It had been a week and two days and Evelyn still had not spoken a word to Rick. And for the last two days, he had not spoken a word to her. In the wee hours of the night, when Evelyn was completely honest with herself, she admitted that she was hurt that Rick had stopped trying to talk to her, trying to get her attention, trying to get her forgiveness. She cried even harder as she wondered if she was being too stubborn, too unforgiving. She wondered if she had pushed him too far away, pushed him to the point of no return. Would he ever come back? Would he ever come back to her? Would they ever return to the love they shared? Would things ever be the same between them? Or would they continue as silent strangers living under the same roof? Had they, had she ruined it all?
The brooding silence was deafening and even impish Jonathan was affected by frosty chill that permeated throughout the house. Even a healthy sip, or in his case a healthy gulp, could not warm things up. Jonathan tried talking to his sister but the moment he mentioned Rick, she froze him from head to toe with her icy stare and that was all it took for Jonathan to shut him mouth on that particular matter. He then tried encouraging Rick not to give up on his sister. But to his dismay, Rick threw up his hands in frustration and defeat.
"What the hell else can I do Jonathan?" Rick said as he looked under the hood of his new car. "I told her I love her. I tried to explain to her about what happened, which was absolutely NOTHING I might add! She won't listen and I can't make her."
"Sure you can" Jonathan said, trying to sound confident in his statement.
"The hell I can" he bit out and Jonathan could hear the frustration oozing from his lips. "I'm fed up with her!" he yelled, the tension of the last week exploding in a frustrated protest. "Fed up with it all!"
"I know Evy can be a handful sometimes" Jonathan offered, hoping Rick really did not mean what he had just said. "Sometimes you just have to be firm with her and put your foot down" he said, knowing how ridiculous he sounded. "And make her listen" he finished.
Rick raised up from under the hood of the car and gave Jonathan an incredulous look.
"Have YOU ever MADE your sister listen?"
"Well..."
"I thought so" he said before ducking his head back under the hood.
"Yes... well... I've never had the need to do it. But if I did, you can bet I'd do it."
"Yeah. Right" Rick said from under the hood.
"Listen O'Connell" Jonathan asserted himself. "I know you love my sister. And I know she loves you. I can't understand why you two are being so stubborn."
"I'm not the one being stubborn!" Rick snapped as he came from under the hood with a menacing frown, causing Jonathan to take a step back. "In case you haven't noticed. SHE's" he said and pointed toward the house. "The one who's locking ME" he pointed to himself. "Out of the bedroom. SHE's the one not talking to ME..."
"Well now..." Jonathan interrupted tentatively. "You haven't said anything to her for what... the last 2 days."
"Why should I?! I've been talking to her for the last week. Begging her to talk to me so we can work things out. But I'm wasting my breath and to hell with it! If that's the way she wants it, then that's the way she's gonna get it" he said before going back under the hood.
"O'Connell" Jonathan said in a worried voice. "You don't mean that."
"The hell I don't" Rick spit out, his anger increasing moment by moment.
The frustration and the fear were growing with each passing day and Rick was beginning to feel helpless. A feeling that he hated and was not accustomed to dealing with. He was also beginning to think that what he had done, or almost done, had damaged his marriage beyond repair. And that was a prospect he did not want to face.
Jonathan understood Rick's feeling of being at the end of his rope. And he really did not blame Rick, not totally. Evelyn, he admitted, did have her part in all of this and he could only hope that his sister would come to her senses before it was too late.
*************************
Evelyn had been standing by the window watching Rick. As she observed him inspecting the different parts under the hood of his new car, Evelyn thought of how much she loved him. Yes, she admitted to herself, she did still love him. She would love him past her dying day, perhaps for eternity. But she did not know how to forgive him for what he had done. She was not ready to hear him out as he had begged her to do. She was just not ready. Then Evelyn heard his angry shout.
'I'm fed up with her!'
His words cut and they pierced her vulnerable heart. It did not matter to Evelyn that she had been a virtual harridan for the past week. It did not matter that she had spurned his every attempt to apologize and make things right between them. Nothing mattered but the piercing of her torn heart.
Evelyn turned away from the window and ran upstairs. When she got to her room, she locked the door, threw herself on the bed and cried uncontrollably. He was fed up with her. Did he not love her anymore? Maybe she had pushed him too far. Too far for him to come back. Maybe everything was ruined, maybe they would never be reconciled. Maybe now it was him who wanted the divorce. Evelyn's tears soaked her pillow as thoughts of despair and hopelessness tormented her heart and soul.
"Evy?" Jonathan's knock on the door invaded Evelyn's world of gloom. "Evy are you alright?" Jonathan asked. "Evy?" he called when she did not answer him right away.
"Yes?" she answered in a weak voice only after attempting to pull herself together.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes"
"You don't sound alright" Jonathan said. "I hear you crying."
"I'm fine Jonathan. Really" she said in a none too convincing voice as tears streamed down her face.
