remarrying?" Lenore finally asked, clutching the phone to her face.
"Oh you just now heard? Apparently they've been married for a year now. You should have been there, Lenore. She was crying and carrying on about being kidnapped or something. Bill even had her handcuffed to him. He must be afraid she'd run away from him like you did." Jean said with a snicker.
Lenore's heart stopped. "Let me guess, Brad stopped anyone from helping her?"
"Brad calmed the situation down and gave a sermon on Ephesians 5:22-33. Some of the other girls weren't too happy about that." Jean said lightly. "Oh baby's kicking!" Jean exclaimed.
Lenore stared passed the wall in disbelief, of course no one moved to help that poor woman or call the police. "What exactly happened, Jean?"
Jean grunted as she fell back into a chair. "Oh that's better." She sighed in relief. "She came into the living room and just had a full on meltdown, begging us to call the police and that she was being held against her will. Brad said to not intervene and that God had brought them together for a reason. So we all sat there and endured it, poor dear had mascara running down her face. Her face looked bruised up too, like they got in a nasty fight, like you and him used to. They'll be okay, Arthur said that Dave was going to stop by and see if he can cool things off." Jean said as if they were casually gossiping.
Lenore had to fight off the impending flashbacks of her nightmare marriage to Bill. She couldn't just sit back and do nothing while he abused another wife. "Does he still live on Rainey street?" She asked.
"They moved actually, closer to where Brad and Stacey are. I'll have to ask Arthur the specifics." Jean replied casually.
"Please do. Can you pass a message to her from me?" Lenore asked, pacing across her apartment.
"Uhhh, I dunno, Arthur wouldn't want me to interfere." Jean said hesitantly.
"Just in passing or a note or something." Lenore begged.
There was silence for a good thirty seconds before Jean replied. "Okay, what do you want to say to her?"
"Uhh tell her to hang on a little longer, help is on the way." Lenore said, her mind racing with ideas on how to help this other woman.
Dave knocked on the door, clutching the cheesecake, waiting for Bill to answer. A minute rolls by, Dave wondered if he should come back at another time. He decided to try one more time. "Hello?" He called out. He waited another moment before turning and leaving.
He was halfway to his car when the door opened. "Hey Dave, what're you doin' here?" Bill asked, eyeing the cheesecake in his hand.
"I wanted to stop by and make sure everything was okay between you two." He said, walking back over to Bill.
"We're doing better now, we made up on the ride home." He said tensely.
"Oh good, mind if I come in?" Dave asked, taking another step forward.
Bill hesitated before waving him in. "I brought y'all some cheesecake, where should I set it?" Dave asked as he took in the rather empty and blank interior. "I'll take that for you." Bill said as he relieved Dave of the cheesecake. He walked into the kitchen and put it in the fridge for later. Dave was startled when he nearly tripped over a chain on the floor. He looked towards the center of the room, it was an open floor plan, and was shocked to see it originating from the center of the house, bolted to the floor. He hadn't noticed it the first time he was over, course it was different circumstances then. "What is this for?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
Bill struggled for an answer and opted for the truth since he felt comfortable with Dave. "To keep my wife from running out on me." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Dave wasn't sure what to say to that. He almost blurted out that he had seen Lenore today, but he would keep his word and not say anything, thinking it might affect Emily negatively.
"You didn't discipline her like brother Brad, suggested did you?" Dave asked bluntly?
Bill gave him a look before answering. "No, we had a bit of a heart to heart instead." He left out the part where she admitted that he had broken her.
"She seems to be a sensitive spirit, you need to be gentle and patient with her. With time I'm sure you'll have the marriage you want. Something I wish brother Brad would touch on is that husbands need to also be ask for forgiveness and treat their wives with grace." Dave said, placing a hand on Bill's shoulder briefly.
Bill took in what Dave was saying. If only he knew how much of a brat his wife was.
"Do you really keep her locked up with that thing?" Dave asked worriedly.
Bill shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Yes." He answered tensely, not liking where this was going.
"You need to treat her with more dignity, Bill. She will grow to hate you like Lenore if you keep her chained up like an animal!" Dave said, gesturing to the chain.
"Do you know how many times she tried to run out on me? What I do with my wife, is my business." Bill snarled, jabbing a fat finger at Dave.
"I didn't come here to argue! I wanted to talk to you, brother to brother. Treat her with more care and kindness, Bill, you're going to lose her if you don't." Dave said, his voice cracking towards the end. He shoved his hands into his pockets.
Bill sighed and crossed his arms. "I love her, I gave her everything, more than some young punk could and she still spits on me. I don't get it."
"Bill, I'm starting to believe this was like an arranged marriage." Dave said, treading the water carefully.
"You could say that." He evaded.
"Then you should show her even more grace and patience. She will come to love you." Dave said, Emily's pleas for help still ringing in his mind. "Where is Emily? I want to check her arm and see how it's healing."
"She's taking a nap right now." Bill said coolly, wanting the awkward visit to end already.
A floorboard creaking caught both men's attentions. Emily stood in the door way of the bed room. She recognized the man from earlier. She stared at both of them like a deer in headlights since she was caught eavesdropping. "Ah the woman I wanted to talk to." Dave said, walking towards her. She glanced between Dave and Bill nervously. "Come here, sweetheart, I don't bite." Dave said with an outstretched hand.
Emily walked forward, the chain rattling with every step she took. Dave stared at it in dismay. She stopped a good arms length away. "I want to check your arm and see how it is healing." He said as he approached her. Emily stiffened and looked at Bill in alarm, waiting for him to freak out. "It's okay, Emily, let him look it over." Bill said tensely.
Emily let him, wincing when he took off the dirty bandages. "Have you not been changing these regularly?" Dave asked in concern. Emily shrugged, looking away. He hummed to himself as he inspected her wound. "It seems to be healing well. You're very lucky." He said with a pleaaed tone. Emily dropped her arm to her side. "You're very lucky its not infected. Keep it clean, at this point you can probably leave the bandages off." Dave said with a reassuring smile. Emily stared at him sadly.
She wanted to beg him to have some sense and help her. Emily opened her mouth to say something, then glanced at Bill and decided against it. "I know arranged marriages are tough in the beginning but with work and some time, they can blossom into something beautiful." Dave offered, glancing between the two.
"Is that what you think? That this is an arranged marriage?" Emily asked angrily, taking step closer to Dave.
"Yes?" Dave answered.
"You're either blind or delusional." She spat, glaring at him.