To the best of Charlie's knowledge Guy and Connie's relationship was over long before he came into the picture, in any case not as her lover. And as far as Connie was concerned, her marriage had been over before it even started. She was too young to get married at the time, not yet ready for such a commitment. And the truth in it all was, she wasn't even sure if she'd waited, that Guy would have been the man she chose as her first husband. If their parents hadn't pressured her so much, she may not have married him to start with, at least not while they were so young.
One night there had been a huge fight in the Germaine house, that now no-one remembers what sparked it. But Guy had left that night and hadn't come back, he stayed gone for months. It was a cold, stormy night three months later when he'd fianlly return. Connie had been so lonely in the time he'd been gone and the night of the storm she'd just wanted some company in case the lights went out. She was afraid of the dark. Without thinking she'd called Charlie, he'd been her best friend for years. Like she knew he would, he came. He always came when she needed him.
They'd sat and talked for hours before the exhaustion of raising a toddler on her own for the last three months caught up with her and she gave in to sleep. Charlie tossed around the idea of leaving her there on the couch for a while before deciding to carry her to her room. He carefully laid her on the bed and placed a tender kiss on her forehead before trying to back away with out waking her.
"Don't go." Connie had murmured sleepily, grabbing at the hem of Charlie's shirt. "I don't want to be alone."
Her friend nodded and slid into bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and stroked her silky hair soothingly, as she drifted off to sleep. Soon sleep came to claim him too, and he closed his eyelids beside her.
Guy had looked out of his the window of mother's apartment, where he'd been staying and caught of glimpse of the angry cloud that littered the sky. It would be dark soon, Connie hated the dark He could tell from the look of the those clouds, in that sky it was going to be a wild night. He never would have guessed, how wild it would be.
He packed a bag and stopped at the local grocery to pick up some flowers on the way. Light purple Gerber daisies, Connie loved Gerber daisies. As he pulled up to the house he saw Charlie's SUV in the driveway and it made him happy to know someone was there to take care of his wife while he couldn't. That's what friends were for. But that night he'd be taking back the role of Connie's protector.
The house was quiet, too quiet and dark. He'd expected to find Connie and Charlie sitting in the living room laughing and being goofy as he had so many times before. But not this time, this time the parlor was vacant, the lights were off and all there was in the room was a pressing emptiness. The joy that once made that house a home was missing.
Then suddenly a breeze filled the room and wrapped it self around his waist. Some unknown force in the form of a gentle wind propelled him up the stairs to the master bedroom. Before Guy realized it, he was standing in the open doorway for the room, peering in as his wife lay curled up in the arms of his best friend.
He froze in that moment, feeling as though the air had been sucked up of him like a vacuum. He lost all control of his body, it wouldn't move, his head was spinning and heart breaking all while a ball of anger formed in the pit of his stomach. He felt dizzy, and nauseous on the verge of throwing up. How could they do that to him.
Then suddenly he could move again, though it still felt as though he had no control over his own muscle, as if they were working on their own accord. He flipped the lights on, waking the sleeping pair. Charlie momentarily blind by the brightness, allowing what Guy would do next to be so much easier. He hauled him off the bed, pinning him to wall, so incensed he was shaking with rage. Connie will never forget the hurtful names he called or harsh words he said to her, as his fist pounded repeatedly into the stomach of the who had been his best man at their wedding.
His frantic wife pleaded with him to stop, begged him to understand. With tears pouring down her face she screamed to him it had been completely innocent. Guy couldn't hear her, his fury made him deaf to her pleas. He irrational and inhuman.
Then as swiftly as the attack had began it was over. Trembling Guy propped Charlie's bruised body and backed out the door. Connie could hear the squeal of his tires as he fled the property. That was the last time, Guy Germaine set foot in that house.
Connie knelt beside Charlie and grimaced at the black and blue already starting to form on his abdomen, her husbands words of hate still ringing in her ears. And she sobbed. How could the man she married be so savage, so unfeeling? There was no way she could ever take him back now. She couldn't have that around her daughter, that malice and that violence. Guy would be lucky if he ever even saw Madison again.
Charlie opened his eyes and looked over at that clock radio beside his bed., the blurred crimson letters read 2 AM and he sighed. He rolled over and just looked at his wife. Her small frame motionless other then the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Charlie leaned over and kissed her lips softly, running his thumb over the smooth skin of her cheek.
Connie stirred slightly and smiled without opening her eyes. "What are you doing awake?"
"Couldn't sleep, had to kiss you." Her husband brushed a stray piece of dark hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
"What time is it?" She asked rolling over to face him and opening her eyes to stare into his lovingly.
"It's 2, five years today."
Connie crinkled her foreheads and looked at him curiously. "Five years since what?"
Charlie knew that his wife had tried to push the events of that night out of her mind. She didn't want to think about how that happened, all that mattered to her is that they happened. They were in love and happy, how it came to be mattered little.
"Five years since Guy came home." He replied, leaving a small trail of kisses along her jaw line.
Connie nodded, biting her lip. It still hurt to think about the names he'd called her that night. In the back of her mind since then she'd kept them, always wondering if there was truth behind them. So many times she'd replayed that night in her head or in her dreams. She'd wake up reaching for Charlie and she'd panic if he wasn't next to her.