"Evy..."
"Jonathan please..." Evelyn cried. "I... I just need to be alone right now."
"Evy if you're this upset..."
"Jonathan please" she begged. "Please, I just need to be left alone."
Jonathan stood at the door for several moments not knowing if he should leave her alone or insist that she let him in. He loved his sister dearly and wanted badly to help her but did now know how.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his worry evident in his voice.
"Yes" she was barely audible.
"Well..." he said hesitantly after several moment. "I'll be here when you need me. OK?"
"Thank you Jonathan" Evelyn said with a sniff.
If her husband no longer loved her at least her brother did.
*********************
Evelyn was forced to get up from the bed when her stomach began growling. She knew she had to eat, if not for herself, then for the baby.
"Eat and get plenty of rest" the doctor told her.
So, with a heavy heart, Evelyn pulled herself up in the bed and swung her legs over the side. She sat on the bed looking at her tear stained face. She had cried more in the last 3 months than she had in her entire life. It took the intense hunger pains of her stomach for Evelyn to stop staring at her crying self in the mirror and get up and go and wash her face.
When she entered the kitchen, Evelyn had a fresh face in spite of her puffy eyes and heavy heart. As she walked toward the icebox, she heard shots in the back yard and knew Rick was out there having target practice. Not too long ago, two weeks and 4 days ago to be exact, she was out there with him and he was teaching her how to aim and shoot.
"Keep it tight against your shoulder. Squeeze the trigger. Don't pull it" he instructed her as she held the shotgun.
Tears began to well up in her eyes and Evelyn wished with all her heart that she were out there with him now. It was lonely in the house. She was lonely. Lonely without him...
When Rick stopped his shooting to reload his gun, he saw that the kitchen light was on and he knew she was in there. A week and 4 days ago, she was out there with him, learning how to aim and shoot.
"Tight against the shoulder. Squeeze. Don't pull" she said as she carried out his instructions.
He wished she were out there with him now. It was lonely out there. He was lonely. Lonely without her...
*********************
It was nearly nine o'clock when Rick stopped his target practice and went inside the house. He stopped in the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. After eating it, Rick headed upstairs to bathe. As he walked by the closed bedroom door, Rick wanted to kick it in and make Evelyn listen, as Jonathan had suggested. He thought seriously about it for a moment. He decided that if she did not come around soon, he would do just that because, though he was fed up with the way she was acting, he still loved her more than anything. That would never change, no matter what she did. But he was still fed up. Fed up with sleeping on the couch. Fed up with the rift between them. Fed up with not hearing her say 'I love you'. Fed up with being in the same house with her but being miles away from her.
His love for her would never change but the way things were going between them had to change. And they would change, he determined as he reached the bathroom door. Upon opening it, Rick was met with a very pleasant surprise.
The brooding silence was deafening and even impish Jonathan was affected by frosty chill that permeated throughout the house. Even a healthy sip, or in his case a healthy gulp, could not warm things up. Jonathan tried talking to his sister but the moment he mentioned Rick, she froze him from head to toe with her icy stare and that was all it took for Jonathan to shut him mouth on that particular matter. He then tried encouraging Rick not to give up on his sister. But to his dismay, Rick threw up his hands in frustration and defeat.
"What the hell else can I do Jonathan?" Rick said as he looked under the hood of his new car. "I told her I love her. I tried to explain to her about what happened, which was absolutely NOTHING I might add! She won't listen and I can't make her."
"Sure you can" Jonathan said, trying to sound confident in his statement.
"The hell I can" he bit out and Jonathan could hear the frustration oozing from his lips. "I'm fed up with her!" he yelled, the tension of the last week exploding in a frustrated protest. "Fed up with it all!"
"I know Evy can be a handful sometimes" Jonathan offered, hoping Rick really did not mean what he had just said. "Sometimes you just have to be firm with her and put your foot down" he said, knowing how ridiculous he sounded. "And make her listen" he finished.
Rick raised up from under the hood of the car and gave Jonathan an incredulous look.
"Have YOU ever MADE your sister listen?"
"Well..."
"I thought so" he said before ducking his head back under the hood.
"Yes... well... I've never had the need to do it. But if I did, you can bet I'd do it."
"Yeah. Right" Rick said from under the hood.
"Listen O'Connell" Jonathan asserted himself. "I know you love my sister. And I know she loves you. I can't understand why you two are being so stubborn."
"I'm not the one being stubborn!" Rick snapped as he came from under the hood with a menacing frown, causing Jonathan to take a step back. "In case you haven't noticed. SHE's" he said and pointed toward the house. "The one who's locking ME" he pointed to himself. "Out of the bedroom. SHE's the one not talking to ME..."
"Well now..." Jonathan interrupted tentatively. "You haven't said anything to her for what... the last 2 days."
"Why should I?! I've been talking to her for the last week. Begging her to talk to me so we can work things out. But I'm wasting my breath and to hell with it! If that's the way she wants it, then that's the way she's gonna get it" he said before going back under the hood.
"O'Connell" Jonathan said in a worried voice. "You don't mean that."
"The hell I don't" Rick spit out, his anger increasing moment by moment.
The frustration and the fear were growing with each passing day and Rick was beginning to feel helpless. A feeling that he hated and was not accustomed to dealing with. He was also beginning to think that what he had done, or almost done, had damaged his marriage beyond repair. And that was a prospect he did not want to face.
Jonathan understood Rick's feeling of being at the end of his rope. And he really did not blame Rick, not totally. Evelyn, he admitted, did have her part in all of this and he could only hope that his sister would come to her senses before it was too late.
*************************
Evelyn had been standing by the window watching Rick. As she observed him inspecting the different parts under the hood of his new car, Evelyn thought of how much she loved him. Yes, she admitted to herself, she did still love him. She would love him past her dying day, perhaps for eternity. But she did not know how to forgive him for what he had done. She was not ready to hear him out as he had begged her to do. She was just not ready. Then Evelyn heard his angry shout.
'I'm fed up with her!'
His words cut and they pierced her vulnerable heart. It did not matter to Evelyn that she had been a virtual harridan for the past week. It did not matter that she had spurned his every attempt to apologize and make things right between them. Nothing mattered but the piercing of her torn heart.
Evelyn turned away from the window and ran upstairs. When she got to her room, she locked the door, threw herself on the bed and cried uncontrollably. He was fed up with her. Did he not love her anymore? Maybe she had pushed him too far. Too far for him to come back. Maybe everything was ruined, maybe they would never be reconciled. Maybe now it was him who wanted the divorce. Evelyn's tears soaked her pillow as thoughts of despair and hopelessness tormented her heart and soul.
"Evy?" Jonathan's knock on the door invaded Evelyn's world of gloom. "Evy are you alright?" Jonathan asked. "Evy?" he called when she did not answer him right away.
"Yes?" she answered in a weak voice only after attempting to pull herself together.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes"
"You don't sound alright" Jonathan said. "I hear you crying."
"I'm fine Jonathan. Really" she said in a none too convincing voice as tears streamed down her face.
"Evy..."
"Jonathan please..." Evelyn cried. "I... I just need to be alone right now."
"Evy if you're this upset..."
"Jonathan please" she begged. "Please, I just need to be left alone."
Jonathan stood at the door for several moments not knowing if he should leave her alone or insist that she let him in. He loved his sister dearly and wanted badly to help her but did now know how.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his worry evident in his voice.
"Yes" she was barely audible.
"Well..." he said hesitantly after several moment. "I'll be here when you need me. OK?"
"Thank you Jonathan" Evelyn said with a sniff.
If her husband no longer loved her at least her brother did.
*********************
Evelyn was forced to get up from the bed when her stomach began growling. She knew she had to eat, if not for herself, then for the baby.
"Eat and get plenty of rest" the doctor told her.
So, with a heavy heart, Evelyn pulled herself up in the bed and swung her legs over the side. She sat on the bed looking at her tear stained face. She had cried more in the last 3 months than she had in her entire life. It took the intense hunger pains of her stomach for Evelyn to stop staring at her crying self in the mirror and get up and go and wash her face.
When she entered the kitchen, Evelyn had a fresh face in spite of her puffy eyes and heavy heart. As she walked toward the icebox, she heard shots in the back yard and knew Rick was out there having target practice. Not too long ago, two weeks and 4 days ago to be exact, she was out there with him and he was teaching her how to aim and shoot.
"Keep it tight against your shoulder. Squeeze the trigger. Don't pull it" he instructed her as she held the shotgun.
Tears began to well up in her eyes and Evelyn wished with all her heart that she were out there with him now. It was lonely in the house. She was lonely. Lonely without him...
When Rick stopped his shooting to reload his gun, he saw that the kitchen light was on and he knew she was in there. A week and 4 days ago, she was out there with him, learning how to aim and shoot.
"Tight against the shoulder. Squeeze. Don't pull" she said as she carried out his instructions.
He wished she were out there with him now. It was lonely out there. He was lonely. Lonely without her...
*********************
It was nearly nine o'clock when Rick stopped his target practice and went inside the house. He stopped in the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. After eating it, Rick headed upstairs to bathe. As he walked by the closed bedroom door, Rick wanted to kick it in and make Evelyn listen, as Jonathan had suggested. He thought seriously about it for a moment. He decided that if she did not come around soon, he would do just that because, though he was fed up with the way she was acting, he still loved her more than anything. That would never change, no matter what she did. But he was still fed up. Fed up with sleeping on the couch. Fed up with the rift between them. Fed up with not hearing her say 'I love you'. Fed up with being in the same house with her but being miles away from her.
His love for her would never change but the way things were going between them had to change. And they would change, he determined as he reached the bathroom door. Upon opening it, Rick was met with a very pleasant surprise.