"Fred! What the hell are you doing here?" I yelled, furious that he would dare to come in to my apartment when I wasn't home.

He was drunk. I could tell that right away. I hadn't spent the last ten years of my life living with him to not know. If he had only drunk five or so, he was usually amorous and wanted to make love. If he had consumed ten or more he was very aggressive and pushy. Any more than that he always wanted to accuse me of sleeping with Bosco or doing something inappropriate behind his back. I figured that he was anywhere between ten or more. Judging by the way he swayed back and forth and from the smell that was radiating from him.

It was the same fight we always had. His drinking. But not this time. We were divorced and I did not have to listen to a word he said. However, getting him out of the apartment when he was in this condition was an altogether different story.

He was standing in my kitchen in his boxer shorts, listening to Al Green and making a pan of bacon. He set down the spatula he was using to push the meat around on the counter and turned to face me. It was apparent that I hadn't scared him the way he'd scared me.

"Faith, baby. I had the hardest time getting in here tonight. You changed the locks." He said, his eyes half sewn shut. This was the way he acted when he wanted something. If I argued or didn't act like he was totally in the right, he would become angry or even violent.

I could feel my anger growing by leaps and bounds as I stood there, watching him attempt to cook his meal and act like he had every right to be here.

"Fred. I'm going to ask you once to leave. Just once. You've broken into my home. I could have you arrested". I growled through clenched teeth. "Where are Emily and Charlie?"

He laughed. "Faith. Get a grip. They're at my mom's. Aren't you at least gonna put the gun away?"

I looked down and realized that I was still pointing my gun at him. I lowered my weapon and put on the safety, before returning it to my ankle.

I stood up again and pointed at him. "I mean it, Fred. I'm going to the bathroom and when I come back you better be gone." I said angrily.

He turned his back to me and started to drain the bacon. I knew I should have called the police right away, but I really had to go to the bathroom and it couldn't wait. It made me angry that he would have the audacity to turn his back to me and keep on making his meal. A meal that I had paid for. It was my food and I didn't want to share it with him!

I headed off down the hall, grumbling to myself, wishing I had more guts. The kind of guts I had when I was at work. There, I could handle the biggest of guys, but at home, when it came to Fred, I seemed to become that intimidated little girl again. I could never tell him exactly what I had been thinking, for fear that he'd hit me in front of the kids, or if not in front of, then I'd have a bruise I had to explain. I'd always been successful at hiding my bruises in the past. The last few months I had been with him the hitting had stopped. He'd found a girlfriend and he was never home unless it was his turn to be with the kids. He was actually pretty happy most of the time then. I was happy that his mood had improved and foolishly thought that maybe we'd be able to put up with each other until Emily and Charlie had grown up, and all the while he was banging a woman from his work. I should have known that's what was happening.

The worst of it was that he was still coming home night after night and accusing me of sleeping with Bosco. I guess it was the mind's way of acknowledging the possibility that I could be doing the same thing, if he was. He knew that it was easy for him to cheat, so it wouldn't be hard for me to do it too. Trouble was, I'd been tempted many a time to just climb up on his lap and plant a big kiss on his lips and ask him, no tell him, that I wanted to have a wild night of unrequited passion. Then he'd open his mouth about something or other and I'd come back to my senses. I should have cheated with Bosco. At least we'd have been even.

I slammed the bathroom door shut and walked over to the mirror and peered in, hoping that my reflection would give me some good advice. I was a mess and my image clearly showed me that. My hair was wild and my face was red. My whole body was tense, partly from finding an intruder in my home and partly because I was so wound up over Jimmy and Bosco and the past couple of days. My head had started to ache part way through my shift and was now pounding. All I wanted to do was take a few Advil and go to sleep.

I finished up and went back out into the hallway. I thought I heard the door slam and went to look. I couldn't believe that I had got rid of him that easily. I rounded the corner to the living room and saw Fred sitting on the couch, watching tv.

"What are you still doing here? I told you to get the hell out! I'm calling the police this time!" I yelled, and walked over to grab the portable phone. That gave him the message. He got up off the couch and went to put his jacket on. He turned to me and raised his hands for mercy.

"Faith, please." He said, humbly. He looked like a naughty little boy who was sent to bed without any supper.

I disconnected my call and looked pointedly at him, my patience long gone. "Fred. I want you to walk out of here right now. If you don't leave right now and I mean now, I'm going to have you charged."

"I just wanted to talk. I miss you and I want to come home" He whined.

I looked at him incredulously. I couldn't believe that he was standing here, after what he'd done to us, and was asking to get back together.

I took a step toward him and shook my fist in the air. "I wouldn't get back together with you if you were the last man on earth! Now- GET OUT!" I yelled.

His eyes narrowed and he took a step toward me, his own hands now raised in exasperation and defeat. "You just want me to get out cause your precious little Bosco is coming over and you don't want to admit to me that you've been with him all along!"

He was drinking, to be thinking that. I also suspected that he had hit his head really hard on something to imagine such nonsense. Bosco was locked up and he certainly had little or no chance of getting out early, especially with his favorite officer looking after him.

"What do you mean? Bosco isn't coming over here. He's.....busy tonight". I said, choosing my words carefully.

If Fred thought Bosco was in the drunk tank, I'd never hear the end of it. That would be a whole new area for him to concentrate on other than the usual.

It was clear to me that I had said the wrong thing. Fred's face turned a deep shade of red as he stared at me.

"You're such a liar Faith! He was here. Less than ten minutes ago, he knocked on this door and when he saw me, he just turned and left without saying a word. You've been sleepin with him the whole time, havn't you?" He accused.

Bosco had come here? Why would he do that? I couldn't imagine how he'd gotten out of the tank so quickly, and wondered why he'd show up here when he was so mad at me.

I didn't want to explain myself any further. To Fred or to anyone else. I grabbed the phone again and dialed the precinct.

"Hi. It's Faith Yokas. Can you send a car over to my apartment please? My ex-husband broke in and was here when I got home."

Fred's eyes bulged. He never thought I'd actually go through with it. He walked over to the door and opened it. He cast me a scathing glance and slammed it shut.

"Never mind. It's ok now. He just left." I said. I walked over and locked the door behind him.

Sleep was a hard won prize for me that night. I tossed and turned for hours, wondering what Bosco had wanted.

I guessed that I'd find out soon enough. I just hoped that our friendship could stand what ever was to come.