She scooted closer and wrapped her arms around his midsection. "Go back to sleep honey." She whispered knowing she wouldn't be able to.
One night there had been a huge fight in the Germaine house, that now no-one remembers what sparked it. But Guy had left that night and hadn't come back, he stayed gone for months. It was a cold, stormy night three months later when he'd fianlly return. Connie had been so lonely in the time he'd been gone and the night of the storm she'd just wanted some company in case the lights went out. She was afraid of the dark. Without thinking she'd called Charlie, he'd been her best friend for years. Like she knew he would, he came. He always came when she needed him.
They'd sat and talked for hours before the exhaustion of raising a toddler on her own for the last three months caught up with her and she gave in to sleep. Charlie tossed around the idea of leaving her there on the couch for a while before deciding to carry her to her room. He carefully laid her on the bed and placed a tender kiss on her forehead before trying to back away with out waking her.
"Don't go." Connie had murmured sleepily, grabbing at the hem of Charlie's shirt. "I don't want to be alone."
Her friend nodded and slid into bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and stroked her silky hair soothingly, as she drifted off to sleep. Soon sleep came to claim him too, and he closed his eyelids beside her.
Guy had looked out of his the window of mother's apartment, where he'd been staying and caught of glimpse of the angry cloud that littered the sky. It would be dark soon, Connie hated the dark He could tell from the look of the those clouds, in that sky it was going to be a wild night. He never would have guessed, how wild it would be.
He packed a bag and stopped at the local grocery to pick up some flowers on the way. Light purple Gerber daisies, Connie loved Gerber daisies. As he pulled up to the house he saw Charlie's SUV in the driveway and it made him happy to know someone was there to take care of his wife while he couldn't. That's what friends were for. But that night he'd be taking back the role of Connie's protector.
The house was quiet, too quiet and dark. He'd expected to find Connie and Charlie sitting in the living room laughing and being goofy as he had so many times before. But not this time, this time the parlor was vacant, the lights were off and all there was in the room was a pressing emptiness. The joy that once made that house a home was missing.
Then suddenly a breeze filled the room and wrapped it self around his waist. Some unknown force in the form of a gentle wind propelled him up the stairs to the master bedroom. Before Guy realized it, he was standing in the open doorway for the room, peering in as his wife lay curled up in the arms of his best friend.
He froze in that moment, feeling as though the air had been sucked up of him like a vacuum. He lost all control of his body, it wouldn't move, his head was spinning and heart breaking all while a ball of anger formed in the pit of his stomach. He felt dizzy, and nauseous on the verge of throwing up. How could they do that to him.
Then suddenly he could move again, though it still felt as though he had no control over his own muscle, as if they were working on their own accord. He flipped the lights on, waking the sleeping pair. Charlie momentarily blind by the brightness, allowing what Guy would do next to be so much easier. He hauled him off the bed, pinning him to wall, so incensed he was shaking with rage. Connie will never forget the hurtful names he called or harsh words he said to her, as his fist pounded repeatedly into the stomach of the who had been his best man at their wedding.
His frantic wife pleaded with him to stop, begged him to understand. With tears pouring down her face she screamed to him it had been completely innocent. Guy couldn't hear her, his fury made him deaf to her pleas. He irrational and inhuman.
Then as swiftly as the attack had began it was over. Trembling Guy propped Charlie's bruised body and backed out the door. Connie could hear the squeal of his tires as he fled the property. That was the last time, Guy Germaine set foot in that house.
Connie knelt beside Charlie and grimaced at the black and blue already starting to form on his abdomen, her husbands words of hate still ringing in her ears. And she sobbed. How could the man she married be so savage, so unfeeling? There was no way she could ever take him back now. She couldn't have that around her daughter, that malice and that violence. Guy would be lucky if he ever even saw Madison again.
Charlie opened his eyes and looked over at that clock radio beside his bed., the blurred crimson letters read 2 AM and he sighed. He rolled over and just looked at his wife. Her small frame motionless other then the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Charlie leaned over and kissed her lips softly, running his thumb over the smooth skin of her cheek.
Connie stirred slightly and smiled without opening her eyes. "What are you doing awake?"
"Couldn't sleep, had to kiss you." Her husband brushed a stray piece of dark hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
"What time is it?" She asked rolling over to face him and opening her eyes to stare into his lovingly.
"It's 2, five years today."
Connie crinkled her foreheads and looked at him curiously. "Five years since what?"
Charlie knew that his wife had tried to push the events of that night out of her mind. She didn't want to think about how that happened, all that mattered to her is that they happened. They were in love and happy, how it came to be mattered little.
"Five years since Guy came home." He replied, leaving a small trail of kisses along her jaw line.
Connie nodded, biting her lip. It still hurt to think about the names he'd called her that night. In the back of her mind since then she'd kept them, always wondering if there was truth behind them. So many times she'd replayed that night in her head or in her dreams. She'd wake up reaching for Charlie and she'd panic if he wasn't next to her.
She scooted closer and wrapped her arms around his midsection. "Go back to sleep honey." She whispered knowing she wouldn't be able to